He probably won't actually suck your blood.
Kevin Emerson is taking us through the 'Booth today! Kevin's name not at the front of your brain yet? It should be, and we have a feeling you won't soon forget him after "meeting" him below, where we discuss his middle-grade vampire boy series, Oliver Nocturne(Scholastic, 2008).
Official bio:
KEVIN EMERSON is not currently a vampire, but he does live in Seattle, Washington, where it is often gloomy. A former elementary school science and writing teacher, Kevin now works at the 826 Seattle, one of the Dave Eggers writing centers, and plays the drums in a band. Visit him at www.KevinEmerson.net and www. myspace.com/Kevin_emerson.
Other things about Kevin:
His stand-along middle grade novel, Carlos is Gonna Get It (Arthur A. Levine Books, 2008) pretty much rules, and he also makes peppy, smart music for grown-up types and kiddos alike.
Welcome Kevin!
Tell us a bit about Oliver Nocturne, the boy.
Oliver is a fairly normal kid, for a vampire. He's kinda shy and awkward at school, and never really feels like he fits in with his peers. He's sixty five years old, but that makes him look and act like a thirteen year old. Like all his classmates, Oliver doesn't yet have his "demon", which would make him full-on evil. Kids tend to get those around 8th grade. Most vampire look forward to it, but Oliver isn't. He's not looking forward to that much about his existence. He can't shake the feeling that he's different somehow. Turns out, of course, that he is!
Now tell us a bit about writing Oliver Nocturne, the series. Where did you ever get the idea for a vampire boy?
I started imagining Oliver himself about a year before I came up with the actual series. I had recently moved to Seattle, leaving New England where I spent my whole life. I was living in a new world that I didn't feel like I was quite a part of yet. Also, I play in a few bands, and so I'd be out at night a lot, you know, around Seattle, with the neon and the rain. I was still trying to get my first book deal, and "make it" as a writer, which was a life long dream, but it hadn't happened yet, and I had recently turned 30 and felt pretty old. Some combination of all of that got me thinking about this vampire kid walking to school each night, kinda bummed about it.
When you're writing a vampire story, you're also creating a whole mythology. You had to define the rules for Oliver's world. Can you speak to that process? How did you decide what your vamps would eat?
I knew I didn't want to do vampires in the usual way. But if you're writing about vampires, there's this huge war chest of ideas and myths that you can use. So it was a process of thinking about what would be interesting and funny, and also about what I didn't want to do. Like, I didn't want Oliver to be going around killing humans, cause that would make him too evil and hard to identify with. Plus, that always happens.
The first thing I figured out was the whole home-life, eating thing. I used to be a science teacher, and I'm a pretty serious nerd about sciency junk. When my wife was pregnant, I got pretty into healthy eating. So I was thinking about Oliver having parents and how they might sit around the dinner table and what they might eat and stuff. I really think the Nocturne's world all sprang from this first idea of them eating cake for dinner, soaked in blood. Then it was like, what kinds of blood, and where would they shop, and how would they cook?
Then, back to the basics of vampire mythology, I was thinking about how vampires are demons, but they're also fairly thoughtful, and have the memories of their human selves. So I was thinking that the brain inside their body must still be working. And if vampires drink blood, then at least some of their organs, like their stomach and stuff, should work, too. I was thinking that since a brain only needs straight sugar, then a cool thing about vampires would be that they didn't need any healthy foods. They could drink blood to get life force, and eat sweets to get brain food. And then I was thinking if they're dead, they don't have an immune system, so bacteria and rot and stuff would be issues, except vampires are always quite clean looking. So maybe they ate poisons and other things to kill the bacteria. Just being a science dork, I guess.
After that, I still didn't have an actual story, and that's when I started thinking about what the actual plot of these books might be. The idea of multiple worlds and the Gate and the forces that connect everything and Oliver's role in freeing the vampires from Earth took a long time to develop. I think I had most of book 1 written before I really understood it. I'm still not sure that I do :) . Kidding. Of course I do. (err....)
