Patricia's Vampire Notes

The Better Part of Darkness - Tour and Contest

2009-12-17T01:00:00.008-05:00

The Better Part of Darkness
by Kelly Gay
Pocket, Nov. 2009

From the publisher: Divorced mother of one, Charlie Madigan, lives in a world where the beings of heaven and hell exist among us, and they aren't the things of Sunday school lessons and Hallmark figurines. In the years since the Revelation, they've become our co-workers, neighbors, and fellow citizens. Charlie works for ITF (Integration Task Force). It's her job to see that the continued integration of our new "friends" goes smoothly and everyone obeys the law, but when a new off-world drug is released in Underground Atlanta, her daughter is targeted, and her ex-husband makes a fateful bargain to win her back, there's nothing in heaven or earth (or hell for that matter) that Charlie won't do to set things right.

The Darkest Edge of Dawn (Charlie Madigan, Book 2) coming August 31, 2010.

[BTW I have almost finished my copy of this title [thank you, Pocket Books] and find it to be a brilliant, imaginative story with a strong (even sexy) heroine who unlike most in the urban fantasy world has the responsibilities of raising a child.] Longer review to come.

Thanks to Pocket Books two US readers (No P. O Boxes please) will have a chance to win a copy of The Better Part of Darkness

CONTEST

To enter the contest name the city (or place) that is the setting for your favorite paranormal story, series, or character. ex: Atlanta home of Kate Daniels; or Atlanta setting for the Charlie Madigan series; or New Orleans, Lestat's favorite hangout, etc.

If your email is not associated with your ID, please put the address in your response.

The contest ends Dec. 31, 2009 at 11:59 pm wherever you live.

Good luck to all!

November 2009 Vampire Books Releases

2009-12-15T01:00:00.001-05:00

Below are listed the titles of vampire books published in November, 2009. If any titles have been left out please let me know and I will add to the December releases post. You will notice two items marked oops! That's because these books were actually published in October and I missed them. My bad!

[a version of this list was originally published on VampChix]

Apocalypse Happens (Phoenix Chronicles, Book 3)
by Lori Handeland
St. Martin's (November 3, 2009)

From the publisher: Elizabeth Phoenix is one of a select few with the power to battle those who have escaped from the darkest level of hell—demons bent on destroying humanity and reclaiming earth once and for all. Liz is determined to stop yet another Doomsday. But this time, it’s going to be more difficult than ever because someone she thought was dead isn’t dead anymore…and is bound and determined to destroy Liz and everyone she loves in the upcoming Apocalypse.

Liz has arrived in Los Angeles to ferret out a nest of varcolacs: half human, half dragon creatures who crave the destruction of the sun and moon. But before she can prevent the kind of eclipse that would bring the world to an end, Liz must mine the depths of her own heart. She and her former lover Jimmy Sanducci have some personal demons to battle—and there’s always her mentor, the Navajo shaman Sawyer. Is he on their side or isn’t he? In the end, the three of them must find a way to fight together…or perish alone.

BAR NONE
by Brigit Zahara
Ellora's Cave, November 2009

[sizzling new erotic vampire novella]

From the publisher: After a very upsetting day, Sera heads to Bar None and the solace of the joint’s owners, Nate and Fab, her two best friends who, oh yeah, just happen to be vampires.Beautiful, well built and in possession of breathtaking animal magnetism, both Nate and Fab can have any woman they want. But Nate told Sera that sex with a human fires a vampire’s bloodlust to the point of frenzy, making it clear that a romantic rendezvous with him or the unusually self-controlled Fab is out of the question. Not that Sera, or any other hot-blooded woman, for that matter, wouldn’t be game to take the risk.
What do you do when you’re in love with two men, but one of them won’t touch you because he’s afraid he might “love” you to death? When Sera realizes both guys want her as much as she wants them, she teams up with willpower-wizard Fab to convince Nate that a hot, sexy threesome is well worth the danger.

Darkness Unleashed (Guardians of Eternity, Book 5)
by Alexandra Ivy
Zebra, Nov 3, 2009

From the publisher: A scarred recluse, Jagr makes no secret of his disdain for others' company. But now, as a member of Chicago's powerful vampire clan, he has certain obligations to fulfill. The latest: track down a missing were pureblood and return her to her sister. The problem: Regan Garrett has no intention of complying. And though Jagr agreed not to harm an inch of this stubborn female's distractingly tempting body, he'll gladly kiss her into submission, awakening an urge he hasn't felt in years. Hell, in centuries...Regan vowed never to be at the mercy of another man. That goes double for arrogant, steel-muscled vampires with eyes of ice. All Regan wants is revenge against those who imprisoned her. She doesn't need an ally. She certainly doesn't need a mate. But soon Regan will have to choose - between a lust for vengeance, and a passion as dark and dangerous as the night...

Deep Kiss of Winter
by Kresley Cole and Gena Showalter
Pocket (October 13, 2009)
[oops! I had this down as a Nov release. It's not]

Two never-before-published paranormal stories to delight the senses and tantalize the imagination!

KRESLEY COLE delivers a breathtaking tale of a brutal vampire soldier about to know love for the first time...and a Valkyrie aching to be touched. Murdoch Wroth will stop at nothing to claim Daniela the Ice Maiden -- the delicate Valkyrie who makes his heart beat for the first time in three hundred years. Yet the exquisite Danii is part ice fey, and her freezing skin can't be touched by anyone but her own kind without inflicting pain beyond measure. Soon desperate for closeness, in an agony of frustration, Murdoch and Danii will do anything to have each other. Together, can they find the key that will finally allow them to slake the overwhelming desire burning between them?

