Spies Can't Suck Blood!

A writing buddy was urging me to write about a vampire spy. "It's never been done before, Jenn, and you're going to have so much fun with the action and kickass stuff."

A vampire spy? And how is my spy going to get into meeting his spy duties that require daylight activities? Besides, I don't know how to write a paranormal.

My friend laughed, a ludicrous expression on her face. "What do you mean? There is no paranormal voice. You're going to have fun with it, trust me."

But there is such a thing. I don't exactly know how to explain it, but when I read a futuristic or a fantasy romance, there is a rhythm and a cadence that's very different from, let's say, my spy romances. I love futuristics and I read more of those than any other genre, so I know they are there. The rhythm and the cadence, I mean.

"Or maybe you're just afraid," my friend challenged. "You're so used to writing romantic suspense, you don't want to try something different. Come on, you write funny. I've seen you write funny. And there are funny vampire stories. You can write cynical and sexy. And there are cynical and sexy vampire stories. You can even write violent. So, if you want to, you can go really violent and bloody with your vampire. You're just against writing the vampires into your stories."

I have to laugh. My friend loves to try reverse psychology on me. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. She knows that I love vampire stories...been hooked since the lush days of Interview With A Vampire. She also knows I like a challenge.

It's not that I can't write a vampire spy. Oh, he's there, all juicy and angsty, ready for me to fillet. But it's the world-building that's tough for me, the whole background thing. It stops me every time.

I mean, I'm in awe of Joss Whedon, who created the worlds of Buffy and Angel. I loved Buffy so much I own all the seasons in DVD and let me tell you, I don't own any other DVDs. I love reading all the philosophical theses on the show that's about a teenage vampire slayer. Joss Whedon is a god ;-).

So how do I even think of creating a world that complicated and layered? And there is no way I could just sit and write a simple love story because there is no simplicity in my writing style. That I'm pretty sure of, if nothing else ;-). Already, my Cheat Sheet exercise, with time line and little COS and GEM details, is telling me that I'm a mad woman, with a diabolical mind. If I immerse myself into a vampire spy world...oh man, temptation, temptation! Madness will reign.

Madness. Hmm. A vampire spy who thinks that he's finally going mad...and needs a heroine, desperately. No, no, no, no, no. I will not be tempted! Do you think vampiric characters in the head are afraid of the cross? LOL.

I have very evil writing friends.

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