Why vampires?
An excellent question. Of all the humanoid mythological
beings, the mermaids, sirens, zombies, ghouls, werewolves,
witches and fae (oh -- and indeed -- my!), why in the name
of all that is unholy are vampires the most beloved,
speculated about and -- it must be said -- lusted after?Vampires are actually quite disgusting, when you think about it. They kill people. They drink their warm blood as though it were ice cold Coke. They're room temperature and often blindingly white-hued. They're dead, and yet they're walking around.
Creepy.
They can shapeshift into all manner of beasties. They can control wolves and bats and rats and bees with but a thought. They can read thoughts, invade minds, and force the hapless into being their minions. They occasionally wear capes. They're dead, and yet they're walking around!
So... just why do we love them? How can we love them? The origins of the vampire myth are nothing if not shrouded in the scariness and the horror, and even the latter-day bloodsuckers we've come to know and have the hots for are often cold-blooded killers... literally. And yet this fascination persists, this slightly -- or not so slightly -- morbid captivation with what are, basically, homicidal corpses who see us as their next meal.
Over the past few decades, vampires have become the heroes
of our fondest imaginings and darkest fantasies, and have
most recently blossomed into the ultimate romantic lover,
most of their novels falling under the banner of “Paranormal
Romance”. Whether it be Lestat, Sinclair, Eric Northman or
Edward Cullen, there’s a vampire for every temperament,
level of squeamishness and interest in S&M. Their stories
can make you cringe or make you laugh or make you blush;
some can make you weep for the feminist generation who came
before, liberating women from their sexual servitude, only
to have so-called “heroines” succumb to a whole lot of “’No’
means ‘yes’” seduction.The main sub-genera of vampire romance fiction are:
SUPERNATURAL TEEN MELODRAMAThe Twilight Series and its progenitor, L.J. Smith’s The Vampire Diaries fall into this category -- obviously. Even Buffy fell into it -- was anything ever more tortured, more tumultuous, and more teenage than Angel and Buffy’s forbidden love? While not solely the province of teens (for evidence, see here and here… and here), its appeal to that demographic is very easy to understand. They usually star the “ordinary” girl who becomes absolutely vital to the ongoing existence of the powerful and beautiful people -- basically, the cool kids in school. She becomes the object of worship and adoration -- basically, Homecoming Queen. And who, as a teenage girl, didn’t want an older boyfriend? A century or so older? Perfect.
VAMP ROMANTIC COMEDYThis is personified by MaryJanice Davidson’s Queen Betsy and Molly Harper’s Jane Jameson, among several hilarious others. These are the tales in which a sharp-witted single girl becomes a reluctant vampire and thence finds her true love, often with attendant will-they-won’t-they banter. Humorous and entertaining, usually crackling with pop culture references (they will definitely mention Buffy at least once) and self-deprecating snark to go along with the sex, these vampire chick tales give us a lighter side of being undead. Their titles are almost always pun-based. And who doesn’t love a good pun?
SUPERNATURAL CHICK LITA cousin to above, this genre is exemplified by Charlaine Harris’s Sookie Stackhouse and Tate Hallaway’s Garnet Lacey. Our heroines aren’t vampires, but they are usually far from mundane. Sookie’s a psychic, Garnet’s a witch, and the occasional seer or werewolf or necromancer will show up in this capacity as well. Funny, at times frightening, often fascinating and fun and full of forbidden romance, these series add a different dimension to the vampire romance canon. But do they still bear the amusing, vampire pun-based titles? Of course!
URBAN FANTASY WITH BITEOften involving a detective or investigator of some kind, our heroines stalk the mean streets in these books, solving Crime. DB Reynolds’ Vampires in America and early Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter are in here; this is one of the more versatile of categories, as even a hint of the Urban Fantasy can turn a Chick Lit series like, say, Katie MacAlister’s light-hearted (and paradoxically-named) Dark Ones series into a surprisingly intense experience.
