» Steve Coll discusses his book The Bin Ladens: An Arabian Family in the American Century.

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Steve Coll

The Bin Ladens

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I'm thrilled that Midnight's Daughter is finally being published (October 2008). It was written all the way back in 2006, so I was beginning to wonder if it would ever see the light of day (so to speak). Dorina Basarab is a dhampir, with a human mother and a vampire father. She's also stark staring mad. It's the result of a human body combined with the vampire killing instinct, and while she isn't insane all the time, she does have frequent psychotic episodes. She doesn't normally remember what took place during these, but the body count that she finds on waking usually gives her a clue.

Dory's unusual psychology made her both fun and a challenge to write. How does a crazy person think, anyway? (The rumors that I'd know all about that personally are, of course, vicious lies). Exploring her father issues was another interesting aspect-dysfunctional doesn't start to cover it when one part of the family is naturally designed to prey on another. And just to make it a little more complicated, how would Dory handle being forced to take on a dangerous assignment with a master vampire for a partner? Especially if said vampire was dug up by her estranged father and was one to whom she felt a very unwilling attraction?

Ah, fun times.