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[Vampire Month] The Vampires of my life by A.J Campbell

26 Thursday Mar 2015

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For her guest post, Alex gives us this quirky little play… Spot the not so subtle political metaphor for bonus points…

Scene: A bedroom, at night. Long white curtains billow at a casement window. Three redhaircandles, in a tall wrought-iron stand gutter threateningly in the draft. Our protagonist lies, in a gauzy nightgown, on the high four-poster bed. Suddenly, she awakens to a rapping at the window.  

Protagonist: Who’s there? What is it? [Through the window enters a small, scruffy boy, ghostly pale with small fangs poking over his bottom lip.]

Boy: Muahahaha! I am here to suck your blood!

Protagonist: What? Who the… Oh, it’s you.

Boy: [Strikes a pose] Yes! ‘Tis I. The nightmare of your childhood! The creature who gave you sleepless moonlit hours and began your life-long fascination with the denizens of the night!

Protagonist: You’re The Littlest Vampire, aren’t you? When did you learn a word like “denizens”?

LV: Ah… you remember me!

Protagonist: Yes, I remember you. I remember hiding your book as far away from me as possible in my room so you wouldn’t crawl out of the pages and nibble on me in my sleep. I was still in junior school at the time though.

LV: [Looks pleased with himself] And since then? Do I still terrify you?

Protagonist: Are you kidding me? I used to think that sleeping with a scarf on would stop you being able to get to my neck. You were a good first introduction to the genre, but the only thing making you scary was the fact that I was a bit too young when someone gave me your book to read.

LV: [Subsides, crestfallen] Oh.

Protagonist: Go on. Go home before it gets light.

[The Littlest Vampire exits, and our protagonist settles back down to sleep, but is soon awakened once more by a knocking at the window.]

Protagonist: Littlest Vampire? I thought I told you to go home.

Sultry Voice from Outside: “Littlest” Vampire?

[At the window, David Boreanaz appears, doing his best to smoulder.]

Protagonist: Oh my… What are you doing out there?

DB: I can’t come in unless you invite me.

Protagonist: Oh yes… I remember that little bit. That’s about the first thing that stopped me being quite so terrified of Vamps. The idea that they couldn’t get at me unless I let them in. Problematic idea, really, tallying with notions of victim-blaming and bad things only happening to bad people. But it’s very much a case of a little knowledge being a dangerous thing, only able to be countered with a lot more knowledge. Like the time we did the Black Death in school, and I had nightmares for weeks until Mum told me about Penicillin.

DB: So…

Protagonist: Oh no, you’re not getting an invite. You can stay right there, mister. I remember Angelus. And your Irish accent Sucks.

DB: You’re a… fan then?

Protagonist: Oh, I used to love Buffy. Still do. It’s a cult classic. Makes me feel very old knowing it finished over ten years ago now. It was something of a defining feature of my teenage years – forget Edward or Jacob – the question was always whether you fancied Angel or Spike more.

DB: Which team were you on?

Protagonist: I was a geek. I fancied Xander.

DB: Oh. I should probably go then. See, I had this whole bit worked out about coming in, representing your every teenage fantasy, showing you how sexy vampires can be…

Protagonist: Nah. Sorry. Not tonight. Whilst it might be fun someday to revisit my burgeoning youth, I just want to crack out this article and get to bed.

DB: Another time then?

Protagonist: Perhaps. Shut the window on the way out?

[Boreanaz blows a kiss, and exits. Our protagonist again addresses herself to sleep, when a further knock on the window disturbs her attempt at slumber…]

Protagonist: Again? Really? Who is it this time?

[A tall, immaculately dressed Victorian gentleman appears at the window, incongruous only because of the small, round, black-tinted spectacles he is wearing.]

[Guest Post] What is Horror? by Rebeka HarringtonProtagonist: [Squealing like a completely star-struck fan-girl] Oh My God, it’s Garry Oldman as Dracula… Oh, this is the Francis Ford Coppola version! I remember this! I’d just read Bram Stoker’s book, and thought it was the best thing since sliced bread! My English Teacher at the time had this theory that if Stoker was alive today he would have published the book as an interactive work – just a box full of diaries and notes and newspaper clippings and “phonograph recordings” which would probably be MP3s or something these days. You’d get the entirety of Dracula on a USB stick and have to piece it all together. Wow! And I saw that film, and I was thinking, I don’t remember all those sexy bits in the book, but I was seventeen, so I didn’t care, and… and… and… Keanu Reeves was a perfect Johnathan Harker, because he has all the acting ability of a wet dishrag, and that’s absolutely fine, because Johnathan Harker is a wet dishrag – seriously, who cuts themselves shaving, watches a grown man that he’s only just met lick the blood off the razor and then hurl the mirror out of the window, and his only thought is “That’s most inconvenient, I’ll have to get a new shaving mirror.”? Oh my God, I am amazingly psyched to meet you, sir, this is fantastic.

