Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
To say that she is a prolific writer seems to be almost an understatement. She has published over 70 books, 60 works of short fiction, essays, reviews. She has written westerns, historical suspense, science fiction, fantasy, mysteries, romances, and nonfiction. She and Bill Fawcett co-authored books under the name Quinn Fawcett, including a series about Mycroft Holmes and a series of spy novels with Ian Fleming as the master spy. I first learned of Chelsea through her nonfiction books about Michael, a channeled entity, whose wisdom she has shared in four books. I then went on to read her vampire novels, even before I became obsessed with reading vampire novels. She has also become an eBook author with a variety of eBooks including MAGNIFICAT, about the first woman Pope, and one Madelaine de Montalia novel, IN THE FACE OF DEATH. Her eBooks are available from http://www.hidden-knowledge.com/ and http://www.fictionwise.com.
Saint-Germain and related series are hard to classify, for they certainly don't fall into the category of horror. Nor do they qualify as vampire romance, although Saint-Germain's attitude towards women is definitely romantic. For the most part they are rich historical novels whose main characters just happen to be vampires. Unlike other series, these books weren't written in a particular order, but focus on different periods of history. HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA is set in France in 1743. The second book, THE PALACE, in Renaissance Florence 1490-1498, the third, BLOOD GAMES, takes place during the time of Nero.
Another unique feature is that her vampire Saint-Germain is modeled closely after a real historical person Comte de Saint-Germain. Stories tell he possessed an elixir of life and remained for almost a hundred years of recorded appearances, a man who appeared to be the age of 40 - 50. He claimed to have lived centuries and told stories of the past as though he had actually been there. Nothing is known for certain of his birth nor of his death. He was an alchemist, thought of being capable of creating gold and jewels. A member of secret organizations, including the Freemasons. He was the confident of kings and queens, a lover of jewels and beautiful women, who visited all the European courts. He was a spy, often involved in secret adventures. He was a figure of mystery, but it was never claimed that he was a vampire. But it does neatly explain many of the so-called historical facts. If you would like to find out more about the real Comte de Saint-Germain, check out http://www.alchemylab.com/count_saint_ge... http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/germain.htm
For us readers used to vampires dripping with evil and bloody gore or anguish suffering, guilt ridden heros in search of a woman to save them, Saint-Germain comes off as almost too civilized. For he likes what he is and he definitely isn't evil. In fact, he is definitely one of the good guys, always kind and gentle and respectful of women and those in need, tolerant of differences in a world that isn't always very tolerant. Sometimes you almost forget he is a vampire because there isn't any flashy showing off of his powers. He is just trying to fit in the best he can, living with his handicaps that sun and running water weaken him and the problems of finding a food source. He prefers to fed on the dreams and emotions of willing women with just a little blood, but can survive for long periods of time without, on the blood of animals and the strength provided by his native soil. His traveling companion Roger is a ghoul, a creature without Saint-Germain's handicaps and strengths, but basically immortal and only able to eat raw meat. There aren't too many vampires in Saint-Germain's world, only those who he has created, for we learn he is the last of his breed.
Fans of the series love the care with which Cheslea Quinn Yarbro tells her story, not just of Saint-Germain, but of the time and the place. These books are full of interesting historical detail that make the era come alive. They are for the most part long books and relatively slow reads meant to be savored and enjoyed. Some readers who like their vampires more dramatic and bloody may not enjoy the series, but it is worth investigating.
INTERVIEW
1. When HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA was first published in 1978, extremely few vampire novels had been published. Anne Rice had only just published INTERVIEW WITH A VAMPIRE in 1976. So remembering back, was writing a story about a vampire a selling point or a hindrance in getting your book published?
CHELSEA QUINN YARBRO: It was a bit of both since I sold Hotel Transylvania before Interview was published: Signet bought it late in 1975, then, the following spring, sold hardcover rights to St. Martin's, which delayed the publication of Hotel Transylvania by a little over a year, so that instead of coming out in early 1977, it came out in '78. At the time Hotel Transylvania was bought, the market had not been established, and although Interview was being talked about in the business, it was still an unknown, and a fairly significant gamble for the time. My editor at Signet asked me to read Interview when it came out and tell her if there were any "troubling" similarities. I read it, and said that there was nothing that ought to "worry" them. Incidentally, that is the only Rice novel I have read. I don't want to risk cross-contamination, which is why I don't read vampire novels when I'm working on a vampire novel.
2. Why did you decide to write a vampire novel?
CHELSEA QUINN YARBRO: I like vampire novels.
3. When you began the Saint-Germain series, did you start out to write a story about a vampire and then discover Saint-Germain or had you decided to write about Saint-Germain and then decided to make him a vampire? And what made you think he would be a good vampire?
CHELSEA QUINN YARBRO: When I began to put Hotel Transylvania together, I assumed I would have to invent the vampire. I decided to include the historical Comte de Saint-Germain as a major secondary character, and expanded my research on him, during which I realized I had my vampire right in front of me. Since it was my intention from the start to do a sympathetic vampire and to push the vampire archetype as far to the positive as possible and still remain a recognizable vampire the adaptation of the historical Saint-Germain was easier than had I gone for the villainous-vampire type of character. When it comes to anti-hero vampires, I have always thought that Bram Stoker did the job as well as it could be done. My addition to that paradigm wasn't likely to achieve anything close to what he did. On the other hand, the contrast of a sympathetic, non-Byronic figure might throw some new light on the old warhorse, so . . .
