Bec McMaster | Why I love Vampires
September 14, 2012
Vampires. They're a subject near and dear to my heart, whether they be sparkly,
terrifying, seductive or I-vant-to-suck-your-blood... I don't care what form
they come in. When I decided to write KISS
OF STEEL, which is set in a Victorian-era world ruled by the blue bloods of
the Echelon, I knew I wanted to use the vampire myth somehow. My blue bloods are
gentleman who deliberately infect themselves with the craving virus in order to
become elite; making them stronger, faster, invulnerable to illness or injury...
and with a thirst for blood. Women are denied the Blood Rites for fear their
gentle natures won't be able to control the strong hungers that develop, their
purpose in life to become a blue blood's thrall - or blood slave. The craving virus gifts its bearers with many advantages but there is also a
cost. Over the years the virus eventually colonises the body, and the Fade
begins. The first signs are albinism and the faint, decaying stench of rot.
Eventually the victim evolves into something more. A creature with no reason,
driven only by its hungers and its invincible strength. A vampire. History is full of supposed vampires and their legends. Whilst researching my
latest novel, Kiss of Steel, I came across some interesting and creepy
legends that helped create the mythology behind my blue bloods and the vampires
they evolve into. Some of them you may know. Five of the more interesting include: 1. Countess Elizabeth Bathory - in Hungarian folklore, she is known as the
‘woman who bathed in blood' and pops up on many serial-killer lists as one of
the most prolific female serial killers. Born into the Bathory family in 1560 -
one of the oldest families in Transylvania - Elizabeth married a Hungarian Count
and moved to the eerie castle of Csejthe. One evening she hit her maid for
hurting her whilst brushing her hair and where the maid's blood fell on her
skin, she noticed it seemed a lot more youthful. This began a long reign of
terror where she and her servants lured young local girls to her castle under
pretence of employment, subjected them to horrific tortures and supposedly drank
and bathed in their blood to preserve her beauty. When the King of Hungary found
out, he had her servants executed and Elizabeth was walled up inside a section
of the castle with only a tiny slot left open for food to be passed through, as
she was a noble. I find this tale particularly creepy and illustrative of the
power a vampire in the nobility could have. 2. Vlad the Impaler - with a nickname like the ‘Impaler', its fairly
evident that this was not a nice guy. Son of a fierce Wallachian voivode
(warlord), Vlad III was nicknamed Dracula (Little Dragon) and is the
inspiration for this little story you may have heard of. As a child he was given
to the Ottoman Empire as a hostage which cultivated an intense hatred that led
to his own personal crusade against them in later years. His favourite method of
killing his enemies was to stake them alive, hence the ‘Impaler' and he was
guilty of other atrocities such as nailing the turbans of Turkish ambassadors to
their heads for refusing to respect him by taking them off, burning beggars and
boiling or roasting others alive. There's no evidence that he ever actually
drank blood, but Bram Stoker's novel set the stage for his notoriety and many
legends have since sprang up. 3. The Highgate Vampire - A supposed vampire that haunted Highgate
Cemetery in London in the 1970's, the furore was set off by a group of
occultists who liked to roam the cemetery. One of their members, David Farrant,
stayed the night there and believed he had seen a grey figure he thought to be
supernatural. Another local, Sean Manchester, was reported in the Hampstead and
Highgate Express as claiming it to be a ‘King Vampire of the Undead', or a
medieval nobleman who'd practiced black magic in Wallachia. This set off a
rivalry between the pair to find the vampire, and on Friday 13th
March 1970, a mass vampire hunt was planned by Manchester. Despite police
intervention, a swarm of would-be vampire hunters descended on the cemetery,
armed with garlic and crucifixes. Several months later the charred remains of a
decapitated woman's body were found near a catacomb, which police suspected was
the result of black magic. The feud between Farrant and Manchester continues to
this day, which each of them pouring scorn on the other's skill and level of
involvement. 4. Aswid and Asmund - An interesting tale about a long ago prince of
Iceland, Asmund, who lost his way in a storm. Prince Aswid intervened and saved
his life and the pair became inseparable, swearing to go to the grave together.
