The Word Cloud

Well, can we?

Of course, I could argue yes: of course we can. I am a woman and I write horror, so surely it's a no brainer?

If that's the case, where are the female Stephen Kings? The female Clive Barkers? The female James Herberts? I've read horror since I first discovered the delights of The Fog (one of James Herbert's earlier efforts) at around the age of thirteen. I was probably a little too young to read it (a certain orgy scene was definitely an eye-opener), but nevertheless, it introduced me to a whole new genre that is quite often crap (Shaun Huston's "The Slugs"), but sometimes quite wonderful (Barker's "Weaveworld"). It even crossed over with the music I devoured - I am not ashamed to admit I actively sought out a certain H.P. Lovecraft after hearing Metallica's 'The Call of Ktulu' (it took me nearly two years to source a copy of 'The Dunwich Horror' in an anthology. Honestly, at that point, I think it would have been easier to source a copy of the original Necronomicon in my little back-water town...).

I noticed even then that there was a distinct lack of female horror writers. They just didn't seem to exist. We had Judy Blume and Little Women, but they bored me to absolute tears. I did hunt down some female writers who wrote what could be tentatively classified as horror - Anne Rice, Poppy Z Brite, a few short story writers I can't remember the names of (and even - *shudders* - Laurell K Hamilton) - but their stories seemed more romantic (and ALWAYS seemed to have gay vampires in there somewhere, being pretty and melancholy) and lacked the visceral nature of the horror written by their male counterparts.

Yesterday, I spent a little while looking up some publishers who specialise in cosmic / occult horror (the genre I absolutely love to write). I looked up the author list for Arkham House (the publisher I would love to write for)... and as far as I can see, not one of them is female. And this does worry me. I know in this day and age of equality it shouldn't be a worry... but it is. It does make me wonder - can women write horror? Or are we always destined to play second fiddle to our male counterparts? Do we have it in us to paint those visceral pictures, or will we be sidelined in favour of our rather more conventional, chick-lit writing sisters?

When I was thirteen years old, my favorite cousin let me borrow (ok, let isn't exactly the word.  More like I hounded her until she gave in) her L.J. Smith books that she had shoved into her anal retentive bookshelf (all shelved by genre, author and in alphabetical order)

I whizzed through them in a little over a week and to this day, I don't think anyone has influenced my love of reading and writing YA books as much as LJ Smith.  Those books had an everlasting effect on me.  When I went back the US this past summer, I found her witch series still in my parent's upstairs bookshelves (no I never did return them to my cousin.  I know.  I'm terrible).  And although, to my grown up and more critical eye, I realised that it wasn't the best or most eloquent thing I'd ever read , her stories still never failed to draw me in. 

Well, all of that has come to an end.  Yesterday I decided to reread the original Vampire Diaries since the series has come out in the US (which I was thrilled upon hearing ofcourse).  The first three books were just as good as I remember.  (I still think they're better than twilight)  The fourth was always my least favorite but I was surprised to find out, while doing some internet digging, that LJ Smith had come out with a fifth Vampire Diaries book last year!

I hopped right to the amazon.com and looked at the first chapter page.  After two lines I said 'wtf is this shit?'  (I know, I can throw my lent resolutions out the window about now)  And as I scrolled down to read the review, I was completely, utterly devastated.  Apparently my favorite YA author, the one who inspired me to write, has gone completely nutters and by some stroke of insane money driven motivation on the part of her editor, they actually published her recent book even though its a scattered, terrible mess that hardly even resembles the LJ Smith I once knew.   

I never thought this would have such an effect on me but it does.  I feel really really sad and dissapointed right now.  
I guess there's some consolation in the fact that the Vampire Diaries series is doing so well and their script writers fortunately are just as, if not more talented then the young LJ Smith and have done wonderful things with her characters and plot lines from the first three books.  It's just a shame that I'm looking forward to what they do with the Vampire Diaries more than I am about what the actual author has done, or will ever do:(


 

This has to be blogged, because I think it's an interesting little subject.

The Lost Art of the Vampire
Has the ‘New Age’ vampire upheld the legend of his forefathers?
Or has he ousted them from their once glorious cult pedestal?

Unless you’ve been hiding away in some dark corner of the world, you won’t have failed to notice the recent upsurge in all things vampire. From Stephenie Meyers’ Twilight series and the resulting films to Alan Ball’s True Blood; vampires are everywhere in today’s culture. Has this new trend contributed to the world of cult classics? Or has the dawn of a new breed of vampire caused legend to lapse?

