About the author: Acclaimed Canadian author Keith Costelloe, known for his award-winning novel Drawn into Danger, is proud to announce the release of his highly anticipated new book Vampires in BC. Keith, a Canadian writer, has lived and worked as a teacher across North Africa, Southeast Asia, Europe, North America, and the Middle East.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in Drama and a master’s in Applied Linguistics. Now retired and residing in BC, Canada, he brings a rich understanding of diverse cultures to his writing, which informs the depth and complexity of his characters and narratives.
Vampires in BC has already garnered significant attention within literary and film circles. The novel has been recognized at the International Fiction Festival 2024, where it placed in the Top 10% of the Novel category, and is a finalist in the Page Turner 2024 Screenplay Awards. In the highly competitive horror genre, it currently ranks #14 for the year and #3 for October 2024.
Keith has participated in creative writing courses in poetry, prose, film script, and memoir writing. He is an active member of a Vancouver Writing Group, the CAA: Canadian Authors Association and the FBCW: Federation of British Columbian Writers.
Question 1: In a quiet city in British Columbia, vampires stalk a hospital, blending horror with moral ambiguity. What inspired you to set a story in this specific environment?
I was in the hospital after having a heart attack, and the nurses came around and took blood samples twice a day. At the time, I was reading Dracula by Bram Stoker, and I started to wonder what they did with the supply of blood. I began to realize that a hospital was such a unique, perfect place for vampires to take the blood of people who were incapacitated in their beds. A large number of patients with a wide variety of blood types are juicy targets. As you know, vampires stalk their victims at night, exactly when the hospital is quiet. With people sleeping and fewer nurses on duty, the environment is ideal for vampires to select victims.
Question 2: The novel opens with a chilling campfire prologue. How did you decide on this scene? And what time did you aim to establish from the very first pages?
I wanted to draw the readers into a campfire in the forest, at night, where everybody is gathered, watching the flickering flames. The fire provides comfort, allowing us to relax and feel safe. It’s set on Halloween night, so appropriately, they’re telling stories of ghosts and ghouls to frighten each other for fun. The main character, Vam, the vampire leader, looms out of the darkness, but as a vampire, she has to be invited to join the group. I used this as an opportunity for the main character, Jude, to tell the story.
Question 3: The subterranean world beneath the hospital is richly detailed. What research or inspirations helped you craft this haunting setting?
I needed a place where vampires could safely sleep during the daytime. I have visited underground nuclear shelters, and it seemed appropriate that they would be abandoned and forgotten, and yet become an ideal location for vampires to feel safe.
Question 4: Your vampires see themselves as protectors of the Earth with a mission to restore balance. How did you arrive at this ecological and philosophical angle on vampire mythology?
Since animals also inhabit this planet, I imagined how they might express themselves if they knew that humans had caused the destruction of the planet. This world belongs to all of us – the animals, the plants, all the life that exists on this planet. It seemed fitting for them to adopt a stance on this matter and plan revenge against us, as we are responsible for the devastation. This is a theme I introduced, but I didn’t want to dwell on it then, as my goal was to plant a seed that would prompt people to consider, “How does this affect animals, and what is their response to it?”
Answer 5: Jude is torn between humanity and vampirism, morality and desire. What was the most challenging aspect of writing his dual nature?
This is one of the most difficult aspects. Jude, as a character, was fairly easy to exaggerate and create a violent, uncaring vampire, but it seemed too easy that he would be like this, and slowly, as you note in the book, he begins to question his own ethical human side. There is one episode where he begins to feel his human empathy emerging. I won’t describe it here, but it does give him the motivation to question what it is that he has become, rather like Doctor Faustus, who realizes that when he sold his soul for money and riches, he actually has to submit to the payback. This is something Jude doesn’t want to do, but in becoming more empathetic and aware of his human half, he is in conflict with his instinctive, basic animal desires. As a vampire, he has to feed himself, and Jude has to find some way of balancing this conflict within himself.
Note that I use the male pronoun and not “them” or “their.” As far as I understand, it is a matter of choice, and for the moment, Jude has not gone through a full transition; he likes to move back and forth between genders. There are times when he finds morphing as a female more appropriate for the situation and satisfying for her at the time, and yet at other times, he feels more masculine.
Question 6: Jude’s shapeshifting and gender fluid abilities add unique complexity. How do you approach writing about gender and sexuality with authenticity and respect?
Good question. I read biographies written by people who had transitioned. They described the pain of being stuck in the wrong gender and the trials that they went through to change themselves. Some had to hide their identity, and struggled to explain their status to their parents and others. This, for some, was heartbreaking, as they feared being rejected and misunderstood.
I think we should have more non-specific gender heroes/sheroes, or perhaps I should say it’s not important that gender identity should influence how we think about the characters. No one is perfect, regardless of where they are on the gender scale; it is just another aspect of human nature. Haven’t many of us wished we could switch identities, maybe even just for a day, to experience a different reality?
Question 7: Dr. De’Ath serves as both mentor and manipulator. Was she always intended to be morally ambiguous, or did her character evolve as you wrote?
