Vampire Wire

Contest for VAMPIRE TAXONOMY and Friday Froofrah

marta@martaacosta.com (Marta) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:26:00 +0000

"Wry, witty, fully illustrated and bloody essential guide."

Monsters & Critics

The charming online promoter at Penguin Books offered a prize for a contest: Vampire Taxonomy by Meredith Woener, which is being released today. Now, I know you were thinking, "Do vampires pay taxes and need a guide to the tax code?" The answer is a resounding "Yes!" Or maybe this is a book about something else.

Here's the publisher's description:

Vampires are all around-books, movies, TV, comics- infiltrating our culture like never before. But what happens if one should run into a real vamp on the street? Vampire Taxonomy is the best defense against a fatal encounter in the dark.

For the reader's protection, Meredith Woerner reveals the truth about:

•Sunlight sensitivity-Do vamps venture out in the day or stick solely to the evening hours? •Physiology-When ready to feed, do they change appearance or simply lure with the seductive flash of a fang? •Dress-Are they decked out in leather with aspirations of becoming the first vampire rock stars or do they cling to Gothic robes and ruffled collars?
•Diet-Are they waging a never-ending struggle against the temptation of human blood or do they view the world as their personal blood buffet?

My online pals Derek Tatum at Mondo Vampire and Patricia Altner at Patricia's Vampire Notes are also having contests for this book, so visit them for more chances to win. Eerek reviewed the book and says, "While this book is mainly meant as a bit of a lark, Woerner's knowledge of the subject shines through. It is also fairly up-to-date, and Woerner acknowledges that there is more to current vampire pop culture than Buffy, True Blood, and Twilight."

To enter the contest: Just leave a comment with a bit of advice about dealing with vampires or paranormal creatures. Like "Don't assume your werewolf guest wants to use the dog door to get in and out of the house." Or "Allow your vampire friend to wear her cape inside even on warm days."

The contest is limited to U.S. and Canada residents and runs through November 15. A winner will be selected at random.

Kimberly Swan has a promo, description and chapter link for Darker Angels by M.L. Hanover. (Darque Reviews)

Rebecca at Dirty Sexy Books has lots of really great stuff in her New & Noteworthy post: the cover and info on Bitter Night by Diana Pharaoh Francis, Eternal Hunger by Cynthia Eden, a list of top ten vampire books...and lots more.

"Supernatural"

Very interesting episode with amusing scenes of Dean and Sam Winchester magically thrown into the worlds of television shows. (I particularly liked them as the doctors, but they were great with their sunglasses in the cop procedural.) Although most of the show felt like, creator Eric Kripke was telling us a lot of what he feels about the series through the characters. "It's only television." "Cable, 300 channels and nothing's on." There was something, too, about a series going on too long.

Oh, and the commercial! I walked away and when I came back I realized it was a spoof and rewound it for the whole very funny ad. And Dean's awe and admiration when meeting "Dr. Sexy" in the hospital show, delightful.

You can read the episode's recap at BuddyTV

Maureen Ryan at the Chicago Tribune also has a nice write-up. "The opening credits were absolutely awesome. I can only imagine how much fun the writers, production team and actors had putting this sequence together. Every single aspect of it was golden, from the song to the typeface to the "We're just brothers goofing around and having a few laughs" scenes. That was just a heaping slab of hilarious right there. Honestly -- tandem bike!"

Beyond the episode recap, Maureen discusses the direction of the show and development of the characters.

GRATUITOUS VIDEOS OF THE DAY

It's Friday and I always think we need something that's a little livelier on Fridays. Especially if it features guys in black pleather.

Yeah, I know I've had these vids on before. Did I mention that I do this blog for free?

Contest Winners for Five Hachette Books!

marta@martaacosta.com (Marta) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:31:00 +0000

The contest is over for three sets of five books from the Hachette Book Group. It was terrifying, amusing, and often just plain strange hearing about everyone's secret fears.

The winners of the contest are:

S.M.D., who is afraid of zombies, as well he should be. Zombies are not our friends. Mummies, on the other hand, don't mind kicking back and will lend you a rag to clean a spill.

Shawna L., who is afraid of creepy people, big bugs, her daughter's driving, and her ex-husband. I'm afraid to find out what her definition of "creepy people is." I hope it's not "people who blog."

Katy Norman, who is afraid of losing her true love, heights, spiders, and...wait for it...TOAST. Oh, Katy, I want to get a degree in psychiatry just so I could talk to you about the toast-o-phobia!

Congratulations, winners! Winners, please send me an email with your mailing address so I can forward it on to Hachette. Also, I gotta say that Hachette really steps up in terms of online publicity for its authors.

Tomorrow, I'll have a new contest for The Vampire Taxonomy by Meredith Woener, so be sure to check in.

My coffee is ready, so more later.

Contest for "Blood Ties: Season Two" DVDS, only slightly used

marta@martaacosta.com (Marta) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:32:00 +0000

Don't forget that tonight's the deadline for my contest for FIVE scary books from Hachette.

Is a contest better than a real post? I don't know, but this one is awfully good. I finished watching "Blood Ties: Season Two" DVD, courtesy of Eagle Rock Entertainment, so now I'm offering them in a contest.

I never really caught this series when it was running on Lifetime, mostly because I never watch anything on Lifetime because most of their shows seem to star third-tier actresses playing women who marry serial killers. (Note to women: if your fiance tells you never to go in the basement and is fascinated by the chain-saw sales in the Home Depot advert, move on!)

However, I really liked watching "Blood Ties" on DVD. Really good cast, intriguing world building, interesting and exciting plots. However...the ending! Whoa, you can really tell that the show's creators expected to go on to another season -- as they deserved to. It just ends at a critical point.

Here's some info about the series from BlogCritics: "Blood Ties follows Victoria 'Vicki' Nelson (Christina Cox), a Toronto PD detective who has retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative eye disease (her night and peripheral vision is slowly failing). She chooses to quit the force rather than 'ride a desk.' Mike Celluci (Dylan Neal) is her ex-partner/former lover and completing the love triangle is Henry Fitzroy (Kyle Schmid), who is a graphic novelist and 470-year-old vampire, not to mention the illegitimate son of Henry VIII."

The Contest: Leave a comment telling me how you imagine some of your favorite characters in a book, movie, or TV show years later. Did Angel and Cordelia get together and move to suburbia? What happened to Buffy after she saved the world that last time? What are Fox and Scully doing? Do you think Lestat has gone over to the production side of music?

Or tell me if you like the characters preserved in space and time, always young and always in the middle of a great adventure.

The contest runs through November 15, and the winner must be a U.S. or Canada resident. (Sorry, mailing elsewhere means longer time and more money at the post office.) A winner will be picked by random drawing.

More badges and nonsense tomorrow!

Vampires Are the New Vampires: You Need This Stinkin' Badge

marta@martaacosta.com (Marta) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:28:00 +0000

I don't know if I'm more annoyed by the claims that the vampire trend has crested, or by all the schlock articles about who is the hottest vampire. To be honest, "annoyed" is my default setting.

Derek Tatum of Mondo Vampire mentioned that he had hosted a panel to address this issue: vampires are the new vampires. I couldn't have said it better.

I know that some of you haven't had a chance to grab the badges I've made, so I'm posting them here for you to use as you please.

The Gerry Butler pass is from one of my old contests, but I'll try to find a decent pic of him as Dracula in the fantastically cheezy "Dracula 2000." If you have any special requests for a badge, just tell me.

Read an interview with Kevin Williamson, who created the television series, "Vampire Diaries." ""I want the show to have an unpredictable quality to it, and I think that's going to come now and the audience will realize I will kill them — we will kill the main characters. This is a show that will go there." (MTV) Yeah, and I bet that keeps the actors in line during contract negotiations, too.

Fantasy Dreamer's Ramblings has a list of upcoming releases, with summaries and some very cool covers. FDR is also having a contest for Bitter Night by Diana Pharaoh Francis.

Authors looking for promo opportunities should visit Roxanne Rhoads at Fang-Tastic Book s. She's looking for items for a big holiday contest.

Paranormal Romantics interviews Serena Shay, author of the shifter novel, The Challenge. "When I first started writing for possible publication, rather than just for fun, I read a call that was out for cat shifter stories. I had nothing like that written at the time, but this faraway voice whispered Jaguar to me repeatedly."

GRATUITOUS VIDEOS OF THE DAY

Speaking of Gerry Butler as Dracula, here's a new tribute to "Dracula 2000."

