Silver Shadows
QA med Richelle
SciFiNow Magazine
“Dimitri has a lot going for him,” acknowledges Mead when we ask her why he made such an impression on her readers. “He’s quiet and mysterious, which drives a lot of us crazy. We want to know what he’s thinking, and readers have flooded me with requests to rewrite the series through his point of view, which I’m afraid won’t be happening! He’s strong, loyal and intensely fierce when it comes to protecting those in his charge. He’ll walk up against formidable odds without blinking an eye. And despite his stoic exterior, we get to see that he has a passionate heart within and is capable of huge emotion when in love. Add all of that up, and it’s no wonder he has so many fans!”
Mead tells us that Zoey Deutch and Danila Kozlovsky are perfect fits for Rose and Dimitri. “It’s really amazing not just how much they look like the characters, but they actually have their personalities down as well,” she enthuses. “Zoey has such energy and sass and totally understands Rose’s sense of humour. When she’s in the room, people know it! Danila likewise has that strength and stoicism that Dimitri has, which cleverly hides a wealth of humour and emotion within. And yet, despite their larger-than-life presences, he and Zoey are both so totally down to earth and approachable. You instantly feel comfortable around them.”
BTS-bilder
Grattis Richelle
Intervju med Richelle
Most important question : How involved in the ”Vampire Academy” film are you?
My role is mostly advisory, which is completely normal for authors in book-to-movie adaptations (despite many rumors to the contrary). The movie makers make movies, I make books, and I’m totally okay with that division of labor! That being said, they’ve been really great about asking my opinion and getting my input. I was allowed to read the script and offer feedback, which was used in revisions. During production, Mark Waters asked me questions about costumes and creatures, as well as if certain choices he made would affect future books. This is actually more involvement than many authors gets, so I’m super-flattered both to have that part and that they’ve been so conscious and detail-oriented about the choices made.
How good a job have they done of condensing the book into a film? Did you have any say in that?
I’m very pleased with the adaptation. It is an adaptation, of course, so some things are trimmed or modified for the big screen, but I feel like the decisions were smart ones. They were done either because there wasn’t time or because some things which seem fascinating on the written page actually come out boring on the big screen. I was able to offer feedback after the script was written but actually only had a few comments to make. Overall, I thought they did a sound job and was particularly pleased to see that all of the big plots and subplots stayed in.
Casting-wise, who are you the most happiest with? Did you ever have anyone in mind for the roles when you were writing the book?
It’s hard to pick a favorite. I never did any mental casting while writing the books, partially because movies weren’t on my mind then but also because I didn’t want to be disappointed with any choices made later. As a result, I’m actually really thrilled with the casting. They look the part, and even more amazingly, they completely have the characters’ personalities down. Zoey [Deutch]’s been a particular stand-out. She’s got all the energy, humor, and fierceness of her character as part of her normal personality—so much so, that you almost want to call her “Rose” sometimes!
“‘Mortal Instruments” and ”The Host” haven’t done well at the box office, but similar-themed movies like ”Hunger Games” and ”Twilight” have. Why do you think that is? Do you believe ”Vampire Academy” will fare better than MI etc?
Hollywood is such an unpredictable business that it’s hard to really say for sure what makes one movie fail or another succeed. The Hunger Games and Twilight already had massive readerships before hitting the theaters, which definitely helped with both ticket sales and word of mouth. They have more readers than any other YA adaptation that’s come out since Harry Potter, far more than Vampire Academy. If every VA reader comes out to see the movie, but no one new does, the movie still won’t be financially successful, which makes pulling in new viewers so critical. I suspect some of the other franchises that haven’t done as well recently were in similar positions and simply weren’t able to extend beyond their readership. If that’s the case, marketing becomes a key issue, and it too is a tricky business. I know right now that the VA advertising is focusing heavily on its humorous and edgy sides because that’s definitely what makes VA stand out among some of its peers. The hope is that dark humor will appeal to those who might normally think supernatural stories are too melodramatic. Whether that works to attract new viewers remains to be seen, but we’re certainly crossing our fingers!
The press spiel for the book and upcoming film said it’s more ‘Buffy than Bella’. Do you agree?
Rose, Buffy, and Bella are each unique characters. Rose and Buffy do share a similarly sharp sense of humor, and they’re certainly both fighters. Zoey Deutch got a pretty big compliment recently when Sarah Michelle Gellar saw the Vampire Academy trailer at a theatre and tweeted to Zoey: “That’s my girl- you show them how it’s done.”
What was the inspiration behind the “Age of X” series?
Really, it was a culmination of things. I grew up reading epic, incredibly complex fantasy and sci-fi series. I always thought I’d write in that genre, and it was a little bit of a surprise when I ended up in paranormal and urban fantasy (though I’m a big fan of that too). The Age of X series hearkens back to that old love of complex and epic worldbuilding but also blends some of the lighter and humorous elements I’ve come to adore in the rest of my series. And of course, it’s full of mythology, which has always been a lifelong passion for me.
How did you feel about writing the characters Justin and Mae the way that you did?
