My daughter started reading the Twilight books. She never liked to read; suddenly she was choosing to go to her room and read instead of playing the Wii with her brother. My wife and I were thrilled. We saw the movie Twilight with her; it was easy to see why she loved it. It's Gothic and romantic, fear and hope. She fantasizes about smitten, romantic love, not really knowing yet what's on the other side. She sees herself running up the hillside toward a castle, hair blowing in the ocean air, chasing after a handsome but suspicious stranger. Most of us envy hopeful romantics because wisdom makes us cautious. Fear doesn't help. Down economic times, worried about debt, I can open my bills if I want to read something frightening. Why would Gothic romances be popular with adults last time everyone felt like this?
Read one by Victoria Holt, Phyllis Whitney or Virginia Coffman. Choose a setting you know and love, it'll be as much of a character as everyone else. San Francisco during the earthquake and fire: Whitney's The Trembling Hills. San Francisco in 1919: Coffman's Hyde Place. Feel hopeful and romantic while evil lurks. As a nation, we're closer to terrified than we've been in a long time. I want to be hopeful when I'm terrified and these stories appreciate that. That's why Gothic romances are popular again.
If you feel like writing something in the romance genre, consider trying your hand at a Vampire, Occult or Gothic themed book. Sales of this subcategory have gone up 30% in the past two years and I see no sign of it slowing down in the 1.2 BILLION dollar romance novel marketplace. Essentially, the vampire is a reworking of the classic "bad boy" or dark hero taken to the extreme. It's classically romantic to have a difficult male lead, and what could be more difficult and full of conflict than a character who is literally a monster? Gone are the days of the terrifying vampire, shrouded in rags, basically a zombie out for blood. Today's vampire heroes are stylish, smooth and charming. They take the basic male lead of a romance and multiply every fascinating quality by ten.
From the first popular Gothic Romance, which blazed onto the scene as "Interview with a Vampire" by the legendary Anne Rice, the genre has simply picked up more authors, more fans, and more business than most any other subgenre of Romance. It's an excellent way to start because modern female readers, especially of a younger age, love this type of novel and many gobble them up as fast as they are published. You may easily find yourself with a fan base devoted to your characters and writing.
Consider setting your Gothic or Vampire romance in a major European capital city. Somewhere with a rich history that you can place your characters in, like Prague. Take a few days and do some online research, including an images search so you can get the settings clear in your mind. Create a folder on your desktop for just this purpose and load it with links and photos. Take notes on the ideas that come to you as you do your research and find your inspiration. These types of details will make your story stand out and create a quality experience for your reader, drawing them into the world you have created.
The culture surrounding the Gothic or Vampire story is somewhat magical and occult. It conjures up images of the last two centuries, with fancy dress, history and mystery in the air.
The occult romance is dripping with powerful ways to engage your readers and even yourself as you write it. Think of a compelling main vampire character, what he wants, who he associates with, what he looks like, and then place a strong, sexy female lead blocking his path and watch the fireworks explode off the page.
You can consider creating a series if you build your characters and their worlds strongly enough, and continue with this idea for many profitable years. Don't be surprised if you find yourself with a creation that is an out of control success. There is something about this mix that makes people thrill with adventure and romance.
On Wednesday's Coast to Coast show, psychic medium Dr. Christian von Lahr discussed the history of Atlantis and how it ties in with 2012 prophecies, and coming climate and Earth changes. He posited that the lost continent of Atlantis was actually Pangea, the supercontinent that existed millions of years ago, and that was how the Atlantean culture easily spread because the land mass was interconnected. We don't see the direct remains of Atlantis because its main sections were sunk under land masses, through the splitting of the tectonic plates, he explained. Parts of Atlantis are located under the Andes Mountains in South America, and the Himalayas in Tibet, he continued.
2012 is a highly important juncture, marking the "midpoint" of human existence, and according to ancient texts "when we reach this point it means that all the major lessons that were necessary for man to serve his purpose will have been learned," said von Lahr, who noted this would be a time for spiritual progression. The Atlanteans reached such a midpoint, shifting from androgynous type-beings to male and female, so that they could further evolve, he detailed.
William Gilbert's Two really despotic brothers, Conrad (who inherits the whole valley of Engadinand) and Hermann (inherits land in Bresciano district) on the border of Italy. Conrad is totally wacked, and takes everything he can get his hands on from his feudal tenants. He has a nasty band of brigands to help him. Herman isn’t much better, but he isn’t much in the story. Conrad is out Brigading one morning and spots the lovely Teresa, daughter of one of this tenant farmers. He has to “have” her. But he decides he wants to marry her. Her father turns down his offer, so he decides that he will kidnap her. He sends him men to do it, but they accidently kill her when they set fire to the farmhouse to drive the family out. They know what reception they will get upon their return if they tell the truth, so they lie. They maintain she got away. He goes ape-shit. He kidnaps the Mayor’s young son to hold til she comes to him. Eventually someone suggests that he visit the sorcerer who lives a few days travel away to find out where she is hidden. The sorcerer tells him that he, himself, will see Theresa delivered for marriage if Conrad gives up his despotic ways, and releases the young mayor’s son. He promises to do so, and after a few extremely magical and threatening incidents, Theresa shows up for marriage. It happens, and on the wedding night she jumps him and drinks his blood while she “slowly sucked from him his life's blood; while he, utterly incapable either of moving or crying, was yet perfectly conscious of the awful fate that was awaiting him.” By day, she is a normal individual, by night, a blood sucking vampire. Conrad flees to his brother, who sends him to his villa on the shore ten miles distant from Genoa. The night he arrives, Theresa shows up and offers him a goblet of blood. If he drinks, he will live forever, and she will have him to drink from forever. He doesn’t. The next AM he is found drained dry. She is gone.
An interesting tale (but hard to find -- hence short summary) which is set in the outback of Serbia in the middle of nowhere. The protagonist is traveling on a diplomatic mission to the Prince of Moldavia and discovers he can't make it before full night falls. Hence he accepts a bed with a peasant family. The Grandfather goes off into the forest to fight bandit insurgents, and ten days later, just at night-fall, he comes back. Since he arrived just a nightfall, uncertain if he has been vampirized or not, he is invited back into his home. Everyone goes to bed, and that night he snacks on the blood of the youngest -- who doesn't die immediately -- but soon. He is buried, and three days later returns as well.
The grand-father had left instructions that if he returned after nightfall on the tenth day he was in the forest, they were to stake him with an aspen stake. Too late to save the life of the infant, George stakes him instead of the grandfather; releasing his soul.
The one vampire breeds another vampire who breeds another vampire until the village is abandoned and only vampires "live" there.
Interesting story.
