Fangs and Hair, Vamps and Weres, and What’s Next

I was pondering my continued enjoyment of werewolf fiction, especially in the wake of the polarized reaction to my review of Bitten, and started to wonder why were-predators and vampires seem to be still the dominant paranormal motif in romance. There are other paranormal creatures – faeries, were-amphibians, were-birds, demons, ghosts, incubi and succubi, for example – within the paranormal romance shelves, but the predominant creature, both in continued fascination and in number of titles, seems to be the weres and the vamps.

Why is that? There’s a lot of questioning as to why the Twilight series sustains its audience (which grows weirder and weirder with every movie release, holy hell) and why vampires remain so alluring, and why these creatures pair so well with romance. I think that the allure of vampires is related to the allure of were-predators: each metaphorically details and resolves a deep-seated human fear or struggle.

With vampire romance, beneath (heh) the resolution of the attraction and courtship, there’s obviously death. Whether the vampirism is explained by a virus or the creature in question is actually dead, putting aside the “Ew, necrophilia” questions, vampire romance negotiates and conquers or destroys death.

I’ve talked about why paranormal romance is so popular and related that to the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the US, and I think that same resolution of fear is, in part, what makes vampire romance so continually interesting to readers. I think (and many people disagree with me here) that paranormal romance became superbly popular in the US market following 9/11/01, for two main reasons. First, the evil is easily identified. Either he wants to exsanguinate you, or he gets really hairy in compliment to her lunar cycle, but the otherness and the potential intent to harm is pretty easy to spot. Contrast that with the kid and a backpack on the subway who might be a student or might be ready to blow himself and his neighbors to bits. The easily identifiable evil is a comforting contrast.

Then, there’s the resolution of that otherness. Either the Other is tamed by the Power of Lurrrrve™ and the protagonists united through conversion (she becomes a vamp, he becomes a were, etc) or the Other is destroyed because it’s the antagonist preventing the happy ending. And when a paranormal creature is destroyed in romance, it’s not just a duel with a handkerchief in the dew. The offending Other is chopped into pieces, set on fire, beheaded, and possibly sent to an entirely other dimension, depending on the world building and mythology at work. There is no ass kicking like paranormal villain ass kicking.

So when that taming and uniting or destroying happens within vampire romance, death is being vanquished at the same time. The unification with the heroine is symbolically a return to life. In Kresley Cole’s world, the vampires regain their heartbeats when they meet their mated other – a physical return to life. With Feehan’s Carpathians, they see in color after eons of monochromatic vision, and eventually indulge in requisite doggy style sexxoring. Nothing says back to life like backin’ that ass up, right?

With were-predators, I think, the issue being negotiated with the happy ending is anger. Combining animal instinct, predatory violence, and a code of rules and behavior that are both similar and separate from human society, were-predators can make for some amazing romance fiction. Instead of death, it’s rage and anger that are tamed and directed, or vanquished all together, and I think that for women particularly, that’s compelling. Were heroines come to terms with their violent side and have a proper and sanctioned outlet for all that unladylike rage and anger. Were heroes are isolated, even in a pack, and their rage must be tamed or redirected, or destroyed altogether, lest that anger and rage dominate the person. Emotional and psychological balance often factor into were romances, as well. Perhaps, even, it’s not so much anger as it is insanity that’s being negotiated in were romances.

When I was pondering this in 140-or-less on Twitter, Syzygy Magazine (NSFW) proposed that the vampires and the weres were recast archetypes which never go out of style, thereby extending their popularity as they reappear in other subgenres. The vampires are “the same brooding, wounded noblemen that dominate the period romance market, while the weres are “the tough, somewhat dangerous wilderness-connected archetype that usedto be rendered as cowboys.” I’m not sure I agree that the popularity can be explained simply by recurrence of archetype, and certainly there are broody weres up and down the joint, but that’s definitely a factor in their sustained popularity.

So what comes next? (heh.) What paranormal creature will rise (heh) to equal the vampire and the were in stature and publishing frequency? Are succubi and incubi the next big thing, or are their predatory sexual natures not that threatening? Ghosts are about death, but they’re also not entirely corporeal – something that troubled many a JR Ward fan. Zombies? Syzygy suggests that zombies represent the underclass; I think they represent decomp.

Are faeries the next big thing, or are they too complex to capture the romance reader imagination for repeated readings, since their mythology involves a very large and complicated society already? Maybe there isn’t a creature that captures, conveys and recasts a basic fear as much as vampires and weres do already.

