Lori Devoti, paranormal romance and urban fantasy author

30 Days of Vampires Schedule

By Suzanne Mcleod

Suzanne Mcleod is the author of the Spellcrackers.com Urban Fantasy series. She lives in the UK with her husband and two rescue dogs and they all share their garden with a colony of pipistrelle bats.

Mega thanks to Lori for inviting me to guest blog in her 30 days of Vampires. I’m delighted to be here.

One of the questions I’m always asked when I say I write about vampires, is ‘Why vampires?’ And strangely enough, if I were to go back to before I started writing; I’d have probably asked myself the same question! Of course, that was before I got all intimate with those of the fanged-persuasion and fell totally under their spell! LOL! My fascination with vampires [and other not so human characters] stems from my life-long love affair with books. Like any bookworm, I’ll read anything, but my heart lies with romances, and in particular with those romances that add a dash of something else; mystery, crime, humour, historical, fantasy, you name it! And in the last few years [like a lot of other readers] I love it when a hot, sexy, dangerous vampire or three start stalking the heroine and have me ripping through the pages desperate to get to the sharp end of the story. So when I started writing, vampires just had to be top of my character wish-list.

And it’s not only the ‘bad-boy’ image of the vamps that appeals to me; one of the more interesting and fun aspects is how every author has their own take on the vampire myth and weaves it into their worlds; Kim Harrison with her genetically-altered tomato which leads to the vamps emerging from the shadows, Charlaine Harris and the invention of synthetic blood allowing vampires to declare themselves real and teetotal, or maybe humantotal! Then my own vampires – who although they’ve never been a secret from society, haven’t always been accepted by the humans – cleaned up their image with a no-expense spared, public relations campaign [along with some judicious government legislation] and transformed themselves into sought after A-list celebrities. But they still have their darker more dangerous side as Genny Taylor, my main character knows only too well.

In my first book – The Sweet Scent of Blood – Genny, a sidhe fae, is forced into helping one of those hot celebrity pin-up vamps when he is accused of murdering his girlfriend; risking both her job and the witches’ protection it offers – and threatening to expose her own dark secrets. Searching for the killer plunges Genny deep into the hidden heart of vampire society. It’s not long before she realizes that she and Mr October – the accused – are both unwitting pawns in a centuries-old power struggle between London’s non-human communities … and it’s not just her own neck that’s at stake, but the lives of all London’s supernaturals.

The Sweet Scent of Blood is set in a contemporary London – one with an alternate history – It’s a city where you can party the night away in Leicester Square with a celebrity vampire, ride the Underground with a goblin worker, buy a love charm from a Witch in Covent Garden, report a crime to a mountain troll at Old Scotland Yard or hire a sidhe or a satyr at Spellcrackers.com to sort out that annoying pixie infestation. But like all cities, magical London has its less salubrious side, and Sucker Town is one of the darkest with its blood-pubs and Beater goblins who patrol the streets and keep them safe after sunset, but even they can’t always stop the fang-gangs from taking a bite out of you…

*

Here’s an extract from chapter 4; this is where Genny first meets one of the vampires who play a big part in the book.

Extract.

‘Your website picture does you an injustice,’ the vampire said. ‘You are so much more in the flesh and . . . blood.’

‘Sorry I can’t return the sentiment,’ I said.

He gently shook his head. ‘Tut tut, Genevieve.’ He took a step towards me. ‘You really don’t mean that. Not when I have been waiting especially for you.’

I hardened my voice. ‘Then you’ve wasted your time. My visit’s with the police, not you.’

The Vampire took another step, fast, calculated to spook me. I swallowed hard, but held my ground. He stopped within touching distance. Long slim fingers brushed a lock of hair from his forehead while he studied me. ‘Intriguing.’ Half-closed eyes gave him a sleepy, enigmatic look. ‘Why would you involve yourself in something not your affair?’

‘It’s really none of your business.’

‘But that’s where you’re wrong, Genevieve.’ The words drifted lazy and sweet through the air. ‘You see, this really is my business. I am tasked with bringing this little episode to a satisfactory conclusion for all concerned. I will do better without your . . . help.’

When what he had said sank in, rather than the dream of his voice, surprise tumbled through me, banishing the feeling of languor that had seeped into my bones. ‘Who says your conclusion would be satisfactory for everyone?’

He grinned, letting me glimpse fang, a push of mesma inviting me to go along with the joke. ‘Why, I do, of course.’

‘Uh-huh.’ I nodded slowly. ‘Sounds good.’ I gave him a smile. A wide happy beam of a smile.
Satisfaction lit his face, but before he could speak, I dropped the smile. ‘Only it doesn’t sound quite good enough.’ I winked. ‘But hey. Nice try.’

He laughed, and the sound bubbled through me like champagne. I shivered even as sweat trickled down my spine. I gripped the strap of my bag with both hands, holding it like a life-line, concentrating on keeping him out of my mind. The longer he talked, the more the back of my neck throbbed, reminding me I was more vulnerable than usual.

‘Genevieve.’ He shrugged an elegant shoulder. ‘What are we to do now?’

I stared at him, surprised. ‘You’re asking me?’

He indicated the police station. ‘Once you walk through that door, you make yourself defenceless.’
For a moment part of me actually felt he cared. I bit the inside of my mouth, hard, to banish the feeling.

‘You dispense with all that wonderful witch protection you have carefully cultivated.’ He spread his hands wide. ‘You are fair game.’

‘Tell me something I don’t know.’

‘Are you so eager to offer your blood?’

‘What do you think?’

‘Such bravado.’ He glanced at the door again, a vague anxiety in the action. ‘But even your sidhe magic will not shield you from some amongst us.’

‘Are you done yet? Because so far I’m not hearing anything new.’

He sighed, the sound coating me with remorse. ‘Go home, Genevieve, while you still can.’

‘What? Just leave?’ I stopped strangling the strap of my bag and clenched my fists, digging my nails into my palms, determined to resist the impulse he’d given me to go home. ‘When you haven’t even threatened me yet?’

Something dark and sad appeared in his eyes, then it was gone, hidden by the same enigmatic look as before.

‘Threats . . . Coercion . . . Violence.’ The words hung like blades in the still air. ‘Is that what you would want?’

