"Underworld: Rise of the Lycans"

Abbrievated post today since I'm still trying to transfer files from one computer to the next. Tragically my old emails can only be moved without proper coding, so they're a mess.

I hope to scour through them to find author interviews to run here.


MEANWHILE: "Underworld: Rise of the Lycans" was released today, but there are no reviews since the producers wouldn't allow reporters to watch previews. This is usually a very Bad Sign. It generally means that a film is so bad that the producers are afraid initial reviews will discourage the only audience they'll get, opening weekend. The Kansas City Star says, "Why Sony Pictures wouldn’t show it to critics: We’re waiting for an answer."

Filmjerk managed to see the flick and review it:

"While it's still the same old 'Underworld' fantasy playground of gloomy cinematography and histrionic acting, much has changed behind the scenes for the latest installment. Gone is director Len Wiseman, who took wife (Kate) Beckinsale with him, though the former receives a story credit while the latter makes a bizarre cameo constructed out of footage from the original feature film. Bumped up from creature duties to the director's chair is Patrick Tatopoulos, a man who knows a thing or two about the gruesome details of raging monsters. At its best, 'Rise of the Lycans' is a convincing tango of hyper-edited violence, combining the concept's Shakespearean tremors with a modern cinematic quest for fantasy mayhem, brought vividly to life by the cast and crew, who do their damndest to make this budget prequel spring to life."

Here's a review from The Times (London):

"A millennium before his death at the end of ‘Underworld: Evolution’, Michael Sheen’s love-struck Lycan, Lucian falls for Sonja (slab-faced ‘Doomsday’ star Rhona Mitra), the rebellious daughter of vampire leader Viktor (Bill Nighy). If their illicit cross-species love affair is discovered, Sonja is toast, so the half-human Lucian embraces his suppressed blood-lust, unleashes his inner beast, and leads a Lycan slave revolt."

But, you know, I'd watch Bill Nighy read the newspaper. Silently while he drank tea in his striped pajamas. "Shaun of the Dead" fans will remember him as Shaun's "bitey" step-father with the Jag, but Nighy has acted in a zillion things and he's always, always Fabulous.


My contest for Rae Lori's A Kiss of the Ashen Twilight runs through tomorrow night!

Werewolves Rule, Vampires Drool in "Rise of the Lycans"

AUTHORS & BOOKS

Urban Fantasy reports the news from Publishers Weekly that Juno will be co-publishing fantasy with Simon & Schuster/Pocket (my publisher!). "Louise Burke, Executive Vice President and Publisher of Pocket Books, has announced a new co-publishing agreement with Juno Books, best known for contemporary fantasy novels that emphasize strong female protagonists in richly imagined contexts. Juno will become an imprint of Pocket Books, publishing one title per month with the first release, AMAZON INK by Lori Devoti, slated for June 2009."

SciFiGuy reviews Sunny's Mona Lisa Darkening. "Mona Lisa Darkening is the fourth book in the Monère paranormal romance series. Mona Lisa’s life has settled down after the death of Gryphon and no new crises are brewing. Then in the middle of the full moon Basking ritual Mona Lisa is transported to the NetherHell, a realm even more dangerous then Hell."

Visit Sunny's website and read an excerpt from the latest in her Monère series, Mona Lisa Darkening. "It was the first day of Spring. It was also the time to Bask, to draw down the silver rays of the moon and let its renewing light seep into us. Us being the Monère, the children of the moon—what I was, what my people were. Creatures descended from another planet."

RachelfromNJ is having a contest to name her blog. "For instance some names I love that are already taken though, Bitten by Books and Literary Escapism. It doesn't have to have the word reviews in it but it would be nice." (What I am reading...)

