An Evening with Valerio

Since I'm currently in a quiet period (more writing and less big news), I thought I would start a new blog series that would appear on Tuesdays.  Looking over my website, I realized that I've accumulated a large quantity of free material for both the Dark Days series and the Asylum Tales.  I thought every Tuesday, I would focus on one piece with the hope of reaching out to readers who might not have known about it or to potentially remind readers of an old favorite.

Valerio

This week, I thought we'd spend a little time with the lovely Valerio.  If you've haven't read the Dark Days series or if you don't happen to remember Valerio, here is a link to a brief essay giving some background details on the very old vampire.

I've never tried to match characters that I've created with images of real people.  It's so hard to match up what you have in your head with people.  For me, I have such a clear image of their soul and personality that trying to pin down a smile, eyes, the shape of the jaw just seems to muddy the waters.  However, flipping through images, I think model Domenique Melchior is pretty damn close to Valerio and I find it ironic that he was born in Vienna, which is Valerio current stomping grounds.

Valerio is so smooth.  He is the epitome of the romantic Hollywood vampire.  Valerio is always calm and collected.  He always gives you the feeling that even when chaos is exploding around him, he still has the situation completely under his control.  Valerio is a seducer and a manipulator.  Valerio loves being a vampire and above all, he loves himself.  The only person in his long existence to ever make him hesitate, to make him put his own life in unnecessary danger ... is Mira.

While Mr. Melchior has ample provocative pictures, I think I prefer those in a suit when it comes to Valerio.  While the vampire is very sexy, I always see Valerio wearing a suit.  He is always dressed in the height of fashion, no matter the season or the circumstance.  It helps to add to his controlled exterior.

Valerio was a favorite character to work with because he was always a bit of a smartass whenever he chose to open his mouth.  There was also this feeling of a long, deep history between Mira and Valerio that you only got glimpses of through the series, but we'll get more into his history with Mira next week.

This week, I want to point you in the direction an interview that Valerio gave where he dodged some pointed questions about Mira and his own past.  To read the interview, please click here. 

You can find more of Valerio in:
Bound to Me
Dayhunter
Wait for Dusk
Burn the Night