As an author of books about vampires, I get asked one question more than any other, at signings and conventions and neighborhood cookouts: “So, what do you think about Twilight?” It’s become a litmus test of sorts. So I thought I’d answer it here, for the record, in handy condensed form. What do I think of Twilight? I haven’t read … Read More
What I love most about vampires is…
The Madison Vampire Coven consists of…wait for it…authors based in and around Madison, WI who write about vampires. Currently we have four members, and I asked each to complete the following statement. What I love most about vampires is… Jordan Castillo Price, author of Hemavore: “What I love most about vampires is their vulnerability. I think the ways in which … Read More
Review: a vampire suffragette in Alaya Johnson’s Moonshine
I first heard about Moonshine when I was on a 2009 convention panel with its author, Alaya Johnson. The central conceit–in 1920s New York, a woman battles for the rights of vampires much as other suffragettes stood up for women and immigrants–fascinated me. My own vampire novels, Blood Groove and The Girls with Games of Blood, also draw parallels between … Read More
Belatedly, Dracula The Un-Dead
Before we start, a caveat. Sequels to classic novels, written long after the fact by new writers, annoy me. It’s one thing to be influenced by the classics, it’s quite another to co-opt settings, characters and atmosphere (the heavy lifting of writing) to bring life to your own derivative plot. It’s worst of all when capped by the hubris to … Read More
The Madison Vampire Coven strikes!
Last night, the Madison Vampire Coven had its second official Halloween reading, this year at Borders West. From left: me, Fred Schepartz (author of Vampire Cabbie and Jordan Castillo Price (author of the Psycop series). (BTW, those aren’t stains on my shirt, they’re spots on the camera lens. I swear.)
Hammering the Count
Thanks to the patience of my wife, aka the mater familias, we’ve celebrated the Halloween season by marathoning Hammer’s Dracula series. Starting with Horror of Dracula, we’ve watched Brides of Dracula, Dracula: Prince of Darkness, Dracula has Risen from the Grave and most recently Taste the Blood of Dracula. I’ve seen all these films before, but this is the first … Read More
Interview: Dracula expert Elizabeth Miller
If you watch the History, Discovery or National Geographic channels around Halloween, when all things vampiric and Draculoric are fair game, you’ve probably seen and heard Dr. Elizabeth Miller. She is an expert on Bram Stoker and the novel Dracula, including its history and inspirations. Her many published books include Bram Stoker’s Notes for Dracula: A Facsimile Edition, and Dracula: … Read More
My WisCon schedule
If you’re attending WisCon 33 in Madison, WI this coming Memorial Day weekend, you can find me at the following: SATURDAY Panel: Where is the Goddess These Days? Sat 8:30 – 9:45AM in the Capitol A room. Rhianna Moore, Melodie Bolt, Catherine Anne Crowe and me. Description: Previous WisCons had many program items about Goddesses and Goddess spirituality. These have … Read More
Interview: Katherine Ramsland, author of The Science of Vampires
Vampires are illogical, impossible creatures of superstition and ignorance. So when Katherine Ramsland approached them scientifically in The Science of Vampires, she faced an uphill battle to find plausible explanations for the various bits of common knowledge about bloodsucking fiends. Using the most up-to-date technology and forward-thinking theories, she actually brought some reality to these unreal beings, and I found … Read More
Past vampire-related posts
For new readers who might be interested, here’s rundown of some of my older vampire-related blog posts: A look at the 1943 classic Son of Dracula, in which a great film succeeds despite a totally miscast title character. Five cool things about the classic novel Dracula that you might not know. Steampunk bloodsuckers: review of the film Perfect Creature. On … Read More