The genre is dominated by the female of the species. I say, kudos! As one of our facebook followers noted yesterday, women may play a big role in paranormal fiction, but still sit in the minority of lit as a whole.
Most of you know the big players in the genre - Laurell K. Hamilton, Kelley Armstrong, Charlaine Harris, Kim Harrison. Today's Author Speaks guest is a worthy new addition to the still strong subgenre. Meet S.M. DeSilva!
I had the distinct honor of reading Samantha's first book "Blood on the Moon" (The Daywalker Chronicles, Volume 1). I enjoyed it quite a bit, and found Samantha's voice a bright new addition to the genre packed to the gills of talent (and hacks). If you've not read it, you'll probably get a kick out of it. (The Authors Speak review: http://www.theauthorsspeak.com/2010/06/review-wrap-paranormal-fiction.html)
In talking with Samantha, though, the interesting thing isn't how talented a writer she is. It's by far how excitable she is. She's well versed in many different subjects. She's a writer who doesn't see a downside to the floundering publishing industry. She's even complimentary of the "Twilight" saga.
Eric Mays: Samantha, thank you for taking the time to answer a few questions. You've written a hell of a vampire tale (actually the first part in an ongoing series). Vamps seem to be all the rage now. What is it about the sexy undead that draws you in?
S.M. De Silva: It’s my pleasure, Eric. I’m always happy to talk about vampires! Will try to avoid saying ‘meta-narrative’ at any point in the interview, as it sends people into an explicable and deadly coma. What I like about the undead is that they are so symbolically rich. They represent the darkest in us – stuff everyone wants to shove under the carpet – violence, sexual taboos, avarice… The list is endless, and evolves as our fears and desires change. The idea of flirting with danger and descending into the world of the undead is in itself seductive because it’s resonant to us, if only on a subconscious level. They clearly represent power – power over death, as well as physical power, with supernatural speed and strength, etc. Power is the most attractive and addictive thing to humans, (apart from coffee) and I think that this is one of the key reasons why we (and I, too) find vampires so seductive. Also, they dress well, and are exceedingly cool, despite being fatally photosensitive. They’re predators, and like all predators, they are mesmerizing.
EM: There are millions of vampire "sagas" and series out there, each one, seemingly, borrowing from the other. You've written one and I like it, I really do. However, there are something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. Now's your turn to address the readers of the Authors Speak. Why should people read your vampire tale and fall into your series?
SD: I’m going to toss humility out of the window (gently) and jump right in. You should read it if you like a well-paced book peppered with humour, deranged vampires, and highly entertaining footnotes. I’ve been told by male readers that they love the action scenes, and I dig them too. It’s written in a cinematic style, and Alegria, the protagonist has a very interesting job as a supernatural species consultant – you get glimpses of it in Blood On The Moon, and see much more of her unusual and at times, horrifying job from Volume 2 onwards. Another reason you should read it is Sleet City, the fictitious, psychotic, hyper-real, glamourous city that the series is set in. Even though I would probably get kidnapped/murdered within the first five minutes of being in Sleet City, I still want to live there – and I created it. Blood On The Moon also features Asian vampire revenants (pontianaks) that quite literally eat you.
I’ve written the book so that it can be enjoyed on varying levels; if you just want a good story with supernatural creatures like vampires and wereanimals in it, you should definitely pick it up. For readers who want something deeper, there’s a lot to be discovered. For example, when Alegria rides out on a (borrowed) white Ducati superbike, it’s not just a chick on a bike – it’s a modern twist on idea of a knight riding in on a white horse to save the day; I’m saying something about women, power, and gender myths. Many things in the book, from the villain to the violence, have a coded meaning. Some are Gothic literary devices, others are symbolic, and most of them are not apparent unless you’re looking for them. Whatever level you’re reading at, it’s a fantastic ride.
In Volume 2, which I’m working on now, there’s a new kind of Were that hasn’t really been explored frequently in paranormal fiction – and it brings the scary back to Weres, hooray! I had nightmares just doing the research for that Were. If you really must know, it’s… (SPOILER ALERT) werespiders. Big, mean, hungry werespiders the size of a horse. Good times!
