Those Sexy Bloodsuckers

"Oy vey, have you got the wrong vampire." (The Fearless Vampire Killers)

Vampires. People love them or hate them. I'm on the fence. I can't stand the stand the whole angsty teen vampire fad, but I'm fan of True Blood. Okay, the show's getting crackier every season, but you have to admire it for its sheer sexiness—and not just the hetero kind. Executive producer, Alan Ball being a gay man certainly helps. His previous show, Six Feet Under had the some of most complex and interesting gay characters on American television.

“F**k all y'all, devil zombies! Turning this town into an orgy from hell!” (True Blood)

In the m/m genre too, vampires are everywhere, so much so the danger of oversaturation looms. I have mixed feelings about it. The more talented authors can make it work, but there are plenty of mediocre vamp stories out there. What bothers me most is the ubiquitous emotional melodrama. The genre's staple emotionalism seems to get standardized—as if vampires were doomed to brood.

"And you happened to have six very sharp and pointy wooden sticks on you. Or were you just happy to see me?" (I wrote that.)

So naturally, I'm currently working on a vampire novella trilogy. I just had the urge to create a different breed of bloodsuckers. My original concept was to do it in the style of classic screwball comedies. It hasn't shaped up exactly like that, but elements of it are there. There's tension, smut, suspense, and a big dose of humor. I'm at the end stretch of the second story, with a lot of plotty stuff to resolve. I'm starting to feel good about it. The first one turned out quite to my liking. I hope I haven't just jinxed myself, because I have one more to write. I have an inkling that the third story might have one of my characters dressed up in a steampunk costume—for the sake of the plot, of course.

Anyway, It's vampire week on Brief Encounters. Head over and check out what it's all about.