THE VAMPIRE'S HEART
The
Vampire’s Heart is the story of Graham, a
lonely thirteen year old boy, who is searching for a friend and
maybe a boyfriend. The novel is a departure from my usual storylines
in a few ways. First of all, none of my other books include
vampires. Secondly, VH is not part of the Gay Youth
Chronicles and therefore has nothing to do with Verona, Indiana and
its cast of characters. There is mention of a familiar character and
one location from the chronicles series, but the story and setting
is otherwise completely separate. Thirdly,
Graham is the youngest character I’ve written about. The
thoughts and struggles of a thirteen year old are quite different
from those of a sixteen or eighteen year old. Graham finds himself
swimming through a sea of gray, discovering that the world is not
all black and white. Graham is a boy who’s not quite sure yet if
he’s straight, gay, or bisexual and part of the story is about his
struggle to seek how his identity. The story is more than that,
however, for there are vampires about and meek Graham finds himself
living a life that he would have thought impossible just a short
time before. I don’t want to give away much about the vampires, but
have you ever wondered what it would be like to be fifteen years old
forever? If so, I think you’ll find the vampire theme interesting.
I’ve always seen a parallel
between vampires and gays. Both are often forced to keep their true
nature hidden. Both are misunderstood. In The Soccer Field Is
Empty, Mark often compares himself to a vampire, living in fear
that the villagers will discover what he really is and drive a stake
through his heart. In VH, I explore this a bit further, by
bring a questioning youth into contact
with a creature of the night.
The Vampire’s Heart is my shortest novel,
but was also the most difficult to write. I’ve actually completed
five or six other novels while working on this one. I’d originally
planned it as the opening novel for an entire series that would
delve into the fantasy realm, but it will likely be the only vampire novel I write, unless a brilliant idea
comes my way. It’s an interesting departure from my other novels and
yet those who have read “The Gay Youth Chronicles” will find some
familiar things here.
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