Influences: “The Last Vampire” by Christopher Pike

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book series, books, Christopher Pike, series, The Last Vampire, vampire books, vampire fiction, vampires, YA, YA books, Young Adult

When I was in junior high, I read a lot of vampire stories. I read books by R.L. Stine and Anne Rice. I even attempted to read Bram Stoker’s classic novel, but could not get into it. But one book that stands out during my vampire book days was “The Last Vampire” by Christopher Pike.

Here’s an overlook of the book, and the other five that followed it in a series. The books are about Sita, a 5,000 year old vampire who is, seemingly, the one and only vampire left on earth. Although she is tiny, she is incredibly beautiful, extremely strong and quick, and falls in love quite easily. The latter means she falls in love with the son of a detective, mainly because she believes the son, Ray, is the reincarnation of her husband from 5,000 years earlier, Rama.

But Sita is not the last vampire around; her maker, the world’s first vampire, Yaksha, is still out there and is looking to kill her to rid the world of vampires. Yet, Sita survives Yaksha’s attempt and turns a dying Ray into a vampire, to save his life. This breaks a promise she made to Krishna that she won’t create any vampires, and thus will always have Krishna’s grace.

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So begins the adventures of Sita, Ray and Yaksha. The adventures involve a trip to Las Vegas, flashbacks to Renaissance Italy, massive explosions, the death of Ray and Yaksha, Sita meeting a non-vampire who managed to live hundreds of years through alchemy (I forget the character’s name), and being changed back into human form. She also winds up pregnant, Ray comes to back to life as some sort of ghost, the baby grows at an abnormally quick pace and later turns out to be some sort of demon that Sita has to destroy. In the end, Sita meets with space aliens – or something like that – and is able to go back in time to kill Yaksha when he is born, and thus, never becomes a vampire and returns to life as though she never lived for 5,000 years.

At the very end, readers learn that Sita’s human nerdy friend, whom she cures of AIDS, had created the story of Sita in order to cope with having full-blown AIDS, and readers are to believe that the story of the last vampire was a product of his imagination.

Hmm. Sounds like a bad movie, right?

Now that I think of it…

Anyway…

I am aware that the series is being continued, years after the sixth and final book was written. I am not sure if I will ever take a peek at any of these books, especially now that I am aware that The Last Vampire series doesn’t sound very plausible. I mean, it certainly isn’t akin to the Harry Potter series in terms of storytelling.

But I do remember a few years ago, during the Twilight craze, walking through a bookstore, and seeing The Last Vampire being marketed as a new series called Thirst. I was thrilled to see that book cover, and thrilled to have memories of my early-teen days come back to me.

Those memories included chatting with friends about Sita and her adventures, and what will happen to her next. It seemed Christopher Pike’s vampire series was widely read in the mid-90s. Also included was my introduction to Hindu mythology, which these books are heavily based on. It showed me a new world, which back then was largely influenced by Catholicism.

I also grew fascinated with vampires, and wrote little short stories about myself becoming a vampire and what sort of adventures I would have as one.

Clearly, The Last Vampire series influenced me, as imperfect as they are. They also influenced the way I created my vampires. For example, I made my vampires walk around in the sunlight, depending on how old they were. This is all thanks to Sita, who could also walk freely in the sun, although she would be exhausted later on. In addition, my vampires, like Sita, do not sleep in coffins.

Even though The Last Vampire series is not the best one out there, it still has a special place with me. It made me fall in love with vampires, let my imagination run wild, and influenced me as a writer and storyteller. Creating stories are like building blocks, and sometimes there’s just that one book that leads to the foundation stone being placed. For me, it is Christopher Pike’s The Last Vampire series.

You’re All Going to Think I’m Crazy…

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authors, Being an Author, books, eBooks, indie authors, Indie books, Kindle, novels, On Writing, sequel, vampire books, vampire fiction, vampire novels, vampire trilogy, vampires, writing

Seriously, you are.

And I’m pretty sure you know what I am talking about.

It had been on my mind for a little while, and took a good butt kicking to get the drive going again. But I am glad that engine is roaring once more, and I doubt I am going to look back.

I am once again working on the sequel to The Dark Proposal.