EM: You reside in Singapore, correct? How's the book and publishing industry there? Here in America it seems to be heading the path of the dodo bird.
SD: I think the publishing industry here is pretty much the opposite of what’s happening in America. The industry is still very young, but it’s shown promising growth in the past few years. The vacuum that existed (in terms of local fiction) is being filled, and we’re seeing more co-publishing initiatives with regional and international publishers. It’s exciting to be part of the early days of the publishing industry’s growth here. Five years ago, we didn’t see much from local publishers except for cookbooks and academic titles, but we’re seeing more trade fiction, particularly in the children’s book genre. I think it’s inevitable, actually – we are a very materialistic society in a country that’s been ruled by the same political party since 1963. This, combined with the rich cultural background of Southeast Asia, is fertile ground for a growing need to express oneself – or least, to create great stories that make life a little less miserable. (And I’m not exaggerating when I say ‘miserable’- almost 9% of adults in Singapore suffer from depression.) The gap between talent and support for that talent is also closing; the National Book Council is doing a fantastic job with its publishing initiatives and workshops for writers and publishers. There is definitely much more to come for the Singaporean publishing industry, and it’s pretty damn exciting to be in the thick of it in the early days.
EM: What was it that made you want to write, Samantha? Did you always want to write in the horror genre?
SD: I first started scribbling nonsensical stories in a little brown notebook when I was about ten years old. I don’t recall sitting down and sort of making a conscious decision to write or ‘be a writer’ until I was about 23 or so. I actually wanted to be a vet when I was younger, but soon ditched that urge when I discovered that I had to take advanced mathematics; numbers don’t agree with me. For me, the urge to write wasn’t about prestige, money, or fame. I just knew that weaving stories made me happy. The adrenaline rush when in you’re in ‘the zone’, as I call it – when your pen is dancing across the page furiously and your characters are not just behaving, but surprising the hell out of you (pleasantly) – there’s nothing like it, I think. As a child, I loved words and books; I started to read adult fiction (not ‘adult’ fiction!) fairly early, so writing was a very natural progression in my love affair with narrative. Of course, my writing has improved (somewhat) since then.
I didn’t actually plan to write in the horror genre at first. The first novel that I worked on seriously was a light-hearted, absurdist YA fantasy that has since been shelved. I read a lot of Gothic literature as part of my A-level literature syllabus (that’s the equivalent of the last couple of years of high school, if I’m not mistaken), and that was a big influence, I think. I really fell in love with monsters and spooks, and how much you can say using horror, if you know how to. The fact that I yearn desperately for a garden full of huge, carnivorous plants pretty much sums up my attitude towards monsters – I love em’.
EM: Why write? People are not reading as much, the publishing market is in a weird kind of flux, and seems there's another author right around every corner with a manuscript? When I was a kid, I couldn't imagine anything else I'd rather do (and, I'm doing it, granted). Now, I fear for the industry. Any nuggets of wisdom that you've found along the way for the contemporary hardships of the written word?
SD: I write simply because I am happiest when I am writing. When I was working on the final draft of ‘Blood On The Moon’, Alegria and Joao simply would not behave unless I was sleep-deprived, starving, overcaffeinated, and generally a menace to civilized society. But it was absolutely worth it. There is nothing like coming back to a good yarn after a hard day’s work. If I make just one person’s day a little brighter because they enjoyed the story, because just for a while, it took them to a better place, then I’m happy; I’ve done my job as a writer and storyteller.
Keeping in mind the excellent points you’ve made about the state of the publishing industry and authors popping up frequently – sometimes in unexpected places (I saw a sci-fi writer lurking in a pile of bananas at the supermarket the other day), it does seem a little bleak, from one perspective.
#1: Now more than ever – if you’re in this for huge vats of money, leave now. Walk away and find a lucrative job that does not, to paraphrase Hemingway, involve sitting down at your typewriter and opening a vein on a daily basis. Writing is a calling; it is a psychotic urge to scribble 90% nonsense and 10% genius… 110% of the time. It’s a harsh, cold reality, but for the vast majority of writers, the monetary compensation does not go anywhere near matching the effort, blood, and accidental murders that go into writing a book. (Don’t ever sneak up on a horror writer when they’re working.)
