Alyxandra Harvey - Interview

A few days ago I reviewed My Love Lies Bleeding, a YA vamp romance novel by Alyxandra Harvey. I loved the book and immediately pestered Alyxandra's lovely publicist for an interview. Got one. Many thanks to Alyxandra for her time and I am really looking forward to reading more from this series.

HR: Your latest book My Love Lies Bleeding is a YA vamp fantasy, with so many YA Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy style books around what do you feel sets your first Drake book apart from the field?

AH: There’s no denying there’s a glut of vampire novels out there… but I hope that my heroines stand alone. I hope their journeys are such that readers can be entertained but also feel they can overcome whatever it is that might be complicating their own lives as well. And really, is there such a thing as too many cute vampire boys?

You have two heroines sharing the spotlight, Solange who is a vampire and Lucy who is mortal. They are very different characters with strongly individual voices, was it hard to express them both clearly while still maintaining a flow overall and avoiding the jarring that can be a problem with multiple points of view?

There’s definitely the danger of confusing voices and storylines but I really wanted to tell both Solange and Lucy’s story. Not only did I want to explore strong female friendships, but it gave me an opportunity to explore the human part of the story and the vampire part. I also got to move around within the world with more flexibility than if I’d been chained to a single POV. I think a single POV would have been more difficult!

What's next for the Drake's and Lucy?

Adventure! Snarkiness! Secrets! And as the story arc continues, the series will explore different parts of the vampire world, including vampire hunters and the perils of vampire boyfriends. Lucy will also have to find new ways to survive her friendships with such a powerful vampire family.

Your favourite heroines are Maid Marion and Elizabeth Bennett (Robin Hood & Pride and Prejudice) so accepting you aren't into bonnets, what is it about these characters that captures your imagination?

I adore Elizabeth’s cheekiness and wit. And I do love a good cravat.

Maid Marian has interested me since I was 13 years old. I love the Middle Ages and I love a girl that can kick butt and change the world. And she gets to play with swords and archery. I could do without winter in the woods and spiders and the lack of indoor plumbing though.

Does your affection for these particular heroines influence the way you write yours?

I think it must. I want to create heroines that could sit and drink tea with other fictional characters I already love. Come to think of it, I want to create heroines *I* would want to have tea with as well.

Do you carry a notebook and if so what sort of things do you note?

I definitely carry a notebook and always have. At the very least I carry a pen so I can write on myself if I’m out of paper. I tend to note snippets of conversations that pop into my head, or plot problems I’ve hopefully worked out. It’s especially important to have that notebook by my bed.

What is on you MP3/CD player right now?

I’ve been feeling a little nostalgic lately so: The Beautiful South, Concrete Blonde and The Smiths. I should probably get more music from this decade!

So finally and just for fun, excluding Buffy because we all love her, who is your favourite Joss Whedon character (from any series) and why?

What a great question! And a tough one…

I definitely have a soft spot for Captain Mal Reynolds from Firefly. And Spike is yummy, of course. And I happen to be wearing, at this very moment, a “You are not my nemesis” t-shirt from Dr. Horrible.

Okay, that’s more than one.