Trying to find a vampire novel.
I am trying to find the title of a book I read long ago. The book was probably written in the early or mid 80's and is about a women who is bitten by a vampire while sitting in her car on a dock.
Over the next few days, she slowly starts to turn into a vampire, and a kind, old, black man (who is also a vampire) shows up to help her transition better. There are some humorous parts, like where she freaks out when she has to sleep in a coffin for the first time, and when she sticks her hand in a tanning bed and burning it severely. She is also very squeamish about feeding from humans, but turns into quite the killer later on.
At one point she sees a St. Bernard dog get hit by a car. Instead of putting him out of his misery, she turns him into a vampire, or a "vampire puppy" as she calls him. However, the dog does not like his new life and tries to kill himself on a number of occasions. He eventually succeeds my getting off his leash and jumping in front of a car.
Towards the end, after she has gotten with the man who turned her, they get caught in a barn where another vampire catches it on fire. She manages to drag the man out of the burning barn, and they take refuge in a cave, away from the sunlight. There, she lets him drink her blood so that he can survive, and she finally learns how he was turned into a vampire many years before. She also looks exactly like his late sister (I think there might have been some incest there at some point regarding the man and his sister, but I'm not sure). At the end, they are both on a boat, heading somewhere.
I have tons more information about this book, such as all three (the man, women, and dog) all dress up in matching tuxedo's for a party... I also think the book was written in first person (the women's)
If anyone know's any information about this book PLEASE let me know. It's been driving me crazy!
