Category: vampires
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Attractive and Monstrous Vampires
When people learn I write about vampires, they often ask what kind of vampires I write about. They want to know if I write about monstrous vampires or attractive vampires. Monstrous vampires are the ones closer to the folkloric roots of vampires. These are the frightening wraiths that stalk the night. Examples might include Count…
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The Hungur Chronicles
Last week, I received my contributor copy of the Samhain 2023 issue of The Hungur Chronicles, which proved to be a nice, early Holiday present. This semi-annual, digest-sized magazine edited by Terrie Leigh Relf and Robert Bellam features stories and poems about vampires, with a special emphasis on vampires who have a connection to space.…
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The Origins of Vampire Fiction
Happy October! I hope everyone has fun plans for Halloween. In keeping with the season, I thought I’d spend a little time exploring the origins of one of the season’s classic monsters, the vampire. Now, vampires have their origins in folklore and legends from around the world. Sometimes it’s hard to separate an oral legend…
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Crossover Characters
Ever since I was a kid, my friends and I would play games where we asked what would happen if characters from different fictional universes met. What would happen if Batman met The Green Hornet? What if Captain Kirk and the Doctor from Doctor Who shared an adventure? Who would win if the Predator and…
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Going Back to Horror’s Roots
A good case can be made that science fiction and horror were born together during a retreat in May 1816 and two of Britain’s great poets were there for the occasion. The poets were Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley. Lord Byron’s doctor, John William Polidori, and Mary Godwin, who later married Percy Shelley, accompanied…
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Why Are Vampires Scary?
As a writer of vampire horror, I find it useful to take a look at what makes them an effective source of horror. This is not necessarily intended to be a definitive or exhaustive list. Also, just because I cite a book under one category doesn’t mean it won’t fit under other categories as well.…
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Here Comes the Sun — But it Won’t Help
Who doesn’t know that the best way to kill a vampire is to drive a stake through it’s heart, or to give it a good dose of Mr. Sunshine and watch the creature of the night burn up? We all know that, don’t we? Easy-Peasy. Just look at Buffy. So imagine my surprise when I…
Threads that Bind 