Today it's great to welcome Ash Krafton, author of Bleeding Hearts. First, could you tell us what your book is about?
In BLEEDING HEARTS: BOOK ONE OF THE DEMIMONDE, Sophie Galen is saving the world...one damned person at a time.
Sophie is an advice columnist who falls for a man who seems to be dancing with damnation. Then again, Marek is Demivampire...so the threat of damnation is never far behind. Good thing Sophie has an unmanifested oracle lurking in her brain. Things like that come in handy when dealing with demivamps who want to avoid evolving into darker things.
It literally started as a dream: I woke up with the words of the tagline echoing in my head and the fleeting image of the hero and heroine. I’ve been trying to capture the dream ever since.
I love vampire stories...but always wished the vampire wasn’t such a dead-end (no pun intended.) I mean, once you are vampire, you stay that way. I am a firm believer in second chances, which is why I created a world of demivamps who have the potential to evolve.
It creates a conflict that’s easy to understand—we all know someone who thinks they will be damned and we’ll do anything to change their belief in themselves.
It's listed as being Book One. Can we expect more in the series?
Book Three is my baby and all I will say is...I love to get lost in that book. *happy sigh* You’ll have to wait and see what happens when the king comes to town.
Then, a few years ago, I decided to write a story. I picked up a notebook and started writing passages and scenes of a fantasy story while my kids splashed in the pool. After a few months, I had the fated dream and began to write obsessively, in every bit of spare time. I did it in secret because I didn’t want anyone to know. When my husband discovered the files on my computer, I was horrified...and completely amazed by his support. He wanted me to pursue it and encouraged me every step of the way.
I love to travel with my family—lots of day trips and overnight stays in our favorite cities: Philadelphia and Baltimore. We’ve become foodies so I cook a lot of ethnic foods. (I also hit the treadmill to undo the caloric damage. Balance is key.) I like to make jewelry, too. Right now I’m working on a silver-pearled bridal set for one of my close friends.
Unfortunately, I’m the Household Deity of our family, so I’ve got to squeeze everything in around the glorious tasks of laundry and vacuuming.
http://www.amazon.com/Bleeding-Hearts-Ash-Krafton/dp/0982991363/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1332030556&sr=8-1
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/bleeding-hearts-ash-krafton/1037633251?ean=9780982991367&r=1&cm_mmc=AFFILIATES-_-Linkshare-_-GwEz7vxblVU-_-10%3a1&
http://twitter.com/ashkrafton
http://ashkrafton.com
http://www.goodreads.com/ash_krafton
In BLEEDING HEARTS: BOOK ONE OF THE DEMIMONDE, Sophie Galen is saving the world...one damned person at a time. Sophie is an advice columnist who falls for a man who seems to be dancing with damnation. Then again, Marek is Demivampire...so the threat of damnation is never far behind. Good thing Sophie has an unmanifested oracle lurking in her brain. Things like that come in handy when dealing with demivamps who want to avoid evolving into darker things.
It literally started as a dream: I woke up with the words of the tagline echoing in my head and the fleeting image of the hero and heroine. I’ve been trying to capture the dream ever since.
I love vampire stories...but always wished the vampire wasn’t such a dead-end (no pun intended.) I mean, once you are vampire, you stay that way. I am a firm believer in second chances, which is why I created a world of demivamps who have the potential to evolve.
Good demivampires don’t evolve...but bad ones will. It’s their final judgment. If you lead a righteous life, you’ll be safe. Of course, there’s always the handful of reckless people to are on a fast track to Hell and proud of it.
It creates a conflict that’s easy to understand—we all know someone who thinks they will be damned and we’ll do anything to change their belief in themselves.
If it was made into a movie, who would you like to star in it?
Zooey Deschanel, without a second thought. Have you seen her in New Girl? I love her vulnerability yet she’s tough enough to give Sophie the perfect amount of snark.. (Plus, I adore her weirdness and I’d do anything to hang out on the set with her.) Marek would be harder to cast because I’ve come to know exactly who that character is—and I have yet to see the guy to do him justice.
It's listed as being Book One. Can we expect more in the series?
Books Two and Three are being penned more or less simultaneously...and it helps to keep the continuity of the demivampire lore. It also helps plant seeds of ideas earlier in the stories, which really helps with world-building. I don’t like surprises unless they’re meant to be surprises.
Book Two expands on the role of the Weres and the mythology of the Sophias, the oracles of the demivampires. A Sophia is a spiritual healer who helps to undo the soul-damage that cause demivamps to evolve into vampire. Sophie is a loner with no one to teach her what to do with her power so you can imagine what a relief it is when a mentor shows up. (And by “relief” I sarcastically mean “disaster”)
Book Three is my baby and all I will say is...I love to get lost in that book. *happy sigh* You’ll have to wait and see what happens when the king comes to town.
Have you always known that you were going to be a writer?
Yes...although I didn’t intend for it to become such a big part of my life. My mom has a collection of things I wrote when I was younger and always had my nose in a book and a notebook nearby. I studied pharmacy in college but spent all my free time in the Humanities Department, where I worked as a writing tutor and ESL coach. My favorite internships were the ones I got to write in—I did medical advertising and drug information stints that almost made me change my decision to work in retail. I always loved writing. I just never thought I’d make it a career.
Then, a few years ago, I decided to write a story. I picked up a notebook and started writing passages and scenes of a fantasy story while my kids splashed in the pool. After a few months, I had the fated dream and began to write obsessively, in every bit of spare time. I did it in secret because I didn’t want anyone to know. When my husband discovered the files on my computer, I was horrified...and completely amazed by his support. He wanted me to pursue it and encouraged me every step of the way.
It started as a hobby...but now it’s totally a job. I don’t even need to add *uck work* to that because I love every agonizing moment of it.
What do you like to do when you're not writing?
I love to travel with my family—lots of day trips and overnight stays in our favorite cities: Philadelphia and Baltimore. We’ve become foodies so I cook a lot of ethnic foods. (I also hit the treadmill to undo the caloric damage. Balance is key.) I like to make jewelry, too. Right now I’m working on a silver-pearled bridal set for one of my close friends.
Unfortunately, I’m the Household Deity of our family, so I’ve got to squeeze everything in around the glorious tasks of laundry and vacuuming.
Do you have any parting comments?
Yes—thank you so much for having me! I’d also like to share my favorite word with everyone today: persevere. Whatever your dream might be, chase it down and hang onto it with both hands. You must persevere in all things because it’s the only way to go forward.
Where can we buy your book?
http://www.amazon.com/Bleeding-Hearts-Ash-Krafton/dp/0982991363/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1332030556&sr=8-1
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/bleeding-hearts-ash-krafton/1037633251?ean=9780982991367&r=1&cm_mmc=AFFILIATES-_-Linkshare-_-GwEz7vxblVU-_-10%3a1&
Where can readers find out more about you?
I’m on ...
http://twitter.com/ashkrafton
http://ashkrafton.com
http://www.goodreads.com/ash_krafton
Thank you so much Ash for taking the time to chat with me and tell me about your great book!
Thanks for having me, Katheryn!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the great interview Ash!
DeleteI love the idea of vampires that can evolve. If Sophie is anything like the quirky and snarky Zooey Deschanel, she sounds great.
ReplyDelete