Jul 27, 2010

Alex Bledsoe Guest Blog and Contest

Today PVN welcomes Alex Bledsoe author of The Girls with Games of Blood (Tor, July 2010). Alex tells us his thoughts on this question: Would an author of vampire stories be interested in actually becoming one of the undead?

[See contest details at end of post]

[This contest has ended]

WOULD I WANT TO BE A VAMPIRE?
by Alex Bledsoe

Lately it seems I've been doing nothing but writing blog posts about vampires to raise awareness of my new vampire novel, I've written about the book from the perspective of its place in the lineage of literary vampires, its relation to its predecessor (Blood Groove), the influences of its setting (1975 Memphis), even why I'd want to write this sort of novel with the market is glutted with them. But it occurred to me that no one's ever asked me whether I
would like to be vampire myself.

I think a lot of people, maybe most, think they would jump at the chance.  The perks are legendary: immortality, superhuman strength, domination of others.  Depending on what mythology you're using, you may or may not be able to endure sunlight, but since most cool things happen in the dark, it might be a fair trade.  Certainly if you're a vampire of the True Blood school, your evenings are positively filled with extracurricular activities.

Some of the down sides are also well known.  Any human being you get close to will age and die, either by your hand or the passage of time. You're vulnerable in your sleep, and (again depending on your mythology) you may be susceptible to things like crosses, garlic and holy water.  You might have to sleep in a coffin, maybe even on a layer of grave dirt.

But there are other aspects, more subtle, that are what give me pause. The dependence on blood, for one.  In Love at First Bite Dracula complains, "How would you like to dine on nothing but a warm liquid protein diet while all around you people are eating lamb chops, potato chips, Mallomars?"  It's a good question, because really, that's it: blood, or starvation. No substitutions, no impulsive stops
for greasy fast food.  Some stories get around this (the titular substance of True Blood, for example), but ultimately it's such a defining part of a vampire's existence everything else pales in comparison (no pun intended).  I mean, sure, I like pizza once a week, but I also like to vary the flavor.  That wouldn't be an option as a
vampire.

Not to mention the moral issue of where that blood comes from. Most vampires take their blood from unwilling victims, and many drain their victims dry. It takes the slogan "meat is murder" to a new literal level.

There's also your biological status as a corpse.  Unless you're one of those newfangled scientific vampires, you were once alive, and now you're not.  You can't say "undead" without "dead," and that state must feel weird.  Would you lose your sense of things like temperature, speed, even time?  Without the sense of pain, would you start hurting yourself just for the hell of it?

And if you're a closed system, unaltered and unalterable, what are your priorities?  It's something I've often wondered: what exactly did Dracula do with all that free time?  I mean, we've got plenty of evidence of the way human consciousness changes over a lifetime, but what about over multiple lifetimes?  Or would your status as an
undead corpse lock you into your personality the same way it does your physical appearance?

If I write another vampire novel, I'll try to address some of these questions.  But for now, I can honestly say I have no interest in really being a vampire.  As Dracula also says in Love at First Bite, "How would you like to go around dressed like a head waiter for seven hundred years?"

No thanks. I'm definitely the flannel-and-denim type.


CONTEST

Leave a comment about the post. One lucky reader will win signed copies of Alex's vampire novels Blood Groove and The Girls with Games of Blood.

That's it!

[If your email is not associated with your comment ID please include it in your comment.]

The contest is open worldwide and ends August 3, 2010.


Read a REVIEW of The Girls with Games of Blood

Read a REVIEW of Blood Groove

[This contest has ended] 

32 comments:

Darlyn said...

In the same dress for 700 years? No, vampire is not one of my options to escape from my boring life either. And like you, jeans is way cooler!

darlyn225 at gmail dot com

thanks for the lovely giveaway!

Cherry said...

Why does it have to be the same clothes all the time? Does being a vampire include inability to change clothes? Thus being a "head waiter" for 700 years... Would we read about a vampire's inability to change clothes in future books somewhere?... interesting...

Re-posted your contest at: http://contests-freebies.blogspot.com/2010/07/win-blood-groove-girls-with-games-of.html

Cherry Mischievous
mischivus101-warrior [at] yahoo [dot] com

buddyt said...

I think I agree with you.

Immortality does not attract me although I think that is probably the best thing about being a vampire.

Change is the spice of life and after hundreds of years, I think living muss pall.

Nope I will stick to my youthful dream and wait until I can be Super-woman !

Thanks for the giuveaway.

Carol T

buddytho {at} gmail DOT com

debbie said...

