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• More titles by Karen Chance

Synopsis

Dorina Basarab is a dhampir, the daughter of a vampire and a human woman. Subject to uncontrollable rages, most dhampirs are born barking mad and live very short, very violent lives. So for five hundred years, Dory has been fighting to maintain her sanity by unleashing her homicidal tendencies on those demons and vampires who deserve killing.

But now Dory’s vampire father has come back into her life. Her uncle Dracula, notorious even among vampires for his cruelty and murderous ways, has escaped from prison, and her father wants Dory to work with the gorgeous vampire dueling champion Louis-Cesare to put him back there.

Vampires and dhampirs are mortal enemies, and Dory prefers to work alone. But Dracula is the only thing on earth that truly scares her, and when Dory has to go up against him, she’ll take all the help she can get…

Reviews

Interview

What inspired you to start writing urban fantasy novels?
Reading in the genre and liking a lot of it, but not finding exactly my type of book.  I wanted a big, lavish world, great characters and an epic storyline.  I wanted the breadth of a sword and sorcery series with the grittiness of a modern setting and a dash of whimsy.  I wanted Tolkien writing urban fantasy, but he was dead, damn it.  So I decided to write it myself.  And no, I am not comparing myself with the master—no one will ever out do Tolkien, which is as it should be.  But I wanted the humour and the adventure and the camaraderie of his books, and I hope I have (or will eventually) manage something of the kind.  

Pick one: series or standalone?
They both have their good points.  If a story can be encapsulated in one book, it should be written that way.  There’s nothing worse than a series that has no direction—one in which an author’s first book did well, so the publisher said: can you write a series?  That type tends to meander along, frustrate readers and often never ends up anywhere interesting.  On the other hand, a really well-thought-out series can be a lot of fun, and allow an author to tell a much bigger and more imaginative tale than can be stuffed between the covers of one book.  So, again, it depends on the story being told, and how much space it really needs. 

How and where do you write?
I am a night owl, so mostly late evening works best for me. I write at home, which is one of the perks of being an author.  I can work in my sweats, with no makeup and my hair a mess, and nobody cares.

How do you relax when you’re not writing?
I’m a geek girl. I love anything to do with computers, especially if it’s something I don’t already know how to do.  I also read a lot, travel less than I’d like and make vain attempts to learn how to cook.
 
What's the first novel you remember reading?
Murder on the Orient Express.  I was seven.  Yeah, I know.  But my mom was a Christie addict and always had her books lying around, and I’ve never been able to keep my hands off of any book.  If it’s available, I’ll read it.  I’ve literally read the dictionary when there was nothing else around. So I picked it up and, halfway through, said ‘I give up; they all did it.’  I still remember the absolute sense of wonder I felt when that actually turned out to be true! I don’t think I’ve ever gotten over it.  After that, I was hooked, first on everything Christie ever wrote, then by Rex Stout, Conan Doyle, etc. I all but exhausted my library’s mystery section (it was a small town library, so that isn’t saying much).  Then, one day when I was eight or nine, a librarian chucked a copy of Madeline L’Engel’s A Wrinkle in Time at me.  I was pretty dubious—it was a kid’s book, after all, and I didn’t read those.  But I eventually gave it a try and then spent the next few years burning through the fantasy section.  I still think it’s one of the best fantasy stories I’ve ever read, maybe the best.   

Which novel do you wish you'd written?
See A Wrinkle in Time above.

Has any book ever made you sleep with the light on?
I am very hard to scare.  A group of friends and I went to a Halloween event with a few dozen haunted houses last year.  Most were pretty tame, but a few had my friends screaming.  They became a bit perturbed because I wasn’t.  I’m not particularly brave, it’s just that, when it’s pretty much a given that someone is going to jump out at you, it loses the surprise factor. And if I’m not surprised, I’m not scared.  I feel the same way about a lot of horror books.  They may gross me out, yes; but surprise me?  Not so much.  Horror movies are the same, although I will admit to squeaking a few times in I Am Legend.  Good film. 

What's your top tip for new writers?
Read. There’s nothing worse than someone writing in a genre simply because it’s hot at the moment, when they know nothing about it.  If you don’t read it for fun, if you haven’t read the greats in it, then please, please, don’t write it. Yes, your readers will know.  No, you can’t fake it.  Write what you love and it will show, and you’ll enjoy it more to boot.  

What's your most satisfying writing moment?
Probably when I hit the “zone” and can’t get the words out fast enough.  It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, write much more quickly and what I write rarely needs editing.  

What's the best/worst thing about being a writer?
The best is being able to do a job you love, to live where you like and to make your own hours. The worst is having no benefits, no job security and a higher tax rate (because writers are considered self-employed). 

Who are you reading right now?
No one—I’m on a deadline! 

What are the three best words to describe your own writing?
Fast-paced, fun, unexpected.

What did you want to be when you grew up?
About a thousand different things.  My poor, long-suffering parents had to listen to my (almost daily) changes in job aspirations.  Everything from astronaut (I grew up about an hour from the Kennedy Space Center) to airline pilot to, yes, writer was on the list, as well as about anything else you can think of.  I was just thinking aloud, trying on different hats to see which fit best, but it drove my parents mad.  That, of course, was a bonus.

If I ruled the world...
Oh, God.  It would be a disaster!  I can’t even remember where I left my keys.  On no account should I be put in charge of anything more complicated than a microwave. 

Name your five dream dinner party guests.
Oscar Wilde: Isn’t he on everybody’s list?  I mean, come on. If I got really lucky, he’d get bored and start insulting everyone. 
JRR Tolkien: Because I have a few dozen questions about the Simarillon I’d like cleared up (see geek girl above). 
Anne Boleyn:  For all the gossip about Henry and the rest, from the source. 
Agatha Christie:  Because I never get all fan-girlish, but I probably would over her. 
Hillary Clinton: I know, I know.  But I wanted to meet her even before the presidential bid.  I dig hippy-chick reformers.   

What makes you angry?
A lot of things, I suppose, but especially people who couldn’t care less about anybody else’s problems.  I was living in New Orleans when Katrina hit, and I was both amazed at the selflessness of many people around the country (and around the world) who pitched in to help--and simultaneously horrified at a government that didn’t. 

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