The urge to write a vampire book overwhelmed me after reading an Ann Rice book in 1994. I phoned my Harlequin editor and told her I had loved Rice’s book, but I was tired of reading about whiny vampires who moaned about being vampires. I wanted to write a book about a hero who was a happy vampire, a guy who loved being a vampire. I mean, what’s not to like? Eternal youth, no illness, endless time to explore everything, and all vampires seemed to be rich. Okay, there was the blood thing, but I felt I could manage that. My editor, Debbie Matteucci, laughed, and said, “Do it.”
Writing a vampire book posed some interesting challenges. Did I have to stick to traditional views, or could I invent my own “rules” for vampires? What would—maybe—explain vampirism? And, most importantly, how could the romance end?
Reading this book now, I see how dated it is. In 1994, when I wrote the novel, cell phones were new on the scene, big bulky items that people like me carried in their cars in case of an emergency. I doubt any of us then could have predicted the ubiquitous necessity cell phones are today. Or the i-pod, or ebooks, or... the list goes on. When I wrote the book, it was contemporary, now it’s more in an historical category. But I still love it. The story still moves me.
The book won several awards. At the top of the award list: Romantic Times gave LOVE BITES a rare 5 star rating, and awarded it as the Best Series Romance of the Year.
I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Maggie Osborne
Aka Margaret St. George
Please read on for a look at
Salem’s Daughter
and
Lady Reluctant