GO: [Mildly perturbed] Are you going to be like this all evening?

Protagonist: I’m sorry, I may settle down soon, but I’m not at all certain.

GO: In which case, I think I’d probably better go. It was a pleasure meeting you. [He tips his top hat]

Protagonist: No, don’t go! See, that’s exactly why you were amazing, you showed how vampires could be suave and sophisticated, yet also menacing and creepy and sexy and… and… [realises how over the top she is being.] Ok. I get it. You probably should go. I’m really sorry, I’m not usually like this. I don’t know what’s come over me…

[Gary Oldman turns into a bat and flies away, blowing the entire special effects budget in the process. With a sigh, our protagonist once again turns to the bed. She has not long laid down when there is a clicking sound, like that of a camera shutter, and a doctorwhotwilightsmall flash of light.]

Otto Chreik: Vonderful! Simply vonderful! Ze vay ze candlelight shines on ze flowing curtains, and ze hair spread like zat on ze pillow! Ya, ya, von more! Svoon please! Ya, more svooning, zat is perfect!

Protagonist: Otto?

Otto: Ya? Von second please… [he takes another picture, then puts down the camera.] Can I help you?

Protagonist: Otto Chreik? Otto: Ya, ya, it is me?

Protagonist: You must be here to represent my Pratchett phase. Which, in fairness never really ended. It’s wonderful to see you. I’m so, so sorry about Sir Terry. He was a master of the genre, this must be a terrible time for you.

Otto: Ya, ya… Vell, unlife goes on, as they say.

Protagonist: Pratchett’s vampires taught me so much about the genre… Count Magpyr and his family – the fact that the worst villains are those who pretend they’re doing this for your own good…

[A spectre of David Cameron floats lazily past]

Cameron: Don’t mind me, I’m just a metaphor.

Protagonist: [after his retreating back] Now there’s a vampire I could quite happily stake.

Otto: Indeed.

Protagonist: Even the comic vampires – I’ve always loved comedy, wish I could write it myself, but I tend to overdo it. Comedy is the best teacher, because it allows learning to sneak in round the edges while we’re laughing. Even a character like yourself can show us that there is so much that vampires can teach us about the nature of humanity, the nature of evil – your own comic persona being just that, hammed up round the edges deliberately to seem non-threatening, because we all know where we are vis a silly accent, and we forget about the blood.

Otto: [Bows slightly] Vell, I’m glad to haf been of service. But now, I really must be goink, I haf a scoop to catch for ze evenink edition.

Protagonist: Send me a copy of the pictures, won’t you?

[Otto exits with a dramatic flourish.]

Protagonist: Well, that really must be everyone – I can’t see how…

[At this point Edward Cullen pops up at the windowsill]

EC: You know, you’re like my own personal brand of…

Protagonist: No! No, no, no, no, no! You can fuck right off! I had to read your books when I was considering writing my PhD, but that was only ever so I could rip them apart!

EC: But teenage girls love me! Protagonist: Yes, and I probably would have done so when I was fifteen, but I’m a lot more savvy now, and I’ve discovered feminism, so screw you and the dodgy paperback you rode in on! You’re as bad as Fifty Shades of Grey, what with teaching impressionable young girls that stalking is the basis of a good relationship. And I don’t even think you’re a real vampire – you’re some sort of crystalline blood-powered golem anyway. Vampires don’t sparkle!

EC: I’m only sparkling because I love you…

[At this point, our protagonist punches Cullen square in the face, causing him to fall out of the window. There are loud cheers. She then pulls down the casement and locks it firmly against any further night-time intrusions. Finally, she manages to get a good night’s sleep, though what she dreams about is anyone’s guess…]

Bio

Alex Campbell was born in the wilds of Northumbria, and from an early age cut her teeth on legends like that of the Lampton Worm, which formed the inspiration for her first book, Wyrm’s Reckoning, out later this year..

She obtained a degree in English and Creative Writing at the University of Warwick, then in a shameless attempt to avoid Real Life, followed this up with two Masters Degrees in Science Fiction and in Writing from the University of Liverpool and Liverpool John Moores respectively.

Now, she lives in Portsmouth, at what she insists on referring to as the “wrong” end of the country, with her fiance and a number of dead house-plants. She is a keen gamer and LARPer, for which she makes many of her own costumes. She is not ashamed of being a geek

You can find her on her blog:  https://galacticavoice.wordpress.com/ and also on her facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/AJ-Campbell/1525096601059912

[Vampire Month] Jonathon Ferguson interview

18 Tuesday Mar 2014

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Today we have an interview with Jonathan Ferguson, Curator of Firearms at the Royal Armouries in Leeds. He recently gave a talk entitled ‘How to kill a Vampire’ which I was lucky enough to attend and it was this talk which led me to approach him about a slot in Vampire month.

