Meet Adrian - The Bloodlines Teaser Cast

Q. Were you familiar with Vampire Academy or Richelle Mead’s work when you got the role?

I had heard of the Vampire Academy series as I have a few friends who read it. When I got the role it was great to have them around, as they helped me get familiar with the character.

Q. Were you excited to take on the role?

Very excited!!! Especially as Adrian as he has the lines and is a pretty cool guy..

Q. What did you think of your character? What was your favourite part about getting to play them?

Adrian sounded like he has such fun qualities about him, which meant I could really play and have a fun with him. He does have a sad story though from Last Sacrifice but honestly, the party side of him, getting to play that excited me. Just a great character to play.

Q. Was it daunting stepping into a character that so many fans have such strong opinions about?

It really was. A character will have a description but the readers will all put their own ideas in too and there is really no changing that. That's the scary part, trying to make everyone happy.

Q. Were you expecting the strong fan reaction that you’ve seen so far?

I wasn't but it was great to see it. Even though some weren’t my biggest fans, I still am awed by their passion for the VA world. I was reading through their reactions on the site the days leading up to shooting, which may or may not have been a good idea!

Q. What was it like meeting the other cast members?

Awesome! Daisy, who plays Sydney trained as a figure skater at the same rink I trained at and we didn't realise until half way through the day. We all had so much fun together.

Q. Did you have a good day filming? Any fun anecdotes?

It was a really fantastic day! Trying to get the contacts in was difficult and took a few attempts and then for the rest of the day Daisy (Sydney), Kate (Jill) and I were laughing about the blurriness of the world. It was probably good for me as Adrian tends to be drinking and/or hung over a lot and this helped me get into character.

The fun part was trying to get the car into the studio for shooting at the end of the day. Daisy and I had one last scene to do and I spent a lot of time annoying her with my excellent singing – I think she really appreciated my version of Whip My Hair.  

Q. Did you read Bloodlines? Enjoy it?

I have read the first couple of chapters of Bloodlines but I want to go back and read the beginning of the Vampire Academy series and then get back Bloodlines.

Q. Any messages to the fans ahead of your trailers release?

Hope you have as much fun watching it as we did shooting it!

Meet Dimitri - The Bloodlines Teaser Cast

Meet Aris Parente, 23, who stepped into the most hotly debated role of the entire VA series. For legions of fans Dimitri was the ultimate hero and Aris' talks pressure, fans reactions and why he wants the world to know he isn't old!

Q. Were you familiar with Vampire Academy or Richelle Mead's work when you got the role?

Yes I was quite familiar with the hit book series. The story is very creative and Richelle Mead has done a brilliant job in keeping her fans on edge.

Q. Were you excited to take on the role?

I was thrilled at the fact that I'd been chosen to represent one of the most popular characters in the book series.

Q. What did you think of your character? What was your favourite part about getting to play them?

I feel sorry for Dimitri because I know what he's been through. We've all been through dark times in our lives. But the fact that he eventually finds a way through that pain and comes out on top is so inspiring. I also love that no matter how calm and collected he appears, everyone knows how hardcore he is.

Q. Was it daunting stepping into a character that so many fans have such strong opinions about?

The fan base is enormous, so I knew what I was up for. As an actor, I do my very best to focus on the role in front of me and not on the reaction surrounding it. Unfortunately there was some negative response but I respect the fans and all those who are so passionate about the series. I might not be their favourite perfect choice but I hope they understand the desire I bought to the role, in wanting to capture the best Dimitri I could on the day.

Q. Were you expecting the strong fan reaction that you've seen so far?

The sheer amount of forums, websites, blogs, facebook groups, clubs that are fans of the series had pleasantly surprised me and every single one of those sites and pages had an opinion about me. I've stayed positive about the comments made on the fan sites, often having a laugh. For instance, many fans think I look over 30, but I'm actually 23 which is younger than Dimitri in the books. Looks like I'm not using enough sunscreen!

Q. What was it like meeting the other cast members?

I was very eager to meet everyone. When I did, I knew I was in the right place with the right people. Everyone maintained positive energy, which I thrived off. The ensemble couldn't have been better!

Q. Did you have a good day filming? Any fun anecdotes?

We all had a great time. We put in a lot of concentration and energy to get it right. I know Paris and I were nervous about getting our connection and chemistry right.  

