Contests for Casa Dracula, Marked by Passion, Wolfsbane & Mistletoe, and Blood Bargain

AUTHORS & BOOKS

I'm having a contest for a copy of my first novel, Happy Hour at Casa Dracula. The contest runs through next Thursday evening.

Enter my contest to win an advance reading copy of Kate Perry's Marked by Passion.

Review of Jeaniene Frost's new Night Huntress novel, At Grave's End. "Cat Crawfield’s job as the Reaper has become more dangerous than ever when her disguises no longer hide who she is." (Darque Reviews)

Listen to a podcast about urban fantasy with Jeaniene Frost, author of the Night HuntressJeanne Stein, author of the Anna Strong Vampire Chronicles; Jenna Black, author of The Devil's Due, and Rachel Vincent, author of the Shifters series. series; (Blogtalk Radio)

Review of Hands of Flame by C.E. Murphy. "Caught up in the long running vendetta between a dispossessed dragonlord and a wealthy master vampire it will take all of Margrit’s skill to keep one step ahead of them and their games. " (Love Vampires)

Win a copy of Wolfsbane & Mistletoe from Charlaine Harris. "The editors of Many Bloody Returns deliver the perfect howl-iday gift, with new tales from Patricia Briggs, Carrie Vaughn, and many more." (Fresh Fiction)

Read an excerpt from Lara Adrian's soon-to-be-released Veil of Midnight. "He wondered if she knew—if any of the dozens of humans packed into the intimate club knew—that they were sharing breathing space with vampires." (Random House)

Read the first chapter of Raz Steel's Love Without Blood, to be released on 12/30. "Dr. Lara West’s brain replayed the day’s events in the ER, searching for a loophole, a mistake, some way she might’ve saved the child’s life. There was none." (Raz Steel)

Read a description and see the cover of Jacquelyn Frank's next Shadowdwellers novel, Ecstasy. "Among the Shadowdwellers, Trace holds power that some are willing to kill for." (Jacquelyn Frank)

Amber Katze is having a contest for a copy of Blood Bargain by Maria Lima. Just sign up for her newsletter to enter. (Amberkatze's Book Blog)


TELEVISION & THE INTERNETS

"True Blood" has been nominated for Golden Globe awards. "True Blood weathered initial mixed reviews but continued to gain a strong following all season, ending with 2.4 million people tuning in for the finale." (SF Universe)

Joss Whedon is cool with "Dollhouse" being scheduled for Friday nights. ""If I were an executive, I would have put it on Friday too, honestly, and not as a dig. The people who want this will find it, and hopefully more will as well." (Los Angeles Times)


MOVIES & DVDS

Review of "Twilight" starring Kristen Stewart and Edward Pattinson. "The film has been inspired in its casting. Kristen Stewart is really exceptional in the lead, grounding the whole thing and the scenes with her father (Burke) feel very genuine." (Wood and Vale)

Here is the best review of "Dracula 2000" that I've ever read. "I’m a big Dracula fan and I think Gerard Butler is so hot when he is a vampire and I wish I was one of him, a vampire like him cause he is my favorite character and I so love him allot." (Horror Stew) Now, if you haven't tried to watch this movie for at least 15 minutes, you're missing out on 15 minutes of genius. It doesn't really matter which 15 minutes you watch, because they're pretty much all the same -- genius!


GRATUITOUS VIDEO OF THE DAY

Oh, this quite an excellent video by ClaraDarko, "Vampires Wanna Do Bad Things to You."



Here's a GVD for "True Blood" fans by NafterLife. It's good in a strobe-lighty way.

Kate Perry Contest, Haunted Pirates, Crazy Women

AUTHORS & BOOKS

Renee at Hatchett Books very kindly sent over an Advance Reading Copy of Kate Perry's Marked by Passion. Here's part of the description: "Out of the blue one day Gabrielle Sansouci Chin receives an ancient scroll that she discovers she was destined to protect. Her possession only means one thing...her father is dead. Gabe has no idea how she is going to balance her new responsibilities as a Guardian with being a painter by day and a bartender by night."

Wanna win it? All you have to do is leave a comment with your suggestion for an author you'd like to have interviewed on my new and not-yet-running blog, Vampire Chats. And, no, I don't think Anne Rice is going to answer my email, so give me something I can work with. The contest runs through Tuesday night.

