Asa Bailey's Blog

Thomas M. Hewlett seeking out the nearest coffee shop in Silver Lake, CA, September 25, 2019. Picture: Khanh Ho.

One Death at a Time
by Thomas M. Hewlett
RunTogetherWords Publishing, US$8.99 (Kindle)
Published November 21, 2013

Reviewed from e-copy

One Death at a Time is an urban fantasy with a detective noir underbelly, as such it suits the first person, present tense, which so often accompanies the urban fantasy genre without necessarily working.

The book starts with detective and vampire, Jack Strayhorn, on a missing persons case when his missing person winds up dead along with a councilman (who, we then discover, is one of the fae).

This is urban fantasy in which the supernatural creatures hide in plain sight, in the book we come across fae, vampires, werewolves and (briefly) a witch. Of course, it is the vampires that we are interested in and Hewlett introduces us to unusual lore. These vampires walk in daylight (though they are weaker) and enough damage to head or heart will kill them.

It is how the vampires come to be that was fascinating. Certain persons are predisposed to being vampires and, on death, they turn, jack was a dirty, drunken cop who was murdered during the Black Dahlia investigation. Of course, he awoke before his body was found and his new urges, along with drinking to blackout, eventually had him hunted as a killer cop.

Interestingly the book suggests that AA was invented by vampires for vampires (their work with human drunks allow them to hide in plain sight, with vampire only meetings allowing the vampires to work on their addiction). Prior to this most vampires, who have a constant urge to attack, kill and drink, didn’t last very long.

We also get a vampire religious cult, the Order of the Holy Dead, who seem to be manipulating things in the background and believe they rule the vampires. They have “elect”, vampires who kill for them, and they believe Jack to be one of these, listed as such in the Book of Life. This mystical tome also, they claim, contains the names of all those who is to become a vampire.

The writing in this is crisp, sharp and dripping with that hard-boiled noir the story demands. If I had a complaint it is probably around the fact that the supernatural peril that stalks Jack seems so powerful that one would have thought it would have dealt with him through the investigation—but perhaps we’ll discover more about this in book two.

The character of Jack is very well drawn, his battle with dependency is brilliantly and believably drawn—the author drawing on his own past. 7 out of 10, a very good start to the series.

One Death at a Time, the first book in the Twelve Stakes series, is now published under the Twelve Stakes Publishing imprint and available on Kindle. A paperback version was published on August 5, 2016.

You can follow Thomas on Twitter and Instagram.

“Vampires Occur Everywhere”: An example of the meme shared on social media. Picture: Facebook/Thomas Broadbent.

The meme reads: “Vampires occur everywhere, but in busy cities no one notices.” You’ve probably seen it on Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest—or even on t-shirts and other merch. But where does the quote come from?

Popular quote (1). A reverse image search of the image turns up multiple appearances of the meme on social media. Picture: Anthony Hogg.Popular quote (2). The “Vampires occur everywhere” quote also appears on various merchandise. Picture: Anthony Hogg.

The quote is attributed to Matthew Schofield, but who is he? A vampire expert? Is it taken from one of his books?

No. The line comes from an article Schofield—a freelance copyright and content writer—wrote in 2004, picked up by Knight Ridder Newspapers (now McClatchy Newspapers), then published under various titles.

I’m not sure which newspaper first published Schofield’s story—so, I asked him. He said: “It was written for Knight Ridder, But also was sent out on the Knight Ridder/Tribune wire service. I only Ever saw it in print in an Australian newspaper.”

Whatever the specific first appearance was, his article concerned the reaction of villagers to the Romanian State Police’s pursuit of the people involved in the exhumation of “Toma Petre.”

A resident of the Romanian village of Marotinu de Sus, Petre was suspected of becoming a “strigoi” after death. So, his relatives handled his alleged predations in the only way they knew: dug him up, cut out his heart, burned it, then drank the ashes mixed with water.

The reactions, however, were not centred on the exhumation, but on the police involvement: “‘What did we do?’ pleaded Flora Marinescu, Petre’s sister and the wife of the man accused of rekilling him. ‘If they’re right, he was already dead. If we’re right, we killed a vampire and saved three lives. … Is that so wrong?'”

The quote embedded in the meme stems from a throwaway line in Schofield’s article:

On a recent afternoon, the village’s single store, which also serves as its bar, was filled with men drinking hard as they explained the vampire facts. Most had at least one vampire in their family histories, and many were related to vampire victims. Most had learned to kill a vampire while children.

Theirs is not a Hollywood tale, and they laugh at Hollywood conventions: that vampires can be warded off by crosses or cloves of garlic, or that they can’t be seen in mirrors. Utter nonsense.

Vampires were once Catholics, were they not? And if a vampire can be seen, the mirror can see him. And why would you wear garlic around your neck? Are you adding taste?

No, vampires are humans who have died, commonly babies before baptism or people unfortunate enough to have black cats jump over their coffins. Vampires occur everywhere, but in busy cities no one notices, the men said. [my italics]

I’m not sure if Schofield—or the men quoted—knew it, but the observation echoes one made by French philosopher, Voltaire, in 1772: “It was in Poland, Hungary, Silesia, Moravia, Austria, and Lorraine, that the dead made this good cheer. We never heard speak of vampires in London, nor even at Paris. I confess, that in both these cities there were stock-jobbers, brokers, and men of business, who sucked the blood of the people in broad day-light; but they were not dead, though corrupted. These true suckers lived not in cemeteries, but in very agreeable places.” (my italics)

However, the contrast between these observations couldn’t be more stark: Voltaire was being sarcastic, but these men meant it.

