AuthorView: Emma Holly

Best-selling author Emma Holly on contemporary vamps, inspirational heroes, and why Colin Firth is the Mr. Darcy of her dreams - all in a special 'ExtraView.' Read on …

MB: What or who inspired your novel?

EH: Lucius, my hero, was the biggest inspiration. As soon as he appeared in "Catching Midnight," I knew he had to have his own story. The inspiration for the setting was my obsession with the Colin Firth version of "Pride & Prejudice."

MB: What do you like most about your novel?

EH: I like the strength of the emotions in the story, and the way the characters work as an ensemble. I'm proud of myself for pulling that off.

MB: Is "Courting Midnight" from a series of vampire novels?

EH:"Courting Midnight" is part of a loosely linked series that came out in the following order: "Luisa's Desire" (from the anthology, "Fantasy"), "Catching Midnight," "Hunting Midnight," "The Night Owl" (from the anthology, "Hot Blooded") and, finally, "Courting Midnight." They can be read alone, though characters sometimes show up in more than one story.

MB: I've never seen an episode of "Buffy" or "Angel," but I get the sense that vampires today aren't the Stokeresque type I grew up reading about and watching.

EH: Bram Stoker is just one of the sources writers draw on today for inspiration, with differing degrees of faithfulness. Anne Rice shaped many readers' ideas of what vampires are "supposed" to be, and I suspect Laurell K. Hamilton and Christine Feehan are having a similar effect now. They are more widely read these days than Stoker.

MB: Does each writer of vampire romance/fiction make up her own vampire mythology, or is there one understood by people who really dig the sub-genre?

EH: My observation is that each author brings her own personality and imagination to the genre. Some make being original more of a priority than others, but both creative and conservative takes on the vampire mythos have a chance to find an audience.

MB: Who is the most heroic person you know?

EH: Most people I know are heroic in some way or another. Sometimes, to me, little heroisms are as important as big ones.

MB: Who's your romance hero: Dark brooding bad boy or white knight in shining armor?

EH: All of the above -- which made Lucius especially fun to write.

MB: Why do you think women love the idea of a vampire hero?

EH: I don't think it's just women who love them, though vampires may be the ultimate tall, dark and dangerous hero. I know writing about vampires gives authors the opportunity to explore really fascinating and basic themes. Love. Death. Immortality. Redemption. Power. Free will. These are all human concerns, of course, but viewing them through the lens of the vampire tale allows authors to heighten them.

MB: Answer the question you wish an interviewer would ask.

EH: Well, I really couldn't say how I got to be so brilliant, but I'm very flattered you think I am. (laughs)

MB: Anything else you'd like to add?

EH: That's it! Thanks so much for giving me the chance to reach your readers!