GENA SHOWALTER puts a daring spin on a tale of huntress and hunted...and concocts a sensual chemistry that is positively explosive.
Aleaha Love can be anyone -- literally. With only skin-to-skin contact, she can change her appearance, assume any identity. Her newest identity switch has made her an AIR (alien investigation and removal) agent and sends her on a mission to capture a group of otherworldly warriors. Only she becomes the captured. Breean, a golden-skinned commander known for his iron will who is at once dangerous and soul-shatteringly seductive, threatens her new life. Because for the first time, Aleaha only wants to be herself....

Fade Out (Morganville Vampires, Book 7)
by Rachel Caine
Signet (November 3, 2009)

From the publisher: Without the evil vampire Bishop ruling over the town of Morganville, the resident vampires have made major concessions to the human population. With their new found freedoms, Claire Danvers and her friends are almost starting to feel comfortable again...

Now Claire can actually concentrate on her studies, and her friend Eve joins the local theatre company. But when one of Eve's castmates goes missing after starting work on a short documentary, Eve suspects the worst. Claire and Eve soon realize that this film project, whose subject is the vampires themselves, is a whole lot bigger-and way more dangerous-than anyone suspected.

How to Be a Vampire: A Fangs-On Guide for the Newly Undead
by Amy Gray and Scott Erwert
Candlewick (October 13, 2009)
Young Adult

[oops! I had this down as a Nov release. It's not]

From the publisher: Welcome to the world of the undead! A comprehensive guide to the vampire lifestyle quenches newcomers’ thirst for lore — and tasteful tips.

For those who join the decadent realm of the vampire, eternal life holds juicy perks — charm and strength, shape-shifting and flying, telepathy and super-powered senses. But then again, one becomes . . . so terribly hungry. Is there an etiquette for feeding without causing a scene? How do you set up your crypt? What supernatural foes will make your blood run co lder? In this elegant, edgy resource, the newly immortal will find everything they need to know, including:

- a quiz to determine your true vampire persona

- ways to turn into a vampire — or when a kiss is not just a kiss; and why you should take a look at your family tree

- a transformation checklist, including canine teeth and UV sen sitivity

- a makeup and fashion guide to looking damned good (or just damn ed)

- knowing your weaknesses, from garlic, stakes, and sunlight to a n obsession with counting

- 10 signs that your boyfriend is a vampire, including super coo lness (body temperature-wise) and a habit of sleeping in

- a field guide to vampiric variations around the world and through history

Immortal (Clare Point)
by V.K. Forrest
Kensington (November 24, 2009)

From the publisher: Magnetic, fearless Fin Kahill has dedicated his life to ridding the world of its most vicious serial killers. Fin is used to roaming the earth freely - not getting stuck in sleepy Clare Point. But when the clan needs him close by, Fin agrees to take a summer job on the town's tiny police force. He expects little excitement - until he meets Elena, an ethereal Italian beauty. As Fin struggles against his feelings for Elena, the peace in Clare Point is shattered by the inexplicable murder of a tourist. The young man's throat has been cut, his body eerily posed. When the killer strikes again, Fin wonders if a member of his own clan is responsible. The only one he can turn to is Elena, but he knows that falling in love with a human can be a deadly mistake. Yet just as Fin edges closer to solving the murders, he discovers Elena may not be exactly who, or what, she appears...

Immortally Theirs [ebook]
by Ann Cory
Category: Erotica/Menage Erotica/Paranormal
Publisher: Resplendence Publishing, LLC, 2009
Fictionwise Release Date: November 2009

From the publisher: When Shayla McDormand first moved into her parent's old mansion, she had no idea two very handsome vampires, Bastian Trabor and Armand Coudray, already occupied it. Over time she gave into their affections and enjoyed all they had to offer. Bastian is all about powerful strokes with his cock and bringing her to a fierce orgasm every time. Armand likes sex to be artistic and savors her body with his tongue. Spoiled but satisfied, Shayla loves everything about them. Until they demand she chooses between them or they will leave and never return. Bastian and Armand will do anything to compete for Shayla's love. They both want her as their vampire bride. To immortally be theirs. But another entity resides in the house that also wants Shayla. Can Shayla make up her mind before it's too late? Or will fate decide for her?

Magic in the Shadows: An Allie Beckstrom Novel
by Devon Monk
Roc, November 2009

From the publisher: Allison Beckstrom's magic has taken its toll on her, physically marking her and erasing her memories-including those of the man she supposedly loves. But lost memories aren't the only things preying on Allie's thoughts.

Her late father, the prominent businessman-and sorcerer-Daniel Beckstrom, has somehow channeled himself into her very mind. With the help of The Authority, a secret organization of magic users, she hopes to gain better control over her own abilities-and find a way to deal with her father...
Book 3 in the Allie Beckstrom series.
[It was gently pointed out to me by blog buddy Michele Hauf on VampChix, where this list has appeared, that this title has no vampire in it! But I have enjoyed Monk's series so much that I assumed it had to at least mention the undead. Alas, no. But the books are good and I decided to leave it on the PVN version of new releases anyway.]

Mistletoe Fangs
by Susan Blexrud
DCL Publications, November 15
[fourth (and final) story in the "Love Fang" series,]

Night of the Wolves
by Heather Graham
HQN Books, Nov 24, 2009

From the publisher: When Sarah McKinley is finally able to buy and restore the historic Florida mansion that she has always loved, she dismisses the horror stories of past residents vanishing and a long-dead housekeeper who practiced black magic. Then, in the midst of renovations, she makes a grim discovery. Hidden within the walls of Sarah's dream house are the remains of dozens of bodies - some dating back over a century.

The door to the past is blown wide open when Caleb Anderson, a private investigator, shows up at the mansion. He believes several current missing persons cases are linked to the house and its dark past. Working together to find the connection and stop a contemporary killer, Sarah and Caleb are compelled to research the history of the haunted house, growing closer to each other even as the solution to the murders eludes them.

But there is one who knows the truth.a spirit who follows every move they make. Soon Caleb begins to fear that if he can't stay a step ahead, he could lose Sarah to a killer with an ability to transcend time in a quest for blood and sacrifice.

