NANCY KILPATRICK/AMARANTHA KNIGHT

Welcome to our spotlight of Nancy Kilpatrick/Amarantha Knight and her work.

Below is an interview I had with Nancy Kilpatrick via e-mail in February of 2001. Unfortunately with the expansion of our site some spotlights were delayed for quite some time.

You will be able to read about Nancy Kilpatrick and get to know a little about her through this interview. At the bottom of the page is a book cover of one of her books and a list of her books published and soon to be published.

AUTHOR INTERVIEW QUESTIONS


What genres do you write?

Dark Fantasy, Horror, Fantasy (not 'high'), mystery, erotic.

What genres would you like to write?

I write in the ones I want to write in.

Where do you get your ideas?

Everywhere. Usually I'm excited by something odd I run across. It could be a newspaper piece, an object I see, an odd person, or an idea that comes to me out of a discussion. For instance, the short story "La Diente". A man I know from South America showed me some jewelry his mother had made from his baby teeth, which apparently is common where he's from. That led to the story idea.

Do you pattern your characters after any real people?

I think some of my characters are a direct composite of some of the people I know or meet or even see, but none are based on real people directly. I've got a couple characters I have named after friends, as a in-joke; those characters may reflect something of that friend, or may be a spoof on some oppositional trait.

What authors do you admire?

I rarely mention living authors, since I know so many, and people get hurt when they are left out. Of the dead authors, there are many. Shirley Jackson, Angela Carter, Edgar Allan Poe, Bram Stoker, Robert Louis Stevenson...and more recent, Robert Bloch... In the erotic realm, I love some of the Marquis de Sade's work--not all of it is heavy duty SM...all the classical writer, really.

What authors do you read?

I do not read specific authors. If I like a book I will probably seek out another book by that author. Once again, I won't mention any living authors.

What genres do you read?

I read everything. Currently I'm reading: The Grand Guignol, which is non-fiction, a look at the French theater craze that focused on terror and death. I just finished the novel The Tooth Fairy by Graham Joyce (well, I'll mention this one, since I do not know the author). Am also reading a book about Sentimental Jewellery by Anne Louise Luthi. I'm expecting a couple of books I bought on ebay: Pre-raphaelites In Love, and also a biography of Edward Gorey.

What other genres do you see yourself writing?

No others, really. If I wanted to write in a different genre I would. I have no plans to step out of the arenas I'm writing in. I'm not really interested in action-adventure, romance (per se), science fiction, westerns. I used to write literary stories, and some of my genre fiction has a heavy literary tone to it.

What do you see yourself doing in 10 years?

Hopefully having a large enough sale or two that I can relax a bit. One drawback of living on your writing is that you never have the time and space to just write something for the hell of it. Just for the love of doing it. Everything has to sell, either now, or later.

What do you see yourself ever not writing?

Romance as in a Harlequin--I tried and couldn't manage it. Hard Sci Fi. High fantasy.

What books do you have planned in the near future?

I'm going to be working on a mystery I began a couple of years ago but haven't been able to get back to. Also, I have a more or less mainstream dark novel planned out that I want to pursue. I have another collection a publisher wants me to put together. And two anthology proposals I'm waiting to hear about. I want to also write another Power of the Blood book. At the moment, I am editing/compiling written material for a CD-ROM which will be a supplement to the World Fantasy Convention book. It is a major task.

How did you get started writing?

I have always written. As a kid, it was heavy-handed essays about god and the universe and all this existential depression I felt. Then, it was non-fiction--I used to publish regularly with magazines and newspapers. Fiction, though, was always my real love, the one I kept returning to. I wrote many stories as a kid, just for my own amusement, as kids do. They have all disappeared into the void now.

What age were you when you started to write?

My grandfather brought home a little manual typewriter when I was around 7 or 8 and I began typing right away. I suspect he might be directly responsible for me becoming a writer, just because of that gift. Of course, he brought me a puppy once, but I'm not a veternarian, am I?

When is your next book due?

