VAMPIRATES | Black Heart (UK- 5th Jan 2009)

Welcome to the Interview Section. Justin has been kind enough to agree to answer some questions for the site! See ones already asked below!

NEW QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS UPLOADED - 24th July 2008!!!

LOOK OUT FOR MORE Q&A's COMING September 2008!

The Questions Part 1

(PLEASE NOTE, these questions were asked August 2006 so may now have different answers.)

1)Where did the idea for VAMPIRATES come from and where were you at the time?

It was literally a "eureka" moment. The word "Vampirates" just popped into my head. I can't remember exactly where I was at the time, but I do remember instantly feeling excited by the idea and thinking that there was huge potential in it. It was also a challenge working out how to combine vampires and pirates in one story. I knew that there would be a lot of fans of the vampire genre, for instance, who would expect certain criteria to be fulfilled. At that time - about 6 or 7 years ago - there was less interest in pirates than there is now, so that was more undiscovered territory.

2)How many books will there be in the series?

The honest answer is I don't know! There will definitely be six though as my UK publisher has contracted those. It's possible that the sequence could continue after that but it's too early to make that kind of decision. The way that I work is that I do know a broad story arc for the key characters but I always leave room to improvise. And new characters come into my head and the story. The more I write about VAMPIRATES, the bigger the world of the story grows. It feels like it could shoot off in a number of different directions.

3)How did you feel when you completed DEMONS OF THE OCEAN?

Definitely tired. Pretty satisfied - it was the longest piece of writing I'd done. It's about 65,000 words. It took a good year to write and there had been 5-6 years' thinking/planning on the sequence ahead of that so it was a really momentous thing to bring the first book to a close. There's always a bit of sadness too, I think, when you are saying goodbye to your characters. I remember feeling hugely relieved that further books had been contracted as I felt I was getting to know the characters better and better and that, now I'd set them up for the reader, I could start revealing more about them.

4)How did you find out you were going to be published and how did you feel?

Fantastic! Bear in mind that I knew that I was going to be published before I finished the first book. Like many other writers, I sold the project based on some chapters (eight in my case) plus character and plot outlines. So the other feeling I had was that it was great news but now the hard work was really going to begin!

5)How do you react to the wait for publication and actually seeing your book in shops?

There wasn't too much of a wait, really. It all happened pretty fast. The whole experience of VAMPIRATES has been like boarding a rollercoaster and clinging on for dear life! It is great seeing your books in shops, even better on display tables, even better in the window and even better all dog-eared in the hands of a reader!

6)Did you begin writing TIDE OF TERROR automatically or was there a period when you rested?

DEMONS OF THE OCEAN was published in June and I got started on TIDE OF TERROR in August. I didn't give myself a proper rest - I kept trying to get started but I think my brain was telling me it wanted a rest. I think a rest between books is a good idea, but equally I'm keen for there to be one VAMPIRATES book a year so I don't want to lose momentum.

7)How far are you now with Book III, BLOOD CAPTAIN?

I've kind of made the decision not to talk too much about whichever book I'm currently working on. Let's just say I'm confident it will be published next summer. It had better be or I fear ardent VAMPIRATES fans will lynch me!

8)You're writing a mini-adventure of VAMPIRATES, titled DEAD DEEP, for WBD2007. How were you approached and what can you tell us about DEAD DEEP?

My publisher asked me to do it. It's a great honour for a new author like me to be up there with other, really established children's writers. Usually, there are 6 World Book Day books but as 2007 marks the 10th birthday of WBD, they decided to do 10. DEAD DEEP is an adventure which takes place about midway between the action of DEMONS and TIDE OF TERROR. It tells the story of what happens to Connor, Bart and Jez during 48 hours' shore leave. It was fun, but difficult, to write - I'm used to having more words to work with!

9)Would you like VAMPIRATES to be turned into a film?

I'm asked this a lot! Of course, part of me would love to see a big Hollywood blockbuster of VAMPIRATES. Another part of me thinks about all the movies that don't quite do justice to the books. I'm certainly not in any great rush to see a movie version. For now, I'm enjoying developing the characters and stories myself. It would ultimately depend on finding the right team to work with, just as we've found the right teams of publishers all over the world. Did you hear - we're now in 21 territories, I think!