Three Days to Dead
by Kelly Meding
Dell (November 24, 2009)

From the publisher: They’ll never see her coming. . . .

When Evangeline Stone wakes up naked and bruised on a cold slab at the morgue—in a stranger’s body, with no memory of who she is and how she got there—her troubles are only just beginning. Before that night she and the two other members of her Triad were the city’s star bounty hunters, mercilessly cleansing the city of the murderous creatures living in the shadows, from vampires to shape-shifters to trolls. Then something terrible happened that not only cost all three of them their lives but also convinced the city’s other Hunters that Evy was a traitor—and she can’t even remember what it was.

Now she’s a fugitive, piecing together her memory, trying to deal some serious justice—and discovering that she has only three days to solve her own murder before the reincarnation spell wears off. Because in three days Evy will die again—but this time there’s no second chance. . . .

The Vampire Affair (Silhouette Nocturne)
by Livia Reasoner
Silhouette, Nov 1, 2009

From the publisher: The world knew Michael Brandt as a playboy tycoon. The underworld knew him as a fierce vampire hunter. Armed with a wooden stake and superior strength, Michael targeted the most powerful overlords in a clandestine do-or-die operation…and then tabloid reporter Jessie Morgan uncovered his secret.

Only once before had Michael allowed a woman into his secret lair. Now he'd fight heaven and hell to keep Jessie from the same fate. But he couldn't fight the attraction that drew him to her like a bloodlust. An attraction that might prove deadly…or worse. For Michael was going up against the most powerful of the undead—and that vampire had his fangs bared for Jessie.

Vampire Sunrise: Delilah Street: Paranormal Investigator
by Carole Nelson Douglas
Pocket Nov 24, 2009

From the publisher:

WHEN THE STAKES ARE DEAD -- OR UNDEAD!
Werewolf mobsters and vampires run Vegas, but that's yesterday's news for Delilah Street, paranormal investigator. What's truly fearsome is her bloody discovery of an undead evil rooted in ancient Egypt. Now, with her lover Ric fighting for life after a grim battle, the chips are down.
But Delilah is a born winner who has never let a little danger throw off her game, and she's been learning fast since she came to Sin City. Her affinity for silver is making mirror-walking a real breeze, and being forced to accept the albino rock star sorcerer Snow's Brimstone Kiss has ramped up her powers to a startling new level. With the help of her trusty uber-wolfhound Quicksilver, not to mention the orange demon parking valet Manny, Delilah is determined to solve even more paranormal secrets, and hopefully save the few innocents left in town. But can Delilah win her high-stakes gamble for life and love against ancient gods and lethal supernatural odds?

Vampire Taxonomy: Identifying and Interacting with the Modern-Day Bloodsucker
by Meredith Woerner
Perigee Trade (November 3, 2009)

From the publisher: Our culture today is inundated with beloved blood-thirsty creatures of the night. Referencing a wide variety of well-known bloodsuckers from film, literature, and other media, vampire expert Meredith Woerner provides detailed information about the different types of vampires now roaming the earth, classifying them by their reaction to sun exposure, physiology, attire, and preferred diet. VAMPIRE TAXONOMY will equip readers who meet vamps to answer the question: Should you hand him your heart or stake his before he makes you his next meal?

For the reader's protection, Meredith Woerner reveals the truth...

Sherrilyn Kenyon's The League Trilogy - contest

2009-12-10T13:40:00.002-05:00

Sherrilyn Kenyon is celebrating the release of her new trilogy 'The League' Born of Night Born of Fire, and Born of Ice

[As part of that celebration St. Martin Press is offering one PVN reader a copy of Born of Ice - " as long as the reader is located in the US and can supply their name, address, email & telephone number for UPS". I will send a copy to an international reader who lives in a country serviced by Book Depository. See contest rules at end of post]

Born of Night

In the Ichidian Universe no one was safe people were dragged from their homes and killed in the streets. Victims of a ruthless tyrant who was bent on being the sole ruler. Those who opposed him formed an alliance called The League, which fell under the leadership of the Quorum.

The Quorum realized that the best way to keep trouble from starting was to cut it off at its knees. So a separate group of soldiers was needed, The League Assassins. Highly trained and highly valued, they are the backbone of the government. But not even the League is immune to corruption...

Command Assassin Nykyrian Quikiades was born and trained to slaughter. Refusing to be a pawn, he turned his back on the League and has been hunted by them ever since. Though many have tried, none can kill him. Now his assignment is to protect Kiara Zamir, a woman whose father's political alliance has made her a target. She wants nothing to do with politics, yet she is forced to submit to protection or die.

And as her world becomes even deadlier, Kiara must entrust her life to the same kind of beast who once killed her mother and left her for dead. Old enemies and new threaten them both and the only way they can survive is to overcome their suspicions and learn to trust in the very ones who threaten them most-- each other.

Born of Fire

In a universe where assassins make the law, everyone lives in fear- except for Syn. Born of an illicit scandal that once rocked a dynasty, he always knew how to survive on the bloodthirsty streets. But that was then, and the future is now.

He takes no prisoners...

Syn was raised as a tech-thief until his livelihood uncovered a truth that could end his life. He tried to destroy the evidence and has been on the run ever since. Now trained as an assassin, he allows no one to threaten him. Ever. He is the darkness that swallows his enemies whole.

She offers no escape...

Shahara Dagan is the best bounty hunter in the universe. When Syn comes back on the radar, she's the only one who can bring him to justice. There's only one problem: Syn is a close family friend who's helped out her brother countless times. Is Syn's protection worth the risk? The only hope Shahara has is to find the evidence he buried long ago.

Now it's kill or be killed- and they, the predators, have just become the hunted.

Born of Ice

In the Ichidian Universe, the League and its ruthless assassins continue to keep rule. But at what cost? Welcome back to the future- and a whole new world.