#2: (On the assumption that a writer is not writing for money, fame, or free chocolates) The world needs more stories. There will never be such a thing as ‘too many stories’ in the world. People are wired to appreciate narrative. So what if you never become rich and famous? You, as a writer, have done something astoundingly difficult and beautiful; you’ve created a story. You’ve transformed something that started out as a bunch of ideas wandering aimlessly around your neural pathways into an immortal, tangible creation that will entertain, delight, and maybe terrify (in a good way).
#3: Sorry, this one is boring and practical. Craft. Work on your craft. Read books, good and bad alike. Write daily, and write often. I found that the quality of my writing suffered dramatically when I neglected my daily writing exercises and spent too much time writing in my room, instead of outdoors, in a café. Your story is yours to tell, and it deserves the best presentation possible. Even bestselling authors have to work on their craft continually; I recently picked up a general fiction bestseller at a bookstore and turned to a random page, and was horrified to see a clunky phrase jump out at me. I wanted to stab it with a spork.
SD: In terms of literary value as a connotative device, (sorry, couldn’t help myself) I think that vampires will have mileage as long as humans continue to be imperfect and attracted to power. These two characteristics are pretty much hardwired into us, so I’m not too fussed about vampires suddenly becoming irrelevant. However, if you’re talking about popularity, that’s another thing altogether. Subgenres wax and wane – just look at Pride and Prejudice And Zombies and other books of that trend. Publishers are scurrying to catch up with it, but a) not many classics can be turned into an enjoyable literary mash-up and b) at least here, the trend for that type of fiction has already peaked.
With vampires, it’s quite different. I think that the mass appeal of vampire books has definitely started to wane, but the vampire subgenre is not based solely on a gimmick, so it’s not going to wind down in a great hurry. Vampires in fiction have been around for almost two centuries. They stay relevant because they evolve as society evolves, so I highly doubt that they’re going to vanish completely. I think it’s a pity that some people get tired of vampire fiction simply because there are ‘too many’ vampire novels in the market. It’s a double-edged sword; the popularity of a genre increases a book’s exposure to readers who might not otherwise be interested in it, and that’s great, but there’s also going to be some anti-vampire fiction sentiment from people who might have otherwise enjoyed a book which, through no fault of its own, happens to feature vampires.
EM: Since you wrote a vampire novel - the start of a brilliant series - what inspired you? What are some of your favorite vampire novels, movies, trends?
SD: The book actually began as a NaNoWriMo project about five years ago. It started as sheer, mad determination to make the deadline, then it was shelved. I took it out after three years, read it, cringed at some bits, but realized that I liked the story enough to continue writing and turn it into a novel. At that point, vampires were nowhere near as prevalent in popular fiction as they have been recently. As I mentioned earlier, I love all things monstrous, and the idea of writing about vampires and Weres in an urban setting thrilled me to no end. The thing that really kept me going, though, was the characters. I took a lot of care with crafting the characters, to the extent that they became very real to me, like dear (if fictitious) friends. So it got to a point where I started feeling guilty about being lazy with my writing schedule, because they were waiting for me to tell their story.
My favourite vampire fiction/ TV shows/ movies…the list is long, so I’ll just mention the ones I love most. I really like what Alan Ball has done with the True Blood series; he’s transformed it into something beautifully complex. It’s a much, much darker creature than the books on which it was based, which is a good thing. I also loved (and still love) Buffy. As for movies: Blade I & II, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, The Lost Boys and Interview With The Vampire.
I was quite into Anne Rice in my early teens, but it was probably Stoker’s Dracula that truly got me hooked on vampires when I was 18. I was sitting by my window late at night, reading the part about Dracula climbing down the wall of the castle like a big… lizard, and it was so very deliciously creepy. I was terrified! I actually moved away from the window before I read on, which is a testament to the incongruity of me being a) a wuss and b) someone who writes about the undead. Other vampire novels I love: Salem’s Lot, Dracula, The Monk by Matthew G. Lewis (okay, I know it’s not a vampire novel, but its outstanding creepiness cannot go unmentioned), and, of course, Interview With The Vampire. I liked the Anita Blake series before Laurell K. Hamilton became trigger happy with the sex scenes.
