Exclusive Behind-The-Scenes Truth from the Author of Dark Heirloom – Writing What You Know
Hi, Sb Knight. Thank you for hosting me on your blog today. And hello, readers. :-)
Today I want to share with you how I came up with some of the fun details about my vampire characters from Dark Heirloom because they are a little different from your normal vampire variety. They’re a mix of the old lore and the new ideas my subconscious thought up. In short, they are not undead, but instead they are a human-nephilim hybrid. They’re stronger, live a very long time, have animal-like instincts, and a few magical powers handed down from their nephilim side.
I often run around preaching about how authors should write what they know. Some people roll their eyes and scoff and make comments like “Yeah, like you know a vampire”.
Well actually…I do. Know vampires, that is. Yes, really.
Okay, so I don’t know any magical immortal vampires, but I do know people who honestly believe they are vampires. Normal people like you and me, except that every once in a while, they crave blood and they find a willing source and drink just a little sip.
You can go ahead and psychoanalyze these people all you want. I won’t judge. All I know is interviewing them was fascinating and I got the information I needed; the understanding of what that craving feels like. It’s not unlike craving a chocolate bar, really.
Now my characters do drink blood on a daily bases as a meal. But I liked the idea that vampires didn’t need to run around killing everything in sight and glutting themselves, just like we humans don’t go around swallowing cows whole. A single hamburger or steak is fine. Same idea applies to my vamps that, by the way, do enjoy a raw stake every now and then.
While we’re on the subject of blood, yes I know what lots of blood looks like and how it taste. I’ve had my blood drawn more times than I can count, which is why it no longer makes me queasy to see or write about. I’ve seen my own blood fill up a vial; the dark maroon almost purple color of it, the way it flows, just a shade or two thicker than water.
And yes, I’ve tasted it out of pure curiosity all in the name of research. I can assure you I will never ever crave that flavor. LOL.
Here’s another fun tid-bit. My vampires suffer from temporary blindness in the sun because it’s too bright for their sensitive eyes. This idea actually came to me from a personal experience I had while at the eye doctor a few years ago.
The wacked-out doctor I ended up paired with used what I felt was an excessive amount of eye drops. He said brown eyes are more difficult to dilate and see into than light colored eyes. Then left me to sit in the darkened exam room for extra hour to make sure my pupils got good and wide.
After the exam, I remember leaving the dark room and walking through the hallway thinking wow, they really amped up the wattage in the florescent lights.
The nurse offered me a pair of flimsy plastic sunglasses but I told her I would be fine without them. Boy was I wrong. The moment I walked out the door, the world looked like the sun had gotten closer to the Earth. Everything was neon-colored and had a yellowish glow. Or at least everything on the ground did – I couldn’t even look straight ahead without squinting excessively. Of course I grumbled and then went back inside for the free sunglasses.
But that experience got wheels in my head going. I remembered thinking that nocturnal mammals have wide pupils which allows them to see in the dark. And if that was how they saw the world during the day, I’d stay hidden too until nightfall. Suddenly I knew that would be my undead vampires’ reason for staying indoors and avoiding the sun.
Okay, so my vampires don’t combust in the sunlight like Anne Rice’s do, but at least they don’t sparkle, right? ;-)
Dark Heirloom (An Ema Marx Novel)
By J.D. Brown
Blurb:
“You’re a vampire” is so not what Ema Marx wants to hear when she wakes from a two-day coma in a cryptic yet exquisite castle in northern Finland. Unfortunately, it explains a lot. Like why she’s able to see in the dark and walk through solid objects. What she doesn’t understand is why the other vampires expect her to have all the answers. It’s their fault she turned into one of them…right?
Jalmari’s hatred for his old-man intensifies when he’s ordered to bring that troublesome girl to their castle. He has a clan to run, there’s no time for babysitting newborn vampires no matter how they were converted to their culture. But when a two-thousand-year-old premonition threatens to take the crown and his life, Jalmari sees no other choice than to take out the catalyst. Ema Marx. Fortunately for Ema, she could also be the clan’s only savior.
The race to figure out her vampiric origins is on. And maybe she’ll get the hang of the blood-drinking gig along the way…
Buy Links:
• Amazon Kindle
• MuseItUp Publishing Inc.
• Smashwords.com
About the Author:
J.D. Brown graduated from the International Academy of Design and Technology with a Bachelor Degree in Fine Arts. She currently lives in Wisconsin with her two Pomeranians. Growing up in the suburbs of Chicago, her writing is influenced by the multicultural urban society of her youth which she continues to visit each summer. J.D. loves paranormal characters; from vampires and werewolves, demons and angels, to witches and ghost. Her writings are often a combination of suspense and romance.
