1. Thank-you
2. Yeah, I'm trying to defaggotize the genre.
Anne Rice's stuff was chock full of a lot of homoerotic garbage, and the later books got much worse than the first four. But are you familiar with PN Elrod's Vampire Files books, set in just-post-Al Capone but pre-WW II Chicago? Yes, there are human characters, but they're anything but boat anchors. Both the protagonist vampire (Jack Fleming) and his partner Charles Escott owe each other their lives several times over. Fleming's human girlfriend Bobbi is an important character. Fleming just can't seem to stop running afoul of the Chicago mobs, a fact which itself is a running, understated bit of humor. Most of the books are good, fast reads--sort of vampire novel meets hardboiled detective fiction, althoug that's something of a simplification. A lot of great humor in the series, too, although it certainly gets very dark sometimes. I also recommend Elrod's shorter series set during Revolutionary War times, concerning Johnathan Barrett (who is a royalist, by the way). Her (the P stands for "Patricia") "Quincey Morris, Vampire" (I'm sure you'll recognize the name) is also set in the same vamp universe.
I'm afraid the series is played out now--the last two installments were real disappointments. But the earlier books are great.
Although these vampires can lose control if they're starved too long, and there are the occasional mad ones among them, they mainly feed on animal blood, in fact from cows or horses, meaning that they don't even kill the animals. They can't be killed by regular bullets or knives but certainly don't enjoy being shot, and it IS possible for them to take too much damage to come back without a serious blood infusion--like a torn open throat plus a broken back. They can take too much damage to dematerialize, which heals them. Wood in any form is their enemy--ie, a wood club can do serious damage to them, much more than, say, a crowbar.
Anyway, I have enjoyed vampire fiction for years and when I have a little time I'll read your work, Mr SB.