PARANORMAL STEAMThese are the books that dwell lovingly for dozens of pages on things like creamy, satin-smooth skin, flowering femininity and overwhelming, insistent manhoods. The purple prose is only heightened by such considerations as increased vampire strength, stamina and zero need for oxygen. For examples, see J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood or Kresley Cole's Immortals After Dark. Tanned, shirtless (often headless) men with diamond-cut abs are the norm on these books' covers.
SUBMISSIVE PORNAnita Blake fits almost exclusively in here nowadays; Christine Feehan’s Dark Series has always lived here. If you like your sexual encounters with a hint of the felony about them, then these books are for you. Suggestive covers are fairly standard here, too; the Anita Blake series has been re-released with a new covers featuring lithe, naked bodies to reflect this.
Now, many series comprise several of these elements, some defy category, and others create categories all their own. But one thing holds true of all of them: these vampires get some play. And still we wonder… why?
Seriously? Why vampires?
We asked some of vampire romance fiction leading lights, and here are their theories:
P.N. ELROD (The Vampire Files)“I grew up on Universal films, the Hammer Films, and Dark Shadows. The vamps always had the best stuff and the coolest cool--at least until someone staked them. My vamps avoid that sort of thing, so they keep the best stuff and remain cool.”
MARTA ACOSTA (Casa Dracula)“Vampires are the lemons of the supernatural world: they can be served in appetizers, main courses, side dishes, dessert, and even beverages. Vampires can be as substantial, ancient, and intricately nuanced as a Moroccan tagine with preserved lemons. They can be as richly sensual as lemon risotto with truffles. They can be as delightful and fun as a lemon soufflé. They can be tart and refreshing like an icy glass of lemonade on a hot day, or as comforting as hot lemon and honey on a cold one. My own vampires are lemon-poppyseed muffins: somewhere between dessert and a meal, and the pieces of lemon rind and poppyseed get stuck in your teeth, making you recall the muffin later and think, ‘My, that really was quite good!’"
CHLOE NEILL (Chicagoland
Vampires)“Why vampires? Because it was literary destiny--at least for romance writers. Jane Austen's Mr. Darcy is a much-loved romantic hero because he and Elizabeth overcome the obstacle that's keeping them apart: the societal strictures of Regency England.
“Vampires give writers a new kind of obstacle--a biological barrier that makes 'Mr. Darcys' out of Edwards, Angels, and in my case, Ethans. They all want their heroines, but they're afraid of their own need, of the predatory depth of their desires. Vampirism stands between them, so the couples must figure out away to overcome that obstacle. It is the struggle--and triumph--that readers love.
"And that makes writers love them even more.”
MICHELLE BARDSLEY (The Broken
Heart Vampires)“Because they have ... really ... big ... fangs! Heh. I write paranormal romance, so my concept of vampires (at least my heroes and heroines) are the sexy undead looking for love in all the dark places. My own little spin on the world of bloodsuckers is to follow the immortal lives of parents who were turned into vampires--and they still have mortal children to raise. You can't let a little thing like being dead get in the way of PTA meetings, soccer games, and bake sales.”
GERRY BARTLETT (Glory St.
Claire)“Why vampires? The men epitomize the alpha males women hate to love. They are strong, virile and have an edgy sexy quality. The blood lust just adds an extra layer of danger and excitement. When I'm writing my vampire heroine, I imagine a woman who is immortal, who has lived for hundreds of years stuck in a body that's curvier than is popular now. I write humor so I have fun with it, but it makes for some great internal conflict. The man she loves is one of those ancient male vamps who hasn't adjusted to modern times. I never forget that my vampires were human before they got their fangs. They may have monster tendencies now, but they are still the person they were before they were turned. So each vampire is different and far from stereotypical. Of course my vampires are passionate with very strong libidos. That makes for some steamy scenes and interesting relationships.”
TATE HALLAWAY (Garnet Lacey)“I actually think about this question a lot. Vampires have remained ingrained in the cultural consciousness since (well, even before,) Bram Stoker's Dracula. What is that about? Part of my answer has to do with this simple fact: vampires have always represented sex, and specifically taboo sex.