Review of Lynda Hilburn's The Vampire Shrink. "In her debut novel, Lynda Hilburn introduces a Denver most of us have never seen. Psychologist Kismet Knight does not believe in vampires, or anything supernatural, really, in spite of being somewhat 'sensitive' in a psychic sense." (Bitten By Books)



MOVIES & DVDS


Interview with "Twilight" actor Ed Gathegi, who will play Laurent again in "New Moon." "“It’s a ‘Twilight’ family. We were together for press junkets and tours, and this has been eight months together, ever since we shot in March. We’ve just been with each other constantly." (News OK)

Werewolves rule, vampires drool in interview with Michael Sheen, who reprises his role as Lucien in "Underworld: The Rise of the Lycans." "But in this third helping, an origin story set in the Dark Ages, Lucian takes command as a slave hero who instigates a rebellion against the neck-biting oppressors of the werewolves lorded over by Bill Nighy's Viktor. He also has the bad luck to fall for Viktor's vampy daughter." (USA Today)

Another interview with Michael Sheen (Lucien) about "Underworld: The Rise of the Lycans." "“I do like hissing. I like giving it a bit of vampire cat. Especially when you get your battle fangs in. There are 2 levels of fang. There’s your regular street fang and then there’s when you get emotionally engaged and they suddenly become much longer and fiercer.” (Daily Telegraph) You can also watch a video interview with Michael Sheen and Rhona Mitra.


TELEVISION

Ms. LuluBelle reviews the Korean vampire drama series, "Freeze." "Lee Suh-Jin is a angsty vampire who owns a classy wine bar with fellow vampire (and sire?) Ihwa. He is tired of living and having to sustain himself by drinking blood." (Reading with a Bite)

Ten reasons why you should be watching "Supernatural." My favorite is #4. "Bringon the Tunes. You won't hear any cheesy, female singer-songwriters on this show, thank God. Supernatural's mainly classic rock soundtrack is a real bright spot in the TV landscape which is overrun with tweeny pop songs and 'alternative' bands. You'll hear anything and everything, from CCR to Styx to AC/DC." (TV Squad)


GRATUITOUS VIDEO OF THE DAY

Since we're talking about "Supernatural," here's a GVD for the Winchester brothers.



Oh, and this is just for fun, a tribute to Jared Padalecki, who plays Sam Winchester in "Supernatural."

True Horror -- New Computer

So I'll be spending the day trying to transfer all my files and get my new computer up and running. The horror, the horror!

Meanwhile, one of Vampire Wire's readers, Danni, recommended Peter Hautman's novel, Sweetblood. Thanks for the tip, Danni!

You can read Hautman's essay about how he conceived of his unique take on vampires. "What if, I asked myself, the vampire legends had their roots in the tragic demise of untreated diabetics? And there I had my idea for a new type of vampire story. All I had to do was write it down."

Read an excerpt of Sweetblood at the Simon & Schuster website.

"Blood is my friend. Without it my cells shrivel. Without it I die.

"At night, alone with myself, I hear it rushing through arteries and veins, platelets tumbling in a soup of plasma and glucose through slick, twisty tubes, lining up to enter narrow capillaries, delivering oxygen and fuel, seeking idle insulin. It is a low-pitched sound: wind passing through woodlands."

Cool Blog Alert: I don't know why I've never come across The Book Smugglers before. They review romance and speculative fiction and describe their blog by saying, "Here we found a perfect outlet for our obsession! Reviews, recommendations, and other ponderings are our specialty."

This is from their new review of Kresley Cole's Kiss of a Demon King:

"...world-building is not really the reason why I should be reading these books and I am finally able to let it go and read the Immortal After Dark Series for what it is:

"Guilty Pleasure.

"The kinda like my mother’s strawberry-white chocolate-meringue pie which I know is full of empty calories but that I eat, repeat and lick my fingers when I am done. The kind that I know I will take immense pleasure whilst I am eating only to feel guilty later but a pleasure I am not able to deny myself nonetheless. Ever."

Yep, Book Smugglers is going on my links sidebar.

MOVIES & DVDS

The more I see the trailer for the new "Underworld: Rise of the Lycans," the more I realize how much I want to see the series from the first "Underworld" with Kate Beckinsdale. I don't know why I haven't already.

All I know about the movie is "vampires fighting werewolves" and Kate wears kinda of a Matrix-y lycra bodysuit. (It all comes from John Bates' original black leather designs for Diana Rigg in "The Avengers.") I had to sort through a lot of videos to find one with music that wasn't ridiculously, self-consciously gloomy.

"Moonlight" DVD Released Today & Patricia Briggs' BONE CROSSED

MY NEWS: I've started a new blog, Chick Lit & Chick Flicks, which is like Vampire Wire, except with news about romantic comedies, women's fiction, chick lit and chick flicks, since my next novel, Nancy's Theory of Style, is a romantic comedy. Please check it out.