What challenges did you face in writing creepy books for young readers? Assuming that there were challenges, that is. I wonder, particularly, if you had to reign in any scary parts.
Yeah well, THE number one thing about Oliver that sets it apart from most all the other vampire books out there is that it's written for young readers. It's NOT YA. I didn't want to do lots of icky love stuff like vampires usually do, with the seducing and the siring and all that. I'm such a boy. Oh, and most vampire stuff is written by girls. Instead of there being a girl who's fascinated by a vampire boy, I have a vampire boy who's fascinated by a human girl, and so on.
It took me awhile to get the tone of Oliver right, and get something that my agent and editors at Scholastic could really get behind. It took me a few drafts. The keys were to understate the moments of violence, and in many cases, have them happen out of sight. The other was to write about the blood and other macabre elements of Oliver's world in a very matter-of-fact way. Like, most vampire stories follow a human who is discovering a vampire's world. So each bloody, creepy thing is shocking and new. Oliver is the opposite. He drinks blood every day, it's what he does. That way, I could present the things like Oliver eating a fried tarantula, or Dean having a chunk of his skin fall off, in a very plain way. Gross, but not frightening.
The other key was to give Oliver a loving family. One of the tenets of the Oliver series is that love is not just something that the "good" experience. So, the idea that, for example, Oliver's mom and dad might go out on the town for the night and feed on humans, isn't so horrifying because we know that they are responsible, community-minded parents, they just happen to also be evil. But they don't see it that way.
I know you're a fan of some creepy stuff yourself, like Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I've been trying to figure out what it is that draws people to vampires and zombies and such. In Buffy's case, I'd lean toward thinking about absurdity. What do you think it is?
I think the key to Buffy is that every character is in some way sympathetic and has a completely rational reason for doing what they are doing. Vampires and demons and witches are treated as people with specific issues and problems who are doing their best to figure out how to be happy. With the added bonus of fangs and super powered fight scenes. I don't want to say any more cause there are whole academic courses and papers out there written on Buffy and I just love the show. Huge influence. Oliver wouldn't exist without it.
The question of why vampires are such enduring characters through the centuries is another good undergraduate research paper topic. I don't see myself ever writing another vampire story. I've never even really enjoyed vampire books. But I love Oliver. What appeals to me about him is his viewpoint, the way he's looking in at humans, at humanity, and wondering about it. And also his internal struggle to be good. I have a healthy fear of death, and a healthy anxiety about mortality, and I enjoy digging around on this edge with Oliver and his friends. I can't wait to see what happens to him (and if you think I know, think again).
What's next for Kevin Emerson, the author?
Good question. I'm working on my delivery of this phrase: "Would you like fries with that?"
Seriously, I handed in the 5th Oliver book last month. I hope beyond hope that Scholastic finds it in their hearts and sales figures to ask for more Oliver books! We shall see.
Right now, I am revising a manuscript about two kids who win a summer fellowship to research the existence of aliens. It's one part cross country road trip, one part alien thriller. It's a ton of fun, and hopefully it will someday grace a bookshelf.
So, what are you doing for Halloween?
Well, I'm growing a mustache as a fundraiser for 826 Seattle. It's pretty gross. That said, I'm going to go with a mustache themed costume. Perhaps Mark Twain. My daughter is going as a "witch robot." Robot body. Witch hat. She's 3.
Any recommendations of creepy books?
I know of this great new series that I really hope takes off. It's called Oliver Nocturne. Er... No, seriously, I have no recommendations. Actually, if you're in 7th grade and up, and your parents are cool with it, I recommend It, by Stephen King. Really. It's way more than you think. And scarier than anything.
Thanks for stopping by, Kevin! I'll be sure to keep my eyes out for that witch robot when trick-or-treat time comes.