1) When the general public imagine a curator, I think they generally consider someone older and dressed in tweed. Have you ever found people surprised when you tell them your profession?
It happens less as time goes on, possibly because I’ve succumbed to a bit of tweed! But when I was an assistant curator at Edinburgh Castle I got that a lot.mug

2) What led you to study history and when did you decide to make it a career?
As far back as I can remember really. Indiana Jones was definitely involved! Along with a love of ancient Egypt and an interest in arms and armour, this led down the archaeological path rather than that of written history. It’s always been about the tangible, physical objects for me, though a couple of weeks in Somerset mud convinced me that museums were the way to go!

3) Who is your favourite personality from history?
Well, I should probably be referencing a firearms designer like Mikhail Kalashnikov, having been asked to comment on his recent death by the BBC. However, I think I’ll have to go with Harry Houdini, because whilst he ‘wanted to believe’ in the paranormal, but was also a sceptic and tireless exposer of frauds. I actually have a pet snake named after him!

Me pic with Winchester in Store 24) What is the most interesting exhibit you have handled?
I should probably choose something like a gun belonging to Henry VIII himself, our incredible combination axe/gun, or the experimental grenade launcher I’ve been looking at recently. But my inner geek says that it’s an original ‘Pulse Rifle’ from ‘Aliens’. Movie props can certainly be as valuable as antiques, and increasingly are being seen as important pieces of material culture in their own right. The vampire kit sits somewhere between the two, and certainly ‘up there’ in terms of interesting exhibits!

5) Curator of firearms handling a Vampire Hunting kit – how did that come about?
I began my research on vampire killing kits in my own time back in 2007, before I began to specialise in firearms. But they actually originate within my field, from the antique firearms world. I would categorise them with ‘firearms curiosa’, one of many weird and wonderful things like belt-buckle guns and flintlock rocket launchers (yes, those exist). But of course they are much more than that; a physical way to access the ephemeral world of superstition and the supernatural.IMG_6068

6) You’ve studied both the real world folklore and the fictional tales of Vampires – is truth stranger than fiction?
In terms of defying our 21st century, western logic, definitely. In western fiction, vampires are created by other vampires, or through some deliberate evil or magical act. Yet in folklore, you might be ‘turned’ simply by a cat walking over your dead body! Fiction tends to be a bit more consistent with its lore, even if it’s consciously trying to subvert it

What do you think is the attraction for Vampires? Why are they such a popular topic?
It’s probably the sheer number of themes that the subject lends itself to; threat, death, rebirth, consumption, power, and sex. All but the last are shared with other monsters that prowl our imagination, but only the vampire, particularly the fictional variety, gets to look good doing it!

Share your favourite Vampire story
I have lots, but my all-time favourite has to be the ‘Sonja Blue’ series of books by Nancy Collins, partly because it was the first present my now-wife ever gave me, in the form of the ‘Midnight Blue’ book of collected stories. Though never mainstream, I think it’s been very influential. Dark, gritty, and ultra-violent; the antithesis of ‘Twilight’!

In a fight between all the greatest Vampires of fiction, who do you think would come out on top?
I like to think Sonja would be up there, but I’ve a feeling Dracula would still come out on top somehow. After all, he always comes back!

What about in some other contest such as sexiness or dress sense? Who would win that one?
Well, if we’re talking style, I think it’s Dracula again, as played by Gary Oldman. That’s thanks to those wonderful Eiko Ishioka costumes, from the fantastic red muscled wolf armour to the smart victorian suit and top hat..

Tell us about your latest work.
On the vampire front, I’m preparing for the ‘Seriously Staked’ vampire conference at Goldsmiths on March 8. In my day job, I am lead curator on the Armouries First World War project at Leeds. We’ll be providing more context and a more personal focus to the arms and armour of a conflict that defined modern warfare. There will be a physical exhibition and an online feature, both due to open in time for the August 4 centenary of the invasion of Belgium in 1914.

Jonathan Ferguson is Curator of Firearms at the Royal Armouries in Leeds. His research interests include their use, effect, and depiction in popular culture. His sceptical interest in the paranormal is more of a hobby, stemming from the gift of a Ladybird version of ‘Dracula’ at a young age. However, he is especially enthusiastic when the two things overlap! He has made several television and radio appearances, including National Geographic’s ‘How Sherlock Changed the World’, and BBC Radio 4’s ‘The Lifecycle of a Bullet’.

The Royal Armouries holds in trust for the public one of the finest collections of arms and armour in the world, from exquisite pieces of the gunmaker’s art, to the most functional military weapons, and from the medieval period to the present day.