Also, what a wonderful day it is! Barack Obama is sworn in as our president. I am overjoyed and filled with such pride in our country that voters overcame racial issues to vote for a brilliant, ethical, and good man. I wish him and his family the very best.


AUTHORS & BOOKS

Read my interview with Rae Lori and enter the contest for her first Ashen Twilight novel, A Kiss of Ashen Twilight.

Read a sample chapter from Patricia Briggs' Bone Crossed, to be released in February 2009. "I stared at my reflection in the mirror. I wasn't pretty, but my hair was thick and brushed my shoulders. My skin was darker on my arms and face than it was on the rest of my body, but at least, thanks to my Blackfoot father, I'd never be pasty pale." (Hurog)

Review of Patricia Briggs' Blood Bound and Iron Kissed. "In Blood Bound, Mercy is asked to assist her vampire friend Stefan in the quest to subdue a crazy dangerous, demon-possessed vampire. Why ask Mercy? Well, she can shapeshift into a coyote, which is pretty cool. She's also a badass who can take care of herself, and can rescue her loved ones..." (Marra Alane)

Review of Christine Feehan's lastest Ghostwalkder novel, Murder Games. "...a no-holds-barred adventure from the first page. Tansy and Kadan both will have you by the heartstrings and you won't be able to put this page-turner down. High praise for Ms. Feehan, as she once again delivers an action-adventure with a little extra." (Fresh Fiction)

Read the first chapter of Christine Feehan's Murder Games. "The cougar was going to turn. Tansy Meadows inhaled swiftly, biting at her full lower lip. Her heart was pounding; she could taste the familiar dryness in her mouth and feel the dampness on her palms." (Christine Feehan)

Watch the book trailer for Christine Feehan's Murder Games. (Spike)

Kimberly Swan reviews The Vampire Agent by Patricia Rosemoore and Marc Paoletti. "He had once been the only member of his team that was not genetically enhanced, but now Captain Scott Boulder’s blood is contaminated by an old and powerful vampire." (Darque Reviews)


MOVIES & DVDS

Interview with Sophia Myles, who starred in the cancelled "Moonlight." "British actress Sophia Myles was familiar with vampire legends and lore before she ever stepped into the television series 'Moonlight.' The one and only season of the CBS series will be released on DVD Tuesday." (Fresno Bee)

Here's the official website for the "Moonlight" DVD, which is released today. Lots of photos, video, and character bios. You can also sign up for updates.

Review of "Moonlight" DVD, starring Alex O'Loughlin and Sophia Myles. "Alex O’Loughlin plays Mick St John (Coolest. Name. Ever.), a Los Angeles-based vampire who investigates crimes with a supernatural twist together with the help of his will-they-or-won’t-they love interest, Beth Turner, a reporter for an Internet newspaper (played by English rose, Sophia Myles, be still my beating heart), and decadent buddy and ultra-rich fellow vampire, Josef Kostan (Jason Dohring)." (Den of Geek)

Here's another review of the "Moonlight" series on DVD. "Where Moonlight excels is in its flashy style and some fun updating of vampire lore. Therefore we get Mick feeding on blood bags he obtains from the blood bank (wasn't there a Night Gallery vignette about that?). Mick and Josef are wheeler dealers of a kind, and Mick lives in an elegance never imagined by Dracula, what with his decrepit old Transylvanian castle." (DVD Talk)

Alex O'Loughlin fans will be interested to learn that he may be offered a role in the proposed "NCIS" spin-off show. "CBS long ago inked a development deal with Alex O'Loughlin, who had cultivated quite a fan following as the star of the (too) short-lived Moonlight. Perhaps the Aussie hunk could return to the fore as the front man for NCIS 2?" (TV Guide)


GRATUITOUS VIDEO OF THE DAY

This GVD's in honor of Michael Sheen, who stars in the new "Underworld: Rise of the Lycans" movie. It's by DuVideoas333 and pretty fab.

Interview & Contest with Rae Lori, author of ASHEN TWILIGHT Series

"An intriguing mix of hard core corporation driven conspiracies (Umbrella Corp. anyone?) and a twist on vampires and racism, Cimmerian City is a powerful story indeed."