Yeah. I’m certain some of you are rolling your eyes now.

After stopping, restarting and stopping again, I am giving it another go. And this time I am going to go all the way with it.

The last time I stopped was, as I explained, mainly for financial reasons. As much as I wanted to keep working on the sequel, I was concerned about how expensive it is to self-publish. But after doing a little research, I found it is not that unusual for writers to do crowd-source funding for their work. And that is what I plan to do. By the time I am done with the first draft of this book, I will start a campaign to raise money to get my book edited, get the cover made, and a few other promotional things to get the word out about it. But that won’t be until the fall, perhaps.

Some of you might be thinking that I am struggling with the main character, Claire McCormick, because I portrayed her as insecure, naive and kind of foolish, which is not easy to follow-up to in the sequel. While my intention was never to make her a strong, kick-ass female, I am finding ways to develop her strengths as well as have her face her weaknesses. Claire’s story is about personal responsibility, which ties in with the vampires’ story.

Some of you may also be wondering about my other WIP, “The Cats”. That I am setting aside until I complete my vampire trilogy. I may work on it from time to time, but my priority is my vampire stories, so once I complete them, then I’ll continue on with “The Cats”.

Yeah, being an author can be a mindboggling thing. You have to weigh-in writing what you want versus what makes since business-wise. After all, writing books is a business, whether you self-publish or go the traditional route. Money talks, and you have consider how you’re going to spend your money, or obtain the funds, to get your work out to the world. But sometimes passion talks to, and if it’s in your gut to write something, or finish something, than there are times when you have to give in. Besides, going with your gut works all the time.

So, without any further ado – onward with the sequel to The Dark Proposal.

BTW, I’ve already given it a working title: “A Light in the Darkness”.

Choosing a Sequel’s Title…Plus an Excerpt!

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authors, blood, book excerpts, books, Indie books, novel, novels, On Writing, The Dark Proposal, The End of Eternity, vampire, vampire book, vampire books, vampire fiction, vampires, writing, writing a book, writing a novel, writing a story

Yesterday marked the four year anniversary that I self-published The Dark Proposal. Since then, I’ve been taking my sweet time writing its sequel. It’s been a long road working on it, with a lot of doubt mixed in. But I’m happy to say that I’m finally getting somewhere with it, and even have a title in mind!

Actually, I have two in mind. I am split between the two prospective titles, because they both represent the story.

One of them is, Blood Ties, which illustrates how torn Claire is between the vampire world and the human world. She now has vampire blood in her, yet she is trying to hold on to her humanity. As the vampire world becomes more and more troubled, where would her loyalties lie?

The other is Between Light and Dark, which also illustrates how torn Claire is. But in this case, she is also haunted by the mistakes she made that led her to become a vampire and is seeking some hope, hence the light. Furthermore, this title goes hand in hand with its predecessor – light, dark.

The more I write, the more I will figure out the title. Who knows, I might come up with something totally different.

In the meantime, check out this excerpt! Enjoy!

She grabbed her bathrobe, and went to the bathroom. She first started a shower, but switched to the bath once she realized Daniel would want to know why she was doing that. She was a vampire, no need to cleanse herself of anything, including him. So, her bubble baths would have to do. This was something she had begun doing since returning from Paris, and was one of the rare freedoms Daniel allowed for her. These baths weren’t just moments of indulgence for her. They made her feel clean, physically and mentally.

As she stripped off her bathrobe, she caught sight of herself in the mirror. Did she recognize that person looking back at her? That person was a young woman with eyes that seemed as dead as the body she inhabited. Did she know she was staring back at herself?

Repulsion rose again and Claire had to calm down before she smashed the mirror. She let the tidal wave come, and it poured out in silent sobs. The blood tears came and flooded down her face onto the pristine sink. She didn’t care if the tears were really the blood of her victims or not. She just wanted a release.

After a few moments, she gathered herself enough to step into the tub. As she lied in the rosewood scented bubbles, the tears flowed more and she even choked a bit on her sobs. She made sure she did this quietly enough with the faucet running and the shower doors shut, so Daniel’s sharp hearing wouldn’t alert him. Luckily, he probably wasn’t even thinking about her right then.