Find them on Twitter and Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Royal-Armouries/215812575369
https://twitter.com/royal_Armouries

[Vampire Month] Megan Cashman interview

11 Tuesday Mar 2014

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Our second Vampire month contributor is Megan Cashman, a New Yorker and former journalist turned author. She is the author of The Dark Proposal.

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

As a kid, I used to write about kids at school, and their everyday experiences. I was in first grade when I started doing all this, and I think I did it because even then I had fun creating characters. Image

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

I wanted to write a book even as a young kid. It took a long time to take that step because I had other aspirations. But when I was one of many unemployed people in the world, I decided it was a good time to finally write that book.

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 strength is that I have good insight as to what makes people tick. I also think I write scenes that provide good visuals for my readers. My weakness is when I think I may be boring my readers, so I end up cutting parts out that may be necessary for them to understand something. I also tend to be very wordy, so I have to do a lot of editing. I try to overcome my weakness by crafting a paragraph or sentence in a way that doesn’t sound very wordy or boring to a reader. I have to keep my readers in mind when I consider cutting out words.

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

I was born and raised on Staten Island, NY. It hasn’t inspired my work yet, but The Dark Proposal takes place a great deal on Staten Island. I have some future ideas that are inspired by other places I’ve lived or visited.

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

That’s hard to tell because there have been so many. I do wish to write as well as Khaled Hosseini, because his two books The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns are written so beautifully. They also draw you in from the very first sentence, so I hope to do the same with my books

TheDarkProposal_Final_small6)      What drove you to write about Vampires?

They are so appealing! Their immortality, their seduction, their longevity, their power, their arrogance and their fears. There’s something about a creature that lurks in the shadows that makes it more appealing than other paranormal creatures, even though they have their merit too.

 

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

It depends because there are so many different kinds of vampire stories out there. For some, vampires are the most seductive creatures. For others, they are the most frightening. But others see vampire stories as an opportunity to tell other stories as well. The film, Byzantium, comes to mind.

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

Oh boy, that’s tough. Dracula is what really brought the creature into the mainstream. Anne Rice’s Interview With The Vampire humanized it, and influenced vampire stories today. It’s so tough to decide.

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

I actually found Gary Oldman in Bram Stoker’s Dracula to be both sexy and well dressed. I think the accent helped. But hey, even Alexander Skarsgaard as Eric Northman is good competition for Oldman. Oh jeez, how can I forget Jonathan Rhys Myers as Dracula?jonathan-Rhys-Meyers-in-Dracula-nbc-ftr

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

I think Daniel Bertrand, the boyfriend to my main character, will be tough competition for all three. However, once his true nature is revealed, his sexiness plummets quickly.

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

The Dark Proposal is about a college graduate named Claire McCormick who thought she had the perfect boyfriend in Daniel Bertrand, until he reveals that he is a bloodthirsty vampire with the intent on making her one too. Frightened, she desperately tries to rid herself of him, only to painfully learn that he is too malicious to defeat. She struggles to come to terms with reality as she discovers how unstable the vampire world is in the modern age, and how some of them don’t realize how cruel Daniel is even to them. It is the first book in a trilogy, called The End of Eternity. I am working on the sequel right now, and plan to have it out later this year.

Megan Cashman is a former freelance journalist living in New York City. Always asking, “what if?” she turning toward fiction writing in order to explore our world, and many other worlds. Always analyzing and daydreaming, Megan looks forward to sharing her worlds with many others.

Blog: megancashmanbooks.wordpress.com
Twitter: @MeganCashman
Facebook: Facebook.com/megancashmanbooks
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6519000.Megan_Cashman
Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009AL4RKE
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/276775

[Vampire Month] Erica Hayes interview

22 Friday Mar 2013

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Our final Vampire Month victim is Australian writer, Erica Hayes, author of merica_smany books including the Shadowfae series which has some of the sexiest covers I have ever seen. Shadowfae is all about fairies and succubi but there are vampires in there too. Despite being decidedly antipodean, she has somehow found herself in Northumberland in the UK…

1) What is the earliest memory you have of writing? What did you write about?
I recall writing a kiddies’ adventure tale when I was in primary school. Scribbling, more like. I was awful at handwriting. The last kid in my class to be allowed to write with a pen… but yeah. The story was a bit like The Famous Five,  except my characters went around digging holes and discovering underground cities. Or something. Sadly, the manuscript is lost…

2) When did you decide to become a professional writer? Why did you take this step?
Not so much a decision as a thing that happened. I just kept submitting stuff until something stuck. It never occurred to me to stop. My first novel was terrible… the owner of this blog may recall that one 🙂 My second was a little better. My third got ‘good’ rejections. The fourth – the one that got me an agent and my first publisher – was the one that broke the mould. It was different and sparkly and a bit demented. It stood out. That’s the key.