What I’m most curious about is what creature could come next that would attract repeated readings of similar mythologies and characters as much as weres and vamps. Readers of were romance and vampire romance so often go after more of it, and seem to revel in re-experiencing the mythology and the courtship within it in books from a huge variety of authors. In fact, it’s that repeated reading of similar creatures that made me wonder if the attraction to the creature is tied to an underlying issue. Is there a similar issue that imbues a different paranormal creature? I’m not saying that we’re all neurotic morons who have our knickers tied into origami about death and anger. I do think, however, that the commonalities are revealing, and the enduring popularity of both vampires and weres indicates that more is being revisited than just a fangsome, hairy courtship.

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Random Musings

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  1. Kristina says:

    One more thing, in reading comments.  I totally agree with Lilac and Igm.  Robots or more specifically Cyborgs or Bio-engineeerd super humans.  Anyone read the Ellora’s Cave books?  Alot of them are futuristic with engineered humanoids and/or aliens. 

    Love me some intergalactic romances.  :0)  Angela Knights Warlord series is a gem, Trigon Rituals is the title of a fav of mine by Pillow I think.  Definitly Aliens as the next leg of the WTF romance hereos.

  2. Scrin says:

    I’m getting very uncomfortable with the contempt for Twilight I see on this site. I’m not a huge Twilight fan – I read the books but I won’t reread them, and I haven’t seen the movies – but I believe all fans deserve respect, even if you personally don’t agree with the value or values of the works they enjoy. Or their means of expressing their enthusiasm.

    I would like to say I’d agree with you, but the fans (some of them, at least) are creepy. I’ve seen reports that some of them scratch their necks open before coming into the presence of Robert Pattinson and say, “We did this for you, Edward!”

    Furthermore, Pattinson isn’t enjoying that sort of attention, and is trying to just do the job and not encourage them. Any of the fans could look up his views on the matter and maybe, y’know, respect his wishes here? But as it stood when the Twilight movie came out, security asked him specifically not to make eye contact with the crowd, for fear of causing a frenzy.

    Hate to say it, but if the frenzy and excitement goes further, Pattinson gets a decent chance of getting his very own, “If I can’t have him, no one can” psychostalker.

  3. JamiSings says:

    Nothing wrong with liking Gargoyles. Though I was more into Owen/Puck because he was voiced by Brent Spiner and I used to have a HUGE crush on him. (You should hear the guy sing!)

  4. Scrin says:

    Oh, yeah.

    I think the next thing is Fantasy Kitchen Sink—where all (or most) of the creatures you’ve heard about, are real. Why limit yourself to just one critter type and their trauma. Show your versatility and raise your name!

  5. Amelia says:

    Besides vampires and weres I’m also a big fan of highlanders, make them immortal or throw in some time traveling and I’m hooked.  The mention of Fae/Fairy reminded me of the Fae Adam Black from Karen Marie Moning Highlander Series.  There is nothing Disney fairy like with him.

    With his long, black hair and dark, mesmerizing eyes, Adam Black is Trouble with a capital T. Immortal, arrogant, and intensely sensual, he is the consummate seducer, free to roam across time and continents in pursuit of his insatiable desires.

    http://www.karenmoning.com/novels/immortal_highlander/index.html

  6. dangrgirl says:

    @Wendy:

    I always want the Gargoyles from the 90s Disney cartoon of the same name to be something not created by one guy, and thus off-limits creatively.

    What? Huh? I certainly hope not because I’m working on one right now. Sure, Disney owns the copyright on the specific characters and stories in that show, but there’s no reason we can’t write a story about gargoyles in general.  I think it’s a hugely compelling idea.

  7. Michelle (mlg) says:

    I don’t see it as the next thing, but I wanted to point out a wonderful book with a Goblin hero.  Clare Dunkle’s The Hollow Kingdom is a well done YA fantasy/romance where the heroine is being chased by the Goblin King.  If you like Beauty and the Beast type stories you will enjoy this one.  I enjoyed it especially since the heroine is a very intelligent and nearly outsmarts the King.

  8. Mafuane says:

    Vampires and Werewolves will never die out because they inhabit that part of the sort of dark gothic cliche, you can’t think of a dark misty romanian village without imagining a werewolf or vampire in the background. They have also been part of our imagination and culture for years, featuring in our folktales and legends and so ingrained are they that writers will instantly pick them without a second thought. They unlike other beings have been at the forefront of Gothic Literature for years, think back to books like Carmilla (http://www.answers.com/topic/carmilla), they belong to literature and in literature they will stay. Creatures like succubuses and such, don’t have this sort of background and therefore require more imagination on part of the writer and are less easy to write.