I just found the Out of the Coffin blog and today's post features ten hawt urban fantasy covers. Yes, my third novel, The Bride of Casa Dracula, is on the list! "I will admit, I dig peeking at what is hot on the urban fantasy/paranormal romance aisle because vampires are hot and the covers are really working it right now." And the site recently posted a vampire-themed clip from "South Park" that is essential watching for all.

Review of Brenda Joyce's Dark Embrace. "Brianna Rose lives in present day New York City and works for the Center for Demonic Activity, which is a secret government agency to fight the dark forces throughout the ages." (Fresh Fiction)

Read an excerpt from Brenda Joyce's next The Masters of Time novel, Dark Victory. "And that was when he felt the familiar evil. Black and vast, filled with hatred and malevolence, they'd lived with this evil for two hundred and fifty years. " (Brenda Joyce)

Michele Hauf, author of soon-to-be-released The Devil to Pay, discourses on the different kinds of shapeshifters. "There are borderline shifters that don’t necessarily physically change, but alter perceptions of how they appear. The shifter itself may see itself differently, while others do not." (Shapeshifter Romance)

Michele Hauf has, quite eccentricly, included a list of coloring books on her blog. And I like that. I'm adding the Haunted Pirates coloring book to my Christmas wish list.

Interview with Brian Slattery, author of Liberation, and Nick Harkaway, author of The Gone Away World, about novels with post-apocalyptic themes. "I was pretty inspired by the Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Men in Black take on apocalypses — that even though the very fate of the world hangs in the balance, they're sort of a dime a dozen and nothing to get all that upset about. " (i09)

Interview with Rhonda Leigh Jones, author of The Maestro's Butterfly. "In the novel, a French expatriate named Claudio bets his music student Miranda that if she spends 30 days on his Hephzibah estate she won’t ever want to leave. Miranda doesn’t know that Claudio is a vampire." (Metro Spirit)

Carolyn Jean, who has the very beautiful The Trillionth Page blog, has a confusing tritypch of cartoons that I'm sure Black Dagger Brotherhood fans will understand.


MOVIES & DVDS

Since Catherine Hardwicke won't be directing the sequel to "Twilight," here are some directors who might be considered for "New Moon." Number three is Martin Scorcese: "It seems to me that we got the vampires and the regular people, right? That's like two families at war. You got the guys with the pointy teeth and they're trying to infiltrate this school -- that's like the cops trying to infiltrate life with the mob." (National Post)

Robert Pattinson, who plays Edward Cullen in "Twilight," says he likes crazy chicks. ""I always like a kind of madness in a woman, and when they are really, really strong. And they're the worst - mental, strong women." (Digital Spy) Someone please protect this man from ever meeting Chyna Doll, or Brigitte Nielsen, or any woman who has ever appeared on "Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew" or dated Flava Flav.

Review of "Let the Right One In" directed by Tomas Alfredson. "The delicate and intelligent Swedish movie Let the Right One In triumphs over Twilight's gooshy gothery. Director Tomas Alfredson restages some of the favorite myths of the vampires in bold ways." (Metroactive)

I saw this flick over the weekend and thought it was really compelling and intriguing. But, it's very unfair to compare it to "Twilight" since they're really trying to do very different things and appeal to very different audiences. Critics should more rightly compare "Twilight" to another teen film about loving someone ideal and Smurftacular like, oh, maybe "Say Anything." A legitimate criticism would be that Edward Cullen creepily invades Bella Swan's bedroom instead of standing outside her window and holding a boom box over his head while looking iconic and resolute and madly in love like Lloyd Dobler.

Robert Pattinson, aka Edward Cullen in "Twilight," eventually failed as a model because he's too butch. (No, really!) "When I first started I was quite tall and looked like a girl, so I got lots of jobs, because it was during that period where the androgynous look was cool." (New York Magazine)


GRATUITOUS VIDEO OF THE DAY

Here's something for Mick St. John and Beth fans missing "Moonlight." I think it'd be better with a Lynard Skynard song and some street brawls, but that's just me.



