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For her first novel, it seems only natural that Mansfield resident Courtney Maxwell would choose vampires as a subject to, um, sink her teeth into.

"I've always been interested in vampires and I've always been a huge fan of Anne Rice's 'Vampire Chronicles,'" says Maxwell, 24, who was at Book Ends bookstore in Mansfield on Saturday signing copies of her novel "Changed Through Blood."

"Plus," she continued, "my dad has always called me a 'vampire' because I'm always up late and I love to sleep all day!"

A graduate of the University of New Hampshire with a degree in business administration, Maxwell says writing became a hobby while attending college.

"I never really liked writing in high school because we always had to write boring essays, and that's not what I enjoy writing," Maxwell said. "I really like to describe things so that people can picture them in their minds the same way that I see them." Inspired by Rice, Stephen King, and Jacqueline Carey, Maxwell enjoys reading thriller novels and some sci-fi fantasy novels.

When she started "Changed Through Blood" nearly three years ago, she had no idea it would turn out to be a novel.

"I wasn't sure how far it was going to go, but some nights I would sit in front of my computer for hours because the ideas just kept coming," Maxwell said.

"When I was finished and my close friends and family read it, they were like 'you could actually do something with this.'"

A gothic romance, "Changed Through Blood" tells the tale of Calista, a woman who finds herself torn between two worlds after falling in love with Ayden, a vampire. Together they face the challenge of dodging vampire slayers and saving their dangerous love.

It's no secret that publishing is a tricky business to say the least. Maxwell, a financial analyst at Partners Health Care, said she had heard how difficult it could be and how many novels are rejected several times at first.

Several of the houses Maxwell pitched her novel to wanted her to front the money before publication, an expensive proposition. But she never lost hope.

"My boyfriend would say, 'You know, J.K. Rowling got rejected seven times for 'Harry Potter,' and look at her now,'" Maxwell said.

As it turns out, Tony Savageau, owner of Blue Mustang Press in Norton, lives down the street from Maxwell's parents, who suggested she show her story to him. She did, and just six months after submitting her manuscript, Blue Mustang published "Changed Through Blood," without Maxwell having to foot any of the costs.

Promotion and marketing can be tough for authors, but Maxwell's novel is already on the shelves locally at Book Ends, Barnes & Noble and Borders. Maxwell says she would love to see her book sell all over the country, but for now she just hopes that people to enjoy it. "I wrote a book," says Maxwell. "I don't know many people who can say that they've done that."