Meg Cabot Sinks her Teeth into Dracula

Meg Cabot (of Princess Diaries fame) is the author of over twenty-five series and books for both adults and teens. Her most recent book is the paranormal romance Insatiable, a modern sequel to Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Armed with the Oxford World Classics edition, she launched a Dracula reading group earlier this summer, and now–in an exclusive Q&A–shares her thoughts on all things vampire. Read on for the chance to test your Dracula knowledge and win prizes!

If you were bitten tomorrow, and had to choose a vampire name, what would it be?
Well, obviously, Meg Cadaver.

If someone attacked “Meg Cadaver” with a stake, and you only had Dracula to block the blow, would it work?
Absolutely.  My super vampire strength, combined with the amazing power of Bram Stoker’s prose, would easily defeat their piddling human arm and wooden stake that was probably made by Ikea.

If Dracula had a Twitter handle, what would it be?
The possibilities are so endless . . .
Longinthetooth
Vampyvlad
Undeaddandy
CoffinCasanova
Although personally, I’d probably go with a simple 8U.

What is the most fascinating thing about vampires?
They never seem to die.

What is the most boring thing about vampires?
They never seem to die.

Who is the most ultimate, hard-core, awesome vampire of all time?
I feel compelled, because of the forum, to answer Dracula. But if you weren’t here I would answer Blade.  I realize he’s a Daywalker, of course, but he has that awesome haircut.

Who is the sexiest vampire of all time?
Sadly for me it’s Michael Nourri circa 1979 as Dracula in “The Curse of Dracula” on the TV show “Cliffhangers,” which I wasn’t ever actually allowed to stay up to watch.  Which is probably why, in my feverish imagination, it’s still the best.  And now I never want to see it, as it could never live up to what I remember thinking, from the commercials: that it had to be the most fantastic show of all time.  Considering it was canceled after only one season, I think this must be untrue.  But you never know.

I’m upset that most modern vampires don’t wear cloaks. How do you feel about this?
I agree.  In Insatiable, I gave my vampire a black Burberry trench coat, the tail of which flapped around a lot in the wind during moments of high tension, to give the impression of a cloak.  But it’s definitely not the same thing. In my defense, the only way to give a vampire a cloak in a book set in modern times and not have him stand out like a big freak is to either make him be an eccentric bestselling author, have live him in the subway tunnels of NYC with the mole people, or have him work at a Medieval Times restaurant.  None of these are particularly appealing options, especially the first.

If I wanted to do a giveaway…a signed copy of Insatiable and the Oxford World Classic edition of Dracula…but I wanted to make our readers work for it…what Dracula trivia question should I ask?
What is the name of the ship that ferried Dracula to England?

If you think you know how Dracula arrived England, send an email to [email protected]. The first correct answer will receive the Oxford World Classic Dracula and a signed copy of Insatiable! The winner will be announced on Friday. Until then, follow the conversation on Twitter: #DraculaOnTwitter !

Updated: Congrats to Aniko, the first person to answer correctly! The ship was the Demeter, everyone. The Demeter. Thanks to the incredible number of you who wrote in!