Trae asked Raven Belasco:

How did you come up with your version of vampires? It's a fairly unique concept, though similar in it's way to other vampire mythology.

Raven Belasco Trae, you're my kinda fan! 😍

You've actually almost answered your own question: the fact is that I went over the vampire myths from around the world, and I decided what I wanted to keep and what I wanted to discard. The stuff I kept all worked with the "vampire science" that I was working up with a biologist and other experts. What I like about doing it that way is that it becomes a way to differentiate the "real" facts about my "real" vampires, as opposed to what us silly humans have made up in stories.

I felt that I kinda had to do it that way, because I was playing in the sandbox of something everybody knows about. I'm not creating some new kind of aliens or other beings--vampires are one of the supernatural creatures that are the most written about. So I had to find a way to stay within the basic definition of a vampire, and giving something recognizable to readers, while at the same time clearly putting my own stamp on it.

It wasn't easy--but was (and continues to be) fun!

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