Happy Friday the 13th. This is a casual fireside chat. Think of me as a shadowy friend, cloaked and fanged, whispering eerie tales while you sip tea or fold laundry.

Tonight we’ll be prodding a specific bit of vampire folklore: The necessity of an invitation for vampires to enter your home.

From Dracula to Sinners, this trope is persistent as the vampire itself, and we explore not just the what, but the why—from ancient, cross-cultural beliefs to blockbuster movies. Letting someone in is more than opening a door; it’s an exchange of good faith and power. Who is to be trusted? Who will be forced to wait patiently outside, waiting for the first fool to break?

And vampires? They know how to exploit that.

Disillusioned is a New Adult Dark Fantasy sequel, for fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Ella Enchanted, Jane Austen’s Emma, and My Lady Jane, releasing this summer on Amazon, KU, and Audible. Read Disenchanted now.

Testing the waters here.