There are many interpretations of the vampire myth both in folklore and legend. The nature of the vampire varies greatly from culture to culture and often from region to region with a general cultural area. In the pages of fiction, each author has his or her own unique interpretation of the vampire.

May 24, 2007 (Stars and Stripes / Kevin Dougherty) -- Count "Dracula" as being among the best monikers ever bestowed on a military base in a war zone. But then what would you expect from a bat-talion from Transylvania?

Just occasionally, when one has wandered into a certain section of Waterstone's, one wonders what it must be like to be the sort of author who writes about hellish demons, throat-gouging werewolves, maggots emerging from corpses' nostrils and vampire bloodbaths. Darren O'Shaughnessy could tell you all about it.

I wear mine to hide what's within me.
I found people prefer the painted smile,
And glittering gemstone eyes.
Some days it wore thin.
And people saw past that pretty face.
I found happiness once...
And when I removed the mask to show the world
Friends turned from me. Only happy when I'm not...truly.
There were days when it cracked.

A collection of poetry and prose submitted to VO in 1995.