Mari Mancusi is the author of the teen Blood Coven Vampire series as well as couple of non-paranormal teen books. Additionally, she writes for adults under the name Marianne Mancusi.
RW: Mari… Thanks so much for taking the time out of your schedule to do this interview for Monster Librarian!
MM: But of course!
RW: Please tell our readers a little bit about yourself and how you got your start in the writing industry.
MM: I’m actually a full time television producer by day. I work for a nationally syndicated show called Better TV, which airs on fifty-six different stations around the country. As a producer, I go on location and produce stories about fashion, fitness, beauty, celebrity, etc. It’s a fun job and I learn a little bit about everything—perfect for a writer!
In addition to TV, I always knew I wanted to be a writer. When I was too young to even pick up a pen, I’d dictate stories for my mother to transcribe for me. Once I learned to type, I was off and running, creating story after story. But it wasn’t until I was in my twenties that I realized short stories weren’t going to cut it. So I had to sit down and discipline myself to write a full novel. My first couple novels will never see the light of day, but eventually I sold my first book, a time travel romance/comedy called “A Connecticut Fashionista in King Arthur’s Court.” It came out in 2005 and I went on to sell eleven books to three publishers in the coming years.
RW: Who have been your writing inspirations throughout the years?
MM: Wow – there have been so many. For TV/film writers I love Joss Whedon and Diablo Cody. For book authors, I love Anne Rice (who gave me my first appreciation for vampires!), Marion Zimmer Bradley and her Mists of Avalon series (who gave me my first appreciation for Arthurian legend), among others.
I also have great writer friends who constantly serve as inspiration and encouragement. I think that sometimes writers feel they’re writing in a vacuum and I really recommend, if you’re serious about making writing your career, to meet and network with other writers. They can be there as cheerleaders or sounding boards or shoulders to cry on. And believe me, as a writer, you’ll need all three at different points of your career. It’s a tough job and non-writers won’t be able to understand what you’re going through.
RW: Where did you come up with the idea for your Blood Coven Vampire Series?
MM: I started the first book before Twilight became such a worldwide phenomenon. I loved Buffy the Vampire Slayer and thought it’d be fun to do a comedy vampire series in that vein. (Not pun intended.) Since the adult romance market, for which I’d been writing, was crowded with vampire books, I thought I’d try writing mine for teens.
Originally I called the first book “Wow, That Sucks”, which is kind of a silly title, but does sort of have the feel I wanted to go for. Sucks for Sunny – literally – who had no idea the vampire world existed before being mistaken for her dark-side loving twin. And sucks for Rayne – who had her hopes and dreams dashed when Magnus bit her sister. And, of course, sucks for Magnus, who has to straighten the whole thing out.
I always liked twin stories growing up – Sweet Valley High, for example. The idea that two people could look identical on the outside—even share the same DNA—but be completely different on the inside is fascinating to me. I wanted to play with that and the idea of mistaken identities as well.
RW: Do you make an outline to keep track of things as you are writing your stories or do you just set down and start writing? I figure with a series it’d be really difficult to keep track of everything!
MM: I definitely do outlines – I think it’s too easy to get stuck in the middle if you don’t know where you’re going. At the same time, if I come up with a different idea in the middle, I’ll let myself go with that, as long as I can lead it back home at the end. And yes, I take a lot of notes on characters and such, so I can keep track of everyone. After four books, it starts to get complicated. I also re-read the old books before starting a new one to re-familiarize myself with the major players and details.
RW: Would you say that you find you relate more to the character of Rayne or Sunshine?
MM: I would say I’m more like Rayne, though I do have some Sunny traits as well. I love gothy stuff like Rayne does—the music, the clothes, etc. If I didn’t have a day job, I’d dye my hair black and dress like a goth girl 24/7. I’m also a big gamer girl like her – and used to be addicted to World of Warcraft like she is.
I also remember in high school feeling as angry as Rayne on the inside. Furious at the world. But I was never able to express it as outspokenly as she does. She speaks her mind and doesn’t care who hears. Inside, she’s probably a bigger marshmallow than her sister – so afraid of anyone seeing her as weak. Sunny’s much more even keeled and would prefer to fit in rather than rock the boat.
What I really like with both twins is, even though they’re vastly different in personality and fight often, in the end, they always support and stick up for one another when it counts. They’re best friends forever. I would have liked a sister like that when I was growing up.
RW: Out of the books in the series so far, do you have a favorite? And if yes, why?
MM: Stake That is probably the closest to my heart. I love Rayne’s sense of humor and she’s so passionate – she says what she feels without much of a filter, mostly because it’s written in blog/diary format. It was fun to write in such a loose, unguarded way. It was also fun to come up with the blog comments from her “readers.”
Oh and I have a bit of a crush on Jareth, too. Bad boy with a troubled past and all…
RW: Can you give our readers a sneak peek to what we can expect out of Rayne and Sunshine next? And how many books are forthcoming?
MM: The next book, out in January, is called Bad Blood. It’s back to Sunny’s point of view. Magnus is now master of the Blood Coven and has been too busy with his new job to spend much time with her. Then the vampire council goes and assigns him a new Blood Mate named Jane to be his co-ruler. Sunny’s horrified; a Blood Mate is almost like a soul mate and Magnus is HER boyfriend. It gets worse when she discovers Jane might secretly be evil, but no one believes her because they just think she’s jealous.
Most of the book is set in Las Vegas, where the twins’ father and stepfamily live. It was fun to take them somewhere new.
As for how many books are forthcoming, I’m not sure – it depends on how well Bad Blood does! My German publisher has already bought book #5, Night School, and is talking about Book #6. As long as I can sell them, I’ll write them – I love Sunny and Rayne and doubt I’ll ever run out of stories to tell about the Blood Coven.
RW: What got you interested in writing particularly in the paranormal sub-genre of teen fiction?
MM: I tend to write the kind of stories I love to read and I always loved those type of books growing up – where you can lose yourself in worlds different than our own. There was a writer, Zilpha Keatley Snyder, who I loved as a child. I need to go back and re-read her books.
RW: What upcoming projects are you working on that our readers should keep an eye out for?
MM: In addition to Bad Blood, out in January, I have a romance novella in an anthology called “My Zombie Valentine” which will also be out in January. It’s a mix of horror/romance. My “Gamer Girl” contemporary YA will be out in paperback in June. And right now I’m writing a YA time travel called “The Camelot Code”.
RW: Where is the best place online for our readers to keep up-to-date on Mari Mancusi news?
MM: My website is www.marimancusi.com. There you can find my MySpace and Facebook page links as well. And I’m on Twitter at mariannemancusi
RW: Thanks again for taking the time to do the interview! Looking forward to more Rayne & Sunshine adventures!
MM: Thanks for having me! I hope you all enjoy the books!