LoveVampires. The Website Dedicated to Vampire Fiction - with vampire book reviews, information and author interviews.

Jeaniene Frost Bibliography & Interview

The Night Huntress series (in reading order)

• Halfway To The Grave - Reviewed by LoveVampires
• One Foot In The Grave - Reviewed by LoveVampires
• At Grave’s End - Reviewed by LoveVampires
• Destined For An Early Grave - Reviewed by LoveVampires

Stand alone novels (Night Huntress spin off)

• First Drop of Crimson (Jan 2010)

LoveVampires Interview with Jeaniene Frost

Jeaniene Frost on Jeaniene Frost

Hmm, the pressure of making myself sound less boring than I actually am… I’m a writer of the Night Huntress series, which is an urban fantasy romance. Aside from that, I’m an avid reader and TV/film buff of all things paranormal. I’ve been writing novels for a little over five years now, but before that, I used to write lots of bad poetry. Being an author is something I’ve always dreamed of, so I count myself beyond lucky to have my dream realized.

Jeaniene Frost on the Night Huntress series

The series revolves around my heroine Cat, who’s a half-vampire, and my hero Bones, a Master vampire. In the first book, Halfway to the Grave, Cat’s been raised to believe all vampires are evil, so she hunts them using herself as bait. Bones traps Cat and forces her to partner with him. As the book – and the series – progresses, Cat realizes she doesn’t know nearly as much about vampires as she first thought, and that being half-vampire doesn’t mean she’s half-evil. Complications arise with her family, trying to deal with her feelings for Bones, and trying to stay alive while hunting rogue vampires and ghouls.

Your books have their own unique vampire mythology and a fully developed fantasy world of ghosts, ghouls and zombies. Where did the inspiration for the Night Huntress world come from?

Probably from all the horror movies I watched as a child, lol. I’ve always been fascinated with the “what if they were real?” factor that paranormal mythology brings. Writing has allowed me to create my own answer to that question. I’ve loved vampires since I was a kid, plus the idea of ghosts and haunted places is cool– and I’ve always wondered why ghouls got such a bad rap. I mean, couldn’t some of them be nice people, with just a varied diet? *wink*

Your latest book, At Grave’s End (released January 2009) is the most exciting and action packed book in the series yet, with Bones and Cat fighting for their very survival against an overwhelming force. How difficult is it to balance the needs of relationship development for the romance elements of the story with the need for fast-paced action for the urban fantasy elements of the story?

It helps to write a series, I think, because then there’s an overall arc instead of just trying for X-percent of a balance between romance and action in every book. With a series, one book might be more heavily focused on the relationship, because that’s what’s appropriate for the book’s plot, but another book might have Cat and Bones in very different circumstances where their romance takes a back seat to them staying alive. It’s still a struggle, though, because it’s their feeling for each other that drives most of what Cat and Bones do, even if what they’re doing is killing the bad guys instead of jumping into bed.

When will the next book in this series be published and can you give readers a hint about what Bones and Cat will be doing in that book?

Book four in the series is tentatively titled DESTINED FOR AN EARLY GRAVE, and it comes out July 28th, 2009. I don’t have my back cover description yet, so I’m not sure what I’m allowed to say about it. But in general, it deals with a vampire from Cat’s past that she doesn’t remember – because that time was wiped from her mind – and the repercussions it has on her relationship with Bones, and even on remaining a half-breed.

How many books are you planning to write in this series?

There are seven Cat and Bones books contracted. At this time, I see their storyline ending at book seven, but they might surprise me and demand another book to wrap things up in. I’m also excited about the two “side character” books under contract, with characters from the Night Huntress world getting to be the main characters in their own novels. The first Night Huntress “world” book will feature Spade, and the second one will feature Mencheres. The speculation on who the heroine is in Spade’s book has been rampant, but I can’t confirm or deny her identity yet :).

What books are you currently reading?

BONE MAGIC, by Yasmine Galenorn. I just finished IN THE BLOOD and A RUSH OF WINGS, both by Adrian Phoenix, and became a big fan of her series. Then I’ll be reading a book for a possible quote, so I can’t say what it is, and after that, whatever’s on the top of my book pile.

As a writer, which authors have influenced your work or inspired you the most?

I wouldn’t dare say these authors influenced my work, because that would be rating my writing higher than it deserves, but Dean Koontz, Diana Gabaldon, Laurell K Hamilton, and M.M Kaye were all authors who inspired me when I was still dreaming of being a writer.

What is your writing style? Do you plot out every aspect of the story before you start writing or do the characters take over and push the story in unexpected directions?

I have a very thin outline to start, usually just the main characters, the bad guy (or girl), and how it will end. Then I let the story and characters take it from there. Many times I’m surprised by how scenes develop, or what new side characters make an appearance (I actually never intended to play with the Dracula myth until Vlad showed up in a scene and wouldn’t leave, heh). That’s part of the magic for me. If I plot every little detail out in advance, the story loses its lustre for me as a writer.

If you could pick between huge commercial success or artistic respect and critical acclaim which would you choose?

Let me be honest by saying both. I want artistic respect, but if I have no commercial success, then my publisher won’t buy more books. I’d like to think I don’t have to sacrifice one in order to get some of the other, and vice versa. I’ll say that I’ve never written a story because I thought it had commercial value. I write what I love, then I hope like hell that other people love it, too.

Who is your favourite fictional vampire character?

You can’t really expect me to pick just one, right? If we’re talking female from movies, I’d say Selene from the Underworld movies. Male from movies, Blade. Female in fiction, Ivy from the Hollows series. Male in fiction, Jean Claude from the Anita Blake series.  

Vampire, dhampir or ghoul? If you had to chose which would you be?

A vampire. Right after I got into shape ;-).

A big "thank-you" to Jeaniene Frost for taking part in the author interview. To find out more about The Night Huntress series visit Jeaniene's website.
24th January 2009