Exclusive Interview with BUFFY Actress Turned Genre Author Amber Benson 

I don’t know if Amber Benson ever gets tired of the phrase “probably best known for playing the character of Tara Maclay on BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER” or not, but it does reveal America’s obsession with world of electronic entertainment over books. Nevertheless, the facts are this: as an actress, Amber co-starred on BUFFY for three seasons, between 1999 and 2002. As an author, she has been writing books & short stories for over a decade. If you have yet to read her work, you should.

Her newest novel, THE LAST DREAM KEEPER, is the second book in a three-part series: The Echo Park Coven books. The first book, THE WITCHES OF ECHO PARK, is still in print. We managed to get Amber to pause her busy life for a moment and talk with us.

BLUMHOUSE.COM: Your new book is book 2 in a series. What are you trying to bring to these books that make it different from what you’ve written prior?

AMBER BENSON: With the Echo Park Coven series, I wanted to try something a little different from my usual “lighter” fare. My crutch is humor. I really like making people laugh, and it comes more easily for me, so to work on something that wasn’t humorous was like fighting with one arm tied behind my back. I wanted the challenge, wanted to see if I could do it, and still craft an interesting story that kept me entertained while I wrote it.

BH: You’ve written a lot in the series format. Are you drawn to series over one shot standalone novels?

AB: I like book series, and I like standalone novels. I’m not more keen on one or the other, but right now I’m sort of in a series spiral. I’m writing in the urban fantasy genre, and the series format seems to reign there. I have one more book to complete in the Echo Park Coven series, and after that all bets are off. I might just sit down and write a standalone novel… you never know.

BH: Do you have a long arc planned out when you write, in case the book gets picked up as a series, or has it happened unplanned in any cases?

AB: The Calliope Reaper-Jones series (the first one I did for Ace/Roc) started out as just one book, but my editor at the time, Ginjer Buchanan, asked me to turn it into

books. It was frightening, but I think she was right on. It was a smart move and it enriched the series. The Echo Park Coven series was planned as three books right from the start, so I’ve known from the beginning what the end of the book would be. It makes it easier to get from A to Z when you know where it’s going.

BH: I know you’re doing the Morganville web series right now, but is the writing actually taking off better currently than the acting?

AB: I’m semi-retired from acting. I only work on stuff for friends, or if the project is just too good to turn down… which is very, very rare. For me, the acting just isn’t as much of a draw as it used to be. It’s more fun to make stuff these days.

BH: Would you like to be a series regular in a network show again? What are the cons of that?

AB: If it was a really cool project, or if it was for a friend, I’d be down. But for me, making my own stuff is just way more exciting. Being an actor is like being a pawn in someone else’s chess game. I want to be the Queen.

BH: You became involved with the Horror Writers Association in the last couple of years. How does it work with a lot of you weird horror people all in one organization?

AB: I love the horror community. Even though they create monsters, cause rampant bloodshed and do awful things to innocent unsuspecting victims by way of making a living, the horror writers I know are some of the nicest, sweetest people I’ve come across. I always enjoy time spent with the people I know from the Horror Writers Association. Especially when it’s in New Orleans, and there’s a lot of good food and drink involved.

AB: I don’t think in terms of young adult or adult… I just write what comes into my head and then let it lead me in the direction that it wants to go. I’m really just here to take dictation. The story usually just tells itself.

BH: Have you thought about doing a hard-hitting adult series?

AB: I’m interested in female serial killers. That’s what I’ll be working on in the near future… and that is definitely not for the young adult crowd.

BH: You have been a success in writing and acting. If you had your druthers,

AB: That’s a hard one. I’m really lucky that I get to do what I love for a living. I guess the next thing I’d like to try my hand at is running a TV show. Be the big boss. That sounds very appealing.

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