Dracula, My Love: The Secret Journals of Mina Harker

by Syrie James

  Dracula, My Love is very romantic, but there is little or no romance in Bram Stoker’s Dracula. How do the main characters in your novel compare to—or differ from—Stoker’s characters?

  Stoker’s Mina is smart, strong, logical, sensitive, and well-read—a woman with a “man’s brain,” as Van Helsing so ineloquently puts it. I strove to retain all these lovely, essential qualities, while at the same time fleshing out Mina’s character arc, and reflecting her evolution as a woman. To that end, I focused on two major elements: the invention and exploration of her personal history, and her inner struggle between her affection for and loyalty to her husband, and her intense desire for that powerful being, Dracula, to whom she is drawn despite herself.

  I wanted Dracula to be a central character and love interest—which meant he could not be Stoker’s hideous, selfish, elderly recluse, whose sole purpose seems to be to feed on the living. Neither did I envision him as the suave but evil charmer so often portrayed in the movies. I envisioned Count Dracula not only as an attractive, charismatic, and highly intelligent supernatural being, but a sympathetic one: a man who had a very different explanation for every terrible act attributed to him. A man who’d been completely misunderstood. A man who’d taken full advantage of his gift of immortality to expand his mind and talents, and who would do anything to win the heart of the woman he loved. Stoker’s Dracula can vanish at will, morph into a bat or wolf, and appear decades younger. Given these abilities, I reasoned, he would surely appear in his most attractive form to the woman he wished to woo—just as the female vampires at his castle (who are presumably as old as he) appear to Jonathan as ravishing beauties.

  Your previous novels are critically acclaimed memoirs, written as if from the pens of Jane Austen and Charlotte Brontë. Was it something of a departure for you, to write a romantic thriller about vampires?

  My last two books were indeed about real-life, beloved authors. But although this novel is an offshoot of a fictional story instead of a true story, it still shares many similarities to my past work. All three novels take place in nineteenth century England—a place with which, after many years of research, I’ve become very familiar. They are all passionate love stories featuring a strong, intelligent heroine and a man who, due to circumstance, is forced to disguise or withhold his feelings for the woman he deeply loves until a defining, culminating moment. As with Jane and Charlotte, I was working with an established story or set of facts which was riddled with gaps, and which I had the pleasure of bringing to life through imagined scenes and dialogue.

  And as for vampires—I’ve been interested in them for years, ever since my son Ryan asked me to coauthor a screenplay that included vampires. Today’s vampires are good-looking, powerful, immortal, and eternally young. They’re the “forbidden fruit”—a combination of sex and danger that’s a powerful aphrodisiac for many. A vampire who’s lived for centuries should be incredibly good at everything, don’t you think? Especially sex. Vampire sex should be the best sex a woman has ever had. After all, they’ve had centuries to practice.

  Book Club/Reading Group Study Guide

  Who are your favorite characters in Dracula, My Love, and why? Who is your least favorite character? How is Count Dracula similar to or different from the Dracula portrayed in Bram Stoker’s novel, and/or in any of the film versions you’ve seen?

  Compare and contrast the characters of Lucy and Mina in Dracula, My Love. How do the differences between them ultimately affect their fates?

  Discuss Mina’s character arc. At the beginning of the story, what are her viewpoints regarding love, marriage, a woman’s role in society, and the need to follow that society’s rules? Is Mina an example of traditional Victorian mores? How does Mina grow and change over the course of the story?

  Early in the novel, Mina admits that she’s always told Lucy everything, and that she and Jonathan made a solemn pact to be completely honest with each other. Yet Mina conceals her relationship with Mr. Wagner/Dracula from both Lucy and Jonathan. Why? How does the burden of carrying that secret affect her and influence the choices she makes?

  What are Jonathan’s and Dracula’s respective strengths and weaknesses? Why is Mina attracted to them both? Do you think she loves one more than the other, or just loves them in a different way? Do you empathize and connect with her feelings for Dracula? Who do you think is Mina’s ideal mate?

