Could your neighbor, teacher, or friend, be other than what you think they are?
Well if you listen to many of today’s authors, they very well could be.
According to Lindsey Sands, Karrelyn Sparks, Maggie Shayne and many others, your next-door neighbor just might be a vampire, even if you see them during the day. Let’s see, they portrays them as doctors, authors, even business owner. Then there is Christine Feehan who has a popular band of Carpathians. Or what about Laurell K. Hamilton who has weres teaching our children? Also Lora Adrian and her breeds. Nalini Singh who has changelings and phy owning major businesses. And then there’s Katie MacAlister with her dragons and demons to contend with. Oh and let’s not forget Alexis Morgan’s Paladins and Alyssa Day’s Atlanteans. And of course you have Karen Moning describing the Tuatha de Danann as soul sucking monsters and me portraying them as sensual beings that walk among us.
One could fill a page with authors and how they depict vampires, weres, fae, dragons and the rest. But where do the ideas for these creatures come from? Much of it is from folklore.
It is said that myths are based on a portion in truth. So, is it possible we really do have vampires, were animals, dragons, fae and all the rest living next door? Is that guy next to you in the elevator or who passed you on the stairs really who you think he is? If one passed you in the street, would you know? When you hear that owl hoot or that wolf or coyote howl are they the real thing or could they be your neighbor?
How do you feel about that?
I much prefer the way many of today’s authors depict vamps and weres. I don’t think I would mind them living next to me if they didn’t drink me dry or eat me for lunch.
Over the next few weeks, I will be writing about some of that folklore as well as trying to get some of these authors to tell us how they came up with their idea for each creature. But in the meantime how do you feel about possibly having one of these creatures living next door?
