Interview with T. Michelle Nelson, author of the Life and Death of Lily Drake

Welcome, T. Michelle Nelson! It's great to host another fellow Inkspell Author! I tailored the questions to fit the genre of your novel, so I hope everyone enjoys this interview! 

1. Lily Drake is such a neat name. How did you come up with it? 

 I have always loved the name Lily. They are my favorite flowers. Drake is an old Irish surname, and my character is part Irish and Cherokee.  Plus it is derived from Old English meaning “Dragon” and well, that just sounded cool!

2. I love how the main character is also a single mom. How did that affect your plot?  

Actually, more than I expected. Just like any mom, she has to think about her child, which meant I had to consider where Keaton would be and who was watching him.

3. What's next on the writing horizon for you?  

Currently I’m wrapping up the second installment of the Lily Drake series. It’s been keeping me pretty busy, but I have the beginnings of a few other manuscripts as well.

4. What are your favorite vampire books?  

This is a tough question. I love almost every vampire book I’ve ever read. Of course, I love the Sookie Stackhouse, Anita Blake, Dark Hunter and Black Dagger Brotherhood series to name a few, but right now my son and I are reading Sherrilyn Kenyon’s young adult spin-off series ‘The Chronicles of Nick.’ I’m loving this one, there’s so few of these series that are really geared for boys to enjoy and her humor is fantastic.

5. Will there be a sequel to the Life and Death of Lily Drake?  

Absolutely. Lily’s life will probably never be dull again.

6. How is your vampire society different then the conventional ones I see in all the movies?

 I think the main difference is the fact that not just anyone can be changed. Only certain people from certain bloodlines are viable candidates to be vampires in my series.

7. What factors influence her decision to follow her destiny and become a vampire slayer?

  I think it was more of a default decision for Lily. She didn’t have much of an option since they were coming after her, so she fought back.

8. What do you think of a sparkly vampire? 
 I’m more of a Team Jacob kind of gal!