Influences: “The Last Vampire” by Christopher Pike

Tags

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.

Click here to find on Goodreads

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…

Tags

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!

Tags

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?

 

 

 

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

Tags

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.

How Will a Vampire View God?

Tags

Anne Rice, Bill Compton, Diety, Dracula, God, Lilith, Supreme Being, Theology, True Blood, vampire fiction, writing

With the premiere of the sixth season of HBO’s True Blood coming up this Sunday, I figured this would be a good time to discuss vampires and their relationship – on any level – with God.

DISCLAIMER: This is not an invitation to debate the existence of God or any sort of theology. That is for another topic on another blog, in which there are many. Since vampires and God have gone hand-in-hand for centuries, this is an interesting topic to explore.

Click here for a good article and the Season 6 promo

Now if you watch True Blood, you may recall last season where Bill Compton and Eric Northman got caught up with the Authority and their worship of their vampire god, Lilith. Eventually, the idea of that Lilith wanted all vampires to conquer humans made Bill spiral into madness and at the end of the season, he drank Lilith’s blood and became a vampire god himself (Sounds strange, right? I was baffled over the direction the show went and vowed to never watch it again. Of course, I have since changed my mind).

So with season six getting started, it is clear Bill is not going to be just another vampire, but a sort of deity. How that turns out remains to be seen, but it does give a nod to the centuries old correlation between the bloodsucking undead and deities.

I wonder, though, that if vampires exist, and if there’s a God, how will the vampire see God as it lives it’s supernatural existence? (NOTE: I believe there is a God, but again, we’re not discussing theism here)

I would think that a vampire would look at God with a wary eye. Not wary in how will the Almighty strike him or her down, but wary as in preparing for a fight. A vampire would probably like to know what a supernatural being who rules the world would do another supernatural being who also rules the earth, but in a very different way. I would imagine that God might see a vampire as an agent of it’s archnemesis, the devil, whom poisoned the body and mind of a human being who was forced to become a vampire, or didn’t really know what he or she was in for. This leads to this discussion of whether vampires could be seen with pity. But I already touched on that before, so let’s move on.

The characters in my book mention their attitude towards God, or any deity, several times. The main character, Claire McCormick, is apathetic to the existence of God, Daniel Bertrand, her boyfriend who revealed to be a vampire, tells her that is what made him think she would be a choice to be his eternal companion. He explained that she had a love of life, so why not have that love for as long as whenever? She had no one to answer to.

Daniel then goes on to say this: “When you are made like us, you’ll see the power we have and how we will always reign over humanity. Striking fear into mortals, exercising a power and strength they can only wish to have. Basically,” he leaned forward. “We are the Gods, and it’s a thrilling feeling.”

It should be noted that Daniel was born illegitimate back in Medieval France, at a time where the Church had complete control over society. Being a bastard weighed heavily on him, and becoming a vampire set him free from his misery, hence him saying how thrilled he is to be God-like.

I would think a vampire would see itself equal to God like that. Immortal, supernatural strength and abilities, powerful over humans. If that vampire has accepted it’s new existence and has no real issue draining humans of their blood, then I would say that vampire is flipping the finger at God and the world, and not caring about it’s evilness. Sounds like an agent of the devil to me!

I also wonder if a vampire would ever think about the possibility of an afterlife. They have found the key to immortality and eternal youth. Why bother thinking about Heaven, hell, reincarnation or nothing at all? They got the longevity going and they’re laughing at humans for their short, fragile lives. Basically, I would think by becoming a vampire, a person knows it is superior to it’s former fellow humans in many ways. It will see itself as blessed with a rare gift and it can dance happily in the night forever. There is no one to answer to or to stop them.

But no one lives forever (yes, I know that is the tagline for True Blood this season) and vampires have been known to finally being defeated and killed. What then? Are they doomed for hell since they embraced the dark gift? More than likely that will be what karma would give them. I personally believe how we live our lives affects the way the universe reacts to us. Once we are released from our mortal bodies, we are in the hands of the universe. What we gave to God – which I believe is an energy force – will come back at us very strongly. And vampires will be in for some major retribution.

I will explore how the vampires of my The End of Eternity trilogy think about God and the afterlife a little more in my two next books. Not much though, because that really is Anne Rice’s territory and I don’t want to mirror what she did, which was done very well. I originally had a few scenes where Claire considers God’s existence and even prays for help. But I removed them because they would’ve affected my plans for my characters. But since the relationship between humans and deities played a role in my book, I won’t totally ignore it next time.

So, True Blood returns this Sunday, and Bill Compton is a vampire God now. Even the promos show Sookie asking in fright, “you think you’re God now?” and Bill seems to have fully embraced his status as a supreme being. I don’t know what to expect this season, because the last one was not very good, in my opinion. New writers were brought in for this season, so maybe they had cleaned up the mess left behind from last year. We shall see…