Images“Vampires Occur Everywhere”: Thomas Broadbent, “This Week’s Vampy Quote,” Facebook, June 24, 2020, https://www.facebook.com/groups/234537616649976/permalink/2484517588318623.
Popular quote (1): Google reverse image screenshot by the author, taken on June 29, 2020, of the meme’s appearance in Country Living Staff, “20 Best Vampire Quotes You Can Really Sink Your Teeth Into This Halloween,” Country Living, October 9, 2019, https://www.countryliving.com/life/g28452084/vampire-quotes/?slide=10.
Popular quote (2): Screenshot of Google image search by the author, taken on June 29, 2020.Notespublished under various titles: Examples include Matthew Schofield, “When a Garlic Clove or Cross Isn’t Enough,” Lincoln Journal Star, March 30, 2004, https://journalstar.com/news/national/when-a-garlic-clove-or-cross-isnt-enough/article_b251d262-2498-5d4d-89b4-c5904ede5d2e.html; “Romanian Villagers Decry Police Investigation into Vampire Slaying,” mcclatchydc.com, March 31, 2004, updated July 7, 2010, https://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/world/article24587203.html; “Villagers Question Probe of Ritual Vampire Slaying,” Houston Chronicle, April 4, 2004, https://www.chron.com/news/nation-world/article/Villagers-question-probe-of-ritual-vampire-slaying-1984393.php; and “Vampires: An Ancient Terror Lives On,” Edmonton Journal, April 7, 2004, Newspapers.com.
“It was written for Knight Ridder”: Matthew Schofield, June 27, 2020, reply to Anthony Hogg, “Which paper first published your story on the vampire exhumation in Marotinu de Sus, Romania?,” Quora, https://www.quora.com/Which-paper-first-published-your-story-on-the-vampire-exhumation-in-Marotinu-de-Sus-Romania/answer/Matthew-Schofield-6.
the exhumation of “Toma Petre”: The name appears under multiple variants. For instance, it’s “Toma Petrica” in Rob Brautigam, “The Vampire of Marotinu de Sus,” WWW.SHROUDEATER.COM, last changed November 2011, https://www.shroudeater.com/cmarotin.htm; and “Petre Toma” in Daniel McLaughlin, “A Village Still in Thrall to Dracula,” Guardian (Manchester), June 19, 2005, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/jun/19/theobserver.
“It was in Poland [. . .]”: Voltaire, A Philosophical Dictionary, [trans. J. G. Gurton] (London: Printed for John and Henry L. Hunt, 1824), 6:305, https://books.google.com.au/books?id=f9MGAAAAQAAJ. The original reads “C’était en Pologne, en Hongrie, en Silésie, en Moravie , en Autriche, en Lorraine, que les morts sesaient cette bonne chère. On n’entendait point parler de vampires à Londres, ni même à Paris. J’avoue que dans ces deux villes il y eut des agioteurs, des traitants, des gens d’affaires, qui sucèrent en plein jour le sang du peuple, mais ils n’étaient point morts , quoique corrompus. Ces suceurs véritables ne demeuraient pas dans des cimetières, mais dans des palais fort agréables.” [des Amateurs, pseud.], Questions sur l’Encyclopedie (n.p., 1772), pt. 9:311, https://books.google.com.au/books?id=GSQHAAAAQAAJ.

If you enjoyed reading about this find, you might also like:

Anthony Hogg, “Vampire Picture Mystery—Solved!” Vamped, January 28, 2014, https://vamped.org/2014/01/28/vampire-picture-mystery-solved.

Nancy Kilpatrick, in self-portrait shot, taken with camera timer at night against a black background, outdoors, with flash, ca. 2015. Digitally altered by Kilpatrick to darken background. Picture: Nancy Kilpatrick.

Sacrifice of the Hybrid Princess
by Nancy Kilpatrick
Macabre Ink, an imprint of Crossroad Press, US$4.99 (Kindle)
Published September 5, 2017

Edition for review: e-book

Sequel to Revenge of the Vampir King, this is the second in Kilpatrick’s Thrones of Blood series and takes place long enough after the first book that Moarte and Valada, the protagonists of the first volume, have had a child (and subsequently Valada has been turned vampir) who turns eighteen during this volume.

The Princess Serene is the hybrid mentioned within the title. Although aged, the sapiens king of the first book is primary antagonist again.

I mentioned in the previous review the whispering ghosts, and as this book starts one believes that mystery will be solved, unfortunately that is a tease and the thrust of the novel is the redemption of a spoilt member of royalty.

If I had to complain it would be that I felt that switches in the title character’s personality were to swift, perhaps too fickle and it made the character a little unbelievable, at least at first.

Ultimately, she does undergo quite a tortuous journey and the book, like the first, contains many sexual scenes, including bondage, incest and sexual assault/violence.

It becomes interesting to note the teasing of the background. I mentioned previously that, whilst on the surface this feels like a fantasy setting, it appears we are in an alternate history. In this we certainly get to see a little more of that—including the sapiens use of electricity.

We also get to see a little bit of the wider world—meeting other sapiens rulers and vampir rulers.

However, despite my reservation about the title character’s fickleness, the writing is again as strong, generally, as one would expect from the author and the book draws us along.

The series is strong, the setting unusual and the vampires are a unique breed in this world. 7 out of 10.

Sacrifice of the Hybrid Princess, the second volume in the Thrones of Blood series, is available on Kindle, paperback (November 21, 2017) and hardback (November 27, 2017) formats on Amazon.

Read Andy’s review of the first book, Revenge of the Vampir King, here:

“Great Start to a Series: Nancy Kilpatrick’s Latest Vampire Novel” (March 25, 2017)

For more information on the book and the author, visit nancykilpatrick.com.

CorrectionsApril 23, 2020Publisher changed from “Macabre Ink” to “Macabre Ink, an imprint of Crossroad Press.” Price changed from US$3.97 (Amazon price) to US$4.99; the price featured on the Crossroads Press website, which should have been the first point of reference. Book prices for reviews are derived from the publisher site as a baseline, to avoid price fluctuations due to periodic discounts.

Happy 5oth! The front page story that “birthed” the Highgate Vampire: “Does a Wampyr Walk in Highgate?” Hampstead & Highgate Express, Feb. 27, 1970, 1. Source: Camden Archive/Sam Perrin.

Today marks the fiftieth anniversary of the Highgate Vampire’s “birth.”

In the lead up, the Hampstead & Highgate Express had published a series of letters from correspondents discussing ghost encounters and reflections on these reports.

But the narrative took a decidedly sinister turn on February 27, 1970, when the paper asked “Does a Wampyr Walk in Highgate?” on its front page:

WE DON’T want to frighten you, but the ghost of Highgate Cemetery might be a . . vampire.

So says [. . .] Sean Manchester, president of the British Occult Society. He claims to have carried out “extensive research and investigation into the matter.”

