Uprising
Page 35
What is it about vampires that makes them so appealing to people?
Firstly, vampires are scary, and we all love to be scared. But I also think that vampires symbolise qualities many of us secretly yearn to have ourselves. Vampires are incredibly free – at least, when they’re not subject to Federation laws. They’re unbelievably powerful, can have tremendous sex appeal and glamour; and of course there’s the immortality factor. That’s the allure that seduces Jeremy Lonsdale, the politician in Uprising who falls into the clutches of arch-villain Gabriel Stone. Lonsdale had everything a mortal man could desire, and yet he craved the kind of power that only becoming a vampire could offer. Of course, it didn’t quite work out for him that way…
Do your characters ever surprise you?
Sometimes a character will grow in the telling, or even deviate completely from the original plan. In Uprising, Dec Maddon was initially destined to be a minor character, something of a lowlife whose only function in the story was to witness the ritual murder at Crowmoor Hall, and then tell his story to the hero Joel Solomon. He was then going to be turned into a vampire before being viciously destroyed by Gabriel Stone. In short, he was expendable! But as I began writing him, I became sympathetic towards him and his role changed. It was as though there was another layer of him underneath, waiting to be discovered. I realised that Dec should have more of his own journey in the story. And he will have a big role in the next book, which is something I would never have imagined at the outset.
Some of the vampires in Uprising, for instance the villain Gabriel Stone, are much more frightening than many of the recent crop of vampires in books and films…
From the start, my vampires had to have fangs! I consciously wanted my character Gabriel Stone to hark back to the Stoker tradition that portrays the vampire as a lethal predator without a single shred of morality. It’s a great white shark in human form. Even friendlier characters like Alex Bishop, with whom I wanted the reader to empathise strongly, have something of an edge to them when you realise that you and I are really nothing more to them than a food source! So you’re rooting for the heroine, but some part of you is afraid of her, too…
If you were a vampire, would you support the Federation?
Good question! I think the Federation was born from a genuine need for vampires to protect themselves from detection in the modern age, in order to be able to carry on. But what may have started out in a spirit of well-meaning idealism may have been open to abuse and ultimately led to a degree of corruption. I would not entirely blame certain vampires for finding the Federation oppressive and dictatorial; then again, who would want evil predators like Gabriel Stone and his sister Lillith in charge?
A fun setting in the book is the vampire-themed bar/restaurant run by vampires for vampires, right in the middle of London. What made you think of it?
Movie fans may spot lots of film references in my books, especially this one! The idea for the ‘Last Bite bar and grill’ was inspired by Jack Rabbit Slim’s diner in Pulp Fiction, where the walls are lined with stills from classic movies and your waitress for the night is Jayne Mansfield or Marilyn Monroe. I loved the idea of doing the same thing with vampires, so it was always in my mind. Then one night I happened to wander into this very loud, very packed, upmarket bar in St James’s Street in London, and I thought that it was exactly the kind of place where vampires would hang out – as well as wannabe vampires and people who just want to seem a bit dark and dangerous. So I modelled it on that, and cheekily placed it in the same location. I think the Last Bite would be a great success in real life, actually!
What can readers expect from the next Vampire Federation book?
Lots of surprises, some new characters, some new developments with the existing ones. Dec Maddon will continue his evolution and become a fully-fledged vampire hunter. Joel Solomon will have to try to come to terms with what he’s now become. He and Alex will somehow have to confront what’s happened between them. The secrets of the cross of Ardaich will be explained, plus we’ll be seeing more of those nasty, mysterious creatures living in the Siberian ice caves. And will Gabriel Stone be back? You’ll just have to wait and see!
Acknowledgements
As ever, many sincere thanks to Keshini Naidoo and Sammia Rafique at Avon for all that they do; to Inspector T.B for helping the author maintain a semblance of realism in all matters police procedural; and to all the other usual suspects involved in this story’s long, slow evolution from a mad spark of an idea into the book that is now in your hands.
About the Author
UPRISING
Scott Mariani is the author of the acclaimed bestselling thriller series featuring ex-SAS hero Ben Hope. Uprising is his first Vampire Federation novel, writing under the name Scott G. Mariani. He lives in rural West Wales.
To find out more about Scott Mariani go to www.scottmariani.com
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By the same author:
The Shadow Project
The Alchemist’s Secret
The Mozart Conspiracy
The Doomsday Prophecy
The Heretic’s Treasure
Copyright
This novel is entirely a work of fiction.
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Table of Contents
Cover Page
Title Page
Excerpt
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Four
Chapter Forty-Five
Chapter Forty-Six
Chapter Forty-Seven
Chapter Forty-Eight
Chapter Forty-Nine
Chapter Fifty
Chapter Fifty-One
Chapter Fifty-Two
Chapter Fifty-Three
Chapter Fifty-Four
Chapter Fifty-Five
Chapter Fifty-Six
Chapter Fifty-Seven
Chapter Fifty-Eight
Chapter Fifty-Nine
Chapter Sixty
Chapter Sixty-One
Chapter Sixty-Two
Chapter Sixty-Three
Chapter Sixty-Four
Chapter Sixty-Five
Chapter Sixty-Six
Chapter Sixty-Seven
Chapter Sixty-Eight
Chapter Sixty-Nine
Chapter Seventy
Chapter Seventy-One
Chapter Seventy-Two
Chapter Seventy-Three
Chapter Seventy-Four
Chapter Seventy-Five
Chapter Seventy-Six
Chapter Seventy-Seven
Chapter Seventy-Eight
Chapter Seventy-Nine
Chapter Eighty
Chapter Eighty-One
Chapter Eighty-Two
Chapter Eighty-Three
Chapter Eighty-Four
Chapter Eighty-Five
Chapter Eighty-Six
Chapter Eighty-Seven
In Conversation with Scott Mariani
Acknowledgements
About the Author
By the same author:
Copyright
About the Publisher