Q. Did you read Bloodlines? Enjoy it?

Penguin kept the manuscript pretty locked up so I didn't get a chance. A few of my other cast mates did as more of their lines came from the book. I did spend some of the shoot trying to sneak a peek at the pages and the glimpse I caught, sounded pretty amazing.

Q. Any messages to the fans ahead of your trailers release?
Don't judge me! All in all I just want everyone to know that I worked hard to become Dimitri for those trailers and I hope people who don't like my performance can enjoy the other aspects such as the Bloodlines teasers. They are only trailers, so sit back, relax, and enjoy!

Pre-Arrival Madness

Richelle is going to be touring Australia this September, so for all the behind the scenes action include exclusive coverage of events, signings, and reports from the VA Australia team who will tour with Richelle, sign up to receive our weekly newsletter – vampireacademy@au.penguingroup.com

Pre-Arrival Madness

Hey Everyone,

Felicity here at headquarters writing the first pre-tour report, letting you know all the behind scenes work that's going into bringing Richelle here. This week has been CRAZY with the book release and it was good to hear from so many of you about the book. I read it a few weeks ago (lucky me!) and couldn't wait for everyone to catch up in the series. I won't talk too much about what happens, because there are lots of people still reading it and I would hate to spoiler-bomb people.

I'm madly running around booking Richelle's hotel and flight accommodation and organising all her events including the VA Tour After Party. Sharlene from our team, went to the venue this week and it's AWESOME! Seriously, if you're coming – you are going to LOVE IT. The posters that are going in the show bags have just come back from the printer and they look amazing.

I'm busy chatting with reporters and journalists about Richelle at the moment, and making sure your favourite radio programs, TV shows and newspapers cover Richelle's visit.

In amongst all that, I'm still working on some competitions and website stuff – including get the polls fixed. Kelly, our awesome web guru who designed this site has been a gem at helping me fix some weird computer technical stuff – big clap for Kelly.

That's all from VA Australia HQ. Don't be a stranger, we love hearing from you and in coming weeks, I hope to be able to post some reports from you.

VA Represent!
Felicity

PS Book Club will be back in mid-October and of course, we will be reading, analysing, discussing, weeping over Blood Promise. Hope Kim S is ready!

Richelle Rules the World

Hey Everyone,

Felicity again reporting from the front line of Richelle's tour preparation and we are counting down the days! In awesome news, the Top Ten book chart was released today and after only four days of sales, Blood Promise was at No. 3! Fantastic work Aussie readers, fingers crossed next week for No. 1.

If you've been following Richelle's blog you'll see how packed her events have been in the USA and what an amazing tour it's been so far, hopefully we can give her the same love here.

Just ordered the wristbands for the VA Tour After Party, and we've got them into colour groups – one for every cover so far – so red, blue, purple and green. You'll get those on arrival to the party.

For those who've read Blood Promise, my mind has been mulling over the final pages – what happened, what I want to happen and what I think will happen? So many theories, so little time.

I've confirmed some more media interviews for Richelle including some TV appearances, so if you can't make her events – you'll be able to see her on your TV screen at least.

That's all for this week, I'll be back next Friday with hopefully some awesome chart news and also the latest news on the tour.

Felicity

The Arrival

From the desk of VA HQ – guess what arrived Friday afternoon? Why molnija press-on tattoos that everyone who attend a signing or event will get! How cool are they? And while I feel a little bit of fraud for not earning them the way Rose has, it's not going to stop me.

As you'll know from Richelle's blog, she arrived in Australia yesterday Sunday and I guess, the tour diary will almost be an alternate version to her blog – the author and the publicist, you'll get to see both sides of the story.

I picked up Richelle from the airport yesterday and almost died when the very nice and lovely LolCatz, walked out from customs doors alone. WHAT? Where is my author? How will I explain to all the fans, that she's didn't get past security? Visions of angry fans with stakes chasing me down the street evaporated when moments later she followed, after a small issue with plane pretzels on Australia soil. Australian's know how tough our Border Security is, now Richelle does too.

Today the schedule has already changed and we've thrown in a photo shot at Fed Square, so Melbourne MX readers check your afternoon paper for a glimpse of Richelle. I'll back tomorrow with more behind the scenes goss and reports for the first event, and some radio interviews for later today.

