What has “Tokio Hotel”, the little vampire Rüdiger von Schlotterstein and “The Lost Boys” in common? The answer is easy: Emily Kay, who has processed all these sources of inspiration in her novel “Eulenflucht – Durch die Nacht”.
And how life goes, nowadays you get very easy in contact with those interesting people. You only need a twitter-acount and the idee fixe, that an interview could be quite interesting.
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Fantasy Fans: Dear Emily, first of all thank you for taking your time for this interview. You believe, that writing is in one’s blood. Did you always intend to be a writer or did it develop gradually?
Emily Kay: Actually, I was always writing, albeit more secretly. The stories were never made for others, but rather for me. But it was always my dream to write and achieve an audience. In the summer of 2007 I was seriously thinking for the first time about the idea of writing a book, but then dropped it again.
Fantasy Fans: You can read in your biographie, that from your earliest childhood you were some kind of addicted to writing. Why does it take so long until you finished your first novel?
Emily Kay: Actually, it didn’t took a long time to finish the book, I needed the right moment to start . It was very surprising for me. In the begining of 2009 I woke up and in my semiconsciousness i heard a voice, which told me: This year you will start to write “Durch die Nacht”. In parallel I saw for a split second a picture from a twilight beach, with a vampire in a curved position. In my brainstorm I went to my desk, wrote down the phrase and tried to fix the key points of this image. So that’s the way how “Eulenflucht – Durch die Nacht” started.
Fantasy Fans: Actually, your future readers don’t necessarily know, that you are obsessed with vampires since years. How do you feel about the fact, that some might think, that you are only another author, who wants a piece of the great-vampire-cake?
Emily Kay: Firstly, as a child in the 80s I really swallowed the book “Der kleine Vampir” and since then I want my own vampire. Back then my wish even got to the point to open secretly in the night the window of my child-room, hoping that I got a nocturnal visit from a vampire like Anton in the books. Unfortunately this never happened. For this, I froze in my bed for half of the night and then usualy closed the window again. I read these books during my elementary school and they are the reason for being a vampire fan. However, the most dramatic experience I had, was in 1988, when the movie “The Lost Boys” was released in Germany. I do not know how many times I’ve seen this movie in the cinema on my own. Anyway, I was permanently broke at that time, because I spend all my money to get into the cinema. This film was my personal “Twilight” in the 80s. And since then the vampire fever preyed on my mind. Even today the “The Lost Boys” movie poster hangs on the wall in my apartment. In the 90s I read with enthusiasm all vampire and witches – Books by Anne Rice and the “Diary of a Vampire” books by Lisa J. Smith Of course, I’ve also seen the movie “Interview with the Vampire.” Although I liked the book more than the movie. Then the “Blade” films and over the time I discovered more and more vampire books with which I could fill my bookshelves.
Therefore for me it was always clear that my first book could only be a vampire novel. Of course there are authors who accept commissioned work from publishers to write a book on a specific topic, but for me it would be out of the question. I can only write about things for which my heart bleeds. Anything else would not work. Ultimately, with the “Eulenflucht-Triologie” I fulfill myself a childhood dream to have finally my own vampire, without opening the window at night.
Fantasy Fans: You say about yourself, that you love vampires. Does that mean all of them, or do you differentiate between the various representations or what do you love most? (for example Heitz’ vampires are all evil and deadly, Wards vampires are hot, Meyer’s vampires are nice, but the adult reader have to imagine the interesting part by himself?)
Emily Kay: Dark Fantasy, like Heitz does, is not my personal favourite genre. For me it is too gloomy. I’m more a representative of the romantasy, a mixture of Wards and Meyers vampires are probably closest to my vampires. The vampire David from “The Lost Boys” and Damon Salvatore from the “Diary of a Vampire” novels are among my absolute favorites.
Fantasy Fans: Is “Eulenflucht” rather a book for young people or more adresses to adults?
Emily Kay: I would describe it as all-ager, but the booktraders will probably put it to the books for young people.
Fantasy Fans: Do you want to stay in the fantasy genre after the trilogy or is there something totaly different on your mind? And if so, will you stick to the vampires or maybe fairies and elves could appear?
