Tell us a bit about yourself.
Because I was an only child in a house full of adults until the age of eight, I learned to read before entering school and became very bookish from an early age. Inspired by DRACULA and other horror and fantasy novels, I started writing my own fiction at age thirteen. I majored in English and eventually earned a Ph.D. from the University of California, Irvine. My husband served in the Navy for thirty years, so we lived in many different locations. Although I taught a few college English classes in various cities, I never got a full-time teaching job. My longest employment was over twenty years as a part-time legislative editor for the Maryland General Assembly. My nonfiction works on the supernatural in literature include THE VAMPIRE IN LITERATURE: A CRITICAL BIBLIOGRAPHY and DIFFERENT BLOOD: THE VAMPIRE AS ALIEN, among others. I’ve had stories in various zines and anthologies, including several of Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Darkover and “Sword and Sorceress” volumes. My first novel was a werewolf tale, SHADOW OF THE BEAST, followed by DARK CHANGELING, my first vampire novel, which won an Eppie Award. I write horror, fantasy, and paranormal romance (some erotic level). My husband and I have collaborated on sword-and-sorcery fantasy.
How long have you been a vampire fan?
Since I read DRACULA at age twelve, sort of. I had been fascinated by the IDEA of vampires long before that, since I was seven or thereabouts, and picked up Stoker’s novel at the library for that reason.
What makes vampires compelling?
The sensuality of drinking blood, the essence of life, was what first drew me (although of course before adolescence I didn’t think of it that way). As an additional source of fascination, vampires have somewhat the same appeal as Spock in STAR TREK. They’re almost human but not quite, viewing human culture and history from an alien perspective. Even if they’re transformed mortals, they see the world differently after centuries of existence. Moreover, like Spock, a vampire radiates the allure of the Other, and only an exceptional mortal can win his or her love.
Do you prefer vampires as magical creatures or as a different species?
I always enjoy a well-crafted traditional vampire tale. However, vampires as a naturally evolved species have a special attraction for me. I love a story that comes up with plausible biological explanations for the classic vampire traits. I even wrote an entire nonfiction book about this motif in literature from the nineteenth century to the 1990s, DIFFERENT BLOOD: THE VAMPIRE AS ALIEN:
http://www.amberquill.com/store/p/82-Different-Blood-The-Vampire-As-Alien.aspx
What is your favorite vampire book or short story?
Aside from DRACULA (of course), there are too many to mention. The first two that always come to mind, though, are Chelsea Quinn Yarbro’s HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA, for a traditional supernatural vampire in a rich historical background with lush sensuality, and THE VAMPIRE TAPESTRY, by Suzy McKee Charnas, for one of the most ingenious naturally evolved vampires ever created. As for more recent fiction, I especially like S. M. Stirling’s Shadowspawn trilogy about a natural vampire-werewolf-sorcerer species lurking among us, beginning with A TAINT IN THE BLOOD.
Would you tell us about your latest vampire story?
PASSION IN THE BLOOD: Cordelia and her twin sister don’t realize the mother who left them soon after their birth bequeathed them a dark bloodline. They are half vampire. Although human in most respects, they have certain psychic gifts. A friend of their late father’s, Karl, a vampire, has been watching over their family for generations to honor his love for their distant ancestor. When her sister is kidnapped and Cordelia must beg for help from Karl, she learns the truth about his vampirism and her own heritage:
http://www.amberquill.com/store/p/1744-Passion-In-The-Blood.aspx
Is your vampire a blood drinker or a psychic/energy absorbing vampire?
Mainly blood, but some of both. My vampires require human psychic energy to sustain their health, which is why they can’t survive solely on animal blood, which forms the bulk of their diet for most of them.
Does your character enjoy being a vampire?
Yes, definitely, although Karl does have poignant memories of outliving his first human lover, back in the nineteenth century.
Is your vampire involved in a romance? If so, how does his/her lover feel about his/her vampirism?
He falls in love with Cordelia, a descendant of his first lover, even though he vowed he would never get entangled with a human partner again. Cordelia is terrified at first but soon realizes he wants to protect her and would never harm her. Eventually she’s enthralled by the erotic ecstasy of mutual blood-sharing.
Please share a favorite quote from your vampire?
“I suppose we should be thankful for the pop culture misconceptions. They keep people from recognizing us for what we are.”
What’s one trait of a traditional vampire that you wanted your character to have?
The eroticism of blood-drinking. Because my vampires feed on emotion as well as blood, their powers include hypnotic seduction to arouse passion in their donors. It seems reasonable that a predator would benefit by having prey that actively enjoys being fed on.
What makes your vampire different from most traditional vampires?
He belongs to a naturally evolved humanoid species living secretly among us. Also, unlike vampires in most movies and many novels and stories, he doesn’t explode or disintegrate in sunlight (which is, in fact, not a traditional trait in either folklore or classic nineteenth-century fiction, but it has become so popular that many people think it is). My vampires are nocturnal, more lively at night than by day, and direct sun makes them very uncomfortable, eventually sick (similar to heatstroke) if they’re exposed for too long, but it can’t destroy them.
What is your favorite vampire movie?
Probably the DRACULA adaptation with Frank Langella. It’s the most sensuous vampire film I’ve ever seen (although I’d like it even better if it were based faithfully on the book rather than on the classic stage play).
Who is your favorite screen vampire?
Christopher Lee. He looks more like my image of Count Dracula than any other actor. I didn’t cite any of his films as my favorite because, in my opinion, the scripts are generally pretty mediocre. The first, HORROR OF DRACULA (U.S. title), is visually stunning and tightly plotted, but I was disappointed by how far it departs from the novel.