Melbourne listeners, tune into Nova 100.3FM Hughesy & Kate around 8.30am to hear Richelle, and don't forget to call in with questions or comments.

Tour Diary

Phew! Well for those that follow Richelle's blog you'll know how crazy the tour was and while the plan to blog everyday was a good one, my ability to be informative and entertaining after days which ran around 20 hours, was zero! However, a retrospective Diary is almost as good.

Brisbane was a world wind day which involved arriving early in the morning, my stamping my foot publicist style to get my author the correct room – an unnamed Brisbane hotel receptionist probably doesn't like me very much right now. A lunchtime signing with the superstars at A&R Post Office Square, where an abundance of men stood in line for their girlfriends, wives, daughters, sisters, friends and basically gave the Aussie men a good international reputation.

Sydney's first day was a biggie, very early flight and then straight to Kerri-Anne. After that more glam photo shoots in odd places and then Dymocks Penrith signing in the evening. It was a MASSIVE event – check out the signing queue in the videos section. Richelle signed until the very end – 3.5 hours later!

Friday was joy of joy, a tiny bit of a sleep in. We did finish signing posters at Penguin Sydney offices and then meet Jessie and her crew (VA Represent) and headed off in our mini-bus to the Galaxy books signing where many of you were interviewed by Jessie for our soon to premiered VA Roving Reporter series. Jessie and Richelle then sat down for an in-depth interview with a crowd of people watching, instructing and basically being back seat interviewers. A quick Borders signing and then it was VA Tour After Party time!

The Party was basically AWESOME! It was fantastic to meet so many people I've been talking with – hey Kim Steel – and also see such keen VA fans. Your support on the night was fantastic and we learnt so much about what worked and what could work better so for future events, we can plan even more extravaganzas! There will definitely be an awesome video premiering soon from the party.

And then it was over. Saturday came and I put Richelle and LolCatz back on the plane and headed to home. Thanks to everyone who came out to support Richelle's events both from local suburbs and from interstate and even overseas – YAY New Zealanders. For those that missed out, we hear you loud and clear about the cities we missed and hopefully we can accommodate more places in the future.

Next week Book Club returns and of course, of course we are going to read Blood Promise. On Friday 9 October, we'll set the sections we're reading and dates to read by so don't fret if you haven't started or finished, you've still got plenty of time.

Vampire Academy Live Twitter Q&A

Hi everybody! Here to answer as many of your questions as I can! – Richelle

queen_of_kawaii: For Richelle: Dimka or Adrian? Lol
- Aw, I can't answer that! You tell me. :)

monicat4: What does the title "Blood Promise" mean?
- Blood Promise refers to the promise Rose made to herself to save Dimitri. The 'blood' part is because it's... well, kind of bloody.

ChristiWhitney: Enjoyed your panel at Dragon*Con. Could you elaborate on your 1st book publishing experience & how long it took?
- I was very lucky! My book sold within a week of going on the market - very rare!

OrovilleCaGurl: Hi Richelle! I hope the book tour is well. My question is: Is there any hope for Adrian and Rose...at all?
- The tour is great! As for your question... well, there's always hope for everyone. That's about all I can say. Sorry!

Michrm: Is there any particular character you relate more to in VA?
- I have to relate to Rose more just because she's my narrator - I'm in her head all the time, so we're pretty close :)

azamora1: Will Dimitri's family show up again in the next books?
- Yes... but I can't say when or where! :)

beeswax84: Hi Richelle, huge fan from India! Love VA! I have a hard time getting into the "mood" to write - any tips?!
- Don't over think it--you'll stress and make it worse. Relax, do something else, and eventually the muse will return.

TezMillerOz: Glad to have you here! Did your Comparative Religion studies assist with world-building the Georgina 'verse?
- A little bit. My degree was actually in Roman religion, so the succubus info was just stuff I'd read elsewhere for fun.

Zoiku: Who was your first love?
- Oh, it's a long story, from a long time ago...

ChristiWhitney: You mentioned you went the slush pile route. Did your manuscript sit a long time?
- It didn't sit anywhere for a long time--but it didn't always get accepted either. All in all, my process went pretty quickly

S_Adams_: When is the next book due out... I'm greedy & you REALLY left us hanging at the end of this one! :) Best book yet!
- Spirit Bound will be out May 18 (May 19 in Australia probably).

