We have a winner for an autographed copy of Mortal Seductions by Allyson James:
VampyNurse
Congratulations, VampyNurse! Send me an email (marta at martaacosta dot com) with your mailing address and I'll send the book off to you. Hope you enjoy your scorching hot read!
Thanks to everyone who entered! A new contest will be posted tomorrow.
CONTEST NEWS: I've got a few contests running now. Some are listed on the right sidebar, and my latest contest is for a copy of Sonya Bateman's Master of None and Laura Bickle's Embers. Tomorrow I'll have a Q&A with Sonya and another contest with her book, and next week I'll have an interview with Sherri Browning Erwin and a contest for her homage to my favorite gothic novel with Jane Slayre.
On to other things.
I'm a little hurt and offended that I wasn't invited to this conference and offered airfare, a hotel, and a driver. The University of Herfordshire is holding a symposium titled "Open Graves, Open Minds: Vampires and the Undead in Modern Culture." I know about vampires! I know about open minds (mostly because I watched a documentary on brain surgery...pass the saw)! I know about Modern Culture (which has something to do with Jamie Lee Curtis endless shilling for yogurt and didn't we all like her better when she just flashed her boobies and did aerobics in movies?)! Well, it isn't until next week, so they still have time to invite me. I'm packing my bags so I'll be ready to go.
Read a chapter of Patricia Brigg's latest novel, Silver Borne. "The starter complained as it turned over the old Buick’s heavy engine. I felt a lot of sympathy for it since fighting outside my weight class was something I was intimately familiar with. I’m a coyote shapeshifter playing in a world of werewolves and vampires — outmatched is an understatement."
Rebecca Bauman at Dirty Sexy Books has a list of time-travel movies. I love time-travel movies and books. It's such a tricky conceit, figuring out how to weave a story and the rules of the universe. She includes "Kate & Leopold" and says, "Seeing [Hugh] Jackman play a snobby aristocrat in breeches makes me wish that he’ll take on the role of Mr. Darcy someday. Can’t you see it? I can." I was really hoping she'd mention "Hot Tub Time Machine" which sounds genius.
Speaking of movies, Dr. Derek Tatum reviews "The Vampire's Assistant" at Mondo Vampire. "...not the worst vampire movie I have ever seen, but it is pretty forgettable. It just kind of sits there, gathering dust." Oooh, he's so cranky! You can read my interview with Dr. Derek yesterday.
BLOG TO WATCH:Kate, a Vampire Wire reader, is also a review at YzhaBella's Books. (No, I don't know how to pronounce this.) It's a very nicely organized blog with tabs that make it easy to find reviews, features, and other information. A collaboration of bloggers means that there's a range of opinions and content. A lot of thought has gone into the review policy and the user-friendly layout. Good luck to YzhaBella's Books!
So I got this email from director Logan McMillan in New Zealand about his vampire music video of Dave Wallace and "Broken." Clearly the vamp theme was added to appeal to nitwits like yours truly. However, this is a lovely video, a lovely song and if Logan would just edit out the first seconds that focus on the Angelina-wannabe's fish-lips, it would be even better. I really like a music video that's a music video, and I like the the sparseness, gray tones, and mood. I'd never heard of Wallace before, but I'm buying the song. Dave has a cool look, too, a little of that world-weariness that resembles Alan Rickman's.
GRATUITOUS VIDEOS OF THE DAY
Let's see what I can figure out here, given the themes we're talking about: time travel, Hugh Jackman, Southern Hemisphere...hot tubs.
"Vampires are, at heart, a lethal waltz between sex and death."
Dr. Derek Tatum, Mondo Vampires
One of the many cool things about blogging (besides the wealth and fame) is becoming pals with other bloggers. Yeah, we're like a clique or a gang with our special insider slang and gossip and invitations the openings and private soirees. But as jaded as I am by the glamour, I was still thrilled when renowned vampire scholar Dr. Derek Tatum ofMondo Vampire agreed to take time from translating ancient texts to be my guest. Dr. Derek is pictured at top, having a snack to refresh himself between his rigorous studies.
Dr. Tatum is donating with two copies of new books (sincere thanks to Simon & Schusterfor providing these review copies) from his extensive Librarium Vampirus for a contest. The books are:
MARTA: Welcome to Vampire Wire, Dr. Derek. Why don’t you tell me about how you first became fascinated with vampires? Was there a particular book or movie that sparked your interest?
