Erin McCarthy - Vampire Novelist
Vampire Fest Panelist
Vampire Fest: You've published a prodigious amount of novels and novellas in the past seven years, which is typically a sign of a highly disciplined writer. What is your average writing day like?
Erin McCarthy: I’m not sure how disciplined I really am… amazingly enough, I’m much more disciplined when a deadline is looming. I think for the most part, I just enjoy what I do, so it’s easy to sit down and write. I write Monday through Friday, sometimes on the weekends. In an average day, I’m shooting for 5-10 pages and I’m a fairly clean and linear writer. I don’t have a massive editing process at the end of a book.
VF: Do you have a favorite novel and/or character out of all those books?
EM: That’s always a tough question. For heroines, I like the ones who weren’t traditional in the sense that you don’t always like them every minute, like Amanda from HEIRESS FOR HIRE and Reese from SMART MOUTH. For heroes, I love the wounded alpha males, like Damien from MY IMMORTAL and Gabriel from FALLEN. As for secondary characters, I have a bizarre fondness for Ringo, the heroin addict vampire assassin from my Vegas Vampire series. He’s very morally ambiguous, and is beyond redemption, but I could be hoping the good will outshine the bad.
VF: Your VEGAS VAMPIRE SERIES debuted in August 2006. How did you first decide to write a vampire novel?
EM: Well, that was my editor and my agent’s idea. I toyed with doing it or not, then when I hit on the idea of setting it in Vegas, I decided to go for it. It was originally supposed to be one book, but I fell in love with the characters and it morphed into a four book series.
VF: Please tell us about your vampires and your decision to use humor and wit in portraying the undead.
EM: I was writing humorous contemporary romance, and I knew if I shifted into the realm of paranormal, I had to continue giving readers what they were used to seeing. None of my books are straight-up humor--there are plenty of serious and darker moments--but I think if you’re going to live to eternity, you might as well be able to laugh at life, right?
VF: Do you have any favorite vampires from fiction, film, or TV?
EM: I love Anne Rice’s Louis, who I know a lot of people find annoying, but it’s that wounded hero thing again. I just want to save poor Louis.
VF: One of your other major series is DEADLY SINS, which involves demons and angels. Please tell us a little about that series. Are there any tidbits you can tell fans about the upcoming installment, THE TAKING?
EM: This series follows protagonists who must live with the curse of their mortal sin through eternity. Some are fallen angels, some are demon servants, but all are damned to suffer their sins forever. THE TAKING features a former voodoo charlatan, Felix, who sold his soul for his greed. The 19th-century heiress he was having an affair with and who died a brutal death, has now come back to possess the woman currently living in her house. For those of you who know the LaLaurie mansion on Royal Street in the Quarter, I pictured that house in writing this story.
VF: You also write paranormal young adult novels under the name Erin Lynn. Are there some aspects of writing YA fiction you enjoy more than writing adult fiction?
EM: I love writing in first person and really tapping the angst of sarcasm of teens. I don’t think I entirely outgrew the attitude and in YA fiction I get to indulge it.
VF: What type of books do you most enjoy reading in your spare time (if you have any)?
EM: I read a lot of non-fiction books for research (always intriguing!), historical romance, mysteries, thrillers, YA fiction, and classic literature. It’s been a goal this year to read more just for pleasure, because I miss it!
VF: Are there specific authors who inspired you to become a writer?
EM: Every book I ever encountered, honestly. I was a voracious reader as a child. I had read every book in the children’s and teen section of the public library by the time I was ten, and moved on to adult fiction, so each and every one of them fueled my love of storytelling.
VF: Your novel HEIRESS FOR HIRE is set in "Ohio's most haunted town," and you have a section on your website devoted to paranormal Ohio locations. Are you one to visit potentially haunted sites? Do you have a favorite eerie Ohio destination?
EM: Yes, I love visiting so-called haunted sites. I’ve been to various sites around the U.S. and hope to hit more soon. In Ohio I did a ghost hunt at the Mansfield Reformatory, which was on the TV show GHOSTHUNTERS. I went at night, and there’s no electricity, and it’s quite intimidating in the dark. I laid on the cot in solitary confinement hoping something would happen, but nothing. ;-)
VF: You created a fictional vampire band called The Impalers with author Kathy Love, which you've both incorporated into your books. How did that project get started?
VF: Where can readers learn more about you and your books?
EM: I have three websites, www.erinmccarthy.net, www.erinlynnbooks.com, and www.vampireband.com . There are excerpts, contests, videos, up on all the sites. Thanks for allowing me to be a part of the Vampire Film Series and Festival!
VF: You're more than welcome. Thanks so much for joining us, Erin.
Erin will be a part of the Vampire Fest literary panel, Sunday, October 25, 2:00 PM, at The Zeitgeist in New Orleans. For more information and tickets, please visit VampireFilmFestival.com.
