Interview with Virgil Moore Author of Epic Paranormal Dark Mystery

Click on the image to visit Virgil's Meet & Greet at VBT Cafe.

Virgil Allen Moore has been writing for seventeen years. He began as a poet and eventually turned to long fiction. In his words "My pen wields visceral morality as I write. I use my poetic knowledge to woo and satiate the minds of the world." His books are written for their vivid imagery and well defined storytelling. He blends old world refinement with a modern feel in a way that gives strength to the core of his novels. With his books, you are left not just with a sense of accomplishment, but a moral choice. The reader has choice over how they feel through the story. The ordeals of the characters are transmuted to the reader, lending a direct sensation of emotion that only the best novels can evoke. When you read his words, you will be rewarded. As he says, "If you enjoy vampires, you will be enthralled by mine."

Brenda & Steve: Virgil, welcome to our blog and thank you for stopping by on your VBT pit stop. We’re so excited you could join us for a chat. When did you first decide to submit your work to be published? Tell us what or who encouraged you to take this big step.

Virgil: I submitted it in March 2011. 187 Letters returned a total of three return requests. Most didn't like the idea of a 242,000+ word book. The publisher that took me in wasn't my first choice, but it was my best option at the time. From the start, October 19^th, 2009, I had planned to get the book to as many people as possible. A year of writing, a few months of editing, and more time waiting resulted in the book that is out today.

Brenda & Steve: Please tell us a little about your new release Demon Vampire.

Virgil: It follows the storyline of the demon vampire that has possessed Zack Giver, a 14 year old Vampeal (half-vampire) that has just found out what he is. The book covers over 6,000 years of history and the lives of over 30 characters. What you read in the beginning may be a little hard to track for most readers because of the grand scale of the novel, but it pays off through the rest of the book. If you enjoy intricate books, this is your favorite book. It asks if given the choice, would you trade your memories, the parts that make you who you are, equivocally your soul, for power and immortality? It's a hard decision when Zack wants to protect everyone he knows and still remain somewhat human in the mess that is his life. 

Brenda & Steve: Great cover Virgil and I love your hat. Gives you a sinister look! Do you plan all your characters out before you start a story or do they develop as you write?

Virgil: Both. The main characters were developed from a need. I set up the basics of the story in the initial stages and carried on to the need for certain types of interactions in the main plot. From there, the personalities of the characters came about. Beyond that, I mapped out everyone they knew. Finding out if their parents were alive, what they were like, and so on. Of course I had to decide who was a vampire and who wasn't as well. Most of the other characters came from this need of sorts. 

Brenda & Steve: How much research do you do for your books? Have you found any cool tidbits to share?

Virgil: I had to look up ancient Mongolian maps from the thirteenth century, that was the trickiest research I did. However the date I used for when the Ottoman Empire declined is more of an observation. Instead of using the historical date given on Wiki, I used the characters point of view to reference a date when most of the empire retreated to the island of Damascus, the end of the empire itself. It added a personal touch to the story that I believe made it feel more real. 

Brenda & Steve: What is your writing process? Do you outline, write by the seat of your pants (Pantser) or a combination of both?

Virgil: Kind of both, but a little different. I try using outlines. I didn't at all for Demon Vampire book one. Each chapter came out of a need. It worked out because the timing fit very well throughout the whole of the story. Book two, which I'm currently writing, I did actually outline. Granted that lasted about fifty pages before the outline was trashed. I find that I spend a lot of time building the real person instead of the character. I base them off of traits I have encountered in personal experience and interaction with others in my own life. Now one person is someone from my past, they just have borrowed qualities. In writing, I only give the characters a set up and them let them carry it out as they normally would. I equate it more to a game of the SIMS than traditional plot based writing. If I've defined my characters enough, I don't need to force them to do something. I only need to give them some tools and then let them loose on a certain topic or scene. At times, I must admit, the dialogue writes itself because it's more normal of a reaction for the characters. 

Brenda & Steve: Do you write full time? What did you do before you became a writer or still do?

Virgil: That's a difficult question. I do have a day job, however, I don't feel comfortable mentioning what it is exactly. My work is very touchy about talking of it. All I can say is that I have a heavy medial background and most of the horrific scenes I speak of in the book are based on actual injuries that I have personally witnessed. I've held flopping shattered bones in my hands, been up to my elbows in blood, and seen brain matter oozing my places no human being should ever lay eyes on.