Do you miss Spike? Yeah, thought so. Gotta love a character who plays poker for kittens. This very amusing video is by Tranquillity71.

Contest for MJD Swag, Derek's Vamp Anniversary, Crappy EW Vamp Surveys

marta@martaacosta.com (Marta) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:16:00 +0000

I finally had time to sent off questions for Q&A's with some of your favorite authors. So I'll be having new interviews and book contests soon!

If you'd like to win some swag from MaryJanice Davidson, NYT bestselling author of the Queen Betsy books, enter my new contest. The winner gets a gift pack, including a t-shirt, a book, and some tattoos.

To enter the contest, leave a comment with a title suggestion that includes "Undead and..." For example, "Undead and Unrecognizable," or "Undead and Undercooked," or "Undead and Underwhelmed." The contest runs through November 8, Sunday evening, and a winner will be chosen by random draw. Winners limited to the U.S. and Canada.

I'm waiting for the end of the trend that says that vampires are over. This trend comes up every few years and we're told that zombies are the new It Monster, or we should be wild about the Loch Ness Monster. This theory is routinely brought out like a monkey in a suit by people looking for a story, not fans of paranormal and fantasy.

Derek Tatum pens a thoughtful essay about the 20th anniversary of his love for vampire fiction at Mondo Vampire. "By the end of the 1980's, you could find more and more books that dealt with what it was like to be a vampire; being an outsider, I have always tended to sympathize with the monsters. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and vampire novels were the only books that I was aware of at the time that dealt with the monster's perspective."

Now, the flipside to true fandom is creepy trendiness, and when you think of creepy trendiness, you naturally think of the Backstreet Boys. (Boys? Still? How old are these guys, anyway?) Writer and editor P.J. Gach was kind enough (or cruel enough ) to share this video with me. Teen boy bands and vampires...a match made in hell fer sure. She says, " Watch out the for the surprise ending."

Doug Knipe, SciFi Guy, interviews Susan Blexrod about her new book, Real Men Have Fangs. (Hmm, should this be "real men have fangs and don't do dance routines"? Just a thought.) Susan says, "My first priority is to write the book I want to read. I get so caught up in my characters that they’re like family, and when you have muses like Gerard Butler, Jon Hamm, and Alexander Skarsgard, who wouldn’t want to get swept away?"

Love Vampires has an advance review of Once Bitten by Clare Willis. "Set in a San Francisco advertising agency, the story follows the adventures of Angie McCaffrey, an executive assistant whose boss (Lucy) goes missing at the time that the pitch for 'Macabre Factor' vampire cosmetics is due. Filling in for Lucy leads Angie into the strange underground world of wannabe vampires and nightclubs where blood flows in secret ceremonies conducted in hidden back rooms."

Vampires in San Francisco? Maybe I should talk to Clare Willis!

After a much deserved break, I'm selfishly glad to see that Kimberly Swan is back in action at Darque Reviews. Read her review of Devon Monk's Magic in the Shadows. "Allie Beckstrom continues her struggle to hang on to her memories, while learning to cope with her new found skills. Danger stalks Allie’s every move, and there’s always the chance that she’ll take on more than she can handle."

Entertainment Weekly is having another of its stupid surveys about who is the best good vampire, and they've limited it to three TV characters: Bill Compton of "True Blood" as played by Stephen Moyers, Stefan of "Vampire Diaries" as played by Paul Westley, and Angel of "Buffy" as played by David Boreanaz. Angel? Yes. The others? You gotta be kidding.

I'd list Angel, Spike, Henry Fitzroy, Mick St. John, and others from Vampire Wire's Ultimate Hawt Vampire Poll.

AUTHORS BE WARNED: So I was clearing up my email and there are some very old ones in the pile, and I found a message from a publisher's publicist telling me about a new vampire book's release. I wrote back and apologized for the delay, but offered to have a contest here. This is usually a pretty good deal for an author because I put up the summary, cover, links to the author's site, etc. The publicist wrote back and said they were over their publicity push for now.

Hello? Since when do you turn down a chance to promote a book? She could have said, "How about a Q&A with my author?" and I would have said, "Sure." I'm sure the author doesn't know that the publisher's publicist has this "maybe later" attitude. Once a book is out, you keep promoting. If this was my publicist, I'd be furious.

GRATUITOUS VIDEOS OF THE DAY

Now, completely boy-band free! Even though I'm not watching "True Blood," I know it has a lot of fans. This is for you from Sabaceanbabe.

As for the Entertainment Weekly survey, except for Angel (Naked David Boreanaz), those guys are not worthy of the Jonesian Effect (TM), that extra sexitude brought on by fan tributes set to songs by Sir Tom Jones. Behold the wonder that is Mick St. John (Alex O'Loughlin) and "Sex Bomb."

Day Off? Ha ha ha ha, and Contests Winner & Contest

marta@martaacosta.com (Marta) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:29:00 +0000

I had the delusion that I controlled Vampire Wire, but, alas, I find that Vampire Wire controls me.

First, I forgot to post the winner of the contest for Keri Arthur's upcoming book, Bound to Shadows. Congratulations to:

LAURIE T.

Laurie, please send me an email (marta AT martaacosta DOT com) so I can forward it on to Keri's publicist and you can get your prize.

I'll be having an interview with Keri about her exciting Riley Jensen Guardian series and newest book soon.

Win a copy of Happy Hour at Casa Dracula and Other Prizes: Lindsay at Reading with a Bite has one day left in her contest, 31 Days of Halloween Contest.

VampChix is still having their Halloween Vamp Bash, so be sure to visit and enter the contests. One of my Casa Dracula books is among the prizes.

"Supernatural"

Hmm, entertaining episode that was a bit light. I guess that balances out the OMG-it's-the-end-of-the-world grimness of the season. I'm hoping we'll see that tasty man-witch, Patrick, played by Hal Ozsan, again. He and Dean had a natural sympatico.

Chad Everett was great fun as an elderly Dean. "Dude!"

Read a recap of the episode.

GRATUITOUS VIDEO OF THE DAY

And thus we end our week of tribute to Bon Jovi tunes to YouTube videos. Have a fab Halloween weekend!

Day Off

marta@martaacosta.com (Marta) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:33:00 +0000

I think I'll take the day off blogging. Have a fab Friday!

Winners of Jaz Parks Books, Vampire Life Songs, and "Supernatural" Thursday

marta@martaacosta.com (Marta) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:21:00 +0000

We have winners for the contest for Jaz Parks books, by Jennifer Rardin. Thanks for all your great entries, and thanks to Jennifer for visiting Vampire Wire and telling us about her books. You rock, Jen!

The winners are:

Nicole M. - who wanted a copy of Bite Marks
Adrienne, aka Angeleyesak, who is new to the series, so we'll send her book one, Once Bitten, Twice Shy

Nicole and Adrienne, please send me an email at marta at martaacosta dot com, and I'll forward it on so you'll get your books.

I hope to have more contests to run next week, but in the meanwhile, you can enter the contests listed on the right sidebar.

Chris at Stumbling Over Chaos is guest blogging today at Desert Island Keepers and she shares one of her great vampire music lists. "What I am I listening to? I'm listening to Vampire Life, which is a mix I put together for day(or night)dreaming about hunky vampires. Sure, I'll share it with you... if you'll think about sharing some of those hunky heroes y'all are hoarding... ;)" Chris shared a few of her great mixes with me, and I love her eclectic, whimsical, quirky selections. I listen to these songs all the time as I write, and so I highly recommend that you check out her selections.

Covers you loove? Covers you hate? Covers so bad that you hide the book behind an old Highlights that you stole from the dentist's office? Leave a comment because Doug Knipe, SciFi Guy, and I are going to have a bloggers summit to discuss the state of the cover today. If you are highly qualified (i.e., a Nobel Prize laureate, a cover designer, a member of a major international think tank, or someone who collects fantasy covers with unicorns on them) and would like to participate in this important discourse, please tell me.

Speaking of covers, I especially like Chloe Neill's Some Girls Bite, because the model looks like one of my favorite actresses, Allyson Hannigan, who played Willow in "Buffy" and now shows her comic skill in "How I Met Your Mother."

You can read James Gormley's review of Some Girls Bite at Vampire Books Navigator. James says, "Kind of over the puling teenage angst of books titularly related to dusk, moons and dawn? Well then, author Chloe Neill’s Some Girls Bite may be just the book for you."

