Having just attempted to read New Moon (I read Twilight last year), and having just decided NEVER AGAIN would I touch the Twilight series, I’m thinking about vampires.
As creatures, I love them. I think they can be very edgy and cool, and very metaphorical (sex, love, death, life, all of the above). However, I don’t love paranormal romance vampires with vapid girls in the lead role who CANNOT GET A #)$(*#)(*$ LIFE WITHOUT THEIR VAMPIRE. Holy crap, get outta my way.
In my own writing I could not do a vampire justice, but these people can. Read this blog, and not just for the wampyrs (and wampyr wuv).
(I cannot say I buy Brad Pitt or Tom Cruise as a wampyr, either, but i wuv them)