I froze, pulse speeding up, unable to move or speak, gazing into his eyes. A voice screamed in my mind, yelling at me to break his mesma, but another part of me wanted, desperately needed, whatever he was offering.

Cool fingers circled my left wrist and lifted my still clenched fist between us. My hand moved, seemingly of its own violation, opening like a flower before the sun. Blood welled in the half-moon marks across my palm, bright against my skin.

‘May I?’ His eyes echoed the silken seduction in his voice.

My lips parted in a sigh as my head bowed in submission.

Anger flashed across his face and his fingers squeezed, the bones in my wrist grating with the pain. ‘Say. It.’

‘Yes,’ I breathed.

For an instant his pupils glowed red and my heart fluttered with sudden terror, then he dipped his head. I gazed at the line of his jaw, the long dark lashes, the sleek silk of his hair where it curled round the intricate whorl of his ear, its lobe pierced through, a single gem black against his pale skin. His lips caressed my palm, a shudder rippled through his body and I felt an answering shimmer resonate through my own. My eyes closed as he licked hot lines along my hand. Sharp fangs scraped my wrist and chill air kissed my bare skin.

Leaves rustled in the stillness and a horse whinnied from the nearby stables, startling me out of my reverie.

I opened my eyes to an empty street.

The vampire was gone.

I stared down at my palm. The cuts from my nails had disappeared, healed over as though they’d never been. A bracelet of bruises around my wrist was the only evidence of his presence.
‘Genevieve.’ My name whispered through the breeze.

*
Website www.spellcrackers.com

Link for chapter one on Suzanne’s website.

Order Suzanne’s books:
The Sweet Scent of Blood (Spellcrackers)– out now
The Cold Kiss of Death (Spellcrackers)– July 2009

30 Days of Vampires Schedule

No salute to vampires would be complete without a look at the phenomena of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Here is Faith Burnham’s (a Dramatic Writing Student at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts) look at Buffy.

In general, I don’t know much about vampires. But I do know a whole hell of a lot about Buffy the Vampire Slayer. So, if you want to hear about the vampires from that show, you’ve come to the right place.

In the immortal words of My Chemical Romance: “Vampires will never hurt you.” With all due respect to MCR, Vampires are meant to be scary. I mean, they’re super-strong, super-fast and they want to bite people’s necks and suck all the blood out. The “eek” factor is high. Buffy had some pretty badass vampires. The Master and the Ubervamps were two of Buffy’s most formidable opponents. And yet, it’d be pretty difficult to find a fan that listed The Master or the Ubervamps as their favorite vamp. Why? Well, they’re kind of boring.

I apologize for putting The Master in the same category with the generically super-powerful Ubervamps. He was a well-written character with a decent personality, but there was nowhere for him to go. At the end of the day, either he was going to kill Buffy or she was going to kill him. With the most fascinating of Buffy’s villains, there were dozens of possibilities for their character. If this blog post could be ten pages long and not interesting to anyone but me, I would discuss all of the vampires on Buffy and everything that makes them interesting. But, instead I will focus on the idea of the vampire as villain and talk about the two vampires that I found the scariest. I’m choosing to talk about the scariest rather than the sexiest or funniest, because viewers like being scared. Vampires can be many things, but I would argue that they are the most effective as villains.

First, there’s Angelus. As far as real strength and invulnerability go, he was actually one of the weaker season villains on the show. The Master, The Mayor, Adam, Glory and The First Evil were far more powerful in terms of simple muscle. But, Angelus was often more frightening than any of these villains. A large part of this was the creep factor of his intimate knowledge of Buffy. He always did things that would send a chill down anyone’s spine. While any vamp could have killed Jenny Calendar, Angelus left the body in Giles’s apartment and set up a romantic, intimate scene for Giles to walk in on. Giles’s discovery of the body was one of the most shocking moments in the show’s history. Furthermore, Angelus didn’t need invulnerability. When she encountered an Ubervamp for the first time, Buffy couldn’t kill him. Okay, there’s some conflict there. But, when she was dealing with Angelus, she wouldn’t kill him. To Buffy, Angelus was always Angel on the inside. The conflict was much deeper.

For the second scariest vampire, my choice is Darla. There wasn’t nearly enough of her on the show, but her astonishing power is apparent through her back-story. Angelus, Drusilla and Spike, three of the strongest vampires on the show, were all essentially Darla’s pawns. She was badass enough that her vampire playthings had vampire playthings. She constantly used her sexuality to lure men to her. One of the most surprising and defining moments of the show was the very first scene of the first episode when Darla enters Sunnydale High School at night dressed as a Catholic school girl. She enters with a boy. The horror movie cliché had half the audience expecting a monster to jump out and attack her. But, because of the title of the show, many viewers thought, “I get it. She looks like a victim, but she’s actually going to be able to fight whatever attacks her.” When it is revealed that Darla is a vampire and she murders the boy she’d brought with her, it defies both of these expectations beautifully. While Buffy represented female power and virtue, Darla was the perfect counterpoint of female power and evil.

At this point many watchers of the show might be asking- wait, no Spike? In answer, I say, I did promise to talk about the two scariest vampire villains. I love Spike, but let’s face it: Though he was physically strong, he was always just a bit too hung up on girls to be all that terrifying. I will give him an honorable mention for busting in on Season 2 and killing the Annoying One. That was top rate.

In conclusion, perhaps instead of saying “Vampires will never hurt you,” My Chemical Romance could have said, “Vampires who just hurt you are boring. Vampires who are funny, vulnerable, sneaky, snarky and sexy are a lot more interesting.”

Faith Burnham is a Dramatic Writing Student at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and an extreme Buffy the Vampire Slayer geek.

30 Days of Vampires Schedule

By Inanna Arthen

Inanna Arthen is the author of Mortal Touch, the first in The Vampires of New England Series. Book 2, The Longer the Fall, will be released in 2009. Inanna is an expert on vampire folklore, fiction and fact, and runs By Light Unseen Media, an independent press dedicated to publishing vampire fiction and non-fiction. She is a member of Broad Universe and New England Horror Writers, and a contributing writer for Blogcritics.org.

