#02: New Vampire Series: Crimson Wars

Blogger Blog #02: New Vampire Series: Crimson Wars

Who doesn't love a good vampire story? (...let's forget a couple of the recent ones that came out in the past ten years or so)

I've always been fascinated with the undead; be it ghosts, vampires, zombies, or any other ghoulish creature. For four years now, I've been writing the Omega Virus series which has focused on zombies of all shapes, sizes, and abilities...and even though there's one book left in Omega Virus, it left me wanting more. I wanted to delve into the world of other kinds of undead creatures. For the longest time, certain vampire stories have given me cause to take a step back from the idea of writing such a book.

Sure, it should've been the same with zombies. The Walking Dead, Resident Evil, and various other zombie movies/series have taken over, and I still have written six Omega Virus books. But thanks to Resident Evil, I just HAD to get that series out. Now, with Omega Virus nearly wrapped up...I thought 'what do I do to replace that series in my book pipeline?' I asked some friends and fans what book I should write next. The second book in my epic fantasy series GodForge, or start a new one involving vampires. To my surprise, people said I should go with vampires.

I apologize to those GodForge fans who are awaiting the sequel, but that book will come next.

After some thought, I played with the title a bit. I thought of Crimson Wharf, Blood River, etc, but I came up with the name Crimson Wars, because, well, there's going to be war, and it's going to take place in the small Nothern California town, Crimson Wharf.

How am I making my vampire series different than others? World of Darkness inspired me to have vampires of different clans, with different abilities. So while the typical vampire would say, be killed in the sunlight, there will be a coven that survives UV rays. Now that's a common one. I also have come up with nine other covens, including vampires that can change into anything they've fed on. I won't give away all ten types, as that's for those who read the book. Yes, you must read! No spoilers!

The ten types of vampires were the easy part. Coming up with interesting characters and a premise...now that took some real pondering. Since I haven't had a female protagonist for more than a single book each (Omega Virus 2 and then 3), I decided to create Kyrie Garnet, a depressed teen who has an abusive father, a boyfriend using her for lustful pleasures, and no friends in the world. The main vampire character is named Alexa Nikolaevna. If you do research, you might be able to figure out her true identity...or just read the book...haha.

As of writing this blog, I've written the prologue and placed it on Wattpad.com. I've penned the first draft of the outline, and will soon be writing chapter one and onward. Like my other books, Crimson Wars Book One will contain forty chapters, plus pro/epilogues. It should take two to three months to complete if I keep consistent, and will total around 90,000 words. At the moment, I plan to make it at least a trilogy, with the possibility of further books down the road.

One idea is I'll write companion books about werewolves, and perhaps the two series will cross over for a third and final trilogy. We'll see. It's a long way off, in any case. I originally hadn't planned to write my vampire series until 2022.

If you read Crimson Wars on www.wattpad.com/JakeAshStrife make sure to vote, comment, and share the story with your friends. It won't be on Wattpad forever, as with my other books, I plan to one day publish it on Amazon.