Interview with Richelle Mead
By Spinebreakers
We sent your questions to Richelle Mead and here are her responses.
Who is your favourite character?
Rose is my favourite, but I don’t really identify with her more than the other characters. They all come from inside my head, so I identify with each of them in different ways, if that makes sense. I definitely love writing Rose the most, though, and since she’s my narrator, we have to spend an awful lot of time together.
How many books are you planning to write for the series?
There are going to be eight more VA books coming out over the next few years. Two of them will be about Rose and will finish off her story. The next six will be a “spin-off” starting a whole new plotline that takes place in the same world but follows different characters (whom we’ve already met).
What was the inspiration for the characters and plot of the series?
The races of Strigoi, Moroi, and dhampirs are based in Romanian folklore. I took those ideas and then built the world of the series around them. The characters rose along with that world. I knew I wanted a very strong female lead, and slowly, the important relationships in her life (Lissa, Dimitri, etc.) began to emerge as I figured out how I wanted her to grow as a person.
When you started to write, did you sit down to write a book, or did it just happen?
My books are always planned out in advance—even the series are. So, when I sat down to write, I had a clear vision for the first book as well as the rest in the series.
There are now many vampire books out on the 'Teen' bookshelf, but how did you make your ideas different from the now modern portrayal of vampires?
When I decided to write a vampire book for teens, I had no idea that that genre would be so big. I knew the adult market was going strong, so it was important for me to do something very different from those books. So, I tried to stay away from the ‘standard’ vampire stories in our society and see what else was out there in the world. Interestingly, almost every culture has myths about some type of vampire. I’d taken Eastern European folklore classes in college, so I jumped into research about those myths first and found the Moroi and Strigoi stories. There wasn’t a lot there, so I’ve had to improvise a lot in the series with how I best think a world with two vampire races would live. Dualism is a big part of Russian and Romanian myths, which is why the balance of light and dark is always so key in the Vampire Academy universe.
How long did it take you to write the book?
It took me about six weeks to write the first draft, which is normal for all my books. A book is never “finished,” however, until it has gone through lots and lots of editing and revision—which can take months.
Did you expect the plot to go in the direction it has?
Little details and subplots have changed along the way, but all of the big plotlines and each book’s ending have stayed how I imagined they would.
What are you working on right now?
I’m editing both Spirit Bound (VA #5) and one of my adult novels right now.
Were you surprised by the reactions you have got to the series?
Absolutely! An author never knows how her books will be received, and I feel so lucky that mine have been successful. The enthusiasm is amazing, and it’s incredible to see the kind of attachments my fans have formed to the characters. I’m honored to have such support from my wonderful readers.
Did you find it hard to get into the young mindset of Rose and Lissa?
Surprisingly, not so much. The feelings and problems they go through are as intense as those adults face, so I don’t find myself stressing too much over the age. And with each book, I get to know them so well that the writing becomes easier and easier.
Will it ever work out for Dimitri and Rose?
Ah, that’s too big a plot point for me to give away! You’ll have to keep reading.