Vampires, Witches, and Geeks

This is part three of Inanna Arthen’s talk on the history of vampires in fiction. In this lively talk, recorded at Books and Boos in Colchester, Connecticut, on April 20, two thousand thirteen, Inanna traces the history of vampires in fiction and debunks some of the common mistakes and misinformation about the genre. She ended Part 2 talking about how the movie The Mummy is possibly responsible for giving us the plot device of the vampire falling in love with someone who he believes is the reincarnation of a past love. In Part 3, the conclusion, Inanna discusses how the vampire became a love interest, and muses on where the genre is going in the future.

This is part two of Inanna Arthen’s talk on the history of vampires in fiction. In this lively talk, recorded at Books and Boos in Colchester, Connecticut, on April 20, two thousand thirteen, Inanna Arthen traces the history of vampires in fiction and debunks some of the common mistakes and misinformation about the genre. She ended Part 1, by reading an article on vampires that appeared in 1855 in the periodical Household Words. The article was uncredited, which could mean that it was written by a member of staff, possibly the editor. The editor at the time was Charles Dickens! Part 2 begins with the end of the 19th century.

How did we get from Lord Byron’s story fragment to the billion dollar media empire of Twilight, and where does the modern vampire go from here? In this lively talk, Inanna Arthen traces the history of vampires in fiction and debunks some of the common mistakes and misinformation about the genre. Did Bram Stoker base Dracula on a 15th Century warlord? Do vampires burn in sunlight? Can vampires eat and have sex? If you think you know the answers, you’re in for some surprises! Inanna Arthen is an author, designer, and vampire expert who has been studying vampire folklore, media, and culture for 45 years. She runs By Light Unseen Media, a small press dedicated to fiction and non-fiction with a vampire theme. She is also the author of the Vampires of New England Series of novels, which includes Mortal Touch, The Longer the Fall, and, coming soon, All the Shadows of the Rainbow. Thanks go to Books and Boos for hosting the event. They have started an Indiegogo campaign to raise money to help them move to a larger store. If you appreciate independent bookstores and how they serve the reader, check out their Indiegogo campaign here. The campaign will run until 11:59 pm Pacific Time on October 13, 2013.

Gordon Linzner currently lives in New York, where he sometimes functions as a tour guide. For many years the editor and publisher of Space and Time magazine, he also found the time to write short stories and four novels:  The Spy Who Drank Blood (1984), The Oni (1986), The Troupe (1988), and The Hounds of Hell (2008, with Ron Fortier). This concludes my series of short interviews with writers at Necon 2012 who had written vampire novels in the past.

In this episode I interview writer Scott Goudsward. Scott's love of vampires began at an early age watching Bela Lugosi, Christopher Lee, and Peter Cushing on Creature Double Feature on Saturday afternoons. Scott always said he was going to write the massive vampire epic novel. Trailer Trash was not it. Scott's first published story, also called “Trailer Trash,” appeared in the anthology The Darkest Thirst. The novel was based on that story. Since then he has penned the screenplay for the short film “Granite Voice” and co-written two non-fiction books with his brother, David (Shadows Over New England and Shadows Over Florida). Currently he’s co-editing two anthologies for Chaosium with Rachel Kenley, Once Upon an Apocalypse, volume 1 and 2. Scott's short fiction has most recently appeared in the Stoker Award-nominated anthology Epitaphs, and the forthcoming Carnival of the Damned and Atomic Age Cthulhu. Visit Scott’s web site at http://www.goudsward.com/scott/ Goudsward is spelled g-o-u-d-s-w-a-r-d. Note: This interview was recorded at a convention, so there are varying levels of background noise.

In this episode I interview writer and bon vivant Hal Bodner. Hal is the author of the novels Bite Club, The Trouble with Hairy (both WeHo Vampire novels), and two non-vampire novels for Ravenous Romance -- In Flesh and Stone and For Love of the Dead. In Bite Club,  Coroner Beck O'Brien teams up with her old friend, Chris, and his flamboyant lover, Troy to find the secret lair of an ancient vampire preying on hot young men. Bite Club is the first in a series of campy, vampy novels set in West Hollywood, CA. Hal is a former Horror Writers Association (HWA) Trustee and lives in West Hollywood. His blog is at www.wehovampire.com This interview was recorded at a convention (Necon, July 2012), so there are varying levels of background noise.

Interview with Lynda Hilburn, author of the Kismet Knight, Vampire Psychologist series which includes The Vampire Shrink and Dark Harvest. In her other reality, she makes her living as a licensed psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, professional psychic/tarot reader, university instructor and workshop presenter. Her first novel, “The Vampire Shrink”  -- which introduced us to Denver Psychologist Kismet Knight and a hidden vampire underworld -- was released by Medallion Press, October, 2007. The second book in the series, “Dark Harvest,” was released October, 2008. Several more books are planned. Her short story, “Blood Song,” is part of the Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance anthology, April, 2009. For more information on Lynda and her work, visit  www.lyndahilburnauthor.com

Gail Z. Martin is the author of The Summoner, The Blood King and Dark Haven in The Chronicles of The Necromancer series.  Book Four, Dark Lady’s Chosen, makes its international debut in early 2010. Gail discovered her passion for science fiction, fantasy and ghost stories in elementary school.  The first story she wrote—at age five—was about a vampire. Her favorite TV show as a preschooler was Dark Shadows. At age 14, she decided to become a writer.  She enjoys attending science fiction/fantasy conventions, Renaissance fairs and living history sites. For book updates, tour information and contact details, visit www.ChroniclesOfTheNecromancer.com.  Gail is also the host of the Ghost in the Machine Fantasy Podcast, and you can find her on MySpace, Facebook and Twitter.

In this episode, accomplished author and editor Catherine Lundoff, whose collection, Night's Kiss: Lesbian Erotica, has just been released by Lethe Press, talks with me about her vampire stories. Catherine's anthology, Haunted Hearths and Sapphic Shades: Lesbian Ghost Stories (also from Lethe Press, 2008) is a nominee in the Lambda Literary Award, Science Fiction/Fantasy/and Horror category. Visit Catherine's MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/clundoff

Get to know author and spirit communicator Jimahl diFiosa in this short interview. Jimahl has an open, warm style and numerous anecdotes about communication with those beyond the grave. He's the author of two books A Voice in the Forest: Spirit Conversations with Alex Sanders and his latest, Talk to Me: When the Dead Speak to the Living. Show Notes: This episode was originally recorded on October 28, 2008. Jimahl's web site is at www.jimahldifiosa.com Jimahl will be rescheduling his snowed-out appearance at Bay State Paranormal Center in Taunton, Massachusetts. For updates, watch www.baystateparanormalcenter.com