Thank you so much for having me today, Roxanne. I love this blog, and I’m always up for a chat about vampires in paranormal romance and erotica. It is my pleasure to share with all of you my thoughts on the genre, and I’m excited to have this opportunity also to share a little about my erotic horror trilogy, The Darkness and the Night.
Drawn to the Dark Side
These days, vampires come in all makes and temperaments. Although there still exists the “classic vampire”, there are now tall, dark, and handsome vampires, sexy vampires, sweet vampires, vampires that eat food with their blood, vampires that can’t eat food at all, vampires that drink life-force, vampires that explode into dust in the sunlight, and even vampires that shimmer and sparkle in it. With all of these conflicting and competing mythos floating throughout the literary world, it can be a task to determine the best direction to take in the construction of a new vampire series. As a horror and speculative sci-fi writer, as I considered the impact of introducing yet another erotic, romantic vampire story to the fray, I had to ask myself:
· Is there a market for erotic horror romance?
· With the most popular crazes currently involving vampires that behave more human than monster, will the masses be accepting of something darkly different?
· Is there a place for speculative fiction in the genre?
Finally, after weighing the possibilities, knowing that I would be fighting my way into a niche market no matter which directions I chose to take, I decided that I would make The Darkness and the Night trilogy what I wanted in the genre: dark, gritty, speculative, provocative horror, while painting the details as realistically as I could possibly make them—a Norman Rockwell of literary horror, if you will, using a medium of words. Parts of the stories are disturbing and ugly, but in their ugliness lies a unique beauty that might not be appreciated in any other form. In the ugliness lies insight, genuineness, and heart.
In The Darkness and the Night: Blood and Coffee, protagonist of the series, Karen, finds herself flung into the vampire underworld after the Xavier family, one of the series’ antagonists, uses her in a plot for revenge against her vampire-hunting father. Karen’s transformation tests the limits of her humanity, while also pushing the boundaries between love, hate, lust, and sexual control. When the blood bond between her and the Xavier who turns her, Billy, proves more powerful than both family rivalry and Karen’s contempt for being turned, an entirely new dynamic arises. Moreover, Karen soon finds that she is pregnant (a rarity among vampires) with Billy’s child. The story’s climax comes when the couple fall prey to the dark forces within a nocturnal commune, a hidden valley that one might compare to the Land of the Lotus Eaters in Homer’s Odyssey, one in which humans and vampires alike enter, but never again leave.
In the second book, Cosmic Orgasm (campy name, but with purpose), Karen finds herself a patient in a mental institution, where even she begins to question whether or not all that she has experienced has been nothing more than a psychotic delusion. A series of events proves otherwise, and she reunites with Billy—only to find that he has changed dramatically for the worse. A minor character from Blood and Coffee makes a return as an unexpected hero, and Karen an enemies becomes an ally and, later, her lover, as she moves toward her greatest challenge yet: childbirth.
Book three, Twins of Darkness, follows the upbringing of Karen’s fraternal twins, seemingly human at birth, but far from it. An Astral experience in Cosmic Orgasm, in which Karen makes love to a galaxy, has left one of the twins with nearly god-like abilities, able to travel through time and space, manipulating reality as she sees fit and born with a level of intelligence that far surpasses her infant body. Her twin brother is also deceptively inhuman, and as the two mature, they prove that not all of the sheltering in the world can keep them from coming into their own and following quite terrifyingly in their mother’s footsteps.
So, I ask you, the reader: what do you look for in your erotic or romantic vampire fiction? Do you prefer classic horror, sweet, shimmering re-creations of the mythos, or something entirely different? Leave your thoughts for a chance to win an electronic copy of Twins of Darkness, which has received glowing reviews across the board and has been called “superb” (Cerebral Reviews), “effortless reading” (The Deepening), and “beyond the imagination” (Bitten by Books). Thanks for stopping by, and good luck!
For more information on The Darkness and the Night trilogy, you can check out my erotica page or stop by my blog, or you can go to my author page at Ravenous Romance or Amazon.
So what draws you to the dark side?
One lucky reader has the chance to win a pdf of The Darkness and the Night: Blood and Coffee
To enter just leave a comment on this post with your contact info
Happy reading!
Lisa
Lisa
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9 comments:
Great interview, Lisa! Of course I already know your books are great lol but it's always nice to learn something about a favorite author.
What draws me to the dark side? Everyone has that side to them, they just don't know it. Writing a darker story lets me explore what 'normal' polite society would never allow. Plus, it's fun!
The dark side lets people show another side to themselves that might not be popular with everyone, but makes them more exciting and more believable. It's also extremely sexy and makes the person more intriguing.
joderjo402 AT gmail DOT com
I have tried to be a "lighter" person over the years- but to me the dark side just fits better.
Isabel, thanks for stopping by! I agree that everyone has a dark side--and what better way to unleash it to its fullest than through literature?
Joder, I think it's true that exploring a character's darker side makes him or her much more believable. Even when it's a monster, it shows a fallable, human quality that can be both (or either) disturbing or provocative.
Roxanne, I think the darker side to me will always win out, especially in my writing. It just feels right. ;-)
I am a firm believer in balance, both in every day life and in a cosmic sense. And without the dark side, the light wouldn't have anything for comparison. Erotic romance is a perfect place to allow the darker side out in writing - if you're going for the HEA, it's going to glow next to the darkness. IF this doesn't make sense, blame the Vicodin, btw!
And that's an awesome picture, Ms. Lane!
The dark side draws me because of the danger it represents.
kissinoak at verizon dot net
Dana, you make a great point about balance. It is so true that the darkness makes the light stand out so much brighter. LOL, I had a lot of fun taking pics with my pretty poster (which I won here at Fangtastic Books). ;-)
Estella, yes, the danger and excitement that the dark side presents really does add to a story. It raises the stakes, tests the characters' integrity, and pushes the boudaries between good and evil
Thanks for stopping by!
I am drawn the the dark side of vampires, for sure. No shimmering like diamonds vamps need apply. The reason vampires are so sexy in the first place is that they can kill you with the same bit that could bring you sexual pleasure. Take that away, and you take away so much of their allure.
Your series sounds fascinating, can't wait to read!
Interesting. It'd be exceptional to read a series that draws the reader into the darkness deep enough they feel they're on a unique ride with a species that has fascinated so many writers in so many different ways. I must make the time to check out your version. Thanks for sharing this glimpse into it.
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