OrovilleCaGurl: Another question sorry. How many books total in the series or do you not know yet?
- There will be six about Rose total, and then I'll do another six about different characters.

Michrm: Have you decided on how many books will be in the VA series?
- There will be six about Rose total, and then I'll do another six about different characters.

Dessessopsid: What would Rose's favourite memory of Siberia be?
- Probably just meeting Dimitri's family and learning about his past - it made her feel closer to him.

cgc213: Any tips on how to get your work out there? How to get it in front of agents and publishers?
- Ah... that's a long explanation! Go the FAQ of www.richellemead.com and find the question re: publishing. There's a good link there.

Shealynn: Hey Richelle! LOVE YOUR SERIES!!! How did you come up with the different races of vampires?
- The Moroi and Strigoi are two races of vampires from Romanian mythology. I ended up taking that story and building up from it.

potatocake76: Would you like to see the series hit the big (or small i.e. TV or web) screen?
- I would love to see the VA series on TV or film! Fingers crossed a film company wants to do it - all I can do is wait.

Zoiku: What made you write books instead of something else?
- It was just something I always wanted since I was small. I think people who read a lot of books start creating their own stories

Faux1313: Hi Richelle, I love you. :) What can you tell us about Spirit Bound?
- It's action-packed! Lots of illegal activity and explosions. No joke.

BelAlarcon: I love your books so much! If a Strigoi is a dead vampire, and if Lisa heals one, would that Strigoi become a Moroi?
- That is a good question! Sounds like one you might have to keep reading to find out...

Michrm: Are you interested in writing other genres?
- I am, but I have a feeling I'll be in this one for a loooong time.

LunaVine: Hello! Do you ever get really inspired to write when you can't? (btw, saw your pea coat on LJ, I got the same one!)
- When you have deadlines, you sometimes can't wait for inspiration. You do what you can and hope the editor catches it if it's bad

Upshot: Hi Richelle. How are you liking Australia? (I hope that you're not going to kill Adrian!)
- Australia's been great so far, but I haven't seen much of it yet. Everyone's really nice

queen_of_kawaii: What inspired you to write about VA?
- I wanted to write something for teens, and since I'd already done demons & fairies, I thought vampires would be fun to try.

Zoiku: Where were you born?
- Michigan, in the U.S.

S_Adams_: How do you pronounce Moroi & Strigoi?
- Well... I can't really explain in writing. muh-ROY and struh-GOY, I think. But I don't speak Romanian, so I could be wrong.

Barnabiii: When did you decide to become a writer? Btw love the series :)
- I wanted to be one when I was very young, but it wasn't until about 5 years ago that I sat down and finished something

TezMillerOz: How did you meet your WA author buddies, and thus formed Team Seattle?
- We met at local events: signings, conferences... everyone shows up there eventually

S_Adams_: I loved the introduction of the alchemists in this book, such a great addition... will we see more of them?
- Yes, definitely...in the next book, even

ChristiWhitney: What was the most challenging thing about writing in first person for VA?
- Actually, it wasn't so challenging. I started the book in 3rd, and THAT was hard. 1st was much easier. :)

cgc213: What has been the most stressful part about writing? Have you ever thrown your hands up and said no more?
- Editing is the most stressful part, but it's part of the job. I've never wanted to give up - all jobs have hard days. :)

Faux1313: What kind of bread did Dimitri's mom give Rose?
- I don't have the name handy, but it is an actual type of Russian bread. The info's at home, back in the northern hemisphere.

Barnabiii: Hey Richelle, just wanted to know if you think that the VA series will be made into a film?
- It'll be made into a film if a film company contacts me about it. It's not something I can make on my own, so fingers crossed!

Upshot: In the Georgina series what are your plans for Carter? Is he going to have a bigger part, and is he going to be the dad?
- You'll see about the same amount of Carter, but his role is definitely going to become more important as the series goes on.

S_Adams_: Have we seen the last of Mason? BTW I loved Mason. :)
- Aw, that's one of those future questions I can't answer. :)

Zoiku: Have you heard of Eoin Colfer?
- I have! Great series. :)

BelAlarcon: In the next book will we see more of Janine and Abe's history?
- Not so much, but someday, I *might* write a short story about them. If I ever have free time!

cgc213: I know you were a teacher previously; did that inspire you to write? (Hope you enjoyed KY when u were here.)
- I'd wanted to be a writer long before I taught. Part of the reason I was a teacher was to help others learn to write!

