I know it's not even close to Halloween but, you see, a good vampire story can launch at any time of the year - because, as we all know, vampires can exist throughout the year, in every season - but not after sunrise.
The Vampire. From legends far and wide, comes the idea of someone who has died returning to life or of not truly dying but settling into a degree of existence between life and death, what many have termed the undead. It is a frightful situation, both for the poor sucker [pardon the pun] who must "live" such a "life" as well as for those who may encounter him or her. (Read more here.)
Last year I awoke from a nightmare - actually, fell off the darn night mare, hit my head on a stone--and had the idea of writing a vampire tale. Much in the vein of my paranormal-writing colleagues, I sought a story of Gothic pathos, a horror tale of bloody delight! Alas! I could not in good conscience create something along the lines of more recent Vampire fictions. They were too much magic, melodrama, and frou-frou accoutrements than suited my sophisticated tastes.
I knew there were some medical and biological causes of symptoms which are typical of those claiming vampirism. I did my research, both into the legends and customs of Eastern Europe, and into the science behind such disorders as porphyria. Is there such a thing as vampirism as a medical condition? And if so, how does one treat it? Is it genetic or does one catch it from someone who is already a vampire? One valuable resource was the scholarly book by Paul Barber.
So I sought to create a tale as contemporary and realistic as modern science and my twisted imagination would allow.
The result is the amazing true-to-life story of Stefan Szekely, doomed to become a vampire - and to do so at precisely the wrong time in his life. Just as Stefan is falling in love with his Beloved and they are planning to marry, he notices the first sign: A DRY PATCH of SKIN.
“I do care about you,” she whispered.
“Thanks,” I said, trying to sound positive. “We can’t let a dry patch of skin get between us, now can we?”
But I digress...
Now, comes the sequel to this 2014 medically accurate vampire novel: SUNRISE. Coming in April 2018 - the month of Easter, ironically. The title is not without irony itself within the pages of this new novel. In fact, with a second volume, there comes the urge to continue the story of Stefan Szekely, Vampire, into a third novel - which would make it a trilogy. Book 3 will be titled SUNSET.
SUNRISE picks up where A DRY PATCH OF SKIN left off. It has been 13 years since Stefan met his fate in Croatia. However, he eventually has realized the extent of his misery and seeks to venture forth from his isolated home into polite society. Maybe get his own castle, become a playboy, drink a better class of blood.
But you can't just show up in the Hungarian capital of Budapest and start doing your own thing. The local vampire gangs have rules. The State Security also has rules: all vampires must be extinguished. Then, while Stefan is struggling to fit in, an unexpected stranger confronts him and upends his entire world, setting off a frantic battle for what may determine the future of Europe.
For further information, I recommend reading the following:
The truth about being a vampire: It is not cool, not sexy. It’s a painful, miserable existence.
Good reason to avoid that situation, thinks Stefan Székely. He's too busy falling in love with TV reporter Penny Park, anyway. Until one day when she notices he has a dry patch of skin on his face.
At first it's annoying, nothing to worry about, some weird skin disease he can treat with lotions. However, as his affliction worsens, Stefan fears that his unsightly problem will ruin his relationship with Penny.
If only that was all Stefan has to worry about! He soon realizes there is a lot more at stake than his handsome face. To save himself, Stefan must go in search of a cure for the disease which is literally destroying him inch by inch. If only his parents had told him of his family's legacy.
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(C) Copyright 2010-2018 by Stephen M. Swartz. All Rights Reserved. No part of this blog, whether text or image, may be used without me giving you written permission, except for brief excerpts that are accompanied by a link to this entire blog.
Violators shall be written into novels as characters who are killed off. Serious violators shall be identified and dealt with according to the laws of the United States of America.
