He dropped the money and sighed.
“Those two cops believed you. They’re going to leave us alone. They reported that the killer was on board the yacht when it went up. Lash gave the gate guard some money to back up their story. I couldn’t believe they were going along with it. I think the big cop kind of likes me.”
“I’m going to write a book about this. I came here to find adventure and being with you sure has been that. And I don’t want to give it up. I know we’re not the same. And we shouldn’t feel lonely when we have each other. I love you. I’m going to figure something out. I’ve got to sleep now. It’s been days.”
He got up and went to Jody. “I’m sorry,” he said. He kissed the cold bronze lips and was turning to go into the bedroom when the phone rang.
“It’s probably the Animals calling from some casino,” he said as he picked up the phone.
“Hello.”
“Uh, hi,” a man’s voice said. “Could I speak to Jody, please?”
Tommy pulled the phone away and looked at it, then put it to his ear and said, “Jody’s …well… she’s deceased.”
“I know. Can I speak to her?”
“You sick fuck.”
“Is this C. Thomas Flood? The guy from the paper?”
Who was this guy? “Look, buddy, that was a mistake. They got the guy who did those murders.”
“Look, my name is Steve. I can’t tell you my last name. Not until I’m sure it’s safe. I’m a med student at Berkeley. I spoke to Jody the other night. We were supposed to meet the other night at Enrico’s, but she never showed up. I’m kind of glad, I met a nice girl who works at the Safeway with you. Anyway, when I saw Jody’s name in the paper I took a chance and looked up the number.”
“If you saw the paper, you know what happened to Jody,” Tommy said. “This isn’t very funny.”
The line was silent for a moment, then Steve said, “Do you know what she is?”
Tommy was shocked. “Do you?”
“So you do know?”
“She is, I mean was, my girlfriend.”
“Look, I’m not trying to blackmail you or anything. I don’t want to turn you in. I talked to Jody about reversing her condition. Well, I think I’ve found a way to do it.”
“You’re kidding?”
“No. Tell her. I’ll call you back tomorrow night. I know she’s not up during the day.”
“Wait,” Tommy said. “Are you serious about this? I mean, you can make her human again?”
“I think so. It will probably take a few months. But I’ve been able to do it with cloned cells in the lab.”
Tommy covered the mouthpiece and turned to the statue of Jody. “There’s a guy here that says he can help you. We can be…”
Vapor was streaming out of the ear holes in the brass and swirling into a cloud in the middle of the room. Tommy dropped the phone and backed away from the cloud. He could hear Steve’s voice calling for him on the phone.
Tommy backed against the counter in the kitchen. “Jody, is that you?”
The cloud was pulsating, sending out tendrils, or were they limbs? It was as if it was condensing into a solid shape.
Jody thought, Oh Tommy, you can’t believe what I learned last night. You’re going to have the adventure of your life, lover. And it’s going to be such a long life. The things you’ll see—I can’t wait to show them to you.
She became solid, stood before him, naked, smiling.
Tommy held the phone to his chest. “You’re pissed, aren’t you?”
“I was never going to leave you, Tommy. I love you.”
“But what about him?” Tommy pointed to the bronzed vampire.
“I had to make him think that I was going to go with him so I could find out what I needed to know. I’ve learned a lot, Tommy. I’m going to teach you.” She started moving toward him.
“He taught you the mist thing, huh?”
“That, and how a vampire is made.”
“No kidding. That could come in handy.”
“And soon,” she said. She looked back at the old vampire. “The bronzing was a pretty good trick. I didn’t exactly know what I was going to do with him after I found out what I needed to know. Maybe later we can figure out a way to let him out and still be safe.”
“So, you’re not mad? You’re really not leaving?”
“No. I thought I would have to leave, but I never wanted to. You and I are going to be together for a very long time.”
Tommy smiled. “Great, this guy on the phone says…”
“Hang up, Tommy. And come here.”
“But he says…he can change you back.”
“Hang up.” She took the phone from him and set it down on the counter, then moved into his arms and kissed him.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Christopher Moore is the author of ten novels, including this one. He began writing at age six and became the oldest known child prodigy when, in his early thirties, he published his first novel. His turn-ons are the ocean, playing the toad lotto, and talking animals on TV. His turn-offs are salmonella, traffic, and rude people. Chris enjoys cheese crackers, acid jazz, and otter scrubbing. He divides his time between San Francisco and an inaccessible island fortress in the Pacific. You can e-mail him at [email protected]. Visit the official Christopher Moore website at www.chrismoore.com.
