Antoinette Avalon

 

Antoinette Avalon had long been disappointed by many of the books and movies that came out about vampires. "What I saw most of the time was a lot of people going over the same old thing or the other extreme of turning vampirism into some kind of sexual perversion theme. I wanted to see more books like Chelsea Quinn Yarbro's Count Ragoczy Saint-Germain series, Fred Saberhagen's Dracula series or Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire and The Vampire Lestat. I wanted to see more vampires in film like the White Wolf role playing game inspired television series "Kindred: The Embraced" or Joss Whedon's masterpiece television series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel". Give me vampires with some passion and humanity!"

Antoinette's book Immortal Temptation definitely has passion and humanity in spades. She set out to write a book that was completely different from anything else out there that would appeal to just about everybody. She succeeded. "I wanted my work to be of the caliber of the artists I love who share my craft and at the same time I wanted it to be my work . . . not a weak imitation of their work. It's all the weak imitations out there that inspired me to write my novel in the first place!"

Her book deviates from other big names in the genre in another significant way. "The thrust of Immortal Temptation really isn't about vampirism at all. It's about immortality and what it would take to survive the overwhelming reality of forever. Forever is a long time and not necessarily all it's cracked up to be. Most people wouldn't survive. It would take a certain type of fortitude most people lack. These things are explored within the book and will continue to be the theme in the sequels."

Antoinette learned quickly that it takes a lot more than just a good story to get a novel published. "I got my copyright and immediately started trying to learn everything I could about the publishing industry. Since I knew nobody in the business, this process turned into a three-year project. In that time, I learned not only how to hone my craft and get my name out there, I learned just how many places my talents could be put to work."

Antoinette hooked up with various entertainment industry professionals, primarily through the Internet. What started out with writing reviews for Amazon.com blossomed into her talents being noticed by both musicians and professionals that worked with them. She ended up being contacted to work with different artists and promoters. "I learned I not only could write content but I could also put together a decent web site. To this day I still do Kelly Keeling's official web site in its entirety as well as my own."

Antoinette also does all written content on kane-roberts.com and plenty of other projects on the side. She has received endorsements from folks as diverse as Martin Popoff (the man who literally wrote the book on rock music reviews), various artists she has done written content for, Serge Entertainment and the co-owner of Now and Then Records and "Fireworks" magazine.

Were there other things that inspired Immortal Temptation? "Absolutely, let's not forget one of the originals, "Dark Shadows". How many low budget shows do you know of that have fans holding annual conventions twenty-five years later? The characters were sympathetic and fired people's imagination. I also really loved the "Forever Knight" television show. It's about a vampire that is a solid member of society who wants to be human again. It's poetic. I also think people who are fans of "The Highlander" could really relate to my work."

But Immortal Temptation goes far beyond any of these cult classics. It asks the reader the ultimate question. "Do you want to live forever? Are you certain? Immortality has a price . . . "

You can view Antoinette Avalon's official web site at http://www.antoinetteavalon.com

Questions or comments for Antoinette can be sent to AntoinetteAvalon@aol.com

 

 

Pageonelit.com: Where did you grow up and was reading and writing a part of your life? Who were your earliest influences and why?

Antoinette Avalon: I'm a California girl. I always loved to read. Even when I was very young I loved those books that you could read along with the recording. I dabbled with short stories and poetry even as a child before I could write but it was always "just for fun". I would read anything I could get my hands on until High School when I developed my fascination with vampires. It was then I discovered Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, Fred Saberhagen and Anne Rice who are the authors I most enjoy in the genre. I like Chelsea Quinn Yarbro's work because it's all her own, she doesn't produce a cheap imitation of somebody else's work. I like Fred Saberhagen's work because he had gone in and turned the Dracula theme into something both modern and . . . I guess the word would be logical. The first book I read of his was The Dracula Tape. He picked apart the original novel Dracula and put what happened into Dracula's perspective. It was great! As for Anne Rice, her work on Interview With the Vampire and The Vampire Lestat were inspired. I expect all vampire novelists will be compared to her for a long time to come.

 

Pageonelit.com: You mention two titles by Anne Rice, what about other titles by Anne Rice?

Antoinette Avalon: You noticed that. Well, they were just my earliest exposure to her work. In truth, my favorite Anne Rice title is The Mummy or Ramses the Damned. I think I'm pretty average as far as Anne Rice fans go. Some of her books I'm right there with her and some I didn't care for so much. I think she's kind of like the David Bowie of the novelist world. Like Bowie, she manages to do many different things within a similar style but often attracts an entirely different audience with each offering. The audience is always there though. It's a rare talent.

 

Pageonelit.com: Why did you write IMMORTAL TEMPTATION? Tell us about this book. How long did it take to write?

Antoinette Avalon: I wrote the book primarily because I was disappointed in most of the books I read or films I saw in the genre. I kept thinking I could do better, so I set out to prove it. The vampires in the book are a species, not the result of demonology of any kind. It's a whole new world of vampires. How long did it take me to write? The original manuscript probably took about six months. The subsequent editing . . . I couldn't even tell you how much time I spent. It was all a learning process. When I got it as good as I could myself I sent it off to a professional editor to show me how many mistakes I'd read right past a dozen times. Let's say a year from completion of manuscript through final edit. That's probably pretty close.

