I have been a secret member of the vampire literary fiction club, and my fascination with the genre, of course started with the original but was considerably sparked when I read (and here I really want to kick myself because I, for the life of me, cannot remember the title or the author!!!!) a haunting retelling and character analysis of the literary count maybe 15 years ago. I loaned the book to my father–who I KNEW would appreciate it, being a psychoanalyst and intrigued by the same subject–who promptly LOST the book. And so, the story has forever lingered in my mind, but the reference has evaded me. Now, with the resurgence of vampire lore, I may have the opportunity to read similar works, deliciously tantalizing and haunting, firing the imagination. I have read many, many reviews of the various vampire fiction out there right now, and Karen Essex’s book seems to come closest to what I yearn for in a Dracula novel. She is a fellow member of the HNS, someone I know is an excellent writer, and will have surely infused her book with meticulous historical detail, imagination, and insight as well as an engaging plot.
Now I just have to wait for it to arrive…
The Queen's Quill Review 
I often ponder the reasons behind the longevity of vampires and the sources of their recent surge in popularity. And where do all these zombie novels/movies/video games come from? Some folks consider them satirical, zombies representing the mindless consumerism of our society. Hmmm…
To me, horror must have a cerebral aspect and feature intelligent themes, literate writing. My heroes and influences were authors like Richard Matheson and Charles Beaumont; Jerome Bixby’s “It’s A Good Life” is one of the finest macabre works ever created. All the splatter in the world doesn’t come close to matching the terror Roman Polanski is capable of creating in films like “Repulsion”, “The Tenant” and “Rosemary’s Baby”. Hope more folks, especially the younger crowd, will seek out these titles and discover some truly chilling efforts by artists of the highest caliber.
I’m going to think hard about your points as I read the book. I often wonder why the topic of vampires captures readers’ imaginations (and specifically, why it has captured mine), and have, like you said, for a very long time, and what on earth is going on to have caused this latest resurgence (along with this current infatuation with zombies). It’s time to get these thoughts down on virtual paper, and I’m looking forward to the challenge! Thank you for your comment.