There are no sparkling vampires here, or teenage romance, or werewolves for that matter. THE DESCENDANT, the debut novel by Cleveland, Ohio native Kelley Grealis, is a different type of vampire novel. Dubbed a vampire tale of biblical proportions, the book reveals the biblical origin of the vampire through the experiences of a woman who discovers that she is a descendant of the first vampire.
Asked what inspired her to write this book, Ms. Grealis responded, “I had never read a book or seen a movie that provided a plausible explanation for how the vampire was created. The vampire was always just there or I didn’t buy into the explanation that was given. I had to answer that question for myself.”
A lifelong fan of vampires, Ms. Grealis answered that question the only way she knew how, by tying the vampire’s origin to popular biblical stories. “I joke with my parents that I’m finally putting my Catholic schooling to good use,” Ms. Grealis said. “But in all seriousness, linking vampires to biblical stories made perfect sense to me. It’s the ultimate good versus evil story and the ultimate tale of revenge.”
The story follows Allison Carmichael, a woman plagued by common yet undiagnosed symptoms, who is desperate to discover her life’s calling. A car wreck leaves her with no memory of the past three years and in a life she doesn’t recognize. Allison soon discovers that she is a mortal descendant of the first vampire and the first of her kind to exhibit signs of vampirism. She must decide between mortal death if she cannot control her symptoms, or eternal damnation if she transforms into a vampire. Her decision is further complicated when she discovers that one vampire has manipulated every aspect of her life and another seeks vengeance for her biblical ancestor’s actions.
Kelley Grealis was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. She has a B.A. in Accounting from Baldwin-Wallace College and an M.B.A. from Cleveland State University. She lives in a Cleveland suburb with her husband and two cats and is currently writing The Search, Book #2 in The Descendant Vampire Series. Find out more about The Descendant which is available in paperback on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, as well as on Kindle, and in a variety of other e-book formats currently on sale for $.99 cents. Grab your copy before the sale ends!