Bitten By Books

My Vampire Chats guest today is Rae Lori, a multigenre author and artist who is launching her new Ashen Twilight series this month. Rae's also an avid columnist and has written articles about comic books and films for sites that include Suite 101 and Comic Shack.

Her scifi books include Cimmerian City (under the name Rae Lindley), and her short fiction has been included in anthologies like Sexy Paranormal Bedtime Stories.

Rae will be giving away an advance reading copy of her upcoming release, A Kiss of Ashen Twilight, the first in her new series. If you'd like to enter this contest, simply leave a comment. The contest runs through Saturday night, and a winner will be drawn at random.

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MARTA: Welcome to Vampire Chats! Give us the scoop on your new Ashen Twilight series.

RAE: Thanks for having me on Marta! I’m jazzed to be here to talk about this series because it was so fun to create this world and the characters within it.

The Ashen Twilight series focuses on an underground group of Nightwalkers, Lycans and Shifter Elves who have gathered together for protection under human eyes. They call themselves the Ashen Twilight House. At the same time, outside of our world is the Aziza fairy realm where Ariya feels one of the Nightwalkers named Jace Archane in her dreams before a strange elemental attacks her family. This is where the first book takes off as Ariya escapes her realm into ours and runs into the Ashen Twilight House.

I call it an urban fantasy romance series because although there is a romance blossoming between Jace and Ariya, the focus is very much on the world as the Ashen Twilight House deals with living undetected by humans…at least for now.

MARTA: What kind of character appeals most to you? How do you create a character that feels real and intriguing?

RAE: I like characters that are pretty low-key but still make an impact with their actions. Characters that have different sides to them, not quite black and white which make them feel complex and real to me. I’m a big fan of Anne Rice’s early books in her Vampire Chronicles because she really paved the way with complex characters that go through a journey. I love reading books about "others" from their point of view and how they communicate in this world which is great advantage to writing speculative fiction. It allows you to explore these kinds of machinations.

I try to do this with my characters by thinking about them as people and seeing how they’d react within situations they fall into based on what type of personality they have. It’s so strange how the character can take on a life of their own with the more background, likes and dislikes they’re given.

MARTA: You also write sci fi and romance novels. Do you have a favorite genre?

RAE: Hmm. I can’t really say I do as it’s like choosing a favorite book! I think that’s one of the reasons I tend to blur my genres a bit and the reason I write in so many. If I had to choose I would say the speculative genre. It’s cheating a little bit because it encompasses science fiction and fantasy but it’s the most fun! Throw a little romance and suspense and I’m on cloud nine.

MARTA: Tell us a little about your world-building for the Ashen Twilight series.

RAE: This definitely was a beast that took on a life of its own. The first book in the series started out as a novella but there was much more story to tell, as I eventually learned. As I dove into the histories of the characters and the people they meet, the world building grew and grew. Each group of the house has an origin that is explored in each of the books.

I tended to tie in some well known real figures in history to give it that extra oomph. Say for instance, the Prince of Wallachia is shown in the beginning using the immortals for his own use. There’s also a character named Angel Polidori (two points to whoever can tie in that name with the vampire genre!). And naturally I also ended up adding some of my own mythology with the characters. With the different cultures presented in the House and in the Aziza background, I dove into Scottish and African history and the mythologies to get an idea of the worlds along with their beliefs. Sometimes researching names and genealogy was enticing in itself because I learned so much.

MARTA: You’re also an artist and I was wondering how your visual sense influences your writing.

RAE: I started out writing screenplays when I first dove into writing because I have an enormous love of visual storytelling in movies. There’s something about moving pictures that touches you on a different level than the written narrative. When I write, it’s like seeing a movie unfold in my head which is such a wonderful rush and I try to present that in my stories to give the same effect for my readers. When I don’t write I sometimes create images that tie into my work whether it’s the world or the characters to give it that extra cinematic feel.

MARTA: What is it that you get from writing that you don’t get from your artwork, and does art let you express something different than your writing?

RAE: I think so! It’s sort of an extension of the difference in moving pictures and narrative. With the visual, everything is right there basically told to you how things are, what they look like, etc. With narratives it’s a different sort of personal level between the creator and the viewer/reader because it’s subjective in how that person sees the world as it relates to them.

I think that’s why books to movies fail more so than succeed. Everyone feels something different toward that book and although they may connect similarly on a certain level, it may not be the same level as the adaptor who brought it to the visual medium. Simply because it’s that’s person’s vision and collective twist on the story. Both mediums serve a different purpose in giving something different to readers and I think that’s what makes it fun when I’m creating in one medium over another. Plus there are just some things I can’t create with my art that I can create much better in written format. And vice versa. Sometimes one sometimes helps the other along though.

MARTA: What are your writing habits? Do you sit down at the same time every day, or do you write in marathons?

RAE: I wish I could sit down and write everyday! My hat's off to writers who sit down and take no prisoners. My brain likes to fight me on that a lot. I usually write in marathons. Sometimes I get in a groove and I’m just popping out word count each night (when I write best). Recently I needed to take a break and it was just as if a light turned off and I couldn’t put pen to paper without my inner critic screaming. That’s usually when I switch over to making some artwork or doing the business side of writing. Anything to get my mind off the project while my subconscious continues to work on it. It definitely helps because once I stop pushing, it’s like a dam breaks and the ideas just start pouring out again.

MARTA: Any theories about why paranormal is so popular right now?

RAE: That’s a good question because it did seem to just come out of nowhere in the mainstream media! I think it’s always been there though. Vampires have been around for centuries before they went mainstream and mythology is strongly apart of every culture. I think now we’re seeing a resurge in popularity of it because of the new generation coming up that is being introduced to this genre.

There’s a certain amount of themes you can get away with exploring in paranormals, much like science fiction, that you can’t do in a contemporary. Plus it’s much more fun to deal with beings of lore living in contemporary society since today’s world is so grim and somewhat mediocre that the paranormal opened up a world of possibilities in new stories to be told by a various amount of authors. Much of it is very fantastical.

And think about the history and how much an immortal being has seen in human history on this Earth across the continents! I think we’ve just touched the tip of the genre because not many cultures have been explored in publishing today. Chinese vampire lore is different from that of the African vampire lore. Same with fairies, werewolves, flying creatures and other beings. With the amount of varying mythologies across the world, there are so many stories ripe for the paranormal genre. I’m still researching it myself and they are definitely fascinating.

MARTA: What can we expect next from you?

RAE: Currently I’m working on the second book in the Ashen Twilight Series entitled Within the Shadows of Mortals. I’ve noticed a lot of paranormal urban fantasy dealing with what would happen if immortals made themselves known in today’s society but I wondered what would happen at that moment they were known to be alive. How would humans really react to someone else revealed to be higher on the food chain? What actions would they take?
Plus Ariya and Jace’s relationship hits another note as their relationship is put to the test when the House is in turmoil.

Also since each book reveals the origin of each group, with A Kiss of Ashen Twilight focusing on the House of Blood Nightwalkers, Within the Shadows of Mortals will focus on the House of Lycan and their leaders.

I’m also working on another series at the same time called The Awakening series which deals with tribes of Skinwalkers, shapeshifters basically. The first one is Nocturnal Awakening which is due in the middle of 2009 and focuses on a woman helping out the local police force with her ability to sense crimes that have been committed. A murder leads to a group tracking her and thus her true background is revealed as she learns of the Skinwalkers in her city.

MARTA: Where can readers learn more about your books and buy them?

I have a website and my books page links straight a list of my books. I currently have a teaser trailer of the Ashen Twilight Series leading to the site which will be updated with new information, excerpts and blurbs for each book in the series. I also have a MySpace page of my first book, my graphic design work and for my writing. Feel free to add me on if you’re apart of the network!

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Thanks for joining in Vampire Chats, Rae!

So here's the lowdown:

• Learn more about Rae Lori, her books and art on her website.
• Read free e-stories by Rae.
• Enter the contest for an advance copy of A Kiss of Ashen Twilight by leaving a comment!
• Watch a book trailer for A Kiss of Ashen Twilight and read an excerpt.
  

Winner of Contest for EVIL WAYS!

Congratulations to Margie, who won the random drawing for Justin Gustainis's new novel, Evil Ways! Margie, please email your mailing address to me and I'll forward it to Justin for your prize.

Thanks to all who entered the contest. On Monday, I'll have a new Vampire Chats interview with Rae Lori and a contest for an advance copy of her next release, A Kiss of Ashen Twilight.