The idea behind Vampires Revealed was very self-indulgent. As a vampire fan I found most offerings (books and movies) left me with too many questions about vampires unanswered.
Questions like…
Who was the first vampire? How did that happen? Was it some sort of religious ceremony gone wrong? Did someone summon the wrong God and vampires were sent as a plague on mankind? Or was it the product of a God/human coupling gone wrong? Or something else entirely?
How does a blood-drinking body differ from a human body? After drinking so much blood, do they ever need to use a toilet?
Do they have a system of government, laws? What would supposed soulless demons consider ‘wrong’?
What do they really think of humans? Are humans only food?
Once I asked myself the first few questions so many more quickly followed. Okay, so now I had this huge list of vampire related questions, but I still didn’t have any answers.
Armed with an A4 page full of questions, I set off on my task of answering them. Cheerfully and with much self-satisfaction, I devised a way to explain vampire origins, anatomy, society, laws and lifestyles.
Giving careful consideration to these questions, a character began developing in my mind, a vampire, one who knew all the answers. And so, Bektamun was born, a 3000 year old vampire.
While I was congratulating myself on a job well done, I heard a voice screaming at me from somewhere far off in the distance. I looked around my office…nope, no one here but me and the cat. Where was this voice coming from? The voice was getting louder, “You’ve got it all wrong!” It was Bektamun. She is my guide, my muse and rules me with an iron fist.
Now before you grab the phone and call the loony bin to come lock me up, I must insist that I am not crazy. Well maybe I am a little bit crazy, because I ‘talk’ to my characters. It’s my way of developing them and getting to know them.
Using Bektamun as my guide, I was able to scrutinize vampire myth to see how it could relate to ‘actual’ vampires. She narrated the origins and history of her race and all facets of vampire society. She opened my eyes to an entirely new world; one where vampires are real and living among humans.
As I read through the first draft, I was shocked to discover that for every question answered, even more questions were raised.
For weeks Bektamun was my constant companion, sharing with me everything she knew about vampires and of the long life she had lived. She held nothing back and answered even my most simple and annoying questions. Oddly enough I found myself becoming quite fond of Bektamun.
After much hard work and ‘discussion’ Vampires Revealed was, for all intents and purposes, finished. Bektamun was certainly pleased with the outcome. There was something nagging at me, something was missing.
All the answers were there, my curiosity had been fully sated, but…I wanted more.
“MORE?!” Bektamun roared at me, “What MORE could you possibly want?”
Believe me when a vampire roars at you, you seriously consider whether you want to pursue your current course of action.
Humbly I explained we had collated a bunch of facts, that what the reader really wants is story, action and adventure. We needed examples and illustrations from her life which would help the facts come alive.
Once again Bektamun came up with the goods. Not only did she share more of her own personal experiences, she introduced me to other vampires and characters.
Sitting in my office tapping away at the keyboard, I was surrounded by vampires, good and evil, even a couple of humans. They all helped transform Vampires Revealed from a bunch of boring facts into people, places and events.
While I, Rebeka Harrington, am credited as the author; the real credit should go to Bektamun. Without her, Vampires Revealed would be a sorry attempt to explain the existence of vampires.
With Bektamun’s help I’ve been able to create, what I like to describe as, an autobiographical mocumentary. Vampires Revealed is a comprehensive piece of work on vampire myth, life and relations.
It was definitely hard work, but also a lot of fun to write. Bektamun and the characters she introduced me to have given me so many ideas for future works. I imagine it will be getting ‘crowded’ in my office over the coming months.
About Rebeka Harrington
Raised in country Victoria, Rebeka started her writing career working for the local newspaper as a teenager. While she decided not to pursue this as a career, she has always enjoyed writing and being creative
With so many varied interests and eclectic taste in most things, Rebeka enjoys incorporating all of them in her writing. She particularly enjoys writing about vampires.
Rebeka seeks to define and explain vampires in a way not done before. This has been achieved with her debut title Vampires Revealed. Following titles will revolve around exploring the world and characters created in her first release.
Currently Rebeka lives in Melbourne with her “demented” but lovable cat, dividing her time between writing and managing a small boutique entertainment agency.
You can contact Rebeka online:
Character Blog
Author Blog
“Leave behind your preconceived ideas, forget the horror stories and disregard everything you think you know about vampires.
For centuries the debate has raged; are vampires real? There has been plenty of myth and superstition regarding vampires but not a lot of truth or answers. In a unique piece of work, Bektamun a 3000 year old vampire, puts to rest all the myth and finally reveals the truth about the legendary creatures known across the globe as vampires.
Vampires Revealed is a journey of discovery. Never before have humans had and an opportunity such as this. To know the unadulterated truth, for every question you may have ever had about vampires to be answered”
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