Category Archives: Vampire Month

Interview: Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki

27 Tuesday Oct 2020

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In the final (for now) Vampire month style interview in celebration of the release of Slay: Stories of the Vampire Noire, we have Nigerian author Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki talking to us about Anne Rice and other aspects of writing about vampires.

Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki is an African speculative fiction writer, slush reader and editor. He was awarded an honourable mention, twice in the L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Contest. His short story won the Nommo award for best short story by an African. He has been published in African Writer, Omenana magazine, Selene Quarterly, Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores, Uncanny Magazine, Strange Horizons, and Tor.  

He co-edited the Invictus Quarterly, Selene Quarterly, and the Dominion Anthology

He also happens to be a member of the African Speculative Fiction Society, Codex, BFA, BSFA, HWA and the SFWA.

You can find him on the following social media links:

Twitter www.twitter.com/penprince_

Facebook www.facebook.com/penprince

Instagram www.instagram.com/penprince

What is the earliest memory you have of writing? What did you write about?

I would say I was writing since I could write. I always used to make up my own version of the stories I read as early as I could read. About the same time I could write. Then I started to actually write it down a bit later, before I was a teenager. Mostly fight scenes with made up characters but having the abilities of the ones in stories I read. I did try my hand at original stories too as a teenager. I even have this novella/novel about ancient Egypt. Which no, you won’t be seeing. Lol.

When did you decide to become a professional writer? Why did you take this step?

Well, professional. I’ll say that was much later when I discovered literary mags and selling of stories. That was much later on in life. My mid 20s. By then I had given up on writing for like half a decade. Sold my first spec fic story to a pro market in 2018. Published in a couple places before then in like 2015.

What would you consider to be your greatest strength as a writer? What about your greatest weakness? How do you overcome this weakness?

Greatest strength, I would say is my experience as a reader. I think it influences my writing and gives it the quality or feel that it has. Weakness, I’ll say is my stamina. I’m not very prolific. I wrote in short bursts and not as often as I would like. There’s no magic cure. I just have to motivate myself daily to work at it. Food helps as a motivating factor. *smile*

Tell us about the place where you live. Have you ever derived any inspiration from your home or from anywhere you have visited?

I currently live in Lagos, Nigeria. And move around a bit. I can’t say that my place or abode has influenced me so much. I tend to live in my head, and Carry my home with me. Although the times I’ve been in a location that’s been really bad, it’s affected my writing, negatively. But other than that, a few creature comforts, and I and my writing are good.

Which book, if any, would you consider to be your greatest influence and inspiration?

There’s so many books, it would be hard to say. But it would be a tie between the DragonLance Chronicles and Legends by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, and the Dark Elf Trilogy/Icewindale Trilogy by RA Silvatore. You can toss in the Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice, and the Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan. We can also add the Sword of Truth series. Bless Terry Goodkind.

What drove you to write about Vampires?

Anne Rice. And the fact that they are sleek, sexy, powerful, immortal, dark creaturse. What’s not to love about them?

What do you think is the attraction for Vampire fiction? Why is it such a popular topic?

I think it’s the dangerous elegance of it. The danger is exciting. The beauty is alluring. Must be why we keep going back to them so many times, no matter how much they have been explored.

In a fight between all the greatest Vampires of fiction, who do you think would come out on top?

Lestat de Lioncourt.

What about in some other contest such as sexiness or dress sense? Who would win that one?

Tie between the count Dracula and Queen Akansha. They are royalty afteral. Come on.

How well do you think one of your characters would fare against the winner(s) of the above?

Pretty well. Considering my characters are mainly gods, devils and geniuses.

Tell us the basic premise behind your latest novel.

In a post apocalyptic world where a third world war has wiped out nearly all life on the African continent, the survivors gather in Ife-Iyoku, the spiritual capital of the ancient Oyo empire and birth place of all life, where they evolve due to the magic and power of the place and gain powers to survive the radiation and twisted environs they find themselves.