Estefanie at Night Time Romance reviews Chloe Neill's second book in the Chicagoland Vampires series, Friday Night Bites. "Her plot just thickens with her who done it storyline that get more addicting with each new page. In addition, things are sure heating up between the love triangle of Morgan, Merit and Ethan.

Michelle Rowen is having a contest for her brand-new release, Hot Spell. The book description is:

Everybody knows there’s no love lost between paranormal investigators Amanda LaGrange and sexy Jacob Caine. They can’t even stand being in the same room together….

Well, unless it's an enchanted bedroom. And they’re trapped there, at midnight. And the sexual tension suddenly becomes too powerful to resist… Then that bedroom gets really hot, really fast! But come morning, they still can’t keep their hands off each other.

Are they cursed forever? If so, neither one’s complaining….

"SUPERNATURAL" Thursday

Any decent person totally hearts Jim Beaver, the wonderful character actor who plays Bobby Singer on "Supernatural." As I overheard Chuck Norris say while we were both getting a mani-peddy, "To know Beaver is to love Beaver." I have been crazy about the actor (Jim Beaver, not Chuck Norris) since his turn as the decent and lovelorn Ellsworth in "Deadwood," but he's been in dozens of shows...and he's always fantastic.

You can read an interview with Beaver about his role as Bobby in tonight's episode of "Supernatural":

"Well, as the viewers are going to find out, Bobby's not doing well with his new situation-- with being partially paralyzed. He's not handling it well, and he's both, I think, angry and despairing. Which are-- we've seen Bobby angry before, but we haven't really seen him despairing, and so out of that despair comes a sense of desperation. When this magical fellow with his magical poker game shows up and offers Bobby a chance to get his youth and his health back, I think out of that desperation, Bobby jumps at it. Of course, any time on Supernatural when a bad guy offers you something good, it's probably got a catch." (Starpulse)

I'm glad he's out on the interview trail. TV Over Mind also has a Q&A with Jim Beaver:

"You’ve got a show with two young incredibly hunky guys in the lead, I just never would have expected the audience to react at all to a third incredibly hunky guy. I’m pretty well taken aback by the whole thing. Surprise is good in life."

Yeah, it just makes you love him more.

GRATUITOUS VIDEOS OF THE DAY

It's both Day Four of Bon Jovi Week and "Supernatural" Thursday, so I think you can guess what's coming next. Incredibly hunky guys driving a bitchin car and rocking out to Bon Jovi.

Loving "The Lost Room" & "Blood Ties: Season Two"

marta@martaacosta.com (Marta) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:29:00 +0000

Remember when I saw a few hours of the SyFy Channel's "The Lost Room," and said it was great and how I would blog more about it? Well, my DVR didn't record the record the rest of the mini-series. Quell bummer. I immediately went searching for reruns of the series -- because any competent station reruns episodes of a miniseries.

Oh, yeah, the SciFi Channel is so incompetent that they changed their name to the stupid SyFy Channel because Dave Howe, the president of the station said, "It gives us a unique word and it gives us the opportunities to imbue it with the values and the perception that we want it to have." Oh, please, spare me the branding consultant crap.

I rented the DVDs this weekend -- having been delayed by that whole turning-in-a-manuscript-by-deadline thing -- and was not disappointed. The premise is that a cop, played by Peter Krause, investigates a bizarre murder involving a key. A key that can open any door. This series had secret cabals, magical objects, a missing child, twisted motives, an amazing cast, and terrific production values.

I hope to interview one of the writers, Laura Harkcom, and we'll yammer about this gem of a mini-series.

On to another show. Eagle Rock Entertainment was good enough to give me "Blood Ties: Season Two" dvds. Vampire Wire regulars know that the series, based on Tanya Huff's novels, featured Henry Fitzroy (played by Kyle Schmid), who won Vampire Wire's Ultimate Hawtest Vampire contest. I thought the first season was really intriguing: smart, tense, funny, sexy, and well-acted.

I really liked the dynamic amongst the three leads: Christina Cox as Vicki Nelson; Schmid as Henry Fitzroy; and Dylan Neal as Mike Celluci. They are aware and sensitive to the gravity of their situations, and they balance their seriousness with a sense of playfulness, careful not to overdo the comedy so that when the funny lines come, they are much appreciated.

The writing, too, is quite good and I really got caught up in the episode I watched last night, "5:55," when Vicki relives the same time over and over, each evening ending in disaster. This conceit, of replaying a time period or day over, has been done many times ("Groundhog Day" most famously), yet this episode was still tense and exciting as Vicki desperately tried to change the ending and "not be Fate's bitch." Loved it.

BOOK COVER QUESTIONS

Doug Knipe, SciFi Guy (and I'm glad he's not changing it to SyFy Guy so he can "have a unique word and imbue it with the values and perception he wants it to have"), and I will be having a conversation about book covers. He's the expert on these things ---because I say so -- and if you have any questions or comments about book covers, leave a comment.

I'm going to ask him, what's up with the green covers? Is green always too Christmassy? What trends does he see?

GRATUITOUS VIDEO OF THE DAY

It's Day Three of our tribute to Bon Jovi songs on videos. Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) thinks that Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) gives love a bad name.

Okay, so it isn't Bon Jovi, but I ran across this sweet little "The X-Files" video.

SINS OF THE FLESH Release, DAWNBREAKER, and Bon Jovi Week Day Dos

marta@martaacosta.com (Marta) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:14:00 +0000

Congrats to Caridad Pineiro on the release of her new paranormal romantic suspense, Sins of the Flesh. To celebrate the book launch, she's having a contest at her blog for FIVE autographed copies of her book.

Read a summary of Caridad's Sins of the Flesh: "Caterina Shaw’s days are numbered. Her only chance for survival is a highly experimental gene treatment – a risk she willingly takes. But now Caterina barely recognizes herself. She has new, terrifying powers, an exotic, arresting body — and she’s been accused of a savage murder, sending her on the run. (more)

Bitten By Books is having an interview with Jocelynn Drake and a co ntest for Dawnbreaker. "I consider the Dark Days series to be an urban fantasy novel with light romantic elements. I think it helps to distinguish between paranormal romance and urban fantasy because it helps set certain expectations for a reader. A paranormal romance it typically centered on a romance between two characters and typically has a happy ending. In an urban fantasy, there is no guarantee of a romance, let alone a happy ending."

Hmm, Jocelynn brings up an excellent point. Readers bring different expectations to a book depending upon how it's classified. Jennifer Rardin (and you can still enter my contest for her new book) was really lucky in that her publisher had a photographer shoot photos specific to her Jaz Parks novels.

Soon-to-be Released Books

Scorched by Sharon Ashwood
December 1, 2009

Summary:

Ex-detective Macmillan always had a taste for bad girls, but his last lover really took the cake—and his humanity. Now half-demon, Mac's lost his friends, his family and his job.

But Constance, a strangely innocent vampire trapped in the supernatural Castle prison, needs his help. Her son has been kidnapped, so suddenly Mac has a case to work—one that embroils him with a mad sorcerer, an even madder city council, and a winged love god. The trail leads deep into the supernatural prison, and Mac soon learns that cracking the case will cost him his last scrap of his humanity.

Fiery, vulnerable Constance will do anything for those she loves, including Mac. He'll be damned if he turns his back on her… and a demon forever if he doesn't.

Torn by Julie Kenner
November 24, 2009

Summary:

Lily is in trouble of the deepest kind. Having been tricked by the forces of evil, she killed what she thought were “demons” at will. Now, she knows better, and with a little help from half-angel, half-demon Deacon Camphire, she must try to take down the bad guys from within as a double agent.

Ha, I told Doug Knipe, aka SciFi Guy, that green covers were an upcoming trend and here's one. Speaking of which, Doug discusses cover art on his blog today. Perhaps I'll ask him if he wants to have a conversation about cover art to be hosted here.

GRATUITOUS VIDEO OF THE DAY

This is day two of our tribute to Bon Jovi songs on supernaturally fab videos. Yes, I've had this "Supernatural" video set to "Dead or Alive" before, but it's so good I should post it every week.

Contest Winners, That Which Bites, the Genius and Pain of Jon Bon Jovi

marta@martaacosta.com (Marta) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:36:00 +0000

The contest for Lenore Noogies by Roman Dirge has really been one of the most fun I've ever had. I smiled and laughed at so many of the entries, and I'm glad I picked the winners by random draw, because I certainly couldn't have narrowed down my favorites.

