Laurell Hamilton Speaks, "Twilight" Peeks, The Simpsons Treats

AUTHORS & BOOKS

Hey, I got quoted in an AP story about Anne Rice! This isn't exactly what I said, but the reporter was driving and writing notes at the same time, so I'm impressed with him anyway. "'People think it's sexual, but it's not. It's suppressed stuff. Southern Gothic,' Acosta said." So I'm like officially an acknowledged expert on the genre. I'm updating my resume immediately.

And Vampire Wire amiga Lynda Hilburn's quoted in an article, too, about the current hawtness of vampires. "'Even the sex act doesn't seem to be as intimate as someone lying next to you and sucking your blood,' said Lynda Hilburn, a psychotherapist and vampire fiction author based in Boulder, Colo." (Indianapolis Star)

Ruthie's Book Reviews includes Happy Hour at Casa Dracula and Midnight Brunch on her favorite vampire book list. "These were just wonderful. I really enjoyed her character of Milagro!"

Interview with Laurell K. Hamilton, author of the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter novels. "There's this belief that women aren't supposed to be comfortable with, or bold about, their sexuality. I get people standing across from me at my signings, women, in their 20s and 30s, saying they didn't know they were allowed to enjoy sex." (Time Magazine)

Review of Blue Bloods by Melissa De La Cruz. "There is an air of dark mystery and untold secrets around the story and this intrigue is perhaps the main thing that keeps the story driving forward. " (Love Vampires)

The appeal of vampires crosses genres. "The vampire novel, once strictly relegated to the horror section, has in recent years infiltrated the romance, science-fiction, fantasy and young-adult shelves of bookstores." (Wall Street Journal)

This weekend is your last chance to enter the Haunted Bloggy Carnival contest with dozens of prizes, including copies of my first novel. "Spooktacular event! The carnival starts at 8:00 am Central time October 27th ALL WEEK and ends on November 2nd at 11:59 pm Pacific time." (Bitten By Books)


MOVIES & DVDS

Film, usually so reliably realistic, shockingly misrepresents the vampyre lifestyle. ""It is not the Hollywood fang wearing, blood- lusting night stalker that everyone thinks it is...You cannot be turned, embraced or even sired." (Pace Press)

Here are new "Twilight" pics to hold you until the release of the movie. "Satisfy your Twilight craving with our newly updated photo gallery of over 90 images from the film, including stills, behind-the-scenes photographs, and character art featuring Bella and Edward, the entire Cullen clan, and more."

Advance sales for "Twilight" tickets start today with a bonus gift. "And just because it’s Halloween, a special trick-or-treat is available with every 'Twilight' ticket purchase: a free download of 'Bella’s Lullaby (Remix).'" (MTV)

In praise of the vampire chicks in "The Daughters of Darkness." "Harry Kümel’s very-70s flick is a sexy roundelay akin to Radley Metzger’s 1973 soft-core Score, only in this case the hungry horny couple are the blood lusty Countess and her secretary/lover/protégé Ilona Harczy played by Andrea Rau..." (Sprout)


TELEVISION & THE INTERNETS

Interview with Sam Trammell, who plays Sam Merlotte, in HBO's "True Blood." "My character is a mysterious guy, even though he’s around a lot and most people know who he is. You don’t know anything about him." (Media Blvd.)

Add your opinion about the important dilemma: Angel or Spike? "Sort of a loser in his mortal life, he becomes the vicious vampire who hunts slayers. And he's perfectly content to keep hunting them until he gets snagged by Riley's little militia group and an experimental chip is planted in his head." (My Friend Amy)

Need a costume for tonight? Here are some ideas from the small screen. "Random cyborg mutant...Go down to your local Army surplus store and 'Value Village' type stores and look for random stuff that you can put together into a ramshackle survivor of the purge of humanity." (io9)


GRATUITOUS VIDEO OF THE DAY

Like everyone else, when I think Halloween, I think the Simpsons. Have a good one!



Here's something for "Supernatural" fans: a man, a car, and a rock ballad.

