Not just vampires appear on the rise in Derek Gunn's world, but his writing career as well. His sixth novel and third in the Vampire Apocalypse series was released this October by Black Death Books. It's titled, Vampire Apocalypse: Fallout.
The series, optioned for a film and a graphic novel, is awaited by fans as hungrily as a zombie watching a fat man waddle out of a fast food joint. I'd stake my heart on it.
To give you a taste, here's the jacket copy:
In this military/post-apocalyptic series the Vampires rule. Humanity is enslaved in a nightmare world. Those who are still alive are bred as food for the vampires and are used as entertainment for the vicious thralls who guard them by day.
This instalment sees vampires pitted against vampires and the thralls use this war to their advantage. But the small band of human survivors hold a secret of immeasurable power - a coating for bullets that can kill the vampires. The thralls want it and the vampires must destroy it. But first they have to find them.
Across the country another power struggle threatens them all and the doomsday clock continues to tick relentlessly towards Armageddon. On top of all that there is a traitor in the human community and the small matter of a potential nuclear catastrophe...
And here are a few excerpts from the many enthralled reviewers:
"Gunn weaves a terrific tale...breathtaking well-plotted action" -Apex Science Fiction Digest
"...an incredibly original piece of fiction that keeps the reader turning the pages." -Horror-web
"Action from beginning to end...I am shocked by how much I enjoyed this story." -Horrorworld
If you hadn't figured it out already, I wanted an interview you could really sink your teeth into. I thought we'd exorcise our minds by adding in some serious punnage.
And to forestall the moaning and groaning, Derek's included a contest to catch all the bad puns (we promise to decapitate, stake and burn them once caught). The first to do so and email Derek wins a copy of his new book.
Since he seemed like a guy I wouldn't mind being caught undead with, I decided to ask a few questions.
I have to say, you look pretty darn scary. I'm kidding, obviously; but if not while looking in the mirror, where did your penchant for the macabre come from?
I suppose it stems back to watching Hammer Horror films on BBC Television. Every Saturday night during the summer they showed two films late at night that kept me captivated. From there I started to read, first Bram Stoker, then Stephen King etc. Graham Masterton and James Herbert have always been my favourite authors. They have consistently come out with great novels year after year and have always remained within the genre. I love being scared. Not by gross-out but, by atmosphere.
Can you tell us a little about the overall series?
Well, imagine a world where our most precious resources have dried up and communities are left to fend for themselves. Add to this the fact that these communities only take those who will contribute most to their community and the rest are left to struggle. Oh, and add in the fact that vampires have taken this opportunity to become dominant. And that's all in the Prologue.
The first book Vampire Apocalypse: A World Torn Asunder, was centred around one community and one cabal of vampires. The second, Descent into Chaos, expands on that and kicks the story into high gear. The rebels pull themselves from the wreckage of their base only to find that defeating one vampire Lord is only the beginning.
The third is pretty well outlined in the blurb above, seeing vampires pitted against vampires and the thralls using this war to their advantage. But the small band of human survivors hold a secret of immeasurable power...
Tell me about Peter Harris, your main protagonist? Is he a vimp? A pain in the neck? How much of you is in him?
I suppose there is a little of me in all of the characters. Certainly there are elements of Harris's character I would like to think are also in mine but who knows how we would react if vampires came rushing down the street towards us. Harris is conflicted and driven. Something in his past haunts him and drives him to save others. He doesn't fully understand this and can't really remember everything that happened to him before the vampires took over.
These details will be revealed as the story progresses.
What feeds your writing?
Vampire Apocalypse - The World Torn Asunder was my first novel. I wrote it just to cut my teeth and see if I could actually finish a story. It started as a scene I had that suddenly started to develop into a novella and then a novel. Once I finished it I found people were saying nice things about it and Black Death wanted to publish it. At that point I was beginning to think that maybe I could actually do this.
I spent a weekend with friends in Dungarvin in County Waterford recently and that gave rise to an idea that ended up becoming The Estuary This has just come out from Permuted Press and is my first novel for them. They are a great team and are really supportive.
Some people think vampires are starting to suck. And if I see one more vampire novel with a sexy woman who has supposedly lived for five hundred years on the cover, I'll cut my own throat. But then I saw Vampire Apocalypse and you've given me hope that horror writers are going to be, well...scary...again. What's your view on the current state of the horror market?
