Cover Artist: Patti Roberts
Description:
What is Lure of the Vampire?
The Lure of the Vampire is a pop culture reference book for writers, vampire fans, students and teachers who love to study the mysterious creature of the night. This book is for the fanatics who sit up at night and watch reruns of Buffy for the hundredth time, the Twi-hards that line up for hours before the show just to glimpse the newest Twilight movie, the Truebies who all knows that “waiting sucks” between each season of True Blood and for those diehard traditionalist that balk at all of this “new” vampire craze.
The Lure of the Vampire is also for the new writers who love creating their own worlds where the vampires may be aristocratic and romantic or dark and dangerous; the world where there are castles, heaving bosoms, chivalry and danger of loving a vampire, the dreams of so many women in today’s world.
And finally, The Lure of the Vampire is a book for those who love to study all aspects of the vampire in both pop culture and the world. Whether they are the historian who loves tracing the evolution of the vampire or the sociologist who wants to explore the world of those that live the lifestyle, the reader will find resources here to help them in their quest for knowledge of this lifestyle.
Lure of the Vampire provides unique interviews with vampire authors, role players, and those that live the lifestyle. The reader can delve into the world of a creator of an alternate reality or learn more about those whose lives lead them to embrace vampirism as a way of life.
Lure of the Vampire is a complete pop culture reference book for those who enjoy vampires and their impact on society. It provides an extensive bibliography that will allow the reader the opportunity for additional independent study.
In the beginning was a bald monster with a long face, pointed ears and chin, elongated fingers and sharp talon claws, which lost its humanity and control over its monstrous side. It was lured to a young maiden’s window. All of a sudden, with a sudden rush that could not be foreseen and with a strange howling cry that was enough to awaken the terror in any beast, the figure seized the long tresses of hair. He held her to the bed…she screams…shrieks...and he seizes her neck in his fang like teeth… a gush of blood and a hideous sucking noise follows.
This picture of rape and torture is the bedroom scene of the 1847 penny dreadful, Varney the Vampire: Feast of Blood. The author Thomas Prest painted pictures of the vampire being a sexual monster wanting to devour women, women who were portrayed as being very passive and weak. In these stories the vampire bite was a metaphor for rape and the monster wanted his victim aware of every agonizing violation. This is the vampire that was created when men ruled the horror world: a creature cursed to walk the earth for eternity searching not for love but for food.
Now today, the story reads more like this, “He met my eyes with his penetrating gaze. Suddenly it was hard to breathe. ..My heart pounded in my chest… my knees threatened to buckle. I had never seen such a gorgeous man…something about him felt dark and dangerous and desirable. I lifted my chin to give him better access to my neck. He smiled, showing a hint of fangs.” This excerpt is from Lynda Hilburn’s The Vampire Shrink. Lynda discussed on her blog that since women have taken over the horror genre the vampire has evolved into a gorgeous, sensuous, sexual, romantic, bad boy of the night.
Even though vampire literature is usually snubbed by many writers and fans, over the last ten years the rise in vampire literature has increased exponentially. Many book reviewers claim that vampire literature displays women as sluts and submissive. This may be true in some series but overall this trend has changed quickly. Many writers such as C.J. Ellisson, author of The Vampire Vacation Series, have developed a strong empowered female character that is a monogamous vampire who loves her human husband. The scenes are hot but very respectful to women and actually show how they may embrace their sexual side without embarrassment.
Many more vampire authors have their female character as empowering and strong. They walk alongside the vampire in their journey rather than being the damsel in distress or the hapless victim of his sexual prowess. The current trend for this new genre of vampire romance literature is one that offers the readers an escape from the pressures of the real world while delivering to them either a soul mate or an erotic lover in the form of a vampire. So, just what is the lure of the dead boyfriend to the modern female reader?
