It’s got a stylicious undead heroine, kickbutt undercover vamps, and its own rockin’ music video! Now the VAMPED series is getting something else—a third installment. FANGTASTIC is YA author Lucienne Diver’s latest VAMPED offering and—duh!–we can’t wait to sink our teeth into it!
About FANGTASTIC:
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 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.
I love this Q&A with Lucienne because it keeps with the theme of dreaming big this New Year. Lucienne is dynamic in that she’s built a successful career as an author while advocating for other authors as a full-time literary agent. Read on to find out how she balances it all, while finding the time to work on her books. Very inspiring.
DR: What was your first piece of creative writing ever (that you remember)?
LD: I’m sure I had to write a poem or something for school before this, but the first creative writing I remember was in fifth grade. My teacher, Mr. Hart, used to give us free writing assignments all the time, where he’d put an idea or an opening sentence on the board and for about ten minutes our pens were not allowed to stop moving, even if we had to write "nothing at all, nothing at all." It’s nearly impossible not to think of something more inspiring than that! Then he’d divide the class up into writing groups, and we’d critique each others’ work. It was wonderful preparation for agenting, editing, giving and accepting constructive criticism. I’d always done well in school, but for the first time I found the thing that inspired me…writing…and that I seemed to be really good at. Of course, it was just the beginning, and it took a lot of honing and getting all the clichés out of my system before I got anywhere with my work.
DR: When you need that extra push to stay on task, what motivates you the most?
LD: The fact that I don’t have any time to get off task! I’m a literary agent as well as an author, and I represent over forty authors of various kinds of commercial fiction. I only have an hour a day to write, first thing in the morning before my agent-brain comes on line. Once it does, it’s all about the schedule running through my head, everything I have to do that day, the letter I need to write haggling over that contract language. It crowds out everything else. Knowing that it’s now or never is highly motivating. Also, writing when I do, early in the morning, my inner editor is still off-line as well, so I’m less self-conscious in my writing and can just listen to the voices in my head and let it flow. I let my inner editor have at the manuscript later in the revision phase(s), but for the first draft, I just let the muse take me, and I give myself permission to fail. It’s very freeing.
DR: On average, how long do you let a story idea marinate before you dive in and start building it?
LD: It depends. If it’s a new book in a series, maybe a month or so, during which I’m usually at work on something else. A new series idea, though, has to sit with me for a year or more, partly because I’m already contracted for other things and don’t have the time to devote to something new, and partly because that’s how long it takes to incubate. Usually by the time I’m really ready to start something I know it because the ideas start to come one on top of another, and I have to force them to wait their turn while I finish up my work-in-progress.
DR: In a parallel universe, what secret side of your personality is fully emerged in the other you?
LD: In addition to a double major in English/writing and anthropology, I had enough credits for a theatre minor. I think that if I’d had more confidence, less self-doubt, I’d have pursued acting. I did love it, but I could never entirely let myself go and throw myself into it wholeheartedly. Plus, a lot of high school and college theatre involves musicals, and I get stage fright when it involves singing in front of people. I’m lucky if I can even sing along to the radio with other people in the car. So, I think in an alternate universe I’ve overcome that stage fright and my theatrical side has come out in full force. I’d like to think so.
DR: We’ll most likely see a female president in our lifetime. Which of your characters would make a great future president
?
LD: Well, most of my characters from the Vamped series are vampires, so the oval office is probably out of the question for them. Although my heroine, Gina, is a natural leader.
**Contest alert! Head to Lucienne’s site to find out how you can enter to win a Kindle and carrying case! Good luck!**
