Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side; Kitty Norville; and Whatever

AUTHORS & BOOKS

The fabulous ladies at Midnight Moon Cafe interview Shayla Black and have a contest for her latest book, Tempt Me with Darkness. (Contest ends tonight at midnight.) "I was most intrigued by taking a Dark Ages man and bringing him into modern civilization, giving him a modern woman and shoving him into a whole new situation in a world he despised…all while trying to figure out how to break his immortality."

Read a summary and an excerpt from the soon-to-be-released novel by Beth Fantaskey, Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side. "Marrying a vampire definitely doesn’t fit into Jessica Packwood’s senior year “get-a-life” plan. But then a bizarre (and incredibly hot) new exchange student named Lucius Vladescu shows up, claiming that Jessica is a Romanian vampire princess by birth—and he’s her long-lost fiancé." (Houghton Mifflin)

Review of Beth Fantaskey's Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side. "I’ll start by admitting that I picked this book up simply because of the title (and the cover), which are hard to resist, don’t you think? So glad I did!" (The Book Bind) FYI, this is a very nice blog specifically for teen lit, from the very excellent Kepler's Books in Menlo Park.

Review of and contest for Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side. "If you look at the cover, you might assume, as I did, that this book is going to be a fluffy teen vampire romance. Well, you're kinda right. But, this book is more than that. Not only is Jessica a vampire princess, she's not one to be messed with. She can hold her own." (Writers Block Reviews)

Review of Carrie Vaughn's Kitty Norville series and a contest for all six books. "This series is the full package – action, sex, romance, vampires, irony, pop culture, exquisite humor, literary references, music, and a smidge of social commentary – we’re talking a sit-down buffet of juicy morsels between the dust jackets. There aren’t many authors that can pack that much fun into a novel without the end result seeming disjointed or contrived. Vaughn works her magic beautifully." (Pop Culture Zoo)

Kimberly Swan reviews Kelley Armstrong's Men of the Otherworld. "...a collection of short stories, and while fans may have read many of them as they were shared on the author’s website, it’s wonderful to have them together in one bound book." (Darque Reviews)


MOVIES & DVDS

Review of "Underworld: Rise of the Lycans" starring Michael Sheen and Bill Nighy. "For a bunch of movies essentially predicated on the lizard-brain pleasures of watching werewolves and vampires, like, totally whaling on each other, the Underworld series sure has a lot of complicated backstory." (Decider Madison)

New info is now available about the early summer release, "Blood, the Last Vampire." "This long in-production adaptation of the popular anime focuses on a vampire named Saya, who is part of covert government agency that hunts and destroys demons in a post-WWII Japan." (Shock Till You Drop)


GRATUITOUS VIDEO OF THE DAY

During the last two weeks, while trying to transfer and debug my newish laptop, I've lost days of work, many emails, and my files are a disaster. I can't find the interviews I plan to post here, and shudder with horror at the thought of trying to organize my life and do my taxes. So forgive me if I revert to old favorites and have a wonderful weekend! An Elizabeth Gaskell story set to bossa nova, baby!

Kiss of a Demon King, One More Bite, & "Being Human"

AUTHORS & BOOKS

Review of book six of the Immortals After Dark series, Kiss of a Demon King by Kresley Cole. "Certainly it’s no hardship to read the previous books in this series - not only are they all rather good but like eating chocolates or cookies it’s nearly impossible to read just one of them without wanting more. And Kiss of a Demon King is no different to the others in this respect." (Love Vampires)

Read the first chapter of Kresley Cole's Kiss of a Demon King. "This was one of the low points of his life, surrounded by strippers in a neon-lit Lore club. He was on edge in this ridiculous place, feeling like the worst hypocrite. If his ne'er-do-well brother found out where he'd been, he would never hear the end of it.But Rydstrom's contact had insisted on meeting here.

Very entertaining article with lots of great photos about how the great covers are photographed and designed for Jennifer Rardin's Jaz Parks' series. "As the character progresses through the series, we’ve been going from more glam to more bad-ass, and that’s the direction we decided to go in for Bite Marks." (Orbit Books)

Read an excerpt from Jennifer Rardin's fifth Jaz Park's novel, One More Bite. "“I’m gonna kill him,” I growled. My fingers tightened on the grip of Grief, the Walther PPK I kept stashed in the shoulder holster under my black leather jacket. I couldn’t see my intended victim at the moment. Vayl had set his hands on the edges of the doorframe, spreading his black calf-length duster like a curtain, blocking my view."