Tilting her head back against the tub, Claire sighed and shook her head to herself. Her friends and family had no idea what she had become. She had rarely spoke to them since moving in with Daniel. The last time she spoke to her mother was on the phone two weeks ago. It was to wish her a happy birthday while explaining that she was too busy to visit. Her mother sounded frustrated, as she lately had been. But Claire also heard something else: helplessness. Her family had no clue on what was going on with her. It had to be agony for them to be lost like this. But if they ever found out, that agony would be replaced by outrage. She had put them in danger and she was now a monster. That would be it.

The same reaction would come from her two former best friends. Samantha would sound off obscenities while jabbing a finger at her, and Monica would storm off without saying a word. Claire would be left with only to turn to the vampire world she despised.

And she had to accept being a vampire.

She closed her eyes as a sob shook her. There was no way out of this. She had to be a vampire. She had to accept and live what she was now. No use in trying to maintain her humanity. Daniel was painfully right.

Claire’s body tightened. She could still feel him inside of her, using her like a masturbation device.

And she was attached to him for eternity. No matter what, he would be a big part of her life. The mere thought sickened her right to the bone, and she wanted to vomit.

A single blood tear rolled down her face, and she roughly brushed it away. Opening her eyes, she saw the bubbles and the water were tainted with blood. Blood from her tears.

Stunned, Claire stared at the bubbles and water around her. The blood was like ink, with its redness swirling around in the water, or relaxing to dye it faint red. Some of that inky crimson hue was caught in the bubbles. A large one rested near her left knee and it had that thick redness inside. It looked trapped, stuck in endless whirling, with no way of getting out, unless the bubble would burst.

Claire blinked a few times to rid herself of the shock. Even her cherished baths were blood stained. Her life was now bound by blood. Blood would be everywhere for her. Her very existence will be consumed by blood, and she will consume it, too. Blood and her were forever entwined. There was no more room for denial.

She gritted her teeth. There was no way she was going to live her life like that. She was so much better than this. She was not the sadistic killer Daniel wanted her to believe. She was not going to relish in human blood, no matter how much her new nature insisted. She was not going to embrace her vampire self.

Claire unplugged the drainer and stood to turn on the shower. Using her supernatural speed, she rinsed herself off of the ugly bubbles and water. Not only didn’t she want Daniel to hear the shower and get curious, but she also wanted to be rid of the redness as soon as she could. Claire’s anger began to crash down her regret and gain more steam. She was angry at Daniel and herself, and that anger was getting stronger with each rough stroke of her skin.

Once relieved of the bloody filth, she turned off the faucet. Glancing down at the floor of the tub, she saw the remaining bubbles and water were not fully rid of their redness. Worse, the tub’s porcelain now had a faint pink hue and might need some cleaning to be white again.

An ache suddenly came from her upper arms and torso. When she looked, she saw she had scratched herself while rubbing her skin in super-quick speed. Thin lines of blood had formed on her arms, stomach and chest.

Claire’s anger disappeared as quickly as the water going down the drain.

Letting out a sigh, she hung her head.

She was unsure of what to do that very minute, tomorrow, next week, next month, next year…

The only thing she was certain about was to lower herself onto the floor of the tub, pull her knees up, bury her forehead on them, and lose herself in her thoughts.

Blood had bound her to this world is more ways than one. She didn’t want either, but had no other choice. Only she didn’t want to follow through on that choice.

But what else could she do? There was no way out of this. It was permanent, and likely eternal, whatever that meant. She would never again be human, no matter how much she wished she still was.

All she could really do was get used to it.

But how?

 

 

 

Choosing the Name for My Vampire Trilogy

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authors, book series, book trilogy, books, crime, crime scene, indie writers, modern technology, social media, technology, The Dark Proposal, The End of Eternity, Trilogy, vampire books, vampire trilogy, vampires, writers, writing

Happy End of Summer, everyone!

Yes, isn’t sad that summer is over? For me, it went by too fast and I barely had time to enjoy it. But unfortunately, this year’s summer was far too hot and humid, so that experience has me looking forward to the much cooler fall. Seriously, some seasons aren’t worth getting ill over.