I get sick of reading about charming and sensual dead creatures. In my mind vampires are ferocious creatures with no remorse. In their very essence; they are dead, or undead, so a huge change has taken place. How can passion affect a creature whose blood merely ambles through their bodies? Their very values are different as well, we are food to them. They are so powerful that we are beneath their consideration. They just happen to have certain fatal flaws that inhibit their ability to rule. They cannot protect themselves during the hours of daylight and they can not get along. These are pretty big flaws and ones which has forced them to remain in the shadows.
I understand that the first in the series has been optioned for a film. How does that feel? Are you able to participate in the process?
It's been very exciting and nerve racking. There's a lot of maybe's and could be's when a book is optioned. Lots of books are optioned and only a small number are actually made but it is great to see each hurdle disappear. The script, penned by two very talented filmmakers, Richard Finney and Franklin Guerrero, is written and ready to go. I've been fortunate enough to have had an opportunity to read it and I'm delighted with their adaptation of VA. Recently, producer Robert Lawrence (Die Hard with a Vengeance, Clueless, The Last Castle) has come on board.
I hear you'd give your eye teeth to write for Marvel, does having Vampire Apocalypse being written as a graphic novel help satisfy that thirst?
Oh yes. Though it only feeds the thirst. I am lucky to work with some very talented guys in New Baby Productions and they have some great ideas. The process is very different in producing a graphic novel. There are less characters and a few clever ideas have come out of the process that will incorporate nicely into the script and enhance the story. I can't wait to see the finished product. I have a few of the finished artwork pages and they look great. You can see some of these on my website, www.derekgunn.com and the whole team are discussed in more detail there. I'm still waiting for the call from Marvel but I look forward to New Baby hopefully continuing the series.
Was there a time when you weren't sure whether you had another book in the Vampire Apocalypse series, that you were bled dry? Or have you always known where the series was headed?
As I mentioned before the first book was pretty much an attempt to see if I could write one. The fact that there are now three amazes me. I always used to read series and wonder how the author kept coming up with new arcs. Now I know. When you create a world like this and characters they sometimes find their own way. Oh, I need to push them along but there have certainly been a few surprises for me along the way when stories didn't turn out the way I had originally thought they would. I wouldn't say that I have always known where the series would go. I have a few ideas of where it should go next but there's enough room in there for a few surprises.
I understand that your next book is a thriller. Why have you switched genres, and what's it like making that transition? Is the stalwart FBI agent suddenly going to grow fangs on page 193?
It's been a real challenge writing completely in the real world, without any vampires or werewolves, but it's coming along nicely so we'll see. I found it exhilarating in many ways. I have always had an idea for a thriller in my head and decided to see if I could do it. Writing in the real world though forces you to be accurate in the geography you use. There are scenes set in Jerusalem and Prague that I needed to do a lot of research for to make sure they felt realistic. There won't be any sudden transformations in this one, though human nature can sometimes be more scary than any monster. Anyone who likes my books will certainly like this one. I haven't abandoned the horror genre either. I have an idea for another Vampire Apocalypse book and a new series that I will keep to myself for now.
All rright, well, I think we've buried this line of thinking, what do you think, Derek? Any last words?
Just to mention that there is also a competition on my website that anyone posting a review of my novels on Amazon etc will get an exclusive novella signed by me so there is every reason to visit www.derekgunn.com and have a browse.
Thanks for your time, Derek.
Derek Gunn lives in a Dublin, Ireland grave yard with his zombie wife and three thrall children and is the author of the post-apocalyptic thriller series, Vampire Apocalypse, widely praised on both sides of the Atlantic and published by Black Death Books. The books in the series are A World Torn Asunder (2006), Descent into Chaos (2008) and Fallout (2009). Derek also has a stand-alone novel published in 2009 by Permuted Press called The Estuary.
Derek is a member of the International Thriller Writers Association and the Horror Writers Association. Visit his website at www.derekgunn.com
If you've caught all the puns, just email Derek how many at derekg@iol.ie, and send along a blood sample.
Michael F Stewart is the author of several graphic novels published by Oxford University Press Canada. 24 BONES is his debut supernatural thriller. His next novel, HURAKAN, will be released in early 2010. Michael lives and writes in Ottawa, Canada.