The phenomenon of the vampire has been chronicled for centuries. Germany saw widespread discussion of the ‘vampir’ as early as the 18th century, through reports noting the popular practice of exhumation. The 1745 publication Harelian Miscellany noted further mentions of the vampire in ‘Travels of Three English Gentlemen. ‘

Such phenomena inspired a number of literary and film endeavours, with writers such as Ossenfelder deigning themselves worthy predecessors of Bram Stoker and his landmark work, ‘Dracula’. This novel was adapted into film in 1931, with Hungarian actor Bela Lugosi taking the helm as the Count himself.  Prior to that was Marnau’s production of the silent ‘Nosferatu’. Later years saw a clear trend emerging with vampires portrayed as tragic heroes, a fashion initiated by Marilyn Ross through her work ‘Barnabas Collins’. Ann Rice took the baton and continued with the same idealistic thread in The Vampire Chronicles.

This repeated reincarnation of the undead was pursued by the Hammer Horror series, featuring Christopher Lee as Dracula; Hammer Horror also gave exposure to the sexually provocative elements of the vampire world, pushing the boundaries of the day.

However, these pale in comparison to some of the recent film productions which feature highly sexualised content, focussing almost completely on the sexuality of the vampire. The collaboration of Tarantino and Rodriguez in ‘From Dusk Til Dawn’ set the tone for provocative illustration, accented by a strip club.

Some others succeeded in portraying the more mysterious, ethereal elements of vampire legend, namely Neil Jordan’s ‘Interview With The Vampire’. Here, the audience was presented with a first-hand account of a vampire’s life which did not rely on overt sexualism to garner popularity.
Another change in the evolution of vampiric creations is a tendency to humanise the beast beyond all recognition. We have gone from elusive creatures of darkness to vampires who survive during daylight hours and emanate a beguiling beauty in doing so. 

Of course, it could be said that where there is humanisation, there is sexualisation - this is the  fount of our existence – but why are we applying it to creatures that, according to folklore, do not exist within the realm of our species? The answer lies in our everlasting fascination with mortality. Where there are no answers, we create them and illustrate them until we are satisfied and suitably entertained. We have taken the world of the vampire and made it our own; we have conquered it as an answer to our own lack of understanding in the occult.

For some, this is a shame. For others, it’s a progression into further profit and nothing else. Let’s face it – how could we sell Bram Stoker’s original novel in today’s market? It simply isn’t commercial enough. Instead, the myth is dispelled in favour of a user-friendly horror, one that even vulnerable girls can dabble in without fear of getting hurt.

Can parallels be drawn between vampire tales of old and the new generation of occult writers? One element that has been retained is the most obvious of all – that of the creature who survives only by drinking blood. But perhaps this is where comparisons end and the chasm opens, forcing these new age vampires further into our world while those created in centuries gone by return to their dusty coffins.

Many agree that this contemporary obsession with vampires is approaching the end of its shelf life. The more we humanise the vampire, the more damage we do – the magic, the myth, that shroud of the unknown will be cast off to reveal yet another saturated target market.

Perhaps we should exhume the original texts and reels of the undead rather than flogging the proverbial dead horse (presumably sucked dry by some lovelorn vampire who can’t bear to bite the object of his affections). Few appreciate the beauty that can be found hidden in the darkest depths of eras gone by; eras rendered long forgotten, faded beneath the bright lights of contemporary glamour. Some welcome a return to real horror and occult fantasy, in which the human world and the other realm are woven together only by the hunter versus the hunted and the divide of man and monster.

Once again I am in need of your advice. I have my book, "The Shrouded Vampire" fully planned. It is the first in the series of five books. I want to know whether or not you think that it is a good idea to write.

Set in a small fictional town in the late 19th century William is a member of an orphanage. He finds Mina lost with amnesia in a forest and she joins him there.

When a valuable item arrives in the town and the buyer is murdered, Mina is the prime suspect. William and Mina find themselves determind to prove her innocence, but their relationship falls apart when Mina is adopted by the mayor of the town and turns a blind eye to him.

Because of this, when William solves the mystery he goes alone to confront the killer and is kiddnapped. He is imprisoned in an underground castle home to vampires.

Mina's cruelty to William costs them so much, while she does go to rescue him, her attempts fail and William becomes a vampire. The real culprit of the murders turns out to be the man that was killed. (He was a vampire) and Mina takes back the compass. The novel ends at that point. The second novel begins a month after these events.

So what are your opinions?

The dark, lifeless park, which was long closed, was enlightened by few dim lights, now and then. It´s thin sinuous ways which were filled with children and dogs running arround, now looked quite gloomy. In many ways it seemed like a cemetery.

They walked in and out of the shadows, as a creepy silence was cast into the night; falling also upon two people who calmly wandered across the shadowy place.

