Buying an allegedly haunted crystal from eBay proved to be the inspiration for Bellingham author Sarah Hawley’s latest book, “A Werewolf’s Guide to Seducing a Vampire” (out Aug. 13). Late one night, Hawley, who is the creative force behind the fantasy romance trilogy Glimmer Falls, was looking to buy a ghost on eBay.
After finding out that they were expensive, she turned her attention to less popular and pricey apparitions and found a blue crystal that the seller purported was haunted by a vampire succubus who would appear in the buyer’s dreams. Costing just 99 cents, Hawley bought the “bargain basement rock,” which features on her book’s cover. “I laughed so hard, and immediately bought it! I was the only bidder,” she said.
“The vampire succubus was supposed to be a dark entity, haunt my dreams and be very deadly. That didn’t happen, but I knew I wanted to write a book about her.” The purchase went on to inspire the plot of “A Werewolf’s Guide,” where the main protagonist, Ben, comes across an ad for a “possessed” crystal on eBay containing a “Sexy Succubus She-Vampire Talisman” that is “very angry.
" While drunk, he buys the crystal thinking it's a scam but is shocked to find out it does indeed contain a hissing vampire assassin armed with her own knives, leading to his life being turned upside down. Like the previous two books in the trilogy, “A Werewolf’s Guide” is set in a fictional town in Washington called Glimmer Falls, and depicts the local environment. Hawley — a former archaeologist — was born in the Seattle area but grew up in New Mexico.
After her family returned to Washington, Hawley moved to Bellingham five years ago. “It’s such a beautiful town,” she said. “I love that it’s so accessible to both Vancouver and Seattle.
I love how outdoorsy it is, the hiking and the people. It’s a gem of a city.” Before her move to Bellingham, Hawley lived in California, where she worked in a museum, and has spent stints abroad excavating sites in the U.
K., Chile and Turkey. After an economic downturn, she transitioned to digital marketing and now works in administration.
Hawley, who started writing at a young age, attributes her love of the fantasy genre to her mother, who is an avid reader and would share her passion with her daughter. “I have been a sci-fi fantasy reader all my life,” Hawley said. ”My mum had a massive collection of sci-fi fantasy novels and raised me on that.
We read all the same stuff.” While the Glimmer Falls trilogy is set in the present day and references popular culture, it overlaps with nonhuman realms. “It’s a universe in which Taylor Swift exists, but so do dragons,” she said.
Humor is a key component of Hawley’s work. “I like being goofy, whimsical and absurd. I love sneaking comedy into the background,” she said.
“The Glimmer Falls series is an encapsulation of everything that makes me laugh — a whimsical fantasy town where ludicrous things are happening all the time everywhere you look.” This includes challenging traditional tropes such as featuring a werewolf who feels guilty about eating wild animals and has an anxiety disorder and panic attacks. Hawley, who has anxiety herself, wanted to portray characters facing various mental health challenges.
Along with tackling mental health, Hawley also explores the issue of female consent in the novel by using the magical component of the crystal as a vehicle for tackling the issue of sexual and relational consent. Ben has magical power over Eleonore, the vampire succubus, and can make her do whatever he wants, but he chooses not to use it. “Consent was a massive thing in this book for me,” she said.
“I think one thing romance does well is prioritizing consent, female pleasure and equitable arrangement between two partners.” Hawley said she is excited about the rise in popularity of the fantasy romance genre and noted it’s something people turn to for escapism during unprecedented times such as the current political climate. “Fantasy romance is having its moment," she said.
“It is the ultimate escape. You’re in an entirely different world.”.