Last weekend, the so-called Valentine's Day weekend, I participated in an online event on Facebook which among other activities served to promote my latest novel, A DRY PATCH OF SKIN. The event was called EAT YOUR HEART OUT and had the theme of Twisted Romance. I was invited to join, based on me having written a "twisted romance." Of course, I wondered what exactly that meant. Romance as a genre has certain conventions, one of which is that everything works out fine in the end. I took "twisted" to mean things do not work out fine in the end. That describes my non-science-fiction novels perfectly. It's not that I like tragedy or that I just cannot allow two fictional people to remain together. Rather, it's that in fiction which approaches verisimilitude (the appearance of reality), life takes twists and turns that render endings just as often unhappy as happy. For this event, I answered a few interview questions. What makes your novel a “twisted romance”; how does it stand out from the crowd? It's a vampire story...sorta. The central character is in a serious relationship but when he begins to transform into a vampire--and he doesn't want to--he fears it will destroy his relationship with the woman he loves. She must accept a lot of ugliness during his transformation, too. But eventually, he decides to save her by letting go of her...and running off to seek a cure. What got you into writing romance or books with strong romantic themes? After focusing on sci-fi in my youth, I eventually realized that relationships are the core of any good story (or a story I'd want to read). I'm a romantic by nature so it came easy to me. No matter what genre I'm writing in (sci-fi or literary or, in this case, literary horror), the central couple is the reason my hero/heroine do what they do: because of the importance of beginning, maintaining, or recovering the relationship...even if it doesn't work out in the end. Although "not working out in the end" is supposedly a romance genre faux pas, I prefer to call it an anti-romance--which is more realistic. Who’s your favorite character from your book and why?
Writing "A Dry Patch of Skin" began with me dabbling with some episodes from my real life, and grew into the story as you find it now: Oklahoma City in 2013-14, where I actually live. As such, Stefan, the poor protagonist, is as close to the real me as any hero I've written...for better and worse. It may be no coincidence that he has a name similar to mine. And yet, I do not have his unsightly affliction. Nor do I have the love interest he has--or had.
Then I had fun posting items related to my novel during my 15 minutes of fame. As more than 99% of the reading population did not attend this event, I have reprinted my contribution here and hope you enjoy it.
Welcome to this online bookish affair, where the twisted and the folded are equally bent! This is my first time doing something like this so please bear with me--but not exactly like a bear would. You know what I mean.
My offering here is A DRY PATCH OF SKIN - a kinda vampire novel but not like any of those others. This novel has been medically researched to bring you the purest, most accurate depiction of vampirism according to history, legend, and modern science.
And it is all wrapped around the sad tale of a new, passionate romance about to be ruined by the transformation of the man into a vampire. It is not a pleasant experience. Physical pain, hideous appearance, psychological torment, and loss of his identity and bodily integrity--
Heavy, heavy stuff! Good thing Stefan Szekely possesses a wry sense of humor and delicious vision of the irony around him!
What's the title about? It is a reference to the first symptom. The phrase appears throughout the book. Here are some examples:
What will be the first sign? Will it simply be a dry patch of skin? An odd blemish? A discoloration?
“I do care about you,” she whispered.
“Thanks,” I said, trying to sound positive. “We can’t let a dry patch of skin get between us, now can we?”
“So...what brings you here this morning?” asked the perky physician’s assistant.
“A dry patch of skin,” I said glumly.
We stared at the two of us in the big mirror. It was the measure of our existence: here are two humans, one male and one female, of average attributes, two examples that have copulated previously and might copulate again if not for a dry patch of skin or two. Or thirteen.
I used a fair amount of music as a kind of soundtrack while writing A DRY PATCH OF SKIN, much of it lush and romantic, the kind of film noir score you might hear from the 50s. I also used rock music.
IF THIS WERE A MOVIE....
I would use this track by In Fear and Faith "Bones" while the opening credit show. As the music begins we zoom slowly through a night sky toward the ruins of an old castle. As we approach an open window--and suddenly the music bursts into loudness--a swarm of bats explodes out of the window!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dRw2joBxfg
I like the songs on this album because they do an excellent job of giving us the primal anguish of our hero's transformation into a monster!
In the middle of the book, Stefan flees from his lover to seek a cure. To avoid airport scrutiny, he takes a cargo ship. I imagine an aerial shot of that cargo ship crossing the Atlantic as this track plays:
At the end of the book, Stefan has reached his final destination...almost. I imagine the scene where he awakens in a completely dark room. The camera shows an extreme close-up of his eyes just as they snap open--matching the bass notes of the piano.
As the music on this track picks up, becomes more hopeful, we would see Stefan driving through the countryside of Croatia to his final destination.
Of course the images in these videos have nothing to do with the novel. I merely used the music as inspiration in the writing of various scenes in the novel.
Last but not least... If I had my choice, I'd use Evanescence's "My Immortal" as the closing credits music because both the music and the lyrics fit the final scene and the atmosphere:
The first generally accepted work in the Vampire genre was "The VAMPYRE" by John Polidori, published in 1819. Polidori was the personal physician of poet George Gordon Lord Byron and accompanied Byron while visiting and vacationing at the estate Diodoti in Switzerland with the poet Percy Shelley and his wife, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley.
