Exclusive Interview with Elizabeth J. Kolodziej

Author Elizabeth J. Kolodziej is the brilliant woman behind the novel Vampyre Kisses. I had the joy of interviewing her on her book, her favorite vampires, music and more. Check it out:

Can you tell us about your book Vampyre Kisses?
Well, this story wasn’t something I finished in a couple of month. It actually took me 5 years to finish it. I was going to school for English while writing the book. When you are an English major you have lots of papers due so Vampyre Kisses kind of had to sit on the back burner. But it really helped me to write the story. I was forced, ha ha, to read authors I would normally not give a second glance to, which I now know was wrong of me to do. I learn a lot about writing styles, plots, and characters from every book I read.

The basic story line in Vampyre Kisses is about a young woman that finds out she is the last witch in the world. On top of this she meets Trent, who is a sexy Irish vampire, and they both fall for each other. Soon there are gems stolen from the vampire master and werewolf royalty and it comes down to Trent, Faith, the werewolf prince Zou Tai, and some others to find these gems before it is too late.

Also, I think there is a lot in this book for men, women, and teenagers to get into. The characters are relatable and you get connected to them very quickly. The one thing I tell people is that the characters come to me and tell me the story, I just write it down.

What got you interested in writing about vampires?
To put it simply, I blame it on my mother. She loved vampires long before I was even born and I guess growing up around someone that read Anne Rice and watched Buffy The Vampire Slayer ended up rubbing off on me. I just grew up loving the idea of vampires, witches, and werewolves and after I started writing, it only seemed natural to write about what I knew best.

What do you consider to be the key elements of a great vampire story?

I think the key element of a great vampire story is to have the vampire be relatable. When someone is writing about vampires it is easy to make him/her all knowing and all-powerful because writers may forget that vampires used to be human.

All of us have our flaws and weaknesses and this is something that a writer should incorporate into their vampire story. Though he/she is a vampire now their personality is still the same from when they were human and that is where the flaws and weaknesses of a vampire emerge.

Ok, here’s a question I ask all authors I interview (I’m a music junkie): I’ve noticed that most of the authors I follow on Twitter talk about the music they’re currently writing to. What kind of setting/atmosphere do you find most conducive to your writing?
Well, depending on the scene I am writing depends on what music I listen to. Music really inspires me to write certain scenes. I don’t recommend anyone doing this, but when I drive I will listen to a song and I will, kind of, make a music video from scenes in my book. For example when I wrote the fight scene were they were in the cage, I was listening to Slipknot and I would just imagine how the fight would go as if it were a movie. Sorry it can be difficult to explain this process to people!

Besides this I normally like to be alone when I write. If someone bugs me while I am writing I can get so irritated and become a real witch myself! LOL. But I don’t have to have anything special. I normally just sit in my bed with my dog at my feet and either listen to music or have the TV turned on to Futurama or Bones. I have to have noise of some sort in the background while I write.

How would you describe yourself in three words?
Charismatic, crazy, remarkable (when I’m not being shy and hiding in a corner)

If you had to choose between a vampire or a werewolf lover, which would you choose and why?
I always find this question a little difficult cause I am so torn. My first instinct is to say vampire because that was what I grew up knowing. There are not as many werewolf books and movies out there, even though the story of the werewolf dates back further than the story of the vampire.

However, vampires have that romantic appeal to them and the promise of mortality is something I think many humans find attractive. For me it is the idea of not having to feel so rushed with time. I would be able to take things at a slower pace and not feel like I am going to miss out on learning this or traveling to this place. Plus you get the chance to find love over and over again.

Who’s your favorite fictitious vampire (other than your own)?
Currently my favorite fictitious vampire is Ivy from Kim Harrison’s Rachel Morgan series. She is very deep and full of emotion because she is currently a living vampire. It is so interesting for me to see a vampire full of emotion, I really like what Kim Harrison does with her.

If vampires were discovered to exist today, do you think our society would accept them or try to destroy them?
Unfortunately I believe that our society would try to destroy them. The human race as a long history of killing what they do not understand or are afraid of. It is a sad truth. I think True Blood does a good job in showing the controversy people would have in accepting vampires.

What is your opinion on the new popular vampire books/movies/shows such as Twilight or True Blood?

I can admit that I have actually read the entire Twilight series. I was on my way to Ireland and needed a book for the plane. This was a couple of years ago now. I had never heard of it before and I thought I would give it a chance. The Twilight series is a good book for young girls in high school but I don’t think it was relatable enough for me. Mostly because I’m not in high school so I don’t have those types of problems that her characters face. Also, I was not happy with the ending in the last book. I won’t give anything away but I felt like it was a big build up and then it fell flat.

On the other hand I am in love with True Blood. I get together with a girlfriend of mine, Kristen, and we watch it every Sunday. We actually threw a season finale party last year. True Blood is interesting for me because I like that vampires are out in the open. It makes it interesting to see how people react to find vampires walking down the street at night. I would, however, like to start on the books soon. I hear they are a lot better. But I normally think the books are better than the movies.

As for books, I love Christopher Moore’s Blood Sucking Fiend series. I think he has a wicked humor that he puts into his books. And he is just so crazy with his characters and what happens to them that it keeps you turning the page. Like I said earlier I also read the Rachel Morgan series by Kim Harrison. I find this series to be amazing because you get the mix of Witches, Vampires, and Werewolves. I am a huge witch fan and love anything that deals with magic.

And finally, what other projects are you currently working on? Any goodies we should watch out for?
At the moment I am actually working on the second book. I plan to have it done and out by next year sometime. It is a lot of fun now because my characters are developed and they are all their own individuals.

Also, I am working on a short story with a friend of mine that will have my two main characters, Faith and Trent, along with a character from my friends’ book. It will kind of be bridge a between the first and second book.

Check Elizabeth out here:
www.vampyrekisses.com

twitter.com/ejkolodziej

– Moonlight

By Moonlight

Moonlight (aka Amanda) loves to write about, read about and learn about everything pertaining to vampires. You will most likely find her huddled over a book of vampire folklore with coffee in hand. Touch her coffee and she may bite you (and not in the fun way).

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