Lots of Excerpts and I Make Inane Asides and Vampilicious (TM)

AUTHORS & BOOKS

Read my interview with Natasha Mostert, author of Season of the Witch, and enter the contest for her new book, Keeper of Light & Dust.

Read three chapters of my young adult novel, The Shadow Girl of Birch Grove.

Author Catherine Karp is conducting important research on the critical influence of Adam Ant's music and current vampire myths. Watch the videos and take her polls on '80s vampire trends.

Rhead exherpts from J.R. Whard's Lhlover Avenghed. I have translated this section for the Whardiphiles: "As bhad ohnes whent, her phather’s pahranoia ahttack hadn’t bheen thaht bahd. Ehlenha whas ohnly a phalf phour lhate to whork, demahterializing to the cliniqhue ahs soohn ahs she whas ahble to cahlm herselph enouph to puhl the trahvel tricque oph." This translation has been brought to you as a public service during Vhampyre Whyres' Sphell Lhike a Vhampyre Mhonth.

Read a review of Hunted, the latest House of Night book from P.C. and Kristin Cast. "Previous novels in the House of Night series have always had one common factor, their sheer readability. As a reader much older than their intended YA audience, even I have been caught up in their teen drama – compulsively turning pages and racing through the stories in a matter of hours." (Love Vampires)

You can catch up on urban fantasy news with SciFi Guy. He has news of debut book sales and deals with some fave authors. Vampire Wire says check it out.

Read an excerpt from S.J. Day's new novel, Eve of Darkness. "The Devil is in the details. Evangeline Hollis understood the true gist of that saying now, surrounded as she was by thousands of Satan’s minions. Some wore Seattle Seahawks baseball caps, others wore San Diego Chargers jerseys." Haw, that's exactly how I felt when I was at a Raider's game, except that the fans were scarier.

Read an excerpt from Nancy Haddock's Last Vampire Standing, to be released in May. "There are times when I want to roll my eyes so far back in my head, I'm sure I'll see my brains. That's one way to have them examined." Sorry, but I do not snark a snarker as a professional courtesy. Love her covers.

Watch a trailer and read an excerpt from Nina Bangs' upcoming release, Eternal Craving. "Kill. It was a primal scream filling his mind, blocking out things he should understand, remember. Kill. It was heat and rage and a pounding in his head demanding more, more, and still more death." Well, I'm guessing he's got a Dell laptop and is trying to get someone from the service department to help with the weird lines across the screen, because that's exactly how I felt.

Danette at Danette's Chatting Lounge needs your help for a school paper about romance novels. If you read paranormal romance or any romance, please take her quick poll.

We who have fought tech issues send our best to Kimberly Swan, who is updating her site but had time to review Angie Fox's The Dangerous Book for Demon Slayers. "Lizzie Brown’s life as a preschool teacher changed the day a demon showed up in her home, and it’s gotten progressively worse ever since. " (Darque Reviews)


MOVIES & DVDS

Newsday has a slideshow of Robert Pattinson, who plays Edward Cullen in the "Twilight" movies. "Author Stephenie Meyer's fangless, Volvo-driving dreamboat of a vampire Edward had teen girls everywhere crying 'Jonas who?'" Dreamboat? Jonas who? Exactly how ancient is Newsday's target demo?

Vampire Wire's Ultimate Hawt Vampire List (still under construction) is often imitated, but never duplicated. Here is a fairly decent attempt to list vampires that are the hawtness. "Although Robert Pattinson may have got pulses racing in last year's vampire hit movie Twilight he is not the first super hot actor to take on this sort of role." This list is sadly incomplete without Gerard Butler as Dracula.


TELEVISION & DVDS

Interview with Stephen Moyer, who plays vampilicious (TM) Bill Compton on "True Blood." "Pale-faced, seductive-eyed, fang-filled vampire Bill Compton (otherwise known as actor Stephen Moyer in full costume) swanned into the interview room straight from a 'hot' set, shook my hand, and proceeded to crack some joke about 'Cambodian disco dancing'. " (Channel News)


GRATUITOUS VIDEO OF THE DAY

I'm wild for "Ashes to Ashes," the time-travel series on BBC America starring gorgeous Keeley Hawes as Alex Drake, a police detective who has been thrown back to the 1980s, and the fabulous Philip Glenister as her boss, Gene Hunt. The characters have mad chemistry and even though this song is a little cloying, the video shows that connection.

