Openbooksociety.com has had the pleasure of getting an exclusive interview with author of How to Catch and Keep a Vampire, Diana Laurence.

Diana… a storyteller, vampire lover, possessor of a very bizarre but romantic imagination.

Her novels Souls’ Embrace and Bloodchained, meanwhile, are romantic paranormals, suspenseful with a good dash of spiciness. While less “graphic” than my anthologies (and suitable for young adult readers), these novels deal with some of the same engrossing themes: attraction, intimacy, desire and trust, submission and dominance, and the bonds between souls. Lastly there is her most recent book, Looking on Darkness. It’s a mainstream novel about a kind of psychic vampirism, in which she explores her favorite concepts from Jungian psychoanalytic theory. And that’s a mouthful!

OBS: How did you get into writing? Was it a difficult process?
DL: To me it was as natural as breathing. Once I learned how to work a pencil, I started writing down the stories I made up in my head. I wanted to grow up to be a writer by the time I was nine! I used to make up fantasies at night before I fell asleep, for 30 to 45 minutes every night. I thought everyone did that, and I was pretty flummoxed when I found out my friends didn’t!

OBS: Who are your literary influences?
DL: I’m very eclectic. I’m actually not much of a romance reader except for the classics like Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre and Gone with the Wind. I adore fantasy/horror/science fiction authors like Neil Gaiman, C.S. Lewis, Robin Hobb, Stephen King and Ray Bradbury. I love John Irving, John Updike and William Goldman, from back in the 80s when I had more time to read!  Shakespeare creeps into my work from time to time, as do Rodgers & Hammerstein and other Broadway storytellers.

OBS: What inspired you to write How to Catch and Keep a Vampire?
DL: Robin Hayward, who was my editor, decided last spring that she wanted Sellers Publishing to produce a vampire dating guide. One issue she wasn’t sure about was whether a person could tame a vampire enough to date him/her. Robin googled “tame a vampire” and found an essay I had written three years ago for my monthly column on Novelspot.net. Seeing that vampires were near and dear to my heart, she looked more into my work and then invited me to author the book.

Needless to say, as soon as I heard her idea, I felt like this was the book I had been waiting to write. I’ve been into vampires pretty much since puberty and thought it was high time someone addressed the subject of how to have a relationship with one. (And no, they cannot be tamed!) Another subject I’ve given a lot of reflection is balancing one’s real life with one’s passion for vampires, so I was eager to address that as well.

OBS: What has been the reaction to the book?
DL:I’m not exaggerating when I say, fabulous! It’s gotten over a dozen reviews already and not a negative one in the bunch, even from a couple of people who aren’t vampirophiles themselves. The book is really resonating with fans of the undead. I was particularly touched by the review from TrueBloodNet, where the reviewer actually discussed how various characters from the show might benefit from reading HTCAKAV. She really appreciated that although my book is funny, it takes seriously how fang-fans feel about vampires.

Internet Reviews of Books chose it their #3 favorite vampire book. Chapters/Indigo (Canada’s largest chain) put it in their Top Five Vampire/Zombie/Werewolf Guides. It’s been featured by Glamour magazine and the UK’s top teen publication’s web site (Sugarscape.com), as well as dozens of other publications and sites. I just found out Target will be selling it in their stores and it will be a Recommended Read for them in January. And that means the first printing of 50,000 copies is tapped out… the need for a second printing arose by the time of the book’s actual release date (Oct. 23). I can’t believe that happens very often!

OBS: What is your favorite vampire book made into a series or movie, and why?
DL: I’ve enjoyed a lot of vampire books over the years, but currently I really love Charlaine Harris’s Sookie books and the wonderful interpretation of them by Alan Ball et al. on the show True Blood. I think vampires are best portrayed with a sense of humor, and Charlaine and Alan do that. They should be scary, they should be sexy, and ideally they should also be funny…that’s what readers will find in my book too.

