They aren’t cutesy, huggy, cuddly. They have fangs and drink blood for pity’s sake. They aren’t at all what you’d normally consider romantic.

Ah, but that’s the key. Normal.

Vampire’s aren’t normal. They’re paranormal, outside the bounds of normality. And this is the key to their appeal.

As a society we’ve embraced vampires because they represent at some level the very imodiment of immortality, the gift of endless love, a power beyond our own. Now before you go and poo-poo the whole idea, consider that entire religions have been built on this concept.

Vampires touch our dreams of living beyond our years, of finding love that conquers even death. They are visceral creatures, not etheral.

What about the blood, you may ask.

How often and in how many myths and doctrine has a payment of blood been required by one party to protect or bring into the afterlife another party? Hundreds, probably thousands. It’s a unverisal theme. So vampires play right into our cultural consciousness.

We love them because they are strong and powerful. We love them because they have accomplished what we aspire to (namely a way to live beyond our mortal lifespan, a chance at immortality). Unlike angels or demons or other supernatural characters, we love them because they retain some part of their humanity. They are flawed, just like us, needy just like us. They have emotion and pain, love and loyalty and a powerful drive, more than most to escape death. How else could they have chosen what they did?

When I created the vampire world in my Sons of Midnight mini-series for Harleqin Nocturne, I tried to take all this into account. I tried to make my vampires subject to the same biolgical laws as we humans and yet allowed them to be the paranormal creatures that enthrall us.  If you get a moment, check out The Truth About Vampires and tell me what you think.

OK, so I’m starting a new book. (Well, let’s be truly honest, I’ve got three of them going right now.) The point is this new book is a little more difficult for me to start than most I’ve worked on.

And it’s because of the characters.

It’s one thing when they step on stage and demand a staring role in your head and start spouting of dialog faster than you can type it. It’s another thing when you’ve got an alpha male who’s a lost soul and wants to be left the hell alone…by everyone…including me.

Trying to get him to open up enough that I can figure him and out write him down is like trying to ply a vegetarian with a steak. It isn’t working. Not interested is not interested.

So as a writer, what am I supposed to do? Well, I’m going to fall back on the good only journalism interview and hope he gives more than one word answers (which I’m not counting on.) If that fails I might interview the secondary characters around him and see if I can dig up some dirt.

And if that fails…well then I’m going to start the story with the heroine and he’ll get dragged into it at some point.

*sigh* And my husband wonders why I can’t remember to pick up drywall screws…I have way too much in my head.

The two winners are: Kim Giardna who’ll be getting both a $20 gift certificate to Wicked Wines Online (where she can indulge in either red Vampire Vodka or other Vampire Winery offerings) and a copy of Salvation of the Damned.

MelJPrincess, you’ve won those snazzy customizable chrome fangs and a copy of Salvation of the Damned.

Congratulations to you both!

But I am excited! Twice now I’ve come so close (those of you who still ask me when The Spellbound Bride is coming out, I’m working on it and waiting on publishers). But the third time is the charm! 

I hope you’ll hop over to the Harlequin site and take a look. If you’d like to read an excerpt, check out the books section on my site and you’ll find it.

In the meantime, I’ll be hopping around several blogs this month talking vampires, paranormal romances and what not. Google, you’ll find them. Leave a comment on any of them (or here!) and I’ll include you in a contest where you can win either a pair of customizable chrome fangs (perfect for those of you thinking of going to the Romantic Times Convention’s annual vampire ball) or a gift certificate to Wicked  Wines Online where you can find Vampyre Vodka (that’s red!), Dracula Syrah, Chateau Du Vampire Bordeaux and Dark Vampire Chocolate, among other goodies. Winner to be announced April 1, 2009 (and no, I’m not joking).

And now, I’m off to celebrate!  Hey my first book just came out!

The other thing is I often wonder why people even bother to blog. Unless you’ve got a group (like we do at www.titlewave.blogspot.com) you don’t get a lot of action on a single author blog.

But no matter, I shall be a better blogger.

I’ll be making some changes to this site because, let’s face it, every few years you need a little refreshing. And as much as I love this site, it’s a little too pink and perky for what I’ve been writing lately. Take my latest book out March 1 – Salvation of the Damned. Pretty much the hero needs to kill the heroine to save all his kind (aka vampires). See what I mean?

Here’s the whole gist of the book:
Every thousand years, a plague ravages the vampire population, bringing them to near extinction. In forty-eight hours, a virus will turn all vampires into their true chronological age and kill them all, unless the right woman is sacrificed. It is a ritual that vampire Raphael has made before. Every millennium, he finds the perfect woman and seduces her so thoroughly that she willing gives her own life and soul to save his kind. But only once in six thousand years has he fallen in love with his victim…

Then he sees Evaline St. Croix at a Mardi Gras costume party and feels the same raw need he felt for Isabeau. Eva feels an instant connection to Raphael, too, as if they’ve known each other forever. His voice and touch bring strange memories to her mind…and an explosive desire to her body.

Could Eva be the reincarnation of Raphael’s lost love? And if she is, has he found her again only to lose her once more?

So this year, better blogging, a new book (yea!) and a new site (cool!). Hopefully 2009 is good for you too!

What I want to know is this: what do you look for in a blog that keeps you interested?