Destiny Kills, Spooky Movie Chills, Jack Harkness Thrills

AUTHORS & BOOKS

Win a book pack that includes First Blood, an anthology by Chris Marie Green, Meljean Brook, Susan Sizemore, and Erin McCarthy. "To save her father Dawn must enter the Vampire Underground, where she will encounter an unthinkable betrayal, and where the question of who is truly good and who is truly evil will become a matter of life, death—and undeath..." (Fresh Fiction)

Kimberly Swan reviews Destiny Kills by Keri Arthur. "Destiny McCree was captured for the power she holds that’s tied to the sea." (Darque Reviews)

Read a chapter from Michelle Rowen's Stakes & Stilettos, the upcoming novel in her Immortality Bites series. "My name is Sarah Dearly. Fledgling vampire and part-time bartender, at your service. Welcome to my highly disfunctional life." I am totally liking Michelle's website redesign, too!

Watch a trailer of Maggie Shayne's Demon's Kiss. "Even by vampire standards, Reaper is a loner, and his current mission to destroy a gang of rogue bloodsuckers is definitely a one-vamp job." (Maggie Shayne)

Linda Wisdom guest blogs about her Jazz witch series, including Hex Appeal. "Take one snarky witch, add a cup of sexy vampire, a tablespoon of disgruntled ghost and add a dash of troublesome bunny slippers and you have a recipe for magick disaster." (Star-Crossed Romance)

Lynda Hilburn, author of The Vampire Shrink, posts an interview about the eternal appeal of vampires. "Psychotherapist Lynda Hilburn...noticed a curious thing happening in her private psychotherapy practice...women spontaneously began sharing dreams of dark, fanged strangers." (Paranormality)


MOVIES & DVDS

Here's a long list of spooky movies to watch on Halloween, including the 1963 classic "The Haunting." ""It is the best haunted house movie. Captured in gloriously composed black-and-white shots by director Robert Wise, editor of 'Citizen Kane.' Run away from the 1999 remake starring Owen Wilson!" (Daily Herald)

List of vampires who totally suck, which includes Kiefer Sutherland in "The Lost Boys." "Yeah, at the time Kiefer's leather-clad biker was kind of badass, but time hasn't been kind to this sexually questionable biker vamp with one helluva mullet.." (Reelz Channel)

Compare and contrast the vamps from "Twilight" and "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer" and others. " Buffy doesn't waste time anguishing about whether her vampy boy will marry her, impregnate her, bite her — she's got bigger issues, like having to save the world (again). But the overall arc about the anguish of loving someone who is immortal is still there." (MTV)

Win a gift pack of promo items from "Twilight." "Grand Prize winner will receive the Twilight Illustrated Movie Companion book and the film’s official soundtrack." (Monsters & Critics)


GRATUITOUS VIDEO OF THE DAY

Here's a trailer from the original "The Haunting," which is a very creepy, spooky movie with all sorts of psychosexual subtext.



Here's a tribute to Capt. Jack Harkness (John Barrowman), the omnisexual intergalactic slut/alien/hero of "Torchwood."

Graveyard Book, Twilight Look, Moonlight Redux

AUTHORS & BOOKS

Interview with Neil Gaiman about his new novel, The Graveyard Book. "Gaiman’s latest novel...takes place in a cemetery, where an orphaned boy is raised by a vampire, a werewolf and a witch." (News OK)

Read an excerpt from Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book. "Nobody Owens, known to his friends as Bod, is a normal boy. He would be completely normal if he didn't live in a sprawling graveyard, being raised and educated by ghosts..." (Harper Collins)

Win a copy of Meljean Brook's soon-to-be-released Demon Bound. "So, from October 21st to November 3rd, I will be hosting a contest at this site to celebrate the release of DEMON BOUND and to give us all a chance to warm up our voting muscles."

Read an excerpt of Sharon Ashwood's upcoming novel, Ravenous. "Being the evil Undead wasn’t fun any more. For one thing, it was increasingly hard to get a library card." (Sharon Ashwood)

SciFi Guy reviews Fallen by Claire Delacroix. "From the beginning you are aware that the story is a good vs evil tale, as Adam Montgomery is an Angel who forsakes his wings to become human in order to investigate the rapidly declining state of human affairs."