Brenda & Steve: Do you have a ritual when it comes to writing? Example….get coffee, blanket, paper, pen, laptop and a comfy place.

Virgil: Comfy place. I have a large U-shaped desk that fills the majority of my computer room. Although I still use a tiny 10” netbook to write on. I sit on my tall backed “Big and Tall” over sized chair and place my ear-buds in. It's a routine that lets my drown out everything else going on in my house.

Brenda & Steve: Describe a typical writing day for you.

Virgil: My writing is sporadic at best. I'll write two or three days in a row one week, and not touch the novel for three weeks some months. However, when I do, I tend to write 2,000 – 4,000+ words at a time over about three hours. I find the time to write in weird moments. It can be 4:00am, or noon. It all depends on when I get into the mood to write and am able to set myself aside for it.

Brenda & Steve: Please give us a sneak peek at your future books. What’s on the horizon?

Virgil: Demon Vampire: Redgold is the second novel in the main storyline, a direct sequel to Demon Vampire. It takes place immediately after book one ends and the readers find out what actually happens to Zack. Beside that, there is the side novella I am planning called Demon Vampire: The Elder Ritual. It's the full story of Salas, the demon that is inside of Zack. It covers all twenty incarnations over the last 6,000 years and the people he was able to meet that turned him into the monster he is when you first meet him in book one. Besides that, I have more than a dozen other books that will be in the series. This is all figured from the amount of characters in the book and those who still need to be introduced and fully brought to a close eventually. It will be a long, bloody road for everyone, especially the reader.

Brenda & Steve: What is your favorite genre to read and who is your favorite author?

Virgil: Dark Fiction, specifically Vampires. Anne Rice was the best in this. I still hold her novels in the highest regard. I try to model the power and grace of my characters after hers, except with my own flare of course.

Brenda & Steve: Is there anything else you would like to tell the readers we have not touched on?

Virgil: Remember that Dreams Create Reality. Everyone has the power to shape their world, but they first have to think of how. Ten years ago, I didn't know I would be where I am. A dream and the desire to see that dream in person is what has driven me to the life I know now.

Brenda & Steve: Where can the readers learn more about you and find your books on the web?

Virgil: The main blog is where you can find out more of the book and the characters. 

To buy the book, you can find it on Amazon. 

You can read more reviews on the book on Goodreads. 

I would love to give an eBook copy of Demon Vampire as a giveaway to one lucky commenter.

Brenda & Steve: Virgil, thank you again for visiting with today. Good luck on sales and your future projects! 

Reader's, be sure to leave a comment. This is one Vampire book you'll want to read.

Excerpt: 

His eyes closed. The red apparition somehow soothed and calmed him. It was speaking directly now. It was murder. He could hear it above the raging storm coursing through him. It forced upon him glimpses of her dead body, a sight of torment.  “The vast ocean of power I can grant you. The encompassing absolution of being I offer, to walk without equal as an abomination among monsters. To be feared as no other.” The voice sighed inside him. It's breath warm on the back of his thoughts. “Am I truly so disgusting? Is this not what you asked for? Do I not tempt you? Offer you what you need? Do I not wet your tongue with my invitation?”

 Fear swept him, his choices were not sovereign. His gut knotted in indecision. The hot blanket of seduction that had cloaked him was convincing. It was generously welcoming. He hesitated, not knowing the demon's destination or his own. He could feel his soul slipping, a grip once tight, now failing him.

“Let it happen, give yourself to me. All you ever have to do, is acknowledge me. Your soul will satisfy my desires, my requirements.” The voice was commanding. It spoke as a god dwelling in the recesses of his senses. It continued. “Rip, tear, rend, and swallow the blood like milk.” The demon inside beckoned with a sadistic suggestion.

 He was unsure, the deal was tempting, even acceptable in a sick flight of fancy. The power was enthralling. His confliction was disturbing, he was not a murderer. He knew as much, as he doubted his own integrity. It was tempting, wet in his mouth, keen on his fingertips. Absolute strength on a level unrivaled. The knowledge that no other being would ever be able to contest him. It was a spectacular promise. It was seductive.

The voice posed its question a final time. Its confidence was unrelenting. “Is my simple price so steep, so dire, costly, that you would die a fool's death to deny me the path fate has allowed me to etch in the stars?”