Too late, I've already written my vampire book. But since this story article was written a year+ ago, I guess it wasn't too late, technically? :-)

I'm not a vampire story buff (no pun intended), but I felt like writing a vampire novel, so I did. I didn't worry much about prior art. I had read Anne Rice and was familiar with the first Twilight book, but that was about it.

And of course I read Dracula when I was about 5 years old or something.

I don't think writers should ever get too bogged down in prior art when it comes to certain character types (be they vampires, serial killers, or just vapid husbands).

They're our characters. In my case, they tend to come alive in my head. I sometimes have very little say in their background or actions.