House of Night Novels

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A Q&A with PC and Kristin Cast

What’s it like writing as a mother/daughter team?
PC: It’s fun!  Knowing that Kristin is going to go over everything I write gives me freedom to focus on plot and development of the series without freaking out about not always sounding like a teenager – because I know Kristin will fix it!
KC: I like it!  It’s the only time I can tell my mom that she’s wrong without getting in trouble!

Kristin, what’s it like being a 21-year-old bestselling author?
KC: I love it!  It makes me feel that if I’ve already achieved something so massive, anything else is possible too.

How are your vampyres different than others?  What made you decide to include original details, like their tattoos, and not classic facts, like being averse to garlic?
PC:  Our vamps are a lot different because the vampyrism is triggered by biology and not mysticism or the supernatural.  Of course there is a definite mystic element to our vampyres, but that only happens after they are Marked as a fledgling.  I brought in the tattooing because I am intrigued with ancient goddess cultures, and in some of those cultures it is believed a priestess was marked with a tattoo when she committed herself to her goddess.  I like being unique and creating my own version of the vampyre mythos!

Which of your characters do you most identify with?
PC: Aphrodite!
KC: Zoey!

What’s the hardest part about writing the House of Night series?  The most fun?
PC:  The hardest part is the first 2/3 of the manuscript.  In the last third it’s like I’m on a rollercoaster and I zooming to the conclusion.  The most fun is getting to travel and share all of this with my fabulous daughter!

Who are your favorite vamps in pop culture, other than your own?
PC:  Well…Spike (from Buffy) is my “boyfriend.” 
KC: SPIKEY IS SO MY BOYFRIEND!!!!
PC:  HE IS NOT!
KC:  IS SO!
PC:  You’re grounded.
KC:  (Sigh) He’s your boyfriend…

In the books, you write that Shakespeare, Jake Gyllenhaal, and some of the world’s greatest artists are vampyres.  Who else could be a vamp, and why?
PC:  In my imagination the best and the beautiful are all vamps!
KC: I agree with my mom, but I would just like to say that if it wasn’t for me none of the beautiful actors we have today would have even entered our fabulous books.  (pause for applause)  Thank you. 

There are a lot of Cherokee references in the books.  Do you pull from any other culture or mythology as well?
PC:  I definitely pull from Wicca, as well as Celtic Shamanism and ancient Druid beliefs. 

What inspires you to write?
PC:  My bills!  Okay, seriously, writing YA is fabulous.  I’m frequently inspired by my high school students as I create characters and conflicts for the characters.  Often I write about issues I see kids struggling with, especially those that deal with intolerance and bigotry. 
KC: My mom.  Or maybe that’s just her yelling at me… hmmm.

Why set the House of Night in Oklahoma?
PC:  Aren’t all vampyre novels set in Oklahoma? 
KC: Because it’s the coolest!  Ever.

Why is vampire fiction so big right now?
PC:  I get asked this a lot and I’m always perplexed by the question.  People have been enthralled by the vampire mythos as far back as the last 1800s when Bram Stoker published Dracula.  Ann Rice’s vamps have been cult icons for decades, as has Chelsea Quinn Yarbro’s Count Saint-Germain.   So, I don’t think our fascination with vampires is just big right now – I think it’s longstanding.