- I never like, set out to make a vampire show or anything like that.

That wasn't like on my MO or one of my MOs or something I ever thought I would do.

Vampire issues became a vehicle to tell a very human story.

Things like addiction, coming of age.

If it's a coming of age story, identity issues.

You know, imagine if you're this 12-year-old girl who already kind of has a tenuous grasp of self, doesn't feel like she's seen and now, literally, you can't look at yourself in the mirror anymore.

Like, what would that do to somebody who has that view of themselves?

And then you put that character with these two other characters that are 300 years old on the road, who've literally seen everything and now they're seeing the world again anew through this person's eyes who's been sheltered, closeted inside of this orphanage, has never seen any of it and I think each one of those main characters kind of represents a different aspect of myself, you know, from Bianca who's struggling with trying to transcend her base nature and not feed on human blood, find alternative methods to be a better person.

Elijah, who's struggling with burnout.

You know, imagine being 300 years old and you have to keep going.

Like, when does it, like, how do you keep love alive when it never perishes?

Like there has to be an expiration date and Bianca kind of sees it through this kid, this kid who has this tender heart in a very cruel world and I think she sees that in Charlie and that's maybe what I see a little bit in myself in Charlie is the world can feel like such a cruel place, but like the importance of keeping a tender heart and not allowing it to jade you, you know, because it's never too late to change, even if you're a 300 year old vampire.

- You wrote characters that you so fell in love with, that they didn't need a feature.

They needed a TV show.

They needed entire seasons to go through all of the emotional journey that they were going through and I think that's exactly on brand for, you know, what we describe as Bonnie and Clyde with a baby in the backseat.

You know, it's these two 300-year-old vampires that are taking this child, this vampire child that they brought into the world of vampires with them and trying to have some kind of family dynamic on the road.

- Trying to blend in and, you know, find a way to make a family that none of them ever expected.

I kind of look at it a little bit like an unplanned pregnancy because Elijah's not in on the, he's not too keen on it when Bianca brings this child home.

You know, there's ethical questions there and I think they were the same ethical questions I think about when bringing my own child into the world.

Like, is it a gift or a curse to do so when you, especially when this one is gonna live forever, so a lot of those big questions, as Covid was mid-swing, were things that I was pondering.

- It's like, it's made for TV, this story, it needs an expansion.

So like, we're really just hoping and rooting for it and we know not everyone gets to make TV.

It's kind of like a wish that you get granted maybe every one in a thousand shooting stars, but I think this story deserves it and we're just crazy enough to try it.