He is an outlaw who offers no quarter...

Devyn Kell spent his life in service to the League until he learned of the double dealing and backstabbing that was costing innocent people their lives. Refusing to play those politics, he became a Runner- someone who makes sure planets get the weapons, medicine and supplies they need to survive. May the gods have mercy on any who get in his way, because he definitely won't.

She is on the run from a past that could end her life...

Alix Garran is a woman on the run from a past she can't escape. Signing on to work for Devyn as a System's Engineer, she finds a cause she can fight for- and a man she can respect. But as Alix's past catches up to her, and Devyn's old enemies turn lethal, they have to fight together- or fall alone.

Now for the contest.
* Name a Science Fiction book, TV show, movie that you liked. 1 point

* Name any Science Fiction book, TV show, or movie that had a vampire character. [There are a few that I know about] 2 points

* Link this interview to your own site or a social network site, and be sure to let me know the URL. If your email is not associated with your ID, please put the address in your response. 1 point

*And remember: St. Martin Press is offering one PVN reader a copy of Born of Ice - " as long as the reader is located in the US and can supply their name, address, email & telephone number for UPS".
PVN will send a copy to an international reader who lives in a country serviced by Book Depository.
Make sure to add if you are US or International reader

PVN Contest ends Dec. 22 at 11:59 PM

St. Martins Press is also readers a chance to enter a sweepstakes to win digital downloads of all three books from 'The League'. Here is the link:
http://us.macmillan.com/smp/promo/bornofaudio

This contest ends Dec. 15. and is limited to US residents.

Official Sherrilyn Kenyon Sites:
http://www.Livetheleague.com
http://www.Sherrilynkenyon.com
http://www.Officialsanctuary.com

Chelsea Quinn Yarbro - Guest Blog

2009-12-08T01:00:00.085-05:00

One of the best known names in vampire/paranormal literature is Chelsea Quinn Yarbro. Her vampire hero is Count Saint-Germain, a gentleman and hero to many throughout his many centuries of existence. PVN is honored to have Ms Yarbro as a guest blogger to tell us about Saint Germain and his new adventure in Burning Shadows Tor Books (December 8, 2009).

At the end of this entry look for contest information.

About Burning Shadows
by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro

   This twenty-third book in the Saint-Germain Cycle takes place during the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, in 438-440 A.D. And it really was Anno Domino. Christianity had been the official religion of the Roman Empire, East and West for a century, and it was beginning to exert political as well as religious strength throughout Roman and former Roman territory. Religious establishments, such as churches and monasteries, became important centers as towns came under literal and metaphorical attack. Just the sort of historical pickle in which most Saint-Germain stories are set.

      There was a shadow over the Empire beyond the increasing chaos in the West, and that was the increasing mass of invaders from the east. The Goths, Germanic peoples from what is now southern Russia, were well-established in the former Roman province of Dacia, today’s Hungary and Romania, along with the Gepidae, another Germanic tribe, occupying the region with the natives, including the Carpati and Daci. Although vestiges of Roman authority remained in Dacia, the province had been lost to the Empire for more than fifty years, the result of a gradual retreat of troops and civil infrastructure.

      Into this confusion came the second wave of Huns; the first had reached the Eastern Roman Empire forty years earlier and were assimilating into the

Byzantine culture as were many other so-called barbarian groups; most often they served as craftsmen and mercenaries, sometimes comprising whole companies of cavalry in the Byzantine armies. The second wave wasn’t so cooperative: their leader, Attila, had powerful ambitions and enough mounted soldiers to put his ambitions into effect. Their first successful campaigns were on the Hungarian plateau; they were marked by ferocious cavalry attacks and massive destruction that became legendary within a year, spreading terror throughout the portion of the former Empire where there were no Legions to guard the towns, bridges, and roads, where neither the Eastern nor the Western Empire was prepared to go just to protect barbarians, no matter how many Romans remained in the area. As mentioned already, the Eastern Empire had many Hunnic mercenaries in their armies, and feared an uprising within the armies’ ranks if the Byzantines should take up arms on behalf of the Christian centers in the former Roman provinces, and the Western Empire had neither sufficient troops nor funds to pay hired mercenaries to defend their few remaining outposts in that part of the world.

      As stories of the Huns reach towns in the former Roman province, more and more inhabitants decide to move out of their way, choosing either the prosperous Byzantine half of the Roman Empire, or the older Roman portion as their destination. The very fact of their moving enhanced the Huns’ reputation, so that the people who feared the Huns succeeded in frightening themselves into a state of constant terror —   and we know how unpredictable, irrational, and restless terrified people can be. Those without a specific place to go the people of the region often retreated into walled Christian establishments, which is what happens to the people of the town where Saint-Germain has been serving as the magistrate/administrator, a post left over from Roman days.

      Dispatching Roger to Constantinople to set up his mistress in comfort and safety, Saint-Germain is pretty much on his own in Apulum Inferior when it becomes apparent that it isn’t safe to remain in the town, and those who want to survive will need to move to more protected quarters higher in the mountains, since the Huns, being plains’ cavalry, are at a disadvantage among the crags and valleys of the Carpathians. Fighting in those mountains compelled the Huns to change their assault tactics, and led in time to far more efficient assaults on fortified installations.

      Three other towns are emptying of people who are now also en route to the same safe haven in the southern part of the Carpathian Mountains, and between weather and deteriorating roads and bridges, all of them are having a hard time getting there. The Monastery of Santu-Eustachios the Hermit is required to shelter Christians, but the monastery is quickly straining at the seams as the people come crowding in. The leaders of the various groups do their best to establish and maintain order but with the growing threat of Hunnic attack, this is not an easy task.

