Although vampires began as far from sexual creatures, their original depictions being of repulsive and horrific walking corpses that destroyed all life in their wakes, literature has—as it often does—twisted folklore into something far more romanticized and intriguing. Bram Stoker offered the stepping stone between mythos, making Dracula both monstrous and entrancing, both human and monster.
Since then, countless incarnations have seduced the masses, and I think human nature itself has had a lot to do with it. As civilized as we are, we are still animals, and the animalistic aspects of the vampire’s seduction appeals to our most primal of instincts.
While modern society frowns upon any ideas that might glamorize rape culture, and rightly so, rape fantasy (or the more recent, politically correct term, "controlled" or "consensual rape") remains a very real aspect to female sexuality. This is not to say women actually want to be raped or that rape is at all a permissible offense, because that’s far from the case. However, the desire to be taken, dominated, and ravaged like an animal is probably much more common than most women would care to admit. If it were all that unnatural, bodice rippers (a form of erotic romance novel) never would have gained the popularity—as un-PC as they may be these days—as they had in recent decades. *
Since then, countless incarnations have seduced the masses, and I think human nature itself has had a lot to do with it. As civilized as we are, we are still animals, and the animalistic aspects of the vampire’s seduction appeals to our most primal of instincts.
While modern society frowns upon any ideas that might glamorize rape culture, and rightly so, rape fantasy (or the more recent, politically correct term, "controlled" or "consensual rape") remains a very real aspect to female sexuality. This is not to say women actually want to be raped or that rape is at all a permissible offense, because that’s far from the case. However, the desire to be taken, dominated, and ravaged like an animal is probably much more common than most women would care to admit. If it were all that unnatural, bodice rippers (a form of erotic romance novel) never would have gained the popularity—as un-PC as they may be these days—as they had in recent decades. *
The vampire is an embodiment of that fantasy: It represents the taking over of its victim’s will, claiming control over mind and body. It is bondage manifested, the ultimate expression of dominance and submission. The exchange of blood becomes a proxy for the exchange of other bodily fluids, and equally as intimate. It’s no surprise that blood consumption and sex often go hand in hand in so much vampire fiction.
The first four episodes of Jane the Hippie Vampire draw heavily on the connection between vampires and sex, although those connections often come in much more surprising ways than convention typically offers. Jane is not a sexual person, but she’s also not the typical vampire. In this series, I’ve worked to upturn many clichés, and I think Love Beads is a great example of that. In the story, vampire becomes victim and sensuality comes in the least likely of places. It, like much of Volume 1: Revival, plays off the disturbing and unsettling, taking both convention and taboo to varying extremes.
Get your free copy of Love Beads today on Kindle, iTunes, Nook, or through your favorite online retailer.
About Love Beads: She’s broke and homeless. She’s a vegetarian. She’s undead.
Jane has had one hell of a time ever since she bumped into the wrong guy during the Summer of Love, but she’s taken it all in stride. Wandering from town to town, she seeks out the needy and the broken in hopes of breaking the curse that’s left her bloodthirsty and forever seventeen.
In this first novella in the dramatic horror series, Jane the Hippie Vampire, Jane crosses paths with a middle-aged man who's encountered her kind before--but he seems happy just to have the company. Of course, appearances can be deceiving, and his secret might just prove to be the end of her.
* Again, discussion about "rape fantasy" in no way advocates actual rape. For more information about the underlying psychology, see this article published through Psychology Today.
The first four episodes of Jane the Hippie Vampire draw heavily on the connection between vampires and sex, although those connections often come in much more surprising ways than convention typically offers. Jane is not a sexual person, but she’s also not the typical vampire. In this series, I’ve worked to upturn many clichés, and I think Love Beads is a great example of that. In the story, vampire becomes victim and sensuality comes in the least likely of places. It, like much of Volume 1: Revival, plays off the disturbing and unsettling, taking both convention and taboo to varying extremes.
Get your free copy of Love Beads today on Kindle, iTunes, Nook, or through your favorite online retailer.
About Love Beads: She’s broke and homeless. She’s a vegetarian. She’s undead.
Jane has had one hell of a time ever since she bumped into the wrong guy during the Summer of Love, but she’s taken it all in stride. Wandering from town to town, she seeks out the needy and the broken in hopes of breaking the curse that’s left her bloodthirsty and forever seventeen.
In this first novella in the dramatic horror series, Jane the Hippie Vampire, Jane crosses paths with a middle-aged man who's encountered her kind before--but he seems happy just to have the company. Of course, appearances can be deceiving, and his secret might just prove to be the end of her.
* Again, discussion about "rape fantasy" in no way advocates actual rape. For more information about the underlying psychology, see this article published through Psychology Today.
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