In the following interview for Powells.com, Kostova talks to Welsh about the childhood stories, travel experiences and Gothic influences that led her to write The Historian, as well as the reaction to the novel.

Perhaps you've heard that Elizabeth Kostova's father told her Dracula stories when she was young. You know Dracula, of course, from Bram Stoker's novel, or from the movies, cartoons, and chocolate breakfast cereal it inspired. At the very least, several small children dressed as the infamous vampire have hit you up for candy on Halloween. Five centuries after his death, Dracula lives.

Dracula (1897) is Bram Stoker's classic horror thriller novel that lured Dracula into popular culture.

The Da Vinci Code (2003) is Dan Brown's blockbuster mystery detective novel about a Catholic conspiracy to cover up the truth of Jesus' life.

Interview With a Vampire (1976) is Anne Rice's cult favorite that focuses on the...