THE LAST MAN ON EARTH (1964) A tongue-in-cheek analysis by Steve Van Samson



16 Friday Oct 2020

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Amazon.com: The Last Man on Earth [VHS]: Vincent Price, Franca Bettoia, Emma Danieli, Giacomo Rossi Stuart, Umberto Raho, Christi Courtland, Antonio Corevi, Ettore Ribotta, Carolyn De Fonseca, Rolando De Rossi, Giuseppe Mattei,First, a little history…

These days, the backdrop of a zombie apocalypse can hardly be considered jaw droppingly original. With such beloved properties such as THE WALKING DEAD (2010), NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968) and about a million in between, the zombie hoard concept has staggered and moaned its way into our hearts. Funny thing is, boil ‘em down to their component parts and you’ll find there are essentially two types of zombie films: Pre-Apocalypse and Post. But in the early 1950s, the idea of a world where mankind had been put on the endangered species list was unheard of. Lucky for us that in 1954, genre master Richard Matheson penned a novel that changed all of that.
In the world of Science Fiction and Horror, “I Am Legend” is kind of an important book. It inspired not only what is considered by many to be the quintessential zombie film (Romero’s NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, 1968), but also three direct adaptations (including THE OMEGA MAN, 1971 & I AM LEGEND, 2007) and essentially an entire subgenre of horror. In other words, if the Zombie Apocalypse compels you to write a thank you note, it should probably be addressed to Richard Matheson.
But enough of that…
Tonight’s film is not only the first to adapt the story “I Am Legend”, it also happens to be the most faithful to the source material.
THE LAST MAN ON EARTH (1964) is constructed of three distinct acts, beginning with a series of aerial shots depicting a sprawling, if barren metropolis. As these progress, the shots become more and more grim, eventually depicting dead bodies strewn over sidewalks, streets and stairs as well as a church’s marquee which boldly proclaims that THE END HAS COME. The sequence comes to its conclusion on a sleepy street, which would surely be charming if not for all the bodies.
It is here that through a broken and boarded window, we catch the first glimpse of our hero. Starring as Dr. Robert Morgan we have the great Vincent Price (HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL, 1959, THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES, 1971). Initially asleep, Robert is jarred awake to the shrill sound of an alarm clock. And like many of us are apt to, he greets the morning with all the excitement of getting a root canal, as he shuffles off and into the business of the day.
“Another day to live through. Better get started.”
With this haunting line, so begins the film’s first act.
For quite a while, the movie trudges along as a sort of one man show–depicting a typical day in the life of the titular LAST MAN ON EARTH. Initially, all of the film’s dialog is delivered via an inner monologue–providing vital insight into the mind of our protagonist, as well as establishing the ins and outs of this post-apocalyptic world. Apparently it has been three years since Morgan inherited the Earth, though by his own account if feels quite a bit longer.
After checking his calendar and adding oil to the ole’ generator, Morgan steps outside to greet the morning sun as well as some fresh dead folk on his lawn. These he regards with all the awe one typically reserves for the first glimpse of the morning paper. It is about this time that we begin to learn about the film’s so-called monsters. Though I have thus far likened these infected humans to “zombies”, this is not entirely accurate. While the infecteds are certainly zombie-esque (given their apparent penchant for moaning, shuffling, blank stares, etc.) they also share quite a few similarities with another classic monster–the vampire.
We soon learn that Morgan has fortified his home with such oddities as strands of garlic and mirrors. According to this film’s mythology, mirrors can be used to repel the infecteds who have a serious hate-on for their own hideous reflections. Of course later when we are treated to the limits of the makeup department, this fact becomes quite silly since the monsters (zompires?) look about as monstrous as the average post-bender collegiate.
But I digress…
After a few more steps in the morning routine, Morgan packs his kit with some freshly made stakes, loads up the car with two bodies from the lawn and hits the road. Better get a move on, Morgan–you’ve got a full day of errands ahead of you and daylight, she’s a burnin’.
After a quick fill-up, the good doctor’s first stop is “the pit”. Basically a perpetually burning gorge of insinuated bodies (insinuated since we never actually see any besides the ones Morgan tosses in). Admittedly, out of the many daily functions we have seen Dr. Robert Morgan perform so far, throwing dead zompires into the mouth of hell is probably the most exciting. The sequence ends with Morgan chasing the bodies with a whole can of petrol and a jumbo novelty torch–just to let the we the audience know that they the filmmakers were also wondering what was keeping this pit thing going.BlueisKewl: The Last Man on Earth 1964
Stop number two on Morgan’s crazy Saturday adventure is a visit to the local supermarket. Surprisingly, he passes through aisles stocked with cans and boxes of viable food, ignoring the lot. The item he’s after today is garlic since his home supply has apparently lost its potency. A good thing indeed that the market’s freezer is still working and there is a large supply of the stinky vampire repelling bulb inside. After stocking up on all the garlic he can carry, Morgan moves on to the really fun part of the day… FULL THROTTLE ZOMPIRE KILLING SPREE!!!
The score blares, all brass and swagger as we are treated to a montage of Vincent Price kicking in doors, hammering down stakes and feeding “the pit” with some freshly slain zompire folk. Then wash, rinse, repeat–it’s all very exciting. Eventually though, the sun starts to get low in that western sky. Noticing this, Morgan decides he had better head home, batten down the hatches and hunker in for another long night. And so he does. One safely settled in, the zompires appear almost at once, planks of wood in hand–they assault the doctor’s home, even calling him by name!
“Morgan… Come out Morgan…”
Fortunately for the good doctor, his zompire assailants have the approximate upper body strength of Spongebob Squarepants. After three years of nightly onslaughts, they have yet to set as much as one wormy toe into his fine, upper middle class home.
At its core, the point of act 1 is to show us a typical day in the life of THE LAST MAN ON EARTH. The mundanities feel mundane for a very good reason–Morgan is running on fumes. He exists simply to exist. Filling his time with the self appointed purpose of exterminating as many zompires as possible–making sure not to die in the process so he can do it all over again the next day, and the next… and the next.
The Last Man on Earth 1964: 15 things you didn't know! | Spooky Isles
Act 2 appears pretty much out of nowhere and is basically one big flashback. In it, we are able to glimpse a portion of Morgan’s life prior to the human race’s nigh-extinction. We get to meet his lovely wife and adorable young daughter, as well as his best friend Ben (who we’ve already met as the hero zompire who endlessly calls Morgan by name). These are the early days of the disease and they aren’t pretty–what with all the panic and hazmat suits and dead kids getting hauled away in trucks. The sequence is certainly interesting enough and adds some depth to our main character.
With the flashback over, we smack headlong into act 3. The final portion of the film takes what we think we know about the world and turns it on its head. Without giving too much away, I will say that the conclusion does a good job of providing an alternate look at Morgan’s unique outlook and situation.
THE LAST MAN ON EARTH (1964) is admittedly something of a sluggish affair. It’s production is low and it features some seriously terrible audio quality as well as glaringly looped voice overs.–however, the film is certainly not without its charm. Price’s character, while incredibly disillusioned and apathetic, is fascinating when juxtaposed against the dystopian world just outside his door. We come to understand that Dr. Robert Morgan is a shell of his former self. A man resigned to continue the business of living–somehow finding balance in day to day survival, but perhaps without knowing why. And somewhere along the way, he became something unrecognizable.
I think Nietzsche probably said it best.

