Vampire fiction, outside of Bram Stoker’s classic Dracula, is something I am fascinated by but am admittedly not very familiar with. Thus it has been very exciting over the past several months to ‘meet’ Colleen Gleason via the wonder of the world wide web. Colleen writes vampire fiction and her first novel, The Rest Falls Away, will be coming to a bookstore near you this January. Colleen Gleason has given me a wonderful opportunity: a chance to badger her with interview questions and the opportunity to give away a copy of The Rest Falls Away. Colleen was gracious enough to answer my questions and I hope you’ll enjoy her responses as much as I do. And with that introduction, heeeeere’s Colleen!:

1. Let’s start out with the particulars: who are you? where do you live? kids? occupation (or are you a full time writer), etc:

I live in Michigan, and I am delighted to say that I’m now a full-time novelist (with three books being released in 2007, and three more contracted to be released in 2008, I haven’t time to do anything else). Prior to attaining this life-long dream, I worked mainly in health care sales and then with small, start-up businesses. I have a BA in English and an MBA from the University of Michigan, and I live with my three children, husband, and a dog.

In my free time, I love to read, write, cook, garden, hang out with the family, watch movies, and get up in front of people and talk. Yes, you read that right: I love public speaking, especially when I’m talking about something I love!

2. Briefly describe The Rest Falls Away:

The Rest Falls Away is the first book in the Gardella Vampire Chronicles, which is about a family legacy of vampire hunters. The first five books in the series are about Victoria Gardella, a young woman in Regency-era England (1819, to be precise, just after the time of Jane Austen and her books) who learns that she’s one in a long line of vampire hunters.

After she learns she has this duty and these special powers, Victoria must figure out how to balance the two sides of her life, just as many superheroes have done before her (or since her, I guess I should say, since she lived long before Superman, Spiderman, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer).

In an era where women are meant only to marry, in a time where they cannot even speak to a man unless they are properly introduced and couldn’t even dream of being out and about alone (let alone at night), Victoria has to figure out how she’s going to hunt vampires on midnight streets, how she’s going to carry her stake, and how she’s going to slip out of a ball in order to stake a vampire, all the while juggling the demands of her beaux and her match-making mama.

The book straddles the tenets of most genre fiction. It’s not a horror novel, it’s not a romance, it’s not historical fiction. It’s an amalgam of all three, with some suspense, humor, adventure and history all tossed in with a bit of a love story.

3. How long did it take you to write The Rest Falls Away? How much research went into the historical aspects of the book before you began writing in earnest?

I’d had the idea for awhile, so before I sat down to work on this project in earnest, I’d written maybe three chapters. But then my computer crashed and I lost those chapters (back up, back up back up!!!), so when I actually got back to the story, I had to start over again. And it actually turned out better when I rewrote it, so in a way, it was a blessing. (Except for all the pictures of my kids I lost on the crashed computer.)

So once I actually dove back in, I think it took me about five and a half months to write the book.

As for historical research, I must confess, after having read Jane Austen, Georgette Heyer, and many other books set during the Regency period in England, I already felt quite comfortable with the time period. Thus the research I did was merely to fill in some holes and to make sure I knew how the clothing, for example, worked. (Men’s shirts didn’t button, for example, at that time, they were pulled on, and tied at the top.)

What I ended up doing the most research on, believe it or not, was vampires and vampire mythology. I had to do a lot of that so I could come up with my own take on the mythology, and I hope readers find it interesting and fresh in a market that is overwhelmed with vampire novels.

4. I love the cover image. How much input did you have on the cover art?

I love the cover too! I think it’s the most fantastic cover I’ve ever seen, and I’m not prejudiced. Well, maybe a little, but, seriously, could there have been a better cover depicting a historical vampire slayer?

My editor asked me for thoughts on cover ideas, and I sent her some pictures that I liked. We had talked about having a woman on the front, holding a stake behind her back, but when they actually showed me the final cover, I was just blown away! They’d taken this basic concept and created an amazing image, very different from what I’d pictured, but so much better.

Incidentally, I have always been very attracted to the covers created for the titles released by New American Library (my publisher, which is a division of Penguin) for its Signet Eclipse line. They are all spectacular. I am very fortunate to have such an amazing cover, because an attractive, eye-catching cover is one of the things that gets people to pick up your book.

I’m lucky, though, because even if I hadn’t liked the cover, it’s doubtful it would have been changed. The marketing departments of the publishers really drive the final acceptance of a cover (unless you’re someone huge like John Grisham or Nora Roberts), and they have a much better sense of sales and marketing when it comes to publishing than we lowly authors.

One of the things I’ve learned is that as the author, I expect the cover to depict exactly and accurately what the book is about, but that’s not necessarily what would sell a book. An eye-catching cover will. And covers with bare-chested men on them, too. (Have you seen the cover of my second Gardella book?)

Carl: No, I haven’t seen that one. I’m sure it iss great but you can understand why I will be partial to the first! 😉

5. This may be a weird question, but is the title something you have complete control over or does your editor, publisher, etc. have a hand in that?