My favorite lines from the last episode. Alex Drake says, "What am I doing here?" and Gene replies, "You dress like a tart, wiggle your arse in my direction, and every day you reveal glimpses into the depths of your depraved mind. Works for me."



Here's an entertaining vid made from the blooper reel of "Supernatural" starring Jensen Ackles and Jared Paladecki as Dean and Sam Winchester. Thanks to July83rose for the video!



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Read More Chapters of Shadow Girl!

I've posted two more chapters of my young adult novel, The Shadow Girl of Birch Grove. Read it and tell me what you think. Really, it's the least you can do as thanks for all the "Dracula 2000" videos that I've posted.

Q&A with Natasha Mostert & KEEPER OF LIGHT & DUST Contest

"Bedtime reading for the brave." - The Times (London)

"Mostert has taken a blend of alchemy, the art of memory, mysticism and high magic a nd created a pageturner." - Time Out

As regular Vampire Wire readers know, the main goal of this blog is to spread international peace and understanding. With vampires and werewolves and things that go what-the-heck-was-that? in the night. No, international peace and spooky things are not mutually exclusive.

So I'm delighted to extend a Vampire Wire welcome across the continents to Natasha Mostert, the author of supernatural suspenses, including the newly released Keeper of Light and Dust. Natasha, a native of South Africa, now lives in London, and her other novels include Season of the Witch and The Midnight Side.

She weaves folklore, magic, science, and modern crime into complex and much praised stories. Publishers Weekly said Season of the Witch is a "spellbinding tale of magic and seduction," and Booklist said "Mostert renders suspense, an atmosphere fraught with eroticism, and compelling characters."

Natasha will be giving away a copy of The Keeper of Light and Dust! To enter the contest, just leave a comment saying what aspect of her book interests you most: eternal life, mummies, martial arts, really hawt scientists, whatever. The winner will be selected at random and the contests ends Saturday night.

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MARTA: Hi, Natasha, and congratulations on your upcoming release, Keeper of Light and Dust. Would you please tell Vampire Readers a little about your next book?

NATASHA: Thanks, Marta, I’d love to. Keeper of Light and Dust is a book about the strongest desire of all: to live forever!

My story opens in the famous catacombs of Palermo, where Adrian Ashton, a brilliant scientist, is a young man at the beginning of his journey. As he stands surrounded by eight thousand mummies, he takes a decision that will take him into the heart of darkness. Calling himself Dragonfly he decides to prey on fighters and martial artists who are blessed with strong chi,(the vital energy that flows through our bodies.) By draining them of their life force, he manages to make it his own.

But the hunter becomes the hunted when my heroine enters his life. Her name is Mia Lockhart and she is a fascinating woman. A martial artist herself, she belongs to a long line of Keepers: women who are warriors, healers and protectors. When Dragonfly targets the man she loves, the stage is set for a violent confrontation.

However, Mia is conflicted: she is strongly attracted to Ashton, which blunts her skills and puts both herself and her beloved at risk. It becomes a fight to the death in which love is both the greatest weakness and the greatest prize.

MARTA: How did you construct your fictional world? Did you draw upon ancient Chinese vampire myths?

NATASHA: I did not draw upon ancient Chinese vampire myths, but I did draw on ancient Chinese philosophy. I decided to create a vampire for the 21st century: a man not interested in blood, but interested in energy!

I’ve always wanted to write a book about the concept of chi – the mysterious life force that flows through our bodies and which forms the basis of traditional Chinese medicine. In Keeper of Light and Dust, I created a villain who has devoted his life to the study of chi and who has found a way to feed off the vital energy of his victims. I had great fun adding a modern twist to the archetypal vampire concept.

The other source of inspiration came from legend. I have long been fascinated by the many myths and legends of battle-scarred men who are protected – or cursed – by beautiful, powerful women. And so I created the concept of the Keeper: women who, through the ages, have been healers and protectors of men who are engaged in hand-to-hand combat. I thought it was quite a sexy concept: a fragile woman protecting a strong, tough fighter. Such a set-up also offered good possibilities for physical and mental conflict.

MARTA: You also wrote Season of the Witch, a moody, sensual gothic with an occult plot. What are some themes that appear in your most recent books?