DEREK: Thanks for having me. Being interviewed means I’ve reached a milestone of some kind. I’ve always loved monsters in general, but you can blame “The Lost Boys” for my “specialized” interest in vampires. Another reason is because during the late ‘80’s/early’90’s, there weren’t that many options for stories told from the monster’s POV. Katherine Ramsland’s 1989 article “Hunger for the Marvelous” was also influential.
MARTA: You’ve been most famously quoted as saying, “Vampires are the new vampires.” What exactly do you mean by that?
DEREK: Every year, publishers try to say that vampires are passe and that some other supernatural creature is “the next big thing.” Yet vampires keep selling books anyway. There have been some great werewolf, zombie, and angel stories, but let’s face it - vampires are already like those three things combined anyway.
MARTA: You seem to be interested in vampires on different levels - academically in the mythology, and for entertainment. What trends have you seen? Is there one that you find interesting now?
DEREK: Vampires are not only durable, they are able to adapt to the changing times. When I first began reading vampire fiction, Anne Ricewas the big name. There has also been the White Wolf “Masquerade” era, the “Buffy” era, the urban fantasy and paranormal romance era, and recently the YA era. What happens next is subject to debate, but one thing is for certain - vampire fiction will endure.
MARTA: You and I have talked about vampires in paranormal romance being used almost gratuitously, little different from alpha heroes of non-paranormal romances. Do you think readers are missing out on something essential to the vampire myth if they only see them as sexy dudes who drink blood?
DEREK: It really depends. If someone is a romance fan and that’s all they want to be, more power to them. But if someone wants to be a vampire fan in general, they need to be a little more open-minded. As in, don’t act shocked when a non-romance vampire book has horrific incidents. Don’t act shocked when the fandom doesn’t center around how “hot” a particular character is. And don’t act shocked when a writer authorizes comic books or other things you consider “geeky.” But that open-mindedness goes both ways. A lot of horror fans need to realize that not everything has to be a rewrite of Salem's Lot to be well-done. Good is good, crap is crap and genre has nothing to do with it. Another one of my semi-famous slogans is “whether a story is scary or romantic takes a backseat to if the story is good.”
MARTA: You’ve brought up the idea of vampires as transgressive, and I mentioned that in my own Casa Dracula series, the vampires are an allegory for “other” just as my protagonist is other, or, as she puts it, a square peg in a round world. Could you expand on the idea of vampires as supernatural, or unnatural beings?
DEREK: When I say “transgressive,” I mean a subversive element. There should be a genuine sense of danger. Vampires are, at heart, a lethal waltz between sex and death. Back when I started reading this stuff, vampires were at the cutting edge of dark fiction because they dealt frankly with taboo material. I’d like to see more of that subversiveness brought back.
MARTA: Publishers are churning out books to cash in on the upsurge of vampire popularity. Are there any unfortunate clichés that you see repeated in current books? (I.e., the equivalent of the gay best friend in chick lit.)
DEREK: Uh oh, you’ve opened Pandora’s Box... You know I am going to have to mention pet peeve #1 - the horrendous depiction of goths in a lot of urban fantasy. Nothing breaks my suspension of disbelief quicker than an author who knows nothing about goths trying to write about them. I get the feeling that a lot of these people see “a goth” on a daytime talk show, or maybe they hang around at the mall to observe some teenagers with black clothes on.
What passes for “goths” in the mainstream media rarely matches reality. Time after time, goths in urban fantasy are depicted as submissive vampire-bait or laughable poseurs. Frankly, these stereotypes come off as lazy and borderline offensive. Goths certainly aren’t above reproach - like every other group, the scene has people who are stuck on themselves as well as those who don’t have a clue. The key is... “like every other group.” Besides, you tell me which is going to be a more interesting character (even in the background) - an angry teen who listens to loud music and wears poorly-applied white make-up, or a creative, quirky person with a love for Victorian fashion? Treat the goths like any other group you would represent in your work. If you cannot find a goth on your own, contact me and I will help you. Just please, for the love of all, do some basic research on these things.
Pet peeve #2 is canned “attitude.” Your heroine can have tattoos all over her body and your MySpace page can name-drop a lot of hard rock bands, but that isn’t going to convince me that your character is “hard core.” Be true to yourself, not what you think a strong character “should” be like. Being strong doesn’t mean that you have to be an unlikable jackass. I think of Charlaine Harris’ Sookie, as well as Elena from TV’s “The Vampire Diaries,” as two examples of characters who stand up for themselves without being laughable “bad asses.”
MARTA: There’s quite a gender divide among vampire fans. You’ve got the “30 Days of Night” guys and the Black Dagger Brotherhood chicks. Can you think of a few books or movies that appeal across genders?
