Vampire Books Fans, Fangs and Writers discussion

I'm starting a competition of sorts. I want to create a new blog award for vampire lovers, and I need a set of questions that a vampire would need to answer during an interview. (I think this could also be a handy tool for vampire authors to develop their characters.) So...

If you could ask a vampire one question, what would it be?

If you'd like to submit a question, please give me also your name, a link to your blog, and a short description (max. 30 words) to go along with the question if it is selected.

See details here.

I have a new dedicated site for the blog award. I'm still looking for more questions - you can see here who has asked what so far:
http://vampireloverblogaward.wordpres...

Very interesting.
So only those nominated can answer the questions?

As far as I'm concerned, anyone can play... the nomination just serves as a handy excuse.

Do you have a question?

ps. I do like the cover...

Francis wrote: "ps. I do like the cover..."

Thank you!

Yes, I do have on question.

With the success of vampires in the mainstream, do you find it harder this day and age to survive?

Cool - thanks :-)

Francis wrote: "Cool - thanks :-)"

Thank you!

Here are my nominations:
http://alinameridon.wordpress.com/201...

Here's an interview with Suzie and Cleo:
http://alinameridon.wordpress.com/201...

Here's an interview with Elaine White's Damian:
http://ellelainey.wordpress.com/2013/...

I submitted a question, was nominated, and have merrily joined in the wicked fun. The "contest," in fact, got me to start a new blog that I can put pictures on. I have posted 3 interviews so far and will post two more, spacing them out at least as far apart as one a day. They are at http://robinlayneauthor.wordpress.com.
Imbibe!

It's certainly fun reading them. :-)

Thank you! They are fun to write. Since some of the vamps initially answered more than 11, I'm thinking of posting the other answers later--at least the best ones. Trying to bring in more of an audience. There is you and Elaine, and then one of my Facebook friends has been "Liking" my posts about the blog but has not commented on or about it. Poor thing is stuck with dial-up, so I don't know what she can read.

Building a following is a slow process. Getting even a single like in a day feels like a triumph. It's strange to see some people getting 50-100 likes so easily and regularly.

Comments are even rarer...

I think blogs that are more personal, sharing life experiences and daily struggles, develop a stronger, more interactive following.

Using pretty pictures helps as well, of course.

I'll try to make more pretty pictures of my vampires--lol--but for me such pictures take time. I'm not a cartoonist.

I first responded to the contest by copying all the questions asked into a Word file and then having two of my vampires, Carletta and then Luke, answer ALL of them. It was hard to later narrow it down to 11 for all to actually post on the blog. Later I would like to post their other answers on my blog, but I might wait a little while until more people have voted on the poll (last time I checked, only two people had voted on their favorite vampire of the 5). My reason is that giving these two more responses might put them at an unfair advantage (or disadvantage). Another option is to have the other three answer all the others as well. That would require me to develop their characters more, which would be good for me to do.
I have to say that doing this contest has already helped me with character development. I have to ask myself how much to reveal and how much to hold back before actually publishing my books. I once had a Yahoo page that had a teaser and quotes from my novel-in-progress. I noticed later that other writers publish such pages AFTER their books have been accepted by a publishing company, and sometimes not until the books are published. But the industry is rapidly changing; publishers now prefer authors to have a following before they even send in their manuscripts. Unless you are popular as a blogger or some kind of celebrity, especially in some theme related to your book, you're not so likely to be chosen.
As for doing it all yourself, that may be easier to see a book in print, or in ebook form, but may be even harder to actually get the book out to the public,
My vampire series falls between the cracks of genres, so I may HAVE to publish it myself--when each book is finished and when I have extra money. It's not an easy road I see before me, but I believe in what I have to say.

I just added a comment to the poll post, inviting people to explain the reasons for their choice and to let me know if they would like to hear these same vampires answer the rest of the questions. Come on over to http://robinlayneauthor.wordpress.com and share your input, please. Thanks!

Character interviews are strange because you have to ask who is asking the questions, and when. Also, do you really want to talk about events from the book? - especially if you haven't finished writing it!

That said, I enjoy chatting with Suzie and Cleo from time to time. It's a major spoiler that they're both alive, or undead at any rate, but otherwise I avoid discussion of events in the novel. Also with Tina the other day. In both cases I am the interviewer and the interview is present day.

There are two other characters I'd like to interview, but both exist in distant futures, so who and when are more complicated questions...

I was reading a blog posts somewhere this morning, where the author was saying that the most important question to ask a character is: Where do you come from? The question is about background, culture, family history, everything...

There are so many people self-publishing, and so many vampire novels, that it's difficult to get noticed however you go about publishing...

I know I was nominated, Francis, but I'm not sure which vampire to interview, especially without giving anything away. I could interview Daniel, but he's an evil character so I don't know how I can make it interesting. I also don't know three vampire blogs.

Yeah, nominating others was hard for me, too. But making my evil characters interesting was not! Even evil can be funny or otherwise entertaining. My vampires are all so individual. Would you like to read mine? http://robinlayneauthor.wordpress.com. I hope you check it out and let me know what you think. There is a poll asking which vamp you like (hate?) the most, and you can comment about your choice.

Megan: No pressure! As and when. It's supposed to be fun and/or useful...

Evil can be interesting. It can be fun working out who the interviewer is, and what motive the evil character has in answering the questions, and what the fate will be of the foolish interviewer.

Robin wrote: "Yeah, nominating others was hard for me, too. But making my evil characters interesting was not! Even evil can be funny or otherwise entertaining. My vampires are all so individual. Would you like ..."

Thanks for the link, Robyn! I like how you interviewed several vampires and not just one. I may just do the same :-)

Cool! And thanks for subscribing to my blog.
(It is easy to get my first name wrong, especially when Layne (which is my middle name) has a Y in it. However, I like the spelling of my first name, with the I, because it is just like the bird, and I relate to the bird in a number of ways.) :)

No problem! Good luck with your book!

