Vampire is a Four Letter Word

An essay on the re-examined unlife.

"It's not what you think!" I want to shout to each attendee who spares a glance at me and my table while passing by.

To be fair, I don't know what they're thinking--let's all be thankful for that. But I can imagine the images, emotions, stories, that the word vampire conjures in their minds. Pulpy plots that are dark and dreadful; malevolent monsters hungry for sanguine humor.

I sit behind a field of red cloth arrayed with copies of my book set upright and interspersed with 8.5x11 promotional flyers. Also, as a recent table addition, printed excerpts and graphics, so that the book will speak for itself. (Which I prefer over me doing the talking, shy person that I am).

Alas, only few people read the material.

Who can blame them? Like a braid of garlic to a vampire, the genre can repel readers. Plenty of stories feature rapacious, relentless undead, a la, I Am Legend. Even at the cozier end of the category (gory, ha-ha!), like paranormal romances, there's often some degree of unpleasantness. What's a little spilled blood between lovers?

Of course there are many stories in between these poles (or stakes? Ok, I'll stop), and stories in an all together different territory. Like any genre, there are great reads that appeal to wider audiences. I aimed to make Shadows Within one of those.

Like those passers-by, I too have had this hang up on the word "vampire" with its coffin full of baggage. When I began writing what would become my first novel in the vampire series, The Shadowless, I avoided using the word. And this actually worked well in developing the themes and background mythology (more about that another time).

In those early days, I had consumed many stories, shows, movies (and snacks and sodas late into the night during tabletop role-playing game sessions—another forthcoming post, or a few). Then I analyzed. I unpacked that baggage. What to keep, what to discard? What tropes and trappings of the genre were essential and why? How could I make them my own in a way that was internally consistent, realistic, compelling, thematic?

Essentially, I wanted to re-introduce the vampire.

Though there are supernal elements, the series is light on myth and jargon. Instead, the focus is on ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances, with convincing motivations, grounded in real locations, beginning in Paris, ending in Philadelphia. Present day, present tense. Readers learn about the existence of vampires as the protagonist does, first with dogged skepticism, then with dawning horror.

Along the way I hope the story provokes in the readers questions that I myself have had. Would you choose to be an immortal, ageless vampire? Can you retain your soul if you have to prey on humans for their blood? What if your spouse is the one who is undead? Would you help, flee, or stake your lover? I explore these and other questions in the series.

I set out to write the vampire novel for those who don't read vampire novels. I believe I am succeeding, if modestly. I continue to be grateful to those converted readers who have been willing to give my novel approach a chance. I continue to be delighted and encouraged by their gracious feedback and reviews.

Here on Substack, I will continue to reflect on the topics mentioned here. Thank you for reading. Your own considered comments are welcome.