"Buffy" Kicks Bella's Butt; Excerpts; and Contests

AUTHORS & BOOKS

Read a description of Yasmine Galenorm's upcoming release, Night Huntress. "We're the D'Artigo sisters: sexy, savvy operatives for the Otherworld Intelligence Agency. But being half-human, half-Fae means our supernatural talents always go haywire at the wrong time." (Yasmine Galenorm)

Romancing the Wolf is having a contest that's a little labor intensive, but there are some cool prizes and you'll probably enjoy visiting authors' websites anyway. The "Have Yourself a Paranormal Christmas" contest runs through 12/21.

Patricia Altner interviews Lina Gardiner, author of Grave Illusions. "Select police officers are privy to the volatile knowledge that vampires hunt and kill in New York City and it is their job to take out these deadly night stalkers whose strength is much greater than humans." (Patricia's Vampire Notes)

Read an excerpt from Gerry Bartlett's next Glory St. Clair book, Real Vampires Don't Diet. "I jerked my brain into drive and looked around. A strange light shimmered and floated a few feet above the water just yards away. I’m not easily spooked and unless the mother ship appeared in front of us, I was more interested in Ray right now than fog and reflections." (Gerry Bartlett)

Enter Sharon Ashwood's contest for a signed copy of Ravenous and other prizes. "In RAVENOUS, one kiss is all it takes to lose your soul. Holly Carver is a small-time witch who busts ghosts for tuition money, but ends up wrangling a demon when a haunted house job goes bad." (Fresh Fiction)

Review of Shari Shattuck's Speak of the Devil. "Greer Sands has opened a successful spa in the Los Angeles suburb of Angeles Crest. Greer has psychic abilities that she has tried to hide, but her close friends are aware of her gift." (Fresh Fiction)



MOVIES & DVDS

"Twilight" head of the pack of upcoming vampire movies; interview with director Catherine Hardwicke. "Stretching the cinematic spectrum, from exploitation (Lesbian Vampire Killers) via foreign language (the Swedish-made Let The Right One In) to mainstream (Cirque Du Freak, Daybreakers), the overriding feeling is that one of horror's most enduring creations is getting a makeover." (The Independent, UK)

Why "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer" rocks, and "Twilight" sucks. Very interesting article on vampire themes in recent TV shows, movies, and books. "And while Buffy was superficially a teen soap leavened with flashes of comedic brilliance and bogyman excitement, at its dark heart lay an older and much grimmer tale: the hero's journey in which everything is sacrificed until the sacrifice itself becomes the journey's meaning. All of this stands in stark contrast to the latest popular vampire outbreak, Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series, in which the heroine, 16-year-old Bella Swan, is such a limp, wan, bloodless slip of a girl it is hard to imagine what the sexy and rather too Byronic teen vampire Edward Cullen sees in her." (Sydney Morning Herald)


TELEVISION & THE INTERNETS

Review of Season One of HBO's "True Blood," starring Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer. "What's most interesting is that in a show about vampires living in society, it's the human characters who are most compelling. The vampires are mostly inaccessible, but the rest of the cast is wonderfully flawed and quite often likable." (IGN)


GRATUITOUS VIDEO OF THE DAY

Here's the opening to Paul Schrader's remake of "Cat People" starring Natasha Kinski and Malcolm McDowell, who wears Mom-pants. Don't watch it sober. No, the movie made no sense whatsoever.



Now I will have mercy on you with this sweet tidbit featuring Josh Holloway, who plays Sawyer on "Lost."

Male Urban Fantasy Writers, Amuse Bouche of Badness

QUESTION: I'm thinking about adding a new blog which will feature a weekly author interview and a book contest. Maybe it will be called Vampire Wire Talks or something equally thrilling. Comments, opinions? Are you sick of author Q&A's, do you want more, or do you want to tell us something cute your cat did? If you're an author, would you appreciate this feature or would you deeply resent another way to flog your book? Inquiring minds want to know.


AUTHORS & BOOKS

Kimberly Swan reviews Adrian Phoenix's In the Blood. " In the aftermath of the Project Bad Seed discovery, Dante continues to struggle against his personal demons. " (Darque Reviews)

Vicky London reviews Kerrilyn Sparks' All I Want for Christmas is a Vampire. "It also made me remember the things I liked about the first few books. The vampire world is interesting and clever the way it revolves around Romatech; it’s employees and it’s synthetic blood products." (Vampire Genre)

PopinFresh has a great post on male urban fantasy writers with short bios and book lists. "I'd like to read more urban fantasy written by men, so I decided to create a list for them. At the present time I can only thinking of 17 (maybe 18) different male urban fantasy writers, so if anyone has any more please leave me a comment." (Proud Book Worm)

