Oliver Nocturne #1: The Vampire's Photograph
Scholastic: August 2008

This is the first of five books about Oliver, a vampire boy who lives in rainy Seattle.   In it, Oliver meets Emalie and Dean, and learns that his "normal" vampire existence is anything but...

Kevin says: "In my first apartment in Seattle, I lived on the third floor looking down on a busy intersection, and there was this street of dilapidated houses.  I started imagining this vampire boy trudging in and out each evening and dawn.  He wasn't happy about being a vampire, or about his heavy backpack of vampire school books, and he looked like just about the last undead creature you'd imagine having a world-changing destiny...

"I taught elementary school science for many years, and before that I was a biology major in college.  Plus I like to cook, so when I was thinking about Oliver and his family, I got really into thinking about how a vampire body would work.  What would Oliver and his family eat?  What health issues would they have?...

"Emalie was in my head snapping photos of vampires, because during the rainy winter, Seattle kind of feels like you're living in black and white.  I knew some kids through teaching who were really into their old cameras - into those lost forms of art that don't involve microchips or robots.  My parents gave me their old film camera in college, and I love how clunky and difficult it is.  It's like the opposite of convenient.  Maybe that's part of making good art.  Having it not be too convenient."

Oliver Nocturne #2: The Sunlight Slayings
Scholastic: August 2008

"I'm glad that #2 is coming out at the same time as #1, because it really is the second half of the story.  Things end up in a pretty tough place for Oliver, Emalie and Dean at the end of book 1, and book 2 is all about how they repair their friendships."

Oliver Nocturne #3: Blood Ties
Scholastic: November 2008

"One thing I always wanted Oliver to do was take a family vacation to see his relatives.  Seattle's best kept secret is that it's quite sunny in the summer.  Even when it's not, because the city is so far north (check its latitude compared to other cities in the U.S.) the days are very long around the solstice.  So it seemed natural that vampires would get out of town."