3) What would you consider to be your greatest strength as a writer? What about your greatest weakness? How do you overcome this weakness?
Weakness? Time management. I write kind of slowly, and I am too easily discouraged or put off when my day doesn’t go well. If I have a crappy start, it often screws the rest of my day. I lose a lot of writing time that way. To solve this problem, I try to do my word count first, other stuff (like promo, emails, research, crits etc.) later in the day. That way, my best creative energy gets spent on my own work. And If I get discouraged and mooch off to watch TV and feel sorry for myself, well, at least I’ve done a few words for the day.

PK_cover4) Tell us about the place where you live. Have you ever derived any inspiration from your home or from anywhere you have visited?
My first urban fantasy series (Shadowfae Chronicles) is set in Melbourne, which is the nearest big city to where I grew up in Australia. It’s a charismatic, moody, vibrant place. Perfect for vampire gangsters.
Right now, I’m living in Northumberland, England for a few years – long story – and hey, it’s certainly added authenticity to my ‘cold, miserable weather’ scenes 🙂 No, seriously, it’s a lovely place, steeped in history. Maybe I’ll be moved to write an historical…

5) Which book, if any, would you consider to be your greatest influence and inspiration?
Eh. I’m not sure. Maybe all the bad ones that sell a zillion copies, and I go, ‘hey, I can do better than that!’ There’s an awesome speech by Stephen King somewhere on YouTube where he talks about being inspired by mediocre books. Priceless.

6) What drove you to write about Vampires?
I’m not sure I’m ‘driven’ to write about them. But I do find them interesting, and fun to write about. It’s good fun being inside their heads.

7) What do you think is the attraction for Vampire fiction? Why is it such a popular topic?
In my genre – romance – it’s because of sex appeal, first and foremost. Vampires are hot because they’re dangerous and magical and immortal and could kill you in an eyeblink… but they don’t, because YOU ARE THE ONE. It’s a powerful fantasy.
Also, we find the society they live in endlessly fascinating, in all its possible iterations. There’s so much you can do with a monster subculture. Vampires as hidden, vampires as slaves, vampires as overlords, vampires are the only people left. They’re our enemies, our allies, our protectors, our predators. Or hell, they just mooch around drinking beer and picking up girls. The choices are endless.
But you know what? I think we like monster literature, and vampire literature in particular, because we’re desperate to believe that this – the mundane world in which we live – isn’t all there is. We want secrets, bigger pictures, higher purpose. We want there to be something out there.

8) In a fight between all the greatest Vampires of fiction, who do you think would come out on top?
Well, it’d have to be someone who can move about by day. Otherwise you just wait until they’re asleep in their coffin and BLAM! hit them with a shovel or something. Dracula was kind of disappointingly easy to kill, once they got the hang of it.
Still, you’d have a hard time defeating Anne Rice’s vampires. Lestat is basically a god, by the time a few books go by… author wish-fulfilment, much?

9) What about in some other contest such as sexiness or dress sense? Who would win that one?
Hmm. Eric from the TV series True Blood is pretty hot. At least, he was before he got wussy. I like to pretend that season 4 of that show never happened…
Dress sense? Gary Oldman wears some pretty sharp suits (and blue eyeglasses!) as Dracula.
Honorable mention to Lacroix from Forever Knight, who always managed to look dead cool despite the fact that everyone else in the show looked like a bad-hair eighties refugee.
Scariness? Salem’s Lot scared the piss out of me when I was younger. Also, the boss vampire from the movie 30 Days of Night is one scary mofo.

10) How well do you think one of your characters would fare against the winner(s) of the above?Redemption_Cover Image
Ha! In my later Shadowfae Chronicles books, Poison Kissed and Blood Cursed, I have this metrosexual vampire called Vincent. He’s a second-rate gangster and no one take him seriously, so he was feeling sorry for himself one night and had a little accident with a vampire threesome, and got himself infected with the vampire disease. It made him a little crazy. He eats everything that moves.
He’s good-looking and has pretty cool dress sense, if you like clubby and sexually ambivalent. But he has more enthusiasm and malice than real power. Lestat would probably kick his ass.

11) Tell us the basic premise behind your latest novel.
Oh, okay 🙂 My latest book is called Redemption, and it’s a fallen angel/vampire apocalyptic romance. In near-future New York City, demons are hijacking the seven signs of the apocalypse to bring on the End and create hell on earth. Warrior angels must stop them.
In Redemption, my frosty angel hero, Japheth, is tracking down Rose, an angel-slaying vampire minion of hell. They meet. They kiss. They try to kill each other. Violence, action, angst and hot romance ensue.
You check it out at my website: http://www.ericahayes.net/redemption.html

[Guest Post] What is Horror? by Rebeka Harrington

22 Friday Jun 2012

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Today we have another post by Vampire author Rebeka Harrington in which she discusses the definition of ‘Horror’. Note, I was careful there to refer to her as a ‘Vampire author’ not a ‘Horror author’ for reasons which may become apparent in the post…

Earlier this year Angelic Knight Press featured yours truly in an article: “REBEKA HARRINGTON – WOMAN IN HORROR” (Many thanks AKP) As an indie author I’m always very happy, if not flattered, when someone out there in cyberspace spares me a mention. But until I saw this article I hadn’t even stopped to think I may be considered a “horror” writer. Sure I write about vampires, and they can be pretty horrible, but me…. a horror writer?

