Get Bitten By Ellen Schreiber a Fangtastic Interview

Before being known as an infamous author, Ellen Schreiber was an actress who attended a local university majoring in theatre spending a summer in London at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts where she learnt about the "Old Bard" from some of the most amazingly talented teachers that side of the pond had to offer. After returning from London she relocated to Chicago where she lived for five years later graduating from the Second City Training Center performing an improv of Shakespeare, as well as several comedies and dramas even doing a musical number on a cruise boat in Lake Michigan.

Soon after her and a classmate created a two women showcase that ran for a year before she took it alone and did her stand up act in which this time lead her to begin writing. Thus the birth of her first novel, Johnny Lightening was born. Years went by and she found herself writing more and more and would release novels such as Comedy Girl, Teenage Mermaid, and very popular series Vampire Kisses that would lead to a spinoff of being turned into a magna series and then lead up to a whole another tale of romance and heroic proportions, Once In A Full Moon.

Ellen took some time out of her busy schedule to chit-chat with fellow fans of her beloved book series and novelizations in The Writer's Chatroom website. Be sure to catch her while she's out on the road on this summer's The Dark Days of Supernatural Tour. Connect with Ellen via her website, Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter!

1. Let's start with Vampire Kisses. How did this series come about? Was it a character, setting...?

Ellen: It was both... A character an image and Johnny Depp. I wanted to write about a strong and fearless girl who was an outcast and rebel. I saw some goth girls swinging on swings one day and thought that was a great image. So I married the two-image and character... and wanted her to be obsessed with something. That's when vampires popped into my head. I based the guy/vampire she'd be in love with on Johnny Depp.

2. When you start writing a new book, how much of the storyline do you have in your head, the whole book or just the first part?

Ellen: Mostly I don't know... I just sit down and write. It comes t me very organically. But if the publisher asks for an outline, then I have to come up with more info. So then, I write a short version of the book and I have an idea of more as I'm writing it in advance. I like to write as I go. Sometimes I have an image for a scene, or an ending, but other than that, it usually happens as I write. I think the characters say what they want to and do what they want, so much of the time, they tell me what to do.

3. Will Comedy Girl and Teenage Mermaid ever see sequels in the future?

Ellen: I'm not sure as I’ve been contracted and working on Vampire Kisses and the Once In A Full Moon series. But I would love to one day write a sequel for Teenage Mermaid.

4. What happened with the Vampire Kisses movie is it buried for good?

Ellen: Yes. :( They ran out of the money at the time and there was the writer/s strike. Maybe the timing thing caused it to be bumped off course. It would be so cool and I am so glad you think so, too. So if you know a producer... hehe :)

5. You have Raven living in Dullsville and attending Dullsville High and for some reason Raven feels life is dull, or at least it was until Alexander moved in. Did you toy around with the town name before settling on Dullsville?

Ellen: No, it just came out. I never had an idea for a name. When she started speaking, it just came out that way. And I really think we all have a Dullsville. It can be a big city but if you don't have friends, or family and feel isolated, then it can be Dullsville, too. I think its state of mind. And when I had people start to read the book, I got emails from people all over asking if their town was based on Dullsville. SO I like that something that many people could identify with.

6. How old are all of the characters in your Vampire Kisses series? Where is the series taking place, do all of the books happen within 1 year's time?

Ellen: In Vampire Kisses 8 it is a year. Raven and Alexander have birthdays while Alexander's nemesis Jagger and Luna are 18 and 19 in the series. Creepy butler Jameson is a little older.

7. What advice would you give to someone who wants to be a novelist like yourself, college, send your manuscript to as many people as possible, etc. What do you have to do?

Ellen: Wow... I studied and majored in theater in college and pursued that as a career. I never took a creative writing class or any English classes for that matter in college. I think my acting background helped me in character studies and motivation and plot. I wrote monologues and scenes and I did improve where you have to make up a scene on the spot. But that said, I don't think there is one way to become anything that s creative. I got published in Belgium before the US. Then got published there, and got an agent. Kind of backwards so... that said, I think you can explore everything. Do everything you want. Send it out.

8. Will we see more Vampire Kisses? Has the series been extended past 8 books?

Ellen: I've been signed up for ten. I am currently writing Vampire Kisses 9: Stormy Nights.

9. Will we be seeing any merchandise based on the Vampire Kisses series, appeal, toys, etc?

Ellen: I'd love to have merch! I just had someone on Etsy make me earrings for the tour of Raven and Alexander. At this time no merch. So I have to make it myself. I would love it though!

10. How did the Vampire Kisses Blood Relatives series come about?

Ellen: I was really lucky. Tokoypop joined HarperCollins for a magna imprint. And when a Tokoypop editor was looking thought the Harper Collins catalogue he saw Vampire Kisses. He thought it would be a good magna. So they asked if I was interested. I jumped up and down for days. They tried to explain what magna was, but I already knew. I was reading it for years. It truly was a dream come true and I hadn't even thought of Vampire Kisses as a magna. I'd thought of short stories but this was awesome!

11. What has been your most memorable fan encounter so far?

Ellen: One girl came in fangs and a Victorian purple corset dress. She was beautiful! I used that for the image of Vampire Kisses 4: Dancing with a Vampire for Raven's dress. We found one similar to it online but the dress was red. So I changed the text from violent to blood red.

12. Will we be seeing a box set of your series Vampire Kisses and Once in a Full Moon?

Ellen: I'm not sure when the series will end. They haven't talked about a boxed set. But that would be cool.

13. Please tell us a bit about your new series Once in a Full Moon.

Ellen: It’s about a love story of Celeste and Brandon. Celeste volunteers at a retirement home and she doesn’t feel like she is as rich as her friends are so she meets Brandon who saves her from a pack of wolves who tried attacking her. She struggles with the guilt of him being turned because he had saved her but when he does turn he becomes hotter than he is even by day, he is quite heroic. I choose to write about someone who was popular this time.

14. What is your favorite part of being an author?

Ellen: Writing and having that as my career. I love writing sooo much! I love reading emails and meeting the readers. It's funny because it is so private and isolating, and when you go to a signing, people know the characters and the plot it is really surreal.

15. If you died and could come back to life, what would you come back as a vampire or werewolf?

Ellen: I prefer vampires girls don't look so good all covered in hair. But I'd want to be a non violent vampire... like Alexander.

16. Is there anything else you'd like to say to your fans?

Ellen: Thanks! Hugs and Vampire Kisses!