Sarah Hawley’s new book A Werewolf’s Guide to Seducing a Vampire is a delightful romp through supernatural misadventures. Hawley’s novel introduces us to Ben Rosewood, a content werewolf running a thriving plant shop, whose life takes a wild turn after a fateful eBay purchase binds him to the fiery vampire succubus, Eleanora Bettencourt-Devereux. As Ben navigates the challenges of his new, fanged companion and her centuries-old grudge, Hawley masterfully blends humor, romance, and paranormal thrills. Hawley dives into the world of mystical bindings, quirky characters, and unexpected chemistry.
“A Werewolf’s Guide to Seducing a Vampire” is the third installment of the “Glimmer Falls” series. Is this the final book in the series or is there still more to come?
This is the final book in the trilogy! It’s been so much fun to write, but I feel like I’ve left this group of friends in a good place, and now it’s time for new projects. (More on that later…)
Can you describe the dynamic between Ben and Eleonore and how it evolves throughout the story? What makes their relationship unique?
Ben and Eleonore are a classic black cat/golden retriever pairing. Werewolf Ben is a sweet, fundamentally kind people-pleaser, while vampire succubus Eleonore is aggressive, dramatic, and suspicious of anything that seems too good to be true. (Ben is, of course, one of those too-good-to-be-true things.) Over the course of the story, she learns to relax and trust him, while he provides her with some much-needed happiness.
One thing that makes their relationship unique is how it starts. Eleonore was cursed by a witch 600 years ago and has been trapped in a crystal since then, forced to obey the orders of the crystal’s owner. Historically, those orders involved a lot of murder. In the modern day, Ben sees an eBay listing for a $0.99 possessed plastic crystal, thinks it’s a hilarious scam, and drunkenly bids on it. Of course, the crystal actually is possessed, and Ben ends up with a 600-year-old assassin on his doorstep.
How did you ensure that both Ben and Eleonore were well-rounded characters with their own strengths, flaws, and motivations? What were some of the challenges you found when writing these characters?
Whenever I write a romantic pairing, I think about how they fit together so they’re stronger as a unit than they would be individually. Fundamentally, one of them needs to provide something the other lacks, and vice versa. They also need individual goals that come into conflict to provide tension to the story.
Ben has so much love and stability to give a partner, but he doesn’t know how to say no, so he ends up exhausted and overworked. Eleonore is decisive and protective of the people she loves, but she doesn’t know how to relax and trust someone to take care of her. Ultimately, he provides the softness she’s been missing all her life, and she provides the protection he needs. Neither of them need to become someone new during this process. They can still be imperfect and odd and interesting; it just comes down to how well their imperfections fit together.
Fundamentally kind characters are harder to write than chaotic or aggressive ones, in my experience (it’s easy to make a character interesting if they’re waving a sword around), so Ben was a challenge, but a fun one!
How did you develop the world-building in your book? Did you draw from any real-world myths or legends?
I draw from myths in a fairly light way–mainly just the archetypes of classic creatures like witches, demons, werewolves, and vampires. Then I delve deeper into the questions of how their magic works, how their lives are structured, and what they want. For the demons in the first two books, the main question was “Buy why do they want to collect human souls?” which led to some fun worldbuilding regarding the demon plane.
This story happened because I saw a listing for a “possessed crystal” on eBay, thought it was funny, and bought it for $0.99. (Just like Ben!) My possessed crystal supposedly had a vampire succubus inside, so I started brainstorming what that hybrid creature would be like, how she would feed, and how she got stuck in the crystal to begin with.
The combination of humor and romance seems integral to your story. How did you strike a balance between these elements while still maintaining a compelling narrative?
I love writing comedy, and I’m generally just writing what I think is funny, which is a mix of absurdity, whimsy, and some witty one-liners. That said, comedy and romance (particularly smut) are difficult to mingle in a way that still gets to the emotional core of a character. So that’s the balance to strike–making sure that no matter how funny the book gets, there’s still room for genuine emotion.
A lot of the time my characters use humor as a shield to protect their vulnerabilities (that was particularly the case with Calladia and Astaroth in A Demon’s Guide to Wooing a Witch). That means that when the characters actually allow themselves to be serious and vulnerable, the impact feels real and earned–they don’t have to stop being funny the rest of the time, they just have to know when to take a break.
A lot of the comedy around Eleonore comes from the “fish out of water” premise. She’s a medieval assassin dropped in the middle of the sweetest modern small town imaginable, which allowed for some great moments. But I also had to weave in moments where she’s candid about her dark past, her grief, and her rage, which gave her depth.
Can you share any memorable or favorite scenes you enjoyed writing in “A Werewolf’s Guide to Seducing a Vampire”?
It’s a small scene, but I absolutely loved writing Eleonore overly caffeinated and clinging to the ceiling. She finally vanquished her nemesis, the coffee pot, but she did not measure the amount of coffee correctly, and that leads to the hilarious imagery of an extremely energetic vampire with superspeed bouncing around saying and doing ridiculous things.