      To help him in his efforts to provide medical care, Saint-Germain takes as assistant: Nicoris is an outsider, who has been the goatherd for one of the isolated villages, and she becomes crucial to him, assisting him in all manner of procedures. Eventually he and Nicoris become intimate, although he realizes she is keeping a secret from him —   not easily done when this vampire has tasted blood. Since he would prefer she tell him what he knows, he doesn’t press her to reveal what her secret is.

      Roger, still in Constantinople, is being detained by the order of a zealous monk, and cannot return to Dacia. Apprised of these complications, Olivia, in Aquileia, the jewel of the northern Adriatic Sea, sends Niklos Aulirios with supplies to find Saint-Germain and help him.

      After two Hunnic raiding parties try to raid the monastery, it becomes obvious that the place cannot continue to stand against the Huns, and plans are made to get as many people away safely, in spite of hazards, including spies who, in exchange for promised rewards, manage to get messages to Attila that speeds the evacuations.

      Thematically, this story has to do with the cultural unraveling of the Western Roman Empire, and the terrorism practiced by the Huns under Attila. It is a period in history that’s often glossed over in survey courses, which is too bad, since it is rich culturally and in terms of how the Roman Empire came undone and the foundations for modern-day Europe took form in its rubble. Chaotic and bloody the period may be, but it explains many of the positions taken by the nations that developed over the next thousand years. It was also the time during which the Church, East and West, became intertwined with the military politics of the two branches of the divided Empire, some for sterling motives, other less so.

      Saint-Germain always has to be particularly discreet in isolated, enclosed societies, which Santu-Eustachios the Hermit certainly is, for disclosure of his true nature would expose him to serious danger. Circumspection in all things is required of him in a situation where it is hard to maintain that discretion. He has a secret that imperils him. The story also examines how Nicoris attempts to keep a secret from Saint-Germain, an entirely different proposition, no matter how much the same they may appear.

Chelsea Quinn Yarbro

See a list of Saint-Germain novels in historical order.

Now for the contest

One lucky commenter will win a copy of Burning Shadows.
Contest is open to residents of the U. S. and Canada.

To be eligible do one or more of the following:
* Name your favorite nice guy or nice gal vampire.
* Link this interview to your own site or a social network site, and be sure to let me know the URL

If your email is not associated with your ID, please put the address in your response.

Contest ends Dec. 22, 2009.

Burning Shadows Blog Tour Stops:

December 8th: Patricias Vampire Notes
December 9th: Lesa's Book Critiques
December 10th: Scifiguy.ca
December 11th: Mondo Vampire
December 14th: VampChix
December 14th: A Book Bloggers Diary
December 15th: Innsmouth Free Press
December 16th: Vampire Wire
December 17th: Vampirephile
December 17th: Vampire Books

Notes From Patricia

2009-12-08T00:55:00.001-05:00

Good News: Email subscriber thursdayb@gmail.com is the winner the for November 2009. The prize is Dracula by Bram Stoker (with a Forward by Elizabeth Kostova author of The Historian). Please send your address to paltner@gmail.com and I will send your book.

To Authors: Have you scheduled a blog or interview with PVN in 2010? If so please email me at paltner(at)gmail(dot)com
I want to be sure we're in sync about dates.
Also if you have asked for a review in the past and your book has not been reviewed, please email me. Major problems with the computer have meant a loss of priceless information, and I am trying to regroup. I do apologize for any inconvience.

Computer update: The hard drive of my MacBook Pro had to be replaced. Although I though I had been really faithful about backups, it turns out I had been negligent. So people, learn from my mistake. Back up and back up again! The laptop was in the "hospital" for 6 long painful (for me) days. I'm still playing catch up.

Thanks for your patience and understanding!

Sorry for the Interruption

2009-12-04T01:00:00.002-05:00

Dear Readers

I'm sure all of you have had computer problems at one time or another. For me it is happening right now. Since Monday my, until now, always reliable laptop has been extremely ill. It's been in the local hospital (Apple store) for 3 days. Diagnostics are still being run. It may have to be transferred to ICU (Apple repair center in CA). Still no word on that.

At the moment I am using my son's computer, but my time with it is limited, and of course I don't have access to a lot of my material.

Just wanted you to know that things are slowing down here at PVN. Hope it's only for a short time.

Thank you for your support!

Patricia

Heartfelt Award

2009-12-03T01:00:00.003-05:00

Judi from Sidhe Vicious Review has honored me with the Heartfelt Award. Thanks, Judi!

“Do you reach for a cup of cocoa or tea when you’re relaxing, seeking comfort, sharing a plate of cookies with family and friends? You know the feeling you get when you drink a yummy cup of cocoa, tea, or a hot toddy ? That is what the Heartfelt Award is all about, feeling warm inside.”

Now it is my turn to name 9 of the blogs that I find are such a pleasure to read while I relax.

1. Sharon Kay Penman
2. Sci Fi Guy
3. Scandalous Women
4. Deadline Dames
5. Ink and Paper
6. Suburban Vampire
7. Vampire Wire
8. Paranormality
9. Smexy Books

I stopped at 9 but as all of you know there are many excellent, pleasurable reading sites on the Web. For more suggestions check the PVN blog links on the side bar.

How to Catch and Keep a Vampire - Book Review

2009-12-03T00:55:00.002-05:00

How to Catch and Keep a Vampire: A Step-By-Step Guide to Loving the Bad and the Beautiful
by Diana Laurence
Sellers, 2009

[read an interview with Diane Laurence]

With tongue firmly planted in cheek the author offers " A Step-By-Step Guide to Loving the Bad and the Beautiful."

Diana calls on her own extensive experience with these sexy immortals to help us normal humans understand their peculiarities and how to deal with them. For the most part this self help book is aimed at mortal women with vampire boyfriends, but men can also benefit from the helpful advice.

Diana is encouraging, "You can meet a vampire, you can woo and win him, you can forge the kind of relationship you've dreamed of."

