Interview with Daven Anderson

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Interview with Daven Anderson

1. Tell us a little about yourself. How long have you been writing?

I started writing on June 13, 2009. I borrowed the four Twilight books and read them. After finishing “Breaking Dawn”, my first thought was “R-rated movie.” My second thought was “I can write something better than that.” Thus began the Vampire Syndrome saga. I had my four main characters created by the time I went to bed that night, and a rough outline. I joined a highly-regarded local critique group and honed my writing skills with them for several years, refining Vampire Syndrome every step of the way. “Vampire Syndrome”, book one of the Vampire Syndrome saga, was completed in August 2012. On December 2012, I signed a contract with PDMI Publishing LLC to publish the saga and related projects.

2. Which story did you contribute to Fresh Blood and what made you want to write that story?

I contributed “Mary Sue Wants To Die Forever”, a satire inspired by my visits to Forks, Washington during the height of Twilight mania. I have parodied Twilight within my Vampire Syndrome saga as well, but in “Mary Sue” I was able to craft a twisted little tale inspired by an adolescent fan’s pilgrimage to the “home of the Sunset saga. The real Twilight tour bus driver on my tour was loving every minute of his job, but I was envisioning how the tour would go with a driver who had a very good reason to be disgruntled with all the fan mania, and who had to deal with a morose, angsty fan.

3. What other work have you done?

“Vampire Syndrome” was released in January 2013, and I am close to completion on “Vampire Conspiracy”, book two of the saga.

4. What is it about vampires that makes you want to write about them?

People who would not normally read a book featuring a protagonist with Down Syndrome will find the premise of a vampire with special needs struggling to fit in his new world to be an intriguing concept. Some will think the premise to be a joke, but not after they read it. As the saga progresses, the conflict between the human vampires and the alien vampires escalates. Jack and his human vampire compatriots are forced to examine what qualities make them human, and what tendencies make them monsters. My characters are metaphors for our own struggles to be human, and dealing with our own inner monsters.

5. What other interests do you have and how do they influence your writing?

Classic and high-performance automobiles. My law enforcers (the Venators) would logically want fast cars for their chase patrol work, and other vampires might appreciate being able to make quick getways from normal people, if the occasion arises. My lifetime of car enthusiasm enables me to select the right cars for the right characters, an area in which many authors who are otherwise strong in details have a tendency to fail or fall short of automotive enthusiasts’ expectations.

Working for over twenty years with individuals who have special needs inspired me to create Jack Wendell, a wise, dignified vampire hero who was born with Down Syndrome. My working closely with these people enabled me to craft a realistic, non-stereotypical voice for Jack. The human vampires prize Jack’s status as the world’s fastest-running vampire, but the alien vampires appreciate Jack’s mental gifts in a way his fellow human vampires cannot.

6. Give us some links where we can find your other work (if available):

Vampire Syndrome (Book One)

Young Adult Kindle version: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AMRGKZU

Adult Kindle Version: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AMSLI2Y

Young Adult paperback: http://www.amazon.com/Vampire-Syndrome-Daven-Anderson/dp/0615756018

Adult paperback: http://www.amazon.com/Vampire-Syndrome-Daven-Anderson/dp/0615756026