Interview: L. Marie Wood

13 Tuesday Oct 2020

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In our first special ‘itinerant Vampire Month’ post, we welcome L. Marie Wood into the special vampire interrogation chair (the one with all the gothic skulls and weird spikes) to answer questions about herself, her work and in particular her story in Slay: Stories of the Vampire Noire.Picture of L. Marie Wood

L. Marie Wood is an award-winning author and screenwriter. She is the recipient of the Golden Stake Award for her novel The Promise Keeper, as well as the Harold L. Brown Award for her screenplay Home Party. Her short story, “The Ever After” is part of the Bram Stoker Award Finalist anthology Sycorax’s Daughters.  Wood was recognized in The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror, Vol. 15 and as one of the 100+ Black Women in Horror Fiction.  

The questions…

What is the earliest memory you have of writing? What did you write about?

I was 5 years old and I wrote a horror story about a woman who was being chased.  She encountered all kinds of things that were creepy to my young mind and then, at the moment when she would either have to fight or die trying, she woke up!

When did you decide to become a professional writer? Why did you take this step?

In the middle of that very first story – yes, at age 5 – I decide that writing was what I wanted to do forever.  Writing is something that is as much a part of me as my eye color or my height.  I truly feel that I was born to do this and to ignore that would be to live life unrealized.

What would you consider to be your greatest strength as a writer? What about your greatest weakness? How do you overcome this weakness?