Of course you must be careful because some vampires are not so nice in fact they can be positively lethal! Then there are those that have a cruel streak, but perversely they can also be the sexiest. As always check your choice out with care. Admittedly that can be difficult when bedazzled by their good looks and charm.

Throughout the books there are numerous, not to be missed, FAQs about the Undead. Examples follow.

Q "You talk about 'good' vampires. I thought all vampires had lost their souls, so how does that work?"

Q "Are all vampires cold to the touch?"

Q "How do vampires get around paying taxes?"

Q "Is there any issue with blood type compatibility if you want to convert? I'm type A-positive and my vampire boy-friend is B-negative?"

So, you get the idea. This is strictly a just for fun kind of book. Something to pick up when you want to lighten your mood and maybe fantasize about blood suckers.

[The publisher sent me a copy of this book and I am very grateful]

Sharon Ashwood - Interview and Contest

2009-11-30T01:00:00.117-05:00

What a wonderful treat for today. Sharon Ashwood author of Scorched: The Dark Forgotten, (Signet, Dec. 1, 2009), has returned to PVN for an interview. She has graciously offered a copy of her new book to one lucky commenter. See contest details at the end of the interview.

Hi Sharon, and welcome to PVN!

PVN: Where does Scorched fit in the grand scheme of the Dark Forgotten series?

Sharon: Scorched is the second book. At the end of Ravenous, the heroine, Holly, discovers the Castle. In SCORCHED, we get to find out a lot about the history of the non-humans on earth, what happened to many of them, and the challenges they face. This book probably spends more time in the Castle than any of the others will, but I wanted to really explore this cornerstone of my world.

PVN: As you say, much of the action in Scorched takes place in the weird environs of The Castle. What is it like for the residents?

Sharon: The Castle is like a great big medieval dungeon that goes on forever, and most of the inmates roam around inside, forming alliances and battling over choice territory. The magic inside the Castle removes certain appetites and emotions—hunger, thirst, joy and lust—but it doesn’t remove aggression. Essentially the place is a war zone. There are guards, but their number is dwindling and they’ve gone a bit crazy over time because they’ve all been stuck there against their will for centuries. One of the big questions my characters face is what to do about the Castle. Do they try and help the people inside? How? Who is safe to let out into the human world?

PVN: I have fallen in love with Mac, that devil. Not only is he a hunk who becomes hunkier, he has the funniest lines in the story. How would you describe him?

Sharon: Mac is an ex-police detective who likes the ladies. Unfortunately, one turned him into a demon and he lost his job and pretty much his whole life. When Scorched opens, he’s come back to town and he’s trying to pull his life together.

In some ways, he’s an average guy. He likes a beer and the hockey game, loved his job as a police officer, tinkers with his Mustang and tries to pay his bills on time. He’s one of the good guys, and hates the fact the whole demon issue puts him on the bad guy list. When he finds out Constance needs help, he has to step up because he has the skills and willingness to do it. He knows it’s going to cost him a lot, but he does it anyway because there’s no one else who will.

What makes Mac an interesting hero to me is that, no matter how bad things get, he believes that he can make things better. He has serious doubts about how things are going—he’s not an idiot—but he tries to do something about the situation. Psychologically, he’s very tough, and his sense of humour is part of that.

PVN: Describe the two vampire characters - Alessandro and Constance.

Sharon: Alessandro Caravelli is the hero of Ravenous and the vampire queen’s enforcer in Fairview. If one of the non-humans step out of line, he’s on their case. The supernatural community is, on the whole, happy he’s around to keep the peace both among the non-humans and between the supernatural and human authorities. He’s been around for centuries and is an interesting mix of chivalry and modern ideas. He still has a strong sense of duty to his queen. Of course, that causes problems when he falls for a young witch and then the queen wants him to betray his love.

Constance is the heroine of Scorched. She was a farm girl Turned into a vampire in the mid-eighteenth century. The guards who run the Castle put her in prison before she could actually bite anyone, so she’s still without a lot of her powers. In order to survive, she sought the protection of Atreus, a sorcerer who lives in the Castle. Unfortunately, by the time the story opens he’s gone mad. He’s as much a danger to Constance as a protector.

My vampires are venomous. Their bite gives a very addictive sexual high, which means they make slaves out of non-vampires very easily. Interspecies romance is a definite challenge, because vampires don’t reach maximum happy potential unless they’re biting.

PVN: Book 3 Unchained comes out July of next year. Can you give a sneak peak? Will there be more to come?

Sharon: Unchained deals with Holly’s sister, Ashe, and Captain Reynard, the head of the Castle guards. It’s a very active book—lots of fights, lots of danger, lots of plot threads. It gives the reader an insight into who the guards are and why they’re there. We also get to know some of the minor characters from the first books much better.

Right now I’m working on a proposal for a fourth book. We’ll see what happens! Here’s a question for those who’ve read Ravenous. Which of my characters would you like to see as the next hero: Perry or Lore?

PVN: All of your characters are complex and unique. What stories, authors, or anything else pique your imagination?

Sharon: I read a lot of paranormal romance and urban fantasy, of course. I also read a lot of classic literature. For characterization, I love nineteenth-century authors like Balzac, Theodore Fontaine, Flaubert, Tolstoy, and Trollope. Cousin Bette was completely amazing. Those authors nailed the interrelationship between economic circumstances, ethics, and family affection. People are complete and very complicated packages. It’s impossible to capture everything about a person on paper, but I believe the author has to understand as much as possible in order to build an effective personality.

PVN: It isn't unusual to find a mixture of horror and romance in today's paranormals, but you also inject a sense of humor. Is it possible for you to write and not be funny?

Sharon: Of course I can write and not be funny—I have many documents in my workplace that prove I can be deadly dull.

It’s important to use humour when it’s appropriate. It’s also important to back off and have a serious moment when the reader needs to feel the sadness or dread of a character. I do like to keep things witty most of the time because it keeps the prose moving. You can also get a lot of serious ideas across in a joke without sounding preachy.

