TBG: As part of our Vampire Week, one of our lovely guest reviewers, Morgan, was able to wrangle a short interview about the Channeling Morpheus/Sweet Oblivion series out of Jordan Castillo Price. Let’s see what JCP has to say to Morgan’s questions!
M: Why the two names Channeling Morpheus/Sweet Oblivion for one series?
JCP: This was a decision by the original publisher. Since I found it confusing, when the rights to the series reverted to me, I established Sweet Oblivion as Channeling Morpheus 5-10, which is how I intended them from the outset.
M: You do your own covers, how do you pick the model? Or did you have a model in mind when you wrote the character?
JCP: All the cover artists who work in the genre have the same pool of models to choose from. I try my best to find models who haven’t appeared on other books before, though this is really difficult to do. If I find a model appealing, chances are another cover designer does too. When I do find a model who looks like a certain character to me, I try to buy several different shots of him in case I end up doing a series or some spin-off shorts. And some models I just collect because I feel their photos are evocative, that there’s a story going on behind their eyes, and it may be a few years before a character comes along that they might fit. But I’ve never written a character to match a photo. My brain must not work that way.
M: Your covers are so amazing, so eye catching. I read on Facebook one author felt that the cover was a key if not the key component in book sales. Do you agree? To what extent? Do you think there is a way around this? Or that the cover should hold that much importance?
JCP: I’d say an author’s reputation is the most important element in a book sale. So I suppose when you’re starting out and haven’t really established a reputation, the cover plays a more important role than it would to an established author. The cover will telegraph several things: whether the publisher is quality enough to hire a real artist, where in the genre the story fits, and possibly what the characters look like, though of course that’s often best left to the readers’ imaginations. The cover should be indicative of the story’s overall mood, and so it helps readers in the process of deciding which books to investigate further by reading the blurb or maybe a sample.
M: Why was it important that Michael not become a full vampire? Why the distinction? What liberties did it give you that him being a full Vampire wouldn’t have?
JCP: Interesting, no one has asked that question before. A key part of Michael’s growth arc was that he discovers that vampires aren’t all evil; rather, evil people become evil vampires, but many vampires are just victims of either malice or circumstance. Having him turn into a demi-vamp rather than a full vampire causes him to confront the fact that a small part of him actually wanted to be turned. Now it’s impossible because he’s immune. He’s actually more powerful than a full vampire, although he’s a glass-half-empty sort and doesn’t see it that way. He doesn’t get the daylight lethargy that full vamps succumb to. He doesn’t have the water willies. And he can still digest food. So He gets some of the mind control power and some of the strength (and a cool pair of fangs) but few of the disadvantages.
About Channeling Morpheus for Scary Mary
(Channeling Morpheus/Sweet Oblivion #1-5)
Michael is a waif in eyeliner who’s determined to wipe vampires off the face of the earth. Wild Bill’s got the hots for Michael, and will stop at nothing to go home with him. Forget about moonlit castles and windswept moors. These bad boys haunt all-night diners and cheap motels, cut-rate department stores and long, lonely stretches of the Interstate. Ride along with Wild Bill and Michael as the twists and turns of Channeling Morpheus for Scary Mary unfold in America’s Heartland.
Available at: JCP Books & Amazon (in paperback)
About A Bitter Taste of Sweet Oblivion
(Channeling Morpheus/Sweet Oblivion #6-10)
Staking a vampire’s not so easy now that Michael’s got a vampire of his very own. Although killing them is no longer an option, he’s as determined as ever to stop the spread of vampirism.Wild Bill is a lover, not a fighter-so he’s tickled when Michael’s new agenda, to dispense condoms and sterile phlebotomy gear among vampires, replaces the old “heads will roll” approach. It takes courage to track down vamps in their own territory and deliver a lecture on safe sex, and more importantly, safe bloodletting. Michael’s never been short on audacity…but he’s finding that he and Wild Bill aren’t the only ones with agendas.
Available at: JCP Books & Amazon (in paperback)
About Jordan Castillo Price
Author and artist Jordan Castillo Price writes paranormal thrillers colored by her time in the midwest, from inner city Chicago, to small town Wisconsin, to liberal Madison. Her influences include Ouija boards, Return of the Living Dead, “light as a feather, stiff as a board,” and boys in eyeliner.
Jordan is best known as the author of the PsyCop series, an unfolding tale of paranormal mystery and suspense starring Victor Bayne, a gay medium who’s plagued by ghostly visitations. Also check out her new series, Mnevermind, where memories are made…one client at a time.
You can reach Jordan on her Facebook Fan Page, PsyCop Fan Page, Goodreads Fan Club, LiveJournal Blog, Twitter or sign up for her Newsletter.
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