Jim Vanore’s second novel, Beware the Leaven, was published in Italy last month by Newton-Compton.
Naturally, the novel was translated into Italian, and even the title underwent a change. In Italy, the book is published as Il Vangelo dei Vampiri (The Gospel of the Vampires).

I talked to the author himself, and it was easy to find Vanore, since he is currently the Senior Columnist for the Herald.

Q. Could you tell readers a little bit about yourself, your varied careers, and your background as a writer?
A. I was born in South Philly, a second generation American. Father Judge High School, the U.S. Air Force, 22 years in the Phila. PD.
While a cop I put myself through college on the G.I. Bill, earning my B.A. from LaSalle and an M.A. from Rider College here in Jersey. After the police department, I taught for two years at Star of the Sea in Cape May.
I started working on my first novel in 1991, when I also started freelancing for Joe Zelnik here at the Herald. That novel, Grave Departure, was published in 1995, about the same time I was putting the concluding chapters of my second novel together.
In 1996, I came on board as the Herald’s Special Sections Editor. The second novel, Beware the Leaven, was published in 1999. By 2005 I was designated the Herald’s Senior Columnist, and last month Beware the Leaven was published in Italy by Newton-Compton under the title, The Gospel of the Vampires.

Q. The title, Gospel of the Vampires, may have readers imagining old black and white films starring Bela Lagosi. But this is nothing like those traditional horror stories. What would you tell readers who hesitate to pick up a story they might be afraid of?
A. I use vampirism as an allegorical vehicle to tell a story and make a point. There is the standard vampiric attack at various points in the novel, but the gore, as such is never gratuitous.

Q. You said you took quite a time researching this novel. What were some of your sources?
A. For research there were some expected sources—like Dracula—and some not so, such as Malory’s 15th century classic, Le Morte d'Arthur. In fact, I read several of the Grail romances including Baigent’s Holy Blood Holy Grail in preparing for the novel. Ravenscroft’s Spear of Destiny and Dracula was a Woman by Raymond McNally were also good sources for research. And of course, there were innumerable historical and encyclopedic publications that were of value.

Q. Some fiction writers say they create characters and put them in a setting, and then the characters themselves take over. Does that happen here, or did you map out the storyline in its entirety first?
A. I know the story I want to tell before I begin. I select characters that will pull me through to a logical conclusion. The characters come more alive as I write. So much so, that they will tell me when a line, or a scene, or even another character is inappropriate to the tale. By book’s end, I’m listening to the characters quite a bit.

Q. Can you describe how the idea for this plot came to you?
A. My father was a great fan of the old black-and-white horror movies. As I became an adolescent, I was allowed to stay up late and watch the occasional film with him whenever one was on. I began to question him on some of the specifics of vampire lore: Why can’t they go out in sunlight? Why don’t they cast a reflection…? Well, I began to think that if he—the expert on vampires—couldn’t explain these things, then who could?
Later, as I searched for those answers, I realized that no one had answered them thoroughly.
So I do.

Q. The atmosphere you create in this book is very dark, and yet, I did not find it depressing. Instead, I felt it was a very compelling story. Would you explain how you managed that?
A. The atmosphere—again, allegorically—is one of hope and faith. It is a tale of good vs. evil at its very foundation. The real world can often be dark, but to give up…that, to me, is the ultimate evil. Many people today make their living by advising a surrender to evil. It is they who are symbolized and demonized in the novel.

Q. There are elements in your book that appear in many contemporary novels and non-fiction. To what do you attribute the popularity of this particular slice of the good vs. evil theme?
A. Good vs. evil is a big part of life. It cannot (and should not) be ignored. Dan Brown tried to do it in his popular, Davinci Code, but where he used codes in a work of purely escapist fiction, I use vampirism in an interpretive work. And—lest anyone gets the idea I used his book for research—Beware the Leaven was published in English in 1999, four years before his book.

Q. I know you are the quintessential “voracious reader,” and you probably have a few books going now. What’s your favorite?
A. Some of my favorite fiction: Catcher in the Rye, The Great Gatsby, The Sun Also Rises, Heart of Darkness. In non-fiction, I lean toward biographies and history. The Washing of the Spears is a history of South Africa that should be more widely read. I also enthusiastically recommend that anyone interested in history read Education of a Wandering Man by Louis L'Amour. Read it before you read anything else historical. It will open your mind and help you to view things in a much different historical light.

Q. This is your second published novel, your first being Grave Departure. The plot of that book emerged when you were a police sergeant in Philadelphia. Would you explain how?
A. In 1980, I saw a monument in old downtown Philadelphia. It mentioned an incident that happened in the early 20th century. I found the incident fascinating, and decided to someday weave a fictional tale around that historical actuality. Grave Departure is that tale.
That novel is out of print, but signed first editions can be ordered at jamesvanore.com.