Imagine, if you will, your family and friends sitting around a Thanksgiving dinner table. The room is warm and full of soft light from candles surrounding the autumn-themed centerpiece. The tablecloth is covered with dishes of fragrant food, china, glittering silverware and glasses of wine. At the end of the table is the gleaming roasted turkey. Everyone you care about most is sitting around the table, laughing, teasing, flirting and sharing memories. Some of them have traveled a long way for this reunion, and won’t be here again for another year. As the plates are filled and passed around, someone rises to propose a toast. You’d like to join them…

…but you’re not there. You’re outside, in the cold and dark, looking in. The table has one empty chair with an untouched place setting before it. It’s your place, but you can’t enter and take it. You’ve left that happy camaraderie now, and you can never go back. The empty place has been left for you out of respect, and fear. No one wants you to return, but you’re stuck, trapped between life and death, belonging wholly to neither. You desperately desire all the pleasures of life that you’ve left behind, but if you try to join the gathering inside, you know they’ll flee in horror.

Vampires may seem about as relevant to Thanksgiving as Valentines are to the Fourth of July. But the connection isn’t as tenuous as you might think. Thanksgiving is the modern harvest festival, celebrated when the year is rapidly descending to the dark and cold of Winter Solstice. In the cultures where the true vampire legend was born, such feasts were exactly the time when vampires would be attracted to their former homes. Ceremonies such as leaving one empty place at the table, or a plate of food and a candle on the hearth after everyone retired for the night, were a means of appeasing the hungry dead–which is what vampires were. In the modern world, holidays can be a time of sadness when those who have passed on are poignantly missed. But centuries ago, the dead were both mourned and feared, because they didn’t always stay away.

To understand the core meaning of the vampire legend, you have to recognize that it’s specific to European culture, especially those parts of Europe dominated by Orthodox Christianity. At the beginning of the Twentieth Century, folklorists George.R. Stetson, Dudley Wright and Montague Summers argued for a Universal Vampire Myth, claiming that “every culture in the world has a type of vampire.” They were quite wrong. These writers fell into the same Eurocentric fallacy of many scholars of their era, such as Sir James Fraser. They added up superficial similarities and decided that any folk belief with any one of the characteristics of vampires as described in the Eastern European panics was “a type of vampire.” If it drank blood, returned from the grave, was a supernatural creature that preyed on children and babies, or pestered people for sex, it was “a type of vampire.” Everyone has seen the long catalogs and encyclopedia of “vampires” from every known country and era.

But each of these creatures has its own cultural context and origin, and they’re no more “types of vampires” than the native peoples encountered by Columbus were really misplaced Hindus. The true vampire is our unique legacy, as children of Western culture. As such, it has a connection to all of our social traditions, because the vampire is interwoven with the tapestry of life and death itself.

Vampires in Europe could be living or dead (Bram Stoker invented the word, “undead”). In either case, they were former humans who had stepped outside the Right Order of Things. Living vampires like the Romanian strigoi vii had abandoned the mores of their human society and couldn’t really be trusted. They used magic to get an unfair advantage–you could tell living vampires because they were suspiciously lucky and successful, while their neighbors’ fortunes and health declined. But far more frightening were vampires who had died but refused to go where the dead go. Bound to the earth and their physical bodies, such vampires were believed to wander from town to town. They had insatiable appetites for food, drink and sex, as well as blood. Sometimes vampires achieved an imitation of life, even marrying and having children. A vampire could only be stopped if its body was destroyed as soon as possible, before the vampire escaped its grave in physical form. Burning the body to ashes was the sole sure method–staking and dismemberment were usually fruitless, but were tried anyway because the Orthodox Church forbade cremation.

This is the vampire legend that became our literary vampire tradition. The vampire was the eternal outsider, whether he was the alien or the prodigal son. He had been human and was no longer, even though he looked and acted human. He was feared because he couldn’t be trusted to obey the rules or recognize humans as his kin (even though some reported vampires did not seem very malign). The modern shift in vampire fiction came when we looked past our automatic mistrust of anyone apart from our tribe, and started to wonder what it was like to be that outsider, never welcome anywhere, always looking in from the darkness. “Sympathetic” vampire characters spoke to people who felt like they themselves were outcasts and wanderers who were excluded from the world of “normal people.” As immortals, vampires outlived everyone they loved and everything they knew. They were doomed to be strangers everywhere they went, forever. Such loneliness could make a villain out of almost anyone.

This is the tradition I invoke in the Vampires of New England series. My fictional vampires are few and isolated and live invisibly among human society. Their tragedy is that they can never completely participate, because they can’t allow others to know the truth about them. They yearn for the pleasures and companionship that humans take for granted. If you’ve ever felt alone and disconnected at a happy gathering, if you’re an “odd duck” in your birth family, if you’re ambivalent about Thanksgiving because you don’t seem to “fit in,” then you know how my vampires feel. They have to learn to find meaning in existence because the life passages humans take for granted are now closed to them.

I’m sure many of you reading this are a lot like me: you could associate vampires with just about anything, because vampires are a minor (or major) obsession for you. But pairing vampires and Thanksgiving isn’t a bizarre stretch. When we sit down to a feast, it’s appropriate for us to think of those who can’t share the bounty with us. Our ancestors shared symbolic meals out of fear. But we know that vampires are the reflections we see when we look into a dark glass. By stepping outside of life, vampires teach us to appreciate how precious and fragile life is. My vampires would tell you: drink deeply and take nothing for granted. The rules are more flexible than we think.

Order Inanna’s Book:
Mortal Touch

30 Days of Vampires Schedule
By Cornelia Amiri
Cornelia Amiri is the author of five Celtic/Romance novels, Druid Quest, The Fox Prince, The Vixen Princess, Danger Is Sweet, and One Heart One Way, published with Awe-Struck e-books. As well as a Comedy Celtic/Vampire novella, A Fine Cauldron of Fish with Eternal Press. And a Erotic/Celitc/Vampire/Romance story, Vampire Dancer in the Sleeping With the Undead anthology with L & L Dreamspell.

I’m giving away a PDF download or my Paranormal/Comedy/Romance, A Fine Cauldron of Fish. Just comment on this blog post. A winner will be selected at the end of the 30 Days promotion. International entries are fine.