“I know that when I first picked up Anne Rice in the 80’s, the vampire was kind of the vaguely-sexually-threatening, bisexual addict. Unlike Stoker and many of the other vampire writers before, Rice challenged the reader to find her androgynous, not-at-all nice vampires not only sympathetic, but also attractive. And I totally did. I'm not exactly sure why, but I think that when she was writing Lestat and the others, Americans were coming to terms with the AIDs crisis (and the knowledge that sex truly could be deadly). Also, in some ways, vampires were a response to a kind of Reagan-era helplessness many of us felt toward corporations running rampant, etc., which also lead, IMHO, to the popularity of the cyberpunk movement in science fiction that was happening approximately at the same time. Vampires in the 80’s were part of some gritty underworld that also included sexual "deviants" and junkies. Those sorts of character appeared all over in the 80’s and early 90’s.
“The next thing to happen to vampires was the transformation into the romantic lead in urban fantasy/ paranormal romance. They lost some of their scary edge, maybe partly because of the general acceptance/ mainstreaming of queerness, and I think they moved into romance because of a sense/misconception that there's a lack of modern alpha males. Modern men are perceived as more likely to be sensitive and metrosexual, so now the vampire is a strong, dominant, sexually aggressive lover. The desire for a modern, feminist woman to be held down and ravished is taboo in its own way, and the vampire continues to be the transgressor, sexually.
“So, why vampires? Because they're sexy. Bad, hot sexy.”
MARYJANICE DAVIDSON (The
Undead/Queen Betsy Series)“Why vampires? Why... dead guys? Because that's what we're talking about, right? Fictionally-sanctioned necrophilia? Um, not so much. The cool thing about the ravenous hordes of the undead is that they've got all the advantages of being dead (fewer blind dates, fewer IRS audits, virtually no head colds or STDs) with none of the disads (rigor mortis, eternal damnation, the unbearable loneliness of the grave, insect infestation). Sure, sometimes it's hard to build a romance around a couple who are radically different in ages. As my vampire queen, Betsy, told the (eventual) love of her life, ‘So, when you turned sixty, I was... a fetus. Dude. Don't even think of touching me.’
“But when it works, it's pretty great. (‘Dear MJ Davidson: I love Betsy and Sinclair! Except your books need more Sinclair. And more sex! And more sex! Thanks!’) Great for me, I mean. But also occasionally my readers.”
These authors, among oh so many others, have given us extensive vampire mythologies, absorbing tales of misadventure and mystery, and -- of course -- more than a few Happily Forever Afters. Herewith is a handy primer to 20 romantic vampire series currently in print or in progress. Some best-sellers, some little-known gems, these series continue to bring the sexy, sassy, witty and crazy; the hot, cool, strange and funny; the dangerous, scandalous, ridiculous and enchanting to their varied and yet related worlds.
So, why vampires? We’re still unsure. But as MaryJanice Davidson says: “Well, jeez. Why not?”
Now, let us begin...

ANITA BLAKE, VAMPIRE HUNTER
|
AUTHOR: |
Laurell K.
Hamilton |
|
WEBSITE: |
|
|
BOOKS: |
There are 19
Anita Blake adventures now, beginning with
Guilty Pleasures (1993). It was around
Narcissus in Chains (Book 10) when these novels stopped being
about hunting vampires and communing with the dead
and more about creative and multi-species sex. |
|
RECENT: |
We’ve had two
this year,
Flirt in February, and
Bullet was
released June 5. |
|
FORTHCOMING: |
Nothing announced
yet, but Book 20 is inevitable (and one hopes the
kid whose dance recital is described in painstaking
detail in Book 19 shows up, or else what the hell
was the point of all that?). |
|
OTHER MEDIA: |
Anita Blake had a
monthly comic in 2006, the graphic novel version of
Anita's adventures, as well as a prequel comic,
The First
Death, in 2007. There was some talk last year of
turning the first Anita book into a TV movie, but it
came to naught. But there are audio versions of all
her adventures, of course. |
|
MERCHANDISE: |
Uh,
yeah. Jewelry, mugs, and even a T-Shirt with one
of those “Everything I Need to Know I Learned From…”
lists. Sample life lesson obtained from Anita: “If
you French kiss a vampire, you risk lip and tongue
injury.” Ain’t that the truth? |
|
GENRE: |
Urban Fantasy,
Paranormal Detective, Paranormal Erotica, Fetish
Porn. |
|
SETTING: |
Mostly in St.
