After writing two books of fiction, Michele Arsenault is taking a walk on a darker subject side.
Her latest novel is about vampires.
“The story idea came to me a couple of years ago when I was living in Vancouver. At first I resisted it because everyone else was doing it. But the ideas for the book kept coming,” says the Cape Wolfe native during a telephone interview.
Instead of fighting it, she decided to come under its spell.
“I wanted to dissect and explore the cultural fascination with vampires.”
So, after doing some quick research on the horror genre, she thought, ‘what if I were to write a story (about these creatures) that’s a little more down to earth? What if vampires were not these over-the-top creatures but people sitting besides us on the bus?’
With that premise she has written The Rock Star of Vampires, self-published through iUniverse.
It’s the story of Ava Lilith who, after turning into a vampire, is sad that her life is still boring. Even with a new diet and the intensifying of her senses, she continues to face unhappiness rather than the exciting lifestyle that movies and TV programs about vampires portray. One day she learns of an underground society of immortal creatures, led by the mysterious, Rock Star of Vampires. Ava finds herself drawn into this secret world where she can live forever and pursue all her dreams.
“It has a catchy storyline it’s been received very well. I’m getting a lot of attention about it, especially on social media. People have been contacting me,” says Arsenault, who is enjoying walking on the dark side.
Unlike regular fiction, which requires hours and hours of research to back up its claims, horror/fantasy allows the writer more freedom.
“When you’re writing about vampires you can play around with things more. It’s not a topic where you have to stick to the facts. After all, what are the facts about vampires? They are completely fictitious,” says Arsenault, with a laugh.
The ability to add more imaginative elements to the plot opened a floodgate of creativity.
“I went online and found websites where people claimed to be vampires. One guy talked about how vampires were misunderstood. Reading what he had to say, as well as others’ comments, made me realize that this was an interesting way of looking at things. That’s where I got the idea.”
She hopes that writing about the subject will help to normalize people’s attitudes toward vampires.
“I decided to look at vampires as people having dietary restrictions and enhanced senses. I wanted to make the characters as normal as possible instead of something that’s exaggerated and a little bit out there.”
What’s next?
“I’m writing another book about another character in the book, Mariah,” says Arsenault who is already 25 chapters into it.
But as for what else the future holds, time will tell.
“I’m also thinking that maybe, down the line, I might write a sequel to The Rock Star of Vampires. But I’m not sure yet. We’ll have to wait and see.”
AT A GLANCE
Fast facts
Who: Michelle Arsenault.
Pen name: Mima.
Current location: Cape Wolfe, P.E.I.
Books available online: Amazon.ca, Chapters, Barnes and Noble, iUniverse, Kindle.
Previous titles: Fire, 2010 and A Spark Before the Fire, 2011.
Website: Go to http://mimaonfire.com.
After writing two books of fiction, Michele Arsenault is taking a walk on a darker subject side.
Her latest novel is about vampires.
“The story idea came to me a couple of years ago when I was living in Vancouver. At first I resisted it because everyone else was doing it. But the ideas for the book kept coming,” says the Cape Wolfe native during a telephone interview.
Instead of fighting it, she decided to come under its spell.
“I wanted to dissect and explore the cultural fascination with vampires.”
So, after doing some quick research on the horror genre, she thought, ‘what if I were to write a story (about these creatures) that’s a little more down to earth? What if vampires were not these over-the-top creatures but people sitting besides us on the bus?’
With that premise she has written The Rock Star of Vampires, self-published through iUniverse.
It’s the story of Ava Lilith who, after turning into a vampire, is sad that her life is still boring. Even with a new diet and the intensifying of her senses, she continues to face unhappiness rather than the exciting lifestyle that movies and TV programs about vampires portray. One day she learns of an underground society of immortal creatures, led by the mysterious, Rock Star of Vampires. Ava finds herself drawn into this secret world where she can live forever and pursue all her dreams.
“It has a catchy storyline it’s been received very well. I’m getting a lot of attention about it, especially on social media. People have been contacting me,” says Arsenault, who is enjoying walking on the dark side.
Unlike regular fiction, which requires hours and hours of research to back up its claims, horror/fantasy allows the writer more freedom.
“When you’re writing about vampires you can play around with things more. It’s not a topic where you have to stick to the facts. After all, what are the facts about vampires? They are completely fictitious,” says Arsenault, with a laugh.
The ability to add more imaginative elements to the plot opened a floodgate of creativity.
“I went online and found websites where people claimed to be vampires. One guy talked about how vampires were misunderstood. Reading what he had to say, as well as others’ comments, made me realize that this was an interesting way of looking at things. That’s where I got the idea.”
She hopes that writing about the subject will help to normalize people’s attitudes toward vampires.
“I decided to look at vampires as people having dietary restrictions and enhanced senses. I wanted to make the characters as normal as possible instead of something that’s exaggerated and a little bit out there.”
What’s next?
“I’m writing another book about another character in the book, Mariah,” says Arsenault who is already 25 chapters into it.
But as for what else the future holds, time will tell.
“I’m also thinking that maybe, down the line, I might write a sequel to The Rock Star of Vampires. But I’m not sure yet. We’ll have to wait and see.”
AT A GLANCE
Fast facts
Who: Michelle Arsenault.
Pen name: Mima.
Current location: Cape Wolfe, P.E.I.
Books available online: Amazon.ca, Chapters, Barnes and Noble, iUniverse, Kindle.
Previous titles: Fire, 2010 and A Spark Before the Fire, 2011.
Website: Go to http://mimaonfire.com.
