Vamping it up

I remember a few years ago as I delved into my dragon shifters and wrestled with my Angels and Demons, saying flat out I would never write about vampires. I mean, there are so many great books out there already, I didn’t have anything fresh or interesting to bring to the table.

Flash forward...

I’m lying in bed trying to sleep (one of the few quiet times I have to do the creative thing) when a new character wakes up in my head.

She sidles up to me and whispers, “Hello.”

“Hi,” I reply. “Who are you?”

“The name’s Niki. And do I have a story for you.” Then she flashes me a grin, complete with fangs. I jump back from the sight, hands up, shaking my head.

“B-but you’re a vampire,” I tell her. “I don’t write vampires.”

Her eyes shone, red bleeding into the color. “You do now.”

The next morning she was still there, hovering in the back of my mind. Little by little, she introduced me to her lover, Shane, and a whole new world of vampires, shifters and magic.

Niki was such a pain, I couldn’t ignore her.

When I finally listened, I realized my vampires don’t follow the standard conventions.

They can get a tan, though the sun will weaken them. The whole Holy Water & garlic doesn’t do a thing except leave you with a pissed off, damp, vamp.

They drink blood, but a nice gourmet meal will help them keep that whole humanity thing going. Like anyone, a liquid diet makes them true monsters of the dark.

Stakes hurt, but to truly kill a vampire in my world, it’s off with their heads or they’ll be back.

They’re supernatural beings, fast and strong, but under it all, they still face the same emotional needs as anyone.

In the end, they want to belong and to be loved.

Did I bring anything new to the world of vampire stories? Maybe.

Most of all, I hope what I brought was Niki and her story of hope and love and redemption.

Q4U: What’s your favorite thing about vampires?