In the meantime, I am still working on my sequel. It is a long and hard journey, mainly because of my crazy schedule that has me working hard in an expensive city. But I am making headway, and I believe by this time next year – or maybe sooner – I will be celebrating its release, five years after the first book, The Dark Proposal, was published.

I know, it’s a long time to go between releasing books in a series. In this case, I am writing a trilogy which is quite ambitious and pretty far fetched for someone who has a busy schedule. But I am determined to keep my word and keep on writing. I know I am pulling a George R R Martin here, but it is what it is. I am not a full time writer and it will be eons before I reach that point. I do what I can and I hope the results will be at least descent.

Later this month, I will be revealing the two possible names for my sequel. I’m split on the two, but I’ll reveal them anyway to mark the 4-year anniversary of The Dark Proposal’s release. But before I do that, I want to discuss the name of my books’ trilogy.

I am calling my trilogy The End of Eternity. It may seem odd that I am not calling my books The Dark Proposal trilogy. After all, many books and movies go by the first name of their series. They include The Twilight Series or the Star Wars trilogy. But I see The End of Eternity as fitting, and my apologies if it seems like I am giving away the story.

Image via Pixabay

When I started writing The Dark Proposal, I not only was exploring abusive relationships, but I was also asking the question: how could vampires survive today with so much technology and surveillance? I would imagine it would be far from easy and would be a problem unlike any other for vampires. I would imagine through the centuries, vampires would have dealt with the witch hunts, the Inquisition and other atrocities due to superstition and fear. But crime scene technology, social media, surveillance, and other modern technology would make it difficult for a vampire to get by. It’d be like the supernatural versus science. Who wins?

I originally wrote a story about all of this, but struggled with it because the characters were boring and no real backstory to them, no matter how hard I tried. Writing about Claire and Daniel’s relationship help add some color to the technology vs. vampire issue nicely.

So, The End of Eternity trilogy will answer the question of modern technology vs. vampire, along with what would happen if a young woman found herself in a relationship with a man who turned out to a murderous vampire. See, that’s the fun thing about vampires. There are so many issues and stories to explore with them. The possibilities are endless, and I think there are many good stories still waiting to be written about vampires. Maybe mine will set off a trend!

So, my trilogy is called The End of Eternity. 🙂

The Joy of Writing About Vampires

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Anne Rice, authors, books, interview with the vampire, novels, paranormal, paranormal books, vampire books, vampire novels, vampires, writing, writing a novel

As I work on my sequel, I find myself overcome with excitement at times. Sometimes it is due to the thrill of a good scene, or feeling as though I’m on the right track. But other times, it is because I am creating a world filled with many possibilities.

I have often wondered what is the appeal about vampires, and the list can have a variety of appeals. Sometimes it’s the sexuality, the idea of being alive for centuries, being a night creature with supernatural abilities, and so on. But as I write the sequel to The Dark Proposal, I realize there’s a long list of why writing about vampires is so much fun. Aside from what I just mentioned, I think it also is because when an author writes about vampires, they are also writing about a whole different world.

Click here for original image on DevianArt.con

Vampires are not human, and don’t live like humans. Therefore, their world is entirely different from ours and their sense of self is equally different. That being said, an author would have to be very creative when coming up with a world unlike ours. It is one thing to write about vampires from the outside looking in, but when it is time to write about the vampire world from the inside, a lot of creativity and fun can come in.

Think about it. Vampires are their own specie, or even their own tribe. They have cultural norms different from human norms, and possibly even have a hierarchy or political system unlike most humans. Since vampires often live separately from humans, their world will not, and even cannot, be like ours. Imagine, as an author, what fun it can be to create a totally different world!

And ideas and angles to tackle! A vampire author could write about the political system of vampires, or the gender issues vampires face, if any. A writer could tell a story about the religious beliefs of vampires, if any. Or they could write about how vampires make money and become rich (or live simply) while not being too involved in the human world. A writer could write the complexities of being a new vampire, or a very old vampire. Or create a world where centuries-old ties and bonds create harmony or friction among the vampires. Imagine digging back hundreds of years to figure out what went wrong between a couple, or what has kept them going for so many long years.

The possibilities are endless – and its great!

