Hello Paranormal Unbounders!

I’ve been head down, eyes on galley (focus, focus, focus!) for the third book in my vampire series (aka “Destiny, out in November, yay!), so when I noticed it was my turn to post for Genre Talk, I had to bring the vampires to the blog.

As a reader and writer of vampire fiction, I love that every author has her own unique spin on our fangy friends. Some vampires sparkle in the sun while others disintegrate or burst into flames. Some are alive and aging while others are immortal and/or undead. Some fight for Team Awesome and others for Team Horrible.

Here’s the lowdown on my vampires, the inhabitants of The Tranquilli Bloodline Series…

• My vampires are undead. If they choose, they can make their hearts beat and their lungs breathe. It amuses them to play human every once in a while.
• They’re nocturnal creatures, sensitive to sunlight. Prolonged exposure results in true death. Most older vamps can tolerate some sun but you’ll never find them frolicking on a sunny beach.
• They’re “allergic” to silver. Silver bullets can temporarily knock out young vampires, but older ones will shake it off in a heartbeat and eviscerate you where you stand. Consider yourself warned. 😉
• My vampires survive on human blood only (no animal blood), straight from a living host or stored.
• All my vamps are equipped with a basic set of vamp-y skills including heightened senses and super strength. They can glamour and compel most humans and some vampires. Some ancients possess unique skills not necessarily associated with vampirism. Older vamps can hurt/kill/torture with power alone, though they do love to get physical. For example, Jonas, aka The Executioner, is quite fond of his swords.
• Most vampires run in gangs. The Tranquilli vampire cosca (Italian for “gang” or “clan”) is the most powerful of them all.
• Lastly, whether they sport the label Good or Evil, my vampires are passionate, fiercely protective, possessive and loyal. They’ll do whatever it takes to protect the ones they love. Here’s an example from Vampire Code. Jonas is quite unhappy when someone hurts Carina… (warning: Rated R for graphic violence)

Jonas’s sword whistled through the air and sliced off the cowering vampire’s hand in one clean blow. It plopped into the mud. The hatchling howled in agony. Clutching his bleeding arm to his chest, he trembled at Jonas’s feet.

“You kicked her.”

The sword sang down again, lopping off one leg just below the knee. The lifeless limb joined the other in the mud.

The vampire peon passed out.

Jonas shoved his sword into the ground and grabbed the vampire by the hair, holding him aloft with ease. He summoned his power and pushed it into the wounded man, forcing him back to consciousness. Awakened once again, the vampire screamed, eyes wide with horror.

Jonas bared his fangs. “You bit her.”

He plunged them into the weakling’s neck. He tore a flap of flesh from the front then spat it onto the growing pile of body parts at his feet.

“No more.” With one practiced twist, he wrenched the vampire’s head from his body.

The headless corpse crumpled to the ground. Jonas tossed the head onto the bloody heap, collected his sword and stalked into the night.

Join the Discussion

How about you? What kind of vampires do you prefer? Are there specific attributes they must have? Do you like shiny and sun-friendly, or pale and moon-worshiping, good vamps or naughty vamps…? 🙂