KALYNN BAYRON’s The Vanquishers: Rise of the Wrecking Crew is the third and final book in her thrilling and heartfelt vampire series. We caught up with the author to find out more about the thrilling conclusion.
The Vanquishers: Rise of the Wrecking Crew marks the conclusion to your thrilling series. What were some of the challenges and rewards you experienced in bringing the story to its final chapter?
I love the characters in this series so much! It’s been bittersweet knowing this is the last adventure for them but I’m really happy with the way it’s wrapped up. From the beginning, my goal was to write a fun and engaging story for my younger readers and I hope that I’ve accomplished that. The Vanquishers will, hopefully, continue to reach new readers and that makes me feel really good about the world I created within those pages.
Throughout the series, Malika ‘Boog’ Wilson and the Squad have faced numerous challenges. How have they evolved over the course of the trilogy?
Boog and her friends start out as passive participants in this larger tale of vampires and vampire slayers. They’re unaware of how closely they’re connected to the history of the Vanquishers and throughout the series we see them all become active participants. We also see them really challenge the old way of doing things and questioning if there might be a better way to move forward. The entire series is really about coming into your own and forging a new path.
The series has always been a mix of adventure, friendship, and family. In the final book, the Squad faces some difficult truths, particularly about an old friend. How do you balance the intense action and horror elements with the emotional depth of the characters’ relationships?
The personal relationships shown in the series are really the heart of the story. Boog’s relationship with her friends and family, even her relationships with her adversaries, are the key to making those scarier moments count. Readers need to be invested in those characters in order to care when something happens to them. Aaron’s transformation is a really good example of that. We see him join the squad and be taken in immediately. We see the friendships that he establishes are genuine and meaningful and then we have to watch as that is threatened by what happens to him.
The Squad is training at an abandoned combat facility, preparing for their final showdown. How important is the concept of preparation, both physical and emotional, for the characters as they gear up for their biggest challenge yet?
It’s incredibly important for the characters and for the overall story. I wanted them to have their big hero moments and the training facility represents a place for them to build those skills. It also represents this concept of the past coming back to haunt them. While they’re at the facility they have the opportunity to grow closer, to really learn to work together as a team. In this last book, everything they have trained for comes down to this final battle, so laying the foundation for that was important.
Have you drawn inspiration from classic horror stories to help shape the world-building, characters, and tone of your books?
Oh absolutely! I’m a huge fan of vampire stories across mediums. Dracula, Nosferatu, Buffy, Interview With the Vampire, Daybreakers, Blade, Underworld, I’ve been inspired by them all in one way or another. Writing for younger readers requires a little more discernment. There are clearly elements of those stories I wouldn’t introduce to my younger readers but that’s a fun challenge to take on. How can I roll some of these elements into this story in an age-appropriate way? It’s actually really fun to think about storytelling in this way. I’m doing my part to inspire the readers who will go on to love those other horror stories when the time is right!
Now that ‘The Vanquishers’ series is complete, what’s next for you as an author?
I’m happy to be working on another middle grade series and more YA horror. I’m also writing some adult fiction which is really exciting. I still have so many stories to tell and I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to put them out in the world.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kalynn Bayron is the New York Times and indie bestselling author of young adult novels Cinderella Is Dead, This Poison Heart, This Wicked Fate, You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight and Sleep Like Death, and the middle grade Vanquishers series. She is a classically trained vocalist, and she grew up in Anchorage, Alaska. When she’s not writing you can find her listening to Ella Fitzgerald on loop, attending the theatre, watching scary movies, and spending time with her kids. She currently lives in Ithaca, New York with her family.
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