I was introduced to vampires through Barnabas Collins of Dark Shadows fame, but I was a child and found the show boring. But, when I was 15, I was handed the paperback edition of Salem’s Lot and it scared me to death. I was hooked, reading books, and watching movies about vampires whenever the chance arose. When I wrote the first draft of Redemption, it sat for years before I reworked it, reading Dracula again and taking notes, researching Vlad the Impaler, and watching lots of vampire movies before re-writing it. Since then, I’ve continued reading vampire fiction and watching movies and shows about the creatures whenever I can.
I wrote...
Redemption
By
Victoria Steele Logue
What is my book about?
It is the 21st Century and Wolfdietrich has grown tired of being a vampire. But, on his way back to his hideaway, he spots Ginny, a woman who reminds him of his long-lost love. Trapped as a vampire for nearly four centuries, Wolf rediscovers the humanity he lost as well as his love for Ginny. Unfortunately, there is one obstacle preventing their being together—the vampire who created him, Vlad Drakulya, still walks the earth. Even though killing Vlad will destroy the man she loves, Ginny joins Wolf in the search for his maker.
Redemption entwines the stories of Vlad III and Wolf, sweeping through centuries of history and across continents. Wolf has found love, but can a vampire find redemption?
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The Books I Picked & Why
Dracula
By
Bram Stoker
Why this book?
If it weren’t for this groundbreaking classic, all the books and movies and television shows about vampires would not exist. Stoker created not just the iconic vampire with his novel but much of the vampire lore. I own multiple copies of Draculaand had read it numerous times before being inspired to create vampires like Stoker’s in my book. While people have used their imaginations to create new breeds of vampires (think Twilightor True Blood, for example), I still think the creepiest, and by far the scariest vampire will always be Count Dracula.
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The Historian
By
Elizabeth Kostova
Why this book?
This book should have been called The Historians because nearly every character in it from Vlad the Impaler to the narrator, herself, are historians. Kostova's characters use history to track down the ancient vampire, and this is the reason I found this book so compelling as I was also using history when writing my novel. A plus for me was that I also found myself caring for the characters.The Historian spans centuries and takes you through many countries in the hunt for the vampire who has wreaked havoc on so many lives and does so in a compelling way.
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Dracul
By
Dacre Stoker,
J.D. Barker
Why this book?
I must admit this book appealed to me first because it was co-written by the great-grand-nephew of Bram Stoker. I also loved that a young Bram Stoker was a main character. I won’t offer any spoilers but it’s a fascinating tale about how Stoker was inspired to write his book, Dracula. If you’re looking for a horror tale, this book supplies plenty of terror and like most books that feature Dracula as a character, you will find yourself in locations all over Europe. This book offers yet another fine example of the enduring spell Count Dracula casts on our imaginations.
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Powers of Darkness: The Lost Version of Dracula
By
Bram Stoker,
Valdimar Ásmundsson,
Hans De Roos
Why this book?
This Icelandic Dracula remained hidden from the world-at-large as merely a translation of the original for more than a century before Hans Corneel de Roos translated the Icelandic back into English. What he discovered is that Asmundsson took the liberty of making Dracula his own book. A Nordic spin on the vampire is reason enough to discover this interesting take on Stoker’s Dracula. Two-thirds of the book takes place at the Count’s castle in Transylvania where the notorious vampire is given much more depth and voice. Nordic lore spices this story up as well as a very seductive vampiress. The book is also much shorter than Stoker’s, which makes it an easy read.
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Anno Dracula
By
Kim Newman
Why this book?
Newman’s creative mashup brings a dizzying host of personalities into the Jack the Ripper murders as historical people and characters from fiction collide in Queen Victoria’s London. Vlad Tepes casts a long shadow across the political and social landscape. This take on Dracula himself, and other ancient vampires, is fresh and frightening and I was glad to discover it. The playful mix has Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes and Inspector Lestrade investigating The Ripper in a world where vampires are out in public, and Vlad is Prince Consort to Queen Victoria. The bold concept works well and is a ferociously fun ride.