OBS: With the current popularity of books/films/TV shows such as Twilight and Vampire Diaries, how do your vampire friends feel about the reputation they are receiving?
DL: Honestly, they certainly prefer this to the days when everyone thought they were utterly damned. And while my vampire friends now have to deal with problems like groupies and too many friend requests on Facebook, it beats the heck out of being chased with pitchforks. Since the advent of synthetic blood, it’s been a long time since they gave up needing to drain people to survive. Now that (to paraphrase Pixar) “folks are friends not food,” they really enjoy their newfound popularity among mortals.

OBS: How do you feel about the accuracy of these shows? Is anyone getting it close, if so how do the real vampires feel about their mystery being divulged?
DL: Personally I think True Blood gets it the closest, although they don’t incorporate “Liquid Shade,” the elixir my vampire friends use in order to tolerate sunlight. Otherwise Charlaine and I are pretty much on the same page. There are still some secrets the vampires prefer to keep under wraps. For example, they were very firm with me that I not discuss in my book how to kill them. If there is way. Which I will neither confirm nor deny.

OBS: Can you hook us single ladies or men with any of your vampire friends?
DL: I have no doubt that most of them would be thrilled to meet my readers. And certainly there’s no corner of the world where you can’t find them. I met Gunnar in a laundromat, after all! The book will give you lots of advice how to meet immortals who are looking for YOU. (Wow, did I just sound like a TV ad for Match.com?)

OBS: What future projects are you working on? Can you tell us anything about them?
DL: I will be doing a sequel to How to Catch and Keep a Vampire for release next year. It’s in development now so that’s really all I can tell you! Frankly, I’m happy to have only one title on the horizon. In 2009 in addition to this book, I published my novel of psychic vampirism Looking on Darkness, my latest collection of tasteful erotic romance stories Soulful Sex: The Darker Side, and the comic book Sign of the Bloodletters and novel Bloodchained II: The Secret of Secrets, both sequels to my popular vampire romance novel from 2007. Lots of fun but I’m a little beat!

OBS: Have you ever thought of writing a dating guide for any other mystical beings out there, werewolves, fairies, shapeshifters, elves, etc?
DL: Not to dis any of those cool creatures, but I’m strictly a vampire gal I guess. Although I did have a fling with a satyr once.

OBS: What is one thing you’d like your fans to know about you and your books?
DL: At this point, I’d like them to know I have a lot of them! HTCAKAV has brought me lots of new fans who may not be aware that I have eleven other books in print. My Soulful Sex series of story collections are spicy romance for those who don’t so much enjoy traditional erotica: they are tastefully done, and cover all genres of romance from contemporary to science fiction to Regency, and of course, vampires. I’ve also published five novels. I have a special section on my web site with information on all my works involving the undead: just go to www.dianalaurence.com and click on the “Vampires” link in the upper left. My other titles are typically not in stores, but you can order them from any store or online just about everywhere.

OBS: Which team are you on? Edward/Jacob, Eric/Bill, etc.?
DL: I love Jacob’s sense of humor (Edward could use more of that), but I’m afraid in the final analysis, I have to go with the vampire and be Team Edward. I love Bill to death (sorry!) but Eric just sends me. From the moment I laid eyes on him at Fangtasia I was pretty much his. Overall, just count me on Team Vampire…I love them all! (except perhaps Nosferatu…)

One last thing I’d like to mention to your readers:  Till the end of November, I’m running a contest for which first prize is a $100 Amazon certificate. To enter you just send in a photo of my book in any store.

Contest details are here:
www.dianalaurence.com/cakav/contest.html.

Check out all of Diana’s site listed below:
Diana’s website:
www.dianalaurence.com

Official book site:
www.howtocatchandkeepavampire.com

Diana’s blog: 
www.eroticawithsoul.blogspot.com

Bloodchained website:
www.bloodchained.com

OBS would like to give a special thanks to Diana for giving us this wonderful interview!! I can’t wait to meet my own personal vampire. Who knows, he could be reading this right now.