DEREK:Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark-Hunter series. I actually consider them to be more “post-vampire” books, but since they are often classed as vampire lit, I’ll mention them. They are marketed as romance, but Kenyon has a large number of male readers. I’ve been to many conventions with Kenyon, and she always draws a good mix of both genders. I’ve noticed that most vampire stuff that hits the major media tends to appeal to both men and women. Well, except for Twilight - but I know several guys who enjoyed those books, too. But by the time something is made into a movie or TV show, it seems to tell people that it is “OK” to like it.
MARTA: Speaking of gender divides, while you do blog about horror, you’re one of a few men reviewing urban fantasy and paranormal romance. Why did you decide to start Mondo Vampire and what do you hope to achieve?
DEREK: I hope to have fun. Sometimes I feel like I am lazy for not posting more often, but I started that blog to have fun. If it feels like a chore, I’m not having fun. Simple as that. Of course, I also hope to turn more readers onto the classics that I love myself. I like to talk about archetypes and deeper meanings and subversiveness and all that junk, but in the end... we’re talking about vampires here. It’s fun.
MARTA: You’re also involved in panels at various cons. I’ve got a dozen questions about this, which is about eleven too many, so just tell us what these gatherings offer that sitting alone at home doesn’t.
DEREK: When I work at a con, I usually work behind the scenes. If I am sitting on a panel with Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, for example, who would want to hear what I have to say? I’m better at planning when it comes to those things.
MARTA: Anything else you’d like to share?
DEREK: Read what you like, but also support what you like. Don’t like romantic vampires? Then get out there and support the non-romance vampires. There are still scary vampire books being written and published. Only like romance vampires? Then don’t drag your romance expectations into non-romance fiction. Everyone is invited to the party, but remember that no one is forcing you to come. Just don’t be a dick. That about sums it up.
MARTA: Thanks, Dr. Derek, for coming to Vampire Wire!
DEREK: Thanks for reading!
********************************************** I have so many more questions for Dr. Derek that I hope he'll take time away from his important academic work to visit Vampire Wire again.
TO ENTER THE CONTEST: If you'd like a chance to win Embers or Master of None, two new releases from Simon & Schuster, just leave a comment for Derek, or tell us what cliche bugs you in paranormal/urban fantasy -- or tell us what's overdone, but you love it anyway. Me, I love a funny, sneaky sidekick. I love snark, which is overdone, but when it's well done, it's so entertaining.
The contest runs through Monday, April 12, and winners will be selected in a random drawing.
GRATUITOUS VIDEOS OF THE DAY
Today's GVDs are in honor of Dr. Derek. Dark and shivery vampires!
Thanks to everyone for participating in my contest Belong to the Night, the anthology by Shelly Laurentson, Cynthia Eden, and Sherrill Quinn. The winner of the signed book is:
Bethie
who likes simple, eye-catching covers on books.
Congratulations, Bethie! Please send me an email with your mailing info so I can pop the book in the mail to you.
TOMORROW: My esteemed colleague, the vampire scholar Dr. Derek Tatum of Mondo Vampire, will be here to talk about the genre. If you're at all a fan of vamps, you'll want to read his insights. Also, we'll have a contest for copies of the new releases, Embers by Laura Bickle and Master of None by Sonya Bateman.
Paul Wesley,who playsStefan Salvatore in "The Vampire Diaries," is on the cover of this month's DaMan Magazine. The Bosh has some more photos of Wesley.
BLOG TO WATCH: I just discovered theBitten by Paranormal Romance blog. This is a review site and they say, "You guessed it, PNR and Erotic are the favorites! However, we do read Urban Fantasy from to time. Our perfect book has wonderful loves scenes or just good sex whether it is PNR or Erotic, but the important thing to both of us is the couples stay together in the end!" (This is actually interesting in light of my conversation with Dr. Tatum tomorrow.) Anyway, they've also got contests and right now have one for Kim Harrison's Every Which Way But Dead.
GRATUITOUS VIDEOS OF THE DAY
I have a horrible song stuck in my head so I'm trying to clean it out with something better, like Thin Lizzy's classic "The Boys are Back in Town."
Through next week, I'm writing up interview questions for Vampire Wire guests. If you have an author you'd like to see interviewed or guest blogging here, please leave a comment and I'll see what I can do.
You'll be needing spring reading, so here are some upcoming releases. And pursuant to the discussion a few days ago about authors' websites, I decided not to mention one book because the author's site 1) had no description listed, 2) had a strange pull-down menu that was so confusing that she had instructions on how to use it, and 3) had no links. Readers should not have to do the work to find out about your book.
