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.

Cover Archive