NATASHA: All my books have a touch of gothic to them – even Keeper of Light and Dust. I like my narrative to have that wingbrush of darkness to it. My characters are always larger than life and they grapple with big obsessions: life, death, the power of the human mind to transcend and transform reality. I like to torture my characters and make them suffer greatly – I believe that makes for more interesting stories!

Season of the Witch is a thriller about techgnosis and the Ancient Art of Memory: it just won the Book to Talk About: World Book Day Award 2009. The book that preceded Season of the Witch, is Windwalker, a dark love story of fratricide, redemption, ghost photography and soul mates searching for each other.

MARTA: Would you tell us how you integrate science and scientific theory in your stories?

NATASHA: Science is magic! Science is not dry, dusty and boring. There is so much fantastic scientific research that can be used to create imaginative stories. However, I take care to keep the science in my books very accessible and subtle. My aim is not to educate, my aim is to entertain.

What usually happens is that I will read something that will kick my imagination into over gear. This is what happened before I wrote Keeper of Light and Dust. I happened to read, quite by chance, a book that introduced me to the concept of biophoton (light) emissions inside the body. The concept took my breath away. Imagine: we all of us have light shining inside our bodies. I never knew this. How wonderful, and what a great idea for a story. Maybe this light is chi, and maybe it is possible to capture the light and gain eternal life…Wouldn’t it be a great obsession for my villain to have?

My books always contain a mystical or supernatural element, but I take great care to embed my story in reality. After reading my books I’d like the reader to wonder: maybe telephone calls from the dead are possible …maybe there is something like ghost photography…or a secret code in music that holds the universe together…or a way in which to capture vital energy and gain eternal life…
MARTA: Do you think your own experience of living in very different cultures influences your writing?
NATASHA: I’ve never really thought about it, but it must be true. I grew up in Africa and this is an environment where magic fits in seamlessly with everyday life. If you walk around downtown Johannesburg, you will find muti or medicine shops, which stock everything from monkey skulls to herbs to divining bones. These shops are not curio shops – they are as familiar to South Africans as Walgreens is in the US. Many witch doctors are skilled herbalists and healers.

My nanny was a Zulu woman who was a twasa – a witchdoctor in training. She made me aware of synchronicities and things that are not easily explained. I always think she is responsible for my believing there is luminosity hiding behind the dusty curtain of everyday living.
MARTA: Why do you choose to write about the supernatural? What does the genre offer an author?

NATASHA: As I mentioned above, my interest in the supernatural goes all the way back to childhood. My nanny taught me there is magic lurking in the shadow of the mundane.

It is a wonderful genre for an author because it lends itself so well to lush, descriptive and imaginative stories. In my books, my characters are exceptional people with exceptional skills. This makes their lives very interesting indeed.

Of course, supernatural can very easily tip over into schlock. Just as it lends itself to highly original stories, the paranormal genre can also be a storehouse for purple and overwrought tales. The writer of the supernatural treads a fine line.

MARTA: Quick, name a few non-literary things that influence your fiction.

NATASHA: Chocolate, good South African red wine and kickboxing.

MARTA: Where can readers find out more about you and your novels?

NATASHA: Please visit my website. I should mention that to coincide with the publication of Keeper of Light and Dust, I will have a game running on my website, which is in the form of a fun personality quiz. Discover if your profile type is a Healer, a Warrior or a Thief! Readers can win gift vouchers from online book stores, signed copies of my book and pink or black boxing gloves. I also have a discussion board on my website and would love to hear from you.

You can also contact me on MySpace.

Thanks, Marta. This was a fun interview.

MARTA: Thanks, Natasha, for your wonderful answers to my questions.

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If you'd like to enter the contest for a copy of Keeper of Light and Dust, be sure to leave a comment!

Winners of the Ultimate Hawt Vampire List Contest-ish Thing!

Thanks for all your nominations for the Ultimate Hawt Vampire List! I will be compiling a poll so that everyone can vote on the vamps, but I reserve the right to overrule any name if I really feel that Gerard Butler as Dracula deserves multiple positions on the list.

Special thanks to Michele Hauf and Anna of Hachette Books for donating prizes!

Using my highly scientific random selection method (names written on slips of paper and stuck in a paper bag then shaken to mix them) here are the winners of the contest. Winners, please send me an email with your mailing address so you can get your prizes.

LEXIE - who nominated Spike (James Marsters), Geriant Wynn Davies in "Forever Knight," Stuart Townsend as Lestat, etc., wins a copy of Michelle Hauf's The Devil to Pay.