BelAlarcon: Also please tell me we will see more about Dimitri's family!!!
- We'll see more of them, but I can't say when or where...

S_Adams_: When I think of Rose I imagine Eliza Dushku
- They do kind of look alike, but by this point, Eliza is much older!

Upshot: Is Eddie going to be in Spirit Bound, and is Mia going to have more of a role?
- They're both in there, but Eddie really has a big part.

queen_of_kawaii: So many movie questions :) If VA was made into a movie, who would be your top 3 ideal Rose actress?
- It would have to be an unknown actress. Nobody out there matches my image of her.

Shealynn: Do we get to know Adrian more in the next book? :)
- Yup, Adrian will still be around, and there's always more to learn about him.

ChristiWhitney: Any mistakes in writing, trying to publish, or writing sequels you've learned not to make again?
- Sure, there are always mistakes we make, but I've been lucky... I'm pretty content with everything that's happened!

JordiRebeccax: Have you thought about the title for the 6th VA book? I love your books btw (:
- Nope, no title yet... probably later this year.

Faux1313: Can Strigoi produce offspring? Maybe with a Moroi or Dhampir?
- That's a question you'll have to keep reading for...

Shealynn: How long does it take you to write a VA novel on average?
- All my novels take about 3 months for the first draft, and then another 3 or 4 to edit into final form.

Shealynn: Do you see yourself in any of your characters?
- I'm in all of my characters. I'm their creator! :)

BellaRenee14: Hey Richelle I was just wondering, why you used Russian things??
- A lot of the best vampire stories come from Eastern Europe, so I based my vampires out of there.

Zoiku: Can I have your autograph?
- Sure! Just come to a signing or order signed books from University Bookstore in Seattle (info at www.richellemead.com)

BelAlarcon: Do you have extras or short history about the VA world? Would you post them?
- I do have extras, and maybe I'll post them someday. I'd actually have to find them, and I'm pretty disorganized. :)

Michrm: How do you write? E.g. a little or a lot every day... set number of word per day etc.
- I usually have a goal, either word count or number of chapters per day. When deadlines get closer, that count goes up.

S_Adams_: I'm curious as to how you make a decision like Dimitri being turned Strigoi...
- It's the way the story has to be told. I knew from the day I sat down to write the first book that that was going to happen

BellaRenee14: Are the books going to be turned into movies??
- There are no plans at the moment. I can't do it on my own-I need a film company to make an offer, and no one has yet.

Faux1313: You said there will be a Vampire Academy spin off series, who will star in it? :) BTW, its SOOO cool to talk to you.
- Can't tell you who's in it... then you know who lives or dies! :)

Upshot: Will Eddie have a big part in guarding Lissa or Christian???
- That's one of those keep-reading-the-series questions. Sorry! :)

Upshot: Is Dorian going to double cross Eugenie or is he going to become a red herring???
- Aw, I can't answer these questions about the future!

BelAlarcon: Will you ever come to Mexico?????? Please come!!!
- I can't say for sure. A lot of my book touring is scheduled by my publisher, so maybe someday they'll send me there!

Lizontheside: I'm going to your event in Penrith on the 17th & the Sydney party on the 18th - which should I get my books signed at? :P
- Either's fine... just depends on your mood. :)

S_Adams_: So for whatever reason I'm not Lissa's biggest fan...will we get more "face" time with her in the next book?
- Oh yeah, Lissa's gonna be with us for a while!

JordiRebeccax: Do you have a favourite character in the VA series?
- Probably Rose. She's my main character, and I'm in her head all the time - I have to love her!

LunaVine: How did you decide to (finally) write a book?
- It was just the right time in my life. I tried for a long time & never been able to finish anything. Finally, I got the discipline

beeswax84: How significant is that Rose's father is Turkish?! And, will we see Avery Lazur again, given what she put in2 Rose's mind?
- Q1: It influences her appearance & history. Q2: As for Avery, that's something you'll have to keep reading for!

EmmaRigelsford: I'll be in Penrith for the signing on Thursday, How long will you be there for?
- I'll be there until all the books are signed! I'll probably speak for 30-45 minutes first.