The winners are:

RKCharron
Cherdon
Tommy Girl

Congratulations! Please send an email with your mailing address, marta AT martaacosta DOT com, and I'll forward it to the publicist for this book. Thanks again to Titan Books for donating this great prize!
--------

Fantasy Dreamer's Ramblings reviews Julie Kenner's latest book, Tainted. (Great title.) "Tainted is the first book in the new dark urban fantasy series, The Blood Lily Chronicles...well written, full of mystery and action, saturated with sexual tension and has turns in the plot that you won’t see coming."

IFC is premiering a five-episode series tonight, "Dead and Lonely," directed by cult fave Ti West. Come on, if you have a name like Ti West, you have to be a cult fave. It's not like you can work in a bank with an "Hi, I'm Ti! Customer Liaison" badge on your corporate polo shirt. But I digress. Or Ti-gress. Whatever.

In the tradition of Not Actually Advertising What You're Selling, there's a website called "Date or Die" to promote this movie. It's a cynical little ruse to harvest your email address. (I filled it out for my dog, Bosco, who eats socks, counter-surfs, and whines in existential dismay.) If you supply them with your email address, it doesn't even bother to take you to a faux dating site, which could have been amusing. Instead you get taken to this balky site, Dead & Lonely, which has some information about the series.

Here's the blurb for tonight's episode: "Two lonely Los Angelenos are brought together via a popular online dating website...But one of them is not quite as they seem. As Lee searches for a date on DateorDie.net, Justin comes home depressed and lonely." If you find that captivating enough to check out, tell me what you think of the show.

BLOG TO WATCH: I got an email from James Gormley about his brand blog, Vampire Books Navigator. James is going zero to sixty in ten seconds and already has an interview with Dacre Stoker about his new novel, Dracula the Un-Dead, as well as a review of Celis Rono's That Which Bites. His posting has been sporadic thus far, but the reviews and interviews are quite in-depth and well written.

And a tip of the hat to James for reviewing a novel that's gotten lots of good word-of-mouth despite the hideous I-dropped-acid all-through-design-school book cover. (See bad old cover at left.) That's a problem for every writer: we don't have control over our covers and some really great books may get passed over because of graphic designers who should be slapped repeatedly and given new job training.

Ah, I just checked Celis's MySpace and That Which Bites is getting a new, much better cover. (See it at top.) Celis has 132,000 friends -- and I'm one of them! Who knew? Anyway, I'm delighted to see that she's getting a cover which will more accurately reflect the reviewers' opinions.

I first heard about this book from a rave review by Rebecca at Dirty Sexy Books. She liked Celis's book so much that she interviewed her (read here). "I wanted that feeling of ambiguity and gruesomeness but without going overboard. In my world, some undead are good, some are evil. And some are in the grey middle, but all of them very political. I wanted to showcase a world that parallels our own brimming with greed, love, prejudice, struggles for power…etc. In this case, humans are the pawns…means to an end."

Derek Tatum at Mondo Vampire is totally raving about the new release, Romancing the Vampire by David J. Skal. "I hate giving myself over to hyperbole, but if I rated items from 1 to 5, Romancing The Vampire would get a solid 15."

GRATUITOUS VIDEOS OF THE DAY

Because I consider myself a Serious Person, I watch a lot of documentaries. There was one yesterday about Bon Jovi called "When We Were Beautiful." I even listened to some of the words (that's what Serious People do!) and Jon was talking about how lonely he is on the road and how he has no one to talk to late at night after the shows when he's without his family in his hotel room. I'm sad that Jon is suffering, but I think all great artists (Van Gogh, Mark Twain, Sylvia Plath, Jon Bon Jovi) use their suffering to create wonderful things. So this week is dedicated to GVDs featuring Bon Jovi songs.

Spike (James Marsters) and Buffy (Sarah Michelle Geller) get all angsty to "Always."

"It's My Life" in the Buffyverse.

Winners of THE MIDNIGHT GUARDIAN!

marta@martaacosta.com (Marta) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 17:27:00 +0000

Thanks to all the people who entered the contest for three copies of The Midnight Guardian, the new novel by Sarah Jane Stratford, and thanks to St. Martin's Press for offering these prizes!

It was great fun reading all your suggestions of what kind of paranormal creature you'd put in a historical setting.

The winners are:

Anna Dougherty - who wants to see werewolves in the American Revolution

Mary Ann DeBorde - who'd also like to change up the American Revolution, but with mummies

Mitz - who thinks that things on the Titanic could have been improved by the presence of shifters and vampires

Congratulations, winners! Please send me an email (marta AT martaacosta DOT com) with your mailing address and I'll forward it to Sarah Jane's publicist, who will mail out your prizes.

Hope you enjoy this exciting new series!

To learn more about The Midnight Guardian, you can visit Sarah Jane's website, or join the Facebook Fan Page.

New Winner for UNDEAD & UNWELCOME

marta@martaacosta.com (Marta) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 15:18:00 +0000

Since one of the winners of the contest for MaryJanice Davidson didn't have a valid email and never contacted me, I've selected a new winner using my patented Vampire Wire Numbers Randomizer (slips of paper in a paper bag) and picked:

CARRIE

Carrie wrote, "I fell head over heels for [MaryJanice's] books after reading [the] first Betsy book Undead and Unwed. She is hilarious and I love Sinclair! I am also a big fan of Fred and I do love the Alaskan Royals. I am a shoe fanatic also."

Congratulations, Carrie! I'll send you an email, you can send your mailing address and voila!, all will be right in the contest world.

For those of you who didn't win, I'll be hosting a contest for the Vampire Queen/Betsy swag and books next week!

The End of Vampires, Yet Again

marta@martaacosta.com (Marta) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:21:00 +0000

I'm fried, but luckily Derek Tatum is back to posting on Mondo Vampire. (I'd been wondering where he was!) Here's his review of Gifts of Blood by Susan C. Petrey. "Petrey left behind a very slim body of work that was collected by her friends and colleagues after her death. The book is titled Gifts of Blood, and I encourage anyone who is a fan of 'ethical vampires' to seek out a copy. Gifts of Blood contains nine stories - all but two of them involve the Varkela."

Just in case you were wondering, book publishers are again announcing the end of the vampire trend in favor of apocalyptic stories, i.e., this article in Publishers Weekly. "While books in a genre as broad as postapocalyptic fiction can vary widely in subject matter, the one constant seems to be 'the bleaker the vision, the better.'"

Yes, this happened years ago, too, with the publication of The Road by Cormac McCarthy, and it's happened more recently with claims that zombies would replace vampires.

As Lou Reed wrote so succintly in his song, "The Power of Positive Drinking," "No one wants to hear about how you hate and want to castrate men." In other words, bleakness has a very short shelf life. It may be entertaining for a book or two, but in bleak times, the very last thing one wants to to be constantly reminded about what a crap world it is. And dull, miserable landscapes get dull and miserable for readers/viewers, too.

Say you are going to be stranded on a Motel 6 during a snow storm for a month, and you have to choose one group of movies/tv shows that you can take with you. One contains "I Am Legend," "Night of the Living Dead," "28 Days Later," "Waterworld," "Invasion," "Plague" and "A Boy and his Dog."

Now the other package contains "The Vampire Lestat," "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, Seasons 1-6," "Angel, Seasons 1-2," "Blade," "Underworld," "True Blood," and, oh, "Blood Ties."

Which one are you going to choose? The one that makes you more miserable, or the one that has some hawt vampires kicking ass, or hawt vampire slayers kicking ass and cracking wise? You don't have to have a brain uneaten by zombies to figure this one out.

On another what-are-they-thinking? topic: I got an email from someone named Jon Brence about fake blood protein drink. I thought it was more spam from "True Blood's" spammy marketing people. But it doesn't seem to be. I think it's nutty, but I thought the blanket with arms was nutty, too, and people love it. They even have a version for dogs. (I think the version for dogs is genius, but my dogs refuse to consider it.)

End of ranting. I need some coffee. Have a great weekend!

GRATUITOUS VIDEO OF THE DAY

I hope Alex O'Loughlin fans are happy that the actor who played Mick St. John in "Moonlight" has a new series.

Day Off & Misha Collins of "Supernatural"

marta@martaacosta.com (Marta) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:55:00 +0000

I'm taking the day off since I'm handing in my manuscript for Casa Dracula Book Four (Return to Casa Dracula?) to my editor today.

