Ravenous Romance Author Blog
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| Lisa Lane |
| Vampires in Romance and Erotica |
| 2009.01.22 05:42:15 | |
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Vampires are a common theme in romance and erotica. A number of well written vampire-based works have been released here at Ravenous Romance. What’s not to love? Vampires are dangerous, powerful . . . and nocturnal. What woman hasn’t enjoyed indulging in some kind of vampire fantasy? When comparing works, it’s fun to see the differences in mythos, characterization, and story, and yet intertwined amongst them the same basic elements and themes, those which make vampires so continuously popular. There is much so more than meets the hypnotic eye, when it comes to the reasons that vampires continue to seduce us helpless mortals, century after century; it all boils down to theme. In The Darkness and the Night series, the themes I chose came through motivations that I’m sure are common among other writers of this genre: with writing about vampires comes a freedom to express both our strongest hopes and our darkest fears about ourselves, and about humanity. With great strength and power, we find that there must also come a relative weakness. With vampires, the greatest weakness is generally sunlight, making darkness the ally and light the nemesis. Might we take the “darkness” and “light” themes a step further by taking them within, making the vampire the perfect model for the struggle between “dark and light” that exists within us all? In The Darkness and the Night: Blood and Coffee, Karen faces numerous struggles, the greatest of which being overcoming her recurring impulse to kill. Many of the situations she falls into, however, threaten various freedoms that previously, in her innocence, she had taken for granted. Control, chance, opportunity, and fate are strong themes throughout the book, and I think they mirror the struggle that all young women face, when finding their place in the world. The moral dilemmas Karen faces are obviously grossly expanded versions of those faced by the average woman, but they still pose the same questions: How would you respond if, overnight, you lost everything that had previously defined your life? What would you be willing to sacrifice for your freedom, if it were taken away from you? What would you do, if you got pregnant, and then realized the father was a “monster?” In the second book in the series (release date still TBA), the themes shift focus to freedom and control in the first half, and then shift again in the second half, to opportunity and fate. In this story, Karen is forced to face her darkest fears in order to reclaim all that should be rightfully hers, escaping a mental institution, and even the clutches of Hell, for a second chance at life, a second chance at love, and a second chance for her unborn twins. The trilogy, as a whole, takes a serious look at all that we hold most sacred as human beings, and then challenges and tests the beliefs we hold, the boundaries we set, and desires that exist within us all. From Brom Stoker, to Anne Rice, to the many talented authors here at Ravenous Romance, vampires have held their place as the objects of our passion and desire. As writers, writing about vampires is a surreal and sensual experience. The profundity of each individual story translates differently through every reader who decides to come along for the ride. Still, we each take from these guilty pleasures some kind of insight; as we explore the darkness, in turn we move ever closer to reaching and understanding the inner light we all also so desperately crave. Tags: vampires | The Darkness and the Night: Blood a | The Darkness and the Night | darkness | light | human nature | monsters
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