Mr. Manchester, a 25-year-old photographer, said: “The phenomenon reported by Highgate people in letters to the Ham and High is not merely the apparition of an earth-bound spirit, which is relatively harmless, but much worse – that of a wampyr or, as it is more popularly known, a vampire.”

Manchester’s vampire theory captured the public’s imagination. On March 13, 1970, the cemetery was raided by almost a hundred people searching for the vampire.

Manchester went on to make a series of dubious claims about his investigation into the vampire, helping the spread of a modern-day legend.

To celebrate the vampire’s birthday, I’d like to share this excellent documentary about the Highgate Vampire from Uncovered, a YouTube channel specialising in conspiracy theory videos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCPwq...A genuinely good documentary about the Highgate Vampire case. Uncovered, “WE HUNTED THE HIGHGATE CEMETERY VAMPIRE! | In Plain Sight,” YouTube Video, 29:20, November 1, 2019, https://youtu.be/FCPwq2a8IoQ. Originally titled “The Vampire of Highgate Cemetery In Plain Sight.”

Fortunately, this documentary avoided the usual sensationalism associated with the genre.

My Vamped colleague, Erin Chapman, and I were quite impressed with the filmmakers’ thoroughness. They visited the right locations for the vampire’s supposed sightings and reposes, and covered the story reasonably well.

It was also great to see so many places we have written about come to life on film. It’s one thing to read about something, another to see it.

However, we weren’t so impressed by how familiar their research seemed. Although Vamped is given a verbal credit near the end of the video (29:05), it was pretty obvious their presentation rested heavily on our coverage of the case.

Adding weight to this theory is my LinkedIn correspondence on with Robin McConnell, a producer of the video who also “stars” in the film (he’s the one with the shorts).

Our primary correspondence spanned July 27–30, 2019. I contacted Robin after noticing Manchester railing against him on his Facebook groups. On July 27, I kicked off with this:

Hi Robin. I hear you’re interested in making a documentary on the Highgate Vampire? I would be happy to assist.

I co-wrote the following article with my colleague [Erin Chapman]: https://vamped.org/2015/02/27/5-reaso... , run a blog on the case and I’ve been interviewed for it, too.

Robin replied on July 28, thanking me for messaging him adding “it’s a pleasant surprise – in fact I have been reading vamped.org while carrying out research so I am familiar with your work already.”

There was some talk of an interview with me, but, for whatever reason that never transpired.

I also recommended he speak to Redmond McWilliams, founder of the Highgate Cemetery Vampire Appreciation Facebook group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/thcvas) and Paul Adams, author of Written in Blood: A Cultural History of the British Vampire (2013). He seemed pretty keen on contacting them.

However, it does seem that Vamped was a primary source for material. Further evidence of my assertion can be found in Robin’s July 30 message: “When we (eventually) have the final cut locked down, would you mind if I named you and your colleagues at vamped.org as a source?”

“I’m certainly happy to be cited as a source,” I replied later that day.

But after the documentary was released, Erin and I felt our site deserved more than just a shout-out; we wanted a link to our article to be added to the video description. That, to us, would be a proper credit.

Erin made several requests in the video’s YouTube comment section. All went unanswered.

I emailed the Uncovered YouTube channel on December 4, 2019. No reply.

I contacted McConnell through LinkedIn on December 18, 2019:

Hi Robin, did you do the In Plain Sight video? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCPwq...

If so, excellent work! I’m very surprised you were able to access all those areas. But I have a request: could you put a link to our Vamped article in the video description? Preferably formatted this way:

Erin Chapman, “5 Reasons Why a Wampyr Didn’t Walk in Highgate Cemetery,” Vamped, February 27, 2015, https://vamped.org/2015/02/27/5-reaso....

I can see that you guys used a significant amount of our research to retrace the steps. And that was such an honour, but we would also hugely appreciate it if your viewers could read our work, too.

Looking forward to hearing back from you soon.

Nada.

But there was something else surprised us about the video, too: how they were even able to film it on location in the first place.

The cemetery, once plagued by vandalism, tomb desecration, vampire hunters and the remnants of satanic rituals, was salvaged by the Friends of Highgate Cemetery, an organisation that formed “to  promote  the  conservation  of  the  cemetery,   its  monuments  and  buildings,   flora  and  fauna,   for  the  benefit  of  the  public  as  an  environmental  amenity” in 1975.

Within the context of these preservation efforts, it’s no surprise talking about the vampire there is generally frowned on. Sue Bailey mentions this in her 2002 London Cemeteries blog post:

Each volunteer guide will take you on a slightly different tour, depending on their own preferences and which parts of the cemetery are currently accessible. More is visible beneath the trees in the autumn, but the ground underfoot is more treacherous. It is a journey to be planned like a military campaign. And don’t mention the vampire. They get very upset if you mention the vampire.

Cemetery hostility to the vampire story is still evident years later, as detailed in Della Farrant’s 2013 article about visiting the cemetery:

It is only fair to warn readers that unlike many other working cemeteries, Highgate Cemetery considers ‘ghost’ to be as dirty a word as ‘vampire’ as you can see during this [“this” hyperlinks to Guest Writer, “Secrets of a Highgate Tour Guide,” Spooky Isles, January 28, 2012, https://www.spookyisles.com/highgate-tour-guide-secrets] to  rather vicious condemnation of a former tour guide by a current one for daring to publicly acknowledge the possibility that the cemetery might be haunted – in this instance by a harmless little dog!  So if you are planning to visit the cemetery do yourself a favour and don’t mention the undead!!! Apparently the guides are slowly getting more relaxed with the subject of the supernatural, but one takes pot luck and you probably won’t get a refund if you get kicked out.  However also bear in mind that not everyone who visits the cemetery is on a tour – some are visiting the graves of relatives and might not appreciate overhearing conversations about the paranormal in such a context. And imagine the frustration of a volunteer who has spent years studying the biographies of notables buried in the cemetery, only to be asked where Dracula is buried.  It’s a tricky one, folks!

That’s why we were surprised to see the extensive location shoots in the documentary. After all, that leaves us with some intriguing possibilities.

Have the cemetery keepers finally loosened up on the Highgate Vampire? Are tour guides now able to discuss the vampire freely? Can you now film vampire documentaries there?

