Propelled by the recent book and movie success of Stephenie Meyer's general market "Twilight" series, vampire-themed titles and products with an evangelical vein are finding their way onto the shelves of Christian bookstores.

Christian books such as Tracey Bateman's Thirsty (WaterBrook Press), Beth Felker Jones' Touched By a Vampire (Multnomah Books), Eric Wilson's "Jerusalem's Undead" trilogy (Thomas Nelson) and Ted Dekker's Green (Thomas Nelson) are targeting customers interested in vampire stories.

Shannon Hill Marchese, senior editor of fiction for The WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group, said the desire to connect with "Twilight" readers was part of the inspiration for Bateman's Thirsty, releasing in October.

"We asked: 'What are the human instincts? What is the deeper need of the readers that the 'Twilight' books have tapped into?' " Marchese said. "How do we explore these themes, truthfully, not glorifying?"

The trend has not been confined to Christian books. One of apparel company Kerusso's recent top-selling T-shirts has been "The Light" shirt, which ties into the popularity of "Twilight." "Since a T-shirt is an expression of pop culture, it's important to stay relevant by addressing current trends," said Lorri Carter, vice president of creative development for Kerusso.

Allen Arnold, fiction publisher at Thomas Nelson, said that engaging vampire readers with a Christian worldview was critical. "At the end of the day, what we're trying to do is fiction with redemption," he said. "If we can redeem the vampire legend, not to scare or frighten or to be gratuitous, we've created a redemptive story out of something meant for evil."

Read the full report in the Sept. 21 issue of Christian Retailing magazine.

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