Blurb: It’s summer on the Isle of Man an Andrew is looking for hot girls and good times. So when he meets the dreamy and seductive Margaid, he thinks he’s hit the jackpot. There are only a couple of minor problems: Margaid lives in a cave under the sea, is invisible, and thinks that only Andrew’s blood can save her from turning into a kelpie! But hey, whoever said love was perfect!?http://www.eternalpress.ca/afinecauldronoffish.html

Since I review youtube videos for my Savvy Click, Surf the Net With A View column, I wanted to share two Vampire Family/Thanksgiving videos which put me in the Fangsgiving mood. Yes, youtube has everything.

Vampire Thanksgiving

This is hilarious. It’s just a normal Thanksgiving Day in a cemetery. Hey, who doesn’t spend Thanksgiving in a cemetery? Did that Gargoyle just wink at my sister?

Vampire Family photos

Mommy vampire and her brood have a fangtastic time getting their family portrait. The middle son seems to be laughing and the baby boy is having a blast.
Mommy vamp is proud of her little blood suckers. I wonder what she’s cooking up for her vampire clan this thanksgiving.

And here’s a great Fangsgiving Greeting to share with all your myspace, blog, website and e-mail fiends and friends.

Hey, speaking of vampires at Thanksgiving, what would you do in a look who’s coming for dinner scenario, say if your grown daughter brought a vampire home for thanksgiving?

Though I’m not much of a cook, I might switch the pumpkin pie to some Vampire cupcakes courtesy of the recipe on http://tinyurl.com/5mxdjo, and for more traditional fare, click on the link to the right beneath the turkey cake, Celebrate Thanksgiving.

Also, though my story in Sleeping With the Undead is set in Scotland, so no thanksgiving feast, I do have a scene where the hero’s mother and father discuss the vampire girl or baobhan sith (baa’-van shee ) their son brought home, which fits in with the vampire/family theme.

Excerpt: Sleeping With the Undead/Vampire Dancer by Cornelia Amiri

Before Ian could get a word in, his father asked Tavish, “Did you set
the carin aright?”

“Aye, I put the stone back, good and tight.”

“Aye, but now we have a baobhan sith sleeping in our house,” his mother said.

“Well, she has to sleep somewhere dear. I dinnae want her draining my
cows of their blood though.”

“What about your sons’ blood?”

“Ooch, well I dinnae want her drinking theirs either.”

“Well I’m glad to hear that.”

His mother turned and saw Ian and Sorcha. She plastered a big smile
across her face. “I did not know you were awake.”

“Mom, Sorcha and I are going out. I’m going to show her around the town.”

“That’s nice,” his mom said.

As Ian walked away, he overheard his father say, “You have to be
careful of what you say around the baobhan sith. They’ll sneak up on
you.”

“Hush, she can still hear you,” his mother said.

Ian turned and waved good night to his mother and father.

“He can show her around all he likes but I dinnae want her near my cows.”

That was the last comment Ian heard before he walked out the door.
With his arm wrapped around Sorcha’s shoulder, he led her down to the
winding road.

Happy Fangsgiving to all,

Cornelia Amiri
http://myspace.com/CelticRomanceQueen

Order Cornelia’s books:
Danger Is Sweet
Druid Quest
One Heart One Way

30 Days of Vampires Schedule
By Amy Wilkins, Digital Production Coordinator, Harlequin

Here’s an insider look at the great vampire books coming from Harlequin this season:

Holiday with a Vampire II by Lori Devoti and Merline Lovelace (Silhouette Nocturne, Dec. 2008)

Halloween isn’t the only holiday vampires celebrate! Vamps collide with Christmas in this anthology from Silhouette Nocturne. In “The Vampire Who Stole Christmas” by Lori Devoti, a vampire tries to prevent a beautiful daemon from marrying the wrong man. And in Merline Lovelace’s “A Christmas Kiss”, a sexy vampire (who’s a little woozy after a little emergency fang dentistry) is rescued on Christmas Eve by a very cynical – but also very hot – cop.

Mortal Enemy, Immortal Lover by Olivia Gates (Silhouette Nocturne Bites, Dec. 2008) (See bottom of post for Bites link)

The hero of this novella, Javed, is half-vampire, half-demon. Created as an experiment, he’s the only hybrid to possess both species’ powers…and none of their weaknesses. The heroine is an Eradictor, trained from childhood to kill demons like Javed. So will she kill him…or fall for him?

The Devil To Pay by Michele Hauf (Silhouette Nocturne, January 2009)

Ivan Drake has been cursed since birth because his parents sold his soul to the Devil – but that’s just the start of his connection to the paranormal… By day, he tries to stop the escalating war between the witches and vampires, but by night he is forced to be the Devil’s bounty hunter. You’ll have to read the book to find out part-vampire Ivan and his witch lover can to overcome all these obstacles before they can find happiness!

Honor Calls by Caridad Piñeiro (Silhouette Nocturne Bites, January 2009) (See bottom of post for Bites link)

A new installment of Caridad Piñeiro’s “The Calling” series. This time, hardened FBI agent Jesus Hernandez is being introduced to the world of vampires…with the help of sexy vampire hunter Michaela.

Love at First Bite Bundle by Kimberly Raye (Harlequin Blaze eBooks, February 2009)

The hot cowboys of Skull Creek, Texas have a secret…they’re also vampires! This eBook exclusive bundle contains three books from Kimberly Raye’s Love at First Bite series (Dead Sexy, Drop Dead Gorgeous, and A Body to Die For), with a bonus novella “Once Upon a Bite” (also in the Blazing Bedtime Stories anthology).

To learn more about the paranormal romances from Harlequin, visit www.paranormalromanceblog.com!

Specials from eHarlequin.com:

30 Days of Vampires Schedule
Author of: Happy Hour at Casa Dracula, Midnight Brunch, The Bride of Casa Dracula
Favorite Candy: Idaho Spud, because what is better than a candy that looks like a potato?
Favorite Cartoon Character: Stewie of “Family Guy.”
Super Power Most Covets: Power to fly since traveling on planes is expensive and annoying.
Favorite Vampire: Spike of “Buffy” because he’s snarky and snarling.

Q.) First can you tell us about your Casa Dracula series?

M.A.) My novels follow the adventures of Milagro de Los Santos, a funny, sexy, smart, yet impetuous young woman who gets caught up with a pack of rich, snobby vampires. She prefers to think the best of people (and other creatures) which is why she’s sometimes duped, but she has the courage and cleverness to overcome obstacles. She always manages to find good parties and attractive men while doing so.