The nights spent there have since become famous as the origin of both Mary Shelley's Frankenstein novel and for Polidori's vampire novella. Critics have said, and I concur, that Polidori described his undead character based on the brooding Byron's tall, dark, and handsome appearance--a stereotype employed by later authors, e.g., Heathcliff in "Wuthering Heights" and still later, perhaps, Edward Cullen in "Twilight."
Want to know more about the book, vampirism (disease), and other tidbits, give my blog post a look:
MORE TRIVIA:
Stefan Szekely is not me, but is the closest any fictional character has been written to the real me. Penny Park is based on Patti Moon, a real TV reporter--and she has yet to forgive me for that artistic license. I do not, nor have I ever had, porphyria or any other skin, blood, or autoimmune disease like Stefan has. Many of the scenes in the book, especially those in the B&N were based on real episodes I experienced in 2013-14. Patti will vouch for me on that.
STILL MORE TRIVIA:
Another interesting trivia thing that I noticed but did not really contrive to put in is the variety of modes of transportation Stefan uses throughout the novel.
1. by foot 2. by bicycle 3. by personal car 4. by SUV 5. by rental car (twice) 6. by airplane (a few times) 7. by cargo ship 8. by express train 9. by local line train 10. by street car/tram
As a bonus, Stefan flirts with riding a horse, however (pay attention, trivia gamblers; you could win a bet someday) the horse is spooked by his evil presence and so he cannot actually ride the horse!
AND AN EXCERPT (from fairly early in the book):
Mother Park [Penny's mother] inquired about my ancestry, amused that my name was, for her, unpronounceable. She alluded to the Twilight books, suggesting I looked like that Edward Cullen character but with different hair—better hair. She went on and on about that series, practically telling me the whole story, as we consumed our dinner. Penny tried to intervene.
“He doesn’t want to hear about that vampire stuff,” she said, flashing me an expression of sympathy.
“I’m only saying there’s a resemblance,” said Mother Park.
“There is no resemblance,” Penny countered.
“If not that Edward then his father, the doctor, Mister Cullen. Since your boyfriend is older, he could pass for Mister Cullen. He’s a very handsome man—I mean, vampire. They’re all popular now.”
“No, it’s zombies that are popular now. Not vampires. That trend has passed.”
When they paused to take a breath, I spoke up: “I think both of them merely play to humanity’s fear of the unknown, especially that age-old concept of the abnormal couched within the normal. That is, a real, biologically viable man who is yet again not a man but something undead. It’s the same with zombies: they’re normal for the most part yet they’re infected with some fatal flaw that renders what once was a perfectly normal, lovable family member into an unexpected, unthinking evil. That’s what scares people. That something normal can so easily be transformed into something abnormal. It’s got nothing to do with some disease or a weird appearance that someone might have. It’s the visceral fear of transformation into something hideous—and with no cure—that forces us to irrevocably face our mortality.”
They stared at me and we could hear the crickets all the way over in Korea warming up for the night’s chorus.
“He reads a lot,” said Penny.
By golly, that oughta do it for tonight! Don't want to cause any nightmares.
Except for maybe a picture of Alma.Who is she? Ummm, read and find out!
--------------------------------------------------------------------- (C) Copyright 2010-2015 by Stephen M. Swartz. All Rights Reserved. No part of this blog, whether text or image, may be used without me giving you written permission, except for brief excerpts that are accompanied by a link to this entire blog. Violators shall be written into novels as characters who are killed off. Serious violators shall be identified and dealt with according to the laws of the United States of America.
October! The month of chilling, the time of dying, the final days of the year, and the assemblage of monsters of various designs! One of the most famous of such monsters is theVampire. From legends far and wide, comes the idea of someone who has died returning to life or of not truly dying but settling into a degree of existence between life and death, what many have termed the undead. It is a frightful situation, both for the poor sucker [pardon the pun] who must "live" such a "life" as well as for those who may encounter him or her. (Read more here.)
