Odds are that most of you have seen vampires and werewolves battling it out in a movie, whether it be the current Underworld series or the old Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman (yes, Dracula battles with the Wolfman in that film before the castle comes crashing down).
Occasionally you might read a book that has a battle between the two entities by authors like Tanya Huff, Charlaine Harris or Laurell K. Hamilton, to name just a few. You have avid fans who think there’s no way that a werewolf could beat a vampire’s hypnotic suggestive powers; or that a vampire could beat the speed and power of an enraged werewolf.
No that these two authors have their characters from either of their series pitted against one another, but they are pitting themselves against one another... all in the name of charity. Meet authors Gabrielle Faust and Steven E. Wedel.
Faust is an Austin, TX writer whose series Eternal Vigilance is a post-apocalyptic vampire tale. The young, platinum-haired temptress is a marketing machine with her website, monthly giveaways and promotion techniques. And that’s all in addition to writing the next book in her series as well as converting the series into a workable screenplay.
Wedel looks as though he could play the part of one of his werewolves from his Werewolf Saga with his long hair, bearded face and his size. The Oklahoma City, OK author dwarfs his opponent so it’s a good thing that this isn’t a mudwrestling event (or is it?) or Faust might have her hands full trying to use her persuasive eyes to dominate the powerful looking Wedel.
I’ve asked them to discuss how this unusual event came about and how you, the reader, can participate whether you can make it to Wylie, TX (in the Dallas area just east of Plano, TX) or by helping out online. Unfortunately, Ms. Faust was entombed and held at bay by looming creative deadlines, so Wedel is one lone wolf for this interview:
Authors Gabrielle Faust & Steven E. Wedel
Ethan Nahté: Where & when did the idea for the Vampires vs. Werewolves event germinate?
Steven E. Wedel: It began with Bela Lugosi and his film The Return of the Vampire. But to bring it to modern day ... Partly, of course, it's the Underworld influence. But also, I see a huge number of students reading the TWILIGHT books and I like to tell them werewolves are better than glittery vampires, which starts an argument because the girls all love Edward.
I like multi-author signings for a couple of reasons. It should bring in more fans, introduce readers to new authors, and the authors have somebody to talk to if nobody shows up. So I coupled that with the mostly friendly Vampire vs Werewolf rivalry and asked Gabrielle if she'd be interested. And I tell ya, she has been a dynamo on making it actually happen. The Web site logo and most of the text are all her work. She's fantastic to work with.
EN: How did you decide where/who to donate to for your cause?
SEW: I'll let Gabrielle talk about the bats. I tried to get an Oklahoma wolf sanctuary interested, but they wanted no part of it, saying they were trying to get rid of the myth of the vicious wolf. Odd. So one evening I was lamenting online to an old newspaper friend of mine who's now in Colorado and she suggested Mission: Wolf, an organization she'd written about. I contacted them and they are great people. They're doing an incredible thing up there, they have a good sense of humor, and are a real pleasure to work with.
EN: Explain why Eerie Books was chosen as the “battleground?”
SEW: Eerie Books was at Texas Frightmare Weekend this year, along with me and Gabrielle. Angeline Hawkes told me about the successful signing she'd done at the store, and Randy seemed very enthusiastic about what he was doing. Also, the store is kind of right between where I live in the OKC metro and Gabrielle down in Austin, so meeting in Texas, like the Oklahoma and Texas university football teams do, was a natural. And hey, supporting and independent horror-focused bookstore is the right thing to do, anyway.
EN: I saw mention that this is the first event. Are there more events already planned or is this something that you hope will catch on?
SEW: I think as time and resources allow, we'll do more. Gabrielle and I will both be at TrickConTreat in OKC this October, so we'll probably try to do something then. There are no other dates scheduled at the moment, though. But stay tuned!
EN: If the event happens more than once, will it always be between you two or will it be between one of you and another author? Possibly between two totally different werewolf/vampire authors? Could this become a worldwide cause?
SEW: Hard to say. I've talked to some other authors who are interested, but again, nothing's been planned. We're kind of waiting to see how this event goes over. I would like to see it get bigger and bigger, and I'm sure our selected charities would, too.
EN: Will anyone form the organizations you are raising money for be attending, presenting, etc.?
SEW: There won't be anyone from Mission: Wolf in attendance. It's a non-profit, volunteer run organization in northern Colorado, so it just isn't feasable. Plus, last time I did a group signing with a charity component, we barely raised enough money to pay for the gas it took for the local charity representative to come out. I'm hoping we bring in much more for this event.
(Gabrielle was unavailable to comment on whether or not BatCon (Bat Conservation International) will be in attendance or not.)
EN: What can attendees expect once they walk in the door? How do they participate?
SEW: Gabrielle and I will be snarling at one another and grabbing people and shoving our books in their faces. Or not. To be honest, I'm not sure about everything yet. Details will be hammered out this week, but I do know that we'll both be doing a short reading, and Randy was talking about having a "real" vampire and werewolf in attendance.
People can buy tickets for $2 in the store. They'll chose to support the werewolves or the dirt-sleepers and their tickets will go in the appropriate hat (or jar, or coffin, or whatever). At the end of the day, we'll draw the winners.
EN: If someone can’t make the event, how do they participate online?
SEW: People from all over the world can participate by going to www.vampirevswerewolf.com. For every $2 donated via PayPal they'll get one ticket to be entered into the drawing. We'll pay shipping for the books.
EN: What other activities will the day hold besides the fundraiser?
SEW: Oh, I kinda answered that one. The readings and the "real" creatures. Maybe more. We'll see.
EN: Any final comment on who is going to win and why?
SEW: Please! The werewolves are already winning. That's right, we have more donations. We will stake those undead monsters, even if we have to wait for the sun to come up! We don't have to sleep all day, ya know.
Time: NOON until people leave the store…
Ph: 972.442.9393
205 N. Ballard
Wylie, Tx 75098
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