Urban Fantasy Niche to Die For!

Amy Mah finds a YA Urban Fantasy Niche to Die For!

Posted in Author Interviews with tags Amy Mah, Author Interview, Deborah Riley-Magnus, Fangs Rule, Vampire on July 21, 2011 by Deborah Riley-Magnus

I thought I’d start out with some fun … time to have an interview with a vampire! Amy Mah is a new and very funny YA Urban Fantasy author who blogs and writes about her life as a modern young vampire trying to deal with both humans and fellow vampires. She’s been transformed into a manga character – real photos were changed into the wonderful images you will see in her books which are all fully illustrated showing the readers what the vampire world and characters look like.
Let’s take a look into Fangs Rule: A Girl’s Guide to Being a Vampireand it’s rather unique author, Amy Mah.
VAMPIRE EXPLORED: First of all, I’d like to welcome you to Vampire Explored. By luck of the draw, you’re my first interview, so I’ll try to be gentle.  Tell us a little about yourself. What part of the world do you live in? Tell us about your background?
MS. MAH: Hi and thanks. No need to be gentle just ask away, people don’t upset me. I am very forgiving with the human race. it is like getting upset with a sandwich! The book is me and my life, with just one or two changes of name so that people do not try and stake me in the night.
I was born in SE Asia and so people always think by my color I am Chinese or Japanese but only in the same way if you are blond then you must be a Viking. By nature I am cynical and sarcastic, my parents died when I was young and I moved between Aunts so had one heck of a strange childhood – with some very, very loving (and slightly mad)  Aunts. I am super bright and not modest … yes it is true I know it may come as a shock but I really am not modest, and with my personality and education I would be best suited as an Assassin or starting a Religious war. The 3rd choice is as an author but if you do not buy my books then do not blame me if the first time you meet me is when you are on a hit list.
As I said my book character is me, same name, same life, same problems, just sharper teeth. So I will now talk to you as Amy MahVampire – Hi my name is Amy, and I am a vampire. For those who do not know me, I should point out that I used to be a feral vamp, living in the outside world raised by humans until I was discovered and adopted into Vampire society.
In the human world, life was very difficult for me. I knew I needed blood but did not know how to get it, all I had was human books and films telling all kinds of stuff that was useless, like I can change into a bat, and that is so not true! I tried it and all it does is make you look stupid as you flap your arms up and down. And it’s the sort of thing that follows you about like a bad smell as you struggle to survive in a place where every day could be your last because you face the living hell humans call High School!
I had hoped life would be better once I was taken into vampire society. Well, being a vampire sounds like it should be a cool thing to be, sleeping during the day and enjoying a night life with friends. Huh, but no one warned me of the rules and that it also means having to suffer Teenage hormones for like forever or until my new vampire family would let me grow up!
Being a vampire is not so much fun and some of the rules are just crazy – like being told I have to walk about wearing a see through nightdress with no underwear, and believe me with my bust size that is so not going to happen, I have a hard enough time as it is trying to get a boyfriend without showing him what I don’t have!
To fill in the time between discovering where best to bite someone, to being able to climb a wall with just my finger nails and at the same time snarling at the guys below who are trying to look up my nightdress, I decided to write a self help guide for other teenage vampire girls. I have called it Fangs Rule and it is written in an easy to follow A – Z format explaining everything a teenage vampire girl would need to know about living life as a modern vampire.
VE: What attracts you to the urban fantasy genre, and what made you want to write it?
MS. MAH: I just love horror films they are so funny and what they say in them … hehehehe … “the best way to kill it is to remove its head!”  Duh, like that would not kill most things. I wanted to write to show why these films are so funny when looked at from a vampire’s point of view. And if you are a vampire in the world of humans the first thing you will do is watch all the vampire movies that humans produce. The vampires are the ones laughing in the back row every time a vampire gets killed by his lunch! And vampires do not hate humans. Duh! After all they are just a prepacked lunch on legs.
VE: Does the way you personally look at life reflect in your writing style?
MS. MAH: Yes. The world is sooooooooooooo, soooooooooooo very funny which is why I blog. First it gets it out of my system and then people love reading my blogs which is always a turn on for any writer! Wow I even get hate mail ! Its true! That is like so cool, I can upset someone so much that they have to send me hate mail.
VE: What concept or situation about your book makes it so unique?
MS. MAH: I do not think anyone has done it the way I have. I have personally stepped into the vampire world and taken a look around.Fangs Rule is only a taste of what is to come. My full novel is coming out next year and I have given the vampire world rules reasons and explanations. If things happen, why do they happen? There must always be a reason, it may be hidden but it has to be there.
VE: Tell us about Fangs Rule. Is it YA? I thought your book videoreally rocked. It caught my attention. What was your inspiration for this book?
MS. MAH: I did not write it as YA, it just came out that way. It is written at different levels, adults should see the adult humor and some parts are in teen speak, so adults will miss what is really being said but a teen will know far more than what adults think they know.
The bits I like are the funny but true little comments I sneak in: “Sleeping with another girl does not always mean you are a lesbian, sometimes it just means the central heating needs fixing.”
VE: What is your favorite scene from the book and why?
MS. MAH: The bits that remind me of my childhood. In my full novel you will hear all about how one of my Aunts liked to sleep on the roof. TRUE! She still does, says it is nice and cool in the summer. I live in fear of seeing her on a Google street map as I zoom down to see her house. She is in my novel along with my other Aunt that has taught me the habit of showering and changing undies at least 3 times a day. She would never sleep on a roof unless it was scrubbed first, but apart from lots of love, she has given me such lovely quotes to put in my books.
“Amy! Go clean your teeth! No one likes to be bitten by someone with dirty fangs” AND … “Amy! Sit correctly, you are wearing a dress. Feet on the floor and your knees together girl.  You are trying to catch a husband, not flies!”
VE: Have you written other books?
MS. MAH: No Fangs Rule: A Girl’s Guide to Being a Vampire is my very first book, but I have a novel almost finished, and they will link together.
VE: Finally, if you could tell us one thing about your genre that makes your mind spin with ideas, what would that be?
MS. MAH: Well it is so easy to do! I just start typing and can’t stop. Only one problem … I think faster than I can type and I type faster than I can spell.
 
Be sure to check out Amy’s website: http://www.fangsrule.com
Links to where you can buy Fangs Rule: A Girl’s Guide to Being a Vampire:
Amy’s Website (FREE postage anywhere!):http://www.fangsrule.com/buy.htm
Amazon: Paperback – http://www.amazon.com/Fangs-Rule-Girls-Guide-Vampire/dp/1874192480/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1301589874&sr=8-1
Amazon: Kindle –  http://www.amazon.com/Fangs-Rule_-Girls-Vampire-ebook/dp/B0058ODPFK/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1310995592&sr=1-1

Vampire Explored is a blog by Deborah Riley-Magnus, author of “Cold in California”, first in the Twice-Baked Vampire Series!