    Since my own books deals with angelic like beings i’ve done alot of research on the matter and found that the most common angel “hero” as it were is Gabriel, in the romance novels i’ve read. For some reason he is the most attractive to writers (not Michael or Raphael or any of the others) and this had made me wonder why.

    On my blog I went into detail about how Angelic Art more of less depicted Michael and Gabriel in equal amounts, so it can’t be that these writers are drawn in by these pictures of the “beautiful angelic man” when writing about Gabriel, so I assume that he inhabits some sort of nativity cliche, being the angel most associated with christmas, he’s the most well known and well, y’know “write what you know”.

    Also as said before, angels are deeply rooted in religion, however the idea of a “man with wings” is not so much, in fact that idea was inspired by art if you look up angel in the bible, you’ll get this sort of description: “arms like bronze, face like lightning” these beings are no where near the way they are depicted in classical art, so really I’m not sure how far these writers can get away with it.

    One very good story I read about angels was a chinese manwha (comic book) named Angel Myth, where the angels are as said in the above posts “genderless” and “emotionless” this causes problems for the main character’s guardian angel. Angels it says are not cast out of heaven for falling in love with humans, but that their suffering comes from the fact that their comrades begin to look on them with suspicion and draw away from them because they come to inhabit the “other”, something that they have nothing in common with and which they look down upon. Therefore they choose to abandon heaven out of the fact that they no longer belong there. 

    Ghosts will never be big in romance, when you think of ghost you think of thing in a white sheet, you think of ghost stories, there’s nothing vaguely romantic about a groaning figure tied in chains (or is there ;D) I doubt this will ever be popular, but heck, prove me wrong!

    Fairies as well remind us of tiny winged girly things, that’s why they aren’t so intresting. You don’t instantly equate handsome hero with fairies do you, it makes him sound so girly. Also you have to delve into a lot of celtic mythology which as said before is very difficult to understand unless you’ve had this in your background. I read a book called “Morrigan” I think it was by Nora Roberts once and I thought she got it all wrong with her characterisations.

    I really think it comes down to cliches, when you think of werewolves and vampires you think of dark/sexy/gothic, when you think of fairies and ghosts you think of sparkly women in miniskirts and white sheets. Angels can be done but they are wraught with difficulty.

    However what I do think no one has touched upon is the goldmine of dark spiritual beings that exist in English Folktales, such tales as “the Elf-Knight”, “Tam-Lin”, “Reynadine”, “The Outlandish Knight”, “The wife of Ushers well”-> this one deals with ghosts, and “Long Lankin”.

  9. I want to see genies

    Monica Jackson had a genie hero in Love’s Potion.

  10. SB Sarah says:

    Both demons and the Fallen have considerable baggage (emotional and otherwise) and that can play well in a storyline. De-coupling them from religion might be tricky, however.

    I agree – I tend to shy away from angel/demon/fallen mythologies because of how unsure I am about the involvement of religious themes and dogma in the plot.

  11. dangrgirl says:

    I said:

    Like vampires and weres, once (wo)man/machine characters, like the Replicators in the Stargate series for instance, can masquerade as humans the threat is more dangerous.

    Holy chao, I forgot to mention Blade Runner’s Replicants, which could really be subtitled Robots In Love (depending on your opinion of Decker’s true nature).

  12. Sonneillon says:

    One of the reasons I doubt Faeries will really take off in paranormal romance is that the Fae are truly alien, as opposed to vampires and werewolves who were once human and presumably remember what that was like.  The Fae have never been human, they will never be human, and human logic is as foreign to them as a goldfish’s logic is to us.  Anyone who actually bothers to research the legends of the Fae will find they’re strange creatures with stranger taboos.  Having them fall in any kind of meaningful love with a human is a truly herculean feat.  I’m sure a good author could accomplish it (there’s a story by P.L. Nunn I haven’t managed to get my hands on yet but it looks promising) but ultimately the Fae are so Other that humankind has very little in common with them.

    Anyway, my two cents.

  13. JamiSings says:

    Oh, correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t the Carpathians also aliens whom happen to also be able to breed with humans? But only virgins? Or was that a different series?

    In regards to ghosts. I’ve actually read a couple of good ones. In one the ghost actually helps bring two lovers together and at one point him and his dead beloved possessing their bodies to be able to make love. The other a ghost was wooing a woman whom finds out in the end she’s been dead for awhile of a brain tumor. But by that time she loves her ghost hunk.

