Vampires

It's pretty impossible to have a blog about the popularity of the paranormal and not mention vampires. After all, they are pretty much everywhere. It seems like ever since Bram Stoker released his angst-ridden, romantic vampire novel vampires have gone from grotesque creatures to be feared to being a teenager's pin up poster. Shows like Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Angel were popular long before the Twilight Saga which resulted in pre-teens falling over themselves to get a piece of the vampire action.

 

Besides, vampires are more than those embarrisingly depressed, emo boys and girls we are shown on television. Once they were the stars of spooky stories told around campfires long before television was invented. Most cultures had their own version of a creature risen from the dead who fed on the blood of living creatures. Strigoi were a part of Romanian mythology and were said to be undead witches who could transform into animals. Chiang-shih are from chinese mythology and were said to be reanimated corpses who took the life force energy from their victims.

 

Vampires are a cultural idea that there is life after death but we might not like the consequences of messing with the fabric of reality. However, they do seem to have caught our attention and although there are many different popular paranormal creatures such as werewolves, ghosts, etc, there is something about vampires that captures our curiosity. Whether they are the ultimate romantic whose soul needs redeeming through love or they are creatures who need to be vanguished they do lend themselves to imaginative possibilities as speculative fiction will attest to.

 

As well as different types of vampires across the world their methods in killing vampires do not differ a lot from each other. The three most popular methods, often used as a trifecta to ensure that a vampire will not rise again. Staking is something every movie-lover/book-lover knows about and although they've changed throughout the years from iron to wood to silver one thing remains the same and that is that it has got to be sharp. One blow to the heart and a vampire is supposedly incapacitated but for many cultures this isn't enough. The next stage is decapitation (urgh) where the head is seperated from the body via one blow with a sharp blade. The third, and final, stage is burning the body to really make sure that the vampire won't rise again because then you would have one extremely angry vampire on your hands and I wouldn't want to be in your shoes if that was the case.

 

As well as Dracula there are a lot of books out there is you are looking for a tale about vampires and it's pretty much impossible to narrow it down when you have checked out as many as I have but here are three of my favourite, fun and more light-hearted vampire stories:

 

1. Halfway To The Grave - Jeaniene Frost

 

Half-vampire Catherine Crawfield is going after the undead with a vengeance, hoping that one of these deadbeats is her father – the one responsible for ruining her mother’s life. Then she’s captured by Bones, a vampire bounty hunter, and is forced into an unlikely partnership.

 

In exchange for help finding her father, Cat agrees to train with the sexy night stalker until her battle reflexes are as sharp as his fangs. She’s amazed she doesn’t end up as his dinner – are there actually good vampires? Pretty soon Bones will have her convinced that being half-dead doesn’t have to be all bad. But before she can enjoy her status as kick-ass demon hunter, Cat and Bones are pursued by a group of killers. Now Cat will have to choose a side … and Bones is turning out to be as tempting as any man with a heartbeat.

 

This book is the first part of a series and Jeaniene Frost creates an amazing world with fantastic characters.

 

2. Undead and Unwed - Mary Janice Davidson

 

Betsy Taylor turns 30, gets laid off, is killed by an SUV and wakes up dead all in the same week. The vampire community is convinced she's their prophesied Queen. But she's not having any of it—she's got shoes to buy! And now the undead world is being turned upside-down by a Bela Lugosi throwback and her subjects expect her to take care of it! Why didn't she read the handbook? But her would-be consort, Eric Sinclair, is (annoyingly) ever-present. If only he wasn't so tall, dark, gorgeous...and undead.

This book is hilarious right from the very begining and every time I read it I can't help but feel glad that there are many more books to the series.

 

3. Real Vampires Have Curves - Gerry Bartlett

 

Gloriana St. Clair is an eternally "full-figured" vampire-she just happened to be bloating when a sexy Scotsman sank his teeth into her. She and said Scot- Angus Jeremiah Campbell III, aka Jeremy Blade-have been on and off again for centuries, currently off. A couple hundred years has taught them how to press each other's buttons-in good ways and bad.

Glory's headed for Austin and a new business venture: Vintage Vamp's Emporium. After all, she loves clothes, and she is an antique. Only problem is, there's a billionaire techno-freak vampire hunter on the loose. Blade's in total he- vampire mode, and wants Glory to move in with him so he can "protect" her. But it's time for this vamp to explore her own powers.

Described as 'every woman with fangs' this book is an amazing read for a free afternoon when you need a laugh.