My greatest strength is that I can find ideas anywhere and everywhere.  Considering that my genre is psychological horror, I often am intrigued by what could be going on in someone’s head.  That allows for an endless supply of material – ideas can be generated by taking a walk or waiting at a stop light in the car.  Cover of The Realm by L. Marie Wood

My greatest weakness is the concept of boundaries – though, not the way you might think.  I used to not read when I was writing.  When I was working on my first novel, I thought that was the best way to keep other people’s ideas out of my head and keep my writing pure.  I found that limited the amount of reading I did in a year and if you are like me, the consumption of fiction is as important to you as air or water – well, almost.  😊  Because I write a lot, I found that I read less and less and that just bothered me.  So, I tried writing a few short stories while reading a novel that had been on my list for some time… and it worked!  I found that I didn’t actually need to keep the two separate at all – that I can actually walk and chew gum at the same time.  I take this approach with all boundaries, whether within the writing or from my daily life.  The way I overcame the weakness was simply to try it and see what happened. 

Tell us about the place where you live. Have you ever derived any inspiration from your home or from anywhere you have visited?

My town is like any other suburban town – same stores, same restaurants… some streets even look like ones in neighbouring states.  This is the perfect place to get inspiration.  I write about the lived experience – the mundane is my playground.

Which book, if any, would you consider to be your greatest influence and inspiration?

Not a book, but an author.  Ira Levin’s comfortable flow really spoke to me wheIra Levin (Playwright, Author) | StageAgentn I was trying to find my own voice.  He connects with readers in a way that makes you feel like you are chatting with him over a drink on a casual Sunday afternoon.  That ability to engage readers, to unsuspectingly get into their space and under their skin, has influenced my style considerably.

What drove you to write about Vampires?

They are the most human of the horror antagonists and their motivations just make sense to me.  The embodiment of excess regardless of what emotion is being displayed, vampires are excellent antagonists to use in psychological horror.

What do you think is the attraction for Vampire fiction? Why is it such a popular topic?

Vampires are sexy!  Vampires are misunderstood.  Vampires do what we wish we could and dare someone to levy a consequence.  Vampires are who want to be times 1000.

In a fight between all the greatest Vampires of fiction, who do you think would come out on top?

The smart ones.  The Lestats of the genre, impetuous as he is.  The Armands.  The ones who know there is more to the whole thing than just the taking of blood.  If I had to pick one, I’ll say Lestat.

What about in some other contest such as sexiness or dress sense? Who would win that one?

Same… I mean, just look at Lestat!

How well do you think one of your characters would fare against the winner(s) of the above?

Nah, there’s no competition in dress and style.  My characters are nowhere near as flashy as Lestat, however, they would give him a run for his money once he turned a little catty!

Tell us the basic premise behind your story in this anthology.

The short story in SLAY is a discovery tale that happens in a contemporary setting.  It is fast-paced and really dives into the internal turmoil that can exist when one’s humanity is staring back at them in the mirror.

You can find out more about L, Marie Wood on the following links:

Website:  www.lmariewood.com

Twitter: @LMarieWood1

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/lmariewood

Amazon Author Page

 

 

Slay: Stories of the Vampire Noire.

11 Sunday Oct 2020

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What’s this? A title mentioning vampires on this blog and it isn’t March?

Yes, it is true. I am breaking the usual rules of this site by not saving vampire month until March. However, if you noticed, we didn’t have a Vampire Month this March so I feel perfectly justified in running a sort of itinerant Vampire Month in October.

Besides, it makes a hell of a lot more sense to have it in October. What with Halloween and all…

Plus, this is an exciting prospect. On October 13th this year, Mocha Memoirs Press is releasing a vampire themed anthology that has been funded on Kickstarter. The aim was Mocha Memoir press’s usual mission statement which is to ‘amplify marginalized voices in the areas of speculative fiction (science fiction, horror, and fantasy).’ In particular, to explore the black diaspora in Vampire fiction.

