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Local Author Defies Vampire Conventions
The Creative Pulse, February 2006 by Derek A. Stallings
Writing is like prostitution, muses James Johnson, his rich voice bellowing as he shifts his sizeable frame in his chair. "The first time you do it, you do it for love. The second time you do it, you do it for yourself. After that, you always do it for the money!" Johnson punctuates this statement with a booming laugh, which resonates within the walls of the sparsely populated coffee house.
If that statement seems a bit unorthodox, it is only fitting coming from Mr. Johnson. In his first published work, Soldier and the Lady, he explores the almost tired genre of vampire fiction, and breathes new life into it by twisting many of the genre's conventions. Gone are the brooding, tortured anti-hero and overt sexual undertones. Instead, you'll find a hero, occasionally given over to brooding self reflection, just as likely to pop out a one liner or play in a jazz band with a priest who himself battles his vampirism.
The full text of this article may be found at The Creative Pulse.
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