It has now become an annual tradition for author Katie Ruth Davies to launch a book in Georgia at Halloween, an event her growing fan base looks forward to from the moment they get to the last page of the previous book.

“There are five books in the Blood Omen vampire saga,” Katie told us on the night of the launch this Halloween weekend, as she stood surrounded by fans clamoring for autographs with spooky decorations and live music by new jazz duet Black Sea Sounds (Daro and Tiko) in the background. “I was happy to see so many fans here tonight, and I know so many more wanted to come. It’s a hazard of having a teenage audience, because their parents still dictate their lives so much!” [laughs] “We had a lot of fun: a quiz, Halloween make-up, cake and music. It was nice to have a chance to meet my fans face-to-face, though we’re often in touch on Facebook, talking about their favorite characters and the story”.

We asked Katie about her series, and why it appeals so much to teen fans in Georgia.

“It was one of the first vampire sagas to be translated into Georgian, even before The Vampire Diaries. Translator Ana Chichinadze has done a great job bringing the stories over from English. What fans love most is that the story pulls them in right from the start: they feel like they’re part of the plot and can relate to and sympathize with the characters.”

“This is a fantasy series, and one I’ve been obsessed with since it first came out,” said Giorgi Muzashvili, 17, fan of the saga and editor of Blood Omen 4. “The fourth is the best in the series so far. I started reading in May, when I should’ve been busy preparing for my exams. I wanted to read and edit it gradually, but as soon as I opened it, I got lost in the story. When I finished two days later, I was sitting speechless for ages,” he told GEORGIA TODAY. “Of course, the previous books were just as incredible, but this one was more than a book: the twists in the story totally changed my attitude towards the characters. The Blood Omen Saga is made up of many genres; mythology, fantasy, romance…and in the fourth book we also see some elements of sci-fi”.

Katie started writing the Blood Omen Saga when she lived in Barcelona 12 years ago, though the plot happens in the UK. Ten years since moving to Georgia, however, she found inspiration in her new home.

“The fifth and last book of the Blood Omen Saga will come out in Georgian next year. In the meantime, I’m working on a two-book series dedicated to my established and new Georgian fans. Dark Wings is set in Georgia and sees a typical Tbilisi teen, whose mother is English and father Georgian, having to confront the supernatural world of angels and demons, but, like the Blood Omen vampires, the characters are so believable that it hardly seems like fantasy at all,” Katie tells us.

The first of the Dark Wings series, ‘Angel’, is already being distributed in the UK by MTA Publications and Central Books. Katie says she plans a big launch in the UK next spring, particularly among the Georgian Diaspora there.

“I want to use the UK-Georgian connections as a base-point,” she says. “Teens can learn a lot about Georgia from the Dark Wings books- food, dance, language, landscape, but in the kind of urban fantasy setting that young adults around the world can relate to. I want to give something back to this beautiful country and to my fans here and, as writing is my passion, this is one way I can do it”.

The author continues to promote her vampire books in Georgia, presenting in schools and staying active on social media, the “best way to reach teens here”. She occasionally meets uncertainty from school directors when pupils ask them for permission to invite her to their schools. This is usually for religious reasons or because, as Katie says, “they have the mistaken belief that children should be encouraged to read nothing but classics and academia”. Katie herself is clear on her position in that regard: “My kids will be allowed and encouraged to read a balance of material, as long as they ARE reading. Inspiration is a great tool for the mind and is something that I’m hoping the Georgian education system will increasingly encourage in its pupils. My eldest daughter’s school didn’t even have a library. I called on my friends and acquaintances and collected over 700 books in six weeks. It’s something every community can do for their local school. Though, then the teachers need to actively encourage the children to use the library effectively and the children themselves to get reading!”

Katie’s presentation of her new book was met with delight from her large array of fans. Aptly named ‘the hottest new author to look out for’, we have little doubt that Katie’s books will continue to increase in popularity with the teen population not just in Georgia, but in the UK too. 

You can find the Blood Omen Saga in English on amazon.com and the Georgian version (ვამპირული ომები) in most good Georgian bookshops. Dark Wings can be bought online from mtapublications.co.uk

Tamzin Whitewood

Photo by: Nika Kamarauli

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