So, Slay: Stories of the Vampire Noire, edited by my old Worldcon panel buddy Nicole Givens Kurtz, will soon be available from the usual booksellers and contains stories from a range of talented writers including:

L. Marie Wood

Steve Van Samson

Jessica Cage

Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki

Over the next few weeks, we will have interviews with all these authors so you can have a chance to get to know them better…

Xander’s Heart by Scarlett Flame

21 Thursday Mar 2019

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My latest book is now available for pre-order at the reduced price of 99 cents / 99 pence until the 26th of March. Publication is the 19th of March
 
 
 
 
This is a modern day Gothic romance
 
 

The Blurb:

 
Xander wasn’t your stereotypical vampire. Far from it. Living in Gothic splendour on the outskirts of Whitby. Savage and Dominant by nature he goes after what or who he wants with ardour and passion.
Especially once his eye is set on his soulmate. His chosen one … Ellenor.

A human that he has been watching and waiting to approach for years. He steps forward when he senses she is in danger from a supernatural being.

Bringing her into his world at full tilt.

A world of Domination and submission.

Spanking and bondage.
 
Of werewolves, shifters, ogres and faeries.

Of mages, magicians and sorcery.

A world where a deadly apocalyptic magical war is approaching.

Both Xander and Ellenor have major roles to play but are they up to the challenge?

A new series from award winning author Scarlett Flame.



**Sexual Content

**Suitable for ages 18 and over

 
 
 
 
Universal Link: books2read.com/XandersHeart
First Beta Review on Goodreads
 
Xander’s Heart (The Vampires of Whitby Book One) 

by 

Scarlett Flame (Goodreads Author),
Zak Jane Keir (Editor)
F 50x66

Emma‘s review 

Feb 17, 2019

 

it was amazing

 

Having read this for a honest review I was enraptured so on the edge of my seat laugh out loud great read I loved the way the characters blended so we’ll and how I’ve been left wanting more from the fabulous Scarlett Flame
https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/xander-s-heart
 
Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07NTG72BJ
US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NTG72BJ
Australia: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B07NTG72BJ
  
You can now add this book on Goodreads
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44032009-xander-s-heart
You can find Scarlett
on Goodreads
Twitter
Facebook
Miss Scarlett FlameBlogspot
Scarlettflame.com
Instagram
 

 

[Vampire Month] Scarlett Flame interview

18 Monday Mar 2019

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This week in Vampire Month we have Scarlett Flame who is here to suffer the painful interrogations of the Vampire month interview. Scarlett is a Manchester based writer who dabbles in many genres from Steampunk to Paranormal but all with a sexy, erotic twist. She is also the organiser of the Manchester Author signing and gig event that takes place every year in August. Details here: Manchester Author event and gigManchester Author event and gig

A ModernGothin

1)      What is the earliest memory you have of writing? What did you write about?

This is a hard one to answer really. I always kept a diary or journal from a young age so that is probably my earliest memory of writing anything significant. It was just about what happened for day to day in my life.

2)      When did you decide to become a professional writer? Why did you take this step?

I made the decision in 2013 after a discussion with friends that I used to chat to on Twitter. They were, for the most part writers and authors. on evening my friend John was talking about a book he was writing and I happened to mention that I had been writing secretly. I actually kept the writing in my bottom drawer of my chest of drawers in my bedroom.

He said to send me what I had written so I send him the first chapter of a story. A paranormal Steampunk story and he said it was pretty good and worth pursuing. Between about five of them they then came up with my author name. I loved to write so I thought, why not give it a shot.

3)      What would you consider to be your greatest strength as a writer? What about your greatest weakness? How do you overcome this weakness?

My greatest strength I think is my ability to communicate with others and drive a story forward. My greatest weakness is procrastination. I am easily distracted. Like the dog off Up that can be distracted by the word and thought of squirrels.

A Gothic Romance teaser 5.png4)      Tell us about the place where you live. Have you ever derived any inspiration from your home or from anywhere you have visited?

The place I live is a very small village on the outskirts of Manchester. It is close to moss lands and very rural. Despite being close to the East Lancashire Road. I live in a pretty mining cottage.

In my steampunk book i mention a number of places including Wales where most of my family live and my latest book is set in Whitby. Lots of inspiration came from a holiday there and witnessing the most amazing sunset with the abbey ruins as a backdrop. In fact the cover of the book shows the view I had that evening.

I derive inspiration from here and the many places that I have visited or my family has lived.

5)      Which book, if any, would you consider to be your greatest influence and inspiration?

There are a number but I think Dracula was very inspirational. I love a good vampire novel

6)      What drove you to write about Vampires?

I simply love vampires in their many guises. Dracula, From Dusk till Dawn and of course Twilight.