There’s one way to find out. Earlier today, I emailed the cemetery for comment…

Notes “WE DON’T want to frighten you”: “Does a Wampyr Walk in Highgate?,” Hampstead & Highgate Express, Feburary 27, 1970, 1. This headline inspired the name of an MSN Groups forum I created in 2006, later becoming a blog of the same name: Did a Wampyr Walk in Highgate? (http://dawwih.blogspot.com).
the cemetery was raided by almost one hundred people: “Satan Riddle of Open Tomb,” Evening News (London), March 14, 1970, 1.
a series of dubious claims about his investigation: For comprehensive analyses of these claims, see Erin Chapman, “5 Reasons Why a Wampyr Didn’t Walk in Highgate Cemetery,” Vamped, February 27, 2015, https://vamped.org/2015/02/27/5-reasons-why-a-wampyr-didnt-walk-in-highgate-cemetery/; and Anthony Hogg, “An Interesting Find,” Did a Wampyr Walk in Highgate? (blog), January 21, 2012, http://dawwih.blogspot.com/2012/01/interesting-find.html.
“I co-wrote the following article”: My byline does not appear on “5 Reasons Why a Wampyr Didn’t Walk in Highgate Cemetery” because the website’s theme did not have this functionality, so it was left as Erin’s as the initial article was hers, before the rewrite, and she did the field research.
He seemed pretty keen on contacting them: McWilliams told me he had not been contacted by McConnell or anyone involved in the documentary (Facebook message to the author, February 27, 2020). Adams confirmed he had been contacted by McConnell “but nothing came of it and I was not involved in the video or spoke to him about HV [sic; the Highgate Vampire]” (email message to the author, February 27, 2020).
“to  promote  the  conservation  of  the  cemetery”: Quoted in Justin Bickersteth, “History,” Highgate Cemetery, accessed February 27, 2020, https://highgatecemetery.org/about/history.
“Each volunteer guide will take you on a slightly different tour”: [Bailey], “Highgate Cemetery, West Side,” London Cemeteries (blog), March 12, 2002, http://londoncemeteries.co.uk/2002/03/12/highgate-cemetery-west-side.
“It is only fair to warn readers”: Farrant, “Highgate Cemetery West,” Hidden Highgate, October 23, 2013, https://hidden-highgate.org/highgate-cemetery-west.Featured Image

“The creeping moss and brooding tombs in Highgate Cemetery breed good reason for the rumors of a vampire lurking around.” Photo from JEBradstreet, “Something About a Cemetery….,” Angels of Light Paranormal Society (blog), July 13, 2019, http://alpsyubasutter.blogspot.com/2019/07/something-about-cemetery.html.

We are still interested in hearing from people who experienced attacks from the Highgate Vampire, particularly Elizabeth Wojdyla and Jacqueline Cooper.

If you wish our correspondence to be off the record, we will accept those terms.

For further information, see Anthony Hogg, “If You Were Bitten by the Highgate Vampire, We Want to Hear from You,” Vamped, February 27, 2016, https://vamped.org/2016/02/27/if-you-were-bitten-by-the-highgate-vampire-we-want-to-hear-from-you.

Jerry Knaak at a Barnes & Noble, Arden Fair, book signing in Sacramento, CA, on April 20, 2019. Picture: Angi Knaak.

The Dark Descent
by Jerry Knaak
Trifecta Publishing House, US$14.99 (paperback)
Published April 20, 2018

Version reviewed: e-format provided by author

I did enjoy the first book in Jerry Knaak’s series, mostly due to the unrepentantly homicidal (and very thirsty) vampire Elizabeth Rubis.

However, the idea of her sustaining a series felt like one where the author needed to expand the novel’s outlook to sustain the series.

Whilst one had to take her shenanigan’s with a huge pinch of poetic licence one felt that the series would flounder without a broader viewpoint as it went forward.

Happily it seems the author concurred and so we see a wider world of nocturnal predators and those driven to hunt them. As Elizabeth starts to discover more about herself (she is identified as a vrykolakas) the reader is left with the impression that it is the vampire’s human ethnicity that dictates the form of undead they will take.

We have mentioned the lidéric, the rakshasas, kappas, lampirs, vjesci and dearg-dul as known vampire types (the hunter we meet has trained in multiple faiths and can battle multiple undead types).

Elizabeth certainly doesn’t discover all about herself but she seems to draw certain types of creatures to herself (beyond her stalker cat from her human life) including bats and spiders (amongst many).

She can control said creatures and see through their eyes. She can create storms – a phenomenon dependent on her emotional state—and turn into a wolf or a bat. She has garlic aversion and most definitely an aversion to Christian iconography.

It is also clear that she is something more than a common vrykolakas, though what is not revealed.

This was as much fun as the first book but expanded its horizons and, in doing so, offered the series that little bit of staying power it needed going forward. 7 out of 10.

The Dark Descent, the second book in the Dark Passage series, is available in paperback and Kindle formats on Amazon. First published on Kindle, April 23, 2018.

Read Andy’s review of the first book here:

Book One: “‘A Great Series Starter’: Jerry Knaak’s Debut Vampire Novel” (September 12, 2019)

For more information on the book and the author, visit jerryknaak.com.

These cute little guys are available for the holidays and can be purchased at

It’s that time of year again folks! Emotionally, this year has been a bit of a rollercoaster for me. As Christmas and the New Year approach, I am glad to see 2019 in my rearview mirror.

As many of my friends know, I was devastated when my grandmother passed away in May after a lengthy illness. Later in the year, a friend passed away in July. This happened after a difficult 2018 where my pet of 22 years passed away and the start of my grandma’s illness. I also changed careers after nine and a half years at the same job. It has been stressful.

Despite everything, I had more time to prepare this Christmas than last year, but when it came to my annual Christmas post, I was lacking inspiration. I scoured YouTube and the internet and only found a few tidbits to share.

As I browsed YouTube for vampire videos, I decided that I would create my own video. This way I could include what I like. Before we watch my Christmas gift to you, we will check out a couple of videos.

A Vampire Christmas!

[su_youtube url=”https://youtu.be/GPJrell4LzY” responsive=”yes” autoplay=”no”]

After all the sanguinarian research I did this year, this video totally made me laugh. What could be more amusing than vampires sitting on Nosferstu Santa’s lap, asking for a specific blood type for Christmas?