    Fairies may never have the popularity of vampires, but they’ve been around awhile.

    I’m still pulling for my aliens that I mentioned above. LOL If only some lovely writer would “steal” the idea!

  14. Cyranetta says:

    This really is the most fascinating discussion and demonstrates once again why SMTB is a preferred hangout.

    As to future areas of heroic development in the supernatural area, the one thing that I don’t recall seeing much expressed (but admitted I can’t keep up with the whole field) is heroes who are not themselves magic, but who USE magic—romantically (and erotically!) inventive grownup Harry Potters. The tricky part would be to avoid using magic that operates on the heroine’s agency (unless that were part of the villain’s modus operandi).

    As to the Carnival of Weres, I suspect there are some comedicly-inclined writers who could do a lot with unlikely weres: e.g. the standard alpha hero who morphs inconveniently into a were-sloth or a were-ferret or a were-bear in the middle of hibernation. I also suspect that were-creatures too connected with the traditionally creepy (were-spiders? were-chameleons?) would require almost unimaginable skill to get the average reader to go along romantically on that journey.

  15. dangrgirl says:

    @JamiSings:

    Oh, correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t the Carpathians also aliens whom happen to also be able to breed with humans? But only virgins? Or was that a different series?

    I don’t know about the Carpathians, but Lara Adrian’s vampires have their origins on another planet.

    RE: Fairies—it’s not Romance, but one of these days I’ll get around to reading the Keeping It Real series by Justina Robson. It’s elves from another dimension AND a cyborg named Lila.

  16. dangrgirl says:

    @Cyranetta:

    The tricky part would be to avoid using magic that operates on the heroine’s agency (unless that were part of the villain’s modus operandi).

    Easy peasy: Make it the heroine who is the magical character. C’mon, we all know Hermione should have her own stories.

  17. Theresa Meyers says:

    Cherry Adair’s Night and Edge trilogies have heroes that remind me of what Harry Potter would be like if he grew up, became anti-terrorist operative and decided to use his powers to protect Muggle kind. I can definiately see the appeal of wizarding types as paranormal romance characters but I don’t know if they’re really on the same level as vampires or weres.

  18. K. Z. Snow says:

    Mishmash here.

    More writers need to start making up their own creatures or venturing into other mythologies.

    Vampires will never die because (not to put too fine a point on it) they’re effing HOT.  Writers have proved, too, how creatively their characteristics can be manipulated.

    I’ve never understood the werecreature thing.  Skates too close to bestiality for me.  Robots?  Uh, no thanks.  I have a lot of trouble seeing them in a sensual or romantic light.

    It seems the reworking of traditional fairy tales has become popular.

    (Yikes.  A composition teacher would so hate this post.)

  19. JamiSings says:

    Easy peasy: Make it the heroine who is the magical character. C’mon, we all know Hermione should have her own stories.

    But then don’t you run the risk of being tempted to have her control him? I don’t know about the rest of you, but as the only girl out of four kids and the youngest there’s many times I wished I could control men – even now at 33 I’d still like to do it if only to get my lazy-butt brother to help me haul heavy stuff out of the car!

    The gender doesn’t matter. Either way the temptation is there. Unless you put in a device that says whatever gives them their supernatural abilities, be it God or any of the minor gods and goddess that if they ever use their powers to take away another’s free will – unless it was for the greater good like getting a pedophile to turn themselves in – their powers and maybe even their life would be forfit. Much like how in Eion Colfer’s children series about pre-teen criminal mastermind Artemis Fowl, if the fairies, dwarves, sprites, etc enter a human dwelling without permission they lose all their magic.

  20. diremommy says:

    I agree with the ones who say angels and demons will be the next big thing. Richelle Mead already has a wonderful series about a succubus who falls in love with a human, hangs out with (remarkably normal) vampires, demons, angels, fallen angels, and nephillim, and is trying to find the balance between her succubus side having to feed off sex and corrupt moral humans, and loving a human at the same time. It is actually one of my very favorite series right now. I like that she has angels and demons, but doesn’t go overboard (or really into at all) on the religious overtones.

  21. dangrgirl says:

    @JamiSings:

    But then don’t you run the risk of being tempted to have her control him?

    Yes, absolutely, but I’d welcome a heroine conflicted over whether or not to control the hero. We’ve seen many other Romance novels where the hero tries to control the heroine in all sorts of ways, not just paranormal. I certainly, in the end, would want and expect the heroine to turn away from that, but I think it would be a refreshing internal conflict for a heroine. That’s me though, someone who is also a bit tired of the “vampire boyfriend” idea and would like to see it flipped around to more paranormal heroines paired up with human heroes.