My first book, Vampires Revealed, was more like an autobiographical mocumentary than any other tag you care to throw about. Bektamun, narrator and star of the tale, relives some of the “horrible” things she has done; but only when forced to protect those she loves.

Desires Revealed, my latest release, is a love story first and foremost. And of course there are ample vampire shenanigans thrown in. (Got to feed the bloodlust)

Rebeka’s latest book – Desires Revealed

Does writing about vampires automatically mark you as a “horror writer”? When I think of horror fiction the first name that springs to mind is Stephen King, which I’m sure is the same for a lot of people. Mr King has dabbled with vampires (very successfully too, I might add), but his most famous and popular works are far removed from the world of vampires.

Also worth considering is whether or not, despite the vampire revolution, the general expectation is for vampires to appear in the horror genre. Maybe I’m just weird, because I really don’t think of vampires as characters of horror; well at least not so much anymore.

Dracula (as played by Gary Oldman)

Bram Stoker’s Count Dracula was pretty terrifying for the time it was written. Fast forward to The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice; doubt I would’ve bought and read the books if I’d thought I was buying horror. For me, books in The Vampire Chronicles, were about Lestat’s inability to understand humanity; not that he was a blood-sucking monster. Like I said, maybe I’m weird. No doubt my opinion of vampires as characters of horror would change instantaneously should I ever meet a Dracula, Lestat or Eric (Southern Vampires, Charlaine Harris).

When I think about horror, and the things that scare me, I only have to look at history to have shivers run down my spine.

Part of my vampire mythology is a group of extremist vampires known as the Eleiveb. While searching for inspiration as to what kind of things they may subject their human victims, I simply did a search for “torture”. One of the most interesting/horrifying sites I came across was Medieval Torture. The site features a myriad of tools and equipment which sole purpose was to inflict pain and torture on human victims.

While I may be uneasy being assigned as a horror writer, and steadfastly believe mankind is far more horrible to each other than legend or any creature we can imagine, the fact remains I will continue to write about vampires; and they will inevitably do horrible things.

About the Author

Raised in country Victoria, Rebeka started her writing career working for the local newspaper as a teenager. While she decided not to pursue this as a career, she has always enjoyed writing and being creative

With so many varied interests and eccletic taste in most things, Rebeka enjoys incorporating all of them in her writing. She particularly enjoys writing about vampires.

Rebeka seeks to define and explain vampires in a way not done before. This was achieved with her debut title “Vampires Revealed”. Following titles revolve around exploring the world and characters created in her first release.

Currently Rebeka lives inMelbournewith her “demented” but lovable cat, dividing her time between writing and managing a small boutique entertainment agency.

Her latest book Desires Revealed is available for purchase at:

Smashwords

Amazon

Catch up with her characters

www.vampiresrevealed.com

Follow her blog

www.rebekaharrington.com

Bram Stoker (1847 – 1912)

20 Friday Apr 2012

Posted by in Musings

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I was reminded by the inestimable Tony Lee that today was in fact the centenary of the death of Bram Stoker, who died following a series of strokes on the 20th April, 1912.

Though he is not credited with the creation of the literary vampire (that credit goes to John William Polidori, one time  personal physician to Lord Byron) he certainly did his bit to ensure that the Vampire became the enduring myth we know and love today. Without him there would have been no Lestat, no Lost Boys, no Blade, no Buffy the Vampire Slayer* and, of course, no Christopher Lee or Gary Oldman as Dracula. In fact, Hammer horror would have spent the entirity of the 70s having nothing good to make films about and Francis Ford Coppola would have been stuck making endless sequels to the Godfather and Vietnam war films.

Of course, there would also be no Twilight. But I feel we can forgive the old chap for that one.

I would like commemerate this occasion by talking about something else which was instrumental in the creation of Dracula and hence all of the above… the town of Whitby. Whitby is the place where Stoker may have got the inspiration for Dracula – at least the evidence suggests this to be the case. Based on the notes he left, the only mention of the name ‘Dracula’ comes from a reference to a book called  ‘An Account of the Principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia’by William Wilkinson (1820) which he found in Whitby library.

Whitby Abbey

Of course, Whitby is also the place where the Demeter, the ship that brings Dracula to England, lands. I suspect this was by way of crediting the contribution the town made to his work.

