Michael Malarkey is a busy man. Whether he is tirelessly writing and recording music (his independent EP, Knots, will be released November 20th), portraying the mysterious Enzo on the CW’s hit show, The Vampire Diaries (TVD), or on daddy duty with son, Marlon, Malarkey finds a way to balance it all. Moreover, he does it with a smile on his face.

Malarkey took some time to talk with Geeks of Doom in an exclusive interview this week, and he opened up about his personal projects while also giving us Vampire Diaries fans some clues into what we can expect for the rest of season seven.