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First the most obvious, how did you come upon Anthony and Andrea's story?  Did any certain elements sort of leap out at you first or did you go into the story with a focused idea?

I knew a few things before I started. Vampires. I wanted to write vampires (I mean, who doesn't, right?). I also knew I wanted a kick-ass female, who I named after my best friend. I put those elements together and almost instantly I saw a girl crouched on a roof, looking down on her next meal. And the opening scene was born. The story came me in pieces after that. The only thing I knew for sure was that I wanted certain elements and locations involved, so I made notes on those and let the story flow.

The story handles child predators and abuse in a careful, but deliberate manner.  The scene with the rides was particularly unsettling, but you didn't use it explotatively.  When crafting the villain's character did you think 'this is the kind of person they are'?

After I wrote this particular scene, I went back over it several times. I wanted to tell myself, "You can't use this!" But I couldn't let it go. I played it over and over in my mind. In desperate need of clarity, I opened a separate Word doc and explored the villain, Rodert's, journey. This is where he really came to life, showing me all kinds of things I didn't want to see. So, did I know 'this is who he is'? No. Not up front, but he sure proved me wrong.

Love this! Okay, so Batman + Andrea = *calculating* ... maybe, The Scum Sucker? But that sounds kind of gross. Really, Andrea didn't see herself as anything close to a hero, so I don't think she'd choose advertise. But if I could pick a name for her, she'd be The Night Huntress. Supervillains and scum of the earth beware!

When creating this specific vampire underworld, I wanted being turned to resound with people who may never have connected emotionally with vampires before, and to really pull in those readers who, like me, have loved them for years. In turning, inhibitions dissolve. The souls follow only if they let their hunger take them over. I wanted to rip away something largely human from the turnee and replace it with a hunger so all-consuming that it could almost instantly redefine the person entirely. But this didn't happen with Andrea. She was stronger, fiercely determined to cling to her humanity. In the end, hunger moves my vampires, but it doesn't define them.

This is a tough one. I think that it is easier to look for someone to blame than turn to that microscope in on ourselves. I also believe Rodert is a sociopath who has had lifetimes to stew. The man wasn't a good egg when his heart beat, so in death, he became free to explore his darker side. Do I think Anthony was responsible for setting Rodert on his path? No. Anthony asked his friend, someone he thought he could trust, to do something huge for him, something he would later come to regret.

Favorite Vampire? Anne Rice's Lestat *swoon* (true!)
Favorite Color? That purplish blue between sunset and starry sky

This has been so much fun! Thank you so much, Lexie. Thank you so much for coming by Lisa!!

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Want to know more?  Check out Lisa's blog The Journal of an Aspiring Writer and check out my review of her story "Blood Bonds" in the anthology Dark Pleasures later this week!