It would be interesting to see how things change over that time. But how active could you be? It would seem you would always be a spectator and never a participant.
twoofakind12@yahoo.com

Aik said...

Interesting post. I'd love to read the book!

aikychien at yahoo dot com

SandyG265 said...

Interesting cover. I like the reda nd black combo.

Julie S said...

I don't think I could be a vampire for those reasons as well. Drinking blood to survive just doesn't sound appealing, though I'm sure a vampire state of mind is complete different and doesn't see it that way.


juliecookies(at)gmail.com

Unknown said...

I am a follower. I wouldn't want to be a vampire because of the blood issue and because of having to kill humans. Please enter me in contest. Tore923@aol.com

tetewa said...

I think the only good thing about being a vampire would be immortality! tWarner419@aol.com

Dori said...

I think the ONLY place to be a vampire is Bon Temps, LA. I have never seen a town so full of attractive people in my life. HA!

This Blonde's Life said...

Why do vampires always seem to know and/or be friends with all the famous people in history? What in the world would you do day in and day out for hundreds of years?

Tara W said...

I'm a follower. There is a small part of me that would love to be a vampire to see just how far the world will evolve, but the no sunlight is a huge turnoff.

mizztuts at bellsouth dot net

Hannah S. said...

Ooh, how cool!
The cover is initially what drew me in, I think. The colors are really striking together!
-Hannah
xoxosweeet at yahoo dot com

mariska said...

Interesting ! i would love to read the complete story of Vampires from your books :)

count me in !

uniquas at ymail dot com

jellybelly82158 said...

I don't know if I would like to be a vampire and see all my family and friends die

Meredith said...

I'm not sure a diet of only blood would work for me either! Maybe if I could do chocolate too!

Julie! said...

These books look great! Love the covers!

julie102794@gmail.com

Sandy Rainey said...

I was already interested in the Bledsoe books, but if I hadn't been initially, this clever and funny post would have made a believer out of me. Even more than before, I can't wait to read these!

Sandy Rainey
rrainey@columbus.rr.com

Susan Hanniford Crowley said...

What would happen to your vampires if the blood was diseased? Do they have a way of knowing?

I also thought about the shoes? What if one of your female vamps loved shoes, would she collect them for 700 years? She'd need one heck of a closet. LOL

Susan at onlyladyknightatyahoo.com

donnas said...

Great post!! Really one flavor for the rest of your days, definitely seems like it would get old. I mean I have problems almost daily figuring out what flavors I want to eat that day. But without ever having that choice again, that would be harsh. Although I have also read some books where what the humans ate changed the flavor of the blood so if that was true it might not be such a big deal!

bacchus76 at myself dot com

Lisa Richards/alterlisa said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Lisa Richards/alterlisa said...

Some aspects of immortality would interest me, like having all the time in the world to read all the books I want to. Other aspects, outliving all my friends and relatives, not so good.

(\___/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")
alterlisa AT yahoo DOT com
http://lisaslovesbooksofcourse.blogspot.com/

Aimee said...

Immortality would be pretty cool, but I don't think I could do the whole blood sucking thing. Just gross, really.

gevin13{at}gmail{dot}com

BookHounds said...

No need to enter me -- I posted this for you at win a book.

http://winabook.westofmars.com/2010/07/29/vampire-weekend-at-patricias-vampire-notes/

Anonymous said...

The books sound interesting.

I wouldn't want to be a vampire the diet is a tad monotonous and no chocolate!!!


Heatherwillis2400@hotmail.com

Dovile said...

I wouldn't want to be a vampire either, I'd get bored of living in a century or so. And there's also the diet:)

spamscape [at] gmail [dot] com

Shannon said...

I can't wait to read your books. If I could be a "friend" of Eric Northman from True Blood I would become a vampire in a second! momofsjo@yahoo.com

Vickie said...

I am on the fence if I'd want to be a vampire in the truest blood sucking sense. I do love the flavor and texture of food, the variety of food. Not sure if blood for all eternity would cut it.

Alicia0385 said...

This is really simple I would not want to be a vampire because I like food way to much. No liquid diets for me!!

aliciahall0605(AT)yahoo(DOT)com

Unknown said...

I would jump at the chance to be a vampire...

Misusedinnocence said...

This sounds great. I would love to be entered.

misusedinnocence@aol.com

Vampire Empire said...

I like your writing style... I always pondered if I ever became a vampire I would only feed on 'bad' people thus ridding the world of evil one bad giy/girl at a time.

Then I started thinking, 'what if drinking all that bad blood had some kind of weird negative effect on me?'

hmmmm...

connie AT vampire-empire DOT com