"Half-Navajo Janet Begay comes to Magellan to investigate the mysterious disappearance of the police chief's daughter. But the people of Magellan sense that Janet is not what she seems, and they're right.
"Janet possesses extraordinary power which is tied to the storms that waft across the desert. The only person who can control her when she's caught in the storm's evocative power is Mick, a dark-haired, blue-eyed biker Janet can't seem to touch with her powers. He can wield fire and not get burned, and Janet's never sure where he goes when they're not together.
"Together they investigate mysterious disappearances, which Janet fears are tied to her mother's people, the mythical gods from below the earth. They are helped along the way by Coyote and Crow, but these shapeshifting gods have their own agendas. "
Read an excerpt. "It was already dark by the time I zoomed out of the mountains, heading east toward the deserts and the town of Magellan. The elevation dropped, the cool green of pine country fell behind, and the heat returned. Lightning forked far to the south, the approaching storm tingling through my body like a lover’s touch. "
Publisher's Description: "John Matthew has come a long way since he was found living among humans, his vampire nature unknown to himself and to those around him. After he was taken in by the Brotherhood, no one could guess what his true history was- or his true identity. Indeed, the fallen Brother Darius has returned, but with a different face and a very different destiny. As a vicious personal vendetta takes John into the heart of the war, he will need to call up on both who he is now and who he once was in order to face off against evil incarnate.
"Xhex, a symphath assassin, has long steeled herself against the attraction between her and John Matthew. Having already lost one lover to madness, she will not allow the male of worth to fall prey to the darkness of her twisted life. When fate intervenes, however, the two discover that love, like destiny, is inevitable between soul mates. "
Read an excerpt. "John felt a last dragging swipe on his shoulder and then the tattoo gun went silent. Sitting up from the rest he’d been curled against for the last two hours, he stretched his arms over his head and pulled his torso back into shape."
"Sylvie is back from vacation, and all she wants out of life right now is for the Magicus Mundi to leave her alone for a bit. No dead things, no mayhem, no life-and-death struggles. Just because Sylvie managed to take some time off doesn't mean that the Magicus Mundi has to follow her example, though, and it's been piling things up on her doorstep while she was away.
"Still, she can pick and choose her cases, right? Solving a string of burglaries sounds perfect--mind-numbingly boring and mundane. Until you throw in Sylvie's missing sister, a generous helping of necromancy, and a Chicago cop possessed by a disturbingly familiar spirit. " Lyn, aka Lane's website.
Read Chapter One. "Just before 2 p.m., South Beach traffic was as slow as it ever got. The sidewalks were white-hot under the June sun, and the only people walking about were red-shouldered, red-nosed tourists going puffy in the heat. The glass storefronts gave back reflections of sunlight, and the palm fronds shivered, seeking a breeze."
"Vampire musician Michael Glass has attracted the attention of a big- time producer who wants to cut a demo and play some gigs-which means Michael will have to enter the human world. For this, he's been assigned escorts that include both a dangerous immortal as well as Michael's all-too-human friends. And with that mix of personalities, this is going to be a road trip from hell... "
Read an excerpt. "The way the Glass House worked, on a practical level, was that there was a schedule for the stuff that had to be done. Cooking, cleaning, fixing things, laundry. Technically, they were all on every housemate's list. In practice, though, what happened was this: the boys (Michael and Shane) bribed the girls (Eve and Claire) to do laundry, and the girls bribed the boys to fix things."
GRATUITOUS VIDEOS OF THE DAY
Cheeziness just doesn't get better than this song. It's a long song. I don't expect you to watch the entire videos, but I do hope you'll be singing this song all week long.
Thanks to everyone who entered the contest for two copies of Susan Groggins's, aka Raven Hart's, The Vampire's Secret! Lots of great ideas about locations for vampire stories, and New Orleans seems to be the favorite. The winners are:
vslavetopassionv
kirsten (aka lotsofgingers)
Congratulations! Winners, please send an email to me (marta at martaacosta dot com) with your mailing address so your prize can be mailed.
Thanks especially to Susan for contributing the books and for coming here to talk about the Savannah Vampire series. ------------------------------------
Check out Vampire Wire's new Twitter design! Very cool, I know. Hopefully, I'll have my design person update this blog, which is getting very cluttered and could use a rehaul.