Plus, it would be dreadful to have my characters taking themselves too seriously. I always preferred the unapologetic Spike model to the Angel broody model. If a guy hasn’t got over the fangs in the first hundred years, dump his black leather backside.

PVN: As a writer what method do you use to keep track of the various plot lines?

Sharon: I pin a great big piece of newsprint to the wall, divide it into squares, and write in the action with coloured markers. That way I can see at a glance what’s going on. I’ve started to use a writing program called yWriter (it’s free software and very nifty), but I still need to do the brainstorming manually.

PVN: What did you have to do to get your first novel published? Any horror stories?

Sharon: I got noticed by my wonderful editor through a contest. I think the biggest “horror” for me was how unprepared I was for the business side of being an author. I had this huge moment of DUH! Then I scrambled around figuring out what I was supposed to do besides write the book. I didn’t actually expect to get published, so I hadn’t planned ahead.

PVN: Any advice for beginning writers?

Sharon: Learn all of the rules about archetypes, scene and sequel, point of view, scene goals, and so on. Practice them until they’re automatic. Then realize they’re tools, not laws. When you read a book you love, study what that author is doing that works for you.

Also, read outside your genre. I think this is critical. Otherwise, the gene pool of ideas gets a bit thin. Familiarity is good, but readers do like the pleasant surprise of something unexpected. I know I do!

PVN: Where can readers find you? How can they contact you?

Sharon: At www.SharonAshwood.com. My links to Twitter, MySpace, and Facebook are there, as well as my personal blog. I also have a yahoo group where we chat about books. My newsletter link is here.

I also belong to www.SilkandShadows.com, a group blog of four terrific paranormal authors.

PVN: Thanks, Sharon. It's always a pleasure to have you visit PVN!

Now for the contest. One commenter will win a copy of Scorched

To be eligible do one or more of the following:

1. Ask Sharon a question.

2. Make up the name of a supernatural pop band, eg the Fangtastics, the Zydeco Zombies, Hairy and the Blue Moon, etc.

3. Link this interview to your own site or a social network site, and be sure to let me know the URL. If your email is not associated with your ID, please put the address in your response.

*Contest ends Dec. 7, 2009 at 11:59 PM (wherever you live).

This contest is INTERNATIONAL.

Scorched - Video Trailer

2009-11-30T00:55:00.003-05:00

Watch a video trailer for Sharon Ashwood's Scorched: The Dark Forgotten.

Upcoming Event - Interview and Contest with Author Sharon Ashwood

2009-11-27T01:00:00.003-05:00

On Monday November 30, to celebrate the publication of Scorched (December 1, 2009) her latest entry in the Dark Forgotten series, Sharon Ashwood will visit PVN for an interview. Anyone who comments will have a chance to win a copy of her latest novel.

I was lucky enough to read an ARC of Scorched and can honestly say I loved it and look forward to book 3, Unchained, which comes out July, 2010. Sharon is a born storyteller!

Read the March 2009 interview with Sharon and a review of Ravenous (Signet, February 2009).

Midnight Guardian - Vampire Book Review

2009-11-23T01:00:00.000-05:00

The Midnight Guardian: A Millennial Novel
by Sarah Jane Stratford
St. Martin's Press (October 13, 2009)

[Read an interview with the author]

The story is told from the viewpoint of the vampires who live in their own complex society. They recognize what they are - predators with humans as their source of food. History has shown that human warfare brings harm to vampires as well. Too much mortal carnage can cause famine amongst the undead, even leading to vampire killing vampire.

In Germany Hitler has seized power and another European war is brewing. Besides dreading the devastation human conflict can bring, Vampires have a deep hatred for Hitler and his minions. They are viewed as monsters whose main agenda is to rid the world of undesirables - Jews, communists, homosexuals, Roma, the mentally handicapped, and vampires. Nazis know the undead exist and have trained a group called Nachtspeere - Night Speers - who know the techniques needed to destroy the them.

The Millennial vampires (those who have survived at least 1,000 years) of England launch a plan to stop the Nazis before they can overpower the Continent. The blond, beautiful Brigit and three other millennials arrive in Germany in 1938 ready to stop the Nazis from their evil quest to conquer Europe and impose their warped beliefs on a vulnerable world. They are to infiltrate the government, become close to those in high places, learn their plans and sabotage them.

In another time line it is 1940 Brigit is on the Berlin-Basel train. Although a powerful vampire she is vulnerable and must move carefully and never let down her guard in front of those who might sense what she is. Her only mental safe harbor comes with thoughts of her lover Eamon who waits for her in London.

When the story focuses on Brigit and the others in Germany the pace never slackens. You feel their fear when being stalked, the nervousness when infiltrating the enemy ranks, and the exhilaration when destroying the enemy in the horrible way only an infuriated vampire can do. An important subplot is the romance between Brigit and Eamon. Brigit and her lover have a deep connection that goes beyond what most couples - mortal or immortal - could ever imagine. Although their history is engrossing it does not have the same riveting intensity of the main story.

Midnight Guardian with its mixture of intrigue, romance, and well wrought characters kept my attention from beginning to end, and I look forward to the sequel.

[Dear FTC, The publisher was kind enough to send me an ARC of this novel. I'm really glad they did.]

September Vampire Book Releases

2009-11-23T00:55:00.000-05:00

Below are listed the titles of vampire books published in Sept, 2009 as well as a few I missed in August. Also be sure to check out the SciFiGuy.ca posting of Urban Fantasy, Paranormal and SF/F titles.