If you haven't entered my fab contests, the links are under the Contest heading on the right sidebar.

Also on the right sidebar is the blogroll of my fave blogs...so much good stuff here, and if you haven't explored some of these sites, you should.

Here is a very entertaining video of Misha Collins, who plays Castiel in "Supernatural." And he's drinking tequila. "I actually feel a little dirty."

Contest for Keri Arthur's BOUND TO SHADOWS

marta@martaacosta.com (Marta) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 16:22:00 +0000

"Ms. Arthur is at the top in her genre, and every new release shows that talent to its fullest. Deadly Desire is a dark and sexy read with an engrossing plot and well-detailed scenes."

Kimberly Swan, Darque Reviews

"Exciting fare with plenty of action, so that horror fans will eagerly anticipate the next installment in a fresh, sexy series."

Publishers Weekly

"...top-notch thriller series set in a slightly futuristic Australia."

Doug Knipe, SciFi Guy

Because I'm extra busy this week, I don't have much time to blog, but I'm happy to announce that I've got a contest for a copy of Keri Arthur's soon-to-be-released Bound to Shadows.

Here's a summary of Keri's novel, the eighth in the Riley Jenson Guardian series:

In the darkness, demons come out to play . . . and someone must bring their sins to light.

Part vampire, part werewolf, Riley Jenson knows what can happen when vamps don’t play well with others. But she’s never seen anything like this: a series of brutal murders surrounding the latest hot spot for vampire-human hookups—and the victims aren’t just killed, they’re beheaded. Now Riley is launching into action, toying with a seductive—and highly suspicious—club owner, and finding herself in the middle of another mystery: women being killed one by one, without a trace of violence.

For Riley, solving multiple cases—in a world going mad with human and vampire passions—would have been tough enough. Instead she has two jealous lovers on her hands: Kye Murphy, the amber-eyed werewolf who makes Riley’s wolf blood howl—and Quinn, the cool, elegant vamp who has over a thousand years’ experience at fulfilling women’s desires. While she’s busy juggling these two sexy beasts, Riley’s detective work takes a stunningly violent turn. Finding a murderer is now a matter of life and death. Especially since the killer has long since found her . . .

You can read an excerpt of Bound to Shadows here and learn more about Keri Arthur and her novels by visiting her website.

Contest Info

To enter, just leave a comment mentioning your very favorite series (book, movie, or television). It doesn't have to be paranormal or urban fantasy. Maybe you stayed up late every night because you were hooked on the dramatic-thriller "Gilligan's Island" and needed to see if they ever escaped. (Hmm, is "Lost" an homage to the existential angst of Gilligan?)
Contest runs through Thursday night, October 29.
Limited to U.S. and Canada.
Winner will be chosen at random using my patented Vampire Wire paper-bag-with-numbers randomizer.

GRATUITOUS VIDEOS OF THE DAY

Here's an interesting mashup from PeanutButter88 of Eric Northman (Alexander Skarsgard) of "True Blood" and Faith of "Buffy" (Eliza Dushku).

And for those who like Sookie (Anna Paquin) and Eric Northman...knock yerselves out.

Interview & Contest for Casa Dracula Novel & Vampire Music & Scary Polka

marta@martaacosta.com (Marta) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:55:00 +0000

Abigail at All Things Urban Fantasy has an interview with me and a contest for ANY ONE of my Casa Dracula novels. "I envy those writers who have the really clever titles that play upon a concept, but those can get worn out by the time the authors hit the end of the series, they’re just phoning in some bad pun. You know, W is for WTF."

Would DANYEL please send me an email with your mailing address? You won a copy of MaryJanice Davidson's latest, but I can't send it unless you contact me. To others entering contests: please have an email address available or check to see if you've won at the contest's end.

Patricia Altner reviews Chloe Neill's Some Girls Bite at Patricia's Vampire Notes. "A sassy, brassy, sarcastic attitude like Merit's is not unusual in today's urban fantasy heroines. What sets each series apart is an original plot along with a variety of interactions between distinctive characters."

Jessica at Shut Up! I'm Reading (love the blog name) reviews Evermore by Alyson Noel. "Ever was realistic and I could relate to her, even though at times I wanted to smack her for being so stupid. Damen is another one of those practically perfect guys that will have fellow female book-worms smitten."

RachelfromNJ, the host of Enchanted by Books, guest blogs about her passion for paranormal and urban fantasy at Literary Escapism. "Instead of the bad guy killing because of mommy issues, in paranormals the reason could be that 500 years ago he was made a vampire against his will and wants revenge because he doesn’t want to be immortal anymore." There's a contest there, too, but I can't quite figure out what the prize is.

Okay, I got an email from Becky, who has the impressive title of "Community Ambassador" at a marketing company about a new vampire musical. I hope they let her wear a sash with medals and a tiara, because why else would you want to be an ambassador? Oooh, and a top hat and a monocle would be fab! (Hmm, this makes me wonder if Mr. Peanut is an ambassador.) What was I saying? Oh, yeah, the vampire musical is called "I Kissed a Vampire."

It's supposedly a rock musical. More like a Pop Rocks musical, but my taste in music is more bang your head on the wall, so take that into consideration. Cute kids singing with vampire teeth and lots of eyeliner, and I'm all for eyeliner.

I think we can all agree that there's nothing scarier than polka music and yodeling. I'm shivering already. Some group called Polka Haunt Us featuring Veronique Chevalier is exploiting their already terrifying musical abilities to write songs like "The Beer Hall in Hell." Yeah, I thought it was funny. SCARY funny! You can listen to and download this song and others like "Ghost Train" on their website.

Call me old fashioned, but I was raised to think that polka should be played as punk music.

GRATUITOUS VIDEOS OF THE DAY

Here's a tribute to one of my favorite new vampires, Mitchell of the BBC's "Being Human."

If you haven't seen "Being Human," rent the show or watch it online. It's about a vampire, ghost, and werewolf who become roommates. It's got drama, action, humor, etc.

Winners of "Blood Ties: Season Two" Dvds

marta@martaacosta.com (Marta) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 14:41:00 +0000

The contest for two copies of "Blood Ties: Season Two" is over and the winners are both vamp fans who think the rule about reflections should be nixed. What's the good of being young forever if you can't fix your hair?

Congratulations to:

Lindsay
BarbP

Thanks to Eagle Rock Entertainment for donating these great prizes!

Linsay and Barb, please send me an email with your mailing address so I can forward it on to Eagle Rock.

Interview with Jennifer Rardin & Contest for BITE MARKS!

marta@martaacosta.com (Marta) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 14:37:00 +0000

"Where urban fantasy and James Bond meet...a fast paced and fun read which shouldn’t fail to delight fantasy fans."

Love Vampires

"A fast paced paranormal adventure that travels to the castles of Scotland and leaves readers with a whole new outlook on ghostly possibilities."

Darque Reviews

"Fun, hilarious, exciting, and scary all at once."

Blog Critics

I'm really happy to have Jennifer Rardin here at Vampire Wire to talk about her urban fantasy series, the Jaz Parks novels, and let us in on the dish about her upcoming release, Bite Marks.

Bite Marks is the sixth in the series and takes her Australia. Really, what's not to like about a horde of gnomes, the CIA, possession by a demon, and job performance anxiety?

Jennifer is very kindly kicking in prizes for two contest winners: a spanking new, autographed copy of Bite Marks, and a copy of Once Bitten, Twice Shy, her first novel. Read to the end of the post to learn how to enter the contest.

MARTA: Please tell us about your upcoming release in the Jaz Parks series, Bite Marks.

JENNIFER: I can still remember one of my English professors saying, “If you can’t reduce your plot to a single sentence, your story isn’t ready to tell.” So here’s my shot—Bite Marks is about two CIA assassins who are sent to Australia to kill a guy before he can destroy the space program.

Naw, I still don’t like that rule. Because you don’t get the flavor, do you? How can you have any idea that one of our heroes is a vampire still haunted by his past, while the other often spends her down-time cooking up wild schemes that could result in her dad living out the rest of his days in an igloo on the peak of Mount McKinley? Or that, throughout the course of their partnership, they’ve managed to collect a crew of oddballs that include a demon-hunted psychic, a paranoid genius, and an easy-going sniper who still sends Christmas cards to most of his ex-girlfriends? There’s even a dog named Jack, but we don’t like to talk about him when he’s not in the room. It hurts his feelings.

