Conversation with Vampire Author Wayne Mallows
Hello Wayne! It has certainly been a pleasure to work with you on your Blood of Whitechapel project for your new book, Whitechapel Road. I'd like to discuss more about your book and also learn more about you, as it seems that you have a very fascinating story yourself ~
Thanks so much for having me and wanting to do a feature on moi, so awesome!
I'd like to begin by asking how your now famous vampire character, Aremis, first come to be? Before the birth of the book that is --
Well, Aremis began his life a long time ago but never really had a name. I would have to guess that he became somewhat official in the early 1990's when I wanted to create a very realistic vampyre for a haunted house I was working on.
I found over the first couple of years that when people would interact with this newly created fellow they wanted to know so much about him that I had to actually sit down and figure out where he was actually from. You see, we never really discussed that much in the creation process.
So what I started, we then finished together.
Perhaps you may have heard some authors say, "the book essentially wrote itself", well this was definitely true of both Aremis and the main female character. What I had started they soon helped to co-create and thus they are most certainly believable characters.
There were actually times when I was struggling with the main female character
and the writing was going so slowly. It was at that time she quite literally told me, "its going so poorly dear fellow because I'm not like that which you are writing".
Now, Whitechapel Road is a story that is based upon how Aremis became a vampire, but you've also added a very interesting twist on a famous, albeit gruesome, part of history. Please tell us how you came about joining Aremis' story and Jack the Ripper historical data into a very unique tale all your own.
Initially, I had never intended to write a book at all, merely create a very unique vampyre for a haunted house. The whole idea of a book came one morning when I preparing to give a talk on creating a character for a group of drama students at a high school. As I wrote down some notes on how I built Aremis into being, I thought; 'this would actually make a great read'.
The idea for tying it in with Jack the Ripper came to me when I was thinking about how I could make a believable character that much more realistic. The answer was in linking him to historic events. The trick was then finding an event that was both well known and had within its historic identity a level of mystery and intrigue.
The Ripper Murders had all of that and all within a relatively small area of London England.
You've done extensive research on Jack the Ripper, haven't you? What have you found that leads you to the belief that it possibly could have been a deranged woman who was actually committing the murders?
Well now, extensive is all relative, isn't it? I spent months going over police reports, autopsy finding, eye witness accounts and the like, but there are others out there who have spent much of thier lives delving into every nook and cranny of the cases.
I liked the idea of a woman being the Ripper as it simply wasn't something that was entertained by police at the time.
During that time, the time of the Ripper Murders, women, especailly prostitutes, were very cautious about any male stranger they might encounter, but another female, dressed much at they were, I doubt they would think much of it at all.
Common clothing for a prostitute at that time would be dark in colour as is hid the dirt well. Washing clothing or even one's self was not a common occurence. Blood on black clothing would not be noticed and a woman seen walking the back streets of Whitechapel in the wee hours of the morning would not get a second glance by the police or any of the vigilanti groups that had sprung up to try and catch this mad-'man'.
Do you see there possibly being more Aremis themed novels in the future? If so, any ideas as to where Aremis may travel next? Any more famous encounters with historical events or people?
There will be two more books with Aremis in them, beyond that I can not say for sure. There is nothing worse for a character than to take a prolonged trail into bordom amongst the readers. I'll just have to see what the future holds and what Aremis himself has to say about it when the time comes.
The next book will move forward in time to somewhere near present day where science and police technologies are far superior to that of 1888 and yet despite these improvements they find themselves face to face with the same issue that stumped their ancestors some 120+ years earlier.
Should be jolly good fun, wouldn't you agree?
I read in your biography that you're also involved in special effects makeup -- How cool! What all have you done and what projects have you been involved with?
I've been out of that now about 8 years. The last "official" project I worked on was for a Film Festival creation called Blood Bank. I was originally called in as a "vampyre expert" so to lend my thoughts on what a vampyre bite would look like and so on. This quickly evolved into having me actually doing the nasty make-up for the film.
Most recently I've been involved at Cedar Fair's theme park, Canada's Wonderland working with them to create two very real and very frightening vampyres. That was a lot of fun and I enjoyed it very much. In addition to that, as I mentioned earlier, I do work with students to give them their first real look at theatrical special effects make-up as well as what it takes to make a believable character.
I will be speaking at the Canadian Haunters Convention May 9th-11th on that very topic, creating a memorable character for your home haunt.
I'm very interested in learning more about your haunted Victorian B&B! Do you know who your resident ghost(s) may be?
Well then, you'll just have to come and stay here with us some weekend and experience it for yourself first hand.
It was built in 1872, (a few years before the Ripper Murders) by the Bampfield family and remained in the Bampfield family up to 1969, just amazing. James Bampfield built this, the second family home, for his wife Margaret so to be closer to his work and the church. Although built in Victorian times it was built in Gothic Revival Architecture with tall pointed windows, heavy gables with large gingerbreading and a tower with wrought iron roof irons.
