Babel Clash

One of the most interesting aspects of working in the urban fantasy genre is creating the world in which your characters are going to live. For me, the sense of rules and regulations on how the magic works and what your different species are permitted to do is very comforting for me. I think I also thrive on the challenge. I frequently dig my characters into ugly holes that they have to climb out of while still abiding by the rules I initially created for the series. Or maybe I just have a sick, twisted sense of fun.

When dealing with vampires, I think worldbuilding becomes particularly important because there are so many variations on the idea of what a vampire is or isn’t. Can they walk in sunlight? Do they drink blood? Do they have problems with garlic, crosses, mirrors, and entering a person’s house uninvited? Do they sparkle? The list is nearly endless in the variations.

When I created my vampires, I was very careful in the rules that I set up as I wanted the reasons for any limitations that they might have to be closely tied to their initial creation. As a result, my vampires are completely dependent upon human blood because they need to take in the soul energy in blood since they no longer have the ability to create their own soul energy. My vampires become completely unconscious the moment the sun rises. I saw it as a trade off for being so powerful. The vampires had to trade those hours of extreme strength and power for several hours of being completely vulnerable to their surroundings. With my vampires, I was always seeking a balance, a little give and take for everything.

In other aspects, my vampires are completely indifferent to garlic, are not obsessive-compulsive counters, can see their reflection, and can enter wherever they please regardless of whether they have been invited.

Overall, I think the most important aspect for my vampires is that they are predators. These creatures are monsters deep down. After the long centuries of living as a vampire, they have traded much of their humanity for their survival instincts as a blood-thirsty creature that lives for the thrill of the hunt. My vampires are violent and scary. And most important of all, they love what they are.

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