Helen Scott Taylor guest blogs at Romance Junkies about her new paranormal romance, The Magic Knot. "Wouldn’t it be wonderful to believe there are magical beings living alongside us in this modern world that we don’t know about? Beings of preternatural beauty with powers of which we humans can only dream. Beings that live life in tune with a natural world of spirit and magic that we have left behind with our dependence on modern technology."

Read an excerpt from Wages of Sin, Jenna McClaine's first novel in her new Cin Craven series. "Somewhere in the depths of the house a clock chimed midnight. I sat in the ballroom, alone, my back against the far wall and waited. I’d taken off my cloak but the chill in the large, empty room soon prompted me to settle it back over my shoulders. I hooked the clasp but didn’t bother to put my arms through the sleeves. Snuggling deeper into the folds I shivered. Dear Goddess, what had I done? I’d invited three vampires into my home to save me from the one outside it. I would have laughed if I’d been able."

Enter a contest for autographed copies of Alexis Morgan's Darkness Unknown and Dark Warrior Unleashed. "A fresh and exciting paranormal adventure with an intense depth of character and emotional punch." (Fresh Fiction)

Read the description and an excerpt from the just released Oh My Goddess by Gwen Hayes. "Ondina, one thousand years a goddess, doesn’t think much of mortal men. Probably because her sole purpose in life is to protect the hearts of women who don’t want to fall in love. And now one of those blasted men—Jack—has shattered her sacred chalice, trapping her in a mortal body." (Maureen McCarrie)


MOVIES & DVDS


Review of "Underworld: Rise of the Lycans," starring Michael Sheen and Bill Nighy. "But it is Sheen, all buff, hairy and toothy, giving his all in a struggle with vampire Bill Nighy over the vamp's fanged daughter (Rhona Mitra). That cast makes it worth watching this prequel to the movies that showed the world how good Kate Beckinsale looks in leather." (Minneapolis Star Tribune)

TELEVISION & THE INTERNETZ

A few people have mentioned "Being Human," the paranormal roommate sitcom on BBC. I wrote about it last year, and it seems that it's only now being broadcast...but only in England, so we'll have to wait. "The BBC's Being Human puts three temperamental twenty-somethings together in a Bristol flat in Bristol. The only catch: they're a ghost, a vampire, and a werewolf, under the same roof. Comedy gold?" (i09)

An article from a year ago describes the plot, cast, and writers. "The script is a corker, with clearly defined voices for each character and a light dusting of self deprecating humour to temper the carnage. Add to this mix a pitch perfect cast, and a soupcon of sexual magnetism and Being Human has all the elements a successful series requires." (Suite 101)

Here's a trailer for "Being Human." I hope it gets picked up here on BBC America.



You can also watch each character's prequel on YouTube. Here's Mitchell, the vampire, played by Guy Flanagan. Oh, my.




GRATUITOUS VIDEO OF THE DAY

"Burn Notice" is back on the air, and, yeah, I know it's not paranormal. Here's a GVD for the legendary Bruce Campbell, who plays Sam with verve and his own ineffable charm.

Kim Manners of "X-Files" & "Supernatural," Eileen Wilks' MORTAL SINS, Edward Cullen's House

AUTHORS & BOOKS

Read the summary of Eileen Wilks' upcoming World of the Lupi release, Mortal Sins. "FBI agent Lily Yu is in North Carolina with her lover and mate Rule Turner, lu nuncio of the Nokolai werewolf clan, where he is to take custody of his son from the boy’s grandmother. It’s a purely personal trip until Rule, in wolf form, finds three bodies in a shallow grave."


You can also read an excerpt from Mortal Sins by Eileen Wilks. "Southern air holds on to scent. Scent is vapor, after all, a chemical mist freed by heat to hang, trapped, in moist air. In his other form, Rule knew this. In this form he knew only the richness. His world was more scent than sight as he raced through silver-shadow woods, through air heavy with moisture and fragrance."

Review of My Favorite Phantom by Karen Kelley. "The spectral's antics only add to the frivolity of this fantastic tale. Ms. Kelley has a wonderful writing style, and her story is lavishly sprinkled with humor." (Fresh Fiction)

Read an excerpt from Karen Kelley's My Favorite Phantom. "The old Victorian house was haunted. And how did Kaci Melton know it was haunted? Because nothing had gone right all week—make that all month. It only stood to reason there would be a ghost lurking inside."

