{Blog Tour and Author Interview} Fifty Percent Vampire by D.K. Janotta (@dkjanotta)

FPV_cover_high_res Fifty Percent Vampire
by D.K. Janotta
Release Date: September 5th 2015

Summary:

TEENAGE GIRL FLEES THE UNDEAD !!!

Living at home is driving seventeen-year-old Astrid Sonnschein nuts. She’s desperate to leave her parents behind, and why not, with stepfather George a foul-tempered old vampire, and Mom – well, the less we say about Mom the better.

And our heroine has another compelling reason for getting out of Dodge. If she stays home much longer she’s in grave danger of being transformed forever, and the last thing she wants is to become the newest Nosferatu.

So it’s off to Rosenberg High and relative safety. Except it’s far from safe when her relatives are holier than holy Aunt Jean, beer-swilling couch potato Uncle James and devious, cat-loving cousin Emma. And that’s just evenings and weekends. Astrid Sonnschein’s schooldays teem with teeth-sinkable challenges, the man of her dreams refuses to play by the rules, and the plethora of pitchfork-bearing peasants are beginning to mutter.

Peasants-schmeasants! It’s when the full moon rises that Astrid’s real troubles begin …

Goodreads | Amazon

***Author Interview***

‘Fifty Percent Vampire’ is quite dark in places. Why do you think people are attracted to dark stories?

It has always been so, ever since the first stories were told around campfires. Life is full of ups and downs, and dare I say it, mostly downs these days. Readers empathize with fictional characters like Astrid who have nasty problems to solve. Everyone needs someone to root for, someone they hope will overcome their challenges and live happily ever after. But fiction, like life, doesn’t always turn out that way.

Is Astrid Sonnschein based on anyone you know?

Heh, heh. Maybe. I know a lot of half-vampires.

When you were writing ‘Fifty Percent Vampire’, was there a song in your head? A theme song?

I listened to a whole lot of songs. ‘Highway to Hell’ was a favorite for a while. But Astrid Sonnschein is a very hopeful and determined young woman. She never gives up. Can we go for ‘It’s My Life’ by Bon Jovi?

Which fictional character would Astrid choose as her best friend and why?

Astrid already has a best friend – Rachel Cowans. Rachel’s always there for Astrid when she needs advice or encouragement. It’s not easy being the new girl in town and an experienced friend like Rachel is gold dust. Astrid is very lucky that way. Having said that, the pair of them do get into some scrapes.

What’s top of your to-do list before the world ends?

I really want to take my three kids diving the coral reefs around the Maldives. But I need to teach our youngest to swim first.

What are you writing for us next?

Astrid 2 should be out around Halloween 2016.

D.K. Janotta was born and raised in England and Wales but now calls a chalet on a mountainside overlooking beautiful Lake Geneva in Switzerland home. He has worked in Belgium, The Netherlands, Norway, France, South Korea, and several states of the USA. He subverts the vampire genre to ask questions about and reflect on the meaning of human life.