Grady Hendrix’s novel, The Southern Book Club’s Guide To Slaying Vampires, might sound like a manual for dealing with bloodthirsty creatures, but as the author clarifies in this insightful interview, it’s far from a practical handbook – unless your neighborhood’s issues extend beyond parking disputes and noisy neighbors.
Photo Credit: Albert Mitchell
Could you introduce us to The Southern Book Club’s Guide To Slaying Vampires? What’s the story about?
The novel is set in Charleston, South Carolina, in the 1990s. It revolves around a book club and the unsettling events that unfold when a mysterious man, possibly a vampire, moves into their neighborhood.
What sparked the initial idea for this novel, and how did it evolve as you wrote it?
My previous book, My Best Friend’s Exorcism, was set in Charleston in 1988 during the Satanic Panic. It followed two teenage girls convinced one of them was possessed. Many readers pointed out that the parents in that book were terrible, and they were right! I wrote it from a teenager’s perspective, where parents often seem… well, horrible. But I realized there was another story to tell – the parents’ side. How helpless they would feel when their child is in danger. The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires grew from that idea. It’s not a sequel to My Best Friend’s Exorcism, but it’s set in the same neighborhood a few years later because, apparently, I can’t imagine writing about anywhere else. It’s where I grew up.
The title suggests a comedic horror story, rather than a literal guide. Is that an accurate description?
If your town suddenly becomes a vampire hotspot after being featured in a USA Today article as a top retirement destination, then maybe this book is a non-fiction guide. But for most readers, it’s a fictional tale about true crime enthusiasts dealing with a neighbor who might just be a vampire.
Regarding the humor, is it more in line with the outright jokes of The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy or more situational comedy like in John Scalzi’s The Collapsing Empire? And why did you choose that approach?
“Why is it whatever it is?” – that’s a fantastic interview question! I might use that on my aunt next time she gifts me something… unique.
Fair enough! But seriously, which writers or comedians influenced the humor in The Southern Book Club’s Guide To Slaying Vampires?
I don’t consciously aim for comedy. To me, comedy feels forced, like being stuck in a car with an uncle who thinks he’s a “jokester.” I write about the world as I see it, which is a mix of funny, tragic, and horrifying. Think about the coronavirus pandemic – toilet paper hoarding. It’s absurd, tragic, and terrifying all at once. That blend of horror and comedy is just life.
Were there any specific writers or stories that particularly influenced The Southern Book Club’s Guide To Slaying Vampires, distinct from your other works?
Shirley Jackson became my literary spirit animal during the writing process, especially her family life books like Life Among The Savages and Raising Demons. I admire her calm, confident voice that leads you so smoothly into chaos and violence.
What about non-literary influences? Did any movies, TV shows, or video games play a role in shaping the novel?
Goodness, no.
Vampire portrayals in media are diverse – from terrifying in 40 Days Of Night to suave in Love At First Bite and even sparkly in Twilight. What kind of vampires do we encounter in your book, and why did you choose that specific interpretation?
You’re assuming there are vampires being slayed in this book. Just because it’s a “guide,” doesn’t guarantee successful instruction following! Think of all those field guides to birds that leave us bird-identification-challenged, or first-aid guides that fail us in emergencies.
However, the vampire archetype I explored is rooted in the classic American figure of the rootless wanderer – the cowboy, the Kerouac character, the mysterious stranger. They arrive, disrupt lives, and then vanish. Think Shane, or even darker figures like Ted Bundy or Jeffrey Dahmer. Vampires, in a way, are the ultimate serial killers, stripped of humanity – no family, no roots, just endless hunger. They consume relentlessly, never satisfied.
You set The Southern Book Club’s Guide To Slaying Vampires in a world where vampire lore is already known, referencing books like Dracula and Interview With The Vampire. Why this choice, rather than a world ignorant of vampires?
Again, I write about the world I know, and that world is surprisingly full of vampire stories and culture. Ignoring that would be ignoring reality.
Similarly, the story is set in 1993. Why this specific year – not earlier or later – and how did it shape the narrative?
The 90s are often called the “decade of nothing,” but they were actually the incubator for much of today’s world. It was the era of bank deregulation and the last presidential impeachment before recent times. More specifically for this story, the 90s were a fascinating period for women. The Anita Hill hearings at the start of the decade sparked a wave of women entering public office. Female singer-songwriters dominated music. The Riot Grrrl movement and the March For Women’s Lives were powerful forces. Yet, by the decade’s end, abortion clinics were being attacked, pornography was mainstream, and events like Woodstock ’99 revealed a disturbing undercurrent of violence and misogyny. It was a decade of contradictions.
Your previous novels – Horrorstor, My Best Friend’s Exorcism, and We Sold Our Souls – are all standalone stories. Is The Southern Book Club’s Guide To Slaying Vampires also a self-contained narrative, aside from the shared setting with Exorcism?
I don’t really do sequels. Too many stories to tell, not enough time to repeat myself.
The adaptation rights for The Southern Book Club’s Guide To Slaying Vampires have been acquired by Amazon. What can you share about this upcoming adaptation?
I’m a slow writer, so I actually have two complete, very different drafts of The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires that are much more expansive than the published version. Developing it into a TV series with Amazon is exciting because it allows me to bring in those additional characters and storylines, explore the richer world-building I initially conceived but had to cut for the book’s length.
Finally, for readers who enjoy The Southern Book Club’s Guide To Slaying Vampires, which of your other novels would you recommend next?
Being a polite Southern boy, recommending my own books feels a bit forward! But if you enjoyed Southern Book Club, and want to explore similar themes of humor and insightful social commentary, I cannot recommend Shirley Jackson’s Life Among The Savages highly enough. For true crime that’s truly captivating, Ann Rule’s The Stranger Beside Me is genre-defining and still incredibly powerful. While Truman Capote gets the credit for popularizing the genre with In Cold Blood, Ann Rule is the real master.
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