Louis, Missouri, but with occasional forays out into
other supernatural hotspots. |
|
SEX: |
In the early
books, mostly just heavily foreshadowed. Now,
explicit, often and varied, frequently featuring
multiple partners from many different species,
featuring a fair amount of sadomasochism--among
other “isms.” |
|
OUR HEROINE(S): |
Anita Blake,
Vampire Hunter, Licensed Vampire Executioner,
Necromancer and collector of stuffed penguins. |
|
OUR HERO(ES): |
Jean-Claude, a
Master Vampire somewhere between 400 and 600 years
old. |
|
LOVE RIVAL(S): |
Richard
(werewolf), Nathanial (wereleopard and stripper with
such lovely eyes that they are apparently worthy of
thousands of words of description apiece), Micah
(wereleopard), Asher (vampire, and technically less of
a rival than a shared hobby) and many a supernatural
random. |
|
SIDEKICKS: |
Human: Veronica
“Ronnie” Simms, Dolph, Sergeant Zerbrowski; Vampire:
Damian. |
|
VOICE: |
First person, the
deeply troubled Anita. |
|
VAMPIRE
MYTHOLOGY: |
One slowly rises
through the undead ranks to become a Master Vampire,
and then Master of a City, over all of whom a
Vampire Council rules with an iron fist. |
|
STATUS: |
Out and Proud. In
fact, all aspects of the supernatural are pretty
much taken for granted. |
|
SOCIETY: |
Parallel modern
day. Vampires are full citizens, and you can hire an
Animator to bring your Granddad back from the dead
if you need to ask him where he hid the family
silver. |
|
NOTABLE POWERS: |
Don’t make eye
contact with a Hamilton vampire; they’ll have you at
their mercy in a heartbeat. Otherwise, powers vary
depending on the abilities of the vampire’s creator:
some can fly, can some talk to -- and turn into --
animals, but almost all of them can seduce a nun.
They can also bind humans to them through the
mystical properties of blood sharing. |
|
CREATION: |
One must be fed
from 3 times by the same vampire over three
successive days, and will then rise a vampire 3 days
later. 3 is very important in Anita Blake, for some
reason -- and not only ‘cause of the threeways. Some
Master Vampires can turn a corpse into a vampire by
touch alone, and male vampires can sometimes
conceive children with human women. |
|
WEAKNESSES: |
Depends on the
age of the vampire. None of them like daylight,
silver or crosses, but otherwise, some can be killed
with a shot to the head and others can survive
complete dismemberment. Stick with burning them up,
good for any level of vampire mojo. Killing a Master
Vampire also takes out all the lesser vamps bound to
his or her service. |
|
FOOD SOURCE: |
Mostly willing
humans and weres -- “servants”, if you please. |
|
OTHER LEGENDS: |
Weres, ghouls,
animators, fairies, sirens and various other
mythological and immortal creatures. |
|
ANALYSIS: |
The early Anita
Blake books introduced a kick-ass heroine, a petite
young warrior feared throughout the supernatural
world who fought for goodness and justice, and
brooked no nonsense from vampires. This winning
formula lasted till about Book 6,
The Killing
Dance (1997), and was all-but abandoned
altogether by Book 12,
Incubus Dreams. The series is essentially just porn, now.
Eye-opening, gob-smacking, mind-blowing porn. |
|
QUOTE: |
"I
will bathe in your warmth,
ma petite.