Are there any particular themes or messages you wanted to explore through your characters and their experiences?
A Werewolf’s Guide to Seducing a Vampire explores mental health issues. Ben is grappling with anxiety while Eleonore struggles with PTSD. It’s still a funny book, but that’s the core of it–how two people who are hurting can come together and make each other’s lives better.
Ben in particular embodies the central theme of the book and the entire Glimmer Falls series–that you are lovable exactly as you are, and you don’t have to become someone else to be worthy of that love. He has anxiety at the beginning of the book, and he still has anxiety at the end of the book. He’s wonderful just the way he is, not in spite of who he is.
Another key theme of the book is consent. Eleonore is bound by a curse that forces her to obey Ben’s every command. He tries his best never to order her around, but he has the power to, and that in itself is terrifying for Eleonore. Eleonore is also concerned about his consent, though–the two of them check in with each other frequently, asking permission and discussing what they’re going to do in the bedroom, and it doesn’t take away from the heat of those scenes at all. Consent is sexy!
How important was it for you to challenge or subvert traditional supernatural romance tropes in your book?
I love a classic werewolf/vampire pairing, but I also enjoyed playing with those tropes. The traditional werewolf is a tough, rugged Alpha, so I liked writing a werewolf who is sweet and anxious. Subverting reader expectations allows for moments of comedy, but it also helps expand character. As an example, Ben doesn’t even like the monthly transformation into a wolf, and that shift is a metaphor for his mental health challenges. There is something innate in him that makes him feel out-of-control, and he has to figure out how to live with it and accommodate it.
I also thought there was a lot of funny territory to be explored with werewolves. Like… they’re absolutely eating rabbits in the woods on the full moon, right? They’re absolutely pissing on trees to mark their territory? They like scratching themselves, sniffing butts, and rolling around in the dirt? I think being a werewolf would be much less dignified than a lot of paranormal romance leads us to believe.
Can you share any interesting research you did while writing about werewolves and vampires?
This probably isn’t interesting, but I spent way too much time thinking about it. I was looking into phases of the moon and then had to question whether werewolves would actually operate on the sidereal month (how long it takes the moon to orbit 360 degrees around Earth relative to the background stars, 27.3 days) versus the synodic month (full moon to full moon, 29.5 days). It’s easy to get caught up in details like that (I was also looking up tables of moonrise times) but at some point you have to relax and just let it be. It’s werewolves–there’s no such thing as scientifically accurate!
Can you share any insights into your writing process for “A Werewolf’s Guide to Seducing a Vampire,” such as your approach to outlining, drafting, and revising the story?
I’m not a very detailed outliner, but I did write a synopsis of the book for my editor. It was about ten pages of me telling an abridged version of the story. Then I sat down to draft, and some of the story changed along the way, but the overall shape of it remained similar to that initial idea.
I like editing better than drafting. It’s hard to get words down on the page, especially when a first draft is the worst the story is ever going to be. I read something and think “Wow, this is terrible” and then wonder why anyone agreed to publish my books. But then I start editing, and the words get better, and the story gets richer, and it all starts feeling possible.
Without giving away spoilers, what can readers expect from the resolution of Ben and Eleonore ‘s story?
It’s a romance, so it’s not a spoiler to say this will resolve in a way that will be happy and emotionally satisfying. But they’re going to have some ups and downs along the way! In addition to the kissing, there will be experimental theater, a mayoral campaign, a quest for vengeance, and an aggressive game of cornhole.
Are there any specific authors or books that have influenced your writing style or storytelling?
I’m not sure about who has most influenced my writing style, but in terms of inspiring me creatively, I absolutely love Meljean Brook and Kresley Cole. Kresley Cole’s Immortals After Dark series is hilarious and scorchingly hot, with a fascinatingly vast and detailed world. The way she brings various supernatural creatures into conflict is unmatched. Meljean Brook is an impeccable worldbuilder–I can see her books in my head, and her creativity is truly astounding. Her characters are also complex and realistic, despite any magical powers they might have. It feels like there’s so much depth to explore, both in terms of her characters and her worlds.
Finally, what’s next for you as an author? Do you have any upcoming projects or ideas you’re excited to explore?
I have a new Fae romantasy series coming in November 2024! The first book is called SERVANT OF EARTH and follows the journey of a human woman forced to become a servant in a cruel Fae court, where she’s tasked with helping a faerie lady pass six deadly trials. Along the way, she gets caught up in a secret rebellion and a forbidden romance with a smoldering prince.
It’s a departure tone-wise from Glimmer Falls–it’s a lot darker, and the stakes are much higher. More beheadings, fewer silly jokes. It’s still very steamy, though, and I hope readers enjoy it as much as they enjoyed Glimmer Falls!