Also, I have been griping about Twitter since it first appeared. I got on it and people were telling me when they had a cup of coffee and I'm like, unless you're bringing me a no-foam latte, I do not care. Not only do I not care, I am actively infuriated by the trivial details of your daily activities. Having you send out a dozen Twitters about how you have a cold and a runny nose makes me want to slap up upside the head with a box of Kleenex while screaming "shut up shut up shut up." Yes, I can be a cranky bitch. What was I saying? Oh, yeah, I'm going to Twitter more, sending important updates about contests, interviews on other sites, news about fave programs, etc.
Do you think that's okay? I guess I'll find out when people stop following me or send me emails saying "shut up shut up shut up."
Love Vampires reviews Patricia Briggs's fifth Mercy Thompson novel, Silver Borne. "Being a skinwalker gives Mercy a whole host of other nifty talents, immunity to some magic and an ability to see the dead just for starters, and this combined with Mercy’s unerring ability to find any trouble in her vicinity means there is always a huge potential for exciting supernatural mysteries and adventures whenever she’s around."
I say, watch the original show. Not that BBC America does everything right. They cut out chunks of their shows for advertising and for stoopid "Coming up next..." No, we don't have complete short-term memory loss so we don't need to see the same scenes replayed constantly.
GRATUITOUS VIDEOS OF THE DAY
I know I posted this "Being Human" video by Eversoplucky before, but it deserves rewatching.
I don't usually post slideshows, but I thought "True Blood" fans might like this.
And for something fun...a really entertaining tribute to Gerard Butler.
Rebecca Bauman at Dirty Sexy Books has a list of time-travel movies. I love time-travel movies and books. It's such a tricky conceit, figuring out how to weave a story and the rules of the universe. She includes "Kate & Leopold" and says, "Seeing [Hugh] Jackman play a snobby aristocrat in breeches makes me wish that he’ll take on the role of Mr. Darcy someday. Can’t you see it? I can." I was really hoping she'd mention "Hot Tub Time Machine" which sounds genius.
MARTA: You’ve been most famously quoted as saying, “Vampires are the new vampires.” What exactly do you mean by that? 
DEREK: It really depends. If someone is a romance fan and that’s all they want to be, more power to them. But if someone wants to be a vampire fan in general, they need to be a little more open-minded. As in, don’t act shocked when a non-romance vampire book has horrific incidents. Don’t act shocked when the fandom doesn’t center around how “hot” a particular character is. And don’t act shocked when a writer authorizes comic books or other things you consider “geeky.” But that open-mindedness goes both ways. A lot of horror fans need to realize that not everything has to be a rewrite of Salem's Lot to be well-done.
DEREK: Uh oh, you’ve opened Pandora’s Box... You know I am going to have to mention pet peeve #1 - the horrendous depiction of goths in a lot of urban fantasy. Nothing breaks my suspension of disbelief quicker than an author who knows nothing about goths trying to write about them. I get the feeling that a lot of these people see “a goth” on a daytime talk show, or maybe they hang around at the mall to observe some teenagers with black clothes on.
Pet peeve #2 is canned “attitude.” Your heroine can have tattoos all over her body and your MySpace page can name-drop a lot of hard rock bands, but that isn’t going to convince me that your character is “hard core.” Be true to yourself, not what you think a strong character “should” be like. Being strong doesn’t mean that you have to be an unlikable jackass. I think of Charlaine Harris’ Sookie, as well as Elena from TV’s “The Vampire Diaries,” as two examples of characters who stand up for themselves without being laughable “bad asses.”
DEREK: Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark-Hunter series. I actually consider them to be more “post-vampire” books, but since they are often classed as vampire lit, I’ll mention them. They are marketed as romance, but Kenyon has a large number of male readers. I’ve been to many conventions with Kenyon, and she always draws a good mix of both genders. I’ve noticed that most vampire stuff that hits the major media tends to appeal to both men and women. Well, except for Twilight - but I know several guys who enjoyed those books, too. But by the time something is made into a movie or TV show, it seems to tell people that it is “OK” to like it.
Paul Wesley, who plays Stefan Salvatore in "The Vampire Diaries," is on the cover of this month's DaMan Magazine. The Bosh has some more photos of Wesley.
Stormwalker by Allyson James
Lover Mine by J.R. Ward
Ghosts and Echoes by Lyn Benedict, aka Lane Robbins
Kiss of Death by Rachel Caine
I know this will not turn out well. The stoopid SyFy Channel (proven stoopid by accepting branding consultant's name change) is doing a version of the excellent BBC show "Being Human." I'm sure it will be like the nonsensical remake of the BBC's "Life on Mars," which cast a Harvey Keitel, looking like a irate and ancient Keebler elf, as the tough, charismatic Gene Hunt. Ugh.
