Roses and Fangs: Prestory notes

There are so many vampire and werewolf stories out there it is hard to be entirely creative when it comes to putting together a totally new myth system or entirely avoid having similar plots. Most authors that write about either or both, regardless of genre (fantasy, romance, science fiction, or manga), don't even try. I myself often mix a one or more of the following myths into my view of werewolves and vampires; Vampire the Masquerade and its spin offs, Dungeons and Dragons vs. 2-3.5, and Underworld. I do however also sometimes subscribe to the idea of Daywalkers, a kind of vampire that can withstand daylight with few if any adverse effects, and of other kinds of were creatures such as werelions, werecats and the like.
Obviously, I cannot help but be influenced by authors such as Salvatore, Tolkien, Galen, Briggs, and others.
Similarly, plot lines in werewolf/vampire tales often are influenced heavily by each other. The "forbidden" romance between a werewolf and a vampire, for example, is one of the more common plots or subplots in this form of literature, and one I have long wanted to explore myself...