Interview at Rachelle's Window

Here's an interview I recently did for Rachelle's Window. Enjoy!

What drew you to the horror genre?

I’ve always been fascinated with horror movies and the paranormal. As a child, I tortured my Barbie dolls and loved going to video stores to look at the covers of horror movies, hoping that I would be able to see them one day. Writing horror was a natural progression.

Tortured Barbie dolls? How could you? LOL. How did you come up with the title for A Good Man?

A Good Man is about an altruistic vampire - a vegetarian who feeds the homeless, takes care of animals and is concerned with the ecological future of the planet. He's a good man, but if he doesn't feed on the blood of humans, he'll be paralyzed for eternity.

Talk about conflict! Is there a message in A Good Man that you want readers to grasp?

I hope that A Good Man makes the reader wonder about his or her own behavior. We all have good motivations to behave the way we do, but they don't always justify negative results.

It must put your vampire in a bit of a dilemma because he needs to feed which obviously hurts another person. Did you write A Good Man entirely with paper and pen or is it all on the computer?

I almost never write with paper and pen. I only use it when I’m stuck for ideas because it helps to order my thoughts. A friend of mine, Daph Nobody, does exactly the opposite. He writes his entire novels in a notebook and only uses his computer to transfer his text once the book is finished.

What is the most productive time of the day for you to write?

The most productive time to write is the evening. Nighttime stimulates the right hemisphere, while daytime is for tasks that require the activation of the left hemisphere, such as editing and rewriting.

Hey, looks like we're similar. I get creative after everyone goes to bed. I'm really excited for you! It looks like A Good Man has been picked up to become a French film. How did that happen?

In 2010, my short story The Strangers Outside was brought to the screen. The main actor in that film, Pierre Lekeux, is also a producer. He loved what I had done with The Strangers Outside and he asked if I’d agree to write their next feature film. He wanted to jump onto the wagon of the current vampire craze and he thought that I was the ideal person to bring this project to life. The movie will be shot later this year - starting in September - and will be released as Un homme bien.

Some people feel that when their screenplay/book is made into a film, they don’t do a good job bringing the work to life, Stephen King for example. Are you nervous or excited to see your work on the big screen?

The problem is that the filmmaker's view on what the movie should look like doesn’t usually correspond with the author’s view. That doesn't mean the filmmaker is doing a bad job. The film adaptation of The Strangers Outside doesn't resemble my short story either.

I do like psycho thrillers, but I suppose it is hard to get the philosophical twist into action. I have read some places that you are the female Stephen King. Do you feel that is a fair comparison? And are you a Stephen King fan?

That quote shows up in almost every article about my books and screenplays. It intrigues people and it helps to sell books, so I don't complain. Old-school Stephen King stories are still among my favorites.

What were you in a former life?

A cat, naturally. I love cats, I have almost all the characteristics of a cat and most days I wish I were a cat.

It's no wonder that your A Good Man has a cat then. If you could have any supernatural power, what would it be?

I’d like to have all of them: being invisible, reading people’s minds, talking with the dead… But I can only choose one, right? Then it’ll be talking with animals. I have a very special relationship with the animals in my life and I know that there’s so much more to them then what I currently know. Oh, and I’d like to be able to cure people and animals miraculously. Who wouldn’t?

You're cheating and trying for two. But since we're fantasizing, why not have it all? Actually, I don't think I'd want to read minds, then I'd know what people are really thinking about me! Which books are on your bedside table right now?

Kelly Creagh's Nevermore... I really loved the first part of this book, but the ending is dragging a bit...

And some books my boyfriend got me as a present, such as Joe Hill's Horns and 20th Century Ghosts, Ransom Riggs' Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, and the first three books from Chi's Sweet Home.

Vanessa, it's so wonderful to chat with you. Looks like some bone-chilling book recommendations you have for our readers!