PHOTO: Author LB Harpdog, creator of the Bampire mythology and the heartfelt MIND NIGHT BLUE series.
A Deep Dive Into Emotional Storytelling And Original Mythology
LB Harpdog shares how his heartbreak inspired the creation of the Bampire mythology and the deeply personal themes of love, loss, and desire in his series MIND NIGHT BLUE and Time To Play.
LB Harpdog has crafted a distinctive niche in speculative fiction with his inventive Bampire mythology and the richly imagined world of Bamptillia. His writing blends emotional depth and imaginative world-building to explore themes of love, loss, and the complexities of human connection. Harpdog’s six-book series introduces readers to Bampires, otherworldly creatures whose origins and nature challenge traditional vampire lore while weaving a narrative deeply rooted in personal experience and emotional truth.
The Bampires, Harpdog explains, originate from a distant planet without suns—only moons—that shaped their electric blue eyes and unique abilities. Unlike Earth’s vampires who consume blood, Bampires sustain themselves on the minds or bodies of virgins, a scarce resource on their home planet but plentiful on Earth. The difference in gravity between Bamptillia and Earth grants Bampires greater strength, speed, and even flight, and their mental powers enable them to enter or control human minds. This rich mythology was born from Harpdog’s heartbreak and desire to express his love for his ex-girlfriend, Palmyra, in ways words alone could not capture.
LB Harpdog masterfully blends raw emotion with imaginative storytelling, creating captivating worlds that resonate deeply with readers’ hearts and minds.
Originally conceived as a single novel, MIND NIGHT BLUE evolved into a six-book series due to demand for deeper character development. Harpdog’s storytelling is intensely personal—MIND NIGHT BLUE serves as a love letter to Palmyra, born from an “untouched emotional affair” that defied societal norms. Amidst a dark time in his life when he contemplated ending it, Palmyra’s presence and their shared promises gave him hope and purpose. These promises included creating the Bampire brand for her, writing a story about their love, and other commitments that formed the emotional backbone of the narrative.
At the core of Harpdog’s work is the concept of MHSTY—“My Heart Sings To Yours”—a secret phrase symbolizing their unique bond. In the story, it represents soulmates connected beyond circumstance and distance, a testament to love’s endurance despite life’s challenges. Harpdog emphasizes that true love, as portrayed in his writing, is selfless and accepting, often requiring painful sacrifices such as loving from afar.
The Bampire society Harpdog created is driven by physical pleasures necessary for survival, yet its members also crave genuine emotional connection. This tension between carnal desire and deeper intimacy is a recurring theme. While Bampires engage in sex to sustain their lives, the story highlights that true love transforms this dynamic, placing emotional closeness and understanding above physical gratification. Harpdog contrasts the protagonist LB’s desire for heartfelt connection with another character’s more physical approach, illustrating different facets of love and longing.
Harpdog’s unique writing style invites readers into the emotional worlds of his characters by focusing on universal, everyday struggles like cheating, grief, regret, and falling in love. His narrative approach begins with immersive scenes that unravel slowly, allowing readers to understand his characters’ states of mind. Music, chosen from his personal Spotify playlist, complements the storytelling by enhancing emotional resonance through lyrics aligned with the story’s themes.
Pain and pleasure are the two central emotions Harpdog believes hold the strongest memories. He deliberately uses these emotions to pull readers into his stories—holding them with moments of sorrow, then balancing with scenes of joy and desire. His writing also presents multiple viewpoints, offering insight into characters’ motivations and the complex nature of human relationships.
In addition to his Bampire series, Harpdog’s Time To Play series of short erotic stories celebrates women’s desires and aims to destigmatize female sexuality. Written initially for Palmyra during their online relationship, these stories were meant to mentally and emotionally connect when physical presence was impossible. The final book in the series, a choose-your-own-adventure style story with multiple endings, embodies Harpdog’s unpredictable and imaginative nature. Beyond the personal inspiration, the series encourages women and couples to explore their desires openly, fostering communication and satisfaction.
LB Harpdog’s works offer readers more than speculative fiction—they are intimate journeys through the heart’s darkest and most hopeful places. His ability to transform personal pain into stories of love, longing, and emotional complexity resonates deeply, inviting readers to reflect on their own experiences of connection and loss.
This article was adapted from an interview with LB Harpdog in the latest issue of Reader’s House.
