Richelle Mead chats 'Indigo Spell,' 'Vampire Academy' movie, and new adult series

The Indigo Spell, the third installment in Richelle Mead’s Bloodlines series, hit shelves yesterday. And that’s plenty of time to freak out over the relationship developments between Sydney and (let the squeals begin) Adrian. If you haven’t yet devoured Spell, don’t worry. We’ll stop and let you catch up….

Good to go? Okay! Now that we’re all on the same page and already eager for the next book in the series, we called up Mead to ask her about the next Bloodlines book, the Vampire Academy movie project, and her new, non-vampire adult series. Check it out after the jump.

RICHELLE MEAD: What’s the reaction been to The Indigo Spell so far?

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Good. I think people are very excited because—without giving away too much—the romantic element got kicked up considerably in this book. And this series had a real slow burn with that at first because the protagonist is so reserved. People are caught by surprise and delighted to see things heat up.

Is it safe to say that things continue to heat up in the series?

It does, and it actually increases believe it or not. [Laughs]

The fourth book in the series, The Fiery Heart, is told partly through Adrian’s point of view. Why did you decide to have both Sydney and Adrian narrate?

The overall plot was getting big enough that it needed two people to tell it because [Sydney and Adrian] weren’t always together 24/7. Part of the story was going to be missing if I didn’t add this perspective. I had a similar thing in the first Vampire Academy series. I was able to throw in another plot because [Rose and Lissa] had a psychic bond going on. I could kind of cheat and go to another character without actually changing my main POV. And in this series, I didn’t have that luxury without a formal change. Even though Adrian and Sydney keep meeting up in The Fiery Heart, they each have their own important things going on.

What else can you say about the Bloodlines series?

I think readers are going to love the way the romance jumps off the charts in these next couple of books. It’s a series that people can’t take anything for granted on. We’ll have these wonderfully romantic, heated moments, and then the next devastation. It takes such a harsh turn. I don’t ever want a book to be one-dimensional. I think people are also going to be pleased near the end. We’re going to see a lot of familiar faces from the first series having a slightly larger role. They’re still side characters, but thus far, they’ve mostly had cameos. They’ll become a little more integral to the plot.

You got some great movie news recently: Mark Waters will direct Vampire Academy: Blood Sisters and Dan Waters will write the script. What was your reaction to that?

It was cool! If you asked me what are some great teen movies, the two I would have pulled out are Heathers and Mean Girls. Those were classics for me. Probably the only other thing comparable would be the Pretty In Pink era. It was just mind-blowing to hear that people who I actually knew and whose work I really liked [would be working on the movie]. I think the tone is right, as well. There are these big, high-drama, and romance moments in the Vampire Academy series, for sure. But there’s also a dark, snarky tone as well to offset the melodrama. And those guys are masters at that. So I was thrilled to have people with their kind of reputation and background on board.

And you’ve got a new adult series around the corner. What can you tell me about, Gameboard of the Gods, the first book in Age of X?

It’s set about 100 years in the future in a world where there’s been a lot of upheaval. The place where this happens is somewhere that has denied religion. So there’s no supernatural. They live a very harsh lifestyle. What unfolds in the series is they begin to discover that a paranormal supernatural phenomena are coming back, and they two protagonists are thrust in the middle of this. It’s a guy and a girl, and I go between their POVs and third person. And that’s kind of a short version. I never pitch my stuff very well. [Laughs]

How is it different from your Vampire Academy and Bloodlines?

It’s different and the same. A lot of the people know from my writing—the characterization, the little sort of oddball goofy things, the romantic tension—that stuff is still there. But it is a different style and different setting, so I hope people who love the core traits of my writing will be on board in jumping into a sci-fi novel.Breia on Twitter

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