TitleTales

Interview: Richelle Mead

Richelle Mead is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of urban fantasy for both adults and teens. The Georgina Kincaid series tells the humorous and heart-breaking story of a reluctant succubus who can’t touch the man she loves without dire side effects. Richelle’s YA series, Vampire Academy, is a best-selling series which has won honors from the American Library Association and been on a number of lists. It follows the war between two races of vampires, living and undead. Rose Hathaway, a 17-year old half-vampire, is training to be a bodyguard for the living vampires and finds her life complicated by the dangers that involves, as well as an illicit romance with one of her teachers.

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BWI: We have been addicted to reading about Rose and her life as an extraordinary protector of a benevolent royal vampire and her romantic relationship with her mentor. What prompted you to create characters who are different from the traditional Gothic vampire?

RM: When I decided to write a vampire book for teens, I had no idea that that genre would be so big. I knew the adult market was going strong, so it was important for me to do something very different from those books. So, I tried to stay away from the ‘standard’ vampire stories in our society and see what else was out there in the world. Interestingly, almost every culture has myths about some type of vampire. I’d taken Eastern European folklore classes in college, so I jumped into research about those myths first and found the Moroi and Strigoi stories. There wasn’t a lot there, so I’ve had to improvise a lot in the series with how I best think a world with two vampire races would live. Dualism is a big part of Russian and Romanian myths, which is why the balance of light and dark is always so key in the Vampire Academy universe.

BWI: Why do you think paranormal novels are so popular now?

RM: Interest in the paranormal—especially with vampires—has been going on for a long time: Bram Stoker, Bela Lugosi, Anne Rice, etc. People are drawn to the dark and dangerous, and vampires embody both those traits—and a bit of humanity as well. When you mix all of those things into a romance, you have the material for really amazing storytelling. With more and more of the mainstream reading fantasy (thanks to hits like Harry Potter and Twilight), the audience for paranormal books is continually growing, which boosts popularity as well.

BWI: What in your own educational background do you draw on when writing Vampire Academy and your adult novels?

RM: At the University of Michigan, I took a course on Eastern European Folklore, and we had a unit where we studied old myths and stories about vampires, which greatly influenced VA. My education and personal reading has been filed with myths and folklore from lots of other cultures, which has played a big role in my adult novels.

BWI: Are there experiences from teaching adolescents that color your point of view?

RM: If anything, teaching adolescents has taught me they’re more adult than often given credit for.

BWI: Rose belongs to people known as the dhampirs. Where does this name and the idea of the dhapmirs come from?

RM: The two races of vampires come from assorted stories in Romanian mythology. The Moroi are good, living vampires while the Strigoi are undead and evil. The dhampirs are half-vampire and also come from Romanian mythology. In this world, dhampirs like Rose work with the Moroi against the Strigoi. I’ve made dhampirs bodyguards in my world, but in the old stories, dhampirs actually often were vampire hunters—which I didn’t initially realize.

BWI: It strikes us that the relationship between Rose and Dimitri is very complex tackling age differences, a student-teacher status and personality clashes. What ultimately brings this pair together so strongly?

RM: They’re attracted to each other because they balance each other with opposite personality traits (her recklessness, his calmness, etc.), yet ultimately, there’s a piece in each of them that’s the same. Those things, as well as that inexplicable chemistry that so often appears in relationships, is what keeps bringing them together.

BWI: Do you have a favorite character? Would future spin-off works keep this character as a protagonist?

RM: I love all the characters in different ways, though for the first VA series, Rose is my favorite—she has to be since she’s my narrator! In the spin-off series, she’ll step aside and let someone else take center stage.

BWI: Is the series as you originally envisioned it, or can you describe where changes in the characterizations or plot line have diverted from your original intent?

RM: Each book is always planned out in advance—even the series are. So, when I sat down to write VA, I had a clear vision for the first book and the rest in the series. Those main plotlines have never changed. Little details and subplots pop up and evolve as the series goes on, but otherwise, the series matches my vision.

