Today we welcome John Vance to Bad Moon Rising! If you’re a fan of Bram Stoker’s Dracula (I am!), his book is right up your alley.
When Dr. Julian Hemmings agrees to apply the controversial techniques of his mentor Sigmund Freud to the deeply troubled Lucy Westenra, he begins a descent into a world of gothic horror that prompts his own self-analysis and a confrontation with long-suppressed passions that have affected his life since adolescence.
Set in London during the fall of 1897, In Mind of the Vampire draws context from Bram Stoker’s Dracula and features two of the main characters—Lucy Westenra and Mina Murray. But this novel is not a mere retelling of Stoker’s tale. Carefully researched and with the full flavor of late Victorian London, In Mind of the Vampire is a haunting tale of mystery, beauty, horror, and agonizing self-realization. Here one is transported to a beguiling and enthralling world where intellectual sophistication clashes with primal instincts and needs—leading to consequences that testify to the enduring and unalterable power of the imagination.
What’s the first story you ever wrote?
My own “Hardy Boys” story at age eight.
Which fictional character would you most like to meet and have a drink with?
Frankenstein’s Creature from Mary Shelley’s Novel (I’m serious)
In the spirit of Halloween, what scares you?
Physical Entrapment
Favorite hero and villain in a book/movie?
Hero: Jane Eyre Villain: Dorian Gray
What do you consider the hardest part of writing?
Avoiding too much progressive tense and repetition of pet phrases
What are you working on now?
“The King’s Favorite” historical mystery about the Restoration Court of Charles II (set in 1670)
A collection of three longish humorous tales “Men Behaving Badly, Barely”
“Christabel” (literary horror) a prose take on Coleridge’s famous poem
During his career as Professor of English at the University of Georgia, John Vance was the author of six books and numerous articles devoted to literary biography and criticism. He also began indulging his love of theater as actor, director, and playwright, with thirty-five staged plays to his credit. Now he has turned exclusively to fiction, and is the author of Death by Mournful Numbers, Echoes of November, and Convergences, with five other novels forthcoming from independent presses. He lives in Athens, Georgia with his wife Susan.
Contact Links
email: jvance@uga.edu
website: www.authorjohnvance.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/john.vance.524
Twitter: @Victorianvance
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