7)      What do you think is the attraction for Vampire fiction? Why is it such a popular topic?

I think vampires and sex are synonymous. Who could resist a sexy vampire tale of love, lust and blood?

8)      In a fight between all the greatest Vampires of fiction, who do you think would come out on top?

I think Dracula would have to come out on top.

9)      What about in some other contest such as sexiness or dress sense? Who would win that one?

Hmmm the Vampire Louis has to win on sexiness from Anne Rice’s The Vampire Lestat. I love the books by Anne Rice. As for dress sense that would have to be Dracula and his over the top dark cloaks.

10)   How well do you think one of your characters would fare against the winner(s)InstagramCapture_e8cd6ef1-7764-43ed-8c46-02db0b04b899 of the above?

I think my vampires would fare well against any other vampires as they are superstrong, fast and have other powers too.

11)   Tell us the basic premise behind your latest novel.

The story begins with a young woman visiting Whitby. Visiting her grandma in fact, on the outskirts of Whitby not too far away from the ancient Abbey. There she finally meets the resident vampire, Xander.

This is the story about how their relationship progresses and about the heroine – Ellenor, finding out that her life is about to change in ways beyond her imagination.

In magical ways and the ways of the Lifestyle. The Lifestyle being that of BDSM, bondage and spankings.

Very much 50 shades meets Twilight in some respects.

[Vampire Month] #TheRedcliffeNovels – Heart of the Vampire (A Redcliffe Novel) Book 5 by Catherine Green

14 Thursday Mar 2019

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Some of you may remember Catherine Green from her interview and guest post in a previous Vampire month. Well, she is now onto her 5th Redcliffe novel and here she is to tell us all about it…

A series of Catherine Green novel covers

#TheRedcliffeNovels – Heart of the Vampire (A Redcliffe Novel) Book 5

 It is almost Halloween in Redcliffe, Cornwall, and Jessica Stone is not the woman she Heart of the Vampire a redcliffe novel coverused to be. Her summer was hijacked by werewolves, she fell in love with a vampire, and now she is learning how to be a witch, and what it means to celebrate Samhain with her new coven. Her vampire boyfriend, Jack Mason, is busy at work as a police detective, and his identical twin brother Danny, the werewolf alpha, refuses to let go of the woman he has chosen to protect his pack.

Jessica must learn about control, power, and the love that she truly feels for her vampire boyfriend and his brother.

What vampire book genre is the book?

My novel is a contemporary paranormal romance

What are the ‘themes’ of this book?

There is adult content, sexually explicit scenes and scenes of violence

What is the setting of your book series or book?

The Redcliffe Novels series is set in the fictional seaside town of Redcliffe in Cornwall, England.

What’s in store for readers?

We have come a long way since Jessica Stone fell in love with a vampire and discovered the secrets of her supposedly human friends. As #TheRedcliffeNovels series progresses, Jessica learns that relationships are far more complicated when they involve non-human creatures. She must also learn to adjust her moral code if she wants to continue living with the vampire and the werewolf.

My Vampire Boyfriend promo

Excerpt:

“You have to feed, Jack,” I insisted, “And you cannot use me. We tried that before and you almost killed me, remember?”

“You found a way to survive,” my vampire replied gruffly.

I laughed, but it was not amusement that brought such a reaction.

“I survived,” I said, emphasising the word, “because of your brother. Danny saved me. He sacrificed his wolves so that I could claw back some human strength. Maybe that’s what caused this…” I gestured to the empty space on the bed behind me, “thing with Suri.”

“Perhaps,” Jack replied quietly, “But the point is, you survived.”

Words from the Author

I have always been fascinated by the vampire myth and wrote my dissertation on vampires for my university degree. Contrary to popular folklore, I have always viewed vampires as a romantic and misunderstood creature, although I do not doubt their ability to kill and destroy. To me they represent the primitive, dangerous part of ourselves that humans prefer to ignore.

Are you Team Jack or Team Danny? Sign up now and receive your FREE story from #TheRedcliffeNovels series set in Cornwall, England.

Find #TheRedcliffeNovels series in bookshops and online and request them in your local library. For buy links and more details, visit Catherine Green at http://catherinegreenauthor.blogspot.co.uk/ You can find her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram as @SpookyMrsGreen.