Shealynn: How do you pronounce Lissa? Is it like Lisa?
- It's like the end of Melissa

Barnabiii: Out of the VA books which one would have to be your favourite and why?
- Shadow Kiss... it's got the "biggest" ending of all.

BellaRenee14: For your book signing in Brisbane will you only be signing 'blood promise'?
- No, I'll sign anything you bring for a total of 6 books

TassiePotter: Hi, how much influence does Adrian have over the Queen and is would it be a family influence or maybe his ability's?
- He has only a little, really. She likes to spoil him and he could have more influence if he used spirit...so far, he hasn't.

midwife89: How long does it take you to complete the first draft of one of your books?
- 3 months for the first draft, and then another 3 or 4 of editing

Barnabiii: What is your favourite novel that you have read?
- One of my all time favourite books is The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley.

AbiRoad: Hi Richelle! Do you know the storyline through to the end of the series for all the characters when you start writing the first book?
- I do! I plan the series out from the beginning & know how each book ends though a lot of the details get filled in as I write them.

Lizontheside: Do you have any favourite vampire books? (Apart from your own.)
- I actually don't read many vampire books, but Rachel Caine's are great.

De3bz: Who are your favourite couple? Rose and Dimitri or Seth and Georgia?
- Aw, I love them all in different ways. Each couple's really unique!

EasternRegional: Hey Richelle. Welcome! Do you like to minimise distractions when you're writing or do you like music etc?
- I have to have no distractions. I write in a very quiet, sometimes boring office. :)

JordiRebeccax: Which VA book have you enjoyed writing the most and why?
- Shadow Kiss, definitely. The ending was just so big and dramatic!

Shellybellgirl: Which character do you admire the most?
- I love them all for different reasons. I love Georgina's humour and Rose and Eugenie's tough fighter nature.

...
Thanks so much everybody! I hope I was able to answer at least one of your questions. This was fun! -- Richelle

Fan Encounter

Kate M went to the screening of New Moon and as seen in the above photo, witnessed some pretty massive lines. Should a VA movie ever eventuate, imagine lines!

Rebecca K also met Richelle when she was in Australia – she was a lucky Dymocks Dinner with the Author winner in Melbourne.

Also, for those who get the VA Newsletter each week we've got Questions of the Week, relating to all things VA. The answers are great, so I thought we'd share some here.

Question of the Week: If you were going to name Book 6, what would you call it?

Fairytale or Forever – Ashley D
Blood Ties – Aliesha V
True Love or At Last – Cinda B
Bound by Love or High Spirited – Brianna H
Dimitri gets unawakened, has a hot reunion with Rose – Diane W
Miracle Dhampir – Michelle S
Eternal Bond – Raechel C
Binded Spirit – Angela M

This is great pic is from Francesca who met Richelle in Melbourne when she was here.

Nicola sent in this fantastic shot of herself when she met Ben Barnes. He's the hot fan favourite pick for Dimitri, as evidenced by our polls, when he won pretty convincingly in both versions (although Jensen Ackles gave him a good run in the second version).

What do you think, Ben Barnes a suitable Dimitri?

Have you had a fan encounter? With Richelle, or an actor you want to play a certain character? Send us the details and if appropriate we will post here at VA Australia HQ.

Question of the Week: Movie taglines are sometimes pretty cheesy – in deep voiceover: 'This time it's personal.' Give us your best worst tagline for a VA Book.

VA Australia HQ Suggestion:

• Vampire Academy: School Really Sucks;
• Frostbite: Bringing the Freeze;
• Shadow Kiss: Strigoi Can Kiss This!;
• Blood Promise: Breaking Bloody Promises, Hathway Style.

Krista J:

• Vampire Academy: Back to prison(School) we go;
• Frostbite: Fun in the snow;
• Shadow Kiss: Battles.Romance.Pain all in packaged together;
• Blood Promise: Taste of the harsh reality.

Diane W:

• Vampire Academy: the fun had to end some time;
• Frostbite: love sucks, then you die;
• Shadow Kiss: make them go away!!!!!!!!;
• Blood Promise: join me or die! ok forever doesn't sound so romantic anymore!.