  22. JamiSings says:

    I’ve seen a few vampire heroines paired up with human males. Usually as part of a series. Like the daughter of the vampire male in the previous book. Oh, and there was this one series years ago that mostly dealt with the same male vampire, but there was a female vampire whom he grew up with as a human child who took up with a human male (who’s description is a lot like that of singer/actor Michael Crawford – found out the author is a fan of Michael actually) and turns him semi against his will.

  23. Jarant says:

    @ DebraDate

    Personally I think the popularity of the were/vamp trope is for a number of reasons, chief among these is the fact that almost everyone knows the basic vampire/were mythos

    I totally agree. Vampires and were’s are popular because, whatever characters an author creates, they are riffs on an familiar and appealing theme: dangerous, undead, attractive, amazing secks. Someone perusing the romance section for the first time could see “vampire” on the cover of a book and KNOW, more or less, what they are getting.  Now why vampires have lasted so long as literary figures, THAT gets into the whole “saving-the-bad-boy, escaping-death, alpha-male” analysis.

    My personal theory as to why Twilight is so popular is that it’s the first exposure to romance (as a genre) that many readers have had. I think there are a lot of readers who would never dream of touching anything in the Romance section because of the stigma. But Twilight wasn’t marketed as a Romance, it was a YA novel.  So if someone bought Twilight, they weren’t buying a Romance, they were buying the “new Harry Potter.”  And then they got drawn into the story because, even if it’s not the BEST example of a romance, it has all of the POWERFUL elements of romance that hook and maintain readers. This certainly describes my and my friends’ experiences. The washingtonpost.com actually had an interesting article about this last week: grown-up, feminist, adult women who fell hard for Twilight even though “they knew they shouldn’t.” The subtitle is actually: “Good, smart, literary women [try] to resist the romantic vampire phenomenom [and fail.]”  You could actually substitute “Twilight” with “Romance Novels” and come to the same conclusion.
    http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/18/AR2009111804145.html

    @brandi

    When Bella meets Edward he longed for her, had a hunger for her and eventually fell in love with her. It is a proper and sweeping romance. A love that will last forever.
    Jacob comes along when Bella is older, and he represents not love but sex. He has this fantastic body, he radiates heat, he walks about with this natural sexual charisma.

    I agree with you about Jacob representing a progression for Bella, but I come at it from the other direction. I don’t think Jacob represents sex at all – in fact, I think there is something almost asexual about Bella’s relationship with him.  (I’m referring to his character in the books, Taylor Lautner’s representation is another discussion altogether.) Yes, he’s physically and sexually maturing, and Bella acknowledges this, yet she never feels the sexual urges for Jacob that she does for Edward. She’s ALWAYS got sex on the brain when she’s with Edward, with Jacob, she has to have the “He’s a great friend and he loves me, isn’t that enough?” talk with herself. When she ultimately rejects Jacob romantically, it’s because she makes the (adult) decision to not settle for “good enough” in her romantic relationships. She pursues what she really wants, rather than what is easily available.

  24. Oooh, I must check this out!

    I really think angels and demons will be the next big thing. People are always questioning and wondering about religion. Plus I think there are so many possibilities for a series. JMO

    I agree with the ones who say angels and demons will be the next big thing.
    Richelle Mead already has a wonderful series about a succubus who falls in love with a human, hangs out with (remarkably normal) vampires, demons, angels, fallen angels, and nephillim, and is trying to find the balance between her succubus side having to feed off sex and corrupt moral humans, and loving a human at the same time. It is actually one of my very favorite series right now. I like that she has angels and demons, but doesn’t go overboard (or really into at all) on the religious overtones.

  25. dangrgirl says:

    @JamiSings:

    I’ve seen a few vampire heroines paired up with human males. Usually part of a series. Like the daughter of the vampire male in the previous book.

    Yes, there have been a few and I’m always looking for suggestions on others. However, as a reader, I’d love to find paranormal heroines who do not owe their paranormal existence to a man, whether its her literal father or a vampire sire. Also, I’d like see a paranormal romance heroine be the lead character, something I seem to usually only find in urban fantasy. I basically want to flip the power structure and see what happens. Sure, I like the “vampire boyfriend” type stories where the paranormal character is the hero and his paranormal aspects ramp up his “otherness,” but we’ve been examining that structure in Romances for a long time. I’m in the mood to invert it and see what happens.

    and turns him semi against his will.