As to the spirits that reside here I refer to the place as being wonderfully haunted and what I mean by that is this; unless you're very gifted you would be hard pressed to notice anything amiss here. I have been told that the spirits that live here with us are very much at peace with their death and simply enjoy being at the place they built and lived in.
From what we've been able to get thus far there are a number of spirits that come and go at our home. Now it's difficult to figure out who they all are as they all had the same names. They were all John's or James. Margaret's and Anne's Bampfield
So we tend to lean toward thinking of them at the first ones, James and Margaret.
They don't bother us at all but on occasion we do here footsteps and doors opening and closing when we know there is no one home but us.
We had a paranormal investigation team come to the house in September and stay with us for about ten hours. They managed to get some wonderful footage of orbes that would respond to requests made of them along with unbelievable audio recordings.
The mediums that accompanied them told us much about the history of the place and acted as spokes person for the spirits.
It was quite and incredible evening.
How do your guests react to knowing that your B&B is haunted? Maybe it's the haunting that lures guests in?
Guests are funny about it. Some love it and others do not. I've yet to have a guest come and tell me they have to leave or that they had a dreadful nights sleep.
Our web site says nothing about it being haunted because we don't wish to scare off people by having them thnking they're going to be staying at a place where the bed floats and the taps turn on and off by themselves, its just not that sort of a place. We will have another web site some time this summer whereby if someone is actuall looking for a haunted place to stay in Niagara Falls Ontario, they will find us, while the rest of the people will simply find our regular web site.
www.blythewoodmanor.com
Another interesting fact about you is that you actually drive around in a hearse! How did that come about? I bet you turn a lot of heads, especially when perhaps dressed as Aremis!
I have loved funeral coaches ever since I was a kid. I was big into Halloween, go figure. I always thought that you would need a special license to drive or even purchase one so I never bothered to look into it. It wasn't until about 2002 when a friend contacted me about having seen a hearse on a police lot and that I should go look at it. Long story short, they got the car as donation and didn't want it so after a brief interview they gave it to me, WOW! It was a 1981 Cadillac Superior Hearse, and it was in rough shape. I spent some money on it and fixed it up and I drove that until 2006 when it just rusted out and was having all sorts of other issues. After that I found a 1979 Cadillac S&S in Cincinatti which I bought. That is the one you have on the web site with the bats on it. That turns some heads. We don't have to go very far in that car before the cameras are out. It doesn't matter if we're stopped, it parked, or at speed on the highway, flashes are going off.
I also own a 1965 Cadillac S&S Victoria that is black and pretty much in original condition. I picked that one up on ebay in 2008 from Wisconsin, that was a steal!
It also turns heads but because it looks like its still in service it doesn't create the stir the silver one does.
When my girlfriend and I would go to work at Canada's Wonderland we would take the 79 with the bats on it and be already dressed to work, as vampyres, and I can assure you, having two vampyres arriving at the biggest haunted attraction in Ontario in a hot rod funeral coach simply blew peoples minds. Everyone from security to fellow actors to the paying customer were more than a little apprehensive upon our arrival at the main gates.
Alright Wayne, here's the fun question I have to ask -- What is the most shocking fact about you that would really surprise your fans?
I sleep in a coffin....
Bet your eyes popped just then! lol
I don't know, there's so much that would probably surprise the fans.
I'm a romantic guy, I really don't like going to the carnival-style haunted houses, (real ones are ok though), I'm a nervous passenger, I hate to fly, I have a 6th sense seems to be getting better with my age, I don't drink alcohol, I don't smoke, I was picked on something horrible as a child and teen and in part, it was due to the isolation I felt that I began to create the vampyre in order to have someone to identify with being so alone and so shunned.
I hate brussel sprouts.
Do you have any other interesting little hobbies that you enjoy, besides creating and writing about vampires, running a haunted B&B, driving hearses, doing theatrical makeup -- what else could there be?!
I was going to say... How much more could there be?
I ride a motorcycle an have been a licensed motorcycle mechanic for years now. I taught a number of night school courses back in the late 90's that made motorcycle mechanics easier to understand for those who wanted to know how their ride actually worked.
I haven't been out on my bike for a couple of years though, just too much going on.
Are there any upcoming events that you'll be attending where fans can meet you in person?
Yes, the simplest way is to go to my web site: www.waynemallows.com there they will find all the shows and events I will be be at this year. It will be updated whenever there is another event added.
Also, where can people visit you online (besides see your feature on Wick'd Reads, wink, wink!)?
www.waynemallows.com is my own website. I'm also on facebook at:www.facebook.com/home.php#!/group.php?gid=326999426767&ref=ts
Thank you very much Wayne for telling us all more about you and your intriguing new book, Whitechapel Road. I wish you much success with your book and also with all of your other very fun projects!
Thanks so much for your time and all your work both on the web stuff and the Wick'd candle you made for me. I have it sitting on the mantle in the living room right beside a copy of the book. I'm sure you'll be involved in future endevours.
I hope you get some time to come and visit with us soon, be awesome to have you here for a day or two.
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