Angela Montoya: Welcome to the Vampire Renaissance
There is no mistaking the appeal of vampires. They are these powerful, mysterious, often broody, creatures that are otherworldly but still human enough in nature to be called hot. The idea that this being who could tear the world apart, who has seen and done so many things, who is typically more handsome than our eyes can even stand, would choose me, is all my romantic little heart could ask for.
I remember growing up and searching for someone that looked like me in every movie or show or book. I craved to see someone of Mexican descent as the lead; slaying vampires, or being a pirate, a witch, a ringmaster, or the love interest in a swoon worthy story. I suppose I wanted it so desperately that I decided to write the stories I was hungry for myself. A Cruel Thirst, my vampire vs vampire huntress YA romantasy that is Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets The Mask of Zorro, was created purely out of a selfish need to diversify the vampire cannon.
And it isn’t alone.
Over the past few years, readers have been introduced to a new sort of vampire. We are getting to experience and LOVE vampires of color and vampires birthed from different cultures across the globe. We now have access to so many great stories with fresh takes on vampiric lore, and we are seeing firsthand that the readership is there! Look at Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas, This Ravenous Fate by Haley Dennings, Immortal Dark by Tigest Girma, A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal, just to name a few.
My hope is that publishing sees this. Truly sees this and buys into the fact that there is a large readership that is hungry for books by diverse voices. We want fresh takes on old tropes! My hope is that we can explore even more fun genres like what Britney S. Lewis has done with zombies and is now doing with werewolves in her next book, Blood Moon.
The vampire renaissance has already begun and now we want more.
A Cruel Thirst was published by Ink Road on 16 January 2025