I was deliberating this as I wrote. She was training her disciples to be her servants, who could easily be manipulated. That was always her main aim: to be in control and to punish any rebellion against her authority. The mentorship seemed somewhat fake since she was always in control, yet she still wanted them to work alongside her. A lot of her character, however, did develop as the story evolved.
Question 8: The story explores themes of power, identity, and morality. Which theme do you most want readers to wrestle with after finishing the book?
Really, it’s up to the individual reader, but I do want readers to consider that the paths they take in life have consequences and to be fully aware of what they could be giving up by following a certain trail. Absolute power, as the saying goes, corrupts absolutely, and this is certainly true of the Vampire leader and their cohort of older vampires. I introduced younger vampires and wonder if people will see this as a positive step forward. Morality is one of the major themes that Jude wrestles with, but readers will have to decide for themselves the moral questions raised in the story.
Question 9: Many vampire stories focus on the battle between good and evil, but you blur those lines. How important was it for you to challenge readers’ perceptions of morality?
Quite honestly, I don’t think it is so simple to categorize vampires as black and white, good and evil, because they often possess both evil and positive qualities. This is one of the difficulties of defining a pure evil character who has no concept of empathy, because you need readers to admire aspects of the character.
Does a psychopath have any concept of how he or she is affecting others? Is Vam a psychopathic vampire? Maybe, but doesn’t she have aspects in her character where you understand how she feels about being betrayed?
Question 10: Your writing balances suspense, atmosphere and psychological depth. How do you approach creating this immersive Gothic horror experience for readers?
I’m not sure I can answer this question. A lot of the story developed as I was writing. There wasn’t one main aim in mind, but suspense and atmosphere are crucial for keeping readers engaged. It has an element of the classic Gothic horror, which perhaps came from some of the scenes, especially the campfire in the forest and the underground hiding place. But there has to be a reality for the book to feel true, and I wonder if readers question whether vampires exist, and what they would be like.
What about the psychology of people? I’m not a psychiatrist, but as I wrote, the main characters Vam, Jude, and even Gav developed their own unique personalities. I based them partly on people I know. No names mentioned. I had no idea where Gav was headed, except that he couldn’t stay as obnoxious as some people have described him. Gav, as a teen, is discovering himself in a challenging world. Jude changes, and Vam? Well, we have to see how Vam changes in the second book if I ever get around to writing it.
Question 11: Your work spans multiple genres from memoir-inspired fiction to vampire fantasy. Do you plan your genre ahead, or does the story decide for you?
Well, really, the story decides for me. I’m not really sure what I’m going to write next. As I’m living in BC. I thought it was about time to do a BC story. Being in the hospital, as I mentioned before, inspired me to write the vampire book. Vampires are always fun, so do I continue with Vampires in BC, or something completely different?
Question 12: When writing intense or morally complex characters, how do you immerse yourself in their psyche? And how does empathy shape the choices they make?
That’s a very good question. I feel immersed in them as characters, and they become a part of me. However, I always struggle with my own feelings, wondering how I can truly feel about things. I suppose it’s the internal conflict we all experience, and sometimes it becomes a part of the character you’re writing, or the character takes control of the narrative and surprises you with the choices they make as you are writing. Have they penetrated your own psyche? Are you at times a vampire, a teenage boy or a slightly older gender fluid person?
Empathy, though, is a great area to explore, and I think if they don’t show empathy as a character, then what level of human are they? Vam obviously has to work on her empathy, but she’s a full vampire.
Question 13: Across your writing career, how has your process evolved? Do you still let characters guide the story, or has planning become more central?
I would love it to become more carefully planned, but would I? Could I plan the stories before I write them? I think that might stifle my creative flow. At the moment, I’m going through a massive thinking stage, trying to decide how I’m going to approach my next story. I’ve written lots of notes, but they don’t seem to connect, so how has my process evolved? For me, the best thing to do is just to start writing and see where you go from there.
Question 14: Editing can be a painstaking process. Do you see it as pruning the work or as an integral part of your creative journey?
Wow. What a question! Tell me about it. Editing is a painstaking process and takes far longer than the actual writing. Rereading, checking details, rewriting, examining one sentence, and replacing one word to make it more powerful. You can spend an hour thinking about one word, so yes, it is an integral part of my creative journey. Absolutely, pruning is another difficult area. Sometimes, you’ll come across a section that you absolutely love, but it has nothing to do with the story. So, do you delete it or leave it? I have made that mistake before and left it in some of my stories. Later, people who read one of my books point it out, and I wish I hadn’t included it. In the end, you only learn from the mistakes you make.
Answer 15: You’ve drawn from your travels and personal experiences in previous novels. How has living in different countries shaped your storytelling voice?
How has it shaped my storytelling voice? I’d like to think it has, because living in different countries gives you a sense of acceptance of diverse cultures and aspects of life that you might not experience as deeply otherwise. Hopefully, it leads to a wider, more open view of the world.
Thank you for your questions. They really made me think.
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Read: Starship Malaysia: Lies that Save Lives by Keith Costelloe – Interview
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