ASMSG Scifi Fantasy Paranormal Emagazine March 2014 | Page 24
Required Reading for Vampire
Authors
Brian Patrick McKinley
They say that imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, and you can certainly see plenty of
imitation in the vampire genre. There are many forms of vampire novels now, from steamy
paranormal romances to old-school bloody horror and so the would-be vampire author has a nearly
unlimited supply of reading material to choose from. Chances are, it’s because you love reading certain
authors and their takes on vampires that you want to write one yourself. With that in mind, I’ve
compiled a list of 5 vampire novels that, in my opinion, represent the basic building blocks of each of
the current types of popular vampire fiction.
Most of these are modern novels, so you won’t find Dracula on this list; it’s a fine novel for its time, but let’s face it, if you’re not
familiar with the basics of the Dracula story from the various film adaptations and references, then you probably have no business
writing about vampires. And, in case you’ve already re Y^H X