The Blood King (Wattpad Exclusive Version)

Author's Notes

Vampires?

Why vampires?

That was the first reaction I got from my friends.

A strange thing has happened over the past several years. At first it was a new untapped market that emerged as a force to be reckoned with at the nearest bookstore, TV Network and box office. It was labeled; fangirls. Until then, many of us were never even aware such a demographic existed. But soon everyone understood that the fangirls had officially planted themselves as a solid market for the entertainment industry to tap into.

Projects targeted towards women are nothing new of course, but with the release of the TWILIGHT book series and movies, we’ve seen something we’ve never seen before. A “vampire” book series / film targeted towards a specific niche, the teen female market.

I’m not going to lie to you. It took me forever to read or/and watch any of the TWILIGHT books and movies mainly because for over six years I’ve been immersed in the development of the Renzo series. I stayed away not only from stories like TWILIGHT, but from any other story with a similar subject. The risk of being involuntary influenciated was too high. With that said I will also admit that they offer an alternative to the vampire lore that I’ve come to respect and fear. I respect the fact that it has such a passionate following comprised mainly of young women, and that fascinate me.

In the last two decades or so we, as an audience, had been exposed to a “different” kind of vampire. They are still beautiful, sensual, doomed, dangerous and the subject of adoration of thousands around the globe.

It will be fair to say that today’s market is over saturated with all types of “vampire” variants.

So, why another vampire tale?

From the very first draft I understood that the story, Renzo’s story, needed to be different. I wanted to explore a side of the “vampire” lore not seen before. There still is the conflict, the regret and the dilemma of the duality between immortality and humanity, but there is so much more. The psychological aspect of such a formidable creature and the human limitation facing a supernatural experience while trapped in a universe of mysteries, and how much the human brain can take before giving up are several of the aspects of this story that motivate me to write it.

It is difficult to relate to the world of Renzo and I believe that we shouldn’t even try it. The fact is that vampires are killers. Their thirst for human blood would be just the tip of the iceberg for such creatures. If we try to truly analyse it we soon discover that “vampires” by necessity would have to go through life stealing more than human blood.

I found myself horrified in front of such depiction of a creature as evil and destructive as a vampire is, and even more concern in what type of reaction such depiction could generated in front of the fragile minds of its potential audience.

I understand the concepts of profitability and commercialization. I also accept they are as American as apple pie is.

Maybe through the eyes of “El Gitano” we all could learn and understand that vampires, are very real. Maybe not the kind that turns themselves into animals or any of the other things that other books and movies have made us believed for the sake of entertainment. The kind that moves between us unnoticed, that learns and feed from us. The types as Renzo, so luring and appealing, just as those portrayed in TWIGHLIGHT but infinitive more lethal, because they do kill and wouldn’t think it twice before ripping the heart out of any or all of those tweenies dreaming for a vampire lover.

In any way I expect anyone to believe or disregard anything. What I do want is that the reader get as much as they can from the journey taken by an unexplainable force with the name of Renzo Von Klatas.

There’s much yet to be told regarding the life of “El Gitano”.

A mythical creature in a human shape but with no trace of humanity in is evil ways, an immortal being who doesn’t know mercy, a serial killer and an enemy of men.

Trough out history they have been known by several names from Vrykolakas to demons but I rather call it for what they truly are; vampires.

So, why vampires?

As Renzo would say; why the hell not?

Gadriel Demartinos, (Los Angeles, 2014)

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