Roll you around me until my heart beats only for
you. My breath will grow warm from your kiss.” --
Jean-Claude,
Burnt Offerings (1998) |

Argeneau Series
(incorporating the Rogue Hunter series)
|
AUTHOR: |
Lynsay Sands |
|
WEBSITE: |
|
|
BOOKS: |
Recommended reading order: A Quick Bite
(2005);
Love Bites
(2004);
Single White Vampire
(2003);
Tall, Dark & Hungry
(2004);
A Bite To Remember
(2006);
Bite Me If You Can
(2007);
The Accidental Vampire
(2008);
Vampires Are Forever
(2008);
Vampire,
Interrupted
(2008);
The Rogue Hunter
(2008);
The Immortal Hunter
(2009);
and The Renegade Hunter
(2009).
Whew! |
|
RECENT: |
Bitten By Cupid
came out in January. |
|
FORTHCOMING: |
Born To Bite
(August 2010) and Hungry For You (December
2010) |
|
OTHER MEDIA: |
Audio books! |
|
MERCHANDISE: |
|
|
GENRE: |
Paranormal
romance is a serviceable enough catch-all term for a
series that also includes elements of Vamp Chick
Lit, Science Fiction, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal
Detective and -- most assuredly -- Humor. |
|
SETTING: |
Modern day,
usually Canada. |
|
SEX: |
Spicy Hawt! |
|
OUR HEROINE(S): |
Members of the
far-flung and dysfunctional Argeneau clan of
vampires (they actually prefer to call themselves
“Immortals”), and/or their fated human lovers. |
|
OUR HERO(ES): |
As above. |
|
LOVE RIVAL(S): |
Occasional, but
unimportant. |
|
SIDEKICKS: |
One person’s
sidekick is another book’s star-crossed protagonist. |
|
VOICE: |
Third person. |
|
VAMPIRE
MYTHOLOGY: |
Now, this is
interesting. In these books, vampirism is caused by
“nanos” that are fuelled by blood and repair damage
to the vamps’ bodies, facilitating healing and
longevity. The nanos were invented in… wait for it…
Atlantis. No, we didn’t see that one coming, either.
Sands’ Immortals can only turn one person in their
(long) lifetimes, and typically reserve this honor
for the individuals they select as their lifemates. |
|
STATUS: |
Kind of an open
secret. Vampires are supposed to keep a low profile,
but you know how word gets around. |
|
SOCIETY: |
A Vampire Council
exists to police the vampires for their own
protection; their #1 rule is for Immortals to avoid
drawing attention to themselves. |
|
NOTABLE POWERS: |
Mesmerism,
mind-reading abilities, longevity, strength. |
|
CREATION: |
Can be born or
made. |
|
WEAKNESSES: |
Most of the usual
weaknesses associated with vampires -- garlic
avoidance, absolute avoidance of sunlight, needing
to sleep in a coffin -- are actually old wives’
tales (although the Immortals have no love for the
sun). It’s true that the Immortals can’t tolerate
beheading, taking a stake through the heart, or
standing in a fire, but then we’ll bet you can’t,
either. |
|
FOOD SOURCE: |
Civilized
vampires acquire blood from dedicated blood banks --
it comes in a variety of delicious flavors and is
usually safer than what one can get out in the wild.
“Rogues” live on the edge and feed on humans.
Vampires can also eat regular food, although they
may get tired of it after a few centuries. |
|
OTHER LEGENDS: |
Other than
nanobots from Atlantis? That’s plenty right there,
really. |
|
ANALYSIS: |
You would think
that a family saga in which the family happens to be
composed largely of Immortals from Atlantis, and
which owes an obvious debt to
Star Wars,
what with the midichlorians -- oops, nanos --
conferring special powers and all, would be in
danger of taking itself far too seriously. You would
be wrong. These books are amusing, fast-paced, and
highly entertaining. |
|
QUOTE: |
“You forget I can
read your mind,” Lucian interrupted grimly.
“Pride is the reason you didn’t contact someone
about the problems you were having getting blood.
That and the fact that you really prefer your meals
warm and the situation gave you the perfect excuse
to feed off the hoof. If you really want to feed
that way, you’d best move to Europe. It isn’t
allowed here. The next time a situation like this
comes up involving you, you’ll find yourself staked
and baked. Got it?”--
Immortal
Hunter (2009) |
Ahead: The Black Dagger Brotherhood, Casa Dracula and more...

DEAD AND DOING IT