BWI: Readers have seen Lissa and Rose change from very close to distant and regretful. What might we look forward to in their remaining chapters?

RM: The girls will frequently come back to each other and then part for assorted reasons. This will make them both grow and ultimately fulfill their destinies. But of course, both will still continue to look out for each other.

BWI: What differences do you find in writing for a young adult audience vs. a series intended solely for adults?

RM: Honestly, the difference in the two audiences is mostly in the character ages and some of their situations (i.e. being in high school). Otherwise, my writing isn’t too different between adult and YA books. Teens and adults think and talk alike more than either group wants to admit sometimes! Adult characters probably reason more like me, just by virtue of age, which makes for easier writing in that regard. But, teen characters are so passionate with their emotions that it’s nice to let down all the barriers and just write what comes to me.

BWI: What do you think would encourage people to read more?

RM: People will read more for reasons that have held true for a long time: a compelling, well-written story with characters we can love and relate to.

BWI: Are there any plans to make the Vampire Academy books into a movie or television series?

RM: I’d be open to it, but there are currently no plans right now to make it a movie or TV show. It’s nothing I can control until a film company offers on it. In the meantime, a lot of fans have made “trailers” on YouTube of who they’d like to see play the characters, so there’s lots of material out there feeding movie rumors!

BWI: Do you think that writing in the age of social media has influenced author/reader relationships? Do you look at readers’ postings and are you ever influenced by their feedback?

RM: I think the surge in social media is fantastic. It’s a fast way for me to spread news about books and signings, as well as try to give readers a glimpse into what an author’s life is really like. As I’ve mentioned, my books are planned out, so reader feedback doesn’t influence what I write—though I certainly enjoy hearing the theories! I have no real-life meetings with fans in the book club sense, but I’m pretty much traveling every month for the first half of this year (and then again at the end) for signings, so I’m always interacting with teens. I did a lot of touring last year as well. There have been far too many experiences for me to think of anything specific to share. Suffice to say, they’ve all been wonderful, and I adore signings. Readers and writers each give something to each other.

BWI: What books have you read, movies have you watched, or music have you listened to that influence your works? What have you read, watched or heard that hasn’t influenced you, but you’ve really enjoyed? What are you reading now?

RM: Aside from the mythology mentioned, there are no books that influence my own (at least that come to mind). I actually go out of my way to avoid reading contemporary vampire novels. I also can’t listen to music while I write—too distracting! But, outside of that, I’m a big fan of the 80s and Celtic folk music. Reading wise, I’ve been picking up a lot of epic fantasy, as well as mainstream YA. I recently finished Golden Fool by Robin Hobb.

BWI: Your love of dress buying frequently appears in the bios on your books. What are your favorite places to shop? What’s the most unique/unusual/special dress you’ve ever had? Did you wear it? (Your bio on “Blood Promise” mentioned you buy more than you could wear, which is exactly how our department purchases books. Well, a few of us are into shoes.)

RM: I think my dress shopping has gained a more dramatic reputation than it deserves! I’m a fan of the big Seattle department stores—Macys and Nordstrom—as well as BCBG. And actually, the part about me having too many is no longer true since I travel and do so much touring. I wear the dresses to signings, so they’re getting good use. I’m photographed a lot now, so there’s pressure to keep my wardrobe interesting. My favorite dress is my wedding dress, which of course never goes on tour.

BWI: What would you like to do next?

RM: Honestly, I just want to keep writing! It’d be nice to switch into new projects (which is why I’m doing the spin-off series) because I never want to hit author burn-out and keep beating a series into the ground when there’s nothing more to tell. I write adult series about demons and fairies, so I’m not sure what other paranormal characters I’d take on next—but I’m sure there’s plenty out there! I have a feeling I’ll be in this genre for a while. My fans and contracts insist upon it! But maybe someday, I’ll try another field.

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