For those who like a little snark in their day (and of course I do), here's a review of Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series. "To love a vampire, and more so, to want to become a vampire, you have to have a pretty hard hate of humanity in your heart. You can dance around with 'Oh, but he’s a tragic hero vampire who only kills bad people' all you want, but when it comes down to it, the vampire exists to kill us." That's exactly how I feel about clowns. (Low-Rent Valkyrie)

Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series doesn't have the genius of "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer." "If only Meyer had taken Buffy as her template. If only she had used that groundbreaking series as her foundation and built on it. If only there was a Whedonesque intelligence and modern, feminist sensibility informing Twilight and its successors. If only." (Guardian UK)

Read an excerpt of Larissa Ione's Seduced by the Storm. "Wyatt Kennedy was a dead man, and other than a few problems like being unable to use his credit cards, it hadn't been so bad. Of course, he'd already been declared dead one before, a long time ago, so he knew the drill. Lay low, use cash, watch your back." (Larissa Ione)


MOVIES & DVDS

Review of Thomas Alfredson's vampire film, "Let the Right One In," and interview. "It is one of the most extraordinary love stories on film today -- a love between children, between a vampire and a human, a love affair without any romantic consummation -- and it is perhaps this unusual (and uplifting) treatment of love, more than the suspense of violence, that led to the thunderous audience applause." (Huffington Post)

New photos of "Twilight" star Robert Pattinson appear in this month's Rolling Stone. (Bosh)



TELEVISION & THE INTERNETS

"True Blood" actors score when nekkid. "True Blood boasts two of the top 10 nude television scenes of the year, according to a celebrity skin website. " (Wired) And, one may note, the stars listed are chicks as opposed to the frequently bare, extremely hawt Ryan Kwanten, who plays Jason Stackhouse. Can we have a little equity here, people?

Interview with Jonathan Frakes, director of the made-for-TV vampire flick, "The Librarian: Curse of the Judas Chalice." "The opening sequence had the flavor of James Bond movie... We dressed him in the costume – everything about it was designed to remind the audience of it. Then we hired this wonderful actor – Joe Knezevich – he actually is a trained swordsman." (iF Magazine)


GRATUITOUS VIDEO OF THE DAY

Here's a new tribute to a movie that's underappreciated, "Dark City," starring Rufus Sewell.



This tribute to "Supernatural" is absolutely fabulous mix of bad stuff. My only complaint is that it is so short. It's like an amuse bouche of badness. Watch it twice!

Excerpts from P.C. and Kristin Cast; Barbara Bretton; and Lara Adrian

AUTHORS & BOOKS

Enter Lynda Hilburn's contest for a copy of The Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance. The anthology includes Lynda's story "Blood Song." (Paranormality)

Read chapters one and two from Barbara Bretton's new release, Casting Spells. "Do you ever wonder why things happen the way they do? All of those seemingly random decisions we make throughout our lives that turn out to be not so random after all." (Barbara Bretton)

Read an excerpt from Lara Adrian's Veil of Midnight, to be released 12/30. "One time inside that dark, dank place was plenty. If she had her way, she'd burn the damn thing down to cinders." (Lara Adrian)

SciFi Guy has the cover art for Rachel Caine's sixth Morganville Vampires book and Charlaine Harris's Dead and Gone. On the left side of his blog, he's got a fun new graphic for his very amusing Tramp-Stamp Cover Video.

You can learn more about Rachel Caine's Morganville Vampire series at her website. "For Claire Danvers, high school was hell, but college may be murder. Bad enough she got on the wrong side of Monica, the meanest of the her new school's mean girls ... but now she's got three new roommates, all with secrets of their own. And the biggest secret of all isn't really a secret, except from Claire: Morganville is run by vampires."

Review of P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast's latest novel, Untamed. "The thread of dark intrigue that has run through out the series finally comes to light with Zoey and her friends now fully aware that Neferet is no longer standing on the side of light and reason." (Love Vampires)

Read chapter one of P.C. Cast and Kristen Cast's Untamed. "The caw! caw! cawing! of one stupid crow kept me up all night. (Well, more accurately, all day—’cause, you know, I’m a vampyre fledgling and we have that whole issue of day and night being turned around.)" (House of Night)

Review of the audiobook version of Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire. "Rice's re-interpretation of the vampire myths and legends is ingenious, and some of the topics she explores are quite riveting. Particularly the existence of Claudia and her conflicted relationship with her 'father', Louis-- the title character of the book." (Mukwonago Community Library)


MOVIES & DVDS

Robert Pattinson, who plays Edward Cullen in "Twilight" suffered at the hands of his sisters. "He recalled that his two elder sisters, Lizzy and Victoria, would dress him up like a girl until he was 12." (The Telegraph)

What message is "Twilight" promoting? "One of the advantages of horror as a genre has always been its ability to explore issues of sexuality through a glass darkly - to show the risks, pleasures and potential consequences of indulging in transgressive behaviour." (Guardian UK)

