"I wrote that book before I knew the first thing about vampires" she offered Benji an apologetic half-smile. "So, you know, it was pretty popular... with women" Her first book had been a bit on the raunchy side, leaning into the vampires-as-seducers-of-maidens trope. But her second one was shaping up to be more of a true horror story. She was sure it would do even better than the first—if she could ever finish it.
The problem was, if anything, that her second novel was starting to feel a little… lacking. It was missing the "erotic" part of the "erotic-horror" genre. She had been thinking about spicing it up with a few sex scenes, but she wasn’t sure which of the characters would hook up. She sighed inwardly to herself. Honestly, adding romance was the least of her problems. There was just too much going on. So many plots were spinning out of control, and she wasn’t sure how to keep track of it all. She might need to split them into separate books. Hell, maybe a series. But that meant editing would be an absolute nightmare. She hardly had time to write it all down, let alone clean it up later.
Take Eliot, for instance. She introduced him in the first chapter, but now he was missing, and she wasn’t sure whether to write him out or make sure he reappeared. Benji told her it would be easier for if he stayed missing, but it wouldn’t be good for her book. She had to find him, at least for the sake of the plot, but the more she focused on her writing, the more it felt like she was living in a story herself. A story that didn’t always go the way she wanted. She’d been so caught up in documenting her supernatural encounters that sometimes she didn’t stop to think if it was good for her. She was acting more like a character in her own book than someone who was living her life.
"I’m getting a much better portrayal this time, though" she finally said "I’ll send you some drafts if you’re interested. See what you think."
She glanced through the rearview mirror, hoping to catch a glimpse of any car tailing them. The downpour made it nearly impossible to see beyond the headlights of the vehicle behind them. She couldn’t even tell if they were being followed, though she had a feeling Benji might be right. If he said not to worry, maybe she shouldn’t. But then again, what a centuries-old vampire considered to be 'harmless' could still mess up the life of a mortal like her. There wasn't anything she could do about it, however, except put her trust in him.
"Had dinner with my ex and his business associates earlier this evening" she tried to keep her voice light "Henry was worried about my association with Eliot, but turned out he and his friends all think he is some kind of a mobster. They didn't even know he had gone missing. So, all their advice was pretty much worthless. Still, the food was fantastic!"
The mention of food reminded her of something she’d been meaning to ask for a while. It was a bit personal, but she was genuinely curious, and this seemed like as good a time as any to ask "How often do vampires have to eat? Like, is it every night?"