Rachael C:

• One general tagline (for any of the books):
  • I am going to make dead meat out of you strigoi!;
• Or (to a strigoi again-but from Christian's perspective):
  • How would you like to be? Well done or Medium rare? cause either way your getting cooked tonight!;
• Or (again to a strigoi-from Rose's perspective):
  • I'm sorry what was that? Oh that's right, you can't talk.. You don't have a head!

Question of the Week: We've been to Montana, Russia and Siberia in the VA series - where would you like the series to go next and why?

Fiona L – I would like to see Rose and Lissa needing to go to the UK and in particular Ireland and Scotland and perhaps Rose might bump into more of her extended family from her mother's side?

Cait C – I would love to see Rose in Scotland, I reckon she'd have a field day trying to understand them and all those lovely snarky remarks that she is apt to come out with. It's a pretty desolate area on some of those islands, a perfect haunt for strigoi. Or maybe take the crew into the Asian continent, China would make an interesting and bustling/scary place to be. Throw in untraversed areas and some old legends and you have a perfect hiding place for some unwanted vampires.

Rhiannon T – AUSTRALIA cause its awesome (or is it already in aussie?)

Ayse D – I'd like for the VA series to go to Turkey and Cyprus and learn about roses Turkish side and these places are soo beautiful best beaches in the world!

Herlini F – Turkey; Because its where Rose's father comes from (according to Rose's knowledge). I would like to know more about him. (: or AUSTRALIA; cause it would be hilarious seeing Rose go through the beaches, the hot climate and the australian slang language. etccc.

Rachael C – I wouldn't mind the series going to Turkey - Where her father was from. I also wouldn't mind it if the series went to Italy or France or Spain or Greece. And it would be even better if the series went to Australia!!! =D

Linna C – Paris! The city of looove - it'd be a stunning backdrop for the fighting scenes and the love ones too ;)

Question of the week: Which element would you like to specialise in (fire, water, air, earth or spirit) and why?

Angela M – I would like to specialise in the water element to help prevent natural disasters, e.g. bush fires

Brianna H – Spirit - because you could do so much more with spirit than the other elements like Lissa and Adrian...

Rhiannon T – Spirit, because you can make a difference in someones life :)

Diane W – I think I'd like to specialise in Fire, it would make awesome Strigoi bon fires!

Krista M – I would not want to specialise in any of them. I would like to be a dhampir because then you could kill strigoi whenever you want and you wouldn't get into trouble for fighting.

Question of the Week: If you were under attack, would you rather have Rose or Dimitri fighting on your side?

Raechel C – I would want Rose on my side.. Basically because she is like my twin, looks personality everything. It would be really interesting to fight with her on my side.. we would definitely kick butt! =]

Tara I – Definitely Rose!!!! Dimitri is a badass for sure and I love him to bits, but Rose is the strongest one, (mentally, dunno bout physically, she might be) the most sarcastic one, I love Rose!!!

Angela M – I would rather Rose fight on my side. Although Dimitri was her mentor and taught her what she learnt, she shows she is capable of winning when she escaped and nearly defeated Dimitri.

Janice – Dimitri, cause well, he is like a God isn't he? :P

Michelle S – Definitely Dimitri but we would probably lose as I would be to busy drooling.

Krista J – I would want Dimitri fighting on my side because if I lost at least my last thoughts would involve a sexy Russian. :)

Diane W – Dimitri, no doubt!

Question of the Week: Create a new Academy Award category inspired by VA?

Tara I –
Best 'Best Friends Forever' Pair - Rose and Lissa
Best Male Badass - Dimitri
Best Female Badass - Rose
Best 'Took Everyone By Suprise' Couple - Lissa and Christian (Rose an Dimitri kinda don't count cause not many know about them)
Best Forbidden Love - Rose and Dimitri
Best Vampire Book Series - Vampire Academy

Rachael C –
Best fight scene between lovers: Dimitri and Rose
Best almost kiss under the influence of compulsion: Rose and Adrian

Diane W –
Best Bratty Royal Moroi - Jessie Zeklos

Naomi B –
I'm your friend but still think your evil Award - Sydney

Question of the Week: Who do you want to see in the Vampire Academy spin-off series?

Raechel C – I would like to see a spin off series for Dimitri maybe? Looking at his childhood and how he was raised and I wouldn't mind seeing a spin off of Adrian's past and even Christian's past.. That would be a good read. I would love to also see spin off series for Lissa. To see how she used to be with her family before they died and maybe even read about the accident.