Girls are loving the vamps. "Colette, you see, was a bit of a vampire fan already. She developed her ardor for the undead by reading a bunch of Laurell K. Hamilton books. (In case you don’t know: Laurell is a local who writes a series about a woman who alternately kills and has explicit sex with vampires. No, really.)" (St. Louis Today)

List of reasons why Stephanie Meyer's Breaking Dawn should not be adapted as a film. "Because whether you loved or hated it, 'Breaking Dawn' poses more than a few problems for the big screen. Even barring the very divided reaction from Meyer’s fan base over the final book, 'Breaking Dawn' contains several head-scratching scenes and themes." (Los Angeles Times)

Another rave review of the Swedish vampire film, "Let the Right One In." "Mormon vampires--with their high cheekbones and bedroom eyes--don't have a goddamn thing on the Swedish undead in Let the Right One In. Lost in the art house cinema shuffle, the gorgeous film (currently at the Hollywood Theater) seems to be drifting off the pop culture radar, eclipsed by the more popular fan-fic vehicle Twilight..." (Blogtown)


GRATUITOUS VIDEO OF THE DAY

For "Interview with the Vampire Fans," here's a GVD that runs a little long, but it features one of my favorite (and little known) David Bowie songs. The song was originally used in the very bonkers remake of "Cat People."

The Vampire Diaries, Evil Ways, "Moonlight" Fever

AUTHORS & BOOKS

Here's a wonderful review of my latest novel, The Bride of Casa Dracula. "I really enjoyed this unusual story that has a little of everything; mystery, humor, shape shifters, vampires, werewolves and even a few mortals." (Romance Junkies)

There's still time to vote for Vampire Wire in the Best Vampire blog contest at Suburban Vampire!

Some teens prefer The Vampire Diaries by L.J. Smith to the Twilight series. "The Vampire Diaries, on the other hand, is filled with action, mystery, and suspense while still presenting the heart pounding love story." (Kristina Willis, Tam News Online)

Read the free download of L.J. Smith's Secret Vampire. "It was on the first day of summer vacation that Poppy found out she was going to die." (Lisa Jane Smith)

Contest for multiple prizes including Accidentally Dead by Dakota Cassidy and Because Your Vampire Says So by Michelle Beardsley. "What better way to celebrate the fanged and the fabulous than to give away a fantastic bunch of prizes! " (Fresh Fiction)

Read an excerpt from Julie Leto's upcoming release, Phantom's Touch. "He opened his eyes, but he could see nothing but shadows and a dim blue light. The odors that assailed his nostrils were instantly familiar, and yet, completely foreign. He smelled no blood, but the distinctive salty sweetness of sweat and the cold sharpness of forged steel." (Julie Leto)

Congrats to Justin Gustainis, who will have the second novel in his Quincey Morris series, Evil Ways, released later in the month. Here's the cover.


MOVIES & DVDS

"Twilight" is a movie that females of all ages can enjoy. "If you were looking for an objective review, this isn’t it. I admit that long ago I got sucked in by the whole 'Twilight' thing. If it’s not your type of read or flick, fine, there are other books and films out there!" (Gainesville Register)

Kristen Stewart, who plays Bella Swan in "Twilight," says that Robert Pattinson is a fabulous vampire. "But I got hardcore pain from Rob. It was purely just connection." (People)

Ten things "Twilight" teaches boys about girls. (Of course this assumes that a boy would voluntarily sit through the movie.) "Girls like boys who can play the piano...Still, the piano makes you look sensitive and it’s less phallic of an instrument than a guitar. It’ll make you look moody, adds more mystery, and it is like kryptonite to a girl’s heart.." (Sprout)

Who should play the evil Volturi in the "Twilight" sequel, "New Moon"? "..it's time to consider casting some of the most nefarious -- and frightening -- characters of the entire series: The Volturi. Here are my picks for a few of the baddie bloodsuckers..." (Entertainment Weekly)



TELEVISION & THE INTERNETS

List of our favorite vampires on television and the big screen. "Nowadays we have smoldering, sexy vampires like Spike and Angel of 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer' fame, cereal vampires such as Count Chocula, fluffy vamps including Bunnicula, and even wannabe vampires in 'South Park'!" (Courier-Journal)

Watch a video interview with Noah Wyle talking about the upcoming vampire film, "Librarian: Curse of the Judas Chalice." "The Curse of the Judas Chalice premieres December 7 on TNT and follows Wyle's reluctant action-adventurer character Flynn Carsen as he travels to New Orleans to prevent Dracula from being reborn." (iF Magazine)


GRATUITOUS VIDEO OF THE DAY

Now if fans can bring back "Blood Ties," maybe Alex O'Loughlin fans can bring back "Moonlight," a series that didn't have a chance to develop.



