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Deb Noggle, manager of the Tecumseh branch of the Allen County Public Library, started a reading club for teens interested in vampire fiction. The club’s Web site, www.bellabookclub.blogspot.com, has attracted visitors from around the world.
With Halloween approaching, she spoke with editorial writer Karen Francisco about the genre’s current popularity.
Here are excerpts of the interview; listen to the entire interview by going to The Journal Gazette’s home page at www.journa1gazette.net, click “opinion,” then click “5 Questions for Deb Noggle.”
Oh, it’s big. It’s an important genre right now in fiction, for both teens and for adults. In teen literature …“Twilight” really brought this about, and the “Twilight” series became so popular, but it also became popular with adults. … I see a new genre, which is a combination of chick lit and vampire fiction that are mixed together – which are sort of, single girl meets vampire, and it’s funny and it’s light. … A lot of what we are buying for teens is vampire fiction, and we can’t get enough of that – it’s a black hole.
There’s the “Evernight” series by Claudia Gray, “The House of Night” series, which will become a movie next year, by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast. Also the “Blue Bloods” series continued this fall, it’s by Melissa De La Cruz. I also like “The Mortal Instruments” trilogy by Cassandra Clare. There’s another one that’s not as big yet, but I think it could become great, it’s “Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the Dark Side,” by Beth Fantaskey.
Well, traditional vampires are scary. They are monsters; they don’t have a conscience; they are ugly; they are terrifying creatures. But today’s vampires are more sympathetic creatures. They are attractive; they are somewhat misunderstood. They are non-people with a conscience. Today’s vampires are athletic, well educated. They like music and the arts. They are looking for a soul mate. … Some don’t even drink human blood.
I think that teens like the combination of romance – because, really, if you look at the “Twilight” series, it’s not horror, it’s really a romance series. So I think they like the combination of romance and the paranormal supernatural issues that are brought up because it’s a form of escapism. And the action-adventure appeals to the teen angst, so all of this adds up to the “awesome” in their minds.
Well, vampires – because they are cooler, less furry and don’t drool as much.