Notes:

“A Vampire Christmas!,” YouTube video, 6:37, posted by Ebola Entertainment, June 27, 2018, accessed Dec. 22, 2019, https://youtu.be/GPJrell4LzY. all the sanguinarian research I did this year: Erin Chapman, “The Sanguinarian Survey Results Are In,” Vamped, December 19, 2019, accessed December 22, 2019, https://vamped.org/2019/12/19/the-sanguinarian-survey-results-are-in/.A Nosferatu Christmas

[su_youtube url=”https://youtu.be/nVd0FO2lZQM” responsive=”yes” autoplay=”no”]

Staying with the whole Nosferatu theme from the previous video, here we check out what would happen if you had Nosferatu for a roommate! A woman gets called into work for a last minute shift and leaves him in charge of prepping for her Christmas party. Life is full of surprises!

Notes:

“A Nosferatu Christmas,” YouTube video, 7:39, posted by Fat and Funny Chicago, December 19, 2017, accessed December 23, 2019, https://youtu.be/nVd0FO2lZQM. Merry Christmas From Vamped 2019

[su_youtube url=”https://youtu.be/q2M1CYFsCs4″ responsive=”yes” autoplay=”no”]

I decided to track down vampire movie and tv clips and splice them together with some Mariah Carey. I wanted the video to represent vampires having a good time over the holiday season. Considering I finished it in one night I was pretty proud of myself.

I hope you enjoyed these Christmas treats and on behalf of Vamped, I would like to wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and happy New Year!

Notes:

a friend passed away in July: Erin Chapman, “Remembering Rosemary Ellen Guiley,” Vamped, July 25, 2019, accessed December 23, 2019, https://vamped.org/2019/07/25/remembering-rosemary-ellen-guiley/. after a difficult 2018: Erin Chapman, “The Death of Vampire Classifieds,” Vamped, October 20, 2018, accessed December 23, 2019, https://vamped.org/2018/10/20/the-death-of-vampire-classifieds/.Feature image, Creepy Christmas Vampire Ornaments, by .

Got blood? Many sanguinarians drink animal or human blood for health reasons. Picture: Photos.com.

Earlier this year, I spent months preparing my Sanguinarian Survey and finally released it on September 9, 2019. The survey was kept open for respondents until October 28, 2019. This allowed me to collect data for 50 days.

For those of you that don’t know, sanguinarians are people that drink human or animal blood for health reasons. The purpose of my survey was:

to identify similarities and patterns concerning diet, health conditions, and lifestyle habits of sanguinarians—or “vampires”—within the Vampire Community, specifically those who consume human and/or animal blood and experience notable health benefits. 

By analysing the data collected, I hope to determine statistical patterns that will provide a greater understanding of why consuming human and/or animal blood improves health conditions for certain people, providing a possible avenue for further examination by medical professionals and researchers.

Sanguinarian Survey 2019

Sanguinarians and members of the online vampire community are usually very private people and keep their blood drinking habits to themselves. I knew this would make getting respondents challenging, but I didn’t let it discourage me. Secretly, I was hoping to get 100 respondents for the survey and I ended up with 73. I was still super happy with this amount.

The entire report is a 110 pages and can be downloaded from my personal website. I kept the data raw as I am not a medical professional and therefore not qualified to interpret it.

I reached out to Dr. Tomas Ganz, who is Professor of Medicine and Pathology at UCLA, and a Principal Investigator at the UCLA Center for Iron Disorders and asked what he thought of the data collected. He provided a response that I included in the final published report.

I hope everyone takes the time to read the report in its entirety, but in case you don’t, below are some key findings from the executive summary:

Age of respondents varied from being born in 1966 to 200141.10% identified as either bisexual or pansexual73.97% are from the USA67.12% suffered from musculoskeletal problems like headaches61.64% suffered from musculoskeletal problems like joint pain41.10% suffered from skin problems like extremely sensitive skin54.79% suffered from cardiovascular problems like cold hands or feet32.88% suffered from respiratory problems like shortness of breath34.25% suffered from impaired vision64.38% suffered from neurological problems like depression63.01% suffered from neurological problems like fatigue53.42% suffered from neurological problems like exhaustion49.32% see a doctor for treatment of any medical conditions46.58% eat a well-balanced diet with all major food groups89.04% consume meat on a weekly basis36.99% have adverse reactions to dairy39.73 have other family members with food sensitivities or allergies57.53% have digestive problems like stomach pain53.42% have digestive problems like stomach cramps52.05% have digestive problems like nausea41.10% have immune problems like allergies39.73% have trouble sleeping at night45.21% have trouble falling asleep68.86% say personal reasons cause them stress in their life60.27% say financial reasons cause them stress in their life64.38% have used marijuana recreationally before67.12% have experienced a psychological trauma in the last 5 years52.05% drink only human blood42.47% drink both animal and human blood93.15% consume blood through consensual arrangement with human donors46.58% have an intimate relationship with their donor61.64% have their significant other as their donor78.08% make sure their donors are tested43.84% have been anemic76.71% have never told their doctor they drink blood

The report includes an acknowledgement section, but I would like to personally thank everyone in the online vampire community that participated in the survey. This survey wouldn’t have been possible without your feedback! Reading some of your kind comments at the end of the survey warmed my heart.

Now that I have a more defined scope of the conditions that affect sanguinarians, I am going to continue my research in 2020. I plan to administer more targeted surveys. I hope that as time goes on, more sanguinarians will choose to participate. The higher amount of respondents, means that better data will be collected.

More research will create a better awareness of this condition and more understanding from others. My ultimate goal would be to see funded studies on the topic.

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank everyone that helped distribute the survey and Anthony Hogg and Dea Schofield for assisting with the editing process. Lastly, thank you to Dr. Tomas Ganz for always responding to my many emails and questions over the last few years. Your educational experience has been such a valuable tool in this entire research process.