    Awesome. Sounds like she was a side story, though and not the main attraction. We’ve taken the monster side of men and made them sexy heroes—I’d like to see that done with women and turn them into alluring heroines deemed worthy of love too.

  26. I wonder if the whole vampire/were-creature thing isn’t a little to do with the food chain.  We, as humans, are so used to being ‘top of the block’ that every so often we long for something to come and ‘be the boss of us’.  Something that seems to be tame but at the same time could kill and eat us any time it liked. 

    Maybe, sometimes, we just get tired of being top dogs and have the urge to sublimate ourselves to something else.

  27. JamiSings says:

    Awesome. Sounds like she was a side story, though and not the main attraction. We’ve taken the monster side of men and made them sexy heroes—I’d like to see that done with women and turn them into alluring heroines deemed worthy of love too.

    She was, but semi a main character in her own right. It was mostly about the male vampire (who wrote musicals, BTW) trying to return to humanity. I wish I could remember the tiles for you or the author. All I can remember is the male vampire’s obsession with Gene Kelly.

    As for the other – like I said earlier. I’m weird. I like it when it’s a male vampire. I think it’s all tied up psychologically with the fact that being the youngest of four and only girl, I’ve had to be “tough.” People often see me and I have been forced many times into the role of “leader.” I hate leading people. And I’m not kidding about wimpy men around me too. I hate dishrags, male or female. When it comes to men I want a guy with a backbone. So male vampires fill that role.

    Actually I could go off into a whole long thing about my psychological issues and why I like certain types of romance novel characters. But then I’d have to go entirely off topic and go into things like my medical problems, my weight, and most things people say is “TMI.” (Though they are part of the reasons why I really want to be insperation behind a romance novel heroine. After all, how many overweight 33 year olds whom still live with their parents and enjoy Star Trek, comic books, and music ranging from big band to disco do you see in romance novels?) Seriously though, anyone whom doesn’t mind a big rambling thing, writer or not, is welcome to contact me. I’m an open book. I always hope explaining my problems will help someone else.

    But it comes down to I AM A WEIRD WOMAN. LOL And pretty darn proud of it. Though I tend to tick off everyone.

    On a side note, probably one reason I prefer the vampire male is because I have always been attracted to older men. At three my first crush was Mr. Spock! And no, I’m not looking for a “sugar daddy” nor do I have “daddy issues.” I have a wonderful father. It’s just mainly I get along with older men better, I find them more mentally stimulating, and I find slight crows feet and slight greying at the temples really HOT! Just like some women like pecs and others butts, I find grey hair sexy. So vampires tending to live forever are often older then the women they chase. Which appeals to me in the May-December romance department.

  28. dangrgirl says:

    @JamiSings:

    I wish I could remember the tiles for you or the author. All I can remember is n the male vampire’s obsession with Gene Kelly.

    Sounds interesting. I will definitely look for it.

    As for the other – like I said earlier. I’m weird. I like it when it’s a male vampire.

    I have no problem with male vampires, I’d just like to see some balance.

    When it comes to men I want a guy with a backbone. So male vampires fill that role.

    I can see what a male vampire would fulfill that, but let me clarify that I think a human hero with a paranormal heroine is perfectly capable of having a backbone, just not a supernatural one.

  29. jarant says:

    I don’t think we should treat “vampire” as a monolithic category.  The zombie-ghouls from early ghost stories were different from Stoker’s gentleman Dracula who was different from the Cullens. In fact, I think there have been significant shifts in recent history: think about how what the vampires were in Buffy the Movie vs. Buffy the TV show (I don’t remember the movie clearly, but I BELIEVE vampires were solely bad guys, whereas in the television show, they were bad guys AND boyfriends.) There are a few unifying elements (blood and dead-ness) but the image of “vampire” has changed really radically, and it’s changed because our (cultural) needs/desires have changed. For early incarnations, truly monstrous forms resonated with people for whatever reason. Whereas current versions seem to emphasize sex and relationships, because that is what resonates with current audiences. Perhaps the reason vampires have lasted so long as literary figures is their malleable nature: they easily alter, or update, to match the needs of an altering readership.

  30. Both demons and the Fallen have considerable baggage (emotional and otherwise) and that can play well in a storyline. De-coupling them from religion might be tricky, however.