The next one is COLD COMFORT, a collection of non-horror stories from Dark Tales--that is out in the spring of 2001. After that, it's THE DARKER PASSIONS: DRACULA from Circlet Press in October 2001, and also THE POWER OF THE BLOOD #1 - CHILD OF THE NIGHT in French from Editions Alire in October 2001.

Was there any author or authors that helped you get your in start writing, or helped you break into the field?

There have been several editors who have been extraordinarily helpful to me along the way: Stephen Jones; George Hatch; the late Karl Wagner, Rebecca Todd (formerly of Pocket Books), Richard Kasak of Masquerade Books. These people came along and gave me a chance to publish at, it seems to me, crucial moments of my career.

What do you feel makes your books unique or stand out from others in your genre?

I think my take on vampires, and on the dark reflects who I am, which of course is unique, since we are all unique beings. I try to find a deep perspective on whatever plot issues I'm tackling. I want to look at the psychology, either directly, or by inference, because for me, that is what makes us tick. That and spirituality and mythology.

What made you choose the genres you write?

I've always loved horror and I've always loved sex. So erotic horror, both soft and hard, are natural to me.

Do you have a special subgenre?

I've written a lot about vampires, and for many many years was totally enamoured with the bloodsuckers. I'm trying to see the vampire in a new light, and some of my recent work, like the story "La Diente" reflects that.

Do you have a favorite place you like to write?

I write in my office, in my apartment. It's very quiet. I prefer writing in the morning (which for me is around 11 am), and in the evening (after 9 pm). My favorite time is after midnight when it is both dark and quiet. I also like going to a cafe from time to time to work there on a laptop.

In what order do you write?

For example starting beginning to end, combining parts, in random order or in development cycle? I do not have a set pattern for writing. Sometimes I start at the beginning and write to the end. Sometimes I outline and write pieces here and there. I honestly don't think I have one way I do it, because I've used many approaches. In a sense, different pieces seem to call for different approaches.

Do you feel that the e-books afford authors a bit more freedom of expression in their books?

I haven't seen that so far. I've had efiction published but I don't see it as more or less open than print publications. I suppose that theoretically, material can be published on disc or on the internet that might not be printed because it would skirt some law here or there. The internet in particular would be above that to some extent. Of course, I can give an example to prove my point. "Blue-Blood Moon" was accepted by Poppy Z. Brite for RAZOR'S KISS. Poppy swore it was not too erotic, but her editor (against Poppy's wishes) pulled it (and 3 other stories) at the last second as 'inappropriate'. The story was bought 2 more times and pulled for similar reasons. It is a VERY extreme story. Eventually it was published on gothic.net. So, in this case, yes, the internet provided a forum for a work that is too far from the norm (or perhaps it is too much IN the norm and that is too hard to face.)

What do you feel is, or isn't being done to promote authors?

Very little is done to promote authors, outside the big name authors. I was that way when I started publishing and it is still that way. Many publishers have good intentions, but it usually doesn't go much further. In major houses, there is a marketing dept. That department is small, and it is busy with the major authors, because the house has to get their advance back--and those are big advances--so they focus on selling those books. A small advance will usually automatically earn out (come back), or it can be written off as a loss without too much pain. Not so with a million dollar advance. In a small house, there's just no money, and no personnel to promote an author. Most authors promote themselves, as much as their resources and energy permit. After all, if you are making, say, 8% per book on a paperback and you are getting, say $.40 or $.50 cents per book, does it make sense for you to have postcards printed up and mailed out and each one costs you $.60? Authors who have boundless energy and a huge drive to be rich and/or famous, and who also have a spouse to support them, or a high-paying job 9-5, or are independently wealthy, those people (few) will just forego that 8% and spend it and more on self-promo so they sell well and get another contract. But while you're selling your book, you can't be writing another at the same time--there is only so much time in a day. It's a conundrum.

Do you feel that the marketing departments have their finger on the pulse of readers?