Notes I spent months preparing my Sanguinarian Survey: Erin Chapman, “Drink Blood? Sanguinarians Wanted for Survey,” Vamped, September 9, 2019, accessed December 14, 2019, https://vamped.org/2019/09/09/drink-blood-sanguinarians-wanted-for-survey/.Sanguinarians are people that drink human or animal blood for health reasons: Erin Chapman, “All the Gory Details: Dr. Tomas Ganz Discusses Blood Drinking,” Vamped, June 14, 2018, accessed December 14, 2019, https://vamped.org/2018/06/14/all-the-gory-details-dr-tomas-ganz-discusses-blood-drinking/. can be downloaded from my personal website: Erin Chapman, Sanguinarian Survey 2019 (self-pub., Erin Chapman: Journalist, 2019), https://erinchapman.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Sanguinarian-Survey-Report-2019-by-Erin-Chapman.pdf.

If you would like to reach out and help in any way, or even just be updated when a new survey is released, contact Erin’s Facebook page. All contact information is kept private.

Tomas Ganz in a screenshot from “Author Voices: Tomas Ganz, MD, PhD,” a YouTube video uploaded by the American Society of Hematology, February 13, 2015. Picture: YouTube/American Society of Hematology.

It’s difficult to find medical doctors willing to share scientific information with sangs. Unfortunately, medicine tends to be rough on freethinkers and those who do not have easy to diagnose symptoms.

Part of that is totally rational and based on evidence. But it also means that patients with rarer issues can spend years trying to get diagnosis and treatment. As a sang in an allied medical field, I see both the scientific side of why blood ingestion should not be medically necessary and also have felt just how sick I get if I do not drink blood.

In my experience, most medical doctors, especially hematologists, are not willing to answer questions from sangs because they automatically consider our condition to be psychosomatic. Dr. Tomas Ganz is the first doctor I’ve noticed to give respectful and well-thought out opinions on sangs. He delighted me by also being insightful and respectful in response to the following questions from me.

The question about phlebotomy dangers was based on finding out untrained people were using needles to collect large volumes of blood from donors without phlebotomy or blood bank training. The theoretical questions were based on theories on how and why sangs might need or process blood that I or others have voiced in the past.

Raven Orthaevelve: How likely is ingesting blood infected with diseases such as syphilis or HIV to infect a blood drinker? I understand in general the percentage would be higher for someone with mouth ulcers, but is there a way to get a general percentage?

Tomas Ganz: The most relevant and well-documented setting for blood-borne transmission of infections is transmission of disease from patients to health care workers. These events include needlesticks as well as splashes but mostly needlesticks. The risks are listed on the occupational health website https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/stopsticks/... as the chance of becoming infected after an incident involving the patient who has the disease: HIV 0.3%, hepatitis B virus 6-30%, hepatitis C 1.8%. I was not able to find data on other infections but would expect them to be less important. The actual risk to a sanguinarian in real life = the risk of encountering a partner with an infection x the risk of transmission x the number of exposures (the math works only for rare infections, relatively low transmission risks, and low numbers of exposures, otherwise the calculation is slightly more complicated). If a community has a high proportion of infected individuals and a high number of encounters the risk to a participating person will be high, even when the transmission risk appears relatively low. That is what spread the HIV and hepatitis B/C epidemics.

RO: Has any research been done on the nutritional completeness and long term health of cultures who ingest blood such as the Maasai and the Inuit and what effect inclusion of blood has on their diet?

TG: I looked for articles that would address this question but could not find any. The Maasai who drink raw milk or uncooked cow blood are at risk for brucellosis which is a relatively common infection in cattle that don’t receive veterinary care, and this infection can be transmitted to humans.

RO: Several theories have been advanced in the community about the need for blood being a lack of micronutrients or a mild Mitochondrial mutation disease, or simply an atavistic leftover of our more carnivorous ancestors, or an epigenetic reaction to adolescent trauma. If any of these were true, how would we go about testing them?

TG: The only way to address the question would be to study sanguinarians as a community, including detailed interviews and blood sampling, and this has not been done. Such research is very demanding of human and financial resources, so it would take someone with a very strong motivation and access to resources to undertake it.

RO: What harm reduction techniques would you recommend to sanguinarians to avoid potential hazards inherent in the drinking of human and animal blood aside from sterile technique, blood draw training and having donors tested?

TG: In addition to sterile and competent blood drawing and testing of donors, the same additional measures that are used by blood banks could be beneficial. These include making sure that the donor is healthy on the day of donation, and asking questions about other exposures, lifestyle and travel (for details the AABB website is helpfulhttp://www.aabb.org/advocacy/regulatorygovernment/donoreligibility/Pages/default.aspx ).

RO: Also any safety recommendations for those who utilize frozen and thawed cows blood?

TG: Exposure risk from blood of commercially-raised cows that receive veterinary care is low and comparable to eating raw or rare cow meat, which is widely consumed.

RO: Can you elborate on the safety and or dangers of venipuncture without phlebotomy training and if drawing more than a 100 ml of blood?

TG: Even after a well performed professional phlebotomy, fainting spells and lightheadedness are common with blood volumes of several hundred ml. These risks would be greater if there is additional blood loss from the phlebotomy site or bleeding into the surrounding tissue, which can happen with phlebotomy, especially when the phlebotomist is inexperienced or poorly trained. Other risks could include damage to an artery or nerve nearby, or infections from nonsterile technique.

Notesprobed him for further info: Questions forwarded by Erin Chapman to Ganz August 28, 2018. Answers received August 28, 2018.
Dr. Tomas Ganz is the first doctor [. . .] to give respectful and well-thought out opinions on sangs: An allusion to the following articles and interviews by Erin Chapman: “A Drink of Blood a Day Keeps the Doctor Away: Do Sanguinarians Have Digestive Issues?,” Vamped, February 10, 2016, https://vamped.org/2016/02/10/drink-blood-day-keeps-doctor-away-sanguinarians-digestive-issues/; “Interview with Dr. Tomas Ganz, Regarding His Views on Sanguinarianism,” Feburary 17, 2016, https://vamped.org/2016/02/17/interview-with-dr-tomas-ganz-regarding-his-views-on-sanguinarianism/; and “All the Gory Details: Dr. Tomas Ganz Discusses Blood Drinking,” June 14, 2018, https://vamped.org/2018/06/14/all-the-gory-details-dr-tomas-ganz-discusses-blood-drinking/.

Tomas Ganz is a Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Pathology at the David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA): https://people.healthsciences.ucla.edu/institution/personnel?personnel_id=45783 .

