Hello friends. It is indeed Monday. Again. It’s been a while, how are you?
Time for, “It’s Monday, What am I Doing?”
This week, I am rereading The Vampire Lestat. I’m about a third of the way through. It’s slow going because I read at night, and I don’t know about all of you, but I’ve been so tired by the end of the day lately that I can’t read more than a few pages before my eyes just close. I’m enjoying getting reacquainted with The Wolfkiller. And in fact I had forgotten that Lestat was known as the Wolfkiller. There’s so much about The Vampire Chronicles that I have forgotten, which means it’s fun to read these stories again!
I am also working on Book 2. The muse is lingering, mostly just out of reach, but I can see her so I am hopeful she’ll return in full form and ready to inspire very soon.
We all know in literature vampires tend to hate garlic. It is touted as a way to protect oneself from becoming dinner for a hungry vamp, and it is also said to be able to destroy the creatures. It also is a tell-tale for a vampire posing as a human.
Last week Friday, I put out a poll on Facebook to see which point of view people like to read more: 3rd Person or 1st Person. I got all of 0 votes. So, uh, thanks, guys.
So, one thing I’m partial to is writing what I know. Before diving headfirst into novel writing, my go-to style was the personal essay. If I’m being totally honest, it’s because I like being right. When I write based on experience, I feel more confident that I’ll avoid conflict. It’s not foolproof, but generally speaking, it works.
For that reason, I decided to use places that I know for the main settings of Turning Point. It starts in Albion, Michigan, which is where I first attended college – Go Brits! It moves on to New York City by way of Ohio and Pennsylvania, and the locations I use along the way are completely fictional. At least, that’s the intent. Perhaps Mama Italy’s is real, and I suspect there’s a gas station in Newton Falls, Ohio, but those came straight from my brain.
On the other hand, there is a scene where the reader gets to see glimpses of my Lower Manhattan.
Drew, a young and terrible vampire(and by terrible, I mean, he’s not skilled at the whole drinking blood for food thing), runs through the streets and the landmarks used are places I know and have experienced. One such location is The Slaughtered Lamb Pub. Just as it sounds, it’s straight out of An American Werewolf in London. I always thought it was a little cheesy, but I loved walking near it whenever we went exploring in the Village. As you pass by, you catch a glimpse of a giant werewolf feasting on a gratuitously bosomed lady. The poor dear has been there, accepting her fate, for decades.
The first vampire novel I remember reading was a pretty obvious choice, at least for my generation: Interview with the Vampire, by Anne Rice. I was twenty-something, living in Chicago and Anne Rice’s words and imagery were exactly the elixirs I needed and didn’t even know I’d been looking for my whole life.
