Sarah Elliot began writing her own stories after being diagnosed with dyslexia at the age of ten, as a way of keeping up her skills. Her first novel, A Simple Wish, was published by Pegasus in November 2014. Now her second novel, and first in a new trilogy, is set to be released at the end of this month. Volf: Silver is a supernatual romance story set in a world of vampires and werewolves.

 1. How would you describe Volf: Silver, and who would you say is the target audience?

Volf: Silver is a book about learning to accept that no matter what you think you are there is someone out there who can understand you and will cherish and love those aspects of you. Ekata is a young girl who has always been told that she was worthless, unlovable, a dangerous creature who would destroy everything but here she discovers that she is far more than that and she has the right to make her own choices and make herself a better person because of it, as well as accept that there is love in the world for her, she just has to believe in herself and ultimately in the man who captures her heart. As for the target audience I would say that it was at the higher end of the teen market, boarding on the young adult phase of life where you begin to question who you are and what you are really meant to be in life. 

2. What first gave you the idea of combining a werewolf and vampire to make a volf, and for the book in general?

Truthfully the idea originally came from a vampire and werewolf film, though the title is long forgotten, and the inevitable battle between the two races had started because a werewolf had impregnated a vampire with a hybrid child. Unfortunately, at the time the concept wasn’t taken much further and as much as I disliked the movie, the idea struck a chord with me because it was so unusual and I started playing around with the concept. It took the better part of about three years before I finally settled on the title of Volf for the hybrid and by then I was using the two main characters in a roleplay with a friend of mine and the story bloomed from there. 

3. Volf: Silver is very different from your previous book, A Simple Wish. What made you want to write something so vastly different, and were you nervous or excited when you started? 

I’ve always liked trying out new styles and exploring the areas of literature that I really enjoy and the original draft of Volf was my first real attempt at writing in the supernatural sector. My dad introduced me to the concept of the Hammer House of Horror movies when I was young and would spend hours telling my all the plot lines and I loved all the classic tales and trip points for vampires and werewolves so it became a foundation for my thirst for writing my own supernatural works. It was a very fun experience to write something different and I was unsure at first but once I figured out what I wanted, and which tropes I was sticking to, it flowed along as it was meant to.

4. Can you let us know a little of what is to come with the rest of the Amethyst Trilogy? 

Lots of trickery, deception and don’t always trust your instincts on what you read about certain characters either. There are always many layers to every last character you read and some areas that will be exposed will hopefully surprise a lot of people. Otherwise there will be love, lots of love.

And puppies. 

5. What are some of your favourite books featuring werewolves and vampires?

The House of Night series by PC and Kristen Cast as I really adored the way that they changed the whole mythology of the vampire race and brought in some fascinating concepts that enthralled me. I also really liked the style of writing as it felt more like someone reflecting over their lives rather and how the new concepts were explained.

My favourite childhood vampire book came in the form of The Fangtastic Adventures of Dracula’s Dentures by Philip Hawthorn. It is one that has always made me smile because it was witty, bright and full of fun. Plus, I got my first real idea of vampires being able to have families from it too. 

6. How do you think Volf: Silver stands out against over young adult vampire/werewolf novels?

The main difference for me is that the story focuses purely on the supernatural community and there are no human characters within the books or those who are stated to be human only turn up very briefly or as minor characters. This was a deliberate choice by myself as whilst there have been many good tales about humans getting involved with the supernatural community I personally wanted something different and have always liked the focus to be more on creatures who are not human and have their own rules governing how they act and behave. There may be a couple of human characters in later books in this series but they’ll each have their own unique aspect to them that sets them apart from being mere humans. 

7. If you had to choose, would you rather be a werewolf or a vampire? Or a volf?

As much as I adore vampires, I would always choose to be a werewolf if I had the choice because I love nature and being outside and I’m also a people person and very close to my friends. I would want to be in a pack situation where I could expect to help look after the cubs and then get looked after by the alphas as I’m used to surrounding myself with people that I love and cherish to the ends of the earth.

Being a volf would be cool, though not when the Blood Moon strikes.  

8. What advice would you give to anyone diagnosed with dyslexia who would like to write more? 

Simply to keep on writing and trying because it takes time and patience to get the craft to really work for you and also do not be afraid to put your work out onto writing community websites as it can give you a real confidence boost when someone comments and says that they like your writing. Ignore flamers/trolls but accept constructive criticism when you receive it too. Also joining a creative writing course can be really beneficial because you will learn so much and make friends with other writers who may go into completely different areas to yourself but will always be there to back you up. Plus, you’ll get to learn about writing styles that you never knew existed – second person narrative for example is one that always sticks in my mind but I’ve never really written in since – and you get to find the aspects that make your writing unique to you and build upon it in a really great way.