I need to stop nibbling around its edges and work on the book itself. Lately I've been saying to myself, Finish the damn thing! I've got to stop waiting for people to help me figure out things about it. Seems to be no way around the fact that it's a lonely job after all!

Finally did an interview:

http://megancashmanbooks.wordpress.co...

I didn't feel it was possible to have fun with this vampire, since he's so unlikable. I made myself the interviewer and focused on surviving than having fun.

I'm wondering what you offered him in return for the interview...

Really? Hmm. I'll add something to that post then.

Actually, nevermind. I don't want to give away anything, so leave it as it is.

Curiouser and curiouser!

Ha ha, nah! Besides, it doesn't look like the other bloggers explained how they got their vampire to sit down with them.

I didn't think that through with mine. I wanted them to respond to the original questioners, though I didn't think of them being there with the vampire all at once.
Megan, I loved your interview. I haven't finished reading your statements about yourself.

There, read them. Interesting! Makes me want to say more things about myself.

My original intention was that the vampires should be giving facts about themselves - but it's good either way.

Yeah, I wasn't clear on that. It was my first impression, too, but then I saw Elaine's response was about herself. It worked out nice to start a new blog with facts about the blogger--especially since I would be immersed in the vampires for quite a while.
I just added a new post to my Wordpress blog--about how I got the initial idea for the series--the same thing that got me "into" vampires in the first place.
And I'm slowly getting a following there, which is nice.

Robin wrote: "I didn't think that through with mine. I wanted them to respond to the original questioners, though I didn't think of them being there with the vampire all at once.
Megan, I loved your interview. ..."

Thanks so much, Robin! I'll do another one in a week or two.

Hi, everyone!
Megan, did you ever add another interview like you said way back in August? I did a new one today that is practically a short story. I interviewed Carletta in a Starbucks to cover the rest of the questions from the blog award--in the company of a manipulative Luke. Luke is next, though I'm not sure when I'm going to take the plunge. This blog post is LONG; I expect that one will be, too. CarlettasSecondInterview

Robin wrote: "Hi, everyone!
Megan, did you ever add another interview like you said way back in August? I did a new one today that is practically a short story. I interviewed Carletta in a Starbucks to cover the..."

Hi Robyn,

I haven't yet. Next week I will though. I spent most of September on talking about my experiences one year since publishing my book, so that is why I didn't do another interview. But I will though. I'll let everyone know.

Wish I had such an excuse--publishing your book indeed! I stand in awe of those who actually accomplish my lifelong dream. I feel like I'm my worst obstacle, but maybe I'm being too hard on myself.

Finally did another interview. Not as nerve wracking as the other one, but still informative:

http://megancashmanbooks.wordpress.co...

Just a reminder, people, about the Vampire Lover Blog Award, which is basically a great excuse for authors to introduce the world to their vampire friends and characters. This year we've had:

- Julia from Theresa Van Spankeren's Lost Soul.
- Eve from my The Slave-Girl and the Vampire series.
- Hrana from my Kings of Infinite Space: The Quest for Alina Meridon
- Adrinius, from M.P. Sharma's The Last True Blood.

And, although not based on the award, also:
- Emile Dubois from Lucinda Elliot's That Scoundrel Emile Dubois: Or The Light of Other Days

If you want to play, read the Rules (which are, ultimately, entirely optional).

It's been fun to read others' interviews. It is interesting to see all the different and fun answers. :)

Wow, Francis, I didn't realize others had written more interviews. I am interested in reading those! I was thinking about writing my second Luke interview that I promised and, looking back at my blog, was amazed to see that his interview of Carletta was way back in October of 2013. I really need to get back into the loop! I found that out when I woke up in the wee, dark hours of the morning and couldn't sleep. That's sometimes the only time I find time to write. I started working on that long-awaited interview (in which Luke answers, if he cooperates, the REST of the questions). I noticed when I looked back at the Vampire Award site that more questions have been added since Carletta's second interview. It's going to be interesting discovering how the other questions show up in between the two interviews, which are supposed to be in the same sitting. Or perhaps I could create a reason that one or more of us has to leave and we take up the rest of the double interview at another time.

I posted a little more material on the blog in the meantime, and to my surprise a whole bunch of people suddenly subscribed to my blog--more than ever before.

Have a great new year, everyone!

Hi Robin, Happy New Year! Congrats on the new followers.

Thank you! I wasn't sure at first that they were real, because I was having some weird things going on with my Internet at the time, but that's cleared up. (Now I'm just dealing with an increasingly slow machine since my friend put Windows 7 on it and it was made for XP. Bleah! --and don't tell any vampire I said that...)

I liked XP more than 7 & 8, but it's increasingly difficult to use. Time marches on...

Hi Robin! Congrats on the new followers! Windows 7 is a lot less frustrating than Win 8. Francis is right though, time marches on...

Interview with Matthew from Theresa Van Spankeren’s Pursuit into Darkness.
Link to the interview from the Vampire Lover Blog Award site.

Thanks for posting it Francis! :)

Heh, good to see a rather recent interview was posted--Theresa's, that is. I just came here and saw it mentioned above. I'll have to read it soon. I am going to post another interview of my own, which was promised way back in October of 2013. In that one, undead vampire Luke helped me interview live vampire Carletta; later today, I'll post Carletta helping me interview Luke. Just finished writing it a bit ago, and took a pic of a clay sculpture of Luke's face to add. I am still working on my books about these characters and others. Projects like the Blog Award help me to know them better.

I just read the interview of Matthew. Thank you, Theresa! It was siccinct and enjoyable. (And apparently I have no idea how to spell "siccinct.")