HSP: DARKSOME THIRST is not your stereotypical vampire story. How did you ever come up with such a unique idea?

MW: I was a computer operator at the time and was waiting for an extremely long job to finish. In those days, it was common to use large magnetic tapes to feed the data into the computers, so they had to have computer operators on site to change tapes and take them down when the job was finished. I tried to keep busy while waiting for jobs to finish, but sometimes, especially towards the end of a shift, I was caught up with everything and had to find something to keep awake. If I tried reading or studying at that time of night, I'd start to drowse, so I needed something more active. I had always wanted to write, so I decided to start writing a novel. Having recently seen the movie Dracula with Frank Langella, I decided to write a vampire story. I wanted to do something a little different with the story, and what could be more different than setting it in a computer room? The witches came much later, as I thought about the ending and thought what other force could be strong enough to fight the undead.

HSP: But Wesley is nothing like the Frank Langella Dracula. What other "creatures of the undead" fueled your imagination?

MW: Ah, true. One reviewer recently noted that Wesley is more like Barnabas Collins in the old Dark Shadows TV series, and I think I'd have to agree with that. I was a great fan of the show, and still am. Wesley also has some of the stern qualities of Bela Lugosi's Dracula. I think I've always been more drawn to those earlier portrayals of the vampire. I remember when Anne Rice's INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE came out. At first, I hated it. It didn't fit my conception of what a vampire was. There was no mystery, magic. When I read it a second time, many years later, though, I loved it. I loved Tom Cruise's portrayal in the movie version, but I still find myself longing for the older mythos. Regarding Frederick, the younger vampire, the same reviewer pointed out that Frederick resembles Willie Loomis in Dark Shadows. That was a surprise to me -- I wasn't conscious of it -- but once again, I have to agree with the reviewer.

HSP: Do you identify strongly with Alicia? What parts of her character are autobiographical?

MW: When I first started to write the novel, I definitely identified with her one hundred percent. As I grew emotionally, though, I started to realize that I had moved beyond Alicia's narrow world. So, in effect, much of Alicia's worldview represents an old me. The part about Alicia going to school nights is definitely autobiographical. It took me nine years to get my degree that way. Her feelings of being underappreciated because she didn't have her degree are feelings I felt during that time period. Of course, as I must keep reminding people, all the characters in the book are composites. Alicia isn't one hundred percent me; she's got aspects of other people and even aspects of her own self.

HSP: The coven of witches in your novel is a very colorful bunch of people. Are these composite characters as well?

MW: Yes, they are. I based some of them on witches I met, but even then, they're composites. Rob and Janith, for example, are generic coven leaders I based on coven leaders I read about in my research and possess attributes of any new leaders of that time period.

HSP: So now I'll ask the question every reader wants answered: what happens next? How's the sequel coming along?

MW: The sequel's starting slowly. I hadn't anticipated that I'd still be doing a lot of promotional activities so late in the year. I thought once summer was over, I'd be free to write, but the activity level was still high up to Halloween. Of course, that's been great. I've been out there meeting new people, getting a lot of feedback on the book and so on, but it meant my mind was still in book one when I should have been thinking more about book two. I've been piecing my notes together and have a good idea of who will be in it, but haven't figured out the plotline yet. With the first book, I found that a lot of this starts to fall in place once you start writing. If you get stuck with a plot point, you just sit back and ask your character, "Okay, what's going on? Where do we go from here?" and the answer comes. Sometimes it's quite eerie, but it's all very satisfying.

HSP: Do you have a series of books in mind? Or will the second book be it for Wesley and Alicia?

MW: Right now I can see a series that follows Alicia as she explores more of the unknown and advances through time. The second book, THE OLD POWER RETURNS, is set in the early 80s, so that gives me a lot of time to cover before I catch up. And, of course, as time passes, Alicia ages and faces new challenges in life, and I think that will keep it fresh and interesting.

HSP: It would seem that DARKSOME THIRST was many years in creation. Do you have any advice for new authors who are toiling away on their first novel?

MW: When you finish your novel, let it sit for a while, a month at least. Then read it over and mark it up. Rewrite. Give copies to other writers for constructive feedback. Rewrite. Take a course on writing and publishing from your local adult education program, whether college-level or not. Read a few books on writing and publishing. Do all this and still don't lose sight of your goal. Writing is hard, but it's worth it.

To visit Morven’s web site, click here.

Copyright © January 2004, Harvest Shadows Publications