In many ways, they don’t feel that different from the characters in my other series, either adult or young adult. Justin and Mae are highly flawed, like everyone I write, though they certainly have some darker vices. I try very hard to give all my characters imperfections, so that they can grow throughout the series and fight battles within themselves, just as they do outside themselves. I also try very hard to make my characters feel real to readers and put a strong emotional component into them. I certainly hope that carried through with Justin and Mae!
How many books does you plan on writing for the Age of X series?
That’s still a mystery. At the moment, I’m tentatively thinking it’ll be a four-book series, but that may change after the next book.
Do you remember what you brought with your first big check resulting from “Vampire Academy” book sales?
Ha, I don’t know how many authors you ask this to, but most of us don’t get “big checks” from our early book sales! There were no splurges with my VA advance, especially since I’d quit my day job recently. It all went into savings!
Grattis på födelsedagen - Richelle
Why we (heart) vampires
Några av skådespelarna med Richelle
Entertainment Tonight
Intervju med Richelle
And how would you describe the chemistry between him and Zoey?
Richelle: It’s great, both on- and off-screen. Off-screen they’re like siblings; they’re so close, they have such a great rapport with each other. They kind of joke and banter with each other. They’re very close and that’s just great to see. You can tell that they love what they’re doing. I saw them filming some scenes together just over and over and over, taking these hits and they were just into it, and they were having a good time with each other, and that was great.
On-screen, when they’re actually in character, they’ve got the romantic chemistry that everyone’s looking for. I’ve only seen snippets of the film, I haven’t seen the whole thing, not even close, but the scenes I did see, they definitely have that Rose-and-Dimitri action going on, so people are gonna be pretty thrilled with that.
I saw that Zoey’s favorite scene from the film is one where Dimitri and Rose walk back from training. What are excited to see translated to the big screen?
Richelle: I’m just really looking forward to the ending sequence because that’s when the action starts rolling out. There’s action throughout the film, of course, and throughout the book, and the film follows the book very closely. So much of that is build-up and there’s clues and all this stuff, and you know something’s going on, but you’re not sure what it is. And then there’s this one point there near the end where just everything explodes. It’s just like, bam, bam, bam to the end. So I’m just really looking forward to seeing that unfold on the screen. That was the most fun for me to write in the book, that action ending sequence, so it’s going to be pretty cool to see it come to life.
Ny stillbild
Intervju med Richelle
Who do you think made the leap to the screen with the fewest changes in how you envisioned them?
Richelle Mead: "I would say Zoey Deutch as Rose. She is so similar to what I envisioned in my head. There was a book cover that came out close to when Vampire Academy did and it had a girl on there, and I remember looking at it and thinking, 'Oh, I wish that was Rose. I wish they had put that on my book because that's how I pictured her.' And I saw that recently - it's been years - and I was like, 'Wow, she looks so much like Zoey Deutch.' It's so interesting, and I never showed that to anyone.
She's very similar, not just in appearance but also just her attitude when you meet her. Zoey's very outgoing, she's very energetic, and she just kind of radiates that same personality. And so I think that was such a smart choice for them because there's any number of beautiful, dark-haired girls in Hollywood that they could have cast that would have fit that description, but to actually kind of be able to channel that personality too I think was just a huge triumph on the casting people's part."
Klicka här för att komma till hela intervjun.
Zoey, Dominic och Richelle via Zoeys instagram.
Richelle pratar om VA-böckerna
As you process that, here's something else that'll be happening. At the end of December, another new set of VA books will be coming out with--you guessed it--movie tie-in covers. I don't have any previews of these, but you can assume there'll be some awesome pictures of the cast. These will be out along with the redesigned ones in stores (that's the first pic I posted), but I can't guarantee where you'll get what. So, one store may have redesigns, movie tie-ins, and old ones. One store may only have redesigns. Another may only have movie tie-ins. There'll be lots of options!
What does this mean for you? It means plan accordingly! If you like the old cover or need to complete your set, now is the time to get on that and buy them while they're still available. If you like the new redesigned style with the VA logo, hold off until this winter to stock up in November (or ask for them for Christmas!). And if you want movie covers, ask for gift cards for Christmas so that you can then buy the movie ones in late December or in January. Something cool to know is that when the movie versions come out, there'll also be a boxed set of books 1-6 released and a book about the making-of the movie. The Bloodlines series will not be affected by any of this.
For those in other countries, covers are always at the discretion of your publishers, so I can't say for sure what's going on. I'm pretty sure the English-speaking countries (especially Canada, the UK, and Australia) will get movie covers around the same time the US does, but I've heard nothing of redesigns. If you're in a country that doesn't print my books in your language and instead relies on imports of American books, you'll probably be seeing a mix of covers.
So, lots of exciting things are coming! I'll keep you posted and put up images of all the covers as soon as I'm able to (and have seen them myself). And regardless of what covers you see, remember the most important thing of all: the books themselves aren't changing on the inside! The story will stay the same. :)"
I början av november så kommer alla böcker i serien Vampire Academy komma ut igen med ett nytt omslag, det första omslaget (första boken) kommer att se ut såhär:
Senare kommer det också att komma ut som ett set med alla böcker (med skådepslearna på omslaget) och man kommer att kunna köpa alla tillsammans och få med en bok hur det var att göra filmen.