NIGHTDWELLER - who nominated Robert Pattinson, Cam Gigandet, and Peter Facinelli of "Twilight," Angel (David Boreanaz), Stephen Moyer as Bill Compton, and Alexander Skarsgard as Eric in "True Blood", wins Natasha Rhodes' The Last Angel.

JANE - who appreciates fan faves Angel and Spike, wins a signed copy of one of my Casa Dracula novels.

Winners of the five copies of Larissa Ione's Passion Unleashed are:

DRACENEA - who suggested Antonio Banderas, David Boreanaz, Kyle Schmid and Stuart Townsend.

PRINCESS ALLIE - who named Aidan Turner in "Being Human."

CECILE - who understands the importance of Gerard Butler as Dracula, but also hearts "Lost Boys" Jason Patric and Keifer Sutherland.

VAMPY NURSE - who is another "Lost Boys" fan and also suggested Louis (Brad Pitt) and Lestat (Tom Cruise) of "Interview with the Vampire," David Boreanaz as Angel, and a mess o' others.

KAREN W. - who went for the classics -- Spike and Angel of "Buffy" and Alex O'Loughlin's Mick St. John.

Congratulations to the winners! I'll have another interview and contest up tomorrow.

Read a Chapter of The Shadow Girl of Birch Grove

If you'd like to read the first chapter of my young adult novel, The Shadow Girl of Birch Grove, it's now online. This novel has a vampire theme, but it's eerier and more somber than my Casa Dracula series. I'll be posting a few more chapters in the coming weeks.

Hope you like it!

Deadlines & Craziness

I have made a private blog where I will post chapters of my young adult gothic, The Shadow Girl of Birch Grove. My agent and I would like feedback as we prepare to send it out to publishers. If you would like to read chapters, please email me and I'll add you to the permissions list.

I'll be reducing my blogging here until I get my next book done. However, I'd feel awful without giving you any diversion from your jobs.

So...

Toni Sweeney wrote to me about her vampy novels and book videos. Check out her trailers for her stories, Murder in Old Blood, Love, Vampire Style, Demon in Blue Jeans, and Sometimes Love Returns. Thanks for sharing, Toni. ZZ Top pulled their music off my trailer, but I'm not bitter. Okay, only a little bitter.

Want to win a great prize? Head over to Bitten By Books were Jeri Smith-Ready is guest blogging and giving away an ipod Shuffle in honor of her newly released mass market paperback of Wicked Game.

Jeri's also giving away a Bad to the Bone ARC in a contest on her blog!

Are you missing out on the snarky while waiting for my next Casa Dracula novel? Molly Harper's first novel in a funny series, Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs, has just been released. You can read a review here: "...there are so many funny lines and scenes that I dog eared my copy just to go back and re-read them. This was a fun book all around and right now it’s my choice for my favorite humorous romance for this year." (All About Romance)

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OMG, I loved "Supernatural" last night and not just for the Kurt Vonnegut references, but also the Fabio book covers and the prophet named Chuck, another of their musical references.



Have a fantastic weekend! Here's a Gratuitous Video of the Day to start you off on the right track.

Vampire Bunny, Obscure Vamps Cont.

AUTHORS & BOOKS

Are you tired of the same old Marshmallow Peeps for Easter? Theresa Meyers found Easter gifts for the more bloodthirsty of you: a vampire chocolate bunny, Chateau de Vampire red wine, and a vampire stake wine stopper. And we need this because combining the Christian celebration with pagan fertility symbols of bunnies and eggs wasn't strange enough already. Theresa, as my character Nancy Carrington-Chambers says, thank you for caring and sharing!

My current contests (see links in right sidebar) are for a copy of Caridad Pineiro's new novel, Fury Calls, and my Ultimate Hawt Vampire List contest will be giving away prizes that include five copies of Larissa Ione's Passion Unleashed. Read Kimberly Swan's review of Passion Unleashed. "Meanwhile his brothers run the demon hospital they’ve put everything into building, so when a dark past catches up with them it’s Wraith who’s targeted." (Darque Reviews)

Roxanne Rhoads reviews (say that five times fast) Casting Spells by Barbara Bretton. "OK, who knew knitting could sound fun and sexy and could be the perfect setting for a paranormal romance..." (Fang-Tastic Books)

Enter Barbara Bretton's contest for Casting Spells and Just Desserts and read chapters one and two of 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. Maybe if I had closed the shop twenty minutes earlier that night or gone for a quick walk around Snow Lake she might still be alive today."


