C
aridad Piñeiro® is a multi-published and award-winning author whose love of the written word developed when her fifth grade teacher assigned a project – to write a book that would be placed in a class lending library. She has been hooked on writing ever since.
Visit her web site: http://www.caridad.com/
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First of all, thank you so much for letting me visit today, Lori! I appreciate being here to talk about one of my favorite topics: Vampires and why I love them!
It’s hard to believe that it’s been nearly seven years since the first book in THE CALLING series came out and it’s even more exciting that the series will be continuing in 2012 and also be REBORN in 2013 with Entangled Publishing. It’s been a blast exploring the lives of so many different vampires over the years and I guess that’s one of the reasons why I love vampires so much – the variety that is possible in the story lines due to the past lives of the many immortals in the stories.
You see, I’m a history buff and I get all excited about developing the backstory for the characters and giving them both human and immortal lives in other times. I love digging into history and finding something u
nusual to weave into the histories of my characters so that each has a different flavor. For that reason, my vampires have come from
small Welsh mining towns, suffered during the Spanish Inquisition, served in the Civil War or survived violence in ancient Rome, just to name a few of the histories I’ve explored.
In my latest vampire release, WHEN HERALD ANGELS SING in the A VAMPIRE FOR CHRISTMAS anthology, I paid homage to my beloved Jersey Shore by setting the story during Prohibition. It was quite an exciting time and I was fascinated to learn about how rum and whiskey were run along the waters of New Jersey before being sold to speakeasies throughout the country. Mix that up with Christmas, one of my favorite holidays, and it made for a very emotional and uplifting story.
I also love playing around with the different kinds of vampires themselves, like mixing in a chupacabra and a Chiang-shi (Chinese vampire) in some of THE CALLING novels. It’s fascinating to me that virtually every culture has some kind of vampire-like demon which makes you wonder why that is? Could there truly be some basis to the legends of the undead or is it that no matter the culture, we all have such a fear of death that we create a way for someone to best the Grim Reaper and live forever?
What about vampires that live be stealing something other than blood? In THE LOST I decided to take the vampire concept a step farther by creating a “vampire” that is able to steal life forces from animals, humans and other Hunters,(the race of energy gatherers I created who can steal or give energy).
So now that you know what it is that makes me love vampires, what do you love about them? What would you like to see more of in today’s vampire novels?
Web Site: http://www.caridad.com/
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I like seeing the different tiwst that authors come up with for the vampire story. I’ve only ever read a few sci-fi vampire stories and I’d like to see some more of those.
I like the dark mystery that surrounds them, and their incredible strength in stories. Some authors also give them special powers. It’s interesting to see how each author develops their vampire characters. I don’t like it when an author makes a vampire too easy to defeat, though. If they’re supposedly the “world’s ultimate preditors”, and almost immortal, then they should be virtually impossible to defeat. I’d like to see more vampires that aren’t so wimpy or sparkly.
I enjoy the two sided coin of the vampire – darkness on one side and the light of the other. I want there to be both ( of course, I want the light to win out). It is the twist and turns of the character, flaws and redeeming qualities that capture my attention. The ultimate “Heathcliffe” in a way
I like when an author re-invents the vampire mythology and makes their own rules. It grabs my attention because I’m not sure what will happen next. It keeps the reader on their toes.
I like that today you can make the vampire whatever you want them to be. They’re no longer always the white pasty ugly blood sucking demon.
I really enjoy all the different abilities authors can give them and the different ways in which they became vampires.
I like the variations that different authors use and the many different series to choose from, so there is something for everyone!
I would like to see more unusual traits added to the mythos of vamps, things that make them different than the typical allergic to sun, kill when feeding, ingesting nothing but blood, brooding, angsty, long-lived critters.
i like seeing vampires that are more then the standard.. have more powers.. i love ones that are also psychic, healers, teleporters, etc..
I like vampires that are both good and bad. I really enjoy what different authors come up with their vampires.
As another commenter said, I always love it when an author comes up with a cool new twist to the traditional vamp story. I’ll prbably mention the BDB series and Shiloh Walker’s Hunters series everyday, but those worlds are a great change. I’d love to read your books, Caridad and since I have entered so many of your giveaways and have lost them all :(…. it’s time for me to purchase one already!
Thanks for your blog!
MJB
Thank you all for coming by today and sharing what you love about vampires! I’m really excited that I’ll be able to keep on exploring them in so many different stories. Have a great weekend.
To me, Vampires are the ultimate bad boys! They’ve been around, they’re usually conflicted and they’re usually tall, dark and handsome! I love The Calling books because all your heroes come from interesting times in history.
Thanks for the giveaway!
Different twist in vampire books make the stories more interesting and exciting to read….
There are really so many different takes on vampires that great authors like yourself come up with. For me, the fun is in reading about them in all the books.
I love the true love and loyalty the vampires show in most of the stories I have read. They are committed to their mates and their cause.
For me, writing about vampires and the supernatural is freeing. Because we can twist the myth to fit our own ideas there are few things we can’t do. The backstories are always fun and for me, to have some going for redemption or seeking something they’ve lost by delving into human activities is exciting. Even my YA vampire trilogy was a little softer, but by giving the vampires the depth I could, I think it prevented it from being too light. Now the grown up one waiting in the wings, a little darker yet…
The Calling sounds like a fun read and I’m going to check it out. I’d love to idea share with a fellow vampire author, see what you enjoy the most about writing about these fun characters and how you choose what if any other supernaturals to share the spotlight. I LOVE gifted humans. Why do we have to be so ordinary, right?
I have been in love with vampires since I was a little girl. To me, they exhibit love, sex, adventure, and commitment. I enjoy reading the different ideas of vamps that all of the authors come up with.
I love vampirews. They are sexy, very alpha male, strong, and very much night people. I am a late nighter also.
Vampires are so sexy as they are dark and dangerous!
Very cool that you put so much time into research for your books: no wonder they are so good!
books4me67 at ymail dot com
I’d like to see better plotting. Many vamp novels are glorified rape fantasies. Why not explore the why of the situation?
I haven’t read that many vampire stories, so I can’t really answer the question the way I would like to. The only vampire stories I have read were Kimberley Raye’s and they were good, sexy vampires that were heroes. I like the light takes on them instead of the bloodsucking to death. That gives me nightmares.
I love all the different takes on vampires that authors write each one is awesome in its own way.I love everything paranormal and each view widens my world :)I love a tall, dark sexy , brooding vamp who is tortured emotionally ,looking for love and redemption, the supernatural powers and those fangs definately the fangs (as long as they use them correctly lol)
I love these books! I always love reading what makes authors choose the topics they do!
I love vampires, because they are typical alpha males. Weird is that you don’t see many female vampires who fall for a human, would be a nice twist. Especially if the human is also an alpha. Or how about not human but another paranormal being?
It’s the danger factor that attracts me to vampires. They could be at the top of the food chain and yet at the same time they need us to survive. I’m not sure if there is anything more I would like to see in vampire stories that are being made these days… I would have to think on that a bit more.
Happy Holidays!!!
yadkny@hotmail.com
love your books Caridad, i’m sorry i missed it when you were here. :(
trvlagnt1t@yahoo.com
So sorry I only found out about this event late in the month. I love vampires because they are sexy, dangerous, tend to have some supernatural abilities, are immortal….
manning_j2004 at yahoo dot com