The world’s current fascination with all things vampire is good news for California author L.J. Smith, whose gothic output includes The Vampire Diaries and the Night World series of novels.
Where do you draw inspiration from ?
I’m not sure where I find inspiration for my characters, especially my bad boys. Maybe they come from a part of my unconscious. I love bad boys best, and Gabriel is a prime example. I wanted to do a vampire that didn’t suck blood, but took energy directly. He was fun to write.
Have vampires changed over time?
Well, if you go back to the first vampire, Dracula by Bram Stoker, he was cruel and evil and not really very romantic. I think that over time vampires have become romanticized, and each writer adds little rules for their own special vampires.
How long does it take to write one of your books?
Well, I wrote the first three Vampire Diaries books in nine months. Just three months for each book. But those were short books, and today I write 600-page books. Now it takes me at least six or seven months per book.