4. One of the Saint-Germain books, A FEAST IN EXILE, is available in eBook format from www.fictionwise.com, along with some of your other work. Will we eventually see the whole series available as eBooks? Or reprinted?
CHELSEA QUINN YARBRO: I sincerely hope so. What with mid-list shelf-life sinking to nano-seconds, the chance for a writer to make any money from initial publication is shrinking as steadily as woolen socks, and so other markets need to be found. And given the size of my out-of-print back-list, a means of finding alternate publication is increasingly important, not only for me but for almost all freelance writers. While I value used book dealers, not one cent of used book sales comes to the writer or to the publisher.
5. Is there a definite publication date for # 18 in the Saint-Germain cycle, STATES OF GRACE? What is it about?
CHELSEA QUINN YARBRO: I assume States of Grace will be out in November, although I have no specific information. By the way, it has a wonderful cover! I'm delighted with both the concept and the execution. The title is, as many of my titles are, an ironic comment on the prevailing social conditions at the time the novel takes place in this case, 1530-1532, during the Reformation, and the story moves from Venice to Amsterdam and back to Venice. The central issue of the story is the upheaval of the period, with emphasis on publishing (Amsterdam and Venice were major publishing centers at that time). And speaking of publishing, the book is somewhat shorter than most of the Saint-Germain novels Tor and most other publishers are asking most of their writers for books no longer than 100,000 words. It's a question of available shelf-space in the big bookstore chains, and almost all writers are impacted by this policy.
6. I also understand you are working on #19, ROMAN DUSK. What is it about? And when can we expect it to be published?
CHELSEA QUINN YARBRO: Yes. As of today, I am on Chapter 8 of Part I of Roman Dusk, which takes place in (surprise!) Rome from 218-220, during the short debauched reign of Heliogabalus, who became Caesar at 14 and was killed at 18, two years after the novel ends. It deals with some of the ways that the Roman Empire failed to support itself at a crucial time. It also shows the erosion of women's rights and the corruption of the civil service.
7. Since the books are written out of order, how do you keep track of the story details, since you do seem to refer often to what has happened before?
CHELSEA QUINN YARBRO: I have a chronology for Saint-Germain, indicating most of what he has said about his life. I put it together when I came back to the series after eight years away from it. I missed a few things, as my readers like to point out to me, but more than ninety percent of important events is on it, and I amend it as Saint-Germain reveals more.
8. Suzy McKee Charnas said in her preface to ADVOCATES that you are basically a one draft writer. How do you go about writing a novel? I can't conceive of writing a book or an article in one draft? And how have you been able to write so many? Certainly the Saint-Germain series aren't thin books. What is your writing routine?
CHELSEA QUINN YARBRO: Suzy's right. My work is about eight-five percent first draft. But I should add that I can't really work on a story until it is "hatched" in my head. I wish I could describe what the perception is like better than that, but I can't. Many writers use first and second drafts to "hatch" their stories; I've never worked that way, because that's not how I'm wired. If I didn't work this way, I doubt I could produce three books a year (in an average year). Occasionally I take essays and non-fiction through two drafts, because the information needs to be reviewed for accuracy and connecting content. I do outline longer works, and that helps "set" the work. Once I start on any writing project, it becomes extremely difficult to make changes because it has "set," which is one of the reasons I find collaboration tricky at best. In the planning stages I can be flexible, but once the characters start to talk back, that's it. From then on I listen and write. Yes, I know they're figments of my imagination, but if they don't come alive for me, they will be unable to come alive for the reader, so they get the respect that "real" people deserve.
9. In addition to the Saint-Germain series you also have another vampire series, about the brides of Dracula, telling us the story of their lives in the Sisters of the Night trilogy, FENICE: SOUL OF AN ANGEL, KELENE: THE ANGRY ANGEL, ZHAMENI: ANGEL OF DEATH. Could you tell us a little about the series? I understand the third book in the series was never published and the first two are now out of print and only available on the used book market. Is it possible that they will be reprinted anytime in the future?
CHELSEA QUINN YARBRO: Drac's Brides was a project done through a packager, who sold the trilogy to Avon, which was part of Morrow, which merged with HarperCollins some few years back shortly before Zhameni was scheduled to come out. Apparently it was one of the things that dropped through the merger cracks. As far as I know, the packager hasn't resold the series.
10. Currently your website is off line. When will it be available again? I''d like to include a link.
CHELSEA QUINN YARBRO: I'm about to get ChelseaQuinnYarbro.net up and available. My old website has been offline for almost a year and a half, which is why I'll have a new one by mid-May, assuming all goes well.
11. Anything else you would like to tell the readers?
CHELSEA QUINN YARBRO: The Saint-Germain novels are called historical horror novels for a reason: history is horrifying. Compared to what people do to people, even a really hungry vampire is pretty small potatoes. I try to show the various periods as they saw themselves as much as I can, and to focus on the status and circumstances of women and the constraints of their societies. With those factors crucial to the nature of the story, quick reads are not really possible; it takes time to world-build, and to social-engineer. Context and environment function as tertiary characters in these stories even more than in the rest of my work, and as such, require explication beyond what I do in other genres.
Also, please do not give me any story ideas that guarantees I cannot use them, since the contractual requirements are that the story is original with me. And no, you may not write your own Saint-Germain stories or use him (or any of my characters) in stories of your own: that is copyright infringement, misappropriation, and a federal crime. If I used your ideas, I would be stealing from you: if you use my characters, you are stealing from me.
Coming next week, a review of Chelsea Quinn Yarbro's latest Saint-Germain novel, DARK OF THE SUN.
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