There are so many different topics and angles to write about when it comes to vampires. More so than romance and love, though that can take on different angles in terms of gender, sexuality and longevity. The thing is, writing about vampires is so much fun because it allows an author to create a world on his or her terms, and it depends on what subject they want to tackle. And in the case of vampires, it could be any subject.

The one risk that comes up is getting too involved in this different world. There have been times when I had to take a step back and re-evaluate a couple of characters, scenes, notes and outlines. This is because I got in too deep with what I was exploring. For example, I was exploring the relationship between Daniel and his makers, Hilde and Michel. It started off being very exciting because I got a chance to go through history, the personalities of each character, the politics of the vampire world, and how it has dealt with human hunters over the years. Unfortunately, I got so wrapped up in this, I lost track of what I was doing, and had to stop and erase what I had done. It was disappointing. Writing about centuries-old creatures that have their own social norms is fun, but it can get too much fun, and then you’ll have to start over again.

Maybe, if necessary, novellas and short stories about certain characters may come in handy down the line. Kind of like how Anne Rice keeps writing about her vampires, years after she wrote Interview With The Vampire. She created a whole new world with colorful characters, and she built a career around them. From a business standpoint, that’s not a bad idea!

Anyway, writing about vampires is tons of fun, and for good reason. Imagine creating a world of blood-sucking night creatures that can do things humans cannot and can live forever. Imagine what its like to be one, and there’s others like you. Now imagine what that existence would be like, especially if that existence has been around for centuries or even millennia. Sounds amazing, right?

Now go ahead and write that down! Just maintain your focus and you’ll be on your way!

 

The Book Trailers for “The Dark Proposal”

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book trailers, books, eBooks, novels, vampire books, vampires, video, YouTube

At last, I finally made my book trailers for my book!

I know its been three years since I released “The Dark Proposal”, but I have been meaning to do a book trailer for it. So finally, I made not one, but two of them.

The first is what I call the teaser/cover reveal. It provides a simple summary of what the book is about:

The second is the fuller length, since it goes into more depth:

I got the photos through Creative Commons, mainly through Flickr. The haunting music, which I really love, come from Freesound. I used the programs Final Cut Pro 7, Motion, and my iPhone to do the voiceover.

I chose to do the voiceover rather than captions, because I believe hearing a voice grabs the audience more than simple words going across the screen. And yes, that is my voice 🙂

I had a lot of fun making these trailers, and I definitely look forward to making the ones for my sequel. If all goes well, I’ll be preparing to release it this time next year.

The Road to Redemption

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authors, books, eBooks, life, life is a journey, mistakes, novels, redeem, redemption, sequel, sequels, that's life, truth, vampire books, vampires, writers, writing, writing a novel

Redemption. What does the word conjure up when you think about it?

For me, as a spiritual person, it means to recover from past mistakes by undoing them through better deeds, better actions, better attitude, and everything better all around from what you did wrong – with what you did wrong fully in mind.

We all fall short, and we all make mistakes. And we all have to pay or fix those mistakes. But when it comes to redemption, to me at least, we redeem ourselves from major, life changing mistakes that take our life’s path in a totally different direction. A direction that we did not intend, yet were too blind by something to not realize that we were going to veer off course.

Image by Maria Morri via Flickr

I’ve been down that road, and there’s nothing quite like looking back and wondering why I took the road that took my life in a direction it should not have gone on.

The good news is, I’ve been getting back on track and fixing my life, and becoming someone who I was meant to be, rather than running away from my potential and talents. What I’ve learned is that there comes a point in life where you simply cannot doubt yourself anymore or else you’ll have more problems than you need. Plus, you never really grow. Since I value personal growth, I had to learn the hard way that insecurities are really limiting, and I had a choice to get over them or give them up if I wanted a better life.

So I made the choice to give them up, and now I’m setting on a more better path for myself. Too bad there are lots of consequences that I have to deal with, such as starting over again professionally, financial sacrifices and consequences. But I am more at peace with myself, and where my life is headed.