I quite like it when vampires get a very absurdist and/or wry treatment. I was highly amused by Terry Pratchett’s presentation of vampires in Carpe Jugulum, and I’d really like to see more of that sort of humour applied to vampires in fiction.
EM: Let's take a look at Sleet City. I love it! In fact, in reviewing and reading your book, I thought of the city as a strong central character along with everyone and everything else. It's a brilliant design, Samantha. How did you piece together this dystopian, decadent city? How much is borrowed from contemporary society?
SD: I love Sleet City too! I’m ridiculously pleased that Sleet City appeared as a central character to you, because that is exactly how I envisioned it.
As a city girl myself, born and raised in Singapore, it was quite a natural instinct to gravitate towards an urban setting for Blood On The Moon. In addition to this, I absolutely love the idea of taking mythical, supernatural creatures out of their natural habitats (gloomy castles, dank caves, etc) and depositing them in the heart of a bustling city, just for the fun of seeing how they deal with an urban habitat.
Blade Runner influenced a large part of my initial concept of the ultimate hypercity (in fact, there’s a little shoutout to it in the book). It introduced me to the idea that fictitious cities could be infinitely more than their real life counterparts; more vivid, multicultural, and intensely, dangerously alive than any city in existence. Then it got me thinking about all the cities in the world; what if we took the best and worst of them and turned them into a hyperbolic mash-up of vice, urban decay, chaos, and power? From there, Sleet City started to form itself more clearly in my mind, and it eventually became so vivid that it was a character, in itself.
I think it was a trip to Bangkok that first paved the way – the feeling that I got the second I stepped off the plane was insane; you could feel the history, tangible in the air itself, of days less decadent, and at the same time, there was this amazing, manic buzz, the feeling that this was a place where anything and everything could happen, in the best and worst possible way. I had to step out of the manicured, sanitized safety of Singapore’s spotless, ordered streets to understand what a city truly was. One thing that I did borrow from Singapore is the cult of materialism and status-consciousness. Here, it’s so prevalent and deep-seated that most of the population thinks you’re a weirdo if your ultimate goal in life is not to be very rich, drive a fancy car, and have a country club membership. I took this obsession with money and status a few (large) notches up when I was conceptualizing Sleet City.
EM: Now, I've read your work and seen your picture (I think I even said I "welcomed you to my bookshelf", which isn't as creepy as it sounds) and am happy that I've met you, writer to writer. When you're not writing, what keeps your interest?
SD: You know, that gave me a hilarious mental picture of that episode of The Simpsons where Comic Book Guy kidnaps Lucy Lawless at a Comic Con and adds her to his personal collection of female action heroes after shrink-wrapping her. Hee hee. Sorry, back to the question. It seems a bit…obvious to say this, but I enjoy reading. I’m currently in this phase where I’m plodding through classics that I was too lazy to read when I was younger. It’s easier when they’re on Stanza and you don’t have to lug massive beasts like Anna Karenina around on the train at rush hour. I hate accidentally concussing other commuters with my reading material. I also enjoy painting. There’s something sinful and joyous about messing about with oil paint – it looks and feels like bright, coloured butter. It’s highly therapeutic – just try it and you’ll see what I mean.
I’m a shameless carnivore, and I enjoy eating and cooking meat. There is just something indecently magical about the process of cooking a steak, relying only on your sense of smell, fresh ingredients, and common sense.
When I’m not writing…books, I also write and perform for a local satirical podcast called the mrbrown show. I adore Eddie Izzard, and usually watch a sketch or two of his when I’m destressing from a long stretch of writing. (I would like to add that Microsoft Word’s autocorrect tool changed ‘destressing’ to ‘distressing’. This is the first time in my life that any autocorrect feature has been vaguely accurate, let alone useful.)
EM: Are you caught up in the Twilight frenzy? It's a weird sort of phenomena, isn't it? It seems you like it (devoutly, I might add), or you loathe it (also, devoutly). I'm, personally, not a fan, as I think it promotes reading, true, but poorly crafted writing and a clichéd, overused mold for the vampire/werewolf genre. Any thoughts?
