Q & A - Marta Acosta

Marta Acosta is about to have her third Casa Dracula release hit the shelves with The Bride of Casa Dracula. While she was kind enough to grant an interview last year, I thought it would be fun to do a short Q & A to see what she’s been up to, and where she’s going with her writing. She was kind enough to share more of her time.

Hi Marta…It’s great to have you back at Darque Reviews!

Q. The Bride of Casa Dracula will be available September 16, 2008 from Pocket Books. Can you tell us what project fills your days now?

A. I am in that crazy place where I’m trying to finish up my next novel, a romantic comedy, and also publicize The Bride of Casa Dracula. I have a new dog and a foster dog and a house filled with my son’s friends. I call them the dog pack and the boy pack. Today I tried to make a birthday pie for one of them and the results were tragic. I’m married to a wonderful man who puts up with all my nonsense and obsessing about my books.

Q. Your Casa Dracula series is set apart from most vampire reads, what makes Milagro and her world special?

A. When I started the first book, I didn’t approach it as a vampire novel. I thought about the books I loved and what made them special to me. I love comedy and my favorite characters are those who are well-intentioned, but make mistakes and then try to correct the mistakes. I love ambiguity, so my characters misunderstand one another. (If you go back and reread a book, you’ll see those intentional ambiguities.) I try to weave my plots and subplots tightly so that there are no dangling threads.

Milagro’s special because she is good-hearted, but a little clueless, as most of us are as young adults. She hasn’t the experience that would make her cynical, but she is capable of learning. She’s had a very lonely upbringing, but she’s always hopeful. She’s also funny and finds humor no matter what her circumstances.

Q. If you could choose a specific trait from any of your characters who would it be from, and what would it be?

A. Oh, gosh, I would have to say Mercedes, the nightclub owner. She’s Milagro’s “moral compass” and she’s always calm and sensible.

Q. It’s easy to see how important the readers are to you by your online presence and interaction with them. Where can readers who have just discovered your work find you on the web?

A. I am all over the frickin web. There’s my website, my author blog, Vampire Wire, which is my paranormal entertainment blog, MySpace, FaceBook, and god knows what else I’ve signed up for. I like to visit several blogs every day –and Darque Reviews is one of my faves. I drop by the Smart Bitches Who Love Trashy Books blog frequently. And you’re right – it is important to me to connect with my readers. In fact, that’s what makes it all worthwhile.

Q. Aside from becoming published, what was your biggest goal when you began writing, and has that goal changed through the years?

A. My biggest goal was to survive as a writer. But I’ve got my fifth book deal and still don’t feel secure. My new goal is to be successful enough that I don’t have to worry so much and so I can focus on reaching out to those who love humor, but might shy away from something they perceive as just a shallow read.

Thanks for having me here, Kimberly! I love your blog and visit every day.

Thank you so much for joining us Marta, and I hope you see the best sales ever with The Bride of Casa Dracula!

Kimberly Swan, Darque Reviews