Look deliciously ghoulish this Halloween with this Victorian Vampire Halloween make-up tutorial. Picture: YouTube/atleeeey.

I have been super busy this October with changing jobs and dealing with a sick turtle since August. Halloween kind of snuck up on me this year. I just realized the other day, we were already half way through the month.

Before writing these Halloween posts, I always go back and check out what I wrote the year before. I realized last year was the first time since Vamped came into existence, that I didn’t do a Halloween post.

I apologize to our readers for this. In my defence, I was very busy last year with work and my grandma was very ill. She required daily visits in the hospital and later passed away in May. I am still recovering from this loss and writing has been a chore the past six months. I wanted to bring our Vamped tradition back from the dead for some Halloween treats. Enjoy!

Something Cold and WetSomething cold and wet that will satisfy any vampire, and it isn’t blood folks. Picture: Instagram/Applebee’s Grill & Bar.

If you live in the United States, fly over to an Applebee’s and sample their $1 Vampire cocktail. Such a bargain! Yes, you read that right. This tasty treat is made up of rum, dragonfruit juice, pineapple, strawberry and topped with a complimentary set of vampire fangs.

Unfortunately, I live in Canada and there isn’t an Applebee’s here. Plus, I’m allergic to pineapple so it would be off limits anyway. My friend over at Vampires.com went and personally sampled this drink and some other spooktacular ones, including a Tipsy Zombie that came with a mini gummy brain. Make sure to check out his review!

Make Your Own Vampire Bat BookmarksFor those avid vampire fans, make yourself something you can use after Halloween. Picture: Easy, Peasy and Fun.

I came across these cute little guys on Easy, Peasy and Fun. They were too cute not to share. I like to read and I am always guilty of folding the corners in my books if I don’t have a bookmark handy. Oh, the horrors! I know that makes you cringe. I am also one of those types of people that mark up my books too with notes.

The instructions look super easy and all you need is some paper, glue, scissors and eyeballs if you have them. I bet you could just use a marker if you needed to. Something fun for you or for the kids to try.

Make-Up Tutorial for Buffy the Vampire Slayer Vampires

Buffy the Vampire Slayer has an insane pop culture following. The original film came out in 1992 and the TV series of the same name ran from 1997 to 2003. Who wouldn’t want to see an attractive empowered female character slay vampires and other creatures that go bump in the night? At Vamped, we even interviewed Juliet Landau, who played Drusilla on the series back in the day.

This make-up tutorial totally matches the special effects achieved in the show and would be worth doing for Halloween if you can manage to pull it off. I know tutorials always make it look so easy, but it would be worth a shot to join the ranks of Buffy for just one night.

Vampire Apocalypse Calculator What would happen when vampires outnumber humans? Picture: Toronto City News.

There have been numerous movies over the years where a vampire apocalypse resulting from some kind of disease has threatened to wipe out the entire human population. The film, Day Breakers (2009), is an example of what happens when there aren’t enough humans for vampires to feed on.

What if this Halloween is the day the vampiric apocalypse happens? Would you want to know your chances of survival? I think I would.

I came across this awesome calculator which will tell you how long until V day happens. You set up the scenario by picking the human population, which means you could do it by city or continent if you wanted.

It also accounts for how many slayers there are and vampires you start with. I recommend checking this out and start planning, because who knows, what could happen in the future!

Dracula is BackDracula is back. Picture: BBC One.

The BBC released a teaser for the new Dracula series that will be screening on BBC One and Netflix. There is no official release date. Any site I checked, the release just says “2019.” According to IMDB, there will be only three episodes; however, they will be feature lengths. I am assuming this means we should get about 6 hours of vampiric goodness.

The series is supposed to follow the storyline of Bram Stoker’s Dracula and the Count is being played by Claes Bang. People are praising the show before it is even released because of the creators Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat, who previously worked together on Sherlock (2010–2017), another hit show on BBC.

A some people know, I wasn’t a fan of reading Bram Stoker’s Dracula, but I am willing to give this a go. The trailer comes off as pretty good and I like the gore factor. Fingers crossed this one is fangtastic!

Notescheck out his review: Wayne Miller [TheCheezman], “Drinking Up the Vampire,” Vampires.com, October 25, 2019, accessed October 28, 2019, https://www.vampires.com/drinking-up-the-vampire/.these cute little guys: Andreja Vucajnk, “DIY Bat Corner Bookmarks – Halloween Crafts,” Easy, Peasy and Fun, n.d., accessed October 28, 2019, https://www.easypeasyandfun.com/diy-bat-corner-bookmarks/. This make-up tutorial: “Buffy Vampire Halloween makeup tutorial,” YouTube video, 9:10, posted by ellimacs sfx makeup, September 14, 2019, accessed October 28, 2019, https://youtu.be/h2ir0ZbXVPw. we even interviewed Juliet Landau: Erin Chapman, “Interview with Juliet Landau, Director of ‘A Place Among the Undead,'” Vamped, October 28, 2015, accessed October 28, 2019, https://vamped.org/2015/10/28/interview-with-juliet-landau-director/. this awesome calculator: Dominik Czernia, “Vampire Apocalypse Calculator,” Omnicalculator, n.d., accessed October 28, 2019, https://www.omnicalculator.com/other/humans-vs-vampires#bloodsuckers-are-vampires-among-us. released a teaser: “Dracula | Teaser Trailer – BBC,” YouTube video, 0:46, posted by BBC, October 27, 2019, accessed October 28, 2019, https://youtu.be/IC9TjMNqPEo. I wasn’t a fan of reading Bram Stoker’s Dracula: Erin Chapman, “A Virgin’s View on Dracula (1897) by Bram Stoker,” Vamped, May 3, 2016, accessed October 28, 2019, https://vamped.org/2016/05/03/a-virgins-view-on-dracula-1897-by-bram-stoker/.

For the previous installment of “Halloween Treats,” click here: https://vamped.org/2017/10/31/halloween-treats-iii-season-vampire/.

Christopher A. Davis, founder of VampCon, Downers Grove, IL, ca. August 15, 2019. Picture: Christopher A. Davis.

Shortly before VampCon was meant to go ahead at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare, Rosemont, IL, on September 20–22, Brent J. Warren, VampCon Operations, issued a press release on September 10, saying the event would be rescheduled.

