The Dracula Index - Vampire Epoch//01

Author Note

This novel is part of an ongoing series of "mashup fiction" entitled VAMPIRE EPOCH, blending original content seamlessly with numerous works from the public domain. 

Wattpad offers us all sorts of opportunities to take risks when it comes to storytelling and, based on my research, this series is the first of its kind. It has, quite honestly, been a labor of love for me in a way that no other series has been. Over the past six years, I've been developing this perfect transition between new and old fiction, combining classic novels (which chiefly contain language and writing styles that can be less appealing to young readers) with the more recent, all-inclusive trends in storytelling.

I would say that my passion for this began when I wrote THE MUSE OF EDOUARD MANET, which I will soon be uploading to Wattpad. At that time, I did not take the route of most authors. To keep a sense of integrity to my story, I never altered history or took liberties with dates, locations, or real historical figures. Nor did I alter the artwork or artistic interpretation in order to make my novel "work" or be more dynamic to readers. It was extremely challenging, but I felt that I could sleep easy knowing that I was truthful to reality and that my readers would appreciate the decision to avoid the easy way out. I've always held that it's more creative to work within constraints than to alter reality in order to tell a better story.

So, when reflecting on the opportunities that repurposing public domain fiction allows, I began with a challenge: Can I adapt a collection of classic stories in a manner that is interesting enough for a reader to take a chance on without making PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES? 

As a writer, with characters I literally cherish, I wanted to harness a storyline that would honor the original text completely, without a single alteration or intense interruption, while adding my own spin on characters and content that could afford a new interpretation of the original work — in the same way I had done with the romantic paintings of Edouard Manet and time travel.

I have enjoyed reading classic novels for over twenty years. Bram Stoker's DRACULA is one of my favorites. After exploring a few other stories in the same "vein" of writing style and composition, I combined them all in an immense outline that is essentially enough content for many full-length novels. The first being THE DRACULA INDEX.

Since the story is told during two vastly different time periods (a post-apocalyptic future (...ish) and the gothic past of the Victorian age), I found the melding process to be both challenging and exhilarating. So, thanks for your interest. Hopefully, you'll enjoy the obsessive-compulsive patchwork of characters and storylines as much as this crazy author.

Now, allow me to present your favorite stories...

...re-vamp'd.