No. Marketing Departments, imo, know very little, which is why they usually send the author a questionnaire that asks who they should target the book to, and where they can send review copies and advertise. This is work they should be doing, but expect the author to do, which is why authors end up doing it themselves anyway. My experience is, you send them the info and they send out a few review books. Period. They usually ask you for a writeup on your own book, to synopsize it, anyway, and just send that to bookstores. The sales rep probably doesn't know your book at all, and is geared towards selling the best-sellers and the other major advances, again, to get back the money for the publisher that was put out to buy the rights.

How do you feel about review rating systems?

I see reviews in general as advertising. Most people do not remember what they read, just that they read a review. I have no problem with people reviewing and rating books, AS LONG AS THEY KNOW WHAT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT. Notice the stress there? Too many people have read, say, 4 vampire books, by 4 different authors, and then decide they are qualified to review vampire books. I have a collection of 1700 vampire titles, and I stopped collecting about 6 years ago, so that tells you what has been written, in English! IMO, a reviewer must know the genre or sub-genre well, must also know the principles of good writing and what writing techniques exist so that they can criticize a book on its merits or failures, and they must also have a good sense of that particular author's body of work so they can put this piece into a context. Few reviewers meet this criteria. Most reviewers are saying "I liked it because I love love stories," or "I hate it because I don't like it when the vampire dies at the end." So, any review or rating system is only as good as the knowledge of those reviewing or rating.

Through what venues do you feel most of your books are being sold?

Bookstores, the internet, my website, publisher's websites.

What do you feel is the best part of the publishing industry?

Having the chance as a writer to write something you love and to see it materialize in a concrete form--as a book.

What do you feel needs to be changed about the industry?

Too many things to discuss without drinking! Overall, I think the industry, or the established industry, needs more risk-takers in positions of power. Yes, what sold last year will sell this year, to some extent. But is that really what writing and publishing should be about? I don't think so. I truly believe that almost any book that is promoted will succeed. There have been some failures one can point to, of course, but normally promoted books do not die. The industry needs much better promotion and sales.

Do you think small press and e-books will be the wave of the future?

I wish I had a crystal ball. I have no idea if these will flourish or die. Small press has always existed, and likely will continue to do so, as long as somebody somewhere has some crazy belief that books are a things to be loved and honored and that it's important to see good writing that touches and inspires Out There! Epublishing may continue on, or not. So much of the internet has altered in the last few years. Now, it's harder and harder for the small businesses to be noticed. They say that with retail, it is the brand name/big name companies on the internet that will last, that consumers will trust to buy from. Like anywhere else, people have been ripped off. That goes for books too. Nobody wants to send money and have nothing return in the mail because now that URL CANNOT BE FOUND. So, it may come down to the known entities. Even search engines are getting harder to list with, and if you're not on a search engine, how does anyone know you exist? We'll have to see where things go, but I am not hopeful. Most of the time the mainstream eats up the edge just as fast as it can. When the edge begins to be vital, that's when the giant mouth opens. Anyone who lived through the 60s can tell you how horrified they were when all of a sudden Woolworths began selling Love Beads. Everything changes. And not for the better.



Recent Or Upcoming Nancy Kilpatrick titles:

Novels: POWER OF THE BLOOD SERIES: * * * NEW * * * Bloodlover Child of the Night Near Death Reborn OTHER VAMPIRE NOVELS DRACUL - AN ETERNAL LOVE STORY As One Dead (White Wolf Publishing) COLLECTIONS: Cold Comfort (Dark Tales) Vampire Stories (Mosiac Press) Sex & the Single Vampire (Tal Publications) Endorphins (Macabre Inc.) COMICS: A comicization of the stories in Sex & the Single Vampire, published by Brainstorm Comics. Vamperotica #5 Vamperotica #6 Vamperotica #13 AMARANTHA KNIGHT THE DARKER PASSIONS The Darker Passions Reader Dracula Frankenstein Jekyll & Hyde Dorian Gray House of Usher Carmilla Pit and Pendulum