Because we always give Sir Tom Jones his due, here's a snippet of a song from his new CD. Yes, I'm totaling adding this song to my iTunes.

Nightwalker, Vampire Talker, Dragon Stalker

AUTHORS & BOOKS

Looks like my latest novel, The Bride of Casa Dracula, has been nominated for a Reviewers Choice Award by the Romantic Times! This was a very nice surprise.

Justin Gustainis, author of Evil Waus, guest blogs and has a contest. "My books about occult detective Quincey Morris and his partner in supernatural crime, 'white' witch Libby Chastain, began to reach the market just as urban fantasy was taking off, on its way to becoming one of the most popular genres in speculative fiction." (Bitten By Books)

The Book Spot wants to know if you think book reviewers be excluded from book contests? "What's your opinion on some book contests now being for 'readers' only and not reviewers? And does that include blog reviewers (like me)?"

Review of Nightwalker by Jocelynn Drake. "As it turns out Mira has the ability to manipulate fire, which is one of the fastest ways to erase a vampire from the face of the Earth. In terms of behavior, Mira can be tough and physically primal, but relies on intelligence." (Urban Fantasy Land)

Learn more about Jocelynn Drake's Nightwalker and read an excerpt. "But I hadn't survived for more than six centuries by making careless mistakes. Balanced on the ridgepole of the three-story house across from him, I watched as he continued down the street." (Jocelynn Drake)

Review of the anthology Blood Lite, featuring funny stories by Charlaine Harris, Jim Butcher, Sherrilyn Kenyon, et al., edited by Kevin J. Anderson. "The stories are all well-written - which is to be expected considering the calibre of authors - and interesting to read..." (Suburban Trash)

Here's another review of Blood Lite, edited by Kevin J. Anderson. "Zombies seem to be the most prevalent supernatural beasties in this anthology with the odd tale about demons, ghosts or were-animals thrown in for good measure." (Love Vampires)

Don't know what to give the favorite writer in your life? If you don't have the time or energy to stalk, why not use author Cassandra Curtis's list of presents? (Midnight Moon Cafe) My favorite: coffee.

Win signed copies of G.A. Aiken's About a Dragon and Dragon Actually. "For Nolwenn witch Talaith, a bad day begins with being dragged from bed by an angry mob intent on her crispy end and culminates in rescue by-wait for it-a silver-maned dragon." (Fresh Fiction)

Review of Talia Gryphon's Key to Redemption. "In the midst of all this Gillian is asked to take on some Paramortal clients who have need of her special expertise. Gillian is a certified sex therapist for paramortals." (Fresh Fiction)


MOVIES & DVDS

Vampires reflect mood of the times, from the "anti-Peter Pan" tale of "The Lost Boys" to the complexity of "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer" to the bloodless "Twilight." "From biting and sex without guilt, to guilt with no sex, is this the vampire story for our time?" (Perth Now)

Should a male director take over the helm of "New Moon"? "Some argue that a female sensibility is vital to capturing the lovesick heroine of Stephenie Meyer's vampire romance." (Entertainment Weekly) Sure, hire a guy, because the story could use more car chases and several scenes set in strip clubs.

Los Angeles Times publishes photo of "Twilight" star Robert Pattison wherein his hair is desperately trying to escape his head.


TELEVISION & THE INTERNETS

Author Catherine Karp is featuring clips of the opening credits to vampire series. " I couldn't find the opening credits for Blood Ties, but I did find a Blood Ties music video that looks to be a special clip that was once played at the end of the show." (Suburban Vampire) Be sure to cast your opinion in her poll on the best vampire series of all time!

"Supernatural" scriptwriter Sera Gamble has been hired to create and produce new series. "Former Jericho consulting producer John McNamara is working with Gamble on the project, which centers on a world where humanlike synthetic organisms, known as Syns, are used for strange and unusual purposes." (Buddy TV) Where's the practicality in creatures with "strange and unusual purposes"? Is it too much to ask for a creature that will do my housework?


GRATUITOUS VIDEO OF THE DAY

I would just like to say, oh, my. I used the same fab ZZ Top song in the video I made for Happy Hour at Casa Dracula. And, you know, I just don't get tired of Richard Armitage in black pleather, guyliner, and cravats. Fab video by 19BT80.