    I totally agree, it’s a hairtrigger word. I was scared-stiff careful to have the demons in my book based on the demons of Sumerian myth rather than Christianity, and yet was excoriated in a Booklist article for my trendy blasphemy…

    On subject, I don’t think I could picture dating an angel – Alan Rickman in DOGMA shoving down his pants and being smooth down there keeps recurring to me. But I would like to see more genies, and a spread out to a plethora of other mythologies – I just read Guardian of the Dead by Karen Healey and liked its take on Maori myth and the fairyish patupaiarehe. Plus, ghosts and magicians!

  31. Oh and don’t forget Angel. He had his own series and he was a good vampire fighting to protect the helples. He was the ultimate in bad boys when he was first turned but when he was cursed with a soul, he went good. He was so yummy as both the good and the evil.

    Buffy the Movie vs. Buffy the TV show (I don’t remember the movie clearly, but I BELIEVE vampires were solely bad guys, whereas in the television show, they were bad guys AND boyfriends.)

  32. JamiSings says:

    I can see what a male vampire would fulfill that, but let me clarify that I think a human hero with a paranormal heroine is perfectly capable of having a backbone, just not a supernatural one.

    Oh I’m sure. I just haven’t seen it yet. I probably will eventually.

    Other information on that series – I read it in high school and I graduated in ‘95, so that should give you an idea of the publication dates. There was either four or five in the series. I don’t remember much other then what I told you. Oh, yeah, the female vampire I mentioned – she was the first woman he ever had sex with. In fact, he was going to be a priest before she seduced him. I can’t remember if which one of them became a vampire first, but I’m pretty sure one turned the other.

    I’m trying so hard to stay on topic but can’t. LOL

  33. dangrgirl says:

    @jarant:

    I don’t think we should treat “vampire” as a monolithic category. The zombie-ghouls from early ghost stories were different from Stoker’s gentleman Dracula who was different from the Cullens. In fact, I think there have been significant shifts in recent history: think about how what the vampires were in Buffy the Movie vs. Buffy the TV show (I don’t remember the movie clearly, but I BELIEVE vampires were solely bad guys, whereas in the television show, they were bad guys AND boyfriends.)

    This is the evolution of the vampire as disgusting demon monster who looks like a Nosferatu to vampire boyfriend and dark lover.  I think the change began with John Polidori’s The Vampyre with the main character Lord Ruthven he based on Lord Byron. Polidori was Byron’s personal physician: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Polidori#Biography

    Which leads us to Mary Shelley, who many see as the writing the first Science Fiction novel, Frankenstein. Ironically, Frankenstein is a golem character (didn’t someone earlier mention golems?), but he was created by science. The story came about because of a paranormal writing challenge.

  34. Michele Hauf says:

    Depending on the writer, both vamps and weres may or may not offer the promise of immortality. 
    This is how I simplify the allure of both:
    Vamps offer the ultimate surrender fantasy.  Will she surrender to his bite?  To his overwhelming power?
    Weres offer the fantasy of safety.  They are fierce protectors of their own (meaning the heroine) and (is some novels) mate for life.  As well the ‘taming of the beast’ fantasy plays in, too.

  35. anonylyser says:

    This is a really interesting discussion.  I don’t pretend to understand what people see in Twilight since it turns me right off, but clearly there is something in it that resonates with a fairly significant population.  Though I think I’m a little odd in that I don’t really like vampire/human romances—possibly because I don’t like the alpha male type.  The Edward Cullen version of romantic hero is too controlling for my liking.

    Interestingly enough, the one vampire/human relationship I have really loved was Hoyt/Jessica in True Blood. 

    While reading this thread I was reminded of the book Tam Lin by Pamela Dean which deals with fairies (of a type) and while the ‘hero’ isn’t a fairy, there is some interesting exploration of those relationships.  One of the most interesting things is that for a good part of the book you don’t even know that some of the characters aren’t human or fully human.  Man, I love that book—must go dig it out and read it again.

  36. Alpha Lyra says:

    I’m glad this topic is being discussed, because I’m one of those women for whom vampire and werewolf romance do NOT work. And I don’t know why!

    I do love romance novels (fave authors: Elizabeth Hoyt, Suzanne Brockmann, Linnea Sinclair, Louisa Edwards, Sherry Thomas, Jennifer Crusie). I also love fantasy novels. It seems to me that paranormal romance, the melding of those two, would be the perfect genre for me. So how come every time I read a vampire or werewolf romance, I hate it? There are a few exceptions. I loved “Sunshine” by Robin McKinley. I keep trying vampire novels, because they make up such a huge part of the market now and I read a LOT, but 19 times out of 20, I don’t like them. I really should just give up on them.