TELEVISION & THE INTERNETS

James Marsters, who played Spike on "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer," would still like to be in a "Buffy" spin-off. "Can we light my face in such a way that it's still in the same ballpark as what the audience is used to? If that's possible, then I think that it would be a good thing to do." (SciFi Wire)

There are very simple solutions to the problem of the actor aging while the character does not. 1) Tasteful plastic surgery (which has worked so well for Burt Reynolds.) 2) Write a plot justification for the aging. Some demon, some potion, some spell. No biggie. 3) Make clones of James Marsters, which can also be used as prizes in promotional contests.

Number 3 is my favorite. I've been trying to clone my dead dog in my garage for a few months now. I haven't been successful thusfar, but I found some new cloning directions on the internet and I'm still trying.


GRATUITIOUS VIDEO OF THE DAY

I'm still looking for videos of obscure vampires that were nominated in the Ultimate Hawt Vampires Contest. Terri W. suggested Julian Sand who starred in "Tale of a Vampire." It's a gory little video, so be warned, but he is awfully pretty.



Terri also suggested Harker, played by Bruce Payne in "The Howling VI," which answers many of the questions left open by "The Howling V," but finding a decent video of him has been impossible. So I'm posting a GVD featuring the hawt guys of "Buffy" from BlondieBearsGal.



Here's a video for Buffy and Spike (the non-cloned version).

Adieu, Andy Hallett; Obscure Ultimate Hawt Vampires Video Festival

Some sad news first. Theresa Meyers, author of Salvation of the Damned, thought Vampire Wire readers would want to know that Andy Hallett of "Angel," just passed away:

"Andy Hallett, who starred as Lorne ("the Host") on the TV series Angel, died of heart failure last night at age 33, according to his longtime agent and friend Pat Brady. The actor passed away at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles after a five-year battle with heart disease, with his father Dave Hallett by his side." (E! Online)

Here's another story on Andy Hallett's career:

"Described by his father as 'a very gregarious, happy young man,' Hallett became a fan favourite on the show as Lorne, the red-horned, green-skinned, lounge lizard-inspired owner of a demon karaoke bar." (CBC News)

I liked his cheerful, snarky character on "Angel," and thought some of the funniest shows were built around him.

Here's a video tribute to him by Laerrry that shows the exuberance and joie de vivre of the character that seemed to come right from the actor. You can't fake a smile like that. Thank you for spreading joy, Andy, and rest in peace.




I have taken time from rewriting the last section of Nancy's Theory of Style (Simon & Schuster/Pocket 2010) to respond to the fabulous suggestions for Vampire Wire's Ultimate Hawt Vampire List & Contest-ish Thing.

The prizes are:

5 copies of Larissa Ione's Passion Unleashed, courtesy of Hachette Books
Michelle Hauf's The Devil to Pay
Natasha Rhodes' The Last Angel
One of my Casa Dracula Novels

I know! I've got more contests coming up in the next few weeks.

I'm providing videos on some of the more obscure of the vampires nominated for the list so that we can all assess hawtness levels. There will be disagreement, bitterness, and unfounded accusations. Feelings will be hurt and egos will be injured. However, if we can somehow come to agreement on some of these nominees, then the acrimony will be worth it. I know you all feel the same way. Now let's hold hands and sing "Kumbaya."

Donnas suggested Richard Roxburgh as Count Vladislav in "Van Helsing." My opinion: he totally rocks the ponytail.



Carmen R. nominated Julian Luna, who was played by the late Mark Frankel in "Kindred," a vampy soap opera. Thanks, Carmen, for bringing him to our attention, and he absolutely belongs on the list.



Marnie Collette's obscure nomination is Dominic Purcell from "Blade: Trinity." I would like to say, oh, my, how have I missed this?



The Cullens of "Twilight" were mentioned by a few people, so here's a video to them. Britney Spears' songs are surprisingly good for vampire videos.




The It's All About Me Part of Our Blog: Read a very nice new review of my first novel, Happy Hour at Casa Dracula, at the Examiner: "Happy Hour at Casa Dracula is an entertaining, upbeat, sassy novel driven forth by one very individualistic heroine." I hope you will all buy my books because they're a lot funnier and more entertaining than my blog because they were written after I had my morning coffee, not before.