It is easy to see how Whitby can inspire one of the greatest horror stories of all time. While the inspiration for the character came from Wallachia, the moody and misty atmosphere of this little Northern port town must have had some influence on the feel of Stoker’s writing and, indeed, the interpretations that followed. I remember my own visit to Whitby with fondness. I was a teenager, taking a yaught trip down the north east coast with a group from college, and we stopped overnight in Whitby. We visited the Abbey, went to the Dracula Museum and spent a fun day wandering aroung the place. The Abbey alone is an imposing and grand sight and I have always had a love for dynamic coastal views.

And Whitby is not shy about crowing about its connection to Stoker. Not only is there the Dracula museum and the blue plaques commemmorating his visit but it also welcomes the many goths who congreate there twice a year for the Whitby Goth Festival. And personally, I do not see why they shouldn’t be proud of their role in creating a character who is promising to be almost as immortal in popularity as he was in actuality.

*There is absolute evidence which suggests that, had Bram Stoker not written Dracula, Joss Whedon would never have been born.

[Vampire Month] Ninfa Hayes Interview

13 Tuesday Mar 2012

Posted by in Guest posts

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Our second Vampire Writer is Ninfa Hayes, author of Bites, a collection of two novellettes. In this post she faces the indepth Vampire interview. Later in the week, she will tell us all about her muse…

Ninfa lives in Manchester, UK with husband Gareth, daughter Cassandra and two gorgeous kitties, Jemima and Shelley.

Originally from Italy, she’s half Spanish, half Italian and British by choice and marriage.

She loves books and is a total bookaholic! Reading and writing have always been a big part of her life and for this she thanks both her parents for passing down the literary gene and the passion for a good story.

Ninfa is big on Networking and co-runs an array of Facebook pages and blogs about books and all things supernatural. She also reviews books for the Facebook “Bookaholics Book Club” on a regular basis.

In this spirit, she’s also training her daughter in these dark arts and plans on making her a huge geek, whether she likes it or not!

If you’d like to find out more about Ninfa and her stories, you can check out her Facebook author page, Ninfa Hayes.

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

I think I was about 10 or 11. Age is blurry but the memory is very vivid. I can still see myself in my bedroom, pen in hand and a notebook, writing a story based on Greek mythology about a young man that falls in love with the Moon. He’s cursed by Aphrodite because he’s a poet and writes of the beauty of Artemis disregarding the Goddess of Love and Beauty in favour of the cold and unattainable Huntress. He dies, wasting away, dreaming of night skies and endless moonlight.

Yeah…I seemed to have a flair for the tragic even at that time, lol.

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

I’ve always written throughout my life, and never finished anything. Then 3 years ago I became pregnant and went on maternity leave. For the first time in like over 10 years I was at home, with nothing more to do then complain about my increasing discomfort, and then after the birth of my beautiful daughter, complain about the lack of sleep and endless days spent in front of the TV watching crap daytime programs. I needed something to do, so I started writing again. This time it seemed with more purpose and a clear focus that I had lacked in the past.

Short stories started flowing and I had increasingly encouraging comments from friends and fellow writers.

Then last year it all finally clicked together. I had a good idea for a book comprising 2 short novelettes and pitched it to a friend, fellow author and publisher.

She jumped on the wagon and gave me her trust and support, as well as her invaluable experience and insight into the writing and publishing business (I’m looking at you Miss Dianna Hardy!).

Writing is all I’ve ever wanted to do and I wanted to be able to share it with people around the world as well as my loved ones and that’s what pushed me into taking the final step in becoming a published author. Add to that a whole lot of luck and here I am today, weeks away from publishing my first book!

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

Now there’s a question…lol. Greatest strength I think it’s my bottomless pit of ideas. There’s not a day that goes by when I don’t think of a new concept or story that would be great to develop. I’m also my worst critic which technically is both a strength and a weakness I guess, and I will go over and over a story punching holes in the plot and challenging the vision and the characters until I’m am absolutely, 100% happy with the whole concept, rhythm and feel of the story.

Unfortunately I seem to get distracted by ideas easily, so I’m a very slow and erratic writer. I’ll go days without writing a word, mulling the story over in my head, then sit down and write 3000 words in 2 hours when the story is ready to flow. I’ve tried to overcome this but for now it’s an insurmountable weakness. If anyone has any suggestions feel free to comment, I’d much appreciate it 😉

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

 Oh Manchester, thy name is love in my heart!

There’s a strange connection I’ve always had to my adopted home-town, Manchester. From the first time I set foot here, it was love at first sight. I moved in 1999, at the dawn of the year 2000 and I’ve never looked back.

There are many places that inspire me in this great city, and I’ve met all sorts of characters in my 13 years of Mancunian residence, providing endless forage for the creative mind.

Currently I have 2 full novel projects that are set in Manchester and that I’m hoping to publish in the next couple of years.

