Interview With Screenwriter Vanessa Morgan, Author of A Good Man


To what extent do you feel that Louis is a good man? Is he any better or worse than the other characters in your screenplay (for example, Vincent or the Homeless Man)?

That's a really good question. Most people consider Louis to be a bad person because he's a vampire and because he has to kill people. But... if he doesn't drink fresh human blood, he will be paralyzed for eternity. What would you do in that situation? You probably eat meat, so that means it doesn't bother you that someone has to kill an animal for your pleasure. Apart from the feeding aspect, Louis has a bigger heart than 99% of the people we know – he only kills people who actually 'deserve' it, he donates the clothes of his victims to the homeless, he takes care of animals, he is concerned with the ecological future of the planet and he is actually very sweet to the people around him. Vincent, on the other hand, seems to be the perfect husband on the surface - he loves his pregnant wife and he does everything he can to make her happy - still, he's capable of abandoning her for a woman that doesn't even love him back. Most people will label him as 'bad', but the reader doesn't because he gets to see Vincent's point of view; he gets to 'experience' the love he feels for that other woman. That's what A Good Man is all about. We all hurt someone once in a while, but chances are we have a good excuse. By knowing the motivations behind one's deeds, we realize that the person in question isn't as bad as we thought.

A Good Man has drawn some comparisons to Dexter and American Psycho. To what extent (if at all) were you influenced by these works? 

I haven't seen Dexter, but apparantly it's about a killer whose victims 'deserve' to die; this happens in A Good Man as well. As for American Psycho, the main similarities are the sense of humor and the killer's extensive use of facial creams.

What is one film that everyone should see? 

I believe everyone should support indie movies as much as possible. They need the revenue more than those widely distributed movies you are watching right now and most of them will be better too.

What appeals to you about writing horror stories? 

I've been a horror girl as long as I can remember. Maybe it's because I'm a sweet girl and I need to express my dark side one way or another.

Profile description

Screenwriter and novelist Vanessa Morgan is known as the 'female version of Stephen King'. You can find out more about Vanessa Morgan and her work by going to her personal blog http://vanessa-morgan.blogspot.com. If you like cats, you might also like the web comic about her cat Avalon at http://avalon-lion.blogspot.com. 

About A Good Man

Loved Dexter and American Psycho? Then chances are you will love A Good Man.

Louis Caron is a good man – vegetarian, he feeds the homeless, takes care of animals and is concerned with the ecological future of the planet. But his altruism has a sinister edge – he's a vampire - and local detective Taglioni is becoming increasingly suspicious. Louis' attempt to escape the police will take him on a journey into his own private hell where he is not only forced to confront his worst fears, but also to destroy the lives of those he cares about most.

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