Friday, August 5, 2011

Guest Post: Karen Essex, author of Dracula in Love

Today I am pleased to bring you a witty and unique look into the world of Karen Essex's novel, Dracula in Love (my review), via a hypothetical phone interview written by the lovely Karen Essex. Thank you, Karen, for stopping by The Muse in the Fog Book Review as a part of your virtual book tour!


"In Dracula in Love, a new novel by Karen Essex, Mina Harker finally comes clean about what happened between her and a certain Count.  Ms. Harker agreed to a short telephone interview under the condition that she not be asked about her present identity or her life today.  Here is what the vampire’s eternal muse had to say:


Q:  Ms. Harker, journalists and vampire hunters have been trying to track you down for one hundred thirteen years.  Why did you choose now to come out with your own—and, may I say, startlingly different—version of the story?

Ms. Harker:  As you can imagine, I needed to wait until some people died, and in my circle, death can take a very long time, if it comes at all.  Also, for a long time, I thought my story too outlandish for the public to accept.  I did not wish to be scorned as a fantasist or attention seeker.  But whereas humans once shuddered at the very notion vampires, now more and more “normal” humans are fantasizing about becoming one.  The timing seemed perfect.

Besides, this is the age of the tell-all, so I am telling all; I’m just omitting the modern habit of going into rehab first.  I find this need to repent for, be cured of, and then confess one’s “transgressions,” a tedious aspect of today’s culture.  I prefer to keep a stiff Victorian upper lip.  I am telling my story; I am not confessing it.  Do you know the expression, “never complain, never explain?”  My version is “never repent, never recant.”

Q:  Well, I confess that I found some of your revelations surprising and shocking.  You didn’t hold back on the sexual exploits, did you?

Ms. Harker:  When I was a young woman back in the 1890s, women’s sexual pleasure was a taboo subject.  We do not want to return to those days, do we? 

Today’s world is drenched in sexual imagery.  I admit that I, too, have surfed the ‘net and seen its pervasive porn.  In such an environment, how could anyone find the erotic scenes with the man I love shocking?  Many of today’s vampire stories are written for young girls, and it would not be appropriate to expose those gentle maidens to the spectacular eroticism that one can experience with an immortal.  However, my story is for the more discriminating adult reader, who is bound to be curious about these delicious details.  Besides, my ghostwriter, Ms. Essex, tends to lean in that direction.  “God is in the details, Mina,” she always says.  “Don’t be shy.  Tell me more.”

Q:  Without revealing any spoilers, you take us on a journey that crosses centuries and introduces exotic mythological creatures into what used to be a traditional vampire tale.  Are we really to believe this hidden history of blood-drinking?

Ms. Harker:  Modern readers have no idea of the real roots of the vampire.  Bram Stoker gathered a lot of information, some of it true and some of it based on old wives’ tales.  He simplified a very complicated matter for easier public consumption, creating rules for the vampire’s creation and destruction.  Please!  As I say in the book, crosses and garlic have no power in the supernatural world! 

People love things served up in the form of good versus evil, though we all know that reality is always more complex.  There have always been sexy, scary blood-drinkers, and there have always been immortals—obviously.  I’m not going to explain it to you again.  You did read the book, didn’t you?

Q: Yes, and you do make a good case for the history of these immortal blood drinkers.  I just had no idea that it dated back to pre-biblical times.

Ms. Harker:  It predates Time itself, my dear.

Q: In Dracula in Love, you accuse your tormentors, who were the heroes of Mr. Stoker’s classic, of some appalling behavior.  How do we know that you are telling the truth, and moreover, how did he get your side of the story so wrong?

Ms. Harker:  Bram needed what you now call a “blockbuster.”  He had spent years and years as a theater manager living in the shadow of the actor Henry Irving.  He had written a few books that didn’t sell very well, and he was determined to reverse that.  Besides, he needed money!  And to be fair, he was completely under the spell of the man he named Van Helsing, who as you now know, had some very strange ideas about blood and about women!  I don’t hold any grudges.  Men of that era had absolutely no clue into the female psyche, nor did they want one.  Today’s men are much more understanding.

As to my telling the truth, well, madam, you did not live in the 19th century!   I decided to reveal what life really was like back then.  “Career” women like you were considered freaks.  You have no idea of how “fallen” women were treated.  Despite all of that, I miss those days—candlelit rooms, feather beds, soft velvet gowns, satin gloves, not to mention the beautiful lingerie.  Don’t get me started!  As you know, sometimes the forbidden enhances eroticism…or is that all lost now?

Q:  Why did allow Ms. Essex to call the book Dracula in Love when it really is your story?  Why not Mina in Love?

Ms. Harker:  I’m a little miffed about that.  I thought I was being clever, telling my story at a time when the world has a mania for vampires, and when women have made unprecedented gains.  I gave the story to a writer known for retelling the stories of history’s misunderstood women, and I certainly have been one of those.  But she sat me down and explained that, feminism be damned, the Count is still the bigger draw—at the box office, on bookshelves, everywhere!  “Face it, Mina, in the eyes of the public, you’re nothing without him.”  Indeed!  I don’t want to imply that he and I are competitive with each other; we’re not.  I was just hoping that in the 21st century, a woman could get equal billing. 

I guess I’ll have to wait another hundred years. 

Q:  Whoa, are you saying that you and he are still together…that he is still…but at the end of the story….

Ms. Harker (interrupts):  This interview is now over. (Click.)"
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To visit Karen and learn more about her work, please visit her at:


Dracula In Love Tour Schedule...

Tuesday, July 5th

Review at The Book Buff
Author Guest Post at Book Flame

Wednesday, July 6th

Review at Book Flame

Thursday, July 7th

Author Guest Post at The Book Buff

Friday, July 8th

Author Guest Post & Giveaway at To Read or Not to Read

Monday, July 11th

Author Guest Post & Giveaway at The Bibliophilic Book Blog

Tuesday, July 12th

Author Guest Post & Giveaway at One Book Shy of a Full Shelf

Wednesday, July 13th

Review at The Bibliophilic Book Blog
Thursday, July 14th

Book Highlight at Books Devoured

Friday, July 15th

Author Guest Post & Giveaway at Let Them Read Books

Monday, July 18th


Tuesday, July 19th

Author Guest Post & Giveaway at Tina's Book Reviews

Thursday, July 21st

Author Guest Post at Jenny Loves to Read

Friday, July 22nd

Review at My Reading Room
Author Guest Post & Giveaway at Just One More Paragraph

Monday, July 25th

Author Interview & Giveaway at All Things Historical Fiction

Tuesday, July 26th

Review at Book Rat
Review & Giveaway at Book Reviews by Molly
Review at Tina's Book Reviews

Wednesday, July 27th

Author Interview & Giveaway at Book Rat

Thursday, July 28th


Friday, July 29th

Author Guest Post & Giveaway at Broken Teepee

Monday, August 1st

Author Guest Post at Debbie's Book Bag
Review at Broken Teepee
Review & Giveaway at From the TBR Pile

Tuesday, August 2nd

Author Guest Post & Giveaway at vvb32 reads

Wednesday, August 3rd


Thursday, August 4th

Author Interview & Giveaway at P.S. I Love Books
Author Guest Post at My Reading Room

Friday, August 5th

Author Guest Post at The Muse in the Fog Book Review

Monday, August 8th


Tuesday, August 9th

Review at vvb32 reads
Author Guest Post & Giveaway at Black Lagoon Reviews





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1 comment:

Unknown said...

Wow. I love this post!!!