I am really
excited to welcome the very talented author C. David Belt to my blog today. He has graciously allowed
me to pick his brain and I think some of his answers to my questions might
really surprise you! So sit back and
enjoy the ride!
What
inspired you to write your first book?
A
dark image in my head that just wouldn’t go away and the story of an active LDS
wife and mother who contracted AIDS through a blood transfusion. First, I had an image in my mind’s eye of a
circle of vampires “ordaining” a new vampire.
But in my head, I KNEW the new vampire was being forced into vampirism
against his will, and yet I also knew that vampirism was VOLUNTARY. So I imagined the world’s first and only
unwilling vampire in a world where vampirism is a choice. (It took me ten years to figure out how that
was workable.) Then I heard the story of
an active LDS mom who went into a hospital for a routine procedure, received a
transfusion of tainted blood, and developed full-blown AIDS. Through no fault of her own and because of
the rotten choices of someone else, her life and the lives of her husband and
children were changed. She could have
become bitter and railed against God. However,
she chose to face her drastically altered life with a positive attitude and she
chose to rely on the mercy her Father in Heaven. In her case, she received a priesthood
blessing and was completely and miraculously cured. However, it was her choice to face her trial
with faith and charity that inspired me.
