By As an author, one of the things I’m often asked is “how did you think of that” or “where did that idea come from” and to be fair, most of the time I’m not completely sure myself. I get inspired by many, many different things all the time. And that inspiration gets filed away until I need it.
Through Shade and Shadow originated with the idea of the Shade first of all. Anyone who has read my work knows I have a love of the paranormal and a big part of that is vampires. My first published novel was all vampires. I wanted to look at the mythos of blood drinking as a method of killing, but also as a need for living. I also didn’t want to create yet another vampire story.
So I started with blood drinking, but decided that it wouldn’t be the only means of living, I made them dependent on water as well. I kept the whole bit about the sun being deadly, but dialed back the severity. Then I started to think about who I wanted this character to be, what I wanted his abilities to be.
I think I actually chose the healing idea by taking the idea that a vampire could sort of “heal” someone who was dying, by turning them into a vampire and then combined that idea with the whole connection to blood and water as life givers.
That was, essentially, how the Shade was born. The history for them is based largely on what I know of our own history, how anything “other” was feared and shunned, hunted and killed, particularly when in large groups.
As a result, when we first meet Mason, Shades are scarce. So scarce in fact that he’s somewhat surprised to find that he and his grandmother are not actually the last ones on earth.
#shadeandshadow #whatisashade
Natalie J Case 