Emily Kay: I would definitely stay in the fantasy genre. Currently I am writing the first book of an angel – trilogy, which has the working title of “Himmelswächter”. I would not rule out that in between I will write books beyond the fantasy, but ultimately it will always be Fantastik. Currently I have planned 11 books. Three of them deal with vampires and in the remaining eight books other fantasy – figures are on the loose.
Fantasy Fans: Did you, after you discovered the song on the TH-CD, try to contact the guys? If so, what was their reaction? Do they know that they occur in the book?
Emily Kay: No, until now I’m not in contact with the band. Therefore the Tokio Hotel Fans adopted me enthusastically and I have to say, that I am very impressed by their love and dedication for the band. I had no idea that Tokio Hotel has so well organized and loyal fans. I have a very close contact to the Tokio Hotel and also to the vampire fans. I will continue to maintain this contact, because I am keen on knowing my readers.
Fantasy Fans: What authors or books do you like the best?
Emily Kay: Besides Fantasy I like reading autobiographies, thrillers and funny books. The last autobiography, which I read, was “Just Kids” by Patty Smith, the last thriller was “Shutter Iceland” by Dennis Lehane and the last funny book was “Feindesland” from the series “Hartmut und ich” – from Oliver Uschmann. I like it varried and I’m reading actually all over the place, as the whim takes me.
Fantasy Fans: Do you have specific examples?
Emily Kay: Enid Blyton, definitely. My love for reading began with her and even today I am still reading her books again and again, without getting bored. She was in my eyes a brilliant author, who was repeatedly able to thrill her readers.
Fantasy Fans: Back to “Eulenflucht”. You said, that you don’t want to reveal too much, so you don’t need to answer the question, but it would be quite interesting for our users to know in which direction the story goes?
Emily Kay: It is a romantasy book for teenagers and young (or young at heart) adults, so really an All-Ager. “Eulenflucht – Durch die Nacht” is the first book of a trilogy that takes place in Germany and is linked to a historical event. It is the beginning of a story about an immortal, impossible love between a human and a vampire – a love against all reason.
Fantasy Fans : Who was allowed to read “Eulenflucht” at first?
Emily Kay: My girlfriend Adriana, for whom I dedicated a character in the book, was allowed to read the book from the beginning. Also the support team from Tokio hotel Info was allowed to read half of the book, after they became acquainted of my book and decided immediately to bring my first german support into being. And then, of course, my agent.
Fantasy Fans: How long did it take you to place “Eulenflucht” to an agency and how did you feel at that time?
Emily Kay: Once the people became aware of “Eulenflucht” through the internet, everything went quickly. After the first phone call with my agent, it was almost clear. It was a perfect match.
She liked the same books as I do, we had a lot in common and after she read the manuscript, she offered me a contract. In the meantime even a Mexican teen magazin, similar to the german Bravo, reported about me and “Eulenflucht” and support pages in Spain, Italy, Germany, the United States on Facebook and SchülerVZ came into existence. It was like watching a movie that continues forever.
Fantasy Fans: How did you feel , as you learned, that you agency represent your novel worldwide?
Emily Kay: That was absolutely incredible. I truely got it as recently as the contract was in the mail. I never thought that one of the largest German agency would represent me. My agency also represents other fantasy authors, such as Kai Meyer and Bernhard Hennen. These are obviously very well-known authors from the genre.
Fantasy Fans: Which publishing house and above all when will the first part be released?
Emily Kay: It’s not yet confirmed. In the moment my agent is in the midst of negotiations with a big german commercial publishers. As soon as I sign a contract, I will of course inform the fantasy fans immediately.
Fantasy Fans: If you are not writing, what are you doing in you freetime? Do you have a regular job, or a you a full-time author?
Emily Kay: I am a full-time docent for languages, which gives me a lot of fun. In my free time I like to do sports, listen to music, attend concerts or theater plays, collect passionatly radio-plays and of course love to read and write
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We are very happy to support Emily in this way and we keep it rolling about the publication from “Eulenflucht – Durch die Nacht”.
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