V is for...Vampire by Ian Hall

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I think you'll find today's post quite informative! If you've ever wondered why on earth vampires are so widely popular, why thousands of fans line up to see them sparkle...ok, ok, I won't go there, but Ian Hall sheds a little light (sorry to the vamps who don't like that) on this cultural phenomenon in...

V is for Vampires

Since their introduction in 1897 into modern culture by Irish newspaper hack, Bram Stoker, vampires have rarely left the public interest.

However, although he was the most famous vampire novelist, he wasn’t the first. “Dracula” was inspired by John Polidori’s 1817 novel “The Vampyre”, and “Carmilla”, Sheridan Le Fanu’s 1871 tale of a lesbian vampire who preyed on defenseless women, and back in 1847, “Varney the Vampire” was a penny pamphlet, in a series that lasted two years.

In fact, going back to 1748, there are at least 17 different literary references to vampires before Bram Stoker took up the challenge.

And from that day to this, we’ve been obsessed with the fiery-fanged creatures.

So what’s the deal with vampires? Because, unless you live under a rock, they’re still around, the vampire genre is still making lots of money in every media, and still has the most fanatical of followings.

Well, as one of the newest vampire novelists, and after four novels and many shorts, I should have something of an explanation, but actually I’m still not quite sure.

Buy it HERE!

The only thing I know is that we love writing them, and our readers reflect the sentiments. The alter-world in which they exist is almost sci-fi, but not quite. Their aggression is often linked to sexual passion, and who doesn’t mind a bit of that now and again? On the screen and on television, the actors are perfect, beautiful, and sometimes glittery/sparkly.

Every author writes their own set of vampire rules, and then goes and breaks them, just for the fun of it. Vampire romances are the new Mills and Boon for teenagers, and they sell in millions.

So now, no further forward, I lift a glass to the curving canine teeth that spawned many generations of writers and readers, and slip another carefully garlic-rubbed stake onto the bar-b-que.

(And, yes, I did spell ‘stake’ correctly.)

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I am Scottish, born in Edinburgh, and spent the first 41 years of my life, not far from my fair and bonnie "Athens of the North". I now live in Topeka, Kansas, with my wife (bless her), no pets (don't like 'em), no children (all moved out), and with many gallons of home-made wine bubbling as I write.

My biggest achievement to date (apart from the successful parenting of my darling daughter, Lorraine) is my published novel; "Opportunities: Jamie Leith in Darien." I'm not confined by genres, having equal success in Historical Adventure, Sci Fi, Fantasy, Horror and hard hitting gritty Crime.

I watch far too much football (Don't even think of calling it 'soccer'.) and at times chase a dimpled ball along carefully manicured countryside, with a collection of calibrated, graphite-shafted sticks.

I play guitar and sing in a folk/rock band, and would love to have enough money to tour the world's archeological sites until I'm too old to walk.

I love to write, and enjoy literary challenges of all kinds.
My blog is: http://www.jamieleith.blogspot.com

My main website is: http://www.ianhallauthor.com
My Jamie Leith website is; http://www.jamieleith.com

My blog is:

http://jamieleith.blogspot.com/

And my website is:

http://www.ianhallauthor.com/