Jess S – I'd love to see Jill in a spinoff. Because I'm re-reading Blood Promise and just got to a bit about her, and she seems like she's a nice person but totally different to rose so would be way interesting as a main character. She could introduce a new group of characters because she's younger but still know about Rose, Lissa etc.

Linna C – Seeing Christian Ozera in a spin-off would be incredibly interesting; and he'd also be fun to read since his comments are hilarious...

Laura – I think the Vampire Academy spin off series should centre around Viktoria and Nikolai in Russia. Maybe even including stuff about Dimitiri's family and if he's been restored to a dhampir by then Dimitri himself :)

Diane W – Christian, I think if he and Lissa don't get back together he would probably be out in the world fighting Strigoi with Tasha. I would pop a vote in for Viktoria too, i think she would be a good character to explore.

Michael Preger of Preger Entertainment whose company acquired the film rights, kindly took the time to answer our exclusive questions.

With news that Vampire Academy had officially been optioned for film development, we had to know more. So we headed straight to the top, Michael Preger of Preger Entertainment whose company acquired the film rights, kindly took the time to answer our exclusive questions.

Q. What attracted you to the Vampire Academy series?

I first read about a signing Richelle was doing in my home town of Miami and read a short synopsis of the book series. The story kept coming back to me over the next few days. I decided to do a little research, turned on the computer, and was really impressed. Not only with the reviews, but the fan-based passion and support everywhere for the series. So, off to the bookstore -- and a lot of reading!

Q. What characters are you excited about bringing to the big screen?

Well, this is Rose's story. But the powerful presence of Dimitri is also as compelling. Honestly, I found all the characters interesting, even the minor ones. Richelle's ability to keep characters interesting I think is one of her powerful gifts as a writer. I think that's why the next series has real potential. You really want to know more about these people.

Then, there's the strigoi.....a real monster!

Q. What are your thoughts on the fanbase?

What can I say. It was the fan base that made all this happen in my opinion. That's why we want to stay in touch with that force. Not just on opening weekend, but through the whole process of making this movie. This is their movie after all.

Q. Are you worried about comparisons to other vampire series such as Twilight, True Blood and Vampire Diaries?

No, I think we recognize this as a challenge in selling and marketing this project -- but I know the story is in another area code. I can't even begin to compare those worlds to this one. Asides from thematically both being based on Vampires, the similarities pretty much end there.

Q. Any messages to the VA fan community?

Yes. Keep on keeping on.....it's your passion, your energy and your loyalty that will make this what it can be. We respect you, we're listening to you, and we want to hear your voice!

The Making of the Last Sacrifice Character Trailers

When Spirit Bound was about to be released we had a series of quote trailers that were very successful, and we wanted to definitely continue that success but also mark the fact that Last Sacrifice was the final instalment in this series of Vampire Academy. We chose the 'key five' characters from the series, characters that people were really attached to and are often seen as the central group to focus on. We decided to create the trailers before reading Last Sacrifice, and had an entire direction planned for the trailers and what question they would ask but that all changed when we read the book. We wanted the trailers to be teasers and not give anything away but at the same time we didn't want them to be so vague, that they were pointless and that's why we chose the Who Killed the Queen? tagline because the entire book is really about finding the murderer and thereby freeing Rose. Other directions we'd talked about included using the Who Will Survive? tagline but this would have been slightly misleading because most of the major characters survive.

The decision to use one word phrases was actually about focusing on the key qualities each of these characters possess and that fans admire. In creating those words, we soon realised that of course these qualities also lead them to be key suspects in Tatiana's death. Using images to sneak peek scenes for the characters was a great way to allude to plot points without ever having to say, this happens or that happens, it was completely up to the viewer to interpret what they saw and what that might mean. And that was the best part, we LOVED seeing the fans speculate on what each image meant and what it could mean for other characters. The funniest image was Lissa's forest test image, which was a fantastic shot that we loved, but then once the trailer aired, we saw lots of chatter referring to the black cabin, black hooded people etc in the far right hand corner and what that meant. To be honest, we didn't even realise they were there until the fans started pointing them out! Thankfully it still worked in the context of the scene we were hinting about.

Check out the Character Trailers with pop-up explanations to why certain images and phrases were chosen: