We chat with debut author Maria Tureaud about The Last Hope in Hopetown, which follows one girl’s dilemma over the decision to save her vampire parents or do what’s right for the greater good.
Hi, Maria! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Of course! Thank you so much for having me, and hello readers! I’m Maria Tureaud, author of The Last Hope in Hopetown—a spooky Middle Grade read that could be described as Stranger Things…but make it vampires. I’m also an immigrant living in the USA, and am originally from the beautiful County of Clare located on the west coast of Ireland.
When did you first discover your love for writing?
I honestly can’t remember. I know I enjoyed creative writing in primary school (elementary school in the USA)…so much so that I sometimes created fictional stories instead of writing what I actually did over the weekend, ha! So, I suppose that love was always there.
Quick lightning round! Tell us the first book you ever remember reading, the one that made you want to become an author, and one that you can’t stop thinking about!
Oh my God…okay…first book I remember reading: What Katy Did by Sarah Chauncey Woolsey. The book that made me want to become an author: The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory. The book I can’t stop thinking about: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas.
Your debut middle grade novel, The Last Hope in Hopetown, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Exciting Mystery Exploring Family & Friendship…I cheated with the ampersand, but I won’t tell if you won’t!
What can readers expect?
It’s a story full of heart, family, and friendship. I hope (excuse the hopetown pun) readers will find relatable characters and a page-turning story they can devour while wondering what they would do if they were in Sophie and Delphine’s situation.
Where did the inspiration for The Last Hope in Hopetown come from?
It came from so many places, but to narrow it down, while rewatching Interview With a Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles during the first few weeks of lockdown in 2020, I wondered if 1) vampires could contract Covid-19…or viruses in general, and 2) how the child vampire in Interview With a Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles, Claudia, might interact with a modern world if vampires were “out of the coffin” (to quote True Blood) and living side-by-side with humans. With those seeds planted, The Last Hope in Hopetown sprouted.
Can you tell us a bit about the challenges you faced while writing and how you were able to overcome them?
The story itself came easy (which is unusual), but the greatest challenge for me was Delphine’s character—our human protagonist’s best friend…who happens to be a 300-year-old vampire stuck in the body of a twelve-year-old. I’ve never been a fan of immortal beings interacting or befriending humans who look the same age as themselves. For one thing, there’s nothing a pre-teen or teen human can offer an immortal being on an intellectual level given their years of living and experience. I mean, you just need to look at the gulf between the different generations (Boomers, Gen X, Xennials, Millennials, Gen Z etc.) to realize there’s no way a centuries-old vampire or other being would have anything in common/learn something/”is different” with/from someone centuries younger than them. I envision arguments over who’s the better artist—Mozart or Stray Kids—followed by “back in my day” explosions. So, to counteract that, I had to get very creative with the worldbuilding. Instead of a jaded, centuries-old adult stuck in a child’s body…what if child vampires were “stuck” at the age in which they were turned? This meant Delphine could be immature (though, her archaic vocabulary would make her sound more adult…but that’s just how children spoke 300 years ago). It also meant she could be impatient, upset, an ally, and a true friend to our protagonist, Sophie. Yes she’s old, but because her years in the world of Hopetown haven’t matured her, she’s still a scared kid.
Were there any favourite moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
As an author, I loved exploring the plot in the final third of the book. I can’t say much because of spoilers…but it isn’t often the writer—who is supposed to drive the story—finds their heart beating in their chest alongside their characters. It’s a page-turning sequence that will keep young readers guessing. As for characters, I truly enjoyed writing the Duke—Sophie’s 1200-year-old vampire mom who was once a viking shield maiden. She’s the little piece of “me” that I left in the book (am I also a 1200-year-old vampire? I’ll never tell).
What was the road to becoming a published author like for you?
Hard and harrowing. I began writing in earnest at the age of fifteen, and finally saw a book of my heart published just four days shy of my thirty-eighth birthday. It’s been a long road, with many books written and more than a thousand rejections under my belt. At first, the writing wasn’t quite there, but then when it was “there,” I wasn’t writing the kinds of books that the publishing world wanted to buy at that moment in time. I wish I could say that my journey to this point was unusual, but it wasn’t and isn’t. You only ever hear about the “unicorn” stories where some write a book, land a literary agent, and then get a book deal all within a year. Or the stories that tout “this book got ten whole rejections, so don’t give up.” This can all sound very normal to readers, but authors know better. We call the process of trying to land a literary agent “the query trenches” for a reason. You need an iron will to break into this industry. It’s not easy, but it’s not impossible either. One day you’ll write the book that everyone is looking for on that particular day or week (that’s exactly what happened with The Last Hope in Hopetown). The silver lining to my journey is that I’ve written many books across major age categories—middle grade, young adult, and adult—so hopefully I can do something with those in the future. And, of course, readers everywhere can now join Sophie as she fights against evil forces to save her friends and family.
What’s next for you?
Publishing is tight-lipped about “next” when things haven’t been announced, ha! However, I’d love to continue the story portrayed in The Last Hope in Hopetown. There are threads that could lead to a trilogy (even though the story is wrapped-up), but the chance to write more Hopetown books depends on whether enough people love and buy The Last Hope in Hopetown.
Lastly, what have been some of your favourite 2022 reads? Any 2023 releases our readers should look out for?
There are so many! Grounded For All Eternity by Darcy Marks, and Shad Hadid and the Alchemists of Alexandria by George Jreije are two of my favorite already-released 2022 MG books. But my most anticipated MG read of 2022 releases November 8th—Sir Callie and the Champions of Helston by Esme Symes-Smith. For 2023, I’m really excited for The Witch of Tin Mountain by Paulette Kennedy, Monstrous by Jessica Lewis, Bianca Torre is Afraid of Everything by Justine Pucella-Winans and And Other Mistakes by Erika Turner.
