Featured Interview With Lucille J. Knight
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was raised in the state of Alaska and lived there for almost 20 years. I currently live in Missouri with my husband and our two Australian Shepherds, Ham and Bean. Okay fine, it’s only fair I mention the lazy house cats, Scooter and Ziggy, too!
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
The first book I remember really loving was Dragonheart by Charles Edward Pogue (there’s a movie by the same name) when I was about 9 years old. I used to sleep with it under my pillow, I carried it in my school bag everywhere I went. My mom had always read to me growing up, a chapter or story before bed was customary, but Dragonheart was the first one I read on my own. Not long later I fell in love with Star Wars and became a voracious reader. Even into adulthood my mom and I still read together, except it was me reading to her.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I’ve read a lot of Star Wars books (less so in recent years). My early writing was heavily influenced by Star Wars. I was reading adult level fiction in grade school because I just couldn’t get enough Star Wars! As I matured I broadened my tastes, discovered J.R.R. Tolkien and had my mind blown. Tolkien has been another huge influence to my writing, alongside Mercedes Lackey, Kevin J. Anderson, and Robert Jordan. Despite being a die hard Star Wars fan, my favorite genre is Fantasy and Paranormal. I’m not sure I could ever wholly jump into Science Fiction, though I do have an appreciation for it!
Tell us a little about your latest book?
My debut novel is Hexen Blood: Damnation. It’s a sensual, action-filled, adult book set in England at the turn of the 19th century. The premise is a classic “vampire meets girl” with a twist in that the girl, Eve, isn’t as ordinary as she thinks. There’s something supernatural about her that even a centuries old vampire like Alucard can’t easily figure out.
When I started writing it I didn’t have much of a plot in mind. I began with a stormy scene, a wounded vampire, and a naïve young woman; the story evolved from there! At one point I had to take a pause to figure out the end goal, which lead to me going back to the beginning and adding about four chapters worth of content to better flesh out the overall story. I wanted to make sure that I built a foundation for Alucard and Eve to trust one another before launching into the main plot.
Depicting their different kinds of strength was important to me as well. Eve is demure and a bit of a push over at first, but she has a power with words and presence, she understands people, and as her supernatural abilities develop her insight becomes sharper as well. Alucard on the other hand is physically strong. He too has presence but it’s the sort that covers your heart with sheer terror, contrasting Eve’s more subtle, womanly aura. There are situations where Alucard’s brute force is necessary and other times when Eve’s gentleness prevail.
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