Stoker: Evolution of a Vampire

by Calvin Cherry

Step into the shadows behind Bram Stoker’s masterpiece in this thrilling Gothic prequel, where séances, dark secrets, and a rising vampire myth collide in Victorian London—perfect for fans of literary horror and historical suspense alike.

Discover the dark inspiration behind Dracula in this thrilling Gothic prequel.


Before Dracula became legend, Abraham Stoker lived the nightmare. A Gothic masterpiece where Victorian horror collides with the brutal history of Vlad the Impaler.

Abraham Stoker never imagined his fascination with the macabre would summon true evil to his doorstep. When a mysterious letter commands him to travel from Victorian London to the blood-soaked mountains of Transylvania, Bram finds himself ensnared in a terrifying pact with Count Dracula—the undead Prince who demands his story be told. As Bram witnesses centuries of cruelty, impalement, and dark rituals, the vampire's curse spreads across continents, threatening everyone he loves. His wife Florence falls prey to Dracula's hypnotic seduction, his son Noel becomes a reluctant warrior, and the shadows of the Lyceum Theatre conceal unspeakable horrors. Trapped between his duty as a chronicler and his desperation to save his family, Bram must wield faith, folklore, and the power of his pen against an ancient darkness that refuses to die.

This Dracula prequel is meant to pay homage to a brilliant man, writer, and Romantic masterpiece, mixing fantasy, fact, and Gothic elements to show how literary art is born.

700 pages, Paperback

Expected publication October 20, 2026

About the author

I am a 48-year-old native Georgian and a retired sailor. I work as a Business Systems Analyst for a major insurance company in Atlanta and have a 16-year-old son named Jacob. He is already 7 inches taller than me and six sizes up from my shoe size! My spouse, Kevin, is from Tennessee and shares my passion for music, traveling, reading and writing. I have seen Elton John 27 times in my life and about to make it 28 in November. English and History were my favorite subjects in school, so I guess it did not come as a surprise that one Christmas Santa left me four graphic novels under my tree when I turned 7: Moby Dick by Herman Melville, Dr. Jeckyll & Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, Frankenstein by Mary Shelly, and Dracula by Bram Stoker. I have been taking a bite out of Dracula ever since! After 11 years of intense research and crafting, my debut historical fiction novel Stoker: Evolution of a Vampire was published by Page Publishing this past February.