SIMON & SCHUSTER PAPERBACKS
READING GROUP GUIDE
BLOODSUCKING FIENDS: A LOVE STORY
CHRISTOPHER MOORE
Part love story, part vampire tale, and part murder mystery, Bloodsucking Fiends tells the story of Jody, an unlikely vampire who, just discovering her various powers, decides that she needs someone to carry out her various day-to-day, can’t-be-out-during-the-daylight tasks. She enlists C. Thomas Flood, more affectionately known as Tommy, to help her out. Little do they know that the spark of love will hit them. So in addition to all of the joys and pratfalls of a new relationship, Jody must contend with the pratfalls of being the newly undead. If that weren’t enough, there’s another vampire on the loose who happens to be killing people left and right and arranging things so that Jody and Tommy look like the culprits. It is obviously not easy being a modern-day vampire.
Questions for Discussion
1. Everyone has been exposed to Vampire lore, either through books, movies, or television. How does Jody’s transformation into a vampire differ from how you always thought someone became a vampire? In what ways is it similar?
2. Jody and Tommy’s relationship moves at a rather alarming pace, and within a week of meeting each other, they are in love. Is love at first sight possible? Or in their case, at first bite? Why do they connect so instantly?
3. The book is filled with religious connotations, whether intentional or not—from the mention of “the pyramid” (The TransAmerica Tower), to the use of crosses to ward off vampires, to the Animals being referred to as “Crusaders.” How intentional do you think this was on the part of the author? What do these add to the story?
4. The book touches upon the idea of euthanasia—the practice of ending the life of a terminally ill person in a painless or minimally painful way in order to limit suffering—in that Elijah Ben Sapir, the vampire who creates Jody, only kills those who are about to die or whose lives are limited in some way. What are your feelings about “mercy killings”? Do vampires have an ethical standard?
5. When Simon threatens Jody after she refuses to turn him into a vampire, she ends up killing him in the front of his truck. Jody then blames the killing on Elijah, however, and never confesses it to Tommy. Why not admit to it when Elijah has been restrained?
6. Why are Jody and Tommy “set up” as the culprits in the recent crimes? What would it mean if they were caught? Why do these crimes need to be pinned on anyone? Couldn’t the criminals cover up the crimes in another way?
7. By the end of the novel, both detectives—Cavuto and Rivera—begin to believe in the supernatural and that vampires could exist. To what ex
tent do you believe in the supernatural, either vampires, ghosts, or even just that some people may or may not have psychic ability?
8. Tommy uses Anne Rice’s The Vampire Lestat, which of course is fiction, as his “Owner’s Manual” for learning about Jody and her new powers. Discuss the author’s use of fiction within fiction in order to tell a story. Have any members of your group read The Vampire Lestat? How do the two books compare?
9. Once Jody becomes a vampire, she finds that she has many new and different abilities, including superstrength, heightened senses, and superspeed. Which do you think is her most needed new superability?
10. Though Jody finds herself immortal, she also retains many of her normal human characteristics and failings, including vanity, fear, anger, and disgust. Discuss how even though she has become immortal, and can protect herself from many of the regular dangers of everyday life, she is still unable to disassociate herself from normal human emotion.
11. At the end of the book, the reader is left with the impression that Jody is about to turn Tommy into a vampire. If she does change him into a vampire, how do you imagine their story continues? How would it continue if she does not?
Enhancing Your Bookclub
1. Would you be willing to give up your normal life—being able to go out in the daylight, not being immortal—in order to become a vampire? You’d be able to live forever, have superstrength and-speed, among many other different gifts. Would it be worth it? Why? Why not?
2. To read more about vampires, take a look at the following titles: The Society of S by Susan Hubbard, Vamped by David Sosnowski, The Book of Renfield: A Gospel of Dracula by Tim Lucas, and Happy Hour at Casa Dracula by Marta Costa.
3. Learn more about vampires: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vampires.
* “ Do it harder, my little love pig!”
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