Shaun Micallef Writes a Vampire Novel

Topic: Books

Shaun Micallef has a new project, a vampire novel. He was at the Logies in 2023.

Comedian Shaun Micallef thinks the world is very transactional.

He thought about vampires, who live off others.

Micallef wrote a vampire novel to explore this idea. The novel is called De'Ath Takes a Holiday.

Micallef wanted to explore what it means to be immortal. He thinks it would be boring.

In his novel, Micallef blames the Comte De'Ath for the world's problems.

The Comte is bored with his immortal life. He wants to be human again.

Micallef was inspired by Samuel Butler's novel Erewhon.

Erewhon is a satire of Victorian times.

Micallef's vampire is older than Dracula.

Micallef wondered how Dracula became a vampire. He gave him an origin story.

The Comte De'Ath has a unique voice. He meets an insurance agent named Roger.

The story includes a massacre from 1781. The owners of a ship made an insurance claim on murdered people.

The court said the people were property. The Comte uses zombies to work in his fields.

He could have made them vampires, but then they couldn't work during the day.

The Comte wants to be human again. He needs a blood transfusion.

Roger agrees to help the Comte. They go on an adventure.

They meet famous people like Queen Victoria and Oscar Wilde.

The Comte influences Henry Ford. He advises Queen Victoria on her empire.

Micallef couldn't tell this story on TV. It's too complex.

Micallef started his career as a sketch comedian. He wrote for The Big Gig.

He starred in The Micallef Program and Mad as Hell.

Micallef hosted a comedy news show for 11 years.

He created a mystery series called Mr and Mrs Murder.

Micallef couldn't do a project like De'Ath Takes a Holiday on TV.

He starts writing and then figures out what the project is.

Micallef went from comedy to fiction.

Writing a vampire novel is unexpected for Micallef.

Since Mad as Hell ended, Micallef has been busy. He came second on Dancing with the Stars.

He hosted a show called Shaun Micallef's Eve of Destruction.

Micallef travelled the world with comedians. He hosted a documentary about gambling.

He released a memoir and a collection of comic writing.

Micallef finds writing to be a solitary process.

He misses the collaboration and feedback of TV.

The thought of an audience kept him going.

Micallef approaches projects with the audience in mind.

He got into the characters' heads to write the book.

Micallef made references to other works, like ancient Greek playwrights.

He drew on the epistolary mode of Victorian novels.

Micallef honored the tradition of gothic romance novels.

He will feature on TV in a documentary about gambling.

Micallef felt comfortable writing in Roger's voice by the end of the book.

The book has a unique twist at the end.

Micallef thinks the book is award-winning.

De'Ath Takes a Holiday is published by Ultimo Press.

Micallef will be at the Melbourne Writers Festival.

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