Interview With Gabrielle Faust
by Cary
How did you get interested in writing?
I have been writing since I was old enough to pick up a pencil. Both of my grandparents on my father's side were playwrights and poets and highly encouraged me to pursue the literary arts. I suppose you could say that the passion for writing runs in the family...
Do you come from a background of formal literary training?
While I have studied literature and creative writing intensely my entire life, minoring in it during college as well, my official degree is actually in graphic design and fine arts. I spent almost ten years in the advertising world before deciding to change directions and pursue my true ultimate passion of becoming a published author.
What inspired the Eternal Vigilance Trilogy?
ETERNAL VIGILANCE actually began with a short story I wrote back in college. I never published the short story, but held on to it because I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something else to the character I had created. A few years later I found the story and read again, but this time with a fresh perspective. From there the story simply began to mutate and evolve into the epic series it is now rapidly becoming.
What is it about vampires that intrigues you?
Vampires are more than razor-sharp fangs, alabaster skin, piercing eyes and immortal youth. Their reach is far more expansive, more invasive than a simple seductive embrace or molding of wills. Those traits are merely the alluring exterior shell of the being. Beyond that, for me, vampires are the ultimate humans. They are the epitome of everything pristine and everything wretched within our species; they represent the extremities of our mortal natures, from angelic to demonic, serene to wrathful, humble to Machiavellian, contained completely within one single entity. This entity is bound forever to the earth, forever to this physical plane without even the promise of the sweet release of death. They must wander till the end of time struggling to make peace with these polar opposite sides of their souls while the world around them burns time and time again.
Try to imagine all of the pain and anguish you have experienced in your mortal lifetime and then magnify that by a hundred and place it on a loop so that it cycles, decade after decade, century after century with the only deviation being the faces change. Those that hurt you, betray you, love you and eventually die, leaving you behind, change, but you remain the constant. You remain the same, waiting for the loop to begin again. It is no wonder such a creature must think itself damned and it is even more fascinating to me the idea that the this creature could adapt and survive without going mad. Most humans can barely suffer one lifetime without heavy medication these days. Can you imagine a fathomless number of them? And yet, they, the vampires, prevail. They prevail because they have no other choice but to exist.
Centuries as an observer of humanity and, in essence, the true historian of our species, the vampire is the true philosopher-king, though he or she reigns over nothing that does not eventually crumble to dust along with all of the other mortal empires they watch burn. They wander the earth, one part fearless warrior and one part sage chronicler of eternity. To imagine what revelations one would surface if time were no longer an issue, what spiritual or metaphysical paths one could meditate upon until one was truly sated or had ultimately disproven whatever theory or ideal had tortured their soul for so long. But would there be peace at the end of such a journey, knowing that another journey would ultimately begin with the next sunset? We humans often take time for granted until it is too late, but time is all a vampire has at the end of each night, time and memories.
What is it about vampires that you felt needed addressing with your unique take?
Around the time that I began writing the ETERNAL VIGILANCE series I was beginning to feel as if the genre was beginning to weaken from a lack of truly original stories. Too many times was I reading the same tales of vampiric romance or vampire detectives. It was becoming stale and, as a result, the dark luster of the genre had begun to fade a bit and the public's interest to wane. It was my desire to approach the genre from a completely unique vantage point and, hopefully, infuse it with fresh life blood. I also wanted to attempt to combine my passions for both sci-fi and horror into a technohorror or cyber goth literary voice that would stand out from the more mainstream urbanized tales of modern vampires...
Vampires are popular within the fetish/BDSM scene, do you feel a kinship or involvement with it?
Most definitely! I have actually spent quite a bit of time in the fetish scene myself. I think that the cross-over of vampires within the scene is a perfect union, in fact. Both deviantly sexy and exquisitely painful at times. They are both fringe societies in which people can truly express themselves sexually.
Are there any other creative mediums you work in?
I am also a painter and illustrator. Most of my paintings are large scale mixed media abstracts, though I do surrealistic realism from time to time when the passion strikes me. My illustration work is much more detailed and ranges from pen and ink to a combination of gauche, ink and colored pencil. I have been painting and illustrating professionally for about twelve years (and have studied it my entire life...) and have exhibited in galleries throughout Texas.
What kind of music do you like?
I have extremely diverse tastes in music. Though personally I define myself as a cybergoth/steampunk, musically I generally keep an extremely open mind and gravitate towards anything that is well crafted and resonates with me on a deeper level than mere entertainment. Everything from Leonard Cohen, Peter Murphy and Patty Griffin to Johnny Cash to Gravity Kills and Kerli and everything in between...
What do you like to do for fun?
My favorite things to do for fun are going out for sushi and martinis, seeing a good live music show and attending art exhibit openings. What thrills me most, however, is checking out something completely new and different. Life is about living and living is about exploring everything! ;)
See more of Gabrielle Faust at:
www.gabriellefaust.com
www.fearzone.com
www.fatally-yours.com
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