The Vampire Romance Novel
Romance and Horror: A Popluar Genre in Women's Fiction
The vampire romance novel is gaining ground with readers as they explore the sensitive side of the dark creature.
One of the fastest growing segments of the romance genre is the vampire romance novel. These use elements of both romance and horror to weave together a story that touches on the some of the instincts central to many women. Romance and the classic happy ending are standard parts of the romance novel, but there’s another side to most women that is catered to by vampire romance novels.
The Vampire Hero
The bad boy is one of the archetypes of fiction that has endured throughout centuries of romantic novels. The bad seed with the potential for redemption, if he meets the right woman, touch some part of the female psyche that seeks out the guy in the leather jacket. In romance books, motorcycle riders, tough guys, and now vampires, are bad boys with a secret. Though they project an enduring strength, they have an inner turmoil born from sensitivity. A sensitive guy with a tough outer shell makes a great romance hero, being neither too weak to be the subject of interest nor too bad to make him unlikable.
The Anne Rice Vampire
When Anne Rice began writing about vampires in the 70's, she created a sensuous creature driven by love and desire. Vampires had always been viewed as dapper creatures, but this new dimension made the subject of vampires explode within several fiction genres. In the last decade, vampire novels have grown to encompass many subcategories of fiction, including an entire subset of romance novels.
The new vampires often act much like the dark, brooding vampires of Anne Rice novels. They have base instincts that make it difficult for a moral to have a relationship with them, but they are nothing if not redeemable. Having a romance with a vampire tests the heroine in many ways and ultimately makes her a stronger person. Resisting temptation and fighting off bad guys usually are components, both of which are of general interest to women.
The Romantic Vampire
Part of the appeal of the romantic vampire is that the sensitive feelings of these stereotypically evil creatures are in direct opposition to their perceived nature. Other romantic heroes fit this mold as well, including the cowboy, who makes up another romance subcategory. Policemen, FBI agents and billionaires all keep up a tough image while romancing the heroine with their hidden sensitive nature. As the vampire subgenre continues to gain readers, more writers are creating vampire heroes for the legions of fans. Every month new writers are joining Laurell K. Hamilton, the biggest name in vampire romance, to create new vampiric worlds.
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