I came up with the idea for Blood Cruise when I was on one of the booze cruises between Sweden and Finland. I thought about the Russian ship Demeter, that Dracula boards to get to England. When the ship arrives, most of the crew are dead. My brain started spinning.
The cruise ships have up to 3 000 passengers. It is basically a small floating town marinated in booze. I wanted the ship to be a microcosm, filled with people from all areas of life, much like Stephen King's creation of the town of Salem's Lot.
Yes, really. I thought of how I would feel if I was a vampire, once part of a proud and feared race, now reduced to fairytales and stories about eternal, glittering teenagers...
30 Days of Night - Steve Niles
...which lead me to this graphic novel, where the vampires are truly scary.
Let The Right One In - John Ajvide Lindquist
Horror is still a somewhat frowned upon genre in Sweden. But our own John Ajvide Lindqvist had a worldwide success with his vampire novel. Not only is it an amazing book, it also opened a lot of doors.
The Hellbound Heart - Clive Barker
The dark and twisted search for new kicks inspired the character of Dan, the bitter old Eurovision star who now hosts the karaoke bar on the Baltic Charisma in Blood Cruise.
Interview With the Vampire - Anne Rice
I was endlessly fascinated by the character of Claudia, given eternal life but trapped in a litte girl's body. I took her frustrations and amped them up when I created the pint-sized dictator Adam for Blood Cruise.
I Am Legend - Richard Matheson
Hands down one of my favourite books of all time. Matheson's vampires are also truly scary. For Blood Cruise, I thought of being trapped with them on a cruise ship, with no way of getting off the boat or contacting land.
The Vampire Tapestry - Suzy McKee Charnas
Such a good novel, that made me think of vampires in a new way.