Mar 03
Tell us about the Vampire Family book. What inspired it? Is this a series and if so, how many books are you planning? If not, do you plan to have any spin-off’s from secondary characters in the future?
I was in a serious vampire phase in high school oh so long ago! I read and watched everything I could get my hands on, and yet I was a little dissatisfied with the genre. I started out writing a short story about a vampire couple who were college professors and preyed upon their students, adding them to their ‘family’. The story grew and changed, and I let my friends read the beginnings of what is now The Vampire Family. I have an entire binder of side stories and tangents dealing with many of the character who appear in the book, and even a few who were cut out of the novel proper. We travel with the Welshires throughout history, so there’s plenty of opportunity to bring character old and new, big and small, dead or alive to some interesting times and places. I’d love to return to The Vampire Family universe in the future, its just a matter of timing. Knock on wood, right now I’m in no short supply of idea, just the time and energy to write it all down as it should be.
What element of writing in your genre is hardest for you? Easiest?
It may sound silly, but it takes me two or three drafts to clarify my world’s names and styles. In the creative writing or typing I just go with it, and things get so big and never turn out how you expect. When I go back for my read through, I have to decide what proper names should be capitalized, what nickname folks will go by, and in science fiction, I have to make sure whatever technology I made up is believable and standard throughout. Yes, I always have to double check my internal consistencies of my worlds. Easy, however, for me perhaps is dialogue. Sometimes in dreams or just before sleep a lot of stories come to me as simply characters talking. I think the words a character says really says a lot. You can get teh gist of who someone is and what’s going on by what they themselves say, not by what the author tells the reader. Sometimes that’s how I being writing a story. Getting down all the dialogue first, then filling in the action and dramatic bits with further drafts.
Do you have any pet peeves as a writer? As a reader?
As a writer I probably have a lot of pet peeves! In my own work I can be very anal about a particularly troublesome spot. Sometimes I have to be in a certain place at a certain time with a certain set up to write. I think the peeves vary. Unfortunately, I think a lot of my writing peeves really show as a reader. I can ready something I really love and not notice any of the incorrect bits, but if I’m reading a book that’s a little bad, sometimes I even stop and underline where the grammar is wrong. I also have to correct when people speak or the writing of others. It annoys me when I catch myself doing it, and I’m sure it irritates others. I’ll be in the doctor’s office reading the pamphlets and I have to fix them! As I reader I really enjoy a book that transports me to the point where I don’t notice technical bits.
If you could ask readers in your genre one question, what would it be and why?
From I business standpoint, of course I’d like to know what makes a reader chose to read what he or she reads. Is it the back page blurb or the dreaded judging of the cover? Is it the style of the author on the page as well as off? All those technically marketing bits do occur to me, the author, of course. On a more shy and yet egotistical note, I’d like to ask a reader what they liked about my book. You can’t ask just one question. I’d have to interrogate!
What do you think is most important in the relationship between the main characters?
I don’t consider myself a full on romance proper fan, mostly because I don’t always think the romantic relationship of the main characters should be the most important thing going for them. I think the most intriguing relationship a character has is with himself. In other media like movies or music, its just as much about what you can hear or see, but in writing, you can get into a characters thoughts and feelings like nobody’s business. I like to know what they think of the events happening in the book, and how these things positively or negatively affect their being. In the recent erotica editing and writing I’ve dabbled in recently, I more interested in how the romantic or sexual relationship is good or bad for the people involved. Do they know this relationship is just the therapy they need? Or is this unhealthy with severe consequences that they are too blinded to see? For me, the relationship is about the individuals, not the couple. Does that make any sense? :0)
How long does it take for you to create, write and submit to your editor a finished book?
TIme varies. Composition proper can take me about a year, with another few months of polish and submission. In the editing for publication phase we usually turn around things in a month or two, then its a matter of waiting in the publisher log. Creation can take me a long time, however. Sometimes I stew people and stories in my head for years before I do anything about them, or if I jot something down, it can take me years before I have the time or itch to go back to it. Occasionally I still do things in long hand. It’s great to have another step of revision when I type or transcribe what I hand wrote, but it can be long and annoying, adding a few months to my timeline.
How much time do you have? Since The Vampire Family is a story I’ve been with for a long time, I’ve had my share of film casting dreams with this one. I even have a binder of pictures I cut out from catalogs and magazines giving style and features to the characters. Now, the actors I started with are probably too old, and I always have trouble with female casting. I’d have to say I’ve also wanted Julian Sands for Antonio and Christian Bale for Theodore, and naturally, my current boy Sean Bean as Eric. I think I’d probably have to fit Milla Jovovich in there, too, probably as Sarah or Catrina. And back in the day Sharon Stone would have been a great Ann. Don’t even ask me about my trunk sf novel The Centuarians. I know who everyone is in that one, and that’s a 150k opus!