I hope for the same for my main character, Claire McCormick. Some of you may recall in the first book of my trilogy, she made a lot of mistakes that led her onto a path she couldn’t really get off of. Now she is stuck in a life she never wanted, but ended up on because of her flaws and naivete. Granted, she’s a young girl, just 22 years old and just out of college. Like many at that age, she thinks she can survive easily yet is wrought with insecurities. And she paid a heavy price for her actions.

The second book of my trilogy will focus on Claire’s redemption. She is not the same person she used to be. Aside from being a vampire, she’s been through a lot and is now more unsure of who she is and where to go in this life that she didn’t ask for. That uncertainty is ripe for either self-destruction or self-redemption. However Claire chooses her path determines not only her future, but the future of the vampires, which is growing increasingly insecure with modern technology.

Redemption can be fun. It can also be scary. It can be painful. It also can be relieving. Either way, I believe when one is committed to redemption, it is a journey filled with new beginning and painful endings, great reminders, and agonizing truths. But its a path no one can ever avoid, no matter how hard we try.

 

The Dark Proposal – 50% Off on Smashwords!

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abusive relationships, authors, book characters, book promotion, books, eBooks, explicit content, fiction, graphic content, NA, New Adult, New adult books, promotion, reading, Smashwords, urban fantasy, vampire books, vampires

Click here to purchase on Smashwords

I’m a little late in Smashwords’ summer promotion sales, but hey, better late than never!

My book, “The Dark Proposal” is 50% off the eBook site. This promotional sale will run until July 31st, before it goes back to its original price of $2.99.

If you’d like to purchase it on Smashwords, here is the promo code: SSW50

As you may know, “The Dark Proposal” is about a college graduate who thought she met perfect boyfriend, until he reveals to be a malicious vampire with a sinister proposal.

The book begins at the end of the summer, so this may be good timing!

Happy reading!

Why My Vampires Are The Way They Are

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fictional characters, paranormal, scientific explanation, traditional vampires, urban fantasy, vampire books, vampire novels

No two vampires are the same. What I mean by that is, it seems like vampires in each book, movie or TV show have their own appearances, powers, and blood drinking requirements. Sometimes these characteristics are based on folklore (the Eastern European of the vampire has had a big influence on how we see vampires these days) or at times, the author creates their own version (I never heard of vampires sparkling before “Twilight”).

Click here for original Flickr image

So I say it is safe to say writers of vampire stories got their ideas from various sources – as did I. In this post, I will discuss where the characteristics of my vampires in my book, “The Dark Proposal”, came from.

Firstly, let me lay out what those characteristics are:

• very pale skin that turns into a healthier tone after feeding,
• the ability to read minds and erase thoughts,
• move at a very quick speed (think True Blood),
• turn into mist,
• no need to sleep in coffins,
• being able to walk around in daylight or even overcasts after many centuries,
• superhuman physical strength,
• heightened hearing and seeing,

Some of my vampires also have difficulty stopping themselves from consuming blood from a person, which leads to suspicious deaths among humans.

So how did I come up with these traits? Allow me to explain:

Very pale skin that turns into healthier tone after feeding: Almost white skin I think is one of the hallmarks of a vampire. Having one without pale skin is like not giving a vampire fangs. It also comes from Slavic folklore that a vampire was spotted by its pale skin that turned ruddy after feeding. Plus, for my trilogy, there needs to be something suspicious about their appearance. Without the skin issue, there’s no hint that something is off someone.

The ability to read minds and erase thoughts: Many vampires have done this and I think it can come from the heightened senses these undead creatures have. If they can hear and see things humans cannot see, why not human thoughts? And since I have my vampires inherit supernatural abilities, why not also erase human thoughts if necessary? If you are wondering why my vampires do not hypnotize people, like Dracula did or the vampires on True Blood, well, I did think about that. But it wouldn’t have worked for my book. If Daniel was able to make Claire say and do things through hypnosis, then my story had no point, would be boring, be done in 50 pages, with the whole idea down the drain. Plus, I didn’t want my vampires to be too much like their True Blood counterparts.

Speaking of True Blood…

Move at a very quick speed: Honestly, I gave my vampires this skill because I think it is so cool to see them zip around a room in a blink of an eye. Also, when I wrote the scene where Daniel proved to Claire that he’s a vampire, I just had to have him to do that. It worked so perfectly.