MARTA: Can you believe you’re already on the sixth book in your series? How do you see Jaz’s development from the first in the series until now?

JENNIFER: I looked down at the calendar today. It said that this was the second anniversary of the release of Once Bitten, Twice Shy, and I still felt like celebrating that first book. So, yeah, it’s hard to get my arms around the idea of having so many novels on the market in such a short period of time. I’m happy we planned it that way, though, because it’s given Jazfans a chance to jump right into the series without having to wait forever between installments.

As for our girl, she’s become somewhat more stable as she’s dealt with the worst of her grief and guilt and allowed herself to smile again. However, we’ve gotta remember we’re dealing with a woman whose job is to eliminate enemies of the United States. As she’s said herself, you have to be somewhat bent to succeed at her job.

MARTA: You grew up in the Midwest reading fables and fantasy and went on to get a degree in English. Can you name a few books that opened worlds for you?

JENNIFER: The first books that felt magical to me and gave me a sense of the unlimited potential of story were The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle, and The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein.

MARTA: Since you began your series with Once Bitten, Twice Shy, Urban Fantasy has exploded. What’s the appeal of a kick-ass heroine battling the supernatural? Please feel free to wax poetic about our current socio-political climate (or not).

JENNIFER: I recently asked my fans a similar question, because I’m doing a talk at the end of the month about urban fantasy for a group of Illinois librarians and I wanted a readerly point of view. Most of them mentioned that they’re tired of whiny heroines who just stand around with their thumbs up their asses while their dashing yet adorable love interest (with the dimpled chin, no less) jumps in to save the day. I agree. We admire people who rescue themselves and then pull the people around them out of the muck as well. Even more so in stories, where we’re looking for someone we can both identify with and admire. As for the supernatural element—for me (and I believe for many readers) it’s all about escape.

Life is hard. And it often sucks. When I open a book, I’ve already dealt with a veritable parade of crapola for the past twelve hours. So I want something that transports me from my cares from the moment I begin reading until the second I close the cover. Which is why Urban Fantasy is such a great fit for a growing number of readers. You find that lovely escape, but you still get such an instant connection with the characters (because their world is so similar to yours) that you drop right into the story as effortlessly as falling into bed. (Okay, I suppose you could insist that urban fantasy’s monsters are nothing like ours. But my response would be that we have the same sorts of predators in our world. They’re just packaged differently.)

MARTA: What do you enjoy most about first-person narrative, and what are some challenges?

JENNIFER: I like the voice. If your character is unique enough, which I think Jaz is, readers can hear the inflection, sarcasm, drawl, humor, almost without me pointing them in that direction. In no other form does one character’s voice come through so strongly, and I love having that sense of speaking straight from Jaz’s mouth into the reader’s ear.

I think one of the greatest challenges of first-person is a full-on fight scene involving multiple characters. Because if Jaz is busy kicking ass, she’s not observing what everyone else in the room (or graveyard, or mountain trail—as the case may be) is doing. Sometimes the characters you need to see aren’t even in the same location. Then I really need to figure out how she knows what’s going on with them. Can she hear them? Is she recounting their story as told to her later? Tough decisions that always need a practical eye to make sure the reader doesn’t put down the book and say, “I don’t buy that for a second.”

MARTA: So how do you do research for Jaz’s international adventures while living in a farmhouse?

JENNIFER: Even living in the black hole of middle-of-nowhere Illinois we do get high speed Internet. So I spend a great deal of time reading about the locations Jaz and Vayl visit and studying hundreds (maybe even thousands) of pictures of the place. Believe it or not, the CIA usually has a webpage devoted to the places I’ve picked for Jaz’s missions, and it covers the basics thoroughly. I read travelogues and guide books. I usually make one or two direct contacts with knowledgeable people who live in the area who are willing to answer questions like the one I asked my bookseller friend from Edinburgh, for One More Bite, which was, “If I was going to watch TV in a bed and breakfast just outside of Inverness, how likely would I be to come across a movie like Hot Fuzz?”

MARTA: How many books do you plan to have in the series? Are you working on any other projects?

JENNIFER: Right now I’m contracted to write eight books in the series. I’ve just finished the seventh, Bitten in Two, and am planning on beginning the eighth November 1. After that I’d like to start a new series for Orbit, which will also fall into the urban fantasy category. But the details are still Top Secret. In the meantime, I’m finishing up my YA book, Shadowstruck, which I hope to send to my agent by the end of the week.

MARTA: Are you surprised at the range of your readership? Can you share one reader comment or reaction that thrilled you?

JENNIFER: I didn’t realize Jaz would appeal to such a wide age range (I’ve had e-mails from preteens and grandparents) or that so many readers around the world would find her such fun. I love it that people are enjoying the Jaz stories, but probably the one e-mail that touched me the most was from a lady who’d just lost her mother. She wanted to thank me for writing something that helped get her through the day. Knowing I gave somebody who was grieving just a little lift? That’s huge.

MARTA: Okay, you know that I think your book covers rock. Do you want to give a shout-out to your designer? [You can read an article about the design of these covers here.]

JENNIFER: I do. My designer for the first five books did a tremendous job and I must thank him from the bottom of my heart for providing me with such beautiful, sleek covers. He’s no longer with Orbit, but Lauren Panepinto has taken his place and I think you’ll agree her cover for Bite Marks should totally be accompanied by a heavy metal riff every time it opens!

MARTA: Here’s the requisite inane question: If you could rewrite a great classic in first person with a paranormal theme, what would it be and give us a few sample sentences.

JENNIFER: See, here again is where my English professors would probably rap my knuckles with a ruler if they could, because I didn’t find a whole lot to cherish in the classics beyond Shakespeare and Chaucer. So, since Hamlet’s already got a bitchin’ ghost, I’ll go for Romeo and Juliet’s balcony scene:

Romeo: “Juliet! Throw down a ladder or something! It’s coming!”
Juliet: “I’m tying the sheets together as fast as I can! What were you thinking anyway? The Capulet isn’t supposed to wake for another fifty years!”
Romeo: “Now you tell me? Before you were all like, 'Oh, Romeo, let’s take a walk by the cemetery. It’s so dark and romantic. I’ll show you a monument that’s been marking the burial site of a cool old family legend. And while we’re there maybe we can make out.' Now you’re all—”
Juliet: “I never said that about making out! You’re such a douche!”
Romeo: “Me? I was just . . . aaaaahhhhh!”

(He doesn’t die just now. I’m telling you this because you look a little worried.)—Now those lines came from a classic. Can you name it?

MARTA: The aaaahhhh! part? Uhm, I'm pretty sure it's from Sense and Sensibility when Marianne falls down. Anything else you’d like to share with readers?

JENNIFER: It’s my turn to do Thanksgiving this year, and I just discovered my kid doesn’t care for celery, so if any of you have a great stuffing recipe that doesn’t include the green, pass it on will ya? Here’s where you can find me. (And yeah, I’m a chatter, so we’ll definitely talk books while you’re there too!)

MARTA: Thanks for visiting, Jennifer, and sharing your book news and the whole celery issue, which is also a problem with my spawn. (Just skip the celery. No one really cares about it. I make stuffing with cornbread, walnuts, onion, and that's about it.)

To can learn more about Jennifer and her books at:

Jennifer's website, where you can read excerpts of all of her novels on the books page.
Facebook
MySpace
Goodreads
Reluctant Adults Blog

Learn more about Jennifer by reading her interviews at Love Vampires; Bitten By Books; and Urban Fantasy Land.

TO ENTER THE CONTEST: I'm always forgetting names of characters, but I remember Jaz Parks because it's such a cool name. If you'd like to win an autographed copy of Bite Marks or Once Bitten, Twice Shy, leave a comment for Jennifer or the favorite name of a character in a book or movie. (Mine is Snake Plissken from "Escape from New York." I love that name.) Will we ever forget Buffy Summers?

Mention on the comment which book you'd like to win. (Bite Marks is for fans of the series, and Once Bitten, Twice Shy is for those who haven't yet started the series.)

The contest is open worldwide and will run through the evening of October 28. Winners will be chosen at random.

Contest for Three Sets of FIVE SCARY Books!

marta@martaacosta.com (Marta) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 15:35:00 +0000

Hokay, here's the new contest (and I told you I would have a lot this week). Hachette Books has very generously offered to contribute THREE SETS of FIVE SCARY BOOKS to Vampire Wire readers. You should feel very special.