New Tricks, New Flicks, Dead Like Me and Reaper

AUTHORS & BOOKS

Read an excerpt from John Levitt's New Tricks. " On the corner of Market and Castro, half hidden in the shadow of a doorway, stood a vampire. Not just any vampire, mind you: one with a dark cape and four inch protruding fangs. And tons of hair gel. A few doorways down, a werewolf chatted amiably with a sickly green-hued zombie. All around them, demons and divas swirled giddily together. It was, of course, Halloween in the Castro." (John Levitt)

I'll definitely have to check out this writer, especially since he lives in my neck of the urban jungle. Here's Kimberly Swan's review of New Tricks by John Levitt. "This is the second installment in the Dog Days series, and Mason continues to learn new ways to utilize his magic by combining it with his creativity as a musician." (Darque Reviews)

Rachel at Bitten By Books is hosting a 15 Naughty Nights of Christmas contest, with lots of e-book prizes. "Beginning tonight, and each night for the next 15 days we will post a new naughty contest for you to enter with a total prize value of over $125.00!!"

Review of Ghost of a Chance by Katie MacAlister. "As if owing money to the Akashic League of Otherworld wasn’t enough, Karma Marx, anomalies exterminator, is now stuck in a house with her hopefully soon to be ex-husband, her father, her foster-polter daughter, various ghosts and creatures, and Adam Dirgesinger, the former homeowner." (Scooper Speaks)

Check out Sartyrant, who's posted new covers, info about free books for libraries, and a list of nominees for the Romantic Times awards.

Looking for chilly books to entertain you on winter nights? Here's a list with lots of subcategories, like "Vampire Detective" and even "Zombies." (Buy Books for the Holidays)

Read an excerpt from M.L.N. Hanover's new book, Unclean Spirits. "I had an overnight bag packed with three changes of clothes, the leather backpack I used for a purse, the jacket my last boyfriend hadn't had the guts to come pick up from my apartment (it still smelled like him), my three-year-old laptop wrapped in a blanket, and a phone number for Uncle Eric's lawyer." (Simon Says) And this is another cover for SciFi Guy's Tramp Stamp video.

Review of Unclean Spirits by M.L.N. Hanover. "When her uncle Eric is murdered, Jayné Heller travels to Denver to settle his estate, only to learn that it's all hers—and vaster than she ever imagined." (Fantasy Book Critic)


MOVIES & DVDS
Here's the new poster for the comedy-horror flick "Lesbian Vampire Killers." "The script was co-written by Paul Hupfield and Stewart Williams, both of the British TV series 'Balls of Steel' previously." (First Showing)

The very wonderful cancelled series "Dead Like Me" is resurrected on DVD. "Georgia “George” Lass (Ellen Muth) may appear to be a normal young woman, but nobody would ever expect that she is actually a grim reaper. George, along with her fellow reapers, are responsible for escorting souls into the afterlife." (Cinema Blend) If you've never watched this show, do yourself a favor and buy or rent the DVDS. It frequently appears on cable TV, too. It's funny, clever, moving, and I'm very sad it didn't run longer.


TELEVISION & THE INTERNETS

Update on the very funny supernatural show "Reaper." "The CW has set Reaper's return date as March 17, and it will be sharing a night with 90210. Mark that date on your calendar!" (The CW Source) Here Ray Wise camps up his role as the devil.




GRATUITOUS VIDEO OF THE DAY

Here's a GVD for "Dead Like Me" with one of my very favorite songs.

Vampire Wire's New Look, Charlaine Harris's New Book, "New Moon" New Director

I spent way too much time this weekend changing the format of Vampire Wire, to make a three-column layout. It will be essentially the same, but I'm starting a new blog, Vampire Chats, that will feature weekly author interviews and book contests. I've got some great writers already lined up! I suppose now I'll have to buy a 2009 calendar to keep track of things. I've also decided to have a few advertisements on my blogs. Like everything else on Vampire Wire, they will be done with good taste and sensitivity....unless they have fabulously bad disco music, and then all bets are off. Stay tuned for updates on my new blog.