Q.) What about your take on vampires, do you stick with tradition or tweak it a bit?

M.A.) I’ve never understood the appeal of ancient corpses, so my vamps are humans who have a genetic anomaly that makes them crave red things (like blood), heal faster, and also makes them sensitive to sunlight. They dislike the superstitions about them (why wouldn’t they be visible in a mirror?), and they’re a secretive bunch so Milagro is never sure if they’re being completely honest.

Q.) If you were given the option, would you be turned?

M.A.) To quote Milagro, ha, ha, and ha.

Q.) What would you do if you met a “real” vampire? Would you be a vamp groupie or would you dash for the nearest stake?

M.A.) What does he look like? If we’re talking Gary Oldman with that crazy-ass wig in “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” I’d have to stake him for his high-crimes-against-fashion. If he looks like Gerard Butler with that rock star wig in the deliciously bad “Dracula 2000” I’d offer him a Bloody Mary and we’d discuss the options.

Q.) Who makes the best hero–slayer or vamp? Why?

M.A.) A normal human makes the best hero because vamps and slayers have unfair advantages of strength and fearlessness. I prefer regular Joes (or Josephines) who fight the good fight. I adored Buffy, but I admired Xander.

Q.) Matchmaker dilemma, you have a choice of a vampire, a werewolf or a witch/wizard as a date to your sister’s wedding, who do you pick and why?

M.A.) Vampires are high maintenance. It’s all about them. “The coat check girl lost my cape. The salmon was overcooked. I drained the blood out of the ring bearer.” Witch/wizards are notoriously bad dancers. You know, the kind that wave their arms around and do lame Isadora Duncan moves as they get in touch with their inner wood nymph.
Werewolves are the original party animals. As pack critters, they have mad social skills. They may not be the best dancers, but they get down and get funky with during party perennials like “Y.M.C.A.” and “Full Moon Rising.” They wouldn’t whine about the food, they’d be fun to pet, and think of how great the wedding photos would be!

Q.) Are you a plotter or a panster? Character-driven or plot driven? Ever try to be the opposite? Do you have a set method you use when starting a book?

M.A.) I used to be a pantser. However, my editor objected to the meandering nature of my work. Now I’m a dedicated plotter. I think most writers begin as pantsers, because, well, it’s easier. But it’s like building a bedroom and then trying to construct a house around it. Much better to frame out the house and complete the construction of the individual rooms. You can still change things if you need to.

Q.) What is the smartest thing you’ve done so far as advancing either your writing or your writing career? What is something you wish you had done differently?

M.A.) Contributing columns and articles to newspapers helped me learn to meet deadlines and work with editors. It also gave me professional writing cred when I pitched myself to agents. I wish I had done it years before.

Q.) Can you describe three things in your writing area that tell us something about you?

M.A.) My writing area is a disaster, because I hate filing. I have a bulletin board with lots of photos of my son and family, a pencil holder made from a pretty tin that belonged to my grandmother, and a Slinky that I constantly fidget with.

Q.) Any new projects on the horizon? What would you like to try next?

M.A.) I just handed in the first draft of my next novel, a romantic comedy tentatively titled Nancy’s Theory of Style, which will be published by Simon & Schuster/Pocket Books in 2009. After that I’m writing another Casa Dracula novel. My agent is sending out a young adult gothic that I’ve written and I hope that will be snatched up by a publisher soon.

Thanks, Lori, for having me here! I’m always happy to hear from readers and they can visit my website. Fans of vamp and paranormal entertainment can keep up with all the latest news at my Vampire Wire blog.

Order Marta’s books:
Happy Hour at Casa Dracula
Midnight Brunch
The Bride of Casa Dracula

30 Days of Vampires Schedule
by Jeri Smith-Ready

“Trying to seduce an audience is the basis of rock & roll.” ~ Jon Bon Jovi

“It’s better to burn out than fade away.” ~ Neil Young (and, separately, Def Leppard)

Vampires and rock ‘n’ roll go together like peanut butter and chocolate. The mesmerizing power, the glamorous lifestyle, the nocturnal hours—all perfect for our fanged heroes. So it’s no surprise that many literary vampires can be found in front of a microphone with a Fender Stratocaster strapped across their eternally hot bodies.

But the connection between the two phenomena can be even more profound. Spencer Wallace, the 1950s vampire DJ from my urban fantasy Wicked Game, explains it better than I ever could:

“Lotta people say rock ‘n’ roll is about goin’ all the way, seeing as that was the original meaning of the term.” From beneath his long, dark lashes, he sends the women to his left a look that says, I wouldn’t know anything about that, but maybe you could show me.

“Rock ‘n’ roll is really about immortality,” he continues. “Thanks to Mister Edison’s invention, your great-great grandchildren can hear Elvis and Jerry Lee like they were sitting right there with them in that Memphis studio. That’s living forever, folks.

“But immortality isn’t just about not dying—it’s about never growing old, never growing up, never wanting to grow up.” He tosses off another self-effacing smile, as if surprised by his own conclusion. “You might say being vampires has given us the ultimate rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle.”

My vamps take the immortality business one step further. They’re psychologically and culturally ‘stuck’ in the era in which they were turned. They speak the slang and wear the fashions of their original lifetimes (which makes them great DJs, but sometimes odd conversationalists).

We all know people who are stuck in the 60s, or the 80s, or whatever time period they grew up in, who believe that after a certain point in their lives, the world ceased to offer anything worthwhile. In my opinion, when someone stops changing and stops learning to love new things, they’ve stopped truly living. They’ve become, well, vampires.

That being said, I love old music of almost every kind (sorry, disco!). I also love learning about the history of our world’s cultures—the music, art, and games that everyday people used to enrich their lives. As immortal creatures, vampires can provide windows into past eras, whether it be the Roman Empire or the 1980s hardcore punk scene.

But let’s not forget the most obvious commonality between vampires and rock ‘n’ roll: sex. Music transports us, gets our blood pumping and our bodies moving—not unlike the hypnotic power of the vampire’s gaze. Who can forget Lestat’s stint as a rock star in Anne Rice’s Queen of the Damned? He had audiences eating out of his hand and fighting each other for the chance to be his next meal.

