The Vampire Henry by Michael Walker

1.Tell us about your book   

The book is called The Vampire Henry. It is about a vampire living in an unspecified mid-western town. He is a working-class schlub who has aspirations to be a writer. During the course of the book he meets another vampire named Sara who he becomes romantically involved with.  That is the bare bones of the plot really. It is a literary horror novel, and I have used the theme of vampirism to comment on all the things in this society that seem to me false and parasitic: the overwhelming curse of capitalism mostly, but also dysfunctial family relationships etc.

2. How did you come up with the idea? 

I HATED the Twilight series and I wanted to write a book that adhered to the basic tenets of vampire lore and yet was as unglamorous and unromantic as I could make it.  My favorite writer is Charles Bukowski, and he is a writer who I admire for his honesty and ability to not sugarcoat or romanticize in his poems and stories. So I thought, wouldn’t Bukowski make a great bloodsucker? (Substituting his alcoholism for a thirst for blood, of course.) So that was the concept. I must add that The Vampire Henry is only LOOSELY based on Bukowski. A lot of the actual book comes from my own experiences.

3. Who are your favorite writers?  

Bukowski of course. After that, Carson Mcullers, Harlan Ellison, Fitzgerald, Richard Matheson and Ray Bradbury

4. Tell us three things about you that no one knows 

 I was in two comedy groups, I like Katy Perry, and I have an aversion to wooden popsicle sticks.

​5. What’s next for you? 

Not sure. Was writing a novel about a rock group but I may have abandoned it. Writing short stories and songs right now. Will see how that goes.

​Sick of vampires who glitter? Who run around in the sun, looking all hunky and moody? Then meet Henry Lovell - the Vampire Henry. Nothing glamorous about Henry. He's a working-class stiff (no pun intended) and aspiring writer who just happens to drink blood to survive. He may or may not be immortal, but he knows one thing - life is Short baby, so drink up. . . This then is the tale of the Vampire Henry. It is a story like a lot of other stories really: full of messy mistakes, heroes and villains, survivors and victims’ - blood, sweat, and tears. Oh yeah. . . There's a Lot of blood. . .

Review:

Henry is a vampire, but not the kind you read about or see on television. He doesn't fight crime, or sparkle. Instead he is a struggling writer, trying to get by and make a living. Yet despite the lack of huge battles, somehow this story is still compelling and you want to read on. It looks at what happens when your average Joe loser is turned into a vampire. A man whose only goal is to make it as a writer and spend his long life drinking. He doesn't try to curb his blood lust, but is careful not to get caught. He is in essence a serial killer. I did enjoy the book, Henry was an intriguing character and while you couldn't exactly call him likeable, I did want to see what happened next to him. If you are looking for something a bit different, I would recommend this book.

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http://www.amazon.com/Vampire-Henry-Horrified-Press/dp/1326411993/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1453053716&sr=8-1&keywords=the+vampire+henry