Interview with Charlaine Harris, author of the Southern Vampire series. "I think of them as adventure novels. Maybe the difference in my approach is the humor, and the fact that my protagonist has no increasing supernatural powers and has trouble paying her bills." (Omnivoracious)

AmberKatze interviews Arlene Russo about her books and Bite Me Magazine. "Back in Scotland, I was on a mission: to produce a publication that would unite fans from all around the world. Fans with one thing in common- a love of Dracula!" (AmberKatze's Book Blog)


MOVIES & DVDS

Watch two television spots for "Twilight". (Shock Till You Drop)



Q&A with Taylor Lautner, who plays Jacob in "Twilight." "I do know that the scenes I did showed a huge difference in Jacob’s character. He goes from happy-go-lucky and friendly...to when he’s more of a werewolf and more of an adult, all intense and grumpy." (Los Angeles Times)



TELEVISION & THE INTERNETS

Review of "True Blood," episode 8, "The Fourth Man in the Fire." "Eric Northman, the thousand-year old Viking Vampire and sherriff of Area 5, however, wields much greater power over Bill—enough for him to drive Sookie to Fangtasia in Shreveport." (Paste Magazine)


GRATUITOUS VIDEO OF THE DAY

You know, there's some connection between Bon Jovi and vampires. Here's something for all the "Moonlight" fans.



Okay, if it's got a bad disco beat, it's definitely gratuitous.

Zombie Chicks, Vampire Facts, & Evil Dead Tribs

Vampire Wire was named the Best Vampire Author Website in a poll taken by Catherine Karp at Suburban Vampire. Thanks all who voted for VW!


AUTHORS & BOOKS

Bitten by Books is having their second Bloggy Carnival with over a whole mess o' prizes (including copies of my Casa Dracula novels). The contest runs through next week. "Right now we have over $3726.00 in prizes up for grabs!! AND another $2330.00 in prizes at our sister site Weird Stuff In My Desk!"

Mike Duran discusses Christian horror books and upcoming paranormal releases. "So it was refreshing to hear one acquisitions editor from a Christian publishing house recently admit that the distinction between "horror" and "supernatural suspense" is purely semantical." (Novel Journey)

Review of The New Annotated Dracula, edited by Leslie S. Klinger. "Klinger has approached the subject from a different angle to previous editors by taking the view that the Dracula text is actually a record of factual events. This isn’t as batty as it sounds..." (Love Vampires)

Kimberly Swan reviews All I Want for Christmas is a Vampire by Kerrelyn Sparks. "Trying to track down the men who landed her roommate in a psychiatric hospital, Toni Davis is attacked by vampires, the Malcontents, and saved by a Vamp before they had the chance to drain her." (Darque Reviews) Oh, and I was in Pier One yesterday and they already have Christmas ornaments and are playing Christmas music. Before Halloween. Now that's really horrifying.

Review of The Devil's Due by Jenna Black. "It is exciting, sexy and dark, yet the entire purpose of the story is to give light to humanity." (Scooper Speaks)

Interview with AngelleTrieste, author of Devil Falls. "The question was not writing a book, but writing something that would resonate with readers." (Deadly Vixens)

Read an excerpt from Angelle Trieste's Devil Falls. "It was his fault that she was here in the first place. If he would have returned her phone calls, she wouldn’t have had to come all the way to Devil Falls to speak to him."


TELEVISION & THE INTERNETS & MISC.

Dan at Talk About the Passion compares and contrasts vampire lore in "True Blood," "Bram Stoker's Dracula," "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer," etc. and bemoans the dearth of cloaks. "he goths love Anne Rice’s sexy bisexual vampires with their poncy taste in clothes and romantic ways." I heart Dan's collages (see at top), very fangirl with a glue-stick.

"My car broke down and I was wondering if I could use your phone?" Answer Indy Magazine's question of the week: "If you were a vampire, how would you convince someone to invite you into their home?"

Count the days with a hot zombie chick calendar! "Aptly called 'My Zombie Pinup' the work is designed and produced by Shalaco Sching and Robyn Elizabeth Malter." (The Telegraph)


MOVIES & DVDS

Swedish vamp flick, "Let the Right One In," continues to rock critics' worlds. "Nothing boosts the confidence of an awkward preadolescent boy more than getting his first girlfriend and learning how to stand up to bullies. But what if the new girlfriend isn't exactly a girl, or a human being of any description, but rather a night-crawling undead creature who feasts on the blood of the living?" (Salon)

Vampires still beloved by Hollywood. "Werewolves are just monstrous...They just go back to being human and when they speak they're not that interesting. But vampires can be beautiful. They can be wise. They're immortal. There's a whole (range)." (Daily Comet)


GRATUITOUS VIDEO OF THE DAY

You know, I never get bored of Bruce Campbell's campy Ash in "Army of Darkness."