  A long list of evils is attributed to Dracula, most which he refutes. How plausible are his explanations? Do you think he was telling the truth? After hearing Dracula’s version of events, did you feel sympathy for him?

  When does Dracula begin to have feelings for Mina, and why? How does he go about pursuing her? Knowing that she is already engaged, what do you think he hopes and expects? How does their relationship build and grow over the course of the novel?

  How does the telepathic bond between Mina and Dracula enhance the story and move the plot forward?

  Discuss the scenes which explore the truth of Mina’s parentage and personal history. How does her back story add to her character and to the novel as a whole? How does Mina and Jonathan’s shared history influence their present and future?

  Discuss Dracula’s origin story as revealed in the novel. How did his personal misfortunes shape the being he becomes? Do you admire him for the choices he’s made? Why or why not?

  If you had an eternity before you, how would you spend it?

  Mina reminds Jonathan that her dreams often come true. Did this fact affect your expectations while reading the novel? How does Mina’s dream imagery serve the story? When Mina dreams that Dracula makes love to her, do you think it was really just a dream?

  There are many unanswered questions in Bram Stoker’s novel, such as Dracula’s origin, his motivation for coming to Whitby and London, and the truth behind all that occurs at his castle. How does the author address these and other unanswered questions in Dracula, My Love? Did you find the answers believable and satisfying?

  Did reading Mina’s story in the first person enhance the experience for you? What are the benefits of telling a story from the main character’s perspective, rather than the third person? What are the limitations?

  Discuss the pros and cons of a vampire’s existence as explained in the novel. Do you think Mina made the right choice at the end? Given her options, would you have made the same choice? Why or why not?

  What physical and psychological changes does Mina experience when she is certain she is becoming a vampire? Were you surprised by the final revelation?

  Discuss the book’s climax and resolution. Do you think the ending was appropriate? What caused Dracula to react and behave the way he did? At the final moment, do you think he did the right thing?

  Examine the Epilogue. Seven years have passed. What is Mina’s perception of events? Is she right? What do you think happened to Dracula? In what ways has Mina’s relationship with Dracula changed her forever?

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  WITH UNDYING GRATITUDE TO BRAM STOKER, WHOSE Dracula has become the stuff of legend and whose work has inspired a whole new genre of fiction. A grateful thank-you to my agent, Tamar Rydzinski, for insisting that I figure out a way to retell Dracula from Mina’s point of view; this book would not exist without you. Thanks to my son Ryan, for introducing me to the magic and wonder of vampires years ago, and for all the insightful notes and comments along the way.

  I am indebted to Leslie Klinger for his detailed work The New Annotated Dracula, which became my Bible, and to Fred Saberhagen’s The Dracula Tape, which redeemed Dracula by cleverly revealing the truth behind many of his past misdeeds.

  A loving thank-you to my husband Bill, for enduring my obsession with all things Dracula with such good humor and grace, and for his thrilling and ecstatic response upon reading the first draft. Thanks to my mother-in-law, Mary James, who kept a very romantic journal of her own, and whose love of books and reading has been an inspiration in so many ways. To Lucia Macro, Esi Sogah, Christine Maddalena, a
nd the entire team at HarperCollins, who work so hard every day, and who sparked to this project when it was little more than a wisp of vapor on the page.

  And most importantly, a heartfelt thank you to all my readers. Researching, plotting, imagining, and writing this novel has been one of the greatest adventures of my life. I hope you have as much fun reading it as I had in composing it. Enjoy the ride!

  PRAISE FOR

  The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Brontë

  GREAT GROUP READ 2009

  —Women’s National Book Association

  “For fans of biographical tales and romance, Syrie’s story of Charlotte offers it all: longing and yearning, struggle and success, the searing pain of immeasurable loss, and the happiness of a love that came unbidden and unsought. I did not want this story to end.”

  —Jane Austen’s World

  “The story is impeccably researched, the language authentic feeling, and James has imagined a story that most Brontë fans will enjoy thoroughly. In some ways, her tale of Charlotte’s life almost seems like an undiscovered plot from one of Brontë’s own works.”