Last year I awoke from a nightmare--actually, fell off the darn night mare, hit my head on a stone--and had the idea of writing a vampire tale. Much in the vein of my paranormal-writing colleagues, I sought a story of Gothic pathos, a horror tale of bloody delight! Alas! I could not in good conscience create something along the lines of more recent Vampire fictions. They were too much magic, melodrama, and frou-frou accoutrements than suited my sophisticated tastes. I knew there were some medical and biological causes of symptoms which are typical of those claiming vampirism. I did my research, both into legends and customs of Eastern Europe, and into the science behind such disorders as porphyria. Is there such a thing as vampirism as a medical condition? And if so, how does one combat it? Is it genetic or does one catch it from someone who is already a vampire? (One valuable resource was the scholarly book by Paul Barber.)
So I deliberately sought to create a tale as contemporary and realistic as modern science and my twisted imagination would allow. The result is the amazing true-to-life story of Stefan, doomed to become a vampire--and at precisely the wrong time in his life. Just when Stefan is falling in love with his Beloved and they are planning to marry, he notices the first sign: A DRY PATCH of SKIN.
“I
do care about you,” she whispered.
“Thanks,”
I said, trying to sound positive. “We can’t let a dry patch of skin get between
us, now can we?”
But I digress... Check yourself. Check your family members. Look over the people standing close to you. Examine all with whom you come into contact. Look for the tell-tale signs of oncoming vampirism. To aid in your quest for avoidance, here is a handy checklist:
dry skin, in blotchy patterns and red-brown shades regardless of natural complexion
gaunt features, as though the skin were pulled back tightly against the bones
withering away of musculature, rendering the person unusually thin
loss of hair, head and body
protrusion of teeth as gums shrink
protrusion of eyes as sockets decline; loss of lashes and brows
semi-hunched posture due to less of muscle and bone integrity
heightened senses, especially of olfactory ability (smell)
metallic taste in mouth and bitter breath
decreased urine and fecal output
decreased hunger and thirst sensation
exposed skin sensitive to light, especially sunlight; prone to either drying and shredding or to melting
hands and feet painful due to swelling; nails may appear to protrude due to reduction of skin borders
bearing the scent of decay, mildew, etc. or alternatively a hint of sulfur
constant physical readiness for sexual activity
capable of periods of sustained activity (3 to 4 days without sleep) followed by prolonged sleep (2-3 days)
consumption of heme (blood) improves symptoms temporarily
contagious via exchange of bodily fluids
no cure, only treatment which offers brief relief at best
long-term prognosis: a lengthy, miserable existence filled with alternating nights of desperation and days of coma-like sloth
usually a normal life-span (90-120 years), barring attempts at suicide
onset usually early 30s through late 50s; fully symptomatic 2-5 years after onset
Be aware of those around you who may appear normal yet may have begun the transformation. Take particular note of any strange discolored and/or dry patches of skin upon the face. Avoid those who wish to sample your blood. Call for help should you be unable to extricate yourself from the magnetic aura of a true vampirism sufferer. Also, I recommend the various lotions and other skin treatment products at Bath & Bodyworks. Stefan swears by them, too. For further information, I recommend reading the following: A DRY PATCH of SKIN.
The truth about being a vampire: It is not cool, not sexy. It’s a painful, miserable existence.
Good reason to avoid that situation, thinks Stefan Székely. He's too busy falling in love with TV reporter Penny Park, anyway. Until one day when she notices he has a dry patch of skin on his face.
At first it's annoying, nothing to worry about, some weird skin disease he can treat with lotions. However, as his affliction worsens, Stefan fears that his unsightly problem will ruin his relationship with Penny.
If only that was all Stefan has to worry about! He soon realizes there is a lot more at stake than his handsome face. To save himself, Stefan must go in search of a cure for the disease which is literally destroying him inch by inch. If only his parents had told him of his family's legacy.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
(C) Copyright 2010-2014 by Stephen M. Swartz. All Rights Reserved. No part of this blog, whether text or image, may be used without me giving you written permission, except for brief excerpts that are accompanied by a link to this entire blog.
Violators shall be written into novels as characters who are killed off. Serious violators shall be identified and dealt with according to the laws of the United States of America.
Introducing my latest novel...a work-in-progress...
