Imagine a combination of Twilight, Queen of the Damned and an episode of CSI, and you might get the gist of the Maker’s Song book series. This Twilight-on-steroids story features a vampire who can resist the urge to kill long enough to have sex with a human and, as a rock star, has enough charm to seduce a human FBI agent who is investigating him for a series of murders.
Adrian Phoenix, who writes mostly dark fantasy stories, began working on the Maker’s Song series in 2005. Phoenix was sure that A Rush of Wings, the first book in the series, wouldn’t be the only book featuring this cast of characters.
“I knew when I started the book that one book wouldn’t be enough to tell Dante’s story,” Phoenix said.
The vampiric “nightkind” character Dante Baptiste is the lead singer of the heavy-metal band Inferno. Heather Wallace, a human FBI agent, finds herself in love with the vampire, leading to her choice to mysteriously abandon the corrupt government she was working for and run away with Dante.
“The feelings [in Dante and Heather’s relationship] work the same as they do in any relationship,” Phoenix said, “but she has to come to terms with the fact that the man she cares about isn’t human.”
Not an easy feat—just ask Bella. But unlike other vampires, Dante was born of the “nightkind,” which means he can resist the urge to kill much more than others since he has dealt with it for most of his life. Dante in fact isn’t the serial killer that the FBI is looking for, but he does have some dark secrets of his own.
Dante’s secret is that he is the “creawdwr” that supernatural creatures and mortals have been trying to find for the past few thousands of years. His secret identity links him to a past that if exposed, would cause some serious trouble for the vampire and his lady friend Heather.
The story is set in New Orleans but also has some ties to Oregon where Dante’s secret past takes place. Phoenix, who currently resides in Oregon, has always had an attraction to New Orleans and thought it was an ideal setting for a vampire story.
“It’s a city I always have felt like I’ve known as a kid. I always read a lot about it, and when I finally visited it, it felt like home to me, even though I’d never been there before,” Phoenix said.
Phoenix will be appearing at Powell’s Books on Wednesday to talk about the third installment of the Maker’s Song series, Beneath the Skin. The third book, which came out in December, will not be the last of the series, as a fourth novel will be coming out at the end of 2010.
And rumor has it that Disney wants to buy the rights to the series to make a movie.
“Right now my agent and people are in contact with Disney,” Phoenix said. “Hopefully there will be something official soon, but right now it’s just a rumor.”