THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS:
ROMANTIC AND DARK FICTION
BY CASS ANDRE

An Interview With
Lance Panzer

}ER!-Only ebook authors are so brave as to suffer through an eBooks Rock!
interview!:-)  Today, I have the pleasure of snooping around the mind of
paranormal author, Lance Panzer.  Lance, your novel, Vampire Seductress was
just released from CrossroadsPub.com.  The Prelude is absolutely
captivating!  For those who haven't taken the chance to run over and
purchase a copy, can you please tell a little about your novel?

LP-Denotatively, Ross Sherman, mid-20s, spies a sumptuous woman at a night club and totally succumbs to her charms.  However, she is a vampire, and she designs to take him for her mate; she's been watching him around town for a few weeks, you see.  He evolves from terrified victim to addicted lover to unquestioned master--over and above his own evolution from human to vampire, both psychologically and physiologically.  Connotatively, it's a frank portrayal of two people learning to live together, and how their love smoothes over the rough spots.

ER!-And what inspired you to write Vampire Seductress?

LP-The movie "Bram Stoker's Dracula" with Gary Oldman.  He breathed romance and desperate longing into the role of the vampire, and his tenderness matched--if not exceeded--his violence.  That precarious balance of tenderness and violence struck me as a very honest portrayal of the human psyche.

ER!-Do you have a favorite scene from the book?

LP-That's tough.  Of course, I love all of Simone's sarcastic remarks!  My first response is the menage trois love scene in the back of a limo . . . but all the love scenes are beautiful.  I guess I would have to say all the physical descriptions of Simone touch my heart the most deeply.  However, if you'd like to know, there's one particular scene at Plasma City that totally scared the Hell out of me as I composed it!

ER!-Is there a book out there that you're just dying to write but for some
reason haven't?

LP-Yes, and I've been thinking about it for a couple years now.  I'd like to write a "prequel" to Bram Stoker's Dracula, focusing on the character of Renfield, exploring what he experienced at Castle Dracula that ultimately drove him insane.

ER!-What would you say has been your biggest writing challenge?

LP-Composition has always worked out all right for me; sooner or later, the right word or the right plot twist or the right bit of research came to me, and I could "make it all okay."  But getting published--that was dealing with strangers, people whose agenda was unknown to me, it was totally shooting in the dark.  I'll take full credit for composing my novel, but getting it published was simply good fortune. 

ER!-Is there anything out there that you'd like to do, but haven't yet been
given the opportunity?

LP-Quite a bit, actually, just like anyone else.

ER!-Is there a book that you've written, but we'll never see? Why?

LP-No.  Vampire Seductress is my first novel.  And I love it!

ER!-Why did you decide to publish in the electronic industry?

LP-I had no positive responses from the conventional print publishing industry, either with publishers directly or with literary agents, and in May 2000 my sister-in-law showed me an article about e-publishers, which I didn't even know existed.  Within three months I had a signed contract.  E-publishers--I believe--aren't as shackled by the "marketeers" as are conventional publishers.  E-publishers are more courageous. 

ER!-If you weren't a writer, what would you be doing?

LP-Ideally?  I'd be a riverboat pilot on the Mississippi.  Ever read "Down The Mississippi" by Mark Twain?  My father read that book to me when I was a boy.  I loved the "outdoorsiness" of it . . . but after a couple of trips down the River, I'd probably be writing about it!

ER!-Of all the characters you've written about, who would you say is most
like you? And why?

LP-Unwittingly, it's Simone.  I never realized during composition that Simone is the feminine--the Shirley Manson meets Pamela Anderson--side of myself!  YIKES! 

ER!-What's the non-writing world like for you? Is there a wife, a
girlfriend, slaves hidden in the basement? Children?

LP-I'll celebrate my 10th wedding anniversary this October--my wife keeps me on my toes.  My interests include architecture, art, history, astronomy, and I love to walk on the beaches of Lake Michigan. 

ER!-Many readers wonder what's going on in an author's head, and here's the
part where we find out<g>.
Describe yourself in one line:

LP-I am a dreamer, introspective, philosophical, hard-working, goal-driven, and terribly vulnerable to beauty.

ER!-(Finish this sentence) On a Saturday night you'll find me...

LP-Watching a period piece at home with my wife . . . or at a comfortable tavern, laughing with friends.

ER!-If I were a cartoon character I'd be...

LP-Johnny Quest.

ER!-If I could have one wish, I would wish...

LP-To strike the perfect balance between mind and body.

ER!-What kind of car do you drive?

LP-95 Nissan Sentra, soon to be replaced by a new Saturn, depending on my book sales!

ER!-What kind of car do you *want* to drive?

LP-Alfa Romeo would be very nice.  And I'd like to drive it through the Italian countryside often, too.

ER!-Answer the following questions as quickly as possible, but feel free to
expand on any of your answers (Hey, it's not a test).:
What's your favorite movie?

LP-Too many to choose from.  Serious love stories.  Like "Firelight" with Sophie Marceau.  Or "Wuthering Heights" with Ralph Fiennes.

ER!-Favorite song?

LP-Infinite possibilities.  How about "Volcano Girls" by Veruca Salt.  I sure wish Nina and Louise would make up and get back together again!

ER!-Favorite snack?

LP-None.  I smoke.

ER!-Favorite book?

LP-I can't narrow it down to one.  I'll offer "Anna Karenina" by Leo Tolstoy.  "Lucy Gayheart" by Willa Cather.  "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin.  "Dracula" by Bram Stoker. 

ER!-Typewriter or computer?

LP-Computer.

ER!-Soup or salad?

LP-Who cares?

ER!-Pre-planner or blind leap?

LP-I am a definite planner.  My mother had to endure induced labor; I suspect I was planning my eruption into the world!

ER!-Turkey burger or steak?

LP-STEAK.

ER!-Slacks or jeans?

LP-JEANS.

ER!-Boxers or briefs?

LP-BRIEFS.

ER!-Are blondes really more fun?

LP-I really couldn't say . . .

ER!-Have you ever held anyone hostage?

LP-Of course not.  Seduction is about wooing, not coercing.

ER!-If no, would you?

LP-Maybe.

ER!-Do you believe in love at first sight?

LP-Not per se, but I believe in an instant connection at first sight, from which love may or may not grow.

ER!-Are aliens real?

LP-Extraterrestrial intelligence has been neither proven nor disproven.

ER!-If you could vote members off of Gilligan's Island, who would get the
boot first?

LP-The Skipper!  He's the dork that got us into this jam in the first place!

ER!-If Godzilla and Superman got into a street fight (no weapons allowed),
who would win?

LP-Silly question.

ER!-What is your greatest fear?

LP-To be paralyzed.  Among others.

ER!-If you could be anyone (dead or alive) who would you be? And why?

LP-Hugh Hefner.  But just for one day (and night).  Think about it.

ER!-And finally (and you can take your time on this one:-)), what's next for
you? Your next book? Writing venture? Goal?

LP-I shall write a sequel to Vampire Seductress.  I want to write a "Winesburg, Ohio" type story for the 21st century.  And then another installment of Vampire Seductress.  And then something about 17th century Wisconsin history.  And one day I'd like to retrace the steps of Lewis & Clark--from St. Charles, MO all the way to the Pacific Ocean.  Except I don't wanna eat horses or dogs.

Remember to visit Lance's Website