Interview: Allison van Diepen “The Vampire Stalker”

I’m so glad to welcome Allison van Diepen to the site today. Allison’s new paranormal YA, THE VAMPIRE STALKER, is releasing in a couple days on June 1st from Point.  I was fortunate to receive an early copy and reviewed it yesterday, describing the premise as TWILIGHT meets Kate & Leopold.  Allison is answering all of my burning questions and sharing her (literally) A-Ha moment when she came up with the premise.

ATUF: I was sold on this book from the one line premise: ‘What if the characters in a vampire novel left their world--and came into yours?’ How did you come up with the idea?

AV: The idea hit me while I was watching the A-Ha video “Take On Me” in which a guy from a comic and a girl from the real world struggle to be together. It got me thinking about how we’ve all fallen in love with book characters. I wanted it to be possible that the reason we love those characters so much is that they actually ARE real.

ATUF: THE VAMPIRE STALKER is a book within a book story.  There is a vampire infested alternate Chicago in the Otherworld series that Amy and her friends obsess over.  Even just from the brief passages/references in THE VAMPIRE STALKER, I can see why.  Any chance you’ll ever write it?

AV: If there’s another VAMPIRE STALKER book, it’s more likely it would be from Amy’s viewpoint rather than being written as an Otherworld novel. But you never know! I’d love to continue Amy and Alexander’s story and show readers Otherworld Chicago as I picture it…

ATUF: If THE VAMPIRE STALKER were ever made into a movie, who would your dream or, to keep things interesting, nightmare cast be?

AV: How about Oprah as Ms. P., the cool librarian/physicist? (grin) Ideally, I’d prefer Amy and Alexander to be played by unknowns so that viewers could see them through fresh eyes. Nightmare cast? Well, if Kesha and Justin Bieber teamed up to play Amy and Alexander, I wouldn’t be too happy!

ATUF: THE VAMPIRE STALKER bucks the current trend of portraying vampires as romantic characters.  The vampire villain in your book, Viggo, is a sociopath.  What made you choose to portray vampires as (mostly) monsters?

AV: I prefer vampires as villains instead of heroes. And for THE VAMPIRE STALKER, I wanted to put Alexander up against a terrifying, unredeemable vampire who had lost all of his humanity. Having said that, I do find many vampire heroes appealing, but it’s more because of the characters themselves than because they’re vampires. To me, what’s important in a hero is that he’s totally strong, masculine and tortured, with an I’ll do anything for you romantic side.

ATUF: You actually explain how the characters from the Otherworld books cross over into our world.  I found the idea fascinating, especially how it relates to author inspiration.  Can you tell us anything about it without giving away too much?

AV: Sure. Let’s put it this way: have you ever read a book that’s so vivid you wondered if it could be real? Many authors, including myself, have had the experience of a book writing itself—we find ourselves writing as if we’re in a trance. What if we’re not actually creating the world of our story, but actually peeking into it? That’s the essence of what I call Literary Physics. It’s the idea that some authors are writing about the events in parallel worlds without even realizing it.  

ATUF: What other projects can we look forwarding to reading from you soon?

AV: I’ve written an urban book called THE GAME which is along the lines of my books STREET PHARM and SNITCH. It’s about a teen who’s come out of juvie bent on revenge against the drug kingpin who put him there.

ATUF: Can you tell us about your favorite scene in THE VAMPIRE STALKER?

AV: It’s hard to say without giving anything away… I’ll just say it was exhilarating to write the final fight scenes—that whole episode was big, chaotic and intense.

ATUF: Finish this statement with as much/little detail as you like: You'll like THE VAMPIRE STALKER if you like...

AV: …to fantasize that your favorite book characters are real.

ATUF: Thanks so much for stopping by Allison.  Come back anytime!

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Allison van Diepen is the author of six teen novels: Street Pharm, Snitch, Raven, The Oracle of Dating, The Oracle Rebounds, and The Vampire Stalker. Her novels have been named ALA Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers and New York City Public Library Books for the Teen Age. Allison holds degrees in History and Education. She is currently Head of English at an alternative high school, where her focus is on literacy. She lives with her husband and son in Ottawa, Canada. Visit Allison online: Website|Newsletter|Twitter|Facebook

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Book Details

The Vampire Stalker by Allison van Diepen

I glanced at him, and felt like the air had been sucked out of me.

His profile was straight and chiseled. Dark brown hair curled slightly over the collar of his long, cape-like coat. A line from Otherworld came to mind: He would have been classically handsome were it not for the forbidding expression on his face.

I gave my head a shake. After all I’d just been through, I was still thinking of Alexander Banks. It must have been a mirage—my mind’s way of bringing me comfort after the terror.

What if the characters in a vampire novel left their world--and came into yours?

Amy is in love with someone who doesn't exist: Alexander Banks, the dashing hero in a popular series of vampire novels. Then one night, Amy meets a boy who bears an eerie resemblance to Alexander. In fact, he IS Alexander, who has escaped from the pages of the book and is in hot pursuit of a wicked vampire named Vigo. Together, Amy and Alexander set out to track Vigo and learn how and why Alexander crossed over. But when she and Alexander begin to fall for each other, Amy wonders if she even wants him to ever return to the realm of fiction.

Click HERE to read an excerpt

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