J.D.’s books are available in e-book formats from Muse It Up Publishing Inc. and major e-book retailers. She loves to hear from readers. You can reach her via email to DarkHeirloom@gmail.com or visit her website at http://authorjdbrown.com
Author’s Links:
• Facebook Fan Page
• Twitter Profile
• J.D.’s Blog
• J.D.’s Book Club
Today I want to share with you how I came up with some of the fun details about my vampire characters from Dark Heirloom because they are a little different from your normal vampire variety. They’re a mix of the old lore and the new ideas my subconscious thought up. In short, they are not undead, but instead they are a human-nephilim hybrid. They’re stronger, live a very long time, have animal-like instincts, and a few magical powers handed down from their nephilim side.
I often run around preaching about how authors should write what they know. Some people roll their eyes and scoff and make comments like “Yeah, like you know a vampire”.
Well actually…I do. Know vampires, that is. Yes, really.
Okay, so I don’t know any magical immortal vampires, but I do know people who honestly believe they are vampires. Normal people like you and me, except that every once in a while, they crave blood and they find a willing source and drink just a little sip.
You can go ahead and psychoanalyze these people all you want. I won’t judge. All I know is interviewing them was fascinating and I got the information I needed; the understanding of what that craving feels like. It’s not unlike craving a chocolate bar, really.
Now my characters do drink blood on a daily bases as a meal. But I liked the idea that vampires didn’t need to run around killing everything in sight and glutting themselves, just like we humans don’t go around swallowing cows whole. A single hamburger or steak is fine. Same idea applies to my vamps that, by the way, do enjoy a raw stake every now and then.
While we’re on the subject of blood, yes I know what lots of blood looks like and how it taste. I’ve had my blood drawn more times than I can count, which is why it no longer makes me queasy to see or write about. I’ve seen my own blood fill up a vial; the dark maroon almost purple color of it, the way it flows, just a shade or two thicker than water.
And yes, I’ve tasted it out of pure curiosity all in the name of research. I can assure you I will never ever crave that flavor. LOL.
Here’s another fun tid-bit. My vampires suffer from temporary blindness in the sun because it’s too bright for their sensitive eyes. This idea actually came to me from a personal experience I had while at the eye doctor a few years ago.
The wacked-out doctor I ended up paired with used what I felt was an excessive amount of eye drops. He said brown eyes are more difficult to dilate and see into than light colored eyes. Then left me to sit in the darkened exam room for extra hour to make sure my pupils got good and wide.
After the exam, I remember leaving the dark room and walking through the hallway thinking wow, they really amped up the wattage in the florescent lights.
The nurse offered me a pair of flimsy plastic sunglasses but I told her I would be fine without them. Boy was I wrong. The moment I walked out the door, the world looked like the sun had gotten closer to the Earth. Everything was neon-colored and had a yellowish glow. Or at least everything on the ground did – I couldn’t even look straight ahead without squinting excessively. Of course I grumbled and then went back inside for the free sunglasses.
But that experience got wheels in my head going. I remembered thinking that nocturnal mammals have wide pupils which allows them to see in the dark. And if that was how they saw the world during the day, I’d stay hidden too until nightfall. Suddenly I knew that would be my undead vampires’ reason for staying indoors and avoiding the sun.
Okay, so my vampires don’t combust in the sunlight like Anne Rice’s do, but at least they don’t sparkle, right? ;-)
Dark Heirloom (An Ema Marx Novel)
By J.D. Brown
Blurb:
“You’re a vampire” is so not what Ema Marx wants to hear when she wakes from a two-day coma in a cryptic yet exquisite castle in northern Finland. Unfortunately, it explains a lot. Like why she’s able to see in the dark and walk through solid objects. What she doesn’t understand is why the other vampires expect her to have all the answers. It’s their fault she turned into one of them…right?
Jalmari’s hatred for his old-man intensifies when he’s ordered to bring that troublesome girl to their castle. He has a clan to run, there’s no time for babysitting newborn vampires no matter how they were converted to their culture. But when a two-thousand-year-old premonition threatens to take the crown and his life, Jalmari sees no other choice than to take out the catalyst. Ema Marx. Fortunately for Ema, she could also be the clan’s only savior.
The race to figure out her vampiric origins is on. And maybe she’ll get the hang of the blood-drinking gig along the way…
Buy Links:
• Amazon Kindle
• MuseItUp Publishing Inc.
• Smashwords.com
About the Author:
J.D. Brown graduated from the International Academy of Design and Technology with a Bachelor Degree in Fine Arts. She currently lives in Wisconsin with her two Pomeranians. Growing up in the suburbs of Chicago, her writing is influenced by the multicultural urban society of her youth which she continues to visit each summer. J.D. loves paranormal characters; from vampires and werewolves, demons and angels, to witches and ghost. Her writings are often a combination of suspense and romance.
J.D.’s books are available in e-book formats from Muse It Up Publishing Inc. and major e-book retailers. She loves to hear from readers. You can reach her via email to DarkHeirloom@gmail.com or visit her website at http://authorjdbrown.com
Author’s Links:
• Facebook Fan Page
• Twitter Profile
• J.D.’s Blog
• J.D.’s Book Club
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