The title is something my editor and I brainstormed together. I came up with several lists of possible titles, and we went back and forth until we narrowed it down to about three or four we both liked. Then she took it to her in-house people and got their opinion, and a decision was made.

That’s how we did it with all the rest of the so-far titled Gardella books: Rises the Night (June 2007) and The Bleeding Dusk (February 2008), which I’m currently writing.

The title for The Rest Falls Away comes from a quote by Muriel Rukeyser:

“I think there is choice possible to us at any moment, as long as we live. But there is no sacrifice. There is a choice, and the rest falls away. Second choice does not exist.”

6. Why vampire fiction?

Well, I’d written nine (unpublished) novels before The Rest Falls Away was sold by my amazing agent, and when you’ve been working at the business for so long, you start to realize that it helps if you can write something that’s marketable.

And it’s a fine line between writing for the market and writing what you want to write. I was lucky that I had a great, exciting, wonderful idea that was also extremely marketable, and that my agent and editor thought that I executed it well enough to get a book deal out of it.

How did I end up writing “for the market”? Well, vampire novels were just starting to explode, so that was on my mind.

Then, when I got hooked on Buffy the Vampire Slayer DVDs, it got me to thinking, since Buffy was one in a long line of vampire slayers, what had her predecessors’ lives been like? And once Cinderella was one of my favorite fairy tales, it was logical that I’d transpose the two.

After more thought, I realized that the other most popular setting in women’s genre fiction is the Regency era, and wham! I put the two together and off I went.

6b. There are a fair number of female authors who have had success with vampire fiction. What do you hope to bring to this genre that may be a bit different than what is currently out there?

There are a lot of female authors burning up the best-seller lists with vampire novels, I’ve heard people begin to complain that all they can find are vampire novels nowadays!

My book is different, though; quite different. I wrote it for people like me (and my mom) who don’t read horror or vampire novels, as well as for people who do, and who like Buffy and Van Helsing.

First, mine is an historical. The vast majority of vampire novels are contemporary (and now the trend is leaking into demons and succubi and all sorts of other mythological creatures, but all in contemporary settings).

Secondly, as I am fond of saying, my heroine stakes vampires, she doesn’t make out with them. The vampires in my books are the Bad Guys. There’s not too much sexy about these undead blood-sucking demons, and Victoria (my protagonist) embarks on the same crusade many of her colleagues do: she’s got to save the world from them, while keeping her gown from getting mussed!

7. Vampire fiction authors have certain stereotypes associated with them (at least in my mind). Do you fit any of these stereotypes?

Ha! I’m guessing you mean being sort of goth or mysterious or wearing flowing black clothes? I don’t think I do, but remember, I’m not writing your Average Jane Vampire Novel. My vamps aren’t cute. They’re mean, so I don’t necessarily think of myself as a vampirish person.

8. Is it true you’ve never read Dracula?

Ha again! I knew you would ask me that. No, I haven’t ever read Dracula. (I’ve seen movie versions, though! Does that count? I especially enjoyed Dracula 2000, which I recently saw, because of the amazing acting involved (*cough*GerardButler*cough*).

Carl: NO! Blasphemer! There has never been a film that has come close to the actual story. I honestly think you’d enjoy it because it is as much a historical novel as a vampire story. It is the time period, language, heroism of the men and women, chivalry, etc. that sets this book apart from other vampire fiction (in my opinion).

I haven’t read Anne Rice, or Laurell K. Hamilton, or Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, or any other vampire novels, except for those of the talented J. R. Ward.

I have become addicted to Buffy and will start watching Angel probably after the new year begins. I also liked Van Helsing (partly, again, because of the fabulous acting *cough*HughJackmanishot*cough*).

9. Do you read other vampire fiction? Who are your favorite authors in this genre? Who are some of your favorite authors outside of this genre?

As I admitted above, no, I don’t read any other vampire fiction, at all, except: I’ve read two J. R. Ward novels and the first Sookie Stackhouse book [by Charlaine Harris] (all of which I’ve really loved), but other than that, no. Honestly, I don’t find vampires sexy (except for Angel and Spike, but that’s a whole other ball of wax), and so many of the hot novels out there depict the vampires as sexy and misunderstood.

That, incidentally, is part of the reason that most of my research for the book centered around vampires and vampire lore! I had no idea what was “accepted” when it comes to vampires. In fact, when I told my editor that I don’t read vampire novels, she said, “Then how on earth do you do such a fabulous job of writing them?” And I said: “Research.”

Some of my favorite authors include Nora Roberts/J. D. Robb, Susan Elizabeth Peters, Liz Carlyle, Philippa Gregory, Roberta Gellis, Elizabeth Peters/Barbara Michaels, J. K. Rowling, and Jennifer Weiner.

9b I am always interested in authors’ reading habits while they are writing. Do you tend to stay away from reading anything at all or books in a similar vein (pun intended) when you write?

One of the reasons I don’t read vampire novels is because I don’t want anything “leaking” into my subconscious. I’d rather keep it all neat and clean, you know? I only read J. R. Ward after I had written my first two Gardella books, and only after I was assured by several people that my books are completely different, and therefore, there was no possibility of leakage.

