Printed in a black, hardback, silk-lined limited edition, DIGGING FOR DRACULA (a unique book-in-a-coffin) is the only book written by an Irish author honoring Dublin-born Bram Stoker’s classic Gothic novel in its 100th year of publication. A suitable centennial comemmoration.
Chapters
Vlad the Impaler
No search for Dracula would be complete without a perilous boat-trip across murky, moss-laden waters to the mysterious island of Snagov, Romania, to find the last remains of Vlad the Impaler, upon whom, some say, Dracula was based. To continue…
Seated with Stoker
All great writers require peace and quiet to produce their great works of art, so where did the author of the most famous vampire story in the world go. We found out. And we’ll take you there. To continue….
Meet the Mummies of Dublin
It’s strange to believe that dry, parched skin and bones of tall, lanky Crusaders lying in a limestone pit could inspire great writing but then again, Dracula is a strange book.To continue…
Agony Aunt of Vampires
Elfish in nature and enjoying her 70’s as if she was a teenager, Jeanne Youngson has become one of the leading advisers to young and old on all matters vampiric and has set up the world’s only Dracula Museum to stake her claim. To continue…
Dracula Day in Los Banos
A millionaire almond-grower from central California, husband to an Italian actress and a Persian Princes, Vincent Hillyer decided take on a most unfamiliar role. To continue…
Stinking Roses
A trip through France decades ago led to the launch of America’s most successful garlic festival, complete with ice-cream, toothpaste and wine flavored with the foul-smelling plant, warmly known as the ‘stinking rose.’ To continue…
A Night Among the Stars
While Stoker died almost penniless, his star character has since made rich those who either directed or acted in movies focusing on his most famous of vampires. We go to Los Angeles to talk to some of them. To continue…
The Lovable House of Horror
A pair of Marlene Dietrich’s pink shoes hang from either side of his four-poster bed, but it is his haunting home in the Hollywood Hills that has brought him fame – a priceless collection of paraphernalia from the frightening world of horror movies. To continue…
Land of the Living Dead
The city of floating tombs and the largest population of voodoo practitioners in the world. Surely, the picturesque Lousiana city of New Orleans can reveal some supernatural secrets about ‘those who never die.’ To continue…
Rubber Rats and Victim Beer
When she releases her latest literary work, she climbs into a coffin and a somber carriage pulled by dark horses with back plumes on their heads carry her to her neighborhood bookstore for the official launch. We take a glimpse into the world of Anna Rice, Queen of Vampires, and some of her peculiar merchandise. To continue…
Vorld Vide Veb
When searching for the origins of Dracula, there are bites, and then there are bytes. A search for anything these days inevitably means surfing the web. You can find poems and songs about vampires as well as tips on ways to dress as well as making that most crucial of accessories – the fangs. Why, you can even do The Vampyre Vulnerability Test. To continue…
Bitten but not Beaten
No book on the subject would be complete without a moonlight night spent in the eerie ruins of the castle of the medieval Count who many believe was a model for the fictional blood-sucker. To continue…
Sean Hillen 