After years of fighting, Aswid mysteriously died and Asmund had himself buried
alive with Aswid to protect him on his journey to the next life. Several hundred
years later, a warband raided the burial mound for its treasure and lowered one
of their bravest into the pit. When Asmund was hauled out, he told them Aswid
had risen as a Draugr, which is a creature of Nordic mythology that were
believed to be the bodies of the dead. With superhuman strength, the ability to
change size and the constant rotting stench of death about them, they were tied
to their burial mound and immune to most weapons. Asmund claimed he had been
battling Aswid for centuries. 5. Gilles de Rais, a former member of Joan of Arc's guard, was a sadist
who raped, tortured and killed around 200-300 children, in order to use their
blood in his quest to conjure a devil. He was convicted of infanticide and is
considered to be one of history's greatest serial killers. Interestingly enough,
the Bluebeard myth is said to be based on him too, as he had several unlucky
encounters with taking a wife. All the creepier for the fact that all of this actually happened! Personally I
prefer a more-seductive take on the version than the monster, but I loved
playing with the fact that this is what my blue bloods could turn into. And even
more fun? Setting one on the loose for my hero and heroine to hunt. So how do you like your vampires? Seductive? Brutal monsters? Villain or hero?
And what's your favourite fictional vampire character? KISS OF STEEL
BY BEC
MCMASTER - IN STORES SEPTEMBER 2012 A brilliantly creative debut where vampires, werewolves, and clockwork creatures
roam the mist-shrouded streets of London... When Nowhere is Safe... Most people avoid the dreaded Whitecapel district. For Honoria Todd, it's the
last safe haven. But at what price? Blade is known as the master of the rookeries—no one dares cross him. It's
been said he faced down the Echelon's army single-handedly, that ever since
being infected by the blood-craving he's been quicker, stronger, and almost
immortal. When Honoria shows up at his door, his tenuous control comes close to snapping.
She's so...innocent. He doesn't see her backbone of steel—or that she
could be the very salvation he's been seeking. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Award-winning author Bec
McMaster lives in a small town in Australia and grew up with her nose in a
book. A member of RWA, she writes sexy, dark paranormals and steampunk romance.
When not writing, reading, or poring over travel brochures, she loves spending
time with her very own hero or daydreaming about new worlds. For more
information, please visit http://www.becmcmaster.com/ or follow her on Twitter, @BecMcMaster. What's your favorite vampire? One commenter will win a copy of KISS OF STEEL
(US / Canada addresses only)
Comments
24 comments posted.
Re: Bec McMaster | Why I love Vampires
the countess , book sounds thrilling (Debbi Shaw 12:23pm September 14, 2012)
Up to now, the vampire genre has exploded so much, that it's been a bit of a turn-off for me. The Twilight Saga doesn't interest me one bit!! That might upset some people, but ever since I saw the actors who were going to portray the characters when I thought about reading the books, I decided not to read them. I'm hoping that your books will finally draw me in, so that I will finally be drawn into the genre. Since you gave me facts to back up the story of vampires, now I know they really existed, and it wasn't something that was made up. Thank you for a most informative posting today. I love the cover of your book!! I thought it was hot, and the book will probably justify the cover. (Peggy Roberson 1:10pm September 14, 2012)
I prefer vampires as hero rather than villain. Love that they can use what power they have for good. However, your research really is scary. (G. Bisbjerg 1:34pm September 14, 2012)
I like how they are stronger but just as flawed. (Tracy Wickman 2:01pm September 14, 2012)
Good (Kent Cook 2:06pm September 14, 2012)
I have been reading the All Souls Trilogy. Matthew Clairmont is currently my favorite vampire. My first favorite vampire was Barnabas Collins from Dark Shadows. (Sandy Fielder 2:17pm September 14, 2012)