    So the answer I’m hoping to find in this thread is, why DON’T I like them? Why do they work for so many women, but not for me?

  37. Karen H says:

    I have always liked vampires, even before I picked up my first romance novel.  In fact, vampires have always been my favorite fantasy, even before I got into Anne Rice’s vampire series.  I don’t like to go to bed until the last minute and I don’t like to get up in the morning.  I’d love to be able to live forever without aging or getting sick and I’d just as soon drink a meal as be bothered with all the deciding what you want, buying the ingredients, preparing, eating, cleaning up, digesting, etc.  And the superhuman strength is also a very appealing.  So vampires will always do it for me.
    As far as a vampire heroine, Lynsay Sands has several in her vampire series, including at least one whose hero is a human male (the daughter who faints at the site of blood and whose name I cannot quite remember—Lianna, maybe?)
    I also like werewolves because they’re sexy and wolves are very noble.  Besides Karen Marie Moning, the fairies in Marylyle Rogers’ books are very sexual so I’m totally okay with fairies as heroes.  And aren’t some of Kresley Cole’s folks also fairies?

  38. JamiSings says:

    So the answer I’m hoping to find in this thread is, why DON’T I like them? Why do they work for so many women, but not for me?

    It might always be a mystery for you. I mean, I love the music of Barry Manilow and Neil Diamond, but despite what Amazon.com seems to think, I canNOT stand Barbara Streisand, Josh Gorban, or Michael Bub-howeveryouspellit, and I wouldn’t listen to any of the American Idol contestants/winners if you paid me. Heck, put a gun to my head and I’d choose death over listening to them. Yet Amazon.com keeps recommending them based on my love of Barry and Neil.

    Can I explain why I don’t like them? Nope. No more then I can explain why I enjoy the Rolling Stones and The Monkees but just can’t get into The Beatles. And you’d think the fact that the Beatles were big fans of Buddy Holly and I’m a big fan of Buddy Holly they would appeal to me. They don’t. Except the song Penny Lane.

    I like Star Trek (all except Voyager) and Stargate SG-1 (but only with Richard Dean Anderson) but don’t like Star Wars or Doctor Who. I love The Dresden Files but can’t even get past the blurbs for anything by Kim Harrison. I love shows like Law & Order but can’t watch CSI.

    I like vampires but can’t read Twilight.

    See, it’s just one of those weird things that makes us human. Just go with it, don’t sweat it. Don’t try to explain it. If people try to make you explain it just say, “I can’t. Now if you can’t change the subject, kindly bugger off.” There’s more important things in life to worry about. Like does William Shatner really wear a toupee? *winks*

  39. jarant says:

    @Alpha Lyra

    I have the same challenge – the “paranormal” aspect of romances frequently seem forced. It’s as though the author gets so distracted by incorporating the “Other” elements into the story, that character and believability suffer. eg so much description of rippling muscles and gleaming teeth and really really bad dialogue.  At least, that’s been my experience so far. 

    Have you read any of Patricia Briggs’ work? Her novels are frequently in the Sci-Fi/fantasy section, but they tend to have a lot of Romance elements (especially her Omega series.)

  40. Jesi says:

    I prefer weres over vampires because of the dualistic nature. It seems as if the character is constantly battling inner turmoil. I think it’s something most people can understand. I know I do. I have the outward appearance that I always hear about when people first meet me (bitchy, too honest and blunt, sarcastic, maternal, often bubbly) but rarely do people actually take note of what else I’m made of (soft, insecure, tired of being in charge, etc). It sounds simple, but figuring out which one is winning out takes a lot of time and energy. Especially since the inner is far more negative and quiet than the outer.

    Vamps are more simplistic for me: either eat or don’t eat humans, have sex, get hitched (or variant thereof) and live eternally. Both are very predatory, arrogant, and proprietary but vamps just don’t keep my interest. That said, I do love Frost’s Night Huntress series and a few others. I still prefer the weres with the too hairy body and more…primal fear. (You see a big hairy dog looking at you like dinner, you run. Mama didn’t raise no fool. Whereas a vampire is just a screwed up once human.)

    For my part, I like oddball paranormal choices. Merpeople, for instance, or Djinn. Faeries I love, but I don’t know many writers that seem to separate them other than the Seelie and Unseelie Courts that start to sound a lot of the same. I like seeing the groups interact against each other, and not necessarily traditional choices (weres versus vamps). Say witches and merpeople or Djinn and weres. Something offbeat.

    Just please don’t make a vampire sparkle in the sun and I’m good.

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