I do read while I’m writing, as a break from the creative process. I am a very picky reader, though, and if I pick up a book and it doesn’t keep my attention, it’s very easy for me never to finish it. I do it all the time. I probably only finish about 50% of the books I pick up to read.

When I’m writing, I might read classics set in the time period I’m reading (which give me an even better feel for the period), or I might read something completely different from what I’m writing. For example, I just finished reading Barbara Samuel’s Madame Mirabou’s School of Love (of which the title has absolutely nothing to do with the book, nor does the cover) which was one of the most captivating books I’ve read in a long while. It just grabbed me, the prose is so beautiful, and it sucked me right in. It was a contemporary novel about a woman trying to deal with her divorce and get on with her life.

Another of my favorite things to do while I’m in writing mode is to reread some of my tried and true favorites. That’s probably the most common creative-stress-reliever for me. I pick up one of the books I’ve read a dozen times and read it again, finding comfort in the read, and letting it take me away from my own work. I know I won’t be disappointed.

10. What are your writing habits? Do you make yourself write for a certain amount of time every day? Do you have a special place where you write? Any interesting or odd author quirks?

When I worked a day job, and had to go to the office every day, I wrote at night after the kids were in bed (9-11 pm). I got out of the habit of watching television (which is why I generally admit that I do live under a rock), and never got back into it.

Now, my schedule is usually: get the kids off to school and cuddle with my 5 year old (who goes to kindergarten in the pm) for a bit, then turn her over to her babysitter and then I head into my office. I usually spend the morning doing email, writing blog posts and doing research and/or blog visits, and attending to other errands/tasks related to the business.

Often, then I do my errands and grab a bite to eat for lunch out of the house and usually think about what I’m going to write that day. And then, I usually write during the afternoon. (Must be a hold-over from writing at night–the later in the day, the more productive I find myself.)

Lately, I have been taking my laptop to restaurants or coffee shops (I prefer restaurants because I like to have them bring me my food/drink/etc.) and I find I am pretty productive there, I don’t have email to check, and I can sort of blend into the dull roar of people going on around me.

10b What else do you spend your time doing? Or what do you wish you were spending your time doing?

There’s nothing I’d rather be doing than writing, most of the time, except maybe reading. I do love to garden and cook, and I love to go to movies and to travel. I also do a lot of volunteer work at my church, which reminds me all the time how very lucky I am. And then, of course, there are the fun times I spend with my children–they are getting older now, and we get to do a lot of things together.

11. How do you expect your life to change, or how has it already changed, now that your name is out there as a published author?

I don’t think my life will change all that much, unless I hit the New York Times best-seller list, and even then, I don’t know that it will. I will admit that it’s always interesting when I meet new people and I tell them I’m a novelist (oh, how much I love saying that!) it always sparks quite a conversation. Many people have no idea how difficult it is to get published by a large, New York publisher, and many people are also delighted to meet an “author.”

Carl: I understand that, I am always delighted to meet authors…its been a delight to ‘meet’ you. I think most readers harbor at least a small dream to be a writer and so it is great to meet anyone who is writing and/or who has been published.

My life has already changed in the most significant way: that I’m blessed to be doing something that I absolutely love, and have dreamed of doing, ever since I was a young girl.

12. Will you be doing book tours, book signings, any special events?

I have several book signings scheduled in my state, and will be having a book release party (anyone who lives in Michigan is invited; more info will be on my website soon). It’s possible I’ll be doing a mini-tour this summer when we go on vacation, and by that I mean stopping at bookstores along the road and signing whatever they have in stock. Unless you’re a big name, booksignings aren’t necessarily that exciting for the bookstores unless you’re a local author. So I’ll wait till I’m a big name before I do any big tours.

Carl: I have heard of various authors going in to bookstores and signing copies of their books, unbeknownst to the owners. I love the idea of a person buying a book and not realizing it is autographed until they get it home and start reading it!

Thank you so much, Carl, for having me on your blog! I appreciate your giving me the time and space to tell your readers about me and my book. I’m happy to answer any questions they might have.

Carl: It has been a pleasure. Thanks for taking the time and thanks for allowing me to help promote you and your book!
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As was mentioned in the introduction, I will be giving away an autographed copy of Colleen Gleason’s novel The Rest Falls Away. The question is, what must one do to get in the drawing? Everyone who sends in the severed head of a vampire will be…..just kidding. All that you have to do to be included in the drawing is to leave the words: “I want a stake” in the comments section. The drawing will be held on December 24th (Colleen’s Christmas present to you). I will announce the winner and forward your mailing info on to Colleen so that she can send you your prize.

Colleen Gleason has also been kind enough to answer any questions you may have for her. Just leave them in the comments section and she will respond as she has time. Now is your chance to get answers to any of those author questions you have been dying to ask.

I encourage everyone to pick up a copy of The Rest Falls Away when it comes out in January. I look forward to my introduction into Victoria’s world. Please visit Colleen’s blog as it is always a fun place be (click on picture to be taken to her blog)

and leave your questions and comments here!

Thanks again Colleen, I really enjoyed this opportunity.