In Answer To Your Question…

MERRY VLADMAS, MINIONS!

Well, not yet, but it's so close I can almost taste it. (Incidentally, it tastes a bit like Cheetos.)

I've been getting a ton of emails, comments and messages lately that all seem to be asking the same three questions, so I decided to answer those questions here on the blog (yes, I do read the comments here – even if I don't often get a chance to respond – so please keep commenting!).

1. "Will your Vlad books be made into a movie or television series? AND CAN I BE IN IT???"

First off, the likelihood that ANY book gets made into a movie or television series is incredibly low. There is so much business and money involved that it can be quite difficult for all of the stars to align. That being said, my answer is maybe – mostly because I am the eternal optimist. There is currently nothing at all official to announce as far as film/tv stuff associated with CoVT, and though I'd love for Minions to play the roles, I doubt Auntie Heather would have any say in it at all. So…no movie, no tv…yet. Maybe if we all keep our fingers crossed, it'll happen, but as for now, NO. Trust me – as soon as there is something interesting to announce concerning a possible movie or tv series, Auntie Heather will tell you! And if I'm told where tryouts would be held for those parts, I'll put it on my blog. But there's nothing to talk about YET.

2. "Will you PLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASE write another book about Vlad?"

I adore you, Minions. I really, really do. And you have no idea how much your deep love of The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod means to me. Seriously – it makes me tear up just thinking about how loyal you all are to those characters. However…as I've stated many times, Vlad's story was five books long, and with TWELFTH GRADE KILLS, it is complete. Finito. El-finished-o. But don't despair! I am writing a spin-off series that I'm sure you'll love, and hints of Vlad will be all through that series (including a few secrets that you didn't learn in Vlad's series). This series (a bit more on this in the next question) is called THE SLAYER CHRONICLES, and will be from Joss's point of view.

The fact is that an author cannot continue to write about the same characters for the duration of their career – at least, I can't. I love Vlad as much as you do, but as of right now, I can't see myself continuing his story past his seior year. But that's okay! Because…

3. "Are you writing any more books?"

YES! I'm actually working on two books (both the beginnings to two new series). The first book, tentatively titled BEGINNING (which may change) is the first book in my spin-off series, THE SLAYER CHRONICLES.

Y'know how the Vlad books take place during the school years? Well, THE SLAYER CHRONICLES will take place during the summers between those school years, and will be from Joss's point of view. We'll experience what it's like to become a Slayer, and all of the horrible things that we didn't realize were happening to Joss as we were following Vlad's life. And the cool thing (for those of you who've asked "WHAT ABOUT SNOW'S EYES??? WHAT DID THAT MEAN???") is that THE SLAYER CHRONICLES will end with one book beyond TWELFTH GRADE KILLS. So…you will get to see Vlad again, as that book will pick up right where TWELFTH GRADE KILLS left off. BEGINNING hits stores Fall 2011.

The other series/book I'm working on is called BLOODBOUND. Now, right away, the title screams "VAMPIRES!!!", but it's actually not about vampires at all. BLOODBOUND is this romantic fantasy epic about a girl named Kaya in a world called Tril. In Tril, there are three kinds of people: Barrons (a naturally-skilled warrior race), Healers (people born with the natural ability to heal), and the Unskilled (just normal folks, who are totally unaware that Barrons and Healers even exist). Now, whenever a Barron is born, at the exact same moment, their Healer is born. Together, they are Bloodbound. This basically means that the Healer can heal them from any wound (even if their head was hanging on by a thread, they could touch them and PRESTO! All better). Kaya is a Healer, but she was raised amongst the Unskilled. So imagine her surprise when she gets a letter from the headmaster of Shadow Academy (a school for the training of Barrons and Healers) that basically says that the boy that she was Bloodbound to has died, but that she can be Bound to another Barron (which isn't as strong as being Bloodbound, but close enough). He also tells her that if she doesn't come to the school, her parents' lives are forfeit.

Sucks, huh? "Do our bidding or your parents get it!" Not exactly a happy situation to be in. PLUS, once at the school, Kaya is told that, as a Healer, she's not allowed to learn how to fight or defend herself on the battlefield. She's expected to wait for her Barron to rescue her.

"Rescue her from what?" you say…? Ahh, this is where it gets really fun. See, the Barrons and Healers are at war with King Darrek, who happens to have horrible beasts called Graplars at his command. Graplars are dog-like, but stand seven feet tall. They have blue scaly skin, and rows and rows of razor sharp teeth like sharks. Oh, and their drool is POISON! Not to mention that Graplars are hunting and killing Healers. And…what's that? Oh yeah – Kaya is a Healer!

So basically, Kaya decides that there is NO WAY she's going to stand around and wait to be eaten by a Graplar. So she decides to train in the art of fighting. SECRETLY. The weapon of choice in Tril is, of course, a katana. So…think of Tril like this: a fantasy world with a Japanese medieval feel…overrun by horrible monsters and people who think that just because you're a Healer, you can't take care of yourself.

And don't even get me started on the cute boy/tangled hearts theme.

So there's something for everyone – guys and girls! BLOODBOUND will begin Spring 2012.

And…that's about it, for now. So, what do you think, Minions? Can I be trusted to write something that's NOT about vampires, but is full of awesome?