Here are the books:

The Heretic's Daughter By Kathleen Kent

Description: Martha Carrier was one of the first women to be accused, tried and hanged as a witch in Salem, Massachusetts. Like her mother, young Sarah Carrier is bright and willful, openly challenging the small, brutal world in which they live.

Often at odds with one another, mother and daughter are forced to stand together against the escalating hysteria of the trials and the superstitious tyranny that led to the torture and imprisonment of more than 200 people accused of witchcraft. (more)

Sins of the Flesh By Caridad Piñeiro

Description: Caterina Shaw's days are numbered. Her only chance for survival is a highly experimental gene treatment-a risk she willingly takes. But now Caterina barely recognizes herself. She has new, terrifying powers, an exotic, arresting body-and she's been accused of a savage murder, sending her on the run.

Mick Carrera is a mercenary and an expert at capturing elusive, clever prey. Yet the woman he's hunting down is far from the vicious killer he's been told to expect: Caterina is wounded, vulnerable, and a startling mystery of medical science. (more)

When Ghosts Speak By Mary Ann Winkowski

Description: Meet Mary Ann Winkowski. She is just like you. She is a married mother of two grown daughters. She lives in a suburban town in Ohio. She goes to church every Sunday.

And she sees and talks to ghosts.

Mary Ann's grandmother noticed her unusual ability when she was practically a baby. By the time Mary Ann was four years old, she was attending neighborhood funerals to broker communication between those who had died and their living loved ones. Word of her extraordinary abilities spread, and Mary Ann was soon accompanying her grandmother on "social calls," visits where Mary Ann would confront earthbound spirits who were sharing homes with the living. (more)

BoneMan's Daughters By Ted Dekker

Description: They call him BoneMan, a serial killer who's abducted six young women. He's the perfect father looking for the perfect daughter, and when his victims fail to meet his lofty expectations, he kills them by breaking their bones and leaving them to die.

Intelligence officer Ryan Evans, on the other hand, has lost all hope of ever being the perfect father. His daughter and wife have written him out of their lives. (more)

The Historian By Elizabeth Kostova

Description: Breathtakingly suspenseful and beautifully written, The
Historian is the story of a young woman plunged into a labyrinth where the secrets of her family's past connect to an inconceivable evil: the dark fifteenth-century reign of Vlad the Impaler and a time-defying pact that may have kept his awful work alive through the ages.

The search for the truth becomes an adventure of monumental proportions, taking us from monasteries and dusty libraries to the capitals of Eastern Europe... (more)

Galley of The Bride Collector by Ted Dekker

CONTEST & RULES:

TO ENTER - Leave a comment about something that scares you. (I know I always freak when people say, "We need to talk." Also, moths scare the bejeezus outa me. Also when the house shakes because of earthquakes. I could go on.)
Contest runs through the evening of Wednesday, November 4.
Contest limited to U.S. and Canada residents who have real street address (no P.O. boxes).
Winners will be selected at random.

Inside New Jersey contacted me to tell me about a story they've got online about people who live the vampire lifestyle. I know -- they got in touch with me because if it's about New Jersey, I totally want to know about it. New Jersey, better than the old Jersey! New Jersey -- the Garden State. New Jersey -- home of Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi, who was in a brilliant vampire movie with a hawt priest and Jon driving a Jeep around the desert and fighting vampires.

I could watch Jon Bon Jovi fight vampires all day long. Especially to a Queen soundtrack.

"SUPERNATURAL" STUFF

I thought last night's episode, "I Believe the Children are Our Future," would be a light comic interlude in a dark season, and it started out that way. But then it veered into heavier stuff and the tension grew and grew. It was a terrific story that tied in a monster-of-the-week to the overall apocalypse arc.

The Chicago Tribune has summaries of upcoming shows and here's a fab preview of the next few shows.

GRATUITOUS VIDEOS OF THE DAY

It's Friday, so don't worry, be snappy. "Moonlight" fans, this is to cheer your day.

Contest Winners & Upcoming Book Releases

marta@martaacosta.com (Marta) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:11:00 +0000

Congratulations to the winners of the contest for two copies of MaryJanice Davidson's latest novel, Undead and Unwelcome.

Danyel
Morning Glow

Please send me your mailing addresses so I can forward them on to MJ's publicist at Penguin Books, who are generously donating the prizes.

Thanks to everyone who entered! I will be having another contest soon for signed copies of Undead & Unwelcome and lots of Queen Betsy swag.

If you want the funny, you can read Book Chick City's interview with Linda Wisdom and enter a contest for your choice of Linda's Hex series. "The premise for my series was that the Witches Academy class of 1313 was banished for 100 years and could return as long as they behaved and 700 years later they’re still out there in the real world. They each have their special gifts, are sassy, sexy, and ready to fight for the underdog and for each other."

"SUPERNATURAL" STUFF

SyFy Universe has a summary and photos from tonight's episode, "I Believe the Children are Our Future," which I'm sure is meant with a sneer.

Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) investigate a series of odd murders that strangely resemble fairy tales and urban legends. The brothers track down an 11-year-old boy named Jesse (guest star Gattlin Griffith) and realize that whatever Jesse believes is coming true. Castiel (Misha Collins) tells Sam and Dean that Jesse is a serious threat and needs to be eliminated. Charles Beeson directed the episode written by Andrew Dabb & Daniel Loflin (#506).

Here's a preview of the episode.

Have you seen "Paranormal Activity," the low-budget hit about, uh, paranormal activity? The Los Angeles Times disses on the suburban tackiness of the set. "Among the frights: A puffy bachelor pad black leather sofa, a faux Tuscan chandelier, the monstrous faux salvaged-from-a-church headboard and silk orchid arrangement in the bedroom..."

They should have taken a note from "Supernatural," which always has the coolest tacky decor. (Although I once did a freelance piece on high-end wallpaper, and I'm pretty sure the designers are sneaking in some uber expensive designs.)

GRATUITOUS VIDEOS OF THE DAY

Although I don't like "True Blood," I have been fond of Alexander Skarsgard, who plays Eric Northman, since he was in the fabulous "Zoolander." This is for those who like their vamps tall and Nordic.

Vampire Cocktails, Vampire Boutique, and Upcoming Contests

marta@martaacosta.com (Marta) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 15:42:00 +0000

My friend Dan sent me this link to cocktails suitable for adult Halloween parties, including a Blood Red Ricky, complete with severed finger. Ewh. (photo: Jonathan Haas) Dan is great in many ways, not just because he's a Real Doctor, but because he provides me with the medical mumbo jumbo to explain the vampires, shifters, and other creatures in my Casa Dracula novels.

My contest for two copies of NYT bestselling author MaryJanice Davidson's Undead and Unwelcome ends tonight, so be sure to leave a comment on that post if you want a chance to win.

Froggy at Froggeritavilla's Bookcase gave my third novel, The Bride of Casa Dracula, an incredible FIVE FLIES rating! "I absolutely loved this book! I could not put it down! Milagro is back in book 3 planning her wedding to Oswald...I don't want to give away any spoilers but I was so happy with the ending of this book and I am chomping at the bits to get book 4!"

Thanks, Froggy, but I'm still not telling you what happens next -- except that there is a hawt new vampire surfer dude.

If you're looking for an online store dedicated to vampire media, check out the new site, Vampire Romance Books. There are sections for books, movies, TV series, and more. This site is still new so if you have some suggestions, you could probably mail the website.

Love Vampires has long been one of my favorite vampy sites, so I was delighted to find this interview with Amanda, the head reviewer and website owner, at Book Chick City. "As fictional devices vampires are great in that they can be so versatile. They can be irresistible lovers, diabolically evil villains or heroic characters who want to redeem their souls. The only limits with vampires appear to be the author’s imagination and reader’s abilities to suspend disbelief."

Doug Knipe, aka SciFi Guy, interviews R.A. Salvatore and has a contest for his new book, The Ghost King. "If I’m able to create my own characters and take them to places that test the limits of their physical and emotional endurance, to places that maybe, just maybe, will bring them an epiphany, then I’m happy, and that can be in a world of my own making or in a shared world like Forgotten Realms."

Kimberly Swan at Darque Reviews has the summary and her review of Kelley Armstrong's latest book, Frostbitten. "Frostbitten is the tenth installment in the Women of the Otherworld series and focuses on Elena and Clay. Ms. Armstrong takes readers into the cold beauty of Alaska and weaves a tale of betrayal and deadly danger."