Kimberly Swan reviews Marcus Pelegrimas's Blood Blade. "The closest Cole Warnecki comes to excitement in his life is at the controls of the video games he designs. In need of some time off, he accepts an invitation on a hunting trip, thinking that this vacation will get his creativity flowing and help him work out some bugs in his current project." (Darque Reviews)

SciFi Guy reviews Carrie Vaughn's latest Kitty Norville novel, Kitty Raises Hell. "Kitty Raises Hell isn’t entirely devoted to the action. Carrie Vaughn always manages to blend entertaining scenes and story arcs that emphasize her amazing cast of characters in a manner that strengthens the readers’ emotional connection to the story."


TELEVISION & THE INTERNETS

Very sad news. Kim Manners, who was "Supenatural's" executive producer and a director, has passed away. Fans of "The X-Files" will remember his name on many terrific episodes. "Kim was a fantastic talent -- he directed some of our favorite episodes of Supernatural, such as Lazarus Rising, No Rest for the Wicked, Mystery Spot, and the list goes on. His career stretched back to 1970, and over the years he's worked on shows from Charlie's Angels to the X-Files, from 21 Jump Street to Star Trek: The Next Generation, and more." (The CW)

Here is another article about Kim Manners' work and his influences. "Manners' episodes for The X-Files included the seriously 'out-there' carnival freak show 'Humbug,' a second-season episode X-Files creator Chris Carter credits with showing everyone that The X-Files could be darkly funny as well as scary; the gargoyle episode 'Grotesque,' which won an Emmy..." (Canada.com)

Manners also directed episodes of the little known, but very clever "The Adventures of Brisco County Jr., " a proto-steampunk series starring cult favorite Bruce Campbell.


MOVIES & DVDS

Dakota Fanning is negotiating for a part in "New Moon," the sequel to "Twilight." "While the 14-year-old seasoned vet is making the rounds promoting her current film "Push" the vampire role has come up in conversation." (Examiner)

Daniel Radcliffe, who plays Harry Potter, concedes that Robert Pattinson, who plays Edward Cullen, each think the other is fabulous. "In 2005, Daniel worked with Pattinson when Rob played Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. At the time, the self-deprecating Rob stated in several interviews that Radcliffe was cooler and more attractive to the opposite sex than he was. "

Here are some photos of the house used as the Cullen Family home in "Twilight." "The Hoke House is by architect Jeff Kovel via ‘Skylab Architecture’ it’s 4300 squares, built my Metcalf Construction, with Lucy Metcalf as the interior designer and landscaper." (Design Tavern)

Apartment Therapy has photos of Edward Cullen's room. "Edward doesn't sleep, so he can make do with a stylish white Barcelona couch instead of a bed, which sits on a grey toned, shaggy rug. A small Platner table, in chrome and glass is to the side. A flat screen is wall mounted, above a desk, which has a walnut Eames DCM as the desk chair."

Review of "Underworld: Rise of the Lycans," starring Michael Sheen as Lucien and Bill Nighy as the evil Viktor. "Though it's the third Underworld movie, it's actually the first in the series, a prequel going back 1,000 years and detailing the rise of a breed of werewolves known as Lycans. It also traces the roots of the Lycans' bitter conflict with the ruling Death Dealers, an elite squad of vampires." (USA Today)

GRATUITOUS VIDEO OF THE DAY

Here is a tribute to the marvelously talented producer/director Kim Manners.

Slither, Nathan Fillion, Zombies, and Computer Issues

Vampire Wire will return tomorrow as I am still trying to transfer the music off my iTunes onto my newish (okay, refurbished) laptop.

In the meanwhile, I suggest that you 1) do charity work, 2) throw out all that bowl of unknown foodlike substance in the back of your refrigerator, or 3) watch "Slither" with Nathan Fillion and zombies. "Slither" is really one of the best ZOMBIE MOVIES WITH NATHAN FILLION ever! It's funnier than anything else, and reminded me a bit of "Tremors" with Kevin Bacon.

Anyway, here's a new Gratuitous Video of the Day for Nathan Fillion and Joss Whedon's "Serenity."

Winner of Rae Lori's The Kiss of Ashen Twilight Contest!

Congratulations to the winner of Rae Lori's first novel in her new Ashen Twilight series!

LISA

Lisa, please email your mailing info to me, or your email address if you'd like to receive the novel as an e-book. I hope you enjoy it!

Thanks to everyone who entered the contest!