Guest Blog & Giveaway: Clay & Susan Griffith “The Greyfriar” on Supernatural Universes

Our guests today are Clay and Susan Griffith, the husband and wife writing duo behind the near perfect (yep 5/5 bats!) new novel THE GREYFRIAR (the first in the Vampire Empire trilogy). It’s a paranormal steampunk set in a world where vampires have essentially taken control of the earth and the humans left free are preparing the war to end all wars to take it back, and the impossible love story at its heart:

I was blindsided by how phenomenal THE GREYFRIAR was from start to finish. Amazing vampire mythology, a chilling alternate history, and a poignant romance that grips your whole heart and refuses to let go. – All Things Urban Fantasy’s Review

Clay and Susan are explaining all about the supernatural universe in THE GREYFRIAR and (thanks Pyr) giving away 3 copies of the book. See details below. 

“Open” and “Closed” Supernatural Universes
by
Clay and Susan Griffith

Hello everyone. We are Clay and Susan Griffith, a husband and wife writing team whose new novel THE GREYFRIAR (Pyr Books) hit stores on November 2. It’s the first part of the Vampire Empire trilogy.

On the convention circuit this summer, we were introduced to the debate about “open” and “closed” supernatural universes in fantasy settings. Since it was new terminology to us, we thought it might be new to others too. Basically, it’s simple. It’s a matter of whether the existence of myths and monsters in your fictional world are publicly known, or hidden from the world. Lots of authors use both systems very imaginatively. Each system makes for excellent stories when utilized in new and unique ways.

A lot of occult fiction operates with a closed system. For example, in the classic Dracula, the characters don’t know that creatures such as vampires exist, except in legend. The vampire lurks in shadows and takes precautions not to reveal himself to the outside world. It is only through the character of Van Helsing that the characters discover this secretive and terrifying underworld. Even so, the rest of the world never learns that such creatures exist.

Another good example of a closed system is Tanya Huff’s wonderful Blood series. Henry Fitzroy is the 450-year-old vampire living in Toronto, Canada who exists outside of human society. Even after he teams up with human detective, Vicki Nelson, his true nature remains a secret to the world at large. Thanks to Vicki, we readers are given an in-depth glimpse into the supernatural world lurking in Toronto’s cold urban landscape.

Sometimes the “monster” itself strives to become a part of human society, even while struggling to keep their secret from being revealed. In Maria Lima’s exciting Blood Line series, the heroine, Keira Kelly, gives us firsthand knowledge of what it means to be a necromancer and shapeshifter.

The closed supernatural system gives the writer ready-made tension and plot conflict. The tension comes from the delicious revelation of the hidden mysteries, and its shocking impact on the main characters. However, this type of system can lead to limitations too, such as restricting the type and amount of interaction between the monster and characters. If supernatural secrets are revealed, then they must have repercussions, and the writer must deal with it – or mindwipe people.

Now, on the other side, there are plenty of books with open supernatural systems, where the myth is widely known to exist. The monsters walk freely (more or less) and interact with the world and its denizens. In the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris, vampires are your next door neighbors. Another good example is Gail Carriger’s Parasole Protectorate series where the supernatural and soulless openly defend the citizens of London, England.

Our new novel, The Greyfriar: Vampire Empire Book 1, is very much an open system. In our book, everyone is painfully aware that vampires are real because the fiends have conquered half the world. While that may diminish an unfolding sense of mystery, it offers up unique opportunities for us. In our world, vampires are a global superpower. They have their own politics and economics, and we juxtapose their blood-soaked civilization with industrial human society. And the interplay isn’t pretty.

We also rearrange the old vampire legends and myths for our system. Our vampires are not the undead, but rather a parasitic species. They aren’t harmed by daylight, per se, but they can’t tolerate constant heat, so they prefer the night, and tropical climates can be deadly to them. They have heightened senses, except for their blunted sense of touch which makes them capable of absorbing terrible damage without stopping, unless they suffer catastrophic injury such as the destruction of a vital organ, giving rise to the stake through the heart myth.

The open supernatural system works well for us, although technically our vampires aren’t supernatural. While the closed system serves best for tales of mystery, our book is more of an adventure story than a horror novel. In order to tell an epic story of war and romance, we need the vampires to be in the open. Of course that doesn’t mean that the humans in our book completely understand the vampire rules. Centuries of myth persist, and that confusion of truth and legend can be a bad thing considering a war to the death is about to begin between the two species.

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Clay & Susan Griffith are the authors of The Greyfriar: Vampire Empire Book 1 (Pyr Books, Nov. 2010) They are a married couple who have written and published together for more than a decade. Their credits not only include several books and numerous short stories published in many anthologies, some featuring noted genre characters like Kolchak the Night Stalker and The Phantom. They've also written scripts for television and published graphic novels featuring characters such as The Tick and Allan Quatermain.

Visit Clay & Susan online
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Giveaway

Giveaway courtesy of Pyr Books

3 copies of THE GREYFRIAR by Clay Griffith & Susan Griffith

Description

In the year 1870, a horrible plague of vampires swept over the northern regions of the world. Millions of humans were killed outright. Millions more died of disease and famine due to the havoc that followed. Within two years, once-great cities were shrouded by the gray empire of the vampire clans. Human refugees fled south to the tropics because vampires could not tolerate the constant heat there. They brought technology and a feverish drive to reestablish their shattered societies of steam and iron amid the mosques of Alexandria, the torrid quietude of Panama, or the green temples of Malaya.

It is now 2020 and a bloody reckoning is coming.

Princess Adele is heir to the Empire of Equatoria, a remnant of the old tropical British Empire. She is quick with her wit as well as with a sword or gun. She is eager for an adventure before she settles into a life of duty and political marriage to a man she does not know. But her quest turns black when she becomes the target of a merciless vampire clan. Her only protector is the Greyfriar, a mysterious hero who fights the vampires from deep within their territory. Their dangerous relationship plays out against an approaching war to the death between humankind and the vampire clans.

Vampire Empire: The Greyfriar is the first book in a trilogy of high adventure and alternate history. Combining rousing pulp action with steampunk style, Vampire Empire brings epic political themes to life within a story of heartbreaking romance, sacrifice, and heroism.

Click HERE to read an excerpt from THE GREYFRIAR

GIVEAWAY GUIDLINES

1. Open Internationally
2. Leave a comment (and a way to contact you) telling us which type of supernatural universe you prefer.
3. Entries must be received by Midnight MST on  November 17th

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