The Dark Heroine
1) What can our readers expect from your new book The Dark Heroine?
The Dark Heroine: Dinner With A Vampire is the story of Violet Lee, the sole living witness to a mass murder in the streets of London. Kidnapped by the culprits, Violet soon realises she is in even bigger trouble than she first thought: her kidnappers are vampires, and she has been catapulted into a game of politics. Though determined to retain her humanity, Violet soon finds herself questioning her allegiance, especially as she gets ever closer to the dark and dangerous Kaspar Varn...
2) It is a vampire story, of which there have been many lately, so why is yours so different?
My vampires bite! They are born vampire and do not know any different, and therefore are unapologetic about their bloodthirsty lifestyle. They kill people and generally partake in quite base behaviour which shocks Violet; in turn, the vampires can’t always understand why she is so disgusted by them. In short, don’t expect any honourable restraint of Vamperic vegetarianism.
In addition, there are some fantasy elements weaved between the paranormal, with just a hint of prophecy, dimensions and magic...
3) The book is set in London, is there a reason for this?
I’m British and an unashamed patriot. I wanted to set my book in a very British setting, and by extension, make it feel like a British book. London was a natural choice.
4) You are about to go to university to study a BA in English, so how do you feel about this?
Daunted! I’m reading my degree at Oxford, which is of course famed for academic rigour. But it’s also exciting to lead a ‘double life’, and of course, my career as an author means I don’t have to worry about student debt. It won’t be the average student experience (I’m actually squeezing writing this interview in on my first day of Fresher’s Week, between an introductory talk and a pizza party!) but it will be a challenge I relish.
5) You are one of the youngest novelists of all my interviews, so at what age did you know you wanted to write?
I discovered I liked writing aged nine, when I received a Jacqueline Wilson writing set for my birthday. However, I was fifteen when I realised writing was something I would enjoy making a living out of – it was writing online that triggered this epiphany. Up until that point, I had wanted to be everything from a chef to a vet to a marine biologist!
6) Your name became known through internet posts, can you tell us a little bit more about this?
At fifteen, I started writing on a website called Wattpad.com, an online community of readers and writers that combines social networking with e-reading. I posted the first chapter of The Dark Heroine (under a different title) and found that by the next morning, it had 95 reads (or ‘hits’) and three fans. Elated, I continued posting the story serially. By the fourth month it had reached a million reads; by twelve that readership had doubled. Three years later and The Dark Heroine had accumulated sixteen million reads and a loyal following of 18,000, though it was still unfinished. This success led my literary agent to approach me, and from there, I gained the publishing deal with HarperCollins.
7) You will of course be writing through university, so what is next for you in terms of being published?
The deal with HarperCollins is for two books, and in anticipation of being very busy at university, I started on the sequel to The Dark Heroine and I am currently halfway through it. Tentatively named The Dark Heroine: Autumn Rose, it has an expected publication date of August 2013.
8) Who were your favourite reads when you were little?
I was, and still am, a massive Harry Potter/J.K. Rowling fan. I’ve read the first book in the series eighteen times! When I was a bit younger, around six or seven, I also really enjoyed Lucy Daniel’s books, which satisfied by wanting to be a vet phase.
9) Which writers do you think have influenced your writing the most?
Again, J.K. Rowling is a massive influence in that I admire her rags-to-riches life story. But in terms of infecting me with the vampire bug, I have to give the credit to Stephenie Meyer. Whilst her writing and the sparkling weren’t to my taste, I really enjoyed the vampire-human romance and found myself wanting to take that aspect and make it a lot, lot darker. So that is what I did!
10) Did you have any idea how big your writing would become when you first set out?
I have been astounded at The Dark Heroine’s success at every milestone, from the first hundred reads through to the deal with HarperCollins. I never imagined it would be so popular on Wattpad, let alone be published! However, my fans from Wattpad are extremely supportive and have always urged me to believe in my writing, and I have never doubted their faith.
11) For those young and budding writers out there, what would you say to them?
Write whatever you enjoyed writing. In you are enthusiastic and absorbed by your writing that will shine through to the reader, and it will be a better story for it. So, if you want to write about vampires, then go for it! Don’t let anyone tell you it isn’t original, etc. etc., because at the end of the day, everything has been done in some form before anyway!
Female First Lucy Walton