Melek
Posts : 5
Join date : 2010-12-04
 |  Subject: YA Reads interview Richelle  Sun Dec 05, 2010 5:11 am | |
| As the author of the HUGELY successful Vampire Academy series, one that has taken a firm place in many readers ‘all time favorites’ lists, she is considered a YA celebrity.
When she’s not working on her two other highly popular adult series, Richelle is busy with a Vampire Academy spin-off that is already well under way. With only hours to go till the eagerly anticipated release of Last Sacrifice, Richelle sat with us for a quick chat.
The release date for Last Sacrifice is fast approaching – are you nervous about the fan reaction to the series’ conclusion?
I’m nervous about every book! I’m kind of a perfectionist because I always think, “Oh, if I could have just gone back one more time, that book could have been even better!” And yeah, there’s definitely a lot of pressure with the last book in a series. There’s no way every person will be happy with any series ending, especially when there’s a love triangle involved. Someone’s going to lose! That being said, there’s a lot of great things going on in the book, and I’m hoping that even if some people’s guy doesn’t get the girl, they’ll still be happy with the way story wraps up.
Since the success of Vampire Academy, how has your life changed? Do you get recognized on the street?
No, I’m never recognized. I don’t think authors have as much star power as authors and actors. Sometimes my name doesn’t even get recognized, though fans of the genre almost always know the series title when they hear it. But it’s still been a life changer. It’s heady knowing that what you write reaches and affects so many people, and every day, I get a lot of email from readers talking about the series. Knowing that so many people are waiting for the next book certainly puts a lot of pressure on me, but I’m really grateful do what I do for a living. I love my job.
You tweet quite regularly – what is it about twitter that you like?
I like the way Twitter can quickly and easily reach so many readers. It’s nice to be able to give last-minute updates about a book or signing and know they’re getting to people in time. I also like that it gives me a chance to be casual and communicate to readers about the daily goings-on in my life. It’s unfortunate that I’m unable to answer all my email, but with Twitter, I hope I’m still able to share myself with readers and help them know me better.
If you could spend a day with one of your characters from Vampire Academy, which would it be?
Oh, man. I don’t know if I’d want to hang out with them. Bad things are always happening! We’d get attacked by Strigoi or stumble into some wacky mishap.
Do you have a favourite scene or moment from the series?
I think the ending of Shadow Kiss is my favorite. It’s terrible and heart-breaking, but it’s probably one of the most powerful pieces I’ve written in any of my books. People were so devastated by the ending, but I had always envisioned that happening, from the very first day I started the series. So, it’s really amazing as an author to be able to have written something like that and have it deliver exactly the impact I wanted.
How does it feel to be saying goodbye to characters you’ve spent so long creating?
It’s bittersweet. In some ways, it’s nice to have the opportunity to move onto something new. As much as I love these characters, I’m not sure I could write about them for the next fifty years. But, as an author, it’s also really nice being able to write characters you know so well. It makes it easy to jump right into a book, so I’ll lose a little of that now. The great thing about keeping the world alive with a spin-off series, however, is that I can always pull any of these characters back if I miss them too much.
Is there something or someone in particular we should watch out for in Last Sacrifice?
I think by the end of this book, readers should have a pretty good idea of which characters are going to be in the spin-off series. | |
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