Buy from Amazon UK;  Buy from Amazon US;  Buy from Smashwords;

Buy from NOOK Books (Barnes & Noble); Buy from Kobo

 

[Vampire Month] Very Nice by Terry Jackman

09 Saturday Mar 2019

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Author Picture of Terry Jackman sitting in a garden chair

Terry Jackman

We open this year’s Vampire month with a piece of flash fiction by Terry Jackman, author of Ashamet and who is currently working on a Vampire novel (which I hope to feature on here when it is finally published).

Very Nice is a quirky little tale with a subtle bite… I hope you enjoy it…

Very Nice

By Terry Jackman

All those winding lanes to drive through these days. Would she ever get used to them? It was almost two o’clock by the time she got home and her feet were killing her. Still, the mirror was the first attraction. Well, what did she think now she had done it? Was it really her? Too short? Too modern? Highlights he had called them and she’d felt obliged to tell him, ‘Very nice, dear.’ And she’d asked for something different, so it wasn’t his fault.

        Then she pulled a silly face at her reflection. Nice. Such a… a safe sounding word. And what she looked like too, her Ernie would have told her.

        Then the hall clock ticked and tutted at her, reminding her that time was precious.

        Upstairs then, to change into a nice, warm woollie and her comfy slippers. Then into the kitchen; unpack all the shopping, measure out the filter coffee, fetch the tray-cloth and the rosebud china. And of course her special pastries. My, they did look tempting, pale yellow fondant squares and chocolate brownies. She knew gentlemen liked chocolate though of course she always took a lemon fondant. You would never know she hadn’t made a single cake till Ernie had passed over. But there, he’d spoiled her. ‘Go on,’ he’d say, and laugh, ‘there’s always more where that one came from.’

        She sighed, then brightened. Wonderful how one adapted, really. Six years now, six lonely years, but she’d managed. It had meant moving out of their little house in town but she liked the cottage, and the nearby village. More importantly she’d kept her strength up. It hadn’t always been easy but it had all worked out wonderfully, hadn’t it?

        Two thirty, already? She was breathless again as well; sure sign she needed to eat. At least the lounge was spotless, thank goodness she’d got up so early. The table sparkled from its morning polish. Not just a squirt from one of those spray things either. That magazine had said that beeswax made a house more friendly, that and the smell of fresh coffee when someone walked in.

        She’d been a bit doubtful about that part. Ernie had detested coffee. “Muck” he’d called it. but she’d got quite fond of it nowadays, and the magazine had been quite right; no one had refused a cup, and once they’d gone that far, well, a piece of cake was nothing, was it?

        Two thirty-five. Had he forgotten? No, there was a van outside and heavens, he was on the path already.

        Along the hall. Straighten the little brass jug that held the cellar keys. A last glance at that too-short hairdo, though perhaps she did look younger. A calming breath, and seize the handle.

        ‘Mrs Booth? I’m here to mend your washer.’

        Oh, oh yes. So young. So big. So juicy. Why, he’d last the whole of winter. Mrs Booth backed in and beamed at him. She did hope he liked chocolate.

[Vampire Month] The month that never dies…

01 Friday Mar 2019

Posted by in Guest posts, Interview, Photos, Vampire Month

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It is March and loyal followers of this blog all know what March means. That’s right – Vampire Month. That random idea I had many years ago to create a themed event because, one March, I happened to have four Vampire authors just itching to get some guest posts out there… Then, for some insane reason, once I had laid it to rest at the end of March I decided to bring it back for another year… and another… and another…Vampire

A lot has happened since then but Vampire month has managed to be released on time every year, no matter how busy or distracted I get. This year is no exception with regards to the distraction. I’ve started working on some educational resources (first one published recently, the other two still in production) and also been trying to work on several new projects, including a Vampire based story of my own for an upcoming anthlology to follow up the Over the Top Alphas collection (https://www.amazon.com/this-world-Alphas-Brynn-Burke-ebook/dp/B07MMVY2LK). This is unusual for me because I do not normally write about Vampires. Well, apparently now I do…

All of this distraction has meant that I have not been able to  get hold of four Vampire authors to do spots this year. So, this year I have opted for a more freeform approach. Instead of the traditional ‘guest post and interview’ combo for all participants, this year contributors are free to submit what they want – guest posts, interviews, photos, flash fiction, anything that fits the theme. I am also going to do a couple of posts myself. One on a Vampire photoshoot I went on recently and the other on the short I am writing for the anthology.