A Dry Patch of Skin
[literary/paranormal/romance/adventure]
As the meme goes... "I don't always write new novels, but when I do it's a weird experience." Years after the Twilight phenomena has ended (well, for most people), I have decided to join the club. The vampire club, that is. However, me being me, I cannot simply latch onto some fan fiction kind of writing. No, I have to put my own unique spin on the subject. Some experiences in my life recently convinced me that there was a worthwhile story in my agony. Nothing serious, don't worry. Just a spark--but not sparkly skin. Let me compose a suitable blurb...right now... Returning from his parents' funeral, Hungarian-American medical technician Stefan Székely embarks on a love affair with Penny Park, the TV reporter he met after a dangerous tornado ripped through their city. Just when things are becoming serious, however, Stefan discovers a dry patch of skin on his cheek, a sign of something he fears and yet cannot decode. Going in search of medical answers, he struggles to maintain his relationship as he pieces together his parents' lives as dedicated physicians who tended the forlorn inmates of an insane asylum and shunned society. As his condition worsens, Stefan seeks far-flung treatments in the hope that he can find a cure and return to his beloved Penny, only to finally realize what his parents have been shielding him from all of his life: he is doomed to transform into a vampire like them. Can he stave off the symptoms, or reverse them? Can he salvage some kind of life with his Beloved? Or will he be doomed to walk the earth as yet another of the Undead?
How is that? I see this as a work of literary fiction rather than a true paranormal tale. The difference is that the vampirism is treated as a medical condition, not as a supernatural phenomena. The main culprit is the disorder known as porphyria, and similar disorders. It is not a pleasant disease; it is terribly disfiguring. Not at all a sexy, sparkly vampire. I have wound up my pathos machine and intend to let it roar with full fury as Stefan's journey through hope and hopelessness intensifies. The opening chapters were fun to write, before the misery and anguish begin. I fictionalized parts of my own life, changed people's names, and made fun of several episodes from my real life...all to portray a fun, loving romantic relationship between two people. Then, as the blurb indicates, I shall destroy it chapter by chapter. I know how the story ends. However, I am sworn to secrecy. All I can say is that it is not any kind of conclusion the typical reader of vampire books would expect. And yet it is as perfect as...a bloody kiss! Book cover to follow. Here are the opening pages:
1
It is without much amusement that I have come to accept the truth of my situation, although I am fully appreciative of the irony involved.
It is not that I mistrust the words of Mother and Father. It is not that I doubt what society has shown me. Indeed, I accept it all as easily as a starving puppy takes the meatless bone.
I stare into the mirror and want to deny everything, yet I know deep down inside me there is a bomb, a time bomb of sorts, ready to explode when just the right elements come together. And I do not know when that will occur.
For my parents, it began rather late, after age fifty—or so they confessed; I have not seen them face to face since I left for college and thus had no incontrovertible visual confirmation of it. They begged out of my graduation ceremony and I took a job far from them. Later, they died. Before that, there were plenty of letters and phone calls, of course, and with the advancement in technology, also emails and text messages. When finally they succumbed to their own bomb, my mother dared to leave me a note outlining what I should expect. She added that my father did not approve of such a warning, considering it a black mark or a red flag that would ruin my life, keep me from enjoying the good years I had, but she had deemed it a necessary kind gesture that any mother should make for her son.
Then they took their pills, far too many of them, and died in peace before the open windows, a full day’s sunshine raining upon them.
I attended their funeral—closed coffins, of course, as befit their physical condition—and gave the eulogy to a gathering of twenty empty chairs. The priest showed no emotion; it was a duty to be performed. He praised the irony in my speech, however, then remarked how much I resembled my parents.
The Dalmatian coast on the Adriatic was not what I would have expected as my parents’ retirement destination. The town of Makarska, just south of Split and a hundred miles north of the much more famous Dubrovnik, was a lovely choice, however. It was close enough—we are of Hungarian ancestry, after all, a land-locked nation. But they had their life and I had mine. I never thought to question them since they continued shuffling money to me on special occasions.
I took a few more days in that resort town, with the cedars and cozy beaches nestled between rocky hills, stretching far in each direction from my hotel balcony. So after a long nap and half a bottle of Merlot, I tried to enjoy myself the rest of the week. After all, I had gone to some trouble to be able to take off from work and make the long trip from the States to Croatia.
As I presume my parents eventually did, I have removed the mirrors from my home.
[and so on....]
For fans of literary fiction, I offer two books already available: AFTER ILIUM and A BEAUTIFUL CHILL. Click the links in the upper right corner of this blog for further information or read their individual pages on this blog.
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(C) Copyright 2010-2014 by Stephen M. Swartz. All Rights Reserved. No part of this blog, whether text or image, may be used without me giving you written permission, except for brief excerpts that are accompanied by a link to this entire blog.
Violators shall be written into novels as characters who are killed off. Serious violators shall be identified and dealt with according to the laws of the United States of America.
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