10)How do you decide titles?

Sometimes with a lot of difficulty (DEMONS OF THE OCEAN). Sometimes on a train journey with my publisher (TIDE OF TERROR). Sometimes with some ease (BLOOD CAPTAIN). BLOOD CAPTAIN is my favourite title so far. I think it's really punchy as well as being mysterious.

The Questions Part Two

BEWARE SPOILERS. SEVERAL OF THE QUESTIONS RELATE TO BLACK HEART, THE FOURTH VAMPIRATES BOOK!!!!

1) BLACK HEART is Book Four of the VAMPIRATES books. What can we expect?
It's really tempting, at this juncture, to say wait and see! But that wouldn't be very fair, really, would it? I don't want to say too much. The action picks up direct from the end of BLOOD CAPTAIN. This is a more intimate book though. It will answer a lot of questions readers have about key characters. One of the things I'm enjoying most about writing it is bringing together characters who haven't yet appeared in the same scenes. For instance, I have a fun chapter where Cheng Li and Lorcan meet for the first time. I also think that you'll see both Grace and Connor growing in interesting ways in this book. It brings the first four books in the sequence to a nice close though, as you know, this is NOT the end of the saga.

2) And length-wise?
Hopefully around 95,000 words, the length of TIDE OF TERROR. As I've mentioned before, though readers seemed to enjoy the extra length of BLOOD CAPTAIN, the length proved difficult for some of the international publishers in terms of translation costs, extent etc. Fear not, there is just as much story going on here but I've worked hard to make it punchier.

3) BLOOD CAPTAIN was absolutely brilliant. Will the Blood Captain given to Connor play a role in the later books?
Thank you. I'm not sure if the actual Blood Captain talisman will make another appearance. By the way, you might be interested to know that I got the idea for that from a visit to the Pitt Rivers museum in Oxford. They have an amazing collection of artefacts there from all over the world. The collection includes jewellery given to a young tribesman on making his first kill. I thought that I'd adapt that with a piratical slant. This visit was long after I'd decided on calling the book BLOOD CAPTAIN and, indeed, quite a long way into the writing process. Strange how these random ideas help pull the focus of an entire book together.

4) How do you deal with the expectation that has grown around the VAMPIRATES books? They are becoming something of a world-wide phenomenon.
Good question! The amount of interest in the books can be daunting, especially when you're running close to a deadline (as I currently am!) and everyone keeps asking how you're getting on and when's it coming out. It also makes you aware that there's an increasing degree of expectation, which wasn't there when I wrote the first book or even the second or third. But, overall, of course I'm delighted that VAMPIRATES is, as you say, becoming a worldwide phenomenon. I feel very lucky as an author to have such interest in what I write. It's great being able to hear from fans in many countries through my new blog, and indeed through your forum. The excitement of having a dedicated and passionate fanbase far outweighs the sense of pressure.

5) You've said many-a-time that there are to be six books in the sequence. Is this still the same? Or do you think there is a possibility for more books?
There are six main novels contracted in the sequence so there will be at least six (excluding DEAD DEEP and CROSSING STORIES). However, there is the possibility for more novels. It really depends on how much guys like you continue to enjoy reading them and how long I continue to enjoy writing them. There still feels to me like there's a lot of story left to tell and many of the characters are developing, and interacting, in ways I hadn't necessarily envisaged at the outset. But I never really had a solid plot overview that said "this is where it ends in Book 6". That said, I DO know the ending of Book 6 - though, of course, I may change my mind!

6) The book of Crossing Stories! This sounds interesting. Can you tell us anything about this book and when it will be released?
Well, it's something I've had a desire to do for a while now, prompted to a large degree by questions from readers about their favourite characters. The "crossing story" by which each vampire character has converted from a mortal into a vampire is a key aspect of the novels. It's something which particulary fascinates Grace. But there isn't always time to dwell on these stories in sufficient detail as it can slow the pace of the books, which I like to keep as page-turning as possible. The idea behind CROSSING STORIES is a collection of stories featuring several of the key vampirate characters, with a bit more leisure to focus on the story of how they crossed. As to a release date, we're currently looking at late 2009.