Guest Star: Lucienne Diver
It’s time for another Guest Star! Our guest this week is Lucienne Diver, author of the latest release in the VAMPED series, FANGTASTIC!
About FANGTASTIC:
What do you wear to face down a cadre of killer kids?
Gina Covello would rather be working on her manicure than missions for the Feds’ paranormal unit to which she’s been recruited. That changes when a group of killer kids takes out a family in the sunshine state and disappearances begin to plague the lifestylers who only play at the kind of existence our fanged fashionista leads. She and her crew are sent undercover into the vampire clubs…which turn out to be run by real vampires. While Gina’s BFF Marcy hangs with the steampunk-styled Burgess Brigade that seems to have spawned the killer kids, Gina herself is supposed to get in good with the fanged fiends behind the scenes, even to the point of playing double-agent, offering to hand over her powerful boyfriend Bobby. Her playacting threatens to become a bit too real when she discovers things about her spy handlers that make her wonder whether she’s truly on the right side of the battle between Feds and fangs.
The VAMPED Music Video:
Praise for the VAMPED series:
“As ever, Gina’s feisty, funny narration carries the day. Gina never fails to please, as she strides down the runway of afterlife with just the right mix of humor, make-up advice, youthful lust that never crosses the line and a kung-fu style all her own. This one doesn’t miss a beat.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Perfect for teens and adults, this is a book to share, savor and revisit. ReVamped is full of smart, spot-on dialogue, engaging, authentic characters and a plot that’s so much fun it’s impossible not get swept up.” —Examiner.com
My Interview with Lucienne:
What kind of research did you have to do to bring Gina to life on the page?
The good thing about writing a heroine who’s an eighteen year old girl is that I was once an eighteen year old girl. (We won’t go into how long ago that was!) That’s pretty much where our similarities end. Gina is a fanged fashionista, who only “survived” her senior prom because of a make-out session with the surprise hottie of the evening…the class chess champed who’d recently been vamped himself. I can’t claim any firsthand knowledge of such things, but I have been to a few proms in my time.
My research mostly involves locations. Fangtastic is set in Florida, where I now live, but I made a fieldtrip to a club very similar to The Tower where the vampire lifestylers meet. I also interviewed a friend of mine who is an integral part of the New England vampire community to find out a lot of what I needed to know about the philosophy, beliefs and terminology. It was really fascinating! (My husband and I met working at a haunted house, so we have many friends in unusual fields to draw on. Some have appeared on shows like Face Off and Oddities.)
If you could have dinner with one of your characters who would it be?
Bobby Delvecchio, the chess champ turned vampire hottie, the one responsible for Gina’s unlife style. In my mind he looks like Zac Efron, so he’d be very easy on the eyes. Plus, he’s a geek-boy and I’m a geek-girl. I think we’d have a lot to talk about.
What’s the first thing you do when starting a new book? What’s the first thing you do when finishing a new book?
First thing: panic. Last thing: celebrate.
Okay, maybe not so much panic. At first, I’m all fired up, excited, writing a mile a minute. Then I remember the story actually has to go somewhere, and I’m not exactly sure where. That’s when the panic sets in.
Which fictional character do you have a secret crush on?
I think we’ve covered that one <g>. Oh, you mean any fictional character? Sorry, I was lost in Bobby’s eyes. Rohan from Melanie Rawn’s Dragon Prince series. I love a hero who’s not so caught up in his pride that he won’t play the fool if necessary to outmaneuver the enemy. I guess by that account, I’m also a big fan of The Scarlet Pimpernel and Sherlock Holmes, who, while pretty full of himself, has played many parts, some ever so humble. I also fell completely head over heels with Peeta from the Hunger Games trilogy.
What are you working on now?
I’ve just turned in the fourth book in the Vamped series, Fangtabulous, to my publisher. That’ll be out in January of next year. Now I’m hard at work on the second book in my Latter-Day Olympians series (adult urban fantasy). Crazy in the Blood is the sequel to Bad Blood, which is out in digital already and will be released in print on May 1st!
I’m also currently running a spread the love contest, if anyone wants to swing by. It’s easy to enter, and the prize for one lucky winner will be a Kindle and carrying case. Details are here: http://luciennediver.wordpress.com/2012/01/08/contests-kindle-fangtastic/.
About the author:
Lucienne Diver is the author of the popular Vamped series of young adult novels (think Clueless meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer). School Library Journal calls the first book, “a lighthearted, action-packed, vampire romance story following in the vein of Julie Kenner’s “Good Ghouls” (Berkley), Marlene Perez’s “Dead” (Harcourt), and Rachel Caine’s “The Morganville Vampires” (Signet) series.” VOYA has suggested that the books “will attract even reluctant readers.”
Her short stories have been included in the Strip-Mauled and Fangs for the Mammaries anthologies edited by Esther Friesner (Baen Books), and one of her essays appears in the anthology Dear Bully: 70 Authors Tell Their Stories (HarperTeen).
Visit her online at: LucienneDiver.com
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