And thanks to you, Tollboothers! We've got more thoughts on creepy writing coming up, and don't forget -- you still have time to comment to win the Carrie Jones Need giveway, enter the MT Anderson giveaway contest and the Cynthia Leitich Smith Sanguini's t-shirt giveaway contest!
Official bio:
KEVIN EMERSON is not currently a vampire, but he does live in Seattle, Washington, where it is often gloomy. A former elementary school science and writing teacher, Kevin now works at the 826 Seattle, one of the Dave Eggers writing centers, and plays the drums in a band. Visit him at www.KevinEmerson.net and www. myspace.com/Kevin_emerson.
Other things about Kevin:
His stand-along middle grade novel, Carlos is Gonna Get It (Arthur A. Levine Books, 2008) pretty much rules, and he also makes peppy, smart music for grown-up types and kiddos alike.
Welcome Kevin!
Tell us a bit about Oliver Nocturne, the boy.
Oliver is a fairly normal kid, for a vampire. He's kinda shy and awkward at school, and never really feels like he fits in with his peers. He's sixty five years old, but that makes him look and act like a thirteen year old. Like all his classmates, Oliver doesn't yet have his "demon", which would make him full-on evil. Kids tend to get those around 8th grade. Most vampire look forward to it, but Oliver isn't. He's not looking forward to that much about his existence. He can't shake the feeling that he's different somehow. Turns out, of course, that he is!
Now tell us a bit about writing Oliver Nocturne, the series. Where did you ever get the idea for a vampire boy?
I started imagining Oliver himself about a year before I came up with the actual series. I had recently moved to Seattle, leaving New England where I spent my whole life. I was living in a new world that I didn't feel like I was quite a part of yet. Also, I play in a few bands, and so I'd be out at night a lot, you know, around Seattle, with the neon and the rain. I was still trying to get my first book deal, and "make it" as a writer, which was a life long dream, but it hadn't happened yet, and I had recently turned 30 and felt pretty old. Some combination of all of that got me thinking about this vampire kid walking to school each night, kinda bummed about it.
When you're writing a vampire story, you're also creating a whole mythology. You had to define the rules for Oliver's world. Can you speak to that process? How did you decide what your vamps would eat?
I knew I didn't want to do vampires in the usual way. But if you're writing about vampires, there's this huge war chest of ideas and myths that you can use. So it was a process of thinking about what would be interesting and funny, and also about what I didn't want to do. Like, I didn't want Oliver to be going around killing humans, cause that would make him too evil and hard to identify with. Plus, that always happens.
The first thing I figured out was the whole home-life, eating thing. I used to be a science teacher, and I'm a pretty serious nerd about sciency junk. When my wife was pregnant, I got pretty into healthy eating. So I was thinking about Oliver having parents and how they might sit around the dinner table and what they might eat and stuff. I really think the Nocturne's world all sprang from this first idea of them eating cake for dinner, soaked in blood. Then it was like, what kinds of blood, and where would they shop, and how would they cook?
Then, back to the basics of vampire mythology, I was thinking about how vampires are demons, but they're also fairly thoughtful, and have the memories of their human selves. So I was thinking that the brain inside their body must still be working. And if vampires drink blood, then at least some of their organs, like their stomach and stuff, should work, too. I was thinking that since a brain only needs straight sugar, then a cool thing about vampires would be that they didn't need any healthy foods. They could drink blood to get life force, and eat sweets to get brain food. And then I was thinking if they're dead, they don't have an immune system, so bacteria and rot and stuff would be issues, except vampires are always quite clean looking. So maybe they ate poisons and other things to kill the bacteria. Just being a science dork, I guess.
After that, I still didn't have an actual story, and that's when I started thinking about what the actual plot of these books might be. The idea of multiple worlds and the Gate and the forces that connect everything and Oliver's role in freeing the vampires from Earth took a long time to develop. I think I had most of book 1 written before I really understood it. I'm still not sure that I do :) . Kidding. Of course I do. (err....)
What challenges did you face in writing creepy books for young readers? Assuming that there were challenges, that is. I wonder, particularly, if you had to reign in any scary parts.
