Q&A With Beverley Lee & Keith Anthony Baird 

Mickey Mikkelson connected me with two authors once again for a Q&A! One is Beverley Lee and the other is an author who I did do a Q&A with last year Keith Anthony Baird which you can read by clicking this link here https://booknotions.com/qa-with-keith-anthony-baird/ . Beverley & Keith wrote a vampire novel titled A Light of Little Radiance. 

Q: Keith & Beverley, would you both please give a brief description of A Light of Little Radiance? Where did the idea for the novel come from?

A: Keith: The book charts the rise of what is deemed a new form of evil at a time when witch hunts are rife throughout many European lands. A band of roaming vampires falls foul of a legendary witch hunter and a game of cat and mouse ensues until both sides suffer heavy losses, and the endgame becomes one of brutal revenge. The title is a reference to moonlight, the light by which they must travel in the world of mere mortals.

I came up with the concept of a group of traveling vampires who’d be a troupe of entertainers down through the ages. Attending pageants, festivals, and galas, they’d feed off unsuspecting citizens by using their power to charm and trick their victims. But I also wanted a different kind of original story for how vampires were brought into existence, so chose an element of cosmic horror to bring about Selina’s (the MC) transformation. 

Beverley: The idea for this story came about three years ago, so it’s had a long gestation. As fate would have it, we’re releasing it in a year where vampires are seeing a comeback (although for me they never go out of fashion).

Q: How did the two of you meet and what made you both want to write a novel together?

A: Keith: I put an anthology together in 2020 featuring British authors and Beverley was one of those who submitted a short story. It was clear to me then she was a dynamic writing force. From that point on we both had various other writing commitments but when the time was right to collaborate we wrote Radiance as a back-burner project. As to why we wanted to write together: I think perhaps fundamentally we knew we’d be a good fit for one another, and the level of respect for each other’s capabilities was there. And besides, Bev LOVES vampires, so…

Beverley: I think we both were up for a challenge, too. At that point neither of us had collaborated with another author before, and this was a way to hone our writing skills in a new direction.

Q: Would you two ever write together again & what advice would you give to other people wanting to write a novel with someone else whether it would be a friend, a family member or a spouse?

A: Keith: I think when we completed Radiance, we left that door well and truly open. The ending certainly leaves scope for further exploration of Selina Dragavei. Who knows what the future will bring but I’d say we’re both open to it. As for advice re: collaborating – be sure your writing styles are a good fit – be sure you’re on the same page but flexible too. I’m not sure family/friends/partners are a good idea when it comes to having a collaborator. What if you fall out in your private life? Could you still write together? I doubt it. Or indeed, vice versa. I’d say you’re better off if you’re both authors who have mutual respect. But of course, author pals can have successful collaborations. I just wonder about blurred boundaries and whether that can affect the process and/or outcome.

Beverley: I agree with all Keith said above. Trust is incredibly important too when collaborating. You must trust your partner to take the reins when you’ve finished your chapter so that the story can advance. We didn’t really plot this novella, it just happened organically, and there’s a certain measure of needing to let go of the control you normally have in a solo project — which is both extremely freeing and a little scary. 

Q: Would you both like to talk about what books you are writing both solo and together now?

A: Keith: I’m currently writing the first of a planned trilogy which is an alien invasion/post-apocalyptic story titled Wind Rust. Essentially humanity’s fight for survival against an overwhelming invader. I’m currently buried in a lot of research now. It has a broad scope, so the world-building is quite vast!

Beverley: I’m working on the first draft of a standalone folk horror with a historical element, code named Birds. Like most of my books it contains secrets from the past, and wrongdoings that ripple through to the present.

I’m also in the final nit-picky edit stage of A Conclave of Crimson Book Three, a vampire horror romance trilogy I penned with another author, Nicole Eigener, due for release next spring.

Q: If A Light of Little Radiance were to become a movie or a miniseries, who would be your dream cast to play the characters you created?

A: Keith: That’s a tough question. There are so many talented actors who could fill the shoes of these characters. To narrow the scope of the query, I’ll single out just two characters – Selina and her protagonist, witch hunter Desider von Brandenburg. I think she would be portrayed very well by Elena Satine and Gary Oldman would bring the gravitas and intensity to the role of Desider, albeit the actor is older than the character in the book (it wouldn’t be a problem though, as Hollywood could work its visual magic and erase some of those wrinkle lines). 

Beverley: Gosh, this one is hard… I’d say Margot Robbie for Lillai, Kit Harrington for Merivel (although he’d have to go blond!), Nicholas Hoult as Doval, Liam Cunningham as Barsali, Christian Convery as Morpus, and Aria Goodson as Săraca. They’ll have to hurry up with the filming though, as Christian and Aria don’t have the immortal gene of never growing up!

Q: What lessons & emotions do you hope readers learn and feel after reading A Light of Little Radiance?

A: Keith: I guess for my mind no one should suffer persecution of any kind. Had Selina not been forced to the outer fringes of civilization due to the punishment of her kind (Roma) then her and her vampire kin never would have existed. I guess if there’s a subliminal undertow to the story then, for me, it’s you’ll reap what you sow. 

Beverley: That there are always two sides to a story, that oppression can take many forms, and never to wander into an ancient ruin in the depths of a forest in the middle of the night…