!["Evolve" hits bookstores in March 2010.](http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/hash/83/04/83049dde6d2420a66d4fdadde9442f0b.jpg ""Evolve" hits bookstores in March 2010.")
This March, vampires take another leap forward in Evolve, the new anthology edited by Nancy Kilpatrick and published by EDGE Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing. The anthology, which features a lineup of Canadian writers bringing their own unique twists to the familiar vampire mythos, will get an official launch at the World Horror Con held in Brighton, England.
As the release date nears, Kilpatrick was kind enough to answer a few questions for me regarding her latest project.
Vampires are a hot commodity in the horror genre right now, thanks in no small part to the success of the Twilight series of books and movies. What new takes on vampire mythology and lore can readers expect in Evolve?
Vampires have been hot for about the last 4 decades! I know, because I am a collector of vampire books as well as a writer of vampire books and have around 2,000 titles. There have been more vampire novels and short stories published in English since the mid-1970s (think Anne Rice) than in all the years before.
With the advent of the Young Adult success story of Twilight and now The Vampire Diaries, as well as the TV series True Blood (which isn’t YA but it’s hugely popular), vampires are in the forefront of everyone’s mind when it comes to entertainment.
Because I’m a lover of vampire fiction and have published nine vampire novels (four in the "Power of the Blood" series) plus a LOT of vampire short stories, I have watched how the vampire has transformed from the earliest writings in English. I wanted to see what would happen next because we now have a creature that is part of our world, that walks among us. Where can that go? Is it the death of the undead as we know them? Has the proverbial "bite" (sic!) gone out of the vampire/human relationship? I asked the writers of Evolve to focus on the evolution, starting from here. Where can this go? I think some of the stories will surprise readers.
Evolve features an all-Canadian stable of writers. Was that the intent from the beginning?
Yes. There has never been an all-Canadian anthology of contemporary vampire stories. There have been one or two books that took old stories from the 1800 and 1900s, classics, and tossed in a modern writer or two. But this is the first time vampires have been tackled in a modern way by Canadian writers.
How does the Canadian viewpoint figure in to the stories? Are there legends or elements of the stories that are unique to the Canadian background of the writers?
I wouldn’t say there are legends that are uniquely Canadian, although there is the early Polish "vampire" community in Ontario, but that’s also fairly traditional in terms of vampires and a very minor story of "real' vampires. More, Canadian writers are GOOD writers. They have a great sense of story and of bringing readers into the story through plot and characterization. Canadian writers have read a lot and are up on "literary" writing, so their genre tales tend to be complete and incorporate many aspects of life. Often with vampire tales the focus is on the visceral. That’s not bad but the better stories that have been written are the ones that dig deep into our collective psyche and bring out the reader’s innate fear of and desire for the vampire. The stories in Evolve are, by no means, all psychological. But there is depth to the tales in Evolve, and that leaves readers satisfied. I see Canadian writers as blending the best of both worlds—the US style of writing and Britain/France style.
The book's official launch is scheduled to take place at the World Horror Convention in England. What can those who are lucky enough to attend expect at the event?
We will have 11 of the 23 authors attending plus the cover artist and me, the editor. We will have books signed by all the authors for sale. There will be door prizes. Wine. And nifty gift bags and presentations. I won’t give it all away now.
By the way, we are planning Canadian launches as well. The first is set for April 10th at the Ad Astra Convention in Toronto, from 2 to 3:30 pm, so anyone in the area should come on by. We are also looking to have launches on the same day/time in other Canadian cities and hope to Skype them so those at one launch can see the events at other launches.
Is it too early to talk a sequel to Evolve? What other projects are you working on?
I am definitely envisioning a sequel. I can see how these ideas can evolve further, and that is a strong possibility.
As to my own writing, I have been writing a ton of short stories by request over the last two years and in fact have one launching in a book at the same convention in the UK. The story (vampire, of course!) is “Traditions in Future Perfect” in the anthology The Bitten Word. I have another short story (vampire story reprint) in the WHC 2010 convention book, which will be reprinted by PS Publishing in the UK as a limited edition signed anthology. That story is “In Memory of…” which first appeared in Times of the Vampire (Pocket Books). I recently co-edited with David Morrell Tesseracts Thirteen – the first all horror/dark fantasy anthology in the Tesseracts series--, which was a huge anthology project because it was open to all Canadian citizens and residents and there are a ton of horror/dark fantasy writers in this country. That took a lot of time in terms of reading and selecting, but David and I had fun. I’ve also been writing two novels over the last two years and because I’m so busy, these projects are moving more slowly than I would like, but they are moving. I have more short stories I’ve promised, and another anthology project that my agent is shopping around. Also, the fourth book in my "Power of the Blood" series, Bloodlover, is being re-released. I could use a few more hours in the day or, perhaps eternal life!
Ordering Details for Evolve
Evolve will be available in trade paperback in stores after March 1. There are also three exclusive versions available for preorder only at the official Evolve website: a special "Coffin Edition," signed by all authors, the editor and the cover artist, limited to 50 copies; an unsigned hardcover edition limited to 50 copies; and a signed trade paperback edition, signed by all authors, limited to 300 copies.
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