So, expect the first post sometime early next week…

[Vampire Month] How universal are Vampires? by Jeannette Ng.

31 Saturday Mar 2018

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chinesevampire_330_6492For her blog post, Jeannette has an important question to explore… one which I have touched upon in other blogs (in News from the Spirit World especially).

How Universal Are Vampires?

 It is a staple of the genre that vampires are ubiquitous in myth and folklore across the globe. That there is one ur-creature that inspired all these stories with a uniting theme of the importance of blood, predation and corpses. Our fictional vampires stride across history, witnessing the building of pyramids, sailing on Viking longboats and writing plays for the Elizabethan stage. They’ll often also have fought in the American civil war and so forth.

20170124-DSC_0945Even Stephanie Meyer’s TWILIGHT has a passage where its protagonist reads through a website about vampires: “The rest of the site was an alphabtized listing of all the different myths of vampires held throughout the world. The first I clicked on, the Danag, was a Filipino vampire supposedly responsible for planting taro on the islands long ago.”

And these are all fun tropes, the dark progenitor and ancient curses, but rather obscures the fact that many of the myths grouped into “vampire” lore have little in common with the early 18th Century Transylvanian revenant. The word has gained a secondary meaning that encompasses any and all death-associated blood-monsters.

Except even then, not all so-called vampires are blood-drinkers, as hopping “Chinese Vampires”[1] do not traditionally drink blood. The jiangshi (殭屍) inhales and thus depletes the “life force” of their victims. In Chinese, the western vampire is translated as “blood-drinking jiangshi” to distinguish it from its less sexy, rigor mortis-suffering analogue.

I sometimes fear that in straining for these parallels, we impose a universality that obscures what is interesting and unique about these old stories. These overquoted lines spoken by Ishtar in the EPIC OF GILGAMESH serve as an excellent example:

“If you do not give me the Bull of Heaven,

I will knock down the Gates of the Netherworld,

I will smash the door posts, and leave the doors flat down,

and will let the dead go up to eat the living!

And the dead will outnumber the living!”

EPIC OF GILGAMESH, Tablet 6, translated by Maureen Gallery Kovacs

http://www.ancienttexts.org/library/mesopotamian/gilgamesh/tab6.htm

These lines have cited in many stories about the undead, ranging from the more elegant vampires to the more mindless zombie, but the effect is the same. They are understood in the context of the modern tradition and not the ancient one. Reading further into GILGAMESH would show how the Mesopotamian dead are not corporeal in nature but ghosts in the shape of dust and clay-eating birds.

The imposition of one culture’s monsters onto another and erasing their original form is merely a move towards homogeneity when writing of ancient cultures but is far more problematic when it comes to modern, still living ones. The impulse remains to understand the foreign through familiar lens, to reframe it as merely versions of what we already know, brushing aside differences and elevating the western version as the progenitor and original. Much of the study of comparative mythology is about drawing connections and seeing patterns across cultures but we must not allow our language and eagreness for conclusions to erase actual differences. These stories that we borrow from culture to culture are born of their cultures.

So perhaps this is something of a downer conclusion, noting how the vampire devoured so very many other blood-drinking demons and animated corpses. Even within Slavic folkore, vampires are not universal. The Ukranian tradition features blood-drinkers who are not actually dead at all. The word itself is Serbian (in fact, the only Serbian loanword in English).

And yet, there is an undeniable simplicity and universality to using the shorthand of “vampire” when talking about these loosely themed array of night terrors. Despite her reluctance to do so Silvia Moreno-Garcia ultimately terms her creations CERTAIN DARK THINGS [link: https://theillustratedpage.wordpress.com/2017/02/18/review-of-certain-dark-things-by-silvia-moreno-garcia/ ] vampires. And there remains a mystique to the term and much like any other genre word, the baggage is heavy and hard to shed.

[1] They rather iconically appear in the classic MR VAMPIRE (1986) and THE LEGEND OF THE SEVEN GOLDEN VAMPIRES (1974). Despite having vampires elsewhere be based on the same blood-drinking template, WORLD OF DARKNESS has the supplement the KINDRED OF THE EAST that allow the reader to play chi-inhaling jiangshi.