Q&A with Kellan McDaniel

 

Kellan McDaniel is the author of the new young adult novel Till Death. His other books include the novel Docile. He lives in Baltimore.

 

Q: What inspired you to write Till Death, and how did you create your characters Howard and George?

A: Actually, Till Death was pitched to me! Christian Trimmer, my editor, had read a novelette I published about queer vampires and he reached out to my editor to ask if I was interested in writing more gay vampires—and how could I resist?! Together, we grew the seed of Christian's idea into the novel it is today.

 

Even though Howard and George were not born in my mind, they were fed by it, becoming the power couple they were destined to be.

Q: Did you know how the novel would end before you started writing it, or did you make many changes along the way?

A: I think it's smart to know where you're going—what ending you're working towards—but also to leave room for the story to find its own way! Sometimes a character makes an off-hand comment that informs and entire chapter.

 

In this case, I knew how Till Death would end, but I didn't know exactly how Howard and George would get there until I got to writing.

Q: The Publishers Weekly review of the book says, “McDaniel skillfully portrays queer loneliness and contemporary society’s capacity to stall progress via aching prose and tender...character interactions.” What do you think of that description?

A: Well, I'm blushing about it, that's for sure! There is a loneliness to George that is enhanced due to his vampiric nature. Not only is he the only one left "alive" from the community he matured within, but also he is unmoored within a modern society that isn't built to accommodate the undead.

 

And then we meet Howard, who lives during a time that feels much more open to queer folks... only to face entirely new challenges. Though there is a story in the facts, it is revealed between the two of them—beautiful and dangerous.

Q: This is your first YA novel—why did you decide to write for young adults?

A: Though Till Death was pitched to me as YA, I had always wanted to write for younger readers. That was an abstract idea before my niece and nephew were born and now it's like I'm writing for their future. I know it's cheesy, but kids like them give me hope within a world that is, especially recently, grim and dark.

Q: What are you working on now?

A: I'm working on—surprise—another vampire novel! This one is for adults and is based on the very novelette that inspired Christian to reach out to me about Till Death. Think: gay trans vampire's body changes very differently than expected by the cis vampire who bit him. 

Q: Anything else we should know?

A: I really hope folks are touched by Till Death. It came from the heart and lays its own wide open on the page during a time when that is a threat to those who would erase us.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb