THE VAMPIRE TAPESTRY; Joss Whedon Speaks; Disco Gerard Butler

AUTHORS & BOOKS

Review of The Vampire Tapestry by Suzy McKee Charnas. "...an entertaining and well-crafted book. It stands out from the vast sea of vampire fiction as one of the very few that achieves true originality." (Blog Critics)

Steampunk genre increasing in popularity. "But of all speculative fiction's sub-genres, steampunk is proving to be among the most popular and influential." (The Guardian UK)

Review of The Smoke Thief by Shana Abe. "This innovative concept in paranormal romance (shape- shifting from human to dragon and back) is nothing short of phenomenal. With unique and captivating characters, setting and plot devices, Abé deftly creates a thrilling novel in her debut hardcover." (Fresh Fiction)

Paranormal Romance's top December picks include The Devil's Due by Jenna Black. "Hard, sexy and devilish, this is a must read series. Being an exorcist is obviously hard work but reading about it is fun and addictive."

Read a chapter of Jenna Black's romantic comedy The Matchmaker's Curse. "When they opened the door to her cell, and she knew it was time, her heart hammered wildly, and her body broke out in a cold sweat. She rose unsteadily from the patch of damp, moldy straw..." (Jenna Black)

Jane Eperson, writer for "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," blogs in the character of Harmony, who will be featured in a comic. "The show, 'Harmony Bites,' starts with me. I’m the Earth and all the other people in the show orbit around me." (MTV


MOVIES & DVDS

Interview with Jordan Gallard, the director of "Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Undead." "It’s like The Hunger meets Waiting for Guffman. Or…. it’s like Fright Night meets Manhattan, meets Shakespeare in Love in a dark alley with a twist of The Da Vinci Code, with stretch limos with Mickey Blue Eyes-type mobsters and bumbling detectives, a la Pink Panther." (Park City Review)

Taylor Lautner, who played Jacob Black in "Twilight," may continue his role in sequel. "Summit Entertainment is expected to announce its decision as early as this week for the next film based on Stephenie Meyer's vampire series." (People)

Bruce Campbell stars in "The Vampire in Retreat." "It truly is a horror western--basically, a group of vampires lead by Count Mardulak (remember this name, it's going to be really important later) moved out west in search of a new life, much like settlers of the American West often did. " (Monsters & Critics)

Author Catherine Karp is having a poll to find out what vampire films you plan to see in 2009. "If you need a quick rundown of the non-Twilight-related films on the list, check out my post from a few days ago..." (Suburban Vampire)


TELEVISION & THE INTERNETS

Interview with Joss Whedon on his upcoming series, "Dollhouse" and how Fox honchos are ruining it with their formulaic ickness. "We talked about those things and it was obvious they wanted more of an action feel than a noir feel. What I had done was very sort of dark and moody. And they wanted a show, a first episode that absolutely laid out the structure of the show..." (The Futon Critic)


GRATUITOUS VIDEO OF THE DAY

If it's Friday, it must be Gerard Butler GVD day. Leather togs and a lovely torch song, oh my.



But it's not really gratuitous without a bad disco beat.

Captain Hammer Threw a Car at My Head

AUTHORS & BOOKS

Here's the cover of Mark Del Franco's upcoming release, Unfallen Dead. You can also read chapters of his first two novels, Unshapely Things and Unquiet Dreams.

SciFi Guy reviews Patrice Michelle's Scions: Revelation. "... contains plenty of Patrice Michelle's, by now patented non-stop action and a terrific romance. If anything, Emma and Caine have more hurdles to cross then previous couples in the series, making for great dramatic tension and passionate erotic encounters."

Review of Veil of Midnight by Lara Adrian. "...yet another great installment in this consistently written paranormal action romance series by author Lara Adrian. The complexity of the Midnight Breed world continues to expand, yet always adheres to world rules established in preceding stories." (The Romantic Life)

Spotlight on Terry Spear, author of Destiny of the Wolf. "When she felt the market was becoming overwhelmed with vampire romances, although she loves writing and reading them, she tried a werewolf story, based more on real wolves to create the most credible world she could." (Paperback Diva)

Review of Charlaine Harris's Dead Until Dark. "One thing I did like much better about the book was the character of Bill. I felt like in the novel, he is unashamed of being a vampire. While he does want to mainstream, he is less apologetic about things he has done in the past." (S. Krishna's Books)

Review of Justin Gustainis's Evil Ways. "Evil Ways is narrated in third person from multiple points of view which in some ways gives it the feel of a crime thriller and allows the story to build up from seemingly unconnected events as the book’s victims, villains and heroes all have their say." (Love Vampires) NOTE: Justin is an upcoming guest on Vampire Wire and will be giving away a copy of his latest novel!

Read an interview with Michele Hauf and enter the contest for her entire Bewitch the Dark series!


MOVIES & DVDS

Stephen Dorff signed vampire role as Deacon Frost. "He is planning to reprise his most famous role, as vampire Deacon Frost in Blade, for a new trilogy of movies due to begin filming next year." (Daily Mail)

Review of Joss Whedon's "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog" on DVD. "While all the actors have done an incredible job on this, special attention needs to be placed on Nathan Fillion’s Captain Hammer. I have always been a fan of Fillion from day one, mostly because he could be funny and kick butt at the same time, but who knew he could do that and sing as well?" (Geeks of Doom)

Here's a trailer for Joss Whedon's next "Dr. Horrible" movie, "Captain Hammer," starring Nathan Fillion and Neil Patrick Harris.



GRATUITOUS VIDEO OF THE DAY

Today's GVD goes out to Nathan Fillion and the cast of Joss Whedon's short-lived, but much appreciated "Firefly." Video courtesy of SethDraven.

IN THE BLOOD Contest, BEWITCH THE DARK Contest, & GVD

AUTHORS & BOOKS

This week, I've got an interview with author Michele Hauf and a contest for her Bewitch the Dark series.

Authors Jeri Smith-Redi (Wicked Game and Bad to the Bone) and Adrian Phoenix (A Rush of Wings, In the Blood) are starting the new year by having their characters interview each other and offering prizes every week. "Anyway, leave a comment or a question for Ciara and/or Dante between now and 11:59pm EST next Wednesday (January 7) to be automatically entered to win an autographed copy of In the Blood." (Jeri Smith-Ready)

Review of children's vamp book, The Knaveheart's Curse by Adele Griffin. "Maddy Livingstone looks like your average 11-year-old seventh grader. Only she has been around the world and then some as a vegetarian fruit-bat vampire for centuries." (San Francisco Examiner)

Review of Charlaine Harris's Dead to the World. "I know I said Club Dead was my favorite book. I’ve changed by mind. Now I like Dead to the World better because I love the portrayal of Eric." (Scooper Speaks)

Bookstore staff long supportive of Charlaine Harris's Southern Vampire series. "Employees of Murder by the Book have appeared in Harris’ other works. But the 26-year-old new owner of the store, McKenna Jordan, gets a nod in two of the Sookie books. Her name is used for a minor character, a clothing-store clerk." (Houston Chronicle)

Review of Jayne Ann Krentz's Running Hot. "The novel's story line moves easily between the exotic world of the paranormal talents and the cheerfully down-home world of French-fryers and restaurant camaraderie." (Seattle Times)

Review of Lisa Hendrix's Immortal Warrior. "It grabbed my attention from pretty much the first page and didn’t let go. All these questions were going through my mind as I read: Would things work out for Ivar between his curse and the fact that he loves Alaida?" (Book Binge)

Check out Kimberly Swan's new design and layout of her Darque Reviews blog. I think it's pretty spooky. Of course, this blog is one of my top faves.


MOVIES & DVDS

News on 2009 activities for the cast of "Twilight." "Several stars have chosen to go the horror route, while a few others have opted for loftier art flicks that will debut in a few weeks at Sundance — and at least one 'Twilight' star will soon be seen shimmying around a stripper pole." (MTV)

"Kiss of the Vampire" now available on DVD. "The film was conceived and written by actress Katherine Hawkes, who stars in the film. " (Middletown Journal)


GRATUITOUS VIDEO OF THE DAY

I know you've all been missing the GVD, so I'm starting out the year with one of the traditional favorites. Because a year without Richard Armitage is not even worth a new calendar. Thanks to Spikesbint for the video.

Michele Hauf Q&A & BEWITCH THE DARK Contest

"Hauf mixes well-developed characters and sparkling dialogue with a paranormal tale and comes out with a winner. 4 - 1/2 Stars."

Romantic Times

Vampire Wire is starting off the 2009 with Michele Hauf as our guest. Michele will be giving away a copy of her entire Bewitch the Dark series, so please read to the bottom of the post for contest info.

The Devil to Pay was just released this week, and her short story, "Dust Me Baby, One More Time" will appear in the upcoming Faeries Gone Wild anthology. Her werewolf novella, Racing the Moon, will be featured in the Midnight Cravings anthology, to be published in April.

Her stories are steamy with elements of humor, and Vampire Romance described Kiss Me Deadly as "...a solid, adult tale of passion unleased, of love found, lost and found again, of natural enemies opening up to one another and discovering there's more to each other than they thought, a lesson that love can heal any wound..."

Michele has written in a variety of genres, including fantasy, paranormal, action, and historicals. In addition to her prolific fiction writing, Michele also maintains The Ultimate VampList, a catalog of paranormal, urban fantasy, horror and other books by genre.

It's a daunting task so I had to ask Michele how she manages to keep up with her online duties as well as pen sexy, funny, action-filled novels.

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MARTA: Congratulations on the wonderful reviews you’re receiving for The Devil to Pay! Please tell us a little about this book and your Bewitch the Dark series.

MICHELE: The Devil To Pay is the fourth in this series that features the struggle between witches and vampires. A thousand years ago the vampires once enslaved witches (they’d drink their blood to gain magic). The witches, fed up with being taken advantage of, created the Great Protection spell that made their blood poisonous to vamps. They’ve been at war ever since. But still, a few manage to meet and against all odds, fall in love.

MARTA: I couldn’t help but think about the funny TV show, "Reaper", where the main character’s parents sold his soul to the devil. What kind of conflict does this add to the normal parent-child drama? Is therapy needed?

MICHELE: Well, Ivan, the hero, is a very forgiving guy. He knows his parents "accidentally" promised his soul before he was even conceived. The devil Himself doesn’t come to collect his soul until his 21^st birthday, and decides to make Ivan his Fixer, or bounty hunter, if you will. Ivan takes things in stride; he’s easy going. His nights belong to Himself, but his days are his own. Heck, I admit it, I had a fabulous time torturing this guy. Half of him wants to do good, while the other half is forced to serve the most evil of masters.

MARTA: I looked at your bibliography and you’ve written approximately 749 novels. How do you do it?

MICHELE: Wait, I think it’s more like 753. J I’m very fortunate that I don’t work a day job. Been there, done that, shredded the T-shirt. So my days are for writing. And I do work very hard, every day, butt in chair, focused on the page. My kids are all grown and at college too, so it’s just me and the cats!

MARTA: You also maintain The Ultimate VampList. Whatever possessed you to take on such a daunting task of cataloging so many genres, including vampire non-fiction? Do you think you’re a little obsessive?

MICHELE: Obsessive, moi? (straightens the neatly arranged file folders and pens on the desk before her) I do have a thing for lists. The Ultimate VampList started in ’95 with about 100 titles. It became a monster from there. Once I start something I really get sucked into it. There’s over 4000 titles listed now. Wouldn’t you just stake something for the time to read all those books?

MARTA: You just wrote Swordsman's Legacy, one of the Rogue Angel books, under the name of Alex Archer. What was it like to write one book in a franchise?

MICHELE: I love the Rogue Angel series. The main character, Annja Creed, is a kickbutt archaeologist who just so happens to possess a magical sword that once belonged to Joan of Arc. It’s perfect Bombshell material, and I did love writing Bombshells. I also love action adventure and getting a chance to blow things up on the written page. And it’s very challenging to work with someone else’s characters and world, so I like that aspect because it keeps my writing muscle sharp. I just finished my second RA titled The Bone Conjurer and am working on a third book for the series right now.

MARTA: Tell us a little about yourself and your writing process.

MICHELE: Uh, I just do it. That’s all I can say about my writing process. I don’t complain (okay, so I do), I don’t procrastinate (well…), I always have new and fresh ideas (erm…), and I just sit down every day and write (mostly). But seriously, the only way the words get on the page is by sitting down and typing. I don’t edit while I’m getting that first draft out. It’s stream of thought, and I shoot for about 200 pages in a couple weeks. Once that draft is down on paper, then the real writing starts. I take about 4-6 months per book, though I have been known to do them in 3 months. I discovered if I have a trilogy plotted out, I really enjoy working on all the books at the same time. One book for a week or two, then switch off to another. If you focus, you can do anything.

MARTA: You’ve written about a variety of paranormal/supernatural creatures. Do you have a favorite?

MICHELE: I used to think vamps were my fav, but after doing a couple werewolves lately I gotta say those hairy dudes rock. So sexy in a strangely alpha, brutal strength, talons and shapeshifty kind of way. I also really enjoy a nice buff faery, too.

MARTA: What’s on your busy schedule for 2009?

MICHELE: Pub wise I’ve got these titles to watch for: Jan – The Devil To Pay; April – Midnight Cravings (Nocturne Bites anthology featuring my “Racing The Moon”); June – Faeries Gone Wild anthology; July – The Highwayman; September – Moon Kissed and “After The Kiss” (Nocturne Bites), and November – Her Vampire Husband. Whew! Yeah, I’ve been busy. As for writing, I’ve got a Rogue Angel to write, then my fingers are crossed my editor picks up another Nocturne trilogy so I can begin that.

MARTA: Do you have a book that you’d love to write, but everyone else thinks is crazy?

MICHELE: I do have this idea for a berserker heroine that I’m working on. She goes on murderous rampages if she gets aggravated, and sex tends to bring out the wild and crazy in her, too. Yeah, I know. But still.

MARTA: Where can readers learn more about your books and keep up on your activities?

MICHELE: my web site and my blog, Dusted By Whimsy.

Thanks for featuring my books on your blog, Marta! I love the Vampire Wire.

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And thanks to Michele for answering my questions! Be sure to visit her sites for information about her books as well as links to excerpts and free reads, such as the first two chapters of her highly-praised vampire romance Kiss Me Deadly.

Just leave a comment if you'd like to enter the contest to win Michele's entire Bewitch the Dark series: From the Dark, Kiss Me Deadly, His Forgotten Forever, and The Devil to Pay. The contest runs through Saturday night, and a winner will be chosen at random.