In order to determine why the plug was pulled so close to the event’s date, I contacted the event’s founder, Christopher A. Davis, for comment.

Anthony Hogg: Thanks for taking time out to do this interview. I know things are a little raw—for you and the ticketholders. But let’s start with the most obvious question: with just under two weeks to go till the event was supposed to happen, the plug got pulled citing “recent circumstances that will prevent several key personnel from being available to their full abilities at this time” in the VampCon press release. What were these specific circumstances?

Christopher A. Davis: There were a number of contributing factors and many of the specifics are personal to the people involved. What we can say is that these circumstances lead to a break down of communication, both internally and externally, and that then resulted in key information with programming and panels, hotel, guests, etc, not being shared with the parties that needed it.

VampCon press release posted September 10, 2019, announcing the event’s rescheduling. Picture: Facebook/VampConChicago.

AH: Considering that updates about events at VampCon were still being posted in the lead up to the rescheduling—one even the day before—when, exactly, did it become apparent the event was not going to be happening on September 20–22? Can you describe the lead up to your decision to pull the plug?

CAD: The exact moment we realized that the event would not be happening as scheduled was a few hours before the announcement was made. In the days leading up to the decision several changes and additions were made with staffing in an attempt to fix the now apparent problems that  we had come across. It was over the course of many conversations and meetings with this new team that we felt that, while given no other choice we could put on the event as listed, we would not be able to put on a convention we would be proud of and that would be enjoyable for our attendees.

AH: Will the artists and attendees be reimbursed for non-refundable travel and accommodations due to the cancellation?

CAD: We are currently working with all parties to see what can and cannot be reimbursed. Our first priority was to get the notice out as quickly as possible to mitigate as many cancelation fees for everyone as is possible. For now anyone that has any concerns or requests should continue to reach out to us at info@vampconchicago.com. There we can answer individual concerns as they come in. We will be announcing things like the new date and answers to the more frequently asked questions in another large formal post in the coming days.

AH: Although the press release says “All previously purchased badges for VampCon will be valid for the new date,” if anyone wants to cancel their tickets, will they be refunded? If so, how soon would their refund arrive?

CAD: For anyone wishing to have their badge purchase refunded we ask that they reach out to us at info@vampconchicago.com with their full name, the email address they used to purchase the badge, and the website they bought the badge at. Refunds should be available within 7 days of contacting us. 

We will also be announcing a bonus for all attendees that have already purchased their badges, something that will only be offered to ticket purchases made before the date change. 

For those on the fence, they will have 30 days after the new date is announced to request a refund.  

AH: The press release mentioned that the event would be postponed at [sic; to] a later time. Any idea when that will be? Will it be at the same venue?

CAD: We do not have a date yet, but it will be at the same venue. We are currently working with the venue for available days in the spring. We should have a decision made by the end of the week.

AH: If the event is still going ahead, will VampCon still be featuring the same line-up? Have all guests agreed to appear at proposed rescheduled event?

CAD: At this time we cannot say. We are hoping to have many, if not all, of our current guest stay on for the new date, but until we confirm what that new date is we cannot be sure of their availability. As soon as we solidify our new weekend we will relay that to the guests.

AH: If all goes well, what do you envision for the rescheduled event? Will there be any changes to the original program? I can’t see anything on the website; the content’s gone except for copyright line, a “Contact Us” link, social media icons and a newsletter subscription pop up.5

CAD: The vision for VampCon is and always was to be a place for those in the vampire fandom to meet and share that love. We will be revamping the website to better provide information.

We are already working on a schedule of panels that will have something for everyone to enjoy. We will be keeping the majority of the previous programing, but there are a lot of ideas that previously did not come to fruition that we will now have the opportunity to explore.  As we continue to build that list we will also be making sure to reach out to the community as a whole for suggestions on what they would like to see and for fans that want to participate as panelists to have the chance to volunteer. The best thing about convention programming is that it gives everyone a chance to be part of the show. Our staff are fans and we all know that what truly makes a convention great are the fans that attend. This show is about them, so their participation is crucial.   

AH: In light of this unfortunate setback, why should prospective attendees and ticketholders trust you to pull off the rescheduled event? What fail safes have you put in place to make sure it doesn’t get cancelled again?

CAD: Our biggest asset to making sure the reschedule not only happens, but is worth it is our team. We have an amazing staff, with decades of experience with locale conventions, that are truly invested in the success of VampCon. As we have mentioned, communication turned out to be one of our biggest downfalls, so transparency is going to be a huge part of our internal policy going forward. This will help us ensure that information is being disseminated properly and that there is always at least one other person that can help out in case of an emergency. We are also going to be using some of that transparency to help build a better relationship with the attendees. We are so confident in our team that we want everyone to meet them. Expect to see updates that include introductions to our staff.

Notes I contacted the event’s founder: Questions emailed to Davis on
September 11, 2019. Answers received September 12, 2019. “recent circumstances will prevent several key personnel”: VampConChicago, VampCon 2019 to Be Reschedule, 2019, https://www.facebook.com/vampconchicago/photos/a.245721299574969/511304846349945/?type=3&theater. one even the day before: VampConChicago, “We’re thrilled to screen The Foal at #VampConChicago!,” September 10, 2019 at 3:15am AEST, https://www.facebook.com/vampconchicago/photos/a.245721299574969/510611846419245/?type=3&theater. “All previously purchased badges”: VampConChicago, VampCon 2019 to Be Reschedule.postponed at [sic; to] a later time: VampConChicago, VampCon 2019 to Be Reschedule. I can’t see anything on the website: VampCon Chicago, https://www.vampconchicago.com/, accessed September 11, 2019. Wayback Machine: https://web.archive.org/web/20190911001311/https://www.vampconchicago.com/.

Stay up to date with VampCon developments by visiting their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/vampconchicago .

A special shout-out to vendors affected by the rescheduling, who I regretfully neglected to mention in my questions.

VampCon has since updated their website, https://www.vampconchicago.com/ , to include the press release issued on Facebook and a link to a list of vendors originally planned to appear: https://www.vampconchicago.com/vendors/ .

In the meantime, we at Vamped sincerely hope all goes well for the ticketholders, the vendors, the guests, Christopher and his team.