I guess I go for the tortured hero. I love the TrueBlood series (both book and HBO), but I like Bill much more than Eric! (Kathleen Conner 2:22pm September 14, 2012)
Hi Bec, I'm right there with you on this one. I generally like my vampires sensuously dark and seductive but with a generous dose of lethally dangerous in the mix. Your KISS OF STEEL, melding paranormal romance and steampunk, is a 2 for 1 for me. I'll get two of my favorite genres in what sounds like one suspenseful steamy read. Can't wait. And oh, BTW your cover art rocks!! Loving it! (Kamla Layne 2:29pm September 14, 2012)
Oooh a new author for me! Love my vamps as heroes, but a bit on the dark side. (Colleen Conklin 2:31pm September 14, 2012)
My all time favorite vampire is Dracula. He is a legend and how he came to be a vampire. Whether he become a vampire to find his lost love or to strike fear to the Turkish invader, there are so many stories that sprung from this infamous character. (Kai Wong 3:27pm September 14, 2012)
Other than Dracula I have read very few vampire books. Your newest sounds like a great read. (Sheila True 3:34pm September 14, 2012)
I LOVE VAMPIRES BOOKS THEY ARE AWESOME. MY FAVORITE VAMPIRE WOULD BE SEDUCTIVE. MY FAVORITE VAMPIRE WOULD BE IAN FROM THE KERRELYN SPARKS BOOK "ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS A VAMPIRE". EH FINDS LOVE AND GETS THE GIRL. (Shelly Caggiano 4:19pm September 14, 2012)
Well, I like Dracula but not monstrous vampires. I like the nicer kind such as Edward from Twilight. I like Richelle Mead's Y.A. series Bloodlines and Vampire Academy. In them there are nice half-vampires called dhampirs. I don't even think they drink blood. Then there are fierce killer ones called Strigoi. I remember a scene from Bloodlines where a few were trying to kill people and it was scary.
The book sounds great. I looked at the excerpt on Amazon. (Michelle Fidler 4:26pm September 14, 2012)
I like the friendlier type vampires not the gory kind. (Sue Farrell 5:30pm September 14, 2012)
Barnabas Collins was my first but when I saw the George Hamilton vampire I love him:) too cute, altho I know they aren't all that funny but they always are handsome, aren't they?? Book sounds like a good read. Thanks for the draw. (Barbara Studer 5:34pm September 14, 2012)
i cant wait to read this, the cover is amazing (Kimberly Hoefs 6:10pm September 14, 2012)
put this on by wish list sounds great!!!! (Jennifer Beck 6:15pm September 14, 2012)
Barnabas (Janet Gould 6:53pm September 14, 2012)
I like my vampires seductive. I like them smart and a little devious. Favorite vampire? That's tough. It really depends on my mood. This first to come to mind is the Dark Hunters from Sherrilyn Kenyon (although they aren't quite vampires). (Jennifer Beyer 9:53pm September 14, 2012)
I like vampires that are heroes, who are smart, and sarcastic and fight their baser impulses. My favorite vampire character is Cherie Priest's Raylene Pendle from her books Blood Shot and Hellbent - she's a powerful vampire, but she has a soft spot for the orphan kids she allows to live in her warehouse, and the other misfits she befriends. I'm really looking forward to reading Kiss of Steel, it sounds fantastic. (Barbara Elness 10:38pm September 14, 2012)
Love the cover,like vampires that heroes. Love to win. (Linda Hall 11:14pm September 14, 2012)
I like the seductive villain. I dont have a favorite vamp. This sounds like an great story and I would love to read it. (Emily Bowes 11:39pm September 14, 2012)
Tall, dark, and dangerous. All male and seductive. Bad to the bone and flawed. With a hidden romantic and soft-hearted side (but sssh, no one suppose to know). Maybe he himself isn't even aware that he is looking for real love. Hell, my list of vamp needs can be a mile long. An example, Wraith from Demonica. But really as long as they are not overly emo and brooding and mine all mine, what else doe a lady need? Your Blade sounds like he would fit my order. I can't wait to make him mine all mine :) (Patricia Gordon 11:47pm September 14, 2012)
I like my vampires as seductive heroes. (Janie McGaugh 12:09pm September 15, 2012)
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