I normally write paranormal romance, so “the classics” to me might mean something different than it does to others. But to this writer, vampires are classic. As are shifters—werewolves especially. I’ve been thinking a lot about vampires lately—probably because I’m writing a book with a vampire main character right now. And it has occurred to me that I rarely use vampire main characters.
Why? Probably for a few reasons. Exploring different creatures is something I enjoy, for one. My Otherworlder Enforcement Agency series has included a banshee, a salamander (think more fire elemental, less amphibian), and a succubus as main characters. And these characters have been a ton of fun to write. While I’ve included vampire and shifter secondary characters, I haven’t written nearly as extensively about these classic creatures.
Another reason is that in the publishing world, we writers are a bunch of worrywarts. All over the Internet, rumors fly about this genre or that being overdone and dead. This creature or another being used too much. Perhaps the most mentioned creatures when the term “overused” comes up is vampires. They’re here, they’re there, they’re everywhere.
But the truth is, I still love vampires.
They’re sexy and fun. Scary and cool. Sensuous and funny. And to tell the truth, I find the whole biting thing very hot. ;-)
I haven’t grown tired of reading about them. And since they’re a creature I haven’t written about much, I definitely haven’t grown tired of writing them. So when I decided to write a novel directed toward a very specific paranormal line, I plotted out a vampire book.
And I’m enjoying the hell out of writing it.
It’s far too easy to lose sight of a common piece of advice new writers inevitably receive: Write what you love.
I love vampires.
Are there classic tropes or creatures that you like reading or writing about?
About Tiffany Allee
I don’t care what anyone says, I love vampires, too. Love Ann Rice but my fav vampire book is The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. It was just all around awesome. Honestly though, there really isn’t any paranormal or mystical character I can’t get behind so long as it’s done well.
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Tiffany Allee Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 11:53 am
I still haven’t read The Historian, I’ll have to add that to my TBR pile. I’m with you on paranormal characters. So long as they’re done well, I enjoy reading about them.
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Hi Tiffany! I totally agree, a subject only gets tired when the writing is no longer fresh. I love Sarah zettel’s cozy mysteries, A taste of the Nitelife and Let Them Eat Stake.
Love it, write it and others will enjoy reading it.
Kym
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Tiffany Allee Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 4:03 pm
Oh those sound interesting. Let Them Eat Stake? What a great title!
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I remember when they said contemporary romances were dead. It made me crazy because I couldn’t imagine a marketplace without a diversity of genres. I think a majority of readers enjoy broad tastes. I skip from paranormal to contemporary to historical to YA depending on my mood.
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Tiffany Allee Reply:
July 17th, 2012 at 4:04 pm
I skip around a lot, too. So many fun genres, so little time.
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I, too, am a Vampire fan from waaaaay back. My first taste of a fang-flick was Count Yorga, Vampire. I was six. I slept with the covers pulled up around my throat for months afterward! Nowadays people might say, “Where were your parents?” I was with my big sisters and one in particular imprinted me with her love of horror/paranormal/folks-who-drink blood. IMHO, Vampires will never be out of Vogue
(Note to self: See Johnny Depp’s “Dark Shadows”!!)
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I never thought I’d be doing this but I’m writing a story based on Beauty and the Beast. Sometimes the classics are best, I guess
Bring on the vampires!
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