Turn into mist: Comes in handy, basically. I loved the 1992 flick, “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” by Francis Ford Coppola, and the way it showed Dracula turning into green mist. While the mist in stories aren’t green, it is still a fascinating ability to have. It adds to the mystery and fear of the vampire.

Click here for original image

No need to sleep in coffins: I really didn’t like the idea of a vampire sleeping in a coffin, even if it is basically a dead creature. It was just too archaic for me. I was also inspired by one of my favorite vampire books as a young teen, Christopher Pike’s “The Last Vampire” series. His vampire heroine, Sita, didn’t use a coffin and slept in a bed like anyone else.

Which leads to the next trait inspired by Mr. Pike’s books…

Being able to walk around in daylight or even overcasts after many centuries: This was something Sita was able to do, although not every single day since the sun would exhaust her after a while. I also had always wondered if a vampire could walk around during a cloudy, rainy day. After all, there is no sun to fry him, right? But I do think being able to deal with some sunlight is best for more mature vampires because age does make them stronger. At least for mine.

Superhuman physical strength: Because my vampires got their traits from ancient tribal gods, why wouldn’t they have the power and strength of those deities? Same goes for heightened hearing and seeing. Vampires are supposed to be, to me at least, creatures that we fear. We fear them not simply because they can kill or torment us, but because they have the supernatural ability to hunt us down easily, get us to do things other humans aren’t able to, and go mostly unnoticeable in everyday life. It’s hard to fear something or someone who isn’t two notches stronger or skilled than you.

I’m a Recepient of the Vampire Lover Blog Award!

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blog awards, character interviews, vampire books, vampire fiction, vampire lover blog award, vampires

So, I’ve been nominated for another blog award! Yay me!

Fellow vampire novelist, Franics J. Franklin, nominated me for an award he created for vampire enthusiasts. He nominated a few weeks ago and I’m only getting around to receiving now mainly because I wasn’t sure which vampire to interview. My vampires are the villainous type, so who should I feature while making the interview somewhat entertaining?

After checking out how the other blog award nominees interviewed their characters, I decided to take a big risk and interview…Daniel Bertrand, née Poncher, Claire’s boyfriend who is secretly a bloodthirsty vampire and wants to make her one, too.

Brace yourselves…

MC: Good evening, Daniel.

DB: (bored tone) Evening.

MC: You look well rested. Had a good, er, day?

DB: Yes.

MC: OK, let’s get started. Where do you come from?

DB: I was born nearly 700 years ago in medieval France, in Paris actually. I was the bastard son of a nobleman and a peasant woman. I was a disgrace and treated as such. Even though my father acknowledged me and I was given more privilege than most other illegitimate children in those days, I was still a disgrace. It was a terrible heavy weight on my shoulders.

MC: Who made you, and why? Was it by choice, or was the choice made for you?

DB: Two people played a role in my transformation. I knew Hilde for a couple of years at, what you would call, a pub that she ran with who I thought was her husband. But when the bubonic plague took away my wife and two children, and I thought I was next to go, Hilde offered me eternal life, though not in the way everyone knew back in. She was, and still is, a strong-willed person who really enjoys being in charge and in control. She saw a chance to, I guess, nurture someone who needed it when she met me. She also likes having men at her feet, because its a power trip for her. Michel was the other vampire who transformed me. Hilde took my blood while Michel gave me his. That was done to balance the power struggle between the two, like most couples, and because Michel was recently given the privilege of creating vampires, and I was his first opportunity.

MC: What role does gender play in vampire society?

DB: In many ways, it keeps the same social norms the original vampires, known as the Five Brothers, had from their tribe 5,000 years ago. The men are in charge, but there is room for the women to have a powerful influence too. It’s not like all the female vampires are expected to be passive and submissive. But its more like the men are the gateways of power in our world. Meaning, if a powerful male vampire takes a liking to a strong female one, she gets more leeway. (pauses) Of course, this is more likely because our leaders and originators are male.

MC: What was your first feed/kill like?

DB: (shrugs) I was thirsty. My new instincts set in and I did what I had to do.

MC: But were you upset that you killed someone? You didn’t feel remorse or self-loathing?

