Welcome, Vampire Bite Blog Hoppers!

Welcome to the Vampire Bite Blog Hop!

When did vampires become romantic heros and heroines? When I was growing up, vampires didn't sparkle. They weren't sexy. They were undead, ugly things that stank of rotting meat and that coppery flavor of flowing blood. I was used to Bela Lugosi, not Bella and Edward. Even Christopher Lee was frightening and imposing despite being a very attractive Dracula. Lee and Peter Cushing made one hell of a great team. Monster v. Hero! Classic tales of good v. evil. Those two were much more charismatic and powerful than the likes of Chuck Norris, who doesn't hold a candle to them.

For the record, Peter Cushing is my favorite actor. I found the man to be delightful, classy, and sexy as hell. From what I understand, no one had a bad thing to say about him. He was apparently a delight to know and work with.

I think the romantic vampire may be traced back to some extent to Bram Stoker, but especially to Anne Rice. Her Lestat was a very romantic and alluring creature. That depiction influenced me as well as many other horror and paranormal romance writers. I have written only one vampire story since I think vamps are overdone these days. My story is not a horror story. It's an erotic romance. Vamps are very popular in erotic romances, and have been for decades.

Vampires are very seductive regardless of whether or not they are sexy or repulsive. They are like cobras seducing a mouse. The mouse can't help itself by being mesmerized by the cobra. It is doomed. Vampires, like cobras, are charismatic. They are attractive to even the most immune humans. You'll see a vampire close in on its victim without the effort taken by creatures like werewolves. 

My vampire Amelia in my short story "Like A Moth To A Flame" is this newfangled type of vampire. Willingly giving your blood to another being is a very erotic and intimate act, but being a bloodsucker does have its disadvantages. The wrong blood type can taste terrible. Blood stains your teeth. A high alcohol blood level can have you weaving as you walk. Don't even talk to me about anemia and AIDS. Amelia describes her normal, day-to-day routine as she prepares to attend an art show given by her lover's wife. Yes, you read that right. She's out to seduce the woman who sees her as her mortal enemy, and this woman doesn't even know Amelia is a vampire. When she discovers Amelia's true nature, it's too late. She's caught in the cobra's grasp, and the cobra can do whatever she wants with her prey. And prey she does.

Amelia emerged from her hot shower. Her skin shone, warm and rosy. The scent of peppermint shampoo and cassis bath gel wafted in the steam that flowed out of the bathroom door.

She had already eaten for the evening. She’d found a drunken Goth who had stumbled out of a club, and she’d overtaken him in an alley. She hated Goths. They were an insult to her kind. His blood wasn’t the best she had ever had. He must have been A negative. A negative blood tended to have a sharp sour quality to it. Maybe it was the cheap booze he drank that made his blood taste so vile. Even though he was not particularly appetizing, she’d needed to eat. She never hunted a new lover on an empty stomach. An empty stomach led to bad decisions. She’d picked a few losers in her past when she hunted on an empty stomach.

She had taken extra care in brushing her teeth. She used whitening strips for two weeks to make sure her teeth were as white as marble. Drinking blood had a tendency to stain her teeth yellow. She grumbled at the waste of 50 dollars, but she knew she could not make a stupefying entrance at the art gallery tonight with teeth that made her look like a chain smoker.

This story appears in the "Partner Swap - 20 Erotic Swinging And Swapping Partner Stories" anthology published by Xcite Books. Details are below if you are interested in reading it.

"These stories turn the spotlight well and truly on partner swapping from the first-time ‘virgins’ to the scene to the seasoned, well-versed swingers; from straight husband and wife combos to same sex switching and full-on foursomes.The reader is sensually invited to open their mind to the possibilities and the pleasures . . . Jade Magazine Book Reviews

Have you ever looked at another couple and wondered, what if... ?

Partner Swap delves into the lives of lovers who dare to take the next step.

In Sommer Marsden’s Intrigued an old friendship leads to new loving. A fancy dress party where anything goes is the theme for One Item or Fewer while the mistress is not all she seems in Like a Moth to a Flame.

From best friends who share more than their clothes to couples who seduce innocent bystanders for kicks; these stories are all about flicking the switch on fun and fantasy."

You may buy this book at Amazon and other online retailers. For something a little different, enjoy a little partner swapping with your sharp teeth.