Response to comment #7

Hello, Cris!

Yes, the heroine's name is Italian! Her father was a mariner who came from Italy to Florida with the New Smyrna colony settlers. Many of those settlers escaped from the colony and took refuge in St. Augustine. He married a Menorcan woman, so Cesca is Italian and Menorcan.

I got the original idea for the character from seeing a peanut butter commerical on TV. I misheard a line of dialogue - I heard "Princess Vampire" - and laughed. Right away, I knew Cesca wasn't a "normal" vampire.

I played with which vampire traits to keep for Cesca and which I'd discard, and built her story world so that she could move freely among humans. Once I knew she was a part day-walker, I knew that's how she got into trouble with the head vampire. That's also when she insisted that she should learn how to surf.

Cris, I hope I've answered your excellent questions! Thank you for your compliments, and for visiting me here today!

Nancy Haddock