What's The Appeal?
He enters the room, his movements graceful, his voice cultured. But under this polished veneer lies a vampire—the ultimate bad boy. Like all bad boys, he's a loner, tortured and brooding. Lurking through night, surviving on blood, he embodies dark, forbidden desires.
When the heroine encounters him, she is immediately drawn to this darkness. She is attracted to his preternatural beauty, excited by the mystery surrounding him, and sympathetic to his loneliness. He is like no other man she has met. Yet, we, the readers, know that he isn't a mere man, but a creature that may not only steal her heart, but also her very life.
However, our vampire is drawn to more than the blood coursing through her veins. He envies her mortality and her innocence. She appeals to the humanity lingering in his cursed soul. And above all, he aches to be mortal and grow old in her arms.
What could possibly be sexier? Our vampire is the perfect romantic hero. Complex and tormented. He is burdened with untold secrets and unfulfilled desires. Goodness and light lure him, while for centuries, his world has been filled with only sinister darkness. Outwardly, he appears cool and collected,
but inside rages an insatiable lust.
He has supernatural strengths and powers, and yet something as simple as
a stroll in the sunlight is an impossibility. As readers, we love our hero to have vulnerability, and a vampire certainly has his share! But when it comes to his ladylove, he will risk his immortal soul to protect her. He can't give her children, but as an intriguing twist, is indeed able to bestow upon her eternal youth. There will be no more Christmas dinners, but there will be hundreds of years full of holidays and new traditions. His love is everlasting.
Perhaps it is this idea of never-ending love that so appeals to our sensibilities. In Romeo and Juliet, we hope the young lovers reunite after death, but we don't get that story. With vampires, the reader sees that love can truly transcend the finality of death. It goes on forever. And through it all, a vampire is dangerous and sexy and will not apologize for that which he cannot control.
Authors' Thoughts...
Heather Graham
"There is nothing like a hero who is emotionally torn, caught between light and darkness. We also, by nature of what we are ourselves, believe in redemption, and love a fight between good and evil." Heather Graham (aka Shannon Drake) enjoys Robert McCammon's They Thirst.
Christine Feehan
"Vampires (or Carpathians) are the ultimate in dark and dangerous. They are mesmerizing and sensual, representing a terrible risk. Their souls are lost and only love can redeem them. For the adventurous, this can be romance at
its best!" Christine Feehan developed a love of vampires after reading Shades of Gray by Amanda Ashley.
Madeline Baker
"Vampires by nature are mysterious and sensual, offering love and danger. And when they promise to love you forever, they mean it." Madeline Baker (aka Amanda Ashley) recommends reading Midnight Kiss by Nancy Gideon.
The heroine sees him across a crowded room. He's beautiful, with enigmatic eyes and a roguish smile. His movements are graceful and elegant, his voice smooth. The heroine is immediately intrigued. He is unlike anyone else in the room. However, he is far more different than she can possibly realize, because not only is he amazingly sexy and charming, but also undead.
-Constance Martin
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