The woman, around her twenties, scratched the back of her neck and bit the tip of her lips, thinking of a subject, while the stunning red haired man, with bloody hands, walked calmly by her side:

- So…Vampires, huh?-she snorted a bit. He didn’t reply. She cleared her throat, looking at his hands. – Thanks. For saving my life, back there.

- No problem, Kid. – Why did he have to call her “Kid”? His beauty was  godlike, much resembling all of those Armani male models; and he had just saved her life from five vampires. It is fair to say by this point, that she had fallen in love with the vigorous man; constituting  love at first heroic sight. All of that, only for him to call her “Kid”. She sulked a bit and kept quiet for a long time, trying not to remember five vampires had just attempted to drink her blood when the misterious figure came from the shadows and rescued her. She didn´t even know his name.
              Upon his mutual silence, she puffed out her chest and decided to continue:

-Well, are you going to kill me?- he regarded her steadily for a few seconds:

-Maybe.-he looked up trying to find the right words. His red irises rolled around his white sclera - You see, the whole blood thirst thing is highly overrated. Blood is like chocolate.-He spread his palms, as if he was presenting her the most revolutionary idea- There are those of us, who can eat and stop, and those who can’t. Luckily for you, I am quite good at controlling my urges for chocolate.-he opened a big, warm smile, and she couldn’t stop sighing at the sight of it. He tapped her back with his bloody hands, leaving a few stains on it, and continued to walk.

She couldn’t stop gazing at his incredibly shiny threads under the moonlight, flowing gently at the soft night wind; his pale, smooth skin and masculine features were remarkable, and if he was human, he could make big figures by becoming an actor or model.He was perfect not in many, but in all the ways (except for the "Kid"), and in no way he resembled a monster. Upon noticing that she looked at him with weird airs, he stopped, crossing his arms, looking askance at her:

-What?

-Nothing!-she stammered nervously- I…-she scratched the back of her neck again- I was just wondering…Do things like romance between your kind and mine happen, in real life? –He stared at her without the least sign of any sort of expression for a moment. Then, he laughed out loud so hard, that his following laughs made no sound; yet she was quite aware he was laughing his guts out, by his facial expression. He put one hand over his belly and bended a bit, trying to grab some air. He tried to say something, but couldn’t.
She sighed and crossed her arms, waiting for him to recover.

Finally, he took a deep breath, still curving a smile:

- Kid, let me ask you something: Do you fall in love for something you eat? –he didn’t give her time to answer- Do you fall in love for a cow?- She grimaced:

- Of course not!

- Neither do I. Let me tell you something about vampires: We are demons, we walk through the night, we drink human blood. Why would we be called demons to begin with, if not?- he initiated another burst of laughing but uttered it, approaching her, feeling her scent- We can mate with humans, but we do not have children with them, and most of all- he stared at her with a vicious smile- we don’t sparkle when the sun hits us. –She swallowed a chunk of air as she felt a bit threatened by his speech:

-What happens then?

- We burn to death.-he said as if it was the most trivial thing. He was focused now on her, the helpless girl who suddenly seemed more like a pray to him. Suddenly, his overated blood thirst started to get to him. And he, being the good demons he was, could not care less. He could not stop thinking how ironic it was that he had saved a girl, only that she could become his dinner. 

He was now closer to her, staring her eyes thoughtfully. She shook a bit, as she noticed he wanted her blood. She could not be faster nor stronger than him, and there was no way to get out of there alive:

- But you saved me!-she cried.

-Most certainly. Why let them have you, when I can?- his eyes were glowing red.

-No, you are a good vampire, -she was affirming that more to herself then to him - you look for redemption and a way to compensate humanity for your despicable acts!- his face acquired a confused expression.

- What?-he said almost as if in disgust, looking even more confused,  sweeping his hand violently in the air- Nonsense! My name is not Angel,- he approached her even more, and the woman could feel his cold breathe- my name is not Louis[1], and my name is most definitely NOT Edward Cullen.- She could see his fangs showing off to her, aching for her.

-You said you weren’t going to kill me.- she muttered.

He shrugged:

-I said “Not likely”.- he took a deep breathe and seemed the hero from before, controlling his blood thirst. He blinked one eye to her- See you arround, and vanished right in front of her eyes.

It started with a kiss and then I saw the fangs.
When an unholy alliance between two monsters is about to be formed something is bound to go wrong. But then again marriage never goes smoothly.

“You’ve read Twilight. Now read its comedy cousin” Matt Robertson

I just felt like writing a supernatural comedy. So yeah!
My idea is to basically take Twilight, rip it apart, take one or two pieces and stick them together with plenty of my own to create a supernatural comedy.

Any idea/help/constructive criticism welcome.

And yes I know it may breach some copy-right barriers but I never said I was gunna publish the story :P