Vampires and rock ‘n’ roll both combine power and sex and eternal youth. Through them we tap into our passions and indulge our darkest dreams. Best of all, they come in every flavor for every mood. Is it any wonder we keep coming back for another taste?

* * * *

Which rock or pop star do you think might secretly be a vampire? (My guess: Keith Richards. How else could he still be alive?) Who would you most like to see ‘vamped’ and preserved forever at their current stage of scrumptiousness?

Or, for the more philosophically inclined:

Would you want to be immortal? How would you keep boredom at bay? Would you reinvent yourself every decade or century? When would it be better to burn out than fade away?

All commenters will be automatically entered to win a choice of a signed copy of Wicked Game or a signed Advance Reading Copy of the sequel Bad to the Bone when it becomes available in February. International entries welcome. Contest ends at midnight December 11th 2008.

Good luck, and rock on! (and on…and on…and on….)

For more about WICKED GAME, check out www.jerismithready.com/wicked-game. To visit the DJs and listen to a sample of their shows, go to www.wvmpradio.com.

Order Jeri’s books:

Wicked Game

Eyes Of Crow

Voice Of Crow

The Reawakened

30 Days of Vampires Schedule
Originally written for Universal Studios HorrorOnline (published March 2000), it was a lot of fun to “prove” vampires had Irish origins. Like a great deal of other now dated dark material, you can find the original at the no-longer-active DarkEcho.com Web site – Paula Guran

* * *
The vampire is the most Irish of modern monsters, a true creature of the Ould Sod.

Many a dread beastie found its beginnings in the somber valleys and melancholy mountains of Eire. Ancient Celtic legends and customs mixed first with Roman mythology and then with Christianity to beget a rich potion of dark lore. Some of this commingling of cultures can be found in the most horrific of our present-day holidays — Halloween. Many of the traditions first popularized in the U.S. by Irish immigrants in the 19th century have origins in the Celtic holiday of Samhain. The mortal and spirit worlds were said to merge during this festival marking the end of summer and the beginning of winter. Folks protected themselves from evil spirits by adopting disguises as ghosts and goblins. To show proper respect, they offered food to the dead who returned home for Sahmain. The Christian holidays of All Saints (All Hallows) Day and All Souls Day (November 1 and November 2) became replacements for the pagan holidays with celebration beginning on the evening of October 31 — All Hallows Eve or Hallow Eden.

Not that St. Patrick himself had such an easy time bringing Christianity to-or inflicting it upon-Ireland. (Most of the tales that survive, of course, cast Paddy and his holy side as the good guys with the Celtic druids portrayed as demonic bad guys.) Many were the magical fights between the future saint and the Celtic druids. In one match-up, the druids’ incantations covered a hill and surrounding plain with a cloud of Stygian darkness. Patrick’s prayers brought the sunshine back. His prayers also curtailed the Arch-Druid Lochru’s power of flight and the druid was dashed to pieces upon a rock.

Brought into the bosom of the church just in time for the Dark Ages, the Irish peasants survived invasion, rival kings, unfortunate weather, and other indignities until finally left to fend for themselves in an existence dominated by a corrupt church, oppressive landlords, complicated politics, and an absentee government. Little wonder that belief in strange unseen powers seemed the best way understand the workings of the world. Much of what might be explained rationally in other cultures was attributed to the power of the fantastic in Ireland and became fodder for generations of storytellers.

In some cultures supernatural beings don’t get much weirder than the run-of-the mill phantoms, giants, witches, ghosts, shapechangers, and the like. Eire has all of those, of course, but Ireland bred a raft of particularly interesting dark forces. Among the Irish sidhe (fairies), you’ll find the banshee, for instance, a female death messenger who does no harm herself, but her unearthly ‘keening’ (the English word ‘keen’ is from the Irish ‘caoineadh’ meaning lament) signifies the death of a member of the true Irish race. Her sister-force, the Lianhan Sidhe seeks the love of mortal men and their desire for her ultimately destroys them. The Far Darrig (“The Red Man”) is a near relation to the leprechaun, but he dresses in red from head to toe and, much amused by mortal terror, he’s been known to give evil dreams.

The female merrow (mulrruhgach) is a mermaid who attempts to attract fishermen and sailors, but her presence always ensures a storm or a disaster at sea. Far Dorocha (“The Dark Man”) rides on his black horse into our world to abduct humans the queen of the fairies desires. Although he never speaks mortals invariably understand his commands and, unable to disobey, surrender their wills to his and mount up behind him. The Gray Man or Far Liath appears as a fog and covers land and sea with his mantle. He obscures rocks so ships crash upon them and darkens the road so that travelers unwittingly stumble over cliffs to their deaths. The Dullahan (Gan Ceann) is a headless horseman who rides an equally headless horse during the dead of night; wherever he stops a mortal dies. The Demon Bride, a beautiful but evil spirit, seduces her mortal victim with a kiss that steals his soul. He dies the death of a raving lunatic, haunted by the knowledge of his fatal mistake.

With an imaginative heritage this rich, it’s no wonder that the most renowned of Irish authors — James Joyce, Sean O’Casey, George Bernard Shaw, W. B. Yeats, Oscar Wilde, John Millington Synge — all had their forays into ghost or horror stories. Charles Robert Maturin’s melodramatic Gothic MELMOTH THE WANDERER (1820) is the archetypal accursed wanderer story. Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu’s (1814-73) name is synonymous with the ghost story. Bram Stoker invented Dracula (1897).

Lesser known, but accomplished Irish writers like Charlotte Riddell, Dorothy Macardle, and Elizabeth Bowen wrote riveting supernatural stories; pulpmeisters like Sax Rohmer (actually the Irish Arthur Sarsfield Ward) invented indelible dark fiction.

Eire’s eerie atmosphere inspired many non-Irish writers as well. The tales of Lord Dunsany; Francis Marion Crawford’s “The Dead Smile,” (1899) — according to S.T. Joshi “one of the most grippingly terrifying tales ever written;” H.P. Lovecrafts’s “The Moon Bog” (1921); William Hope Hodgson’s HOUSE ON THE BORDERLAND; and more than a dozen of Ray Bradbury’s stories are just a few of the weird tales that evoke or are set in Ireland.