On Monday, I'll have an interview with Jennifer Rardin, author of the Jaz Parks series, and a contest for two of her novels! If you subscribe to Vampire Wire, you won't miss these interviews and contests.

Tomorrow I'll list some books that will be released next month.

GRATUITOUS VIDEOS OF THE DAY

The theme this week is: cheezetastic power ballads about heroes. Here's one to "Doctor Who," and, yes, I reference this show in my next novel.

Contest for Three Copies of LENORE: NOOGIES by Roman Dirge

marta@martaacosta.com (Marta) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:26:00 +0000

"Packed to the gills with a cornucopia of beasties and nasties and delightful mayhem, the majority of which is caused by Lenore, the cutest little dead girl ever to grace comic book pages."

Comic Readers

Cool new contest! (And I'm going to have a lot of contests to entertain you while I finish up Casa Dracula Book Four by my editor's deadline.) Titan Books has offered THREE COPIES of the new color edition of the graphic novel, Lenore: Noogies by Roman Dirge.

Okay, I don't know from comics, but Dirge's graphic style is a little like Jhonen Vasquez's "Invader Zim," and I loved that show.

Here's the publisher's description:

Take a trip into the dark, surreal world of a little dead girl with a knack for (often) unintentional mayhem in this gothic classic, now remastered and colored up by creator Roman Dirge for the very first time!

Lenore might only be small, but her talent for mischief — and occasional wanton destruction — is anything but. Featuring stories about limbless cannibals, clock monsters, cursed vampire dolls, taxidermied friends, an obsessed would-be lover and more fuzzy animal mutilations than should be legal, never has the term ‘something for everyone’ seemed more sinister and bizarre.

A massive cult hit on both sides of the Atlantic, Lenore is one of the funniest, darkest, cutest, creepiest characters on the marketplace today, and this collector's edition hardcover is a must.

TO ENTER THE CONTEST: If you're like me (and I'm sure you are), you absolutely need a book with the word "noogies" in the title. In fact, I probably would have finished War and Peace if the title had been War and Peace and Noogies. So if you'd like a chance to win one of three copies of Lenore: Noogies, leave a comment giving a title of a book and add noogies. That's it!

The contest runs through the evening of Sunday, October 25, and winners will be selected at random. Contest limited to U.S. and Canada.

The contest is limited to U.S. and Canada.

More Stuff:

Roman Dirge's (very fun) website. This is what someone with graphic talent and a sense of humor can do.
Roman Dirge's Twitter.
Read a review of Lenore Noogies at Comic Readers.
Titan Books Facebook -- and they publish a "Firefly" companion book.

GRATUITOUS VIDEOS OF THE DAY

When I think of cheezy power ballads about heroes, I think of guys in wigs and kilts. Preferably with bagpipes. Maybe that's just me. But maybe it's a universal dream. Here are your GVDs for today.

And sometimes a hero is a lesbilicious chick in armbands and a sword. This was a great show. You didn't actually have to watch more than five minutes at a time -- it was THAT good!

And sometimes a hero is a rockin vampire. "Angel" deserved to be renewed.

Contest for THREE COPIES of THE MIDNIGHT GUARDIAN by Sarah Jane Stratford

marta@martaacosta.com (Marta) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:58:00 +0000

"A ripping adventure, a thrilling chase, not too much blood and gore, and well-realized characters make for an impressive first novel."
Booklist

"The Midnight Guardian is the debut novel for Sarah Jane Stratford who gets her writing career off to a flying start with an intelligently written tale that combines World War Two, the Nazi party and vampires."
LoveVampires

Great contest this week! St. Martin's Press has very generously offered to contribute three copies of Sarah Jane Stratford's The Midnight Guardian, the debut novel in her The Millenials series.

Here's a description of the novel:

It’s 1938, and the tentacles of Hitler’s terrifying Third Reich have commenced their stranglehold on Europe. The Nazi empire will soon be clean of all bloodlines deemed tainted or undesirable…including vampires.

London’s ancient tribunal of vampires is aghast at the destruction taking place on the Continent. Though vampires try not to interfere with human politics, Hitler’s terrible plans force them into action. They resolve to send five of their most formidable vampires to Berlin— millennials that have lived over 1000 years and whose age and wisdom make them close to invulnerable— to infiltrate, disrupt, and destroy the growing Nazi war machine.

The brilliant and beautiful millennial Brigit is loath to go, but her powers are needed if the mission is to have any chance of success. (more)

Contest Rules: To enter, just leave a comment about what supernatural character you would have liked to see in historical times. For example, werewolves at the Battle of Waterloo, witches in Regency England, an incubus searching for the North Pole... Yes, let your weirdness show.

The contest runs through the evening of October 24, Saturday, and three winners will be selected at random. Contest winners restricted to U.S. and Canada, but you can enter just for fun, too.

More stuff:

Sarah Jane Stratford's Website
The Midnight Guardian Facebook Page
Read an excerpt from The Midnight Guardian

Check my sidebar to the right so you don't miss out on my other fab contests!

GRATUITOUS VIDEOS OF THE DAY

Nothing says GVD like cheezetastic power ballads and supernatural abilities. For "Torchwood" fans.

I don't know when I'm going to stop missing "Buffy."

And, of course, the Winchester Brothers of "Supernatural" are heroes.

Insert Intriguing Title Here

marta@martaacosta.com (Marta) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 15:16:00 +0000

Dracula the Un-Dead Contest: The winner for this contest never contacted me and didn't have a valid email address, so I picked a new winner at random. Congratulations, DAWN M! You've just won a copy of Dracula the Un-Dead by Dacre Stoker and Ian Holt, courtesy of Dutton Books. I'll email you for your mailing address to forward on to Dutton.

Hope you enjoy your new book! On Monday I'll have a contest for three copies of The Midnight Guardian by Sarah Jane Stratford. Author Tony Perrottet says, "Filled with marvelously evocative period detail and atmosphere, The Midnight Guardian is lush, dark and very sexy -- an addictive blend of history and horror."

Don't forget to read my interview with NYT bestselling author MaryJanice Davidson and enter the contest to win a copy of her latest Undead/Queen Betsy novel, Undead and Unwelcome. I've got more great prizes from MJ for another contest, too!

Like any normal person, you're probably spending your Friday worried if you should prepare for a vampire attack or a zombie invasion. (I know I am.) GeekBlips contacted all the finest (uneaten) m inds on the subject, including me, natch, and has their assessments of zombies vs. vampires. "On the plus side for zombies, they're not snobby, they're great at a kegger rocking out to Aerosmith's 'Walk this Way,' and you can train them to take out the trash and mow the lawn.

Stephanie Meyer's Twilight fans might be interested in listening to this analysis of classic novels in comparison with the Twilight Saga, hosted by Penguin Classics on Air. "Edward comes as close to Darcy as any hero does. " Are you kidding me? The sub-title is "The Ultimate Bad-Boy Boyfriend," which Heathcliff of Wuthering Heights certainly is (and I think he's a horrible person), but Edward is not nearly as bad.

Speaking of Twilight, Death Cab for Cutie's new video features scenes from the "Twilight" movie. I have to say that I really like this band, and this moody song fits beautifully with the images, but I'd like to see a little more emotional range from them. Repeat after me: being morose is not intellectually superior to having a good time. Enjoy.

"SUPERNATURAL" STUFF

Enter a contest to win one of FIVE COPIES of "Supernatural: Season Four" at Film School Rejects. "The Winchester brothers reunite and hit the road, battling the supernatural wherever they go. They encounter demons, spirits and Dracula himself. All the while, the ultimate war draws them into its horror throughout this enthralling 6-Disc, 22-Episode Season Four."

The episode last night, "Fallen Idol," seemed fun-ish filler, which helps balance out the otherwise emotionally heavy story line this season. It was ruined by the fact that Paris Hilton isn't a good enough actress to play herself. Really, I wish they'd gotten a transvestite to play her. Anyway, am I the only one who finds wax mannequins terrifying?

The show seemed more graphically gory than usual, and I think that was a nod to Hilton's horror movie, which was referenced. Some people (guys, of course) thought it was amusing, but I got a kinda icky feeling from the murder scenes.

Read Zap2It's recap of the show.

GRATUITOUS VIDEO OF THE DAY

Since I'm mentioning "Twilight," today, here's a new video of sexy vamps.

This song is so much fun, and it's Friday, and Friday is Gerard Butler as Dracula day.