Evolving Vampires

How is it that an unchanging, immortal being such as a vampire keeps up the times?

From Dracula to Buffy, to Lost Boys to Twilight, vampire cannon evolves.

Throughout time there have been two important things that remain constant 1) a stake through the heart (wood or silver) and 2) the sun (even if all it did was make them sparkle it did affect them).The length of their fangs adapts. They’ve been allergic to garlic, religion, and the occasional double decker bus. They’ve been rock ‘n roll stars, politicians, detectives, conquerors, priests, nightclub owners, exotic dancers, sexual predators -both the creepy-call-your-local-law-enforcement kind and the where-have-you-been-all-my-life kind- and even the girl next door.

How does my dark world fair in the culture so inundated with sparkles and black veins and literately blood dripping from every seam? In urban fantasy the city or world is a character, too. Like in real life our surroundings help shape who we are, who we will become. Understanding how that controlled chaos unravels allows you to take that next step closer to the characters. Working from the outside in allows the author to expand their characters from what has been done into something new.

There are a ton of questions an author should ask themselves...

*What are the politics of this society?
*Are they in or out of the coffin?
*How do they interact with other supernatural beings?
*For that matter, how does the immortal coexist with the mortal?
*Are there different bloodlines?
*Are the lines between sire and baby vamp maintained on a sacred family tree document somewhere?
*Can they all pretty much do the same mystical thing or do certain lineages have powers only they can control?
*What hurts them?
*Do they burst like a blood pimple or poof into dust?
*Can they walk in the sun?
*Are they all as beautiful and sexy as the likes of the Vampire *Diaries or haunt your every move like Nosferatu?
*What happens when they feed?
*How does the hunger affect them?

All of these questions will be answered and more in my books. The biggest question for me is in regards to you, “What makes Angela Vista, newbie vampire whose been tossed into the middle of a revolution at the start of my Shadow Faith series, stand out?” or in other words, “Why should you care?” To that I say: All I can do is write a well-rounded, realistic character that pulls you into her new life through pain and love. The first chapter opens with the manifestation of her worse fears. The rest is a roller coaster ride full of James Bond style espionage, undead revolutionists, and the BIRTH OF A VIXEN.

Please ask any questions or leave any comments below. In the end my main job as a write is to connect with you, the reader, whether with the words in the story or here in this blog. Without you none of this is possible. Thank you.