AUTHORS & BOOKS

Read an excerpt from Charlaine Harris's next Southern Vampire novel, Dead and Gone. "I paused in the act of tying my shoe to watch what happened next as the two vampire fashionistas burst in the on the hapless victim – oh, excuse me, the lucky vampire who was about to get an unsolicited makeover." (Charlaine Harris)

Review of Sergei Lukyanenko's The Last Watch. "Lukyanenko offers a distinctively post-Soviet take on the genre. In his universe, the forces of Light and Dark magic are so evenly aligned that centuries ago they made a truce to avoid a war of mutual destruction." (The Guardian UK)

Review of Keri Arthur's Dancing with the Devil. "Dancing With The Devil follows the events in private investigator Nikki James’s life when she unwittingly becomes the target of an evil vampire (Jasper) on killing spree in her home town of Lyndhurst..." (Love Vampires)

Review of Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series. "I promptly devoured the next two books in the series. I became a Twilight-aholic, displaying the classic symptoms of restless nights spent thinking about the novels and feverish days where it was the only subject about which I could speak intelligently, as paradoxical as that may seem." (Yale Daily News)

Margaret L. Carter, author of Sealed in Blood, guest blogs and has an e-book giveaway as part of Lori Devoti's 30 Days of Vampires event. "The traditional vampire invites exploration of themes such as the boundaries between life and death, the loneliness of immortality, the erotic charge of sharing (or ravishing) lifeblood, and the ethics of feeding off other people." (Lori Devoti)

Review of Succubus Takes Manhattan by Nina Harper. "As one of Satan’s Chosen, Lily has obligations to uphold, but her day job keeps her just as busy." (Darque Reviews)


MOVIES & DVDS

Big news: Catherine Hardwicke will not direct the "Twilight" sequel, "New Moon." "The studio said in a statement that its targeted end of 2009 or early 2010 release of the film does not work with Ms. Hardwicke's required prep time to bring her vision of the film to the big screen." (Hollywood Reporter) This is errant nonsense. I think it was all the criticisms of the bad CGI and cheesy quality of this movie that got Catherine's butt kicked to the curb. I suppose it's too much to hope that another woman director get signed...like very talented Kathryn Bigelow, who directed the dark and edgy cult favorite vampire hit, "Near Dark." as well as the action-filled, sexy "Point Break."

More info on issues in the "Twilight" sequel, "New Moon." "Part of the concern involved how to expand the role of vampire Edward Cullen (breakout heartthrob Robert Pattinson) who leaves heroine Bella (played by Kristen Stewart; both actors will be back) in the novel, which focuses more on werewolf characters than bloodsuckers." (Fangoria)

Vampires are getting younger, as with Robert Pattinson, who plays Edward Cullen in "Twilight." "Wasted, pale and sharp of tooth is the new look, judging by the lust for Twilight, the vampire film about to be released in this country. Women, in particular, have crowded the cinemas in the United States, where the film made back its $35m budget on the opening night." (The Independent UK)

Interview with "Twilight" stars Kristen Stewart, who plays Bella Swan, and Robert Pattinson, who plays Edward Cullen. "Once Rob strained his groin while trying to lift me up. We were quite surprised for a moment, then we both fell over and then all you could see were both of his legs in the air." (Robert Pattinson)


TELEVISION & THE INTERNETS

Review of the made-for-TV movie "The Librarian: Curse of the Judas Chalice." "It stars, once again, the doe-eyed, PG-appealing Noah Wyle as Flynn Carsen, a callow brainiac pried out of his 15-year college plan to work for the mysterious Metropolitan Library, where, under the watchful eyes of the head librarian (Bob Newhart), many treasures of yore are kept safe." (Los Angeles Times)

Profile of Eliza Dusku, who is starring in Joss Whedon's upcoming series, "Dollhouse." "After completing high school, Dushku returned to acting with the role of Faith on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, a Slayer much more troubled than the main character Buffy Summers. Though initially planned as a five episode role, the character became so popular that she stayed on for the entirety of the third season..." (Heat Newest)


GRATUITOUS VIDEO OF THE DAY

I just saw the terrific Swedish vampire flick, "Let the Right One In" so I'm feeling very cosmopolitan. Please enjoy this GVD in the spirit of international understanding and appreciation. The song is more than I could ask for in awfulness.