Aye, but I promised ye vampires, now didn’t I? And no, I didn’t mean the dearg-dur, Ireland’s rather lackluster native vampire that can be defeated by building a cairn of stones over its grave. I meant the very essence of what we think of as a vampire these days. The monster who has become a cultural phenomenon that is often portrayed as more desirable than malign.

As we mentioned above, Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu is noted for his ghost stories, but he is also remembered for his novella “Carmilla.” Published in 1872, it tells of a lonely English girl who meets a beautiful aristocratic vampiress in an isolated castle. But there’s as much of the banshee and the lianhan sidhe (although with lesbian rather than heterosexual orientation) in “Carmilla” as there is eastern European vampiric influence. And, according to Richard Davenport-Hines in GOTHIC: FOUR HUNDRED YEARS OF EXCESS, HORROR, EVIL AND RUIN, “Carmilla” is also a political allegory; its setting somewhere in the Austro-Hugarian empire a substitute for 19th century Ireland. The English narrator, Laura, and her father live an isolated existence that parallels that of the Anglo-Irish gentry of the period. They live near “a ruined village” that resembles the results of Irish depopulation after the great famine of 1845-49. The extinct “proud family of Karnstein” is a parallel for the extinction of much of the Irish peerage after the Act of Union of 1800. After 1800, no new Irish peerage could be created without the extinction of three old ones, thus the aristocracy was “only able to regenerate by a sort of legalistic vampirism.” Carmilla, an undead member of the otherwise defunct Karnsteins, “[l]ike the Irish peerage…needs extinctions to revive.” The three young women who expire in the story equate with the “three Irish peerages required before a new one can come alive.”

“Carmilla” was certainly an influence (some go as far as to say a plagiarized source) of another Irish writer, Bram Stoker. Although not a social and political parable like “Carmilla,” the Irish folkloric and literary influences are definitely there. And, Stoker’s vampires, according to Davenport-Hines, can be seen as a metaphor for the assimilation of capital; the American character of Morris as symbolic of a future that is dominated by the new world, not the British Empire.

Hollywood eventually turned Stoker’s evil nobleman into a glamorous, debonair film image with Tod Browning’s suave count, portrayed in the 1931 movie by Bela Lugosi. Stoker, having served as Victorian theatrical luminary Sir Henry Irving’s “manager” for 27 years, knew something of the dramatic, but even he could not predict his creation’s dramatic impact. The book has been adapted over 100 times for the screen. Anne Rice, the writer most responsible for our current cultural interpretation of the vampire mythos, was inspired by the 1936 Universal sequel to DRACULA, DRACULA’S DAUGHTER (along with the book DRACULA, “Carmilla,” and other sources.) Rice’s maiden name was O’Brien. Her father is described by Rice biographer Katherine Ramsland as “a son of the Irish Channel” in New Orleans; her mother, Katherine Allen, “came from an old and respected Irish family.” As for her vampiric anti-hero Lestat , despite his aristocratic French antecedents, there’s something of the stereotypical Irishman about him-the irresistibly charming canny outsider; the compulsive sinner with an addictive thirst.

Not convinced, are ye? Well, no two people ever lit a fire without disagreeing. But come next St. Patrick’s day, if ye canna envision the vampire as more Irish than those pesky leprachauns, then at least pay a heed to all these Irish storytellers and their dark tales.

Sláinte!

#

A reformed horror goddess, Paula Guran is now the editor of Juno Books (www.juno-books.com)-which has been known to publish fantasy featuring vampires.

30 Days of Vampires Schedule

By Kristi Astor

My name is Kristina, and I am a Twilight Mom. Yes, it’s true. I admit it. I hang out on the Twilight Moms message board, went to a Breaking Dawn midnight party, and stayed up all night reading it, the last book in the series (and yes, I was horribly disappointed—I would say it was easily the biggest literary disappointment of my life). I pre-ordered movie tickets for the Twilight movie weeks ago, and saw the first showing this morning (in a totally full theater, I might add!), release day.

But before I review the movie, let me go back to the very beginning of my Twilight obsession. I discovered the book the month it was released, as I was walking through a bookstore headed toward the romance section. I passed a shelf that, in retrospect, must’ve been in the YA section, and the cover immediately caught my eye. So I picked it up, turned it over, and read the back blurb—only three or four sentences, but enough to hook me. So I bought it. I started reading it that night, and ended up staying up half the night finishing it.

I feel personally responsible for starting some of the word-of-mouth buzz, because I told everyone I knew that they had to read it, even if they didn’t read YA books, even if they didn’t normally like vampire books. I got my friends hooked, my family hooked, and this was all before it became the international sensation that it is now.

So…the movie. Suffice it to say that I’ve been eagerly awaiting it for a long, long time. There’s just nothing better than seeing a favorite book turned into an excellent film, the familiar characters brought to life in full Technicolor glory. But then again, there’s nothing worse than seeing a favorite book turned into a horrible film, one that makes you wince to watch it.

For me, the Twilight movie fell somewhere in between. First, the pros: the locations were gorgeous. Stephenie Meyer did well in choosing to set the book in the Pacific Northwest, because the scenery was simply stunning, and, for the most part, looked exactly as I envisioned it. I thought the casting was mostly great, too. Kristen Stewart simply was Bella, exactly as I imagined her in my mind. I thought she captured the character perfectly. I also thought Rob Pattinson did an amazing job. His Edward was the perfect mix of confidence and self-loathing, and frankly he’s just so stunning that I found it hard not to gape when he was onscreen. Billy Burke, playing Bella’s dad Charlie, was also perfectly cast.

For the most part, I enjoyed the Forks High teenagers, all well-cast and well-acted, and the same with the Cullen clan, but particularly Rosalie, Emmett, and Esme (Jasper was the weak link, in my opinion—he actually got some laughs from the audience when they probably weren’t supposed to be laughing). As to the bad vampires, I thought Victoria was perfect, Laurent was satisfactory, but James was too over-the-top and cheesy.

I also thought they did a really good job of staying mostly true to the book, although they took some liberties condensing some scenes and changing when and where some conversations took place. But mostly it did feel as if the book had come to life.