  —BookNAround

  “5 STARS. An excellent combination of truth and conjecture that is a gratifying and magnetizing read! I have had the wonderful pleasure of reading Syrie James’s first book, The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen, and in both books I find myself very impressed by the author’s extensive research and knowledge…. I felt she captured an accurate and distinct voice and personality for both Jane Austen and Charlotte Brontë…. I dearly hope she continues to write more in this vein, I love her reverent and precise representation of these beloved authors. In addition, her graceful storytelling is seamless and entertaining. I highly recommend this novel.”

  —Austenesque Reviews

  “Syrie James first showcased her research prowess with her novel The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen, and the skill has come in handy again in The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Brontë. Although framed as Brontë’s confessional journal, James easily takes the biography of Brontë and sketches it into a work of art…. The availability of specific, passionate details is what gives the book its main pull…. Syrie manages to weave the dysfunction of the family into the journal in quite a touching manner…. A can’t-miss novel for Brontë fans and historical fiction buffs alike.”

  —Sacramento Book Review

  “James adapts Brontë’s voice, telling Brontë’s story as though it came straight from the great writer. Living with an alcoholic, drug-addicted brother and a deeply eccentric father, Brontë—and her sisters—still managed to write some of the most famous novels of their time. With The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Brontë, James offers a satisfying—if partly imagined—history of the real-life experiences that inspired Brontë’s classic novels.”

  —BookPage

  PRAISE FOR

  The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen

  THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING NOVEL

  “Syrie James…is a fine storyteller, with a sensitive ear for the Austenian voice and a clear passion for research. The result is a thoughtful, immensely touching romance that does justice to its subject and will delight anyone who feels, as Syrie James does, that Jane Austen couldn’t possibly have written with such insight without having had a great romance of her own.”

  —Jane Austen’s Regency World

  “There are not enough accolades I could use to recommend this book…. I read it thinking all the while it was a newly discovered memoir of the famous writer. That is how good the writing is…. It is a love affair equal to anything Jane Austen wrote…. Thank you, Syrie James.”

  —News Review (Oregon)

  “Suspense builds and it’s a tribute to the world James creates that readers will anxiously root for Jane to find true love and wealth even though we know it never happened. Deserves frontrunner status in the…field of Austen fan-fiction and film.”

  —Kirkus Reviews

  “Most interesting is the way James creates a life story for Austen that illuminates how her themes and plots may have developed…. [T]he reader blindly pulls for the heroine and her dreams of love, hoping against history that Austen might yet enjoy the satisfactions of romance…. James’s novel offers a deeper understanding of what Austen’s life might have been like.”

  —Los Angeles Times

  By Syrie James

  DRACULA, MY LOVE: THE SECRET JOURNALS OF MINA HARKER

  THE SECRET DIARIES OF CHARLOTTE BRONTË

  THE LOST MEMOIRS OF JANE AUSTEN

  Credits

  Maps designed by John Del Gaizo

  Copyright

  This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  DRACULA, MY LOVE. Copyright © 2010 by Syrie James. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

  FIRST AVON PAPERBACK EDITION PUBLISHED 2010.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  James, Syrie.

  Dracula my love : the secret journals of Mina Harker : a novel / Syrie James. — 1st ed.

  p. cm.

  ISBN 978-0-06-192303-6 (pbk. : acid-free paper)

  1. Young women—Fiction. 2. Dracula, Count (Fictitious character)—Fiction. 3. Vampires—Fiction. I. Title.

  PS3610.A457D73 2010

  813'.6—dc22 2010003346

  ePub Edition © June 2010 ISBN: 978-0-06-201042-1

  10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

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  1 “Do you speak French, Miss?” “Yes, sir; a little.”

  2 Public stagecoach.

  3 A light, horse-drawn vehicle seating two to four passengers, with a seat for a driver on a splashboard.

  4 See you later.