EXCERPT
The Lure of the Dead Boyfriend
In the beginning was a bald monster with a long face, pointed ears and chin, elongated fingers and sharp talon claws, which lost its humanity and control over its monstrous side. It was lured to a young maiden’s window. All of a sudden, with a sudden rush that could not be foreseen and with a strange howling cry that was enough to awaken the terror in any beast, the figure seized the long tresses of hair. He held her to the bed…she screams…shrieks...and he seizes her neck in his fang like teeth… a gush of blood and a hideous sucking noise follows.
Now today, the story reads more like this, “He met my eyes with his penetrating gaze. Suddenly it was hard to breathe. ..My heart pounded in my chest… my knees threatened to buckle. I had never seen such a gorgeous man…something about him felt dark and dangerous and desirable. I lifted my chin to give him better access to my neck. He smiled, showing a hint of fangs.” This excerpt is from Lynda Hilburn’s The Vampire Shrink. Lynda discussed on her blog that since women have taken over the horror genre the vampire has evolved into a gorgeous, sensuous, sexual, romantic, bad boy of the night.
Many more vampire authors have their female character as empowering and strong. They walk alongside the vampire in their journey rather than being the damsel in distress or the hapless victim of his sexual prowess. The current trend for this new genre of vampire romance literature is one that offers the readers an escape from the pressures of the real world while delivering to them either a soul mate or an erotic lover in the form of a vampire. So, just what is the lure of the dead boyfriend to the modern female reader?
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Bertena Varney is a sociology professor at Southcentral KY Community College (SKYCTC) in Bowling Green, KY. She holds masters’ degrees in sociology, criminology, social science and education. She is from Winchester, KY and attended Morehead State University in KY.
She was named to the Top Women in Horror in 2012 by Venom and Honey and Blaze McRob’s Tales of Terrors in 2014 and has been nicknamed the Vampire Professor.
She is an Amazon and Kindle Bestselling author of Lure of the Vampire and Lure of the Vampire: Revamped. She is also contributor and coeditor for Vampire News: Tasty Bits to Sink Your Fangs Into, Vampire News: The Not So End Times, Vampire News: Really...Vampires Suck!, and contributor to Vampires Romance to Rippers an Anthology of Risque Stories, Vampires Romance to Rippers an Anthology of Tasty Stories, and The Witching Hour and Sirens Compendiums.
She is also the Examiner.com expert on True Blood, vampires, television, movies, and more.
In her free time she does lectures at libraries conventions and conferences. Some of these include the Harry Potter Convention in Salem, Mass., The Sirens Convention in Vail, Colorado, ScareFest Horror Convention in Lexington, as well as smaller events and discussions in New Orleans, Chicago, London, Paris and other fun places.
Upcoming Events:
1. Estill County Library, Irvine, KY October 30 - Lecture on Angels and Demons and Vampires
2. Inner Light Festival, Lexington, KY September 20 and 21 Working with Angels www.innerlightfestivals.com
3. The ScareFest, Lexington, KY September 12-14 Guest Speaker on Angels and Vampires www.scarefestcon.com
4. Killer Nashville, August 22-24 Signings of Vampire Books www.killernashville.com
5. The Mystical Paranormal Fair, Lexington, KY August 8-10 - Workshops on Angels www.mpfair.com
6. Festival of Healing and Spiritual Awareness, Elizabethtown, KY July 18- 19 - Angel Readings
7. The Mystical Paranormal Fair, Lexington, KY July 11-13 - Workshops on Angels www.mpfair.com
8. The Ghost Hunters Shop, Lexington,KY, July 10 - Lecture on Angels
Can anyone guess what her next book is about? Angels!
Author's Giveaway
What is the vampire class?
ReplyDeleteWell if you click on the link it will explain it in more detail but I Am a college professor but I teach fun classes on the internet and many of my fans wanted to "Study" my book like a text book and so I took the class that I created for college and out it online. If you click on the fb event it explains price and all
ReplyDeleteYep! that's definitely a book for me, I'm a vampire lover!! <3
ReplyDeleteI'd love to read it! Thank you for sharing the info and the giveaway :)