DB: (stares coldly at me) You learn to forget about those things once you realize you’ve been given the best life possible.

MC: So, what’s it like to be a vampire? How is it so great?

DB: I have the freedom a human would envy. First of all, I can live forever. Immortality is something every human has dreamed about, and some have searched for it. But the first of our kind found the way, and that is why I honor them so much. Secondly, I have supernatural skills: read and erase thoughts, move at an abnormal speed, the strength of ten men. Any human would be envious of that, and also, it has given me what I’ve wanted. Whether it be wealth, priceless art, or a certain professional opportunity, I can have it, and no human would realize what is happening. And if they do, they’ll be sorry (smiles).

MC: If you live forever, or for thousands of years, and are difficult to kill, and are very strong and powerful… how do you not become a sociopath? And go off and start doing anything you want and acting on any impulse?

DB: We vampires don’t really care about your labels or personality disorder diagnoses. We live in our own separate world with our own norm. You are just a nutrient for us, just like a chicken or a pig is to you.  We care about each other. That’s enough.

MC: Do you miss food, the sun, or your heartbeat more?

DB: I can eat or drink human food, but I don’t need it. It just goes right through my system with little impact. I eat to hide my vampirism. I did miss the sun early on, but as I grew older, I became strong enough to finally go out in it. But I can’t be in the sunlight too long or else it would tire me. As for my heartbeat, I’ve gotten used to that. I’m still living, still moving around, so I don’t need it.

MC: Would you date a werewolf?

DB: A what?

MC: Nevermind. Is sex that much more enhanced than before? Do you feel your sexual drive is greater than before?

DB: After I was made a vampire, my sex drive improved dramatically. I had no fear of going to hell over lust, or how often I had sex or with who. I even learned to push my boundaries in terms of orientation, though I have always leaned more toward women.

MC: If you had the choice to no longer be a vampire – to just be a human again – would you go for it?

DB: I’ve already answered that question.

MC: Well yeah, you did. OK, thank you for your time.

DB: Is this interview over?

MC: Yes it is.

DB: Good, thank you. (gets up and leaves using vampire speed; is gone in an instant).

MC: (shudders) Glad that’s over. As part of this nomination, here are 11 facts about me:

1) This year, I did something a little reversed compared to most people I grew up with. Originally from Staten Island, NY, I moved to Brooklyn back in May. Most people leave Brooklyn to live on Staten Island, but Brooklyn appeal to me more.

2) I have lost over 30 pounds in the last year. Yes I did! I followed the Weight Watchers plan, learned to control my food intake and made wiser dietary decisions. I also am walking a lot more these days.

3) I have been doing yoga on and off for over ten years, and I’m starting it again. I love the physical challenge it brings, but lately I’ve been appreciating its mental challenges too.

4) As I much as I love New York City and enjoying my new life in Brooklyn, I hope to live somewhere else when I’m married and ready to have kids. NYC is great, but it is ridiculously expensive here.

5) I’m adding vegetarian and vegan food to my diet. No, I am not converting, as I am still much the carnivore. I am simply expanding my meal options.

6) I wish I could paint. If I had the time, energy and money, I’d take a painting class. It looks so relaxing, and I’d love to paint flowers or sunsets.

7) If I were allowed to vacation anywhere in the world tomorrow, and it was free, I’d take a train ride up to Quebec. Montreal and Quebec City look so beautiful.

8) I was 13 years old when I first got into vampire stories, and I enjoyed them so much, I honestly wished I could be one! I guess the immortality, supernatural skills, and sensuality of vampires intrigued me too much.

9) If you think that’s bad, in high school, I knew a guy who told everyone that he was a vampire – and he wasn’t kidding either.

10) I once tried to make a skirt on my own as a teen. I saw a skirt made by Jean Paul Gaultier in Seventeen magazine, and since I’ll never be able to afford such clothes, I tried to make a skirt based on that. It didn’t work out though.

11) I’m finally discovering Led Zeppelin. Took me long enough, but I’m glad I did!

NOTE: I know I need to nominate three other vampire bloggers. Unfortunately, most have already been nominated and others don’t appear to do blog awards.