Why Not? ~~ Nancy Haddock

Cowabunga! Hello, and cyber welcome to the “old coast” of sunny northeast Florida!

First, many thanks to Leena Hyat for not only inviting me here, but for rescheduling me. Yep, a cyber black hole ate communications, and I missed my original blog date. Argh! I hate to be late for anything – never mind missing an appointment entirely! – but Leena was gracious and understanding, and I appreciated her all the more.

Soooo, belatedly but with joy, I’m here today to answer some of the questions I get, both from readers and fellow writers. (Not to mention my mother!)

Why did I create a Gidget with fangs, a surfing vampire in my debut book La Vida Vampire?

Why did I kill off the werecreatures?

Why did I make vamps a protected species?

And, perhaps the biggest question: Why did I write a vampire book at all, especially when the market seems saturated with them?

The answer to “why a vampire book” is easy. The idea of a Princess Vampire character grabbed me and wouldn’t let go. Nope, not even after the fabulous Mary Janice Davidson’s first Bitsy novel was published and I got my hot little hands on it.

Here was a vampire book packed with humor – something I loved, and knew that my story would also hold. Yet I also knew my main character was a different breed. Cesca was made vampire of the past rather than the present, but one who’d been out of circulation and would need to catch up with the modern world. Cesca is old in a world new to her, and her wonders of discovery ranged from shopping, to surfing, to the discovery of herself.

As for “why a surfing vampire,” that was Cesca’s idea. She reminded me that she had been a rather rebellious young woman for her time, and athletic to boot. She escaped to the beaches of Anastasia Island as a human to frolic in the surf and simply to enjoy the peace. Since she’s a part day-walker, she insisted I let her learn to surf. My answer to that logic? Why not?

“Why Not” can be as important to a writer as playing “What If.” Why not have vamps declared a protected species and create a Vampire Protection Agency? Why not “tag” them in a similar way we tag other endangered and protected species to keep track of them? Why not kill off the werecreatures and have only magical shifters instead? Throw in a wizened wizard as the “father” of the shifters – why not?

This is not to say that I don’t like werewolves … or werelions, weretigers, werebears. Oh, my, no! I love ‘em! In fact, who’s to say a formerly secluded enclave of weres that escaped extermination won’t show up in Cesca’s world? I guarantee other magical and preternatural characters will make an appearance. When, where and how?

I don’t know, but then not knowing is one of the delights of writing fiction – particularly of writing in the paranormal genre. When you build your world, the most amazing surprises can happen!

Is there a surprising or unexpected event that’s happened – or a character who showed up -- in a book you wrote / read? Please share! Inquiring minds, you know!

Nancy

http://www.nancyhaddock.com/