What was the first vampire movie you ever saw or the first vampire story you ever read?
The first vampire story I ever read was Bram Stoker’s DRACULA, when I was twelve years old. It enthralled me and drew me into vampires, horror, and other subgenres of speculative fiction. Vampires also inspired me to start writing my own fiction. I never saw a vampire movie until my early twenties. Before that, I caught vintage horror films on the late show sometimes but never happened to run across a vampire film. I can’t remember which was the first I ever saw, probably DRACULA with Bela Lugosi. I consider myself lucky that I spent years immersed in classic and pulp-era vampire fiction before ever seeing a movie in that field, so that my ideas of how vampires are supposed to be weren’t shaped primarily by cinematic versions.
An excerpt from the opening scene of PASSION IN THE BLOOD; Cordelia has broken into Karl’s house in search of an item she needs to ransom her sister from a kidnapper:
As soon as Karl strolled into the foyer with Thor beside him, he picked up Cordelia’s scent. Smoothing his rain-dampened hair with one hand, he paused to consider his next move.
What was she doing here? How had she gotten in? A moment’s thought answered that question. She must have used the spare key he’d left with Gary Torrance and not bothered to retrieve after the professor’s death. It had never occurred to Karl that either of his old friend’s daughters would have any motive to trespass on his property. Examining his own reaction, he was surprised to realize he felt worse than annoyed. Her betrayal of trust hurt. He shook his head with a rueful smile. He must have spent too many years associating with ephemerals if he could succumb to such a human emotion.
How had she made it past the dog? Rubbing the Great Dane’s ears, Karl whispered, “What’s wrong with you? Falling down on the job?” Thor knew Cordelia too well to attack her, but he should have put up a convincingly scary show of barking.
Karl bared his teeth in exasperation. This outrage made the second home invasion inflicted on him in the past two weeks. The other intruder had disabled Thor with a tranquilizer dart. Luckily, the dog hadn’t suffered any lasting harm. Karl wondered whether he should get an alarm system installed after all. No, his reason for doing without one remained valid. An alarm would summon police, who would violate his privacy and might endanger his secret. Damn it, he’d picked this neighborhood, in the less densely developed southern part of the county, for its tranquil reputation.
He heard Cordelia moving around in the office. She probably thought she was being stealthy. In a barely audible murmur, he ordered the dog to lie down. He then glided to the closed door.
Her honey and vanilla scent, with floral undertones from her soap and bath powder, filtered through the door and insinuated itself into his brain. He couldn’t help parting his lips to taste her on the air. His mouth watered. Ever since she’d blossomed into womanhood, he’d thirsted to sip her nectar. Rationing his contacts with her hadn’t weakened the craving. During her father’s lifetime, he’d kept his hands off her out of respect for the professor. Counting an ephemeral as a friend wouldn’t allow him to treat the man’s daughter as prey or pet. Now that her father was gone, Karl’s other motive for holding her at arms’ length hadn’t changed. He didn’t want her to become overly curious about his peculiarities. Too soon, he would have to increase his apparent age or withdraw from her life altogether.
The prospect upset him more than he liked to admit. All the more reason to fight the attraction. She appealed to him a little too much for his peace of mind. Never again would he take the risk of intimacy with a human female.
When he opened the office door, her heartbeat pounded in his ears. Along with her shallow, fast breathing, the sound made his own heart race in anticipation. She stood next to the window, trying to use the drapes for camouflage like a rabbit freezing under the gaze of a fox. The enticingly rosy glow of her aura dimmed with fear. She faded into shadow.
He stared in astonishment. While he could still see her, she looked ghostly, translucent. The effect lasted only a second or two before she became fully visible again. He felt the intensity of her concentration, and she faded again. Her silhouette blinked in and out of full visibility.
Was she actually trying to obscure his vision with psychic power? He’d had no idea she possessed that gift. Her mother’s blood must run stronger in her veins than he’d guessed. She couldn’t succeed, of course, since her aura remained clear to him, but she had no way of knowing he could see her life-energy.
As usual, the sight of her jolted him like a blow to the chest. How could genes reshuffle after so many generations to produce such a disturbing likeness? True, the resemblance was mainly in the face, but that was enough to rouse an ache of longing every time he saw her. Cordelia’s heart-shaped face and the curve of her lips racked him with memories of Lydia. Otherwise, the young woman showed her mother’s traits―milk-pale skin, gray eyes, and black hair. Tonight she wore her hair, just below shoulder length, in a ponytail instead of her usual French braid. Tall for a human woman, she stood five feet nine inches, slender but still appetizingly healthy.
-end of excerpt-
Margaret L. Carter specializes in vampires, having been marked for life by reading DRACULA at the age of twelve. Her vampire novel DARK CHANGELING won an Eppie Award in the horror category in 2000. Other creatures she writes about include werewolves, dragons, ghosts, and Lovecraftian entities with tentacles. In addition to her horror, fantasy, and paranormal romance fiction, she has had several nonfiction books and articles published on vampires in literature. Her stories have appeared in anthologies such as Marion Zimmer Bradley’s “Sword and Sorceress” volumes. With her husband, retired Navy Captain Leslie Roy Carter, she has collaborated on a sword-and-sorcery trilogy, beginning with WILD SORCERESS. Her recent works include LEGACY OF MAGIC (a prequel to the trilogy), PASSION IN THE BLOOD (a vampire romance), “Bear Hugs” (an erotic romance shapeshifter novella), SEALING THE DARK PORTAL (a paranormal romance with Lovecraftian elements), and “Crossing the Border” (horror erotic romance novella). Explore love among the monsters at her website, Carter’s Crypt: http://www.margaretlcarter.com.