Has any hugely popular novel left you thinking you could write it better?
Bram Stoker’s Dracula has been inspirational for me. The concept of a vampire character, so powerful, mysterious, and deadly. Stoker wrote a true masterpiece. I can’t say that I could write his version any better but like any writer, I bring my own originality and ideas. My version depicts the vampire just as powerful but one who also works to protect his human donors. I also add more reality to my version of the story by getting into the how and why this creature feeds, that he’s not human at all but from another planet and that his survival depends on love and trust. Love in the sense of what it does to the blood. Bite scenes become more romantic than scary. My version is more a fantasy than horror story.
How did you come up with the title for your book?
In the story a donor family is created. These are characters who become very close to one another and share their lives. They are like a close family of people all supporting each other. They are not related to anyone else but they all share their blood with the one vampire they love. Blood Relations seemed like a good fit. The subtitle A New World came from the beginning when the vampire left his world and found Earth.
How long did it take you to write this book?
Over twenty years. Clearly a case for writer’s block can be made here! I was always coming up with new ideas and ways to express something. Everytime I read a chapter I’d re-write it, get stuck, add or remove something. Usually, I would add more. In my mind, the story kept evolving. It’s still evolving and it’s over 600 pages! Reading the story is fast due to the amount of dialogue. It reads almost like a movie. At some point I just had to type “The End.”
How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?
I’ve written ten vampire themed books and poems. Most are short stories I wrote while I was a member of a local writing club. Every story was nominated for an award. That made me think why not share them with the world. The book titled Vampire Stories and Poems is a collection of several of them. Many titles also received a Readers’ Favorite Five Stars award. My favorite is my flagship title, Blood Relations. It’s epic in size and story with a sequel just as big if not bigger coming out next year. Blood Relations has received the most awards including Readers’ Favorite, The Incipere Award, Author Shout Top Pick Reader Ready Award 2023, Author Shout Recommended Read 2021, and Literary Titan Book Award.
You can learn more about all these titles by visiting my links.
Vampire Landlord
Blood Relations: A New World
My Yoga Instructor is a Vampire!
Babysitting a Vampire
Halloween Ball at Dracula’s Castle
The Vamp and the Tramp
The Black Widow
Living Next Door to a Vampire
Vampire Stories and Poems
Vampire Poetry
How much research did you need to do for your book?
To make the story the most realistic, entertaining, and educational, I needed to do some learning. Some of the vampire’s goals were to stop or slow aging, cure diseases, and collect blood. I needed to create a process to do this, a research facility, and explain how viruses could change human DNA. Then create a method and explain the many hows. My favorite was figuring out how to make bite scenes more realistic than any vampire bite scene before it and how to make love the most important part.
If you’re planning a sequel, can you share a tiny bit about your plans for it?
The sequel is a continuation of Blood Relations. We go from vampire not remembering who or what he is and where he came from to learning his entire history. We fight true vampires of the galaxy to save Earth. We have a ghost, give birth to twins, alien spaceships and paths for more sequels built from new relationships introduced.
What comes first for you — the plot or the characters — and why?
It’s always the character that comes first to me. The story is written around the life of the main character and all those that touch his life. I think it gives the story focus and someone to care about.
What do the words “writer’s block” mean to you?
Writer’s block to me means stuck. It happens and it’s frustrating when it does. Sometimes I would be on a roll with my writing and would paint myself into a corner and would not be able to write my way out. Sometimes, giving myself a break and going back at it a few days or weeks later, a new idea would come to mind and help me break through it. Sometimes, I’d have to re-write the chapter or toss it out in its entirety. Writing can be like a puzzle that you create and must solve. Sometimes the solutions are hard to come by. When you succeed and break through it’s a cause to celebrate.
What do you think is the best way to improve writing skills?
Like anything, if you want to be good at something, practice, practice, practice. The mind, imagination and skills get better with practice. Like a muscle, if you keep exercising, you get stronger. It also helps to hone your skills by reading books on writing and reading other books to fill your own mind with new ideas. It’s also a good idea to have other people read and critique your writing and to hire an editor.
What was your hardest scene to write, and why?
That’s a tough question because there are several. There are the transitional scenes at the beginning and ending of a chapter where you work to keep the reader interested and the story moving. The beginning of the story is another because there’s so much to get out there. For me, the hardest scene to write must be the ending though. I found it nearly impossible to write “The End.” Finally, after page 600 I did it but not without starting another book with another 600 pages for its sequel, LOL. I’m still editing and revising that book but at least for the sequel “The End.” will be the end. Why? I think because the story never dies. It continues to live in our minds. These fictional characters have been created and unless they die, they live on forever.
Twitter – Author Glenn Stevens 📚🔭🇺🇦🛩️🚀📝 (@GlennStevensF) / Twitter
Amazon – Amazon.com: Glenn Stevens: books, biography, latest update
Blood Relations – Amazon.com: Blood Relations: A New World eBook : Stevens, Glenn: Kindle Store
Glenn Stevens – Glenn Stevens – Vampire Stories – Glenn Stevens – Vampire Stories