Now the cons: the make up was horrible. I mean, c’mon, we know they’re vampires—just a little bit of pale face powder would have sufficed, rather than the shovelful of white pancake makeup it looked like the Cullens were wearing. Rob Pattinson is gorgeous enough on his own—the eyeliner and lipstick just looked overdone and silly. The makeup looked particularly bad on Peter Facinelli, playing Dr. Carlisle Cullen. Also, there were a couple of close-ups of the vampires’ eyes, particularly Edward’s, where I could clearly see the contact lens on his eye.Seems like a little editing work could have removed the tell-tale ring. And the wig on the actor playing Jacob Black looked ridiculous—I wish they’d spent a little more money on it.

Also bad were the special effects. I realize this was an independent film, fairly low-budget, and you can only do so much, effects-wise, without a big budget. After all, we as an audience are spoiled, effects-wise, in a post-WETA, post-“Lord of the Rings” world. But the effects were definitely hokey and cheesy. And the meadow scene….well, I won’t spoil it for you, but just let me say that I was disappointed. Really disappointed. I now wish that vampires didn’t sparkle.

Lastly, there was a little more angst than there was in the book. I remember some funny, light moments between Bella and Edward in the book, some playfulness. But in the movie, it was all angst, all the time. For someone who hasn’t read the books, you might come away wondering how the pair goes from first meet to “You are my life now,” because they don’t quite get to see the development of their relationship in the movie (of course, some critics of the book will say that there isn’t much of that in the book, either, but I respectfully disagree).

All in all, I enjoyed it. I’d probably give it a B, maybe a B+, though the plus mainly comes from my enjoyment of the original source material rather than the movie itself, and because it was pretty pleasant just to stare at Rob Pattinson on the big screen for two hours, bad makeup and all. I saw it with a friend, though—also a fan of the books (minus the train wreck that was Breaking Dawn, of course)—and she didn’t like it as much as I did. Her biggest criticism was wooden acting, and, and like me, she was really put off by the bad makeup and special effects.

So…anyone else see the movie already? If so, how would you grade it?

Order Kristi’s books:
Lords of Desire

30 Days of Vampires Schedule

By Kerensa Wilson, I Want My YA

Twilight , all I have to do is mention the title amongst a group of people and each of them is ready to gush about their favorite novel. With the movie releasing today ( and you can bet I have my tickets already) Iʼve been asking myself what is it about Stephenie Meyerʼs Twilight that makes it such beloved story for so many. It would be easy for me to say everything. I love the writing, the characters, the setting, the plot, the action, and most importantly the romance.

But, if you pressed me to pick just one thing that made Twilight a novel that Iʼll talk about for years to come, it was that Bellaʼs character captured everything it was for me to be a teenager and in love. It was easy to transport myself alongside Bella while she fell head over heels for Edward. Granted my first love wasnʼt a vampire but I could understand how much Bella loved Edward and that nothing, not even her safety mattered as much as her being with him. Before I knew it I was rooting for team Bella and Edward, I wanted to see true love win out over all obstacles. Iʼll even admit that I wanted her to be a vampire and spend the rest of eternity happy and in love. Ok I know Iʼm something of a romanticist but there was something about Bellaʼs story and remembering what it was like to be her that had me believing the love she shared with Edward could conquer the sizeable challenges in front of them. Alright Iʼll just say it, Bella made a believer out of me.

Of course it wasnʼt just her ability to love Edward so completely that made Bella real to me. It was her courage, humor, strength of character that made her such an easy heroine to cheer for and identify with. No matter how much I fell a little in love with the characters in the book Bella will always be my favorite and the reason Twilight has held so much meaning for me.

What about you? Did you find something of yourself in Bella? Iʼd love to hear what made Twilight special to you and if youʼre going to the movie tonight.

—————–

By Heather M. Riley, I Want My YA

I’m apparently one of the few remaining people who have yet to read Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight. The saddest thing about that, is that I own the Advanced Reader’s Copy of Twilight. I truly do plan on reading the entire saga, but given the hundreds of books I own I just haven’t gotten there yet. As a bookseller, I can certainly speak to the popularity of the books. Breaking Dawn has only been out for just over three months, yet my store alone has sold over a thousand copies. I can also tell that thanks to Stephenie Meyer, people want vampires. Sure the vamps have always been popular, but Stephenie Meyer’s books have brought even more fans to the vampire scene. People who never thought they’d read about vampires, both Young Adults and the Not-So-Young Adults, are now craving even more vampire fiction to slake their thirst.

Here’s a few books that I like to recommend to those of you who can’t get enough of vampires.

Sucks to Be Me by Kimberly Pauley

Mina Hamilton is the very human child of two vampire parents. She’s always known her parents were blood-sucking freaks, but hey they’re her parents. Problems arise when the vampire council finds out about her. Humans are not supposed to know about vampires, even if those vampires are her parents. Because of her knowledge, Mina has to make a choice: remain human or become a vampire. She now has to attend special vampire classes to help her make her decision, but can Mina really make such a life-altering choice at only 16?

This book is just plain fun, and I really can’t wait to see more of Mina.

The Eighth Grade Bites (Chronicles of Vladimir Tod), Ninth Grade Slays by Heather Brewer

In Eighth Grade Bites we meet 13-year-old Vladimir Tod, an average teenager, except for the fangs. The child of a vampire father and human mother, Vlad has plenty of secrets. Only his best friend and his Aunt know what he really is. Vlad’s parents were killed years before in a fire and now Vlad wants answers. On top of everything else going on in his life, Vlad also fears there’s another vampire in town.

Ninth Grade Slays brings us a slightly older and more experienced Vlad. He’s learning to better control his vampiric abilities. Vlad is also experiencing his first year of high school, which brings its own set of challenges, including a growing distance between Vlad and his best friend Henry. If high school wasn’t bad enough, one of Vlad’s greatest fears has come to pass: a vampire hunter has come to town.

I’ve fallen hard for Vlad and I can’t get enough of these books. Tenth Grade Bleeds comes out sometime next spring and I can’t wait. If you want to learn more about Vlad and Heather Brewer be sure to stop by Want My YA today. Heather Brewer is guest blogging in honor of Vlad’s birthday. Check it out and be sure to leave a comment for Heather.

Check out I Want My Ya at:
Http://www.wantmyya.blogspot.com