You are in for a real treat with today's author interview with L. Lane, author of "Dracula: Son of the Dragon." First, take a look at the book which is available for pre-order on Amazon with a November 26, 2020 delivery.
Tell your readers a little about yourself, where you grew up, where you live now, where you went to school etc. Let them get to know the personal you.
I grew up in a small town in the mountains. There wasn’t a lot to do, so I lost myself in books. I read everything I could find, exhausting the library’s resources and constantly requesting that they order more books from bigger libraries. I even remember hiding a fiction book behind my math book so that I could continue to read what I wanted while I was in school. I started off interested in fantasy, but the first time I read a biography, I was hooked. I quickly became interested in other people’s stories, and how the events they lived through shaped their personalities. We all have our traumas, and for me, it was always interesting how different our responses ultimately are to these traumatic events. Some people are survivors; others give up or develop extreme personality disorders. What makes one person thrive where another fails? This is a question I have devoted much time to considering.
Buy Now on Amazon What inspired you to author this book?
I have always been extremely interested in the dichotomy of Vlad’s reputation. I thought it intriguing that to one person, he is a hero, and to the next, a monster. This interest led me to explore his life further, and the more I learned about him, the more interested I became. His tale is truly epic, and both the things that he lived through and the achievements he accomplished are fascinating.
Where did you get the inspiration for your book’s cover?
I actually painted this image myself whilst writing. I felt like I needed some inspiration to draw from, something to look at every day to get my head into the feeling of Dracula’s life. Blood seemed appropriate. It was a spur of the moment idea but when it was finished, I felt like it was meant to be, like the feeling was perfect for his life. I decided to use this painting as the cover because I think it represents the totality of his life. His pain, his struggle, and ultimately the death and destruction that he was both exposed to and also ended up perpetrating himself.
Buy Now on Amazon Who has been the most significant influence on you personally and as a writer?
As I said, I read a lot of fantasy growing up. One of my favorite series was Robert Jordan’s “Wheel Of Time” series. It was an epic journey that grew and evolved with each book. I was crushed when he passed away without finishing it. To this day, I feel like it was a great tragedy to have such an amazing story unfinished. A fellow author of his actually did “finish” the series, but it wasn’t the same without Robert Jordan writing it. Heartbreaking.
Another influence, especially for this series on Dracula, was Margaret George and her book “The Memoirs Of Cleopatra”. This was the first book I read that was historical fiction told through the character’s eyes. It’s an epic story, and I loved every minute of it. This is actually the book that first gave me the idea to write a similar book about Vlad the Impaler. She brought Cleopatra to life, sharing her personal thoughts and feelings, and the reasons behind her actions. I was fascinated, and I decided to do the same for Vlad. He isn’t much written about, but his journey is so epic, (and so heartbreaking), that I just really felt like he deserved to have someone explore his life and to share his story.
Buy Now on Amazon What were your struggles or obstacles you had to overcome to get this book written?
Honestly, I was going through my own heartbreak while I was writing this book. I suffered an immense personal tragedy, and it became a struggle for me to even to get out of bed. But ultimately, I found that my pain and suffering actually made it easier to connect with Vlad’s own pain and suffering, and this connection allowed me to continue on despite my personal agony, knowing that he had actually suffered similarly, though for different reasons. In a strange way, this gave me the strength to speak for him, and to continue writing through the pain.
Tell your readers about your book.
This book is about Vlad Dracula, also known as Vlad the Impaler, one of the inspirations for Bram Stokers famous vampire Dracula. But it is also an in depth study into the psychology of human development, an exploration into what kind of path might take a person from an innocent child all the way to becoming the infamous Vlad the Impaler. he led a fascinating life, and this book follows his historical records as closely as possible whilst also exploring what other unrecorded events might have befallen him in order to shape him into the person he ultimately became.
Buy Now on Amazon Who is your target audience, and why?
My target audience is anyone who is interested in an epic tale. Amazing and heartbreaking at the same time, the reality of his life and times should interest anyone who likes to read. It’s history, it’s biography, it’s psychology - this book is for anyone who wants to be pulled down the rabbit hole, so to speak.
What do you consider your greatest success in life?
Finishing this book is certainly one of them. Greatest success is hard to define; we all have many accomplishments that we’re proud of, and I know many people can relate to this. I’ve overcome a lot of obstacles. I’ve built some great businesses. Become a person who always helps others. Moved on from a tragedy I once believed I couldn’t possibly recover from. There are lots of successes. I can’t pick just one.
Buy Now on Amazon What one unique thing sets you apart from other writers in your genre?
I think I have a voice that is a little different from some other writers, and my background in fantasy reading probably has a lot to do with this. I really like the idea of a truly epic tale, and I try to write this way, putting as much vivid emotion into my work as I can. We all experience the highs and the lows, and we all have moments when we’re out of our minds either with joy or with anger or with sadness, etc. I try to write to these feelings, and to allow the reader to really connect with my characters, and to really understand their emotions.
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