The Next Big Thing Blog Hop - Discussion of The Vampire's Daughter

I was tagged by a friend over at Absolute Write Water Cooler to participate in a blog hop, which is kind of like a blog chain. The theme is basically an interview about the book you have in progress. Thanks to Shayla for tagging me. You can go back and read her blog here.

What is the working title of your book?

My book is called The Vampire's Daughter.

Where did the idea come from for the book?

My first graduate school class was on Gothic literature. I fell in love with the genre and stuck with it for the next two years, even writing my Master's thesis on vampires in Gothic literature (spoiler - there are none). I had been toying with the idea for this book the previous semester for a creative writing class I took my last semester as an undergraduate but it really came to life after I decided to take the Gothic route.

What is the genre of the book?

It is a historical paranormal romance that contains the tropes of Gothic literature.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

I have asking myself this for a long time. I honestly don't know who would play the main characters, Ethan and Victoria, but definitely Geoffrey Rush as Dom Augustine Calmet, the legendary vampire hunter. 

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
A young couple struggle to balance love and faith when they discover that she is The Vampire's Daughter. (One sentence is so hard! There is so much more going on in this book than that, but it is nearly impossible to put in one sentence!)

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency/publisher?

I am still hopeful for seeing it traditionally published. The book is currently submitted to Amazon's Breakthrough Novel Contest. If it doesn't pass to the next round there, I will start a new round of querying publishers before considering self-publishing.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

About 3 months.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
I don't know that I have read any quite like mine. Of course, there are tons of paranormal romances out there, but very few that are also authentically Gothic. I hope that means my book is unique.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

My creative writing teacher is the person I am dedicating this book to. He gave me the best advice: sit down and write. It's because of him that I finally got the book out on paper.

What else about your book might pique the reader's interest?

When Ethan discovers that the love of his life, Victoria, is actually the child of a monstrous beast and must marry another man to save her family, he retreats to a monastery to live out the rest of his days alone.

But the Church has other ideas.

Ethan is asked to lead the famous vampire hunter Dom Calmet back to his home village to rid the town of the vampires that plague it. Ethan must then make a journey, emotionally and literally, back to the town of his youth and decide between love and faith when he once again meets The Vampire’s Daughter.

Containing many tropes of a classic Gothic novel (an obscure heroine, an indecisive hero, an exotic location, references to classical literature, dark castles, a foreboding sense of danger) combined with the sensuality of a modern romance, The Vampire’s Daughter will leave you gasping for more. 

Next in the series is Tracy. Be sure to hop over to her blog and see what her work in progress is about!