Vampires vs. Aliens with KC Burn
Today’s first installment in Backlist Strikes Back asks not an age-old question, but a very new one. Which do you prefer? KC Burn explains the dilemma.
I’ve done this a couple of times, as it amuses me… the romantic hero cage match. Today, I’m pitting vampires vs. aliens. I have a personal interest in this one, because I’ve written about both.
Which are your favourite heroes? Vampires, right? I certainly get the dark, broody, angsty appeal of vampires. But I have a hang-up with vampires as the romantic hero. They’re dead, ergo – no heartbeat. No heartbeat means no blood flow to some very important places, defeating the purpose, unless you’re interested in platonic, erectile-ly challenged love affairs (and generally, I’m not). Would ED meds work on the undead, do you suppose? Be a decent romantic comedy, I imagine! Anyway, despite that, readers love them and vampires have done the wild thing with just about every species of supernatural being out there. Maybe not zombies. Talk about clash of the failing body parts! But seriously, they’ve done everyone and everything! Like Torchwood’s Captain Jack Harkness, vampires as a species seem to be omnisexual. (Someone may have re-watched a few episodes this weekend!)
Aliens have their own host of issues as romantic heroes. First, they need to be appealing, sexually, to humans. The odds of that happening are – no pun intended — astronomical! But even assuming you have mutual zing, the bits that are supposed to feel good when rubbed up against another… well, they have to match up to some degree. Hooks or spikes or claws of any description could be an issue, as could bodily fluids that are caustic or otherwise incompatible with human physiology. Aliens are tricky as romantic heroes. You can’t get away with the original Star Trek grease-paint aliens anymore! I like aliens though. The challenge of developing an appealing alien hero is tempting both as a romance author and a sci-fi geek.
Ultimately, for me, the alien hero edges out the vampire hero, but I’m probably in the minority. And hey – here’s my tie-in. MIA Case Files: Blood Relations from Loose Id is about vampires, as bad guys (my preference). I’ve also got a futuristic romance, Spice ‘n’ Solace, from Carina Press. No alien nookie in that one, but just wait until July!
So, which one do you like – vampires or aliens? Have you got any specific favourites?
You can visit KC Burn online at http://kcburn.com/blog/
6 Responses to “Vampires vs. Aliens with KC Burn”
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I like aliens as well – I like a story that explores the contrast of different cultures and backgrounds, yet with enough common ground for them to find that mutual zing 🙂
You know, I’ve always wondered too about all those horny vampires – exactly how do they do it – besides the obvious sucking, I mean? Yes, it is all about blood down below. Now, I do know that dead men sometimes get it up, but that’s about embalming fluid, and causes a few funny scenes in mortuaries – a former mortician shared one with me and it was hilarious – but that still doesn’t explain the vampires. I guess it’s just another instance of suspending disbelief.
We need more alien heroes. Great article!
I did read a story somewhere (don’t remember where) that described the vampire willing the blood he’d recently drunk to flood his groin. It did explain how tumescence was possible (if you accepted the premise that a vampire could control where the blood goes) but having to think of it in such dry, mechanical terms made it kind of lose its charm.
Spice and Solace!
Okay, normally I’d go with vampires, but I’m SUCH a sci-fi geek that it’s really a hard choice. But still, in a romantic setting, it would probably have to be vampire (I ignore the complication of vampires – I mean, they’re mythological, it’s not like they exist in real life so why bother wondering how the blood flows to the little man?).
As fascinating as sci-fi and outerspace is, you hit the nail on the head. How to make an alien who isn’t too, well, alien? Hard to make them sound very sexy. I really must get your book now, to see how you managed it!
LOL at the idea of ED meds for vamps! There’s something very sexy about feeling the pulse of your lover, in a variety of different locations, and the lack of one might really be a turn-off. You’ve just made the un-dead pretty un-sexy as well.
Great posting!