 

Pageonelit.com: Where did the title come from?

Antoinette Avalon: That's a good question. The lure of immortality could well be one of the greatest temptations a human might face and accepting it would be the biggest mistake they ever made for most people. The book is described as "The Next Generation of Vampires" yet the thrust of the book is not vampirism but the brutal reality of immortality. The question is posed. Do you want to live forever? Are you certain? Immortality has a price . . . thus Immortal Temptation.

 

Pageonelit.com: What do you think your book offers that other vampire novels don't? What makes IMMORTAL TEMPTATION stand out?

Antoinette Avalon: I've written something that everybody can enjoy, not just fans of vampires. The book is a fresh new approach to the whole beat up, worn out, stereotyped and overexposed genre. We all understand that this has happened to the genre because it's incredibly popular of course. I've heard more people say how tired they are of the same old thing. I was one of those people. I haven't taken the vampires so left field that hardcore fans will be alienated. Instead, I've taken them back to the roots of what fascinates people the most, the lure of immortality. The book has that special appeal that just fires people's imagination. Take "Star Wars" as an example. It's technically science fiction but even people who may otherwise say they hate science fiction are right there at the box office lining up to buy tickets. The appeal is so great that twenty years after the original "Star Wars" people not only lined up at the box office once again to watch the original movie, they are still lining up for the new movies that are coming out. Immortal Temptation has that quality as well. All it needs right now is to be standing in the right place at the right time . . . so to speak.

 

Pageonelit.com: What has been your feedback from readers? What do they say to you about their interpretations of your book? What do they like about the book?

Antoinette Avalon: The book has shown equal appeal for both genders and all ages from teen and up, whether or not they are fans of the genre. Interpretations have been all over the board because of the "be careful what you wish for" underlying theme. I even had one person say it supported the teachings of Buddhism! In general, people like the fact that the book is "real". The characters are believable and people can relate to them. I think everybody has known somebody like at least one of the characters, you know? Take the character Victor Wolfe for example. Who hasn't known someone who seemed to be really tough . . . the proverbial "wild child" who is really a genuinely good person when it gets down to it? While there is plenty of action, romance and comedy within the book there is a great deal of complexity as well, designed to make the reader think ie: Do you REALLY want to live forever? People are tired of the "same old thing" within this genre and seem to be responding to my fresh new approach. I've also had some folks who are longtime fans of the genre who were very excited that my . . . mythology if you will, makes sense.

 

Pageonelit.com: Your mythology makes sense? What do you mean?

Antoinette Avalon: The reader learns all about the psychology and physiology of the immortals (vampires) through the course of the book . . . even though the story is carried primarily through the dialog. This means you learn through the course of the book the answers to the "how it all works" of the immortals. Do they really have a problem with sunlight? Can they fly? Are they shape shifters? These questions are all addressed.

 

Pageonelit.com: You mentioned the story is carried primarily through the dialog, which is true. It works well for this book. What made you decide to write in this fashion?

Antoinette Avalon: I guess you could say that like most things it just sort of evolved that way. I wanted to make the characters real to the reader. I found writing from the third person "once upon a time" approach didn't give the characters enough depth or personality. I finally was satisfied with this formula of carrying the story through the characters interactions. It made it a lot more difficult to write. I had to get inside each person's head, keep their speech patterns straight and keep their reactions to things within how that particular character would act. It added a great deal of depth to the story.

 

Pageonelit.com: Are you working on a follow up or something completely different?

Antoinette Avalon: Yes, there is a sequel. Book two is called Immortal Temptation II: Life Beyond Human. At this time (July 2002) it is only partially completed but it picks up right where the first book left off. I also intend to continue working on promotional material for various rock musicians and their affiliates.

 

Pageonelit.com: You have an unusual approach to introducing the characters in your book. Can you explain what the "Prototypes" are all about?

Antoinette Avalon: The eighteen characters physical descriptions were inspired by real actors that I admire (not the personalities obviously). The exception is the character Jareth DeFranco who borrows not only his look but also his personality from actor Gordon Analla who is a friend.

 

Pageonelit.com: What was the last book you read?

Antoinette Avalon: I honestly don't remember. Since I started writing myself, I've had very little time to read anybody else's work. I can say that I'm looking forward to the next offering in Chelsea Quinn Yarbro's Saint-Germain series.

 

Pageonelit.com: Do you have any hobbies? What are they? How do they enhance your writing.

Antoinette Avalon: Hobbies? The problem is that I find so many things interesting but there simply aren't enough hours in the day to pursue all my interests. This is a good thing as far as my writing goes in some respects. Right now, my writing is my primary focus. I started writing music reviews on Amazon.com as a hobby and ended up writing professionally for various musicians and entertainment industry professionals. That could be one example of how my hobbies enhanced my writing career. The other big hobby is animals. I think I wanted a dog, a cat and a horse from the time I knew what one was until the day I had one of my own. I have horses, dogs and cats to this day. Their contribution to my writing is a little more down home. They make me happy and when you're happy you can focus on your craft. I guess you can't ask for much more than that!