Featured Interview With Vanessa Morgan
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I’m an author, screenwriter, and blogger from Belgium. Two of my works, The Strangers Outside and A Good Man, have been turned into films. My short film script Next to Her is currently in pre-production. When I’m not working on my latest book, you can find me reading, watching horror movies, digging through flea markets, or photographing felines for my blog Traveling Cats. My heart belongs to my feline soulmate, Avalon, who passed away in July 2013. He has important parts in several of my stories (A Good Man, Next to Her), played in a movie based on one of my stories (The Strangers Outside), and even has his own memoir (Avalon: a Heartwarming True Cat Story).
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I started writing fiction right after seeing Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying on stage in London. I wouldn’t be an author without it. As I Lay Dying inspired me to write stories with the same emotional impact. Before that, I wrote film reviews for several Belgian magazines and websites.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I love true stories, especially if there are elements of travel or cinema involved. I’m particularly fond of Carol Drinkwater’s series of memoirs about life on a French olive farm. I’m also an avid horror fan and follow authors such as John Saul, Ania Ahlborn, and Adam Nevill.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book – Avalon: a Heartwarming True Cat Story – is a memoir for anyone who has ever been obsessively in love with a pet. In this heartwarming and once-in-a-lifetime love story about my neurotic Turkish Van cat, I detail how Avalon made other creatures cringe in distress whenever he was around, how he threw my dates out by means of special techniques, and how he rendered it almost impossible for me to leave the house. Avalon was so incorrigible that even my landlord ordered her to get rid of him. But beneath Avalon’s demonic boisterousness, I recognized my own flaws and insecurities, and I understood that abandoning Avalon would be the worst I could do to him. Thanks to my unswerving loyalty, Avalon transformed into a tender feline, and even landed a major role in a horror movie. In turn, Avalon made it his mission to be there for me.
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