Yeah well, THE number one thing about Oliver that sets it apart from most all the other vampire books out there is that it's written for young readers. It's NOT YA. I didn't want to do lots of icky love stuff like vampires usually do, with the seducing and the siring and all that. I'm such a boy. Oh, and most vampire stuff is written by girls. Instead of there being a girl who's fascinated by a vampire boy, I have a vampire boy who's fascinated by a human girl, and so on.
It took me awhile to get the tone of Oliver right, and get something that my agent and editors at Scholastic could really get behind. It took me a few drafts. The keys were to understate the moments of violence, and in many cases, have them happen out of sight. The other was to write about the blood and other macabre elements of Oliver's world in a very matter-of-fact way. Like, most vampire stories follow a human who is discovering a vampire's world. So each bloody, creepy thing is shocking and new. Oliver is the opposite. He drinks blood every day, it's what he does. That way, I could present the things like Oliver eating a fried tarantula, or Dean having a chunk of his skin fall off, in a very plain way. Gross, but not frightening.
The other key was to give Oliver a loving family. One of the tenets of the Oliver series is that love is not just something that the "good" experience. So, the idea that, for example, Oliver's mom and dad might go out on the town for the night and feed on humans, isn't so horrifying because we know that they are responsible, community-minded parents, they just happen to also be evil. But they don't see it that way.
I know you're a fan of some creepy stuff yourself, like Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I've been trying to figure out what it is that draws people to vampires and zombies and such. In Buffy's case, I'd lean toward thinking about absurdity. What do you think it is?
I think the key to Buffy is that every character is in some way sympathetic and has a completely rational reason for doing what they are doing. Vampires and demons and witches are treated as people with specific issues and problems who are doing their best to figure out how to be happy. With the added bonus of fangs and super powered fight scenes. I don't want to say any more cause there are whole academic courses and papers out there written on Buffy and I just love the show. Huge influence. Oliver wouldn't exist without it.
The question of why vampires are such enduring characters through the centuries is another good undergraduate research paper topic. I don't see myself ever writing another vampire story. I've never even really enjoyed vampire books. But I love Oliver. What appeals to me about him is his viewpoint, the way he's looking in at humans, at humanity, and wondering about it. And also his internal struggle to be good. I have a healthy fear of death, and a healthy anxiety about mortality, and I enjoy digging around on this edge with Oliver and his friends. I can't wait to see what happens to him (and if you think I know, think again).
What's next for Kevin Emerson, the author?
Good question. I'm working on my delivery of this phrase: "Would you like fries with that?"
Seriously, I handed in the 5th Oliver book last month. I hope beyond hope that Scholastic finds it in their hearts and sales figures to ask for more Oliver books! We shall see.
Right now, I am revising a manuscript about two kids who win a summer fellowship to research the existence of aliens. It's one part cross country road trip, one part alien thriller. It's a ton of fun, and hopefully it will someday grace a bookshelf.
So, what are you doing for Halloween?
Well, I'm growing a mustache as a fundraiser for 826 Seattle. It's pretty gross. That said, I'm going to go with a mustache themed costume. Perhaps Mark Twain. My daughter is going as a "witch robot." Robot body. Witch hat. She's 3.
Any recommendations of creepy books?
I know of this great new series that I really hope takes off. It's called Oliver Nocturne. Er... No, seriously, I have no recommendations. Actually, if you're in 7th grade and up, and your parents are cool with it, I recommend It, by Stephen King. Really. It's way more than you think. And scarier than anything.
Thanks for stopping by, Kevin! I'll be sure to keep my eyes out for that witch robot when trick-or-treat time comes.
And thanks to you, Tollboothers! We've got more thoughts on creepy writing coming up, and don't forget -- you still have time to comment to win the Carrie Jones Need giveway, enter the MT Anderson giveaway contest and the Cynthia Leitich Smith Sanguini's t-shirt giveaway contest!