Crank up the sound, baby. This "Evil Dead" montage is by JoeKickass 1234123, and he does.

Demon's Hunger Winners, Anne Frasier, "Dollhouse" News

CONTEST WINNERS

Thanks for all your terrific suggestions for food to feed a demon! Your entries gave me many laughs. The winners of advanced review copies of Eve Silver's Demon's Hunger (chosen at random) are:

PamK - Queso Dip & Chips
MacBeaner - Atomic Wings
Jane - Rats
ArkieRN - Angel Food Cake
JackieM - Samoa Ice Cream

Yes, I think that covers all the essential demon food categories: spicy dips, vermin, fluffy and sweet snacks. Congratulations winners! Please send me an email with your mailing address and I'll forward it to Renee at Hachette Books, who was so kind as to kick in the prizes.

Thanks, too, to Eve Silver, who dropped by! Much luck with your new book, Eve, and I hope you'll share news and reviews with Vampire Wire readers.


AUTHORS & BOOKS

Mary Shelley and the women who write horror novels. "In recent years, though, women — perhaps emboldened by the success of the florid vampire novels written by the pre-Jesus Anne Rice — have been claiming a much larger share of their genre birthright, even devoting themselves, in many cases, exclusively to horror." (New York Times)

Interview with Anne Frasier and contest for her novels Pale Immortal and Garden of Darkness. "I think we all feel trapped by the weight of responsibility and circumstance. And I’ve felt the pull and attraction of a place that’s not really good for me. I also modeled the town of Tuonela after my hometown in Iowa." (Texty Ladies)

C.T. Adams and Cathy Clamp's Tales of the Sazi have been released with new covers. "C.T. Adams & Cathy Clamp are launching a new pen name and will become Cat Adams. Their first book with this name will be a stand-alone paranormal romance in Feb. 2009, called Magic's Design. " (Shartyrant)

Susan Krinard blogs about her upcoming werewolf novel, Come of the Night. "Gillian is bound by werewolf custom to marry a mate of her father’s choosing, a marriage that will forge new alliances and insure Sir Averil Maitland’s continued power as head of the great werewolf gathering, the Convocation." (Harlequin Paranormal Romance Blog)

Arachne Jericho blogs about the popularity of paranormal novels based on the demon lover theme. "For many, the tension-filled relationship between Buffy and the vampire Angel, fraught with disapproval, contradictions, and literal moral consequences, became the epitome of vampire romance. And those years in the 90s hailed the true birth of the modern demon lover—the vampiric lover." (Tor)

Review of Shiloh Walker's Guilty Needs. "We've heard the concept before -- dying woman asks best friend to love and take care of her husband when she's gone -- but Ms. Walker definitely gives us a few twists to test that love and romance, throws a little of the paranormal in to complicate an already tenuous situation..." (The Good, The Bad, The Unread)

Review of Mysteria Lane by MaryJanice Davidson, Susan Grant, Gena Showalter, et al. "Glory Tawdry, a love witch, hates bartender Falon. Hates him because she lurves him, that is.." (The Good, The Bad, The Unread)


TELEVISION

Joss Whedon blogs about the status of his upcoming series, "Dollhouse." "Basically, the Network and I had different ideas about what the tone of the show would be. They bought something somewhat different than what I was selling them, which is not that uncommon in this business."


MOVIES & DVDS

Review of "Vampire Princess," just released on DVD. "The documentary begins with an archaeological dig in the Czech Republic in the town of Cesky Krumlov near Schwarzenberg Castle." (Blog Critics)

Review of "Passangers" starring Anne Hathaway. "Claire begins to believe that some sort of conspiracy is afoot, and the feeling only gets stronger as she has run-ins with an airline official (David Morse) who’s evasive at best and hostile at worst." (Fangoria)


GRATUITOUS VIDEO OF THE DAY

Here's a new "Dracula 2000" video from Clanxmac. It's like 87 times better than the actual movie.



Related to nothing, here's a Gerard Butler video from ATL 1425. Nice editing, andI like this song.