SD: Did you hear about that guy in New Zealand who died while watching Eclipse? This observation has no bearing whatsoever on my feelings towards the Twilight phenomena, by the way. Just pointing it out. Ahem. On a more serious note, I’m with you – I’m not personally a fan either. As a reader, I think that it’s basically a fairytale-mold romance with vampires and werewolves thrown in. And that’s great, if you enjoy that sort of thing, but I’m not a fan of perfect, happy endings. I enjoyed it initially, but then, pesky writer’s brain kicked in and began questioning, with some ire, why a) the vampires are sparkly b) where Edward Cullen was when character development was being handed out c) why Bella is undoing the good work of feminism.
As a writer, I’m happy for her; the Twilight franchise has brought joy to millions. However, the thought of Bella as a role model for teenage girls is truly frightening, as she displays some very unhealthy, self-destructive behaviour when her man…er, vampire leaves her, only to have him return to her and declare undying love later. I don’t know if Meyer did this intentionally or not, but it sends the message that it’s okay for girls to be weak and perpetuate outdated gender notions, because Prince Charming (albeit undead) will ride in and save the day no matter what. I’m not a militant feminist by any stretch of the imagination, but if I had teenage daughters and they were fans, I would be concerned, writing quality aside.
EM: I'm fascinated by cultures and the way small things work into the everyday, ho-hum life. Has there been any ritual, karmic luck, routine, etcetera that has worked its way into your writing practices, living in Singapore?
SD: We have the Hungry Ghost Festival, which thankfully, does not actually involve ravenous ghouls chomping on people’s intestines. It’s a month-long Chinese festival that involves the gates of hell opening to unleash a horde of spirits that walk the earth for a month. A lot of people don’t do certain things during this period, like go running at night, write stories about bloodthirsty vampire revenants, etc. I’m not Chinese, and I’ve never been accosted by spirits on vacation during this festival, so I don’t believe in the Hungry Ghost festival superstitions.
However, there is one rule that I stick to: I never, never write about pontianaks (less charming Asian cousins of vampires) at night. NEVER. Once, I was working on the pontianak scene in the wee hours of the morning, and I heard this weird scratching at my window (according to local lore, pontianaks can fly, and when they’re trying to get into your house, you usually hear them scratching at the window/on the roof). It was truly horrible, and I’m pretty sure it wasn’t a bug. I put my pen down, got into bed, and quietly freaked out. The scratching stopped after a while. I didn’t dare look at the window directly. I don’t know what really was at my window, but after that, I never, never worked on scenes involving local ghosts/ spirits after sunset. There’s a theory that thinking about these things draws them to you, and I’d rather not take the chance and go into cardiac arrest at the sight of a pontianak at my window. Some people believe in creatures like the pontianak here, and others claim to have actually seen them. We take ghosts a bit more seriously in Southeast Asia, as some of them, like the pontianaks, can actually eat you.
EM: Time for the obligatory...what's next on tap for you?
SD: You know, I had this great idea for a YA fiction series, and then random zombie chickens wandered into my house, and ate my plot plans. Seriously, though, the YA fiction series is in the works. I can safely say that it involves a kickass end-of series twist that occurred to me 6 months after I conceptualized the series. We’ll probably see the first book of the YA fiction series in two or three years. I’m not going to rush that, because it’s going to involve a lot of historical research, and I’ve structured the series plan so that there can be anything from three to thirty books in the series. (Ouch.) I’ve planned all nine books of the Daywalker Chronicles series at this point. Hunter’s Moon (Volume 2 of the Daywalker Chronicles) is taking up most of my time and energy right now, which is, in a masochistic way, quite enjoyable.
Blood on the Moon is available now in trade paper and can be ordered by clicking the link below.
Tomorrow, heavy hitter genre fave Kelley Armstrong joins us. Her latest book (which rocks) is "Waking the Witch", but fans have been following her for eleven Otherworld books. We'll chat campy '60's crossovers, vampires among us, conventions, and more. Until then, keep reading.
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