Sure, it's always fun to have a GVD with really crappy music. I totally live for that. But every now and then, we've got to break from tradition, as with this "Moonlight" -Alex O'Loughlin tribute set to "Fever."

At Grave's End, Vampire Trends, Blood Ties

AUTHORS & BOOKS

Jeaniene Frost always has great covers. Read the first chapter of her upcoming Night Huntress novel, At Grave's End. "The man smiled and I let my gaze linger over his face. His eyes were a lovely shade of pale blue. Their color reminded me of a Siberian husky, except the person sitting next to me was no animal. Of course, he wasn't human, either." And congrats to Jeaniene for selling four more books in the series!

A new story from Charlaine Harris is included in the Unusual Suspects anthology. "Charlaine Harris’s 'Lucky' features Sookie Stackhouse and her witch roommate, Amelia Broadway prior to Bob’s transformation back to his human form on the trail of a suspected burglar responsible for an unusual theft." (Monsters and Critics)

SciFi Guy has a list of December's new book releases by category. "Here is a partial list of forthcoming Fantasy, Urban Fantasy and Paranormal books to look forward to in December."

Literary Escapism also has a list of December releases, as well as Sherrilyn Kenyon and Dianna Love's new book cover.

So how is urban fantasy different from other genre fiction? "Trying to define urban fantasy these days is a bit of a trick, especially with the marketing muscle behind paranormal romance. But I think it comes down to both magic and intent..." (Ecstatic Days)

CheriePie reviews Cirque Du Freak, Killers of the Dawn by Darren Shan. "As prophesied by Mr. Tiny, the three vampire hunters—Darren, Mr. Crepsley, and Vancha March—must defeat the Lord of the Vampeneze in one of four potential encounters." (CheriePie's Books)

Felicity Heaton gave me an update on her recent publications. Her new Vampire Realm novel, Seventh Circle, is now available as an ebook. "Born with strange powers similar to a vampire's, Lilith has spent her life hunting demons for Section Seven. Now, on the very same night that she watches a vampire kill her best friend, she's faced with her worse nightmare." (Fictionwise)

And Felicity's also got a shapeshifter romance book out, too, Embracing the Wolf. "Four years on, Kat has now matured. Each night she fights the ‘beast’ inside of her and her desire to return to Amon. She hunts rogue werewolves with a vengeance, hating her kind and her blood..."


MOVIES & DVDS

Vampires continue to charm their way into our homes in "Twilight" and "True Blood." "Why are we so obsessed with these night walkers? You don't, after all, see trolls or gremlins constantly prowling our TV sets and multiplexes. The answer couldn't be simpler: Sex." (New York Daily News)

Review of "Twilight," starring Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart. "Instead of Anne Rice’s Lestat or Bram Stoker’s Dracula, both of whom had lived for centuries and had gained the 'wisdom of ages,' we’re given whiny emo kid Edward who, despite being 107, acts shockingly (read: sarcasm) like today’s typical whiny emo boy." (Showbiz Style)

Literary Escapism leaves the library for the movie house and reviews "Twilight." "They stuck to the original novel really well, so much so that when I left I couldn’t think of anything that was missing that was a vital point to the plot. Everything that needed to be there was. "

Director Catherine Hardwicke wants a bigger budget to make the "Twilight" sequel. "The film - which set a record for biggest weekend opening ever by a female director - earned $70.6 million in its first 3 days of release, almost doubling its estimated $37 million dollar budget." (Actress Archives)

Kimberly Swan reviews Katie MacAlister's Zen and the Art of Vampires. "What starts out as time spent with a handsome stranger, plunges Pia into the midst of an ongoing battle between vampires known as Dark Ones, and an order whose goal it is to cleanse the world of their existence." (Darque Reviews)


TELEVISION & THE INTERNETS

HBO's "True Blood" doesn't suck in the ratings department. "Creator Alan Ball's new series, which recently wrapped its first season, combines vampires, romance, sex, drugs and lots of nudity, all of which lure in different sectors of the audience. " (Buddy TV)

Joss Whedon's "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog" will be available on DVD in time for Christmas. "Arguably the most popular original online series to date, Dr. Horrible gave the nascent web series community a certified commercial success and a reference point of what an online hit actually looks like." (Tube Filter)

Author Catherine Karp reports that there's a petition to bring back the "Blood Ties" series. "Fans of the vampire TV series Blood Ties, based on the novels by Tanya Huff, are fighting to get the show back on the air." (Suburban Vampire)


GRATUITOUS VIDEO OF THE DAY

And if you want to know why "Blood Ties" should be brought back, here's something to remind you. Appropriately angsty video by DawnDoss2.



You know I can't resist a GVD with inane lyrics and a pounding disco beat. This song is so bad on so many levels that it's genius.