I’ve been doing some erotica with Leigh Wood and I’m tweaking a few more horror short stories, plus some pen name dribble. Leigh’s On The Way To New Isosceles has a conditional acceptance at Eternal Press. I really liked editing it, so hopefully we’ll see it in the fall. Sex in space is good for people, who knew? Pieces of that story are available at http://leighwood.blogspot.com. There’s a healthy amount of sex and foreplay, certainly, but I really like how the two main characters JJ and Rub are affected by their peculiar relationship. I’d also love to see the finished product on Leigh’s follow up, Horns of Myleness. It’s a high fantasy with a sexy and dirty love triangle. Yowza. Equally perverted, I think, is my short The Haberdasher. My rough opening is available at the Kristin Battestella Yahoo Group. (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/kristinbattestella/) It’s about a millner who gets a little carried away in his source for red dye-human blood. It’s from his point of view, again getting into that askew unreliable narrator feeling. Lots of non fiction as always, ongoing mostly at my review blog I Think, Therefore I Review. (http://ithinkthereforeireview.blogspot.com/) My horror reviews are also published in Scars Horror Magazine, and my Sean Bean reviews are also part of The Mighty Bean.
I don’t like Iron Man. I suppose I’ve always been more of a DC girl. Batman has his own issues, but I do like Christian Bale. I loved the old Adam West and Burt Ward Batman show. Oh, it’s bad! I grew up reading a lot of comic books. My favorite comic original is Flash Gordon, and I love The Phantom and Tarzan, but the Tarzan books are better. I read a lot of weird stuff. Another piece to the Kristin puzzle!
Sneak look into The Vampire Family:
“Catherine?” Antonio’s shadowy figure stood at her door. The tiny flame shortened in a clump of wax as the maid looked up.
“Yes, sir?” She set down her quill. “You sound different, sir. Are you ill?”
“Yes.” He stepped toward her. “I need your help.”
The dim light shined in his face. He couldn’t see. His eyes felt bloodshot, and his hands seemed pale as the candle flickered. He put his hands on Catherine’s arms. She felt warm to his cold touch. Sharp teeth cut the inside of his lips.
Antonio’s voice trembled. His hands shook. “I need your help.”
“Of course, sir.” She put her arms on his, but Antonio shook and felt the muscles of his forearm clench. “What can I do? Here, sit down.”
His arms came around her waist. Antonio heard her blood rush and saw her face flush. He put his head down on her chest. She trembled, but held Antonio’s head.
“Such overwhelming!” He spoke more to himself than Catherine. His words and hot breath were muffled against her. “Now I know what Mestiphles meant. I know what to do. I need to do it. I have to have it!”
“I’ll get some water.” Catherine was about to get up, but Antonio clenched his hands tighter around her.
“No,” he said hoarsely. His nails dug into her sides, and she winced. Antonio relaxed his grip, and she allowed his hands to roam. He unlaced her dressing gown. His hands stopped shaking, and bewitched, Catherine gave him total control. He pulled the loosened gown off her shoulders and swept Catherine to her feet in one swift motion. Yes, he knew she was captivated and paralyzed. He could be so frightening, yet masculine and desirable. Antonio put his head to her neck and bit the pumping jugular.
She flinched, but her blood flowed into Antonio’s mouth. The short life drain was ecstatic, but soon grew empty. Her life was now in him.
Antonio let Catherine’s limp body fall to the bed. He had her, and now he wanted more.
“Yes, sir?” She set down her quill. “You sound different, sir. Are you ill?”
“Yes.” He stepped toward her. “I need your help.”
The dim light shined in his face. He couldn’t see. His eyes felt bloodshot, and his hands seemed pale as the candle flickered. He put his hands on Catherine’s arms. She felt warm to his cold touch. Sharp teeth cut the inside of his lips.
Antonio’s voice trembled. His hands shook. “I need your help.”
“Of course, sir.” She put her arms on his, but Antonio shook and felt the muscles of his forearm clench. “What can I do? Here, sit down.”
His arms came around her waist. Antonio heard her blood rush and saw her face flush. He put his head down on her chest. She trembled, but held Antonio’s head.
“Such overwhelming!” He spoke more to himself than Catherine. His words and hot breath were muffled against her. “Now I know what Mestiphles meant. I know what to do. I need to do it. I have to have it!”
“I’ll get some water.” Catherine was about to get up, but Antonio clenched his hands tighter around her.
“No,” he said hoarsely. His nails dug into her sides, and she winced. Antonio relaxed his grip, and she allowed his hands to roam. He unlaced her dressing gown. His hands stopped shaking, and bewitched, Catherine gave him total control. He pulled the loosened gown off her shoulders and swept Catherine to her feet in one swift motion. Yes, he knew she was captivated and paralyzed. He could be so frightening, yet masculine and desirable. Antonio put his head to her neck and bit the pumping jugular.
She flinched, but her blood flowed into Antonio’s mouth. The short life drain was ecstatic, but soon grew empty. Her life was now in him.
Antonio let Catherine’s limp body fall to the bed. He had her, and now he wanted more.
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4 Responses to “Author Blog Spotlight is on Kristin Battestella”
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Great review, Kristin,
And I love vampire novels….good job, girl….Tabs
Hi Kristin {waves} I love the answers you gave plus the Vampire Family sounds soooooooo yummy. *grins*
So is there a genre youhaven’t done yet but want to in the future?
Thanks for coming.
Raine D.
Hi Tabs! Thanks for stopping by! And a big thank you to Raine for hosting us today! Well, Raine, you know I’d love to do it ALL! I’ve been under the weather today, so making it out of bed was THE accomplishment of the afternoon!
I also wanted to mention that I’ll be chatting live next week at Night Owl Romance! Stop by Monday March 9 if you get a chance. If you miss it, we’ll be chatting live again the following week Monday March 16 at Fallen Angel Reviews!