I don’t know what it is about this city that speaks to me, but if you, like me, believe in past lives, then let’s just say that I’ve come back home and the happiness this brings me it’s a constant source of inspiration.

Manchester has always been a centre of creativity and magic, just look at the incredible music bands, writers and artists in general that were born here. Add to that a thriving Pagan community and this is pretty much the only place to be for me 😉

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

Ouch, another difficult question…I believe there are far too many books that have contributed in making me the person, and the writer I am today, although there is one author in particular that opened the doors for my love of Fantasy, and that is Marion Zimmer Bradley.

Before I read “The Mists of Avalon” I had no idea what an incredible wealth of Fantasy books there was out there. “The Mists of Avalon” was my initiation into a whole new world, or should I say, into many worlds. I avidly read that and any other Marion Zimmer Bradley book I could get my hands on back in Italy, where I’m from originally, and then it was all down hill from there, lol.

What drove you to write about Vampires?

Writing about Vampires was never a conscious decision for me, it kinda just happened. It all started with “Last of the Blood”, the first Novellette in my upcoming book “Bites”. It was originally supposed to be a short story but the characters just kept coming back for more.

I suppose I wanted to give my own take on this very much explored topic. There are all sorts of Vampire Books, Short stories, Novellas, Fan Fics etc. out there and many original takes on this supernatural creature. Some are dark, some light hearted and others outright scary.

I grew up reading Bram Stocker’s classic “Dracula” and Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles and I suppose those were my main influences in the Vampire genre.

I loved the romantic and tortured aspects of some of Anne Rice’s characters, but also the lingering horror of Stocker’s portrayal of Count Dracula.

I think with the YA market taking over in terms of Vampire stories, I just wanted to re-explore those more classic aspects of the Vamp figure and mix them up my own way.

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

I think it’s just such a versatile creature to write and it has touched people’s imagination all over the world for far more centuries than we realize. The first mention of “blood sucking/energy sucking” monsters goes back to Mesopotamian times. Ancient Greeks and Romans had the notion of “demons” and other creatures that fed off human and animal blood also, although the actual term “Vampire” didn’t come into play until around the 1800s.

There’s an aura of romance and danger that surround this haunted creature. It can be portrayed in so many different ways, from the tortured soul to the monstrous, heartless demon. You can write of Vampires in Romance, Horror, Crime and Action books, both for Adults and Younger readers.

Vampires are the monsters hiding in the night, out there. It is a creature that right now could be lurking outside your door. It’s believable because it’s part of our subconscious fear of the dark and of our own desires and at the same time it embodies the sensual and tantalizing aspects of that unknown and forbidden darkness.

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

Okay, now I have a “Celebrity Vamp Death Match” scene playing up in my head, lol.

Count Vlad would probably quickly go down, overpowered by the younger breed of Vamps poor thing.

My first response to this question was Lestat De Lioncourt, if taken out of the second and third books of the Anne Rice Vampire Chronicles, since after that he goes a little wimpy for my taste. If we are talking Vamps in a more vast meaning (including characters with Vampire blood or that are of a Vamp theme variation), then I’d say Rosemarie Hathaway would pretty much kick ass (Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead) followed closely by Dimitri Belikov from the same series.

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

Oh Gods! Give me Count Dracula’s portrayal by Gary Oldman any day and I’ll show you a sexy Vamp! And yeah, that includes gorgeous dress style.

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

Well, let’s just say it is in Damon’s nature (“Last of the Blood” Novellette) to wait patiently on the side line. I don’t think he’d openly engage in a fight with the winners, he’d just follow his survival instincts and possibly hide until the others have destroyed each other, then end up being the last one standing, lol.

He is also sort of “swoon worthy” though cause he’s very pretty, lol, so maybe he could come in the top 10 of the Sexy Vamps list. I’ll let the readers decide on that one…

Vamp characters from my second Novellette, “Demonica”, would probably be more “fighty” types, especially Malcolm, though he’s a bit of a villain so I’m not sure I’d actually want him to win Xp (Yes, I have preferences between my own characters…I’m a bad creator…).

Tell us the basic premise behind your latest novel.

“Bites” is a Dark Fantasy anthology containing two Novelettes (counting around 15k words each) that share the common theme of Vampires.

“Last of the Blood” is Damon’s story as he struggles to come to terms with his Vampire nature and faces heartbreak and difficult choices in his desperate quest to belong.

“Demonica” is my own fantastic take on the origin of Demons (including Vampires) and it takes inspiration from different mythologies. It’s sort of a Dark Fantasy creation tale and includes Angels, Demons and the birth of other Supernatural creatures, all seen through the eyes of Irina, a girl with a strange allure and a mysterious destiny.

There’s a little bit of everything in these two stories: love, loss, a little romance, elements of the macabre and hopefully some memorable characters and an enjoyable plot…or at least that is the hope 🙂