A version of this listed was posted on Vampchix

Must Love Hellhounds
by Ilona Andrews, Charlaine Harris, Nalini Singh, Meljean Brook
Berkley Trade (September 1, 2009)

In these hound-eat-hound worlds, anything goes... and everything bites.
Follow paranormal bodyguards Clovache and Batanya into Lucifer's realm, where they encounter his fearsome four-legged pets, in Charlaine Harris's The Britlingens Go to Hell. Seek out a traitor in the midst of a guild of non-lethal vampire trackers, one that intends to eradicate the entire species of bloodsuckers, in Nalini Singh's Angels' Judgment. Find out why the giant three-headed dog that guards the gates of Hades has left the underworld for the real world-and whose scent he's following in Ilona Andrews's Magic Mourns. Embark on a perilous search for the kidnapped niece of a powerful vampire alongside her blind- and damn sexy-companion and a hellhound in Meljean Brook's Blind Spot.

Hot for the Holidays
by Lora Leigh, Angela Knight, Anya Bast
Allyson James
Jove (September 29, 2009)

Featuring four all-new novellas of sensual surprises and seasonal spirits, this collection includes a new tale of the Breeds from Lora Leigh and a return to the world of the Mageverse from Angela Knight.

The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance 2
by Trisha Telep (Editor)
Running Press (September 22, 2009)

This exciting follow-up to the wildly successful Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance contains 30 short stories of hot blood, midnight pleasures, and inhuman passions. Containing the best names in the field, such as Eileen Wilks, Caitlin Kittredge, Jennifer Ashley, Dawn Cook, and Diane Whiteside, this compilation is sure to arouse attention.

Vampires: Dracula And The Undead Legions
by L. A. Banks, Elaine Bergstrom, P.N. Elrod, C. J. Henderson, Nancy Kilpatrick, Paul Kupperberg, Bill Messner-Loebs, Martin Powell, J. C. Vaughn, Dan Wickline, Ken Wolak
Moonstone (September 30, 2009)

Dracula! Vampires! The blood runs red under the moon! In late summer of 2009, Moonstone follows up its fang-favorite monster anthology, Werewolves: Dead Moon Rising, with this second installment in the Moonstone Monsters series, this time focusing on those enigmatic creatures of the night, Vampires! Two extra-sized special Dracula stories serve to open and close this collection of ten all-new vampire tales by some of the industry's favorite horror writers. Vampire stories are timeless and continue to dominate horror-fiction in books, as well as the big screen and television. L.A. Banks, P.N. Elrod, and Elaine Bergstrom are all celebrated for the runs of popular Vampire novels, Martin Powell demonstrates his intimate familiarity with the mythos of Count Dracula... these and other stories contained in this gruesome horror anthology are sure to appeal to an audience that can't get enough of these ages-old bloodsuckers!

Immortal Sins by
Amanda Ashley
Zebra (September 29, 2009)

Three centuries ago, vampire Jason Rourke succumbed to temptation with a wizard's lovely daughter - and that brief taste of pleasure earned him a powerful curse. Trapped within a painting, unable to quench the hellish thirst that torments him, Jason has given up hope of escape until Karinna Adams purchases the painting and unwittingly frees him. At first, Jason plans only to enlist Kari's help in navigating this strange new world so he can find and punish the wizard who entrapped him. But Kari's enticing sensuality and innocence incite a growing need in Jason to touch and taste her, to possess her utterly. For the gulf between them - and the danger that awaits - is nothing compared to a potent, primal hunger that will last for all eternity...

My Wicked Vampire
by Nina Bangs
Leisure Books (September 29, 2009)

The Castle of Dark Dreams is just part of an adult theme park, right? The most decadent attraction in a place where people go to play out their wildest erotic fantasies. Holgarth isn’t really a wacky wizard, and Sparkle Stardust doesn’t actually create cosmic chaos by hooking up completely mismatched couples. And that naked guy chained up in the dungeon? No way he’s a vampire.

Wrong...dead wrong, as botanist Cinn Airmid is about to find out. It’s up to her to save the night feeder’s sanity, but to do that she’ll have to get close to the most dangerously sexy male she’s ever encountered. And one look in Dacian’s haunted black eyes tells her close will take on a whole new meaning with someone who’s had 600 years to practice his technique. Even a girl with a name that conjures up images of forbidden pleasure has a few tricks to learn from…

Cursed to Death (Crimson Moon, Book 4)
by L. A. Banks
St. Martin's Paperbacks (September 29, 2009)

Secret government operative Sasha Trudeau arrives at the scene of a murder, only to discover that a Fae creature has been killed—in a whole new kind of way. What is the meaning behind this mysterious ritualistic killing? What did the victim do to deserve it? Sasha fears that the Vampires and Unseelies have formed an unholy alliance…and they’re ready to unleash their darkest arsenal of magick yet.
Teaming up with her mate and fellow Shadow Wolf, Max Hunter, Sasha tries to penetrate the paranormal community for clues. Meanwhile, members of the Wolf Clan are turning against one another as they race to uncover the meaning behind an ancient Unseelie curse. Even Sasha is not immune to this powerful magick, and soon finds herself drawn to a sensual, dangerous dance—one that could cost her own life…

Damned by Blood
by Evie Byrne (Author)
Book Three of the Faustin Brothers Trilogy
Samhain Publishing (September 22, 2009)

Power play-or duel to the death.

Mikhail Faustin is the prince of New York. His authority is absolute, his power unquestioned-and his heart is empty. The pain he carries inside leaves him with nothing to offer a mate. When he discovers that Alya Adad is not only his destined bride but also the source of his misery, his fate is sealed. He must claim the woman he despises most. Or die trying.

Alya Adad is the most powerful of her kind born in generations and a prince in her own right. She-s accountable to no man, certainly not to her first lover, Mikhail. Now he has the gall to not only invade her territory, but threaten to take her by force-for a prophecy she doesn-t believe in? She-ll kill him first.

Their battle for the upper hand is no-holds-barred-until she discovers the one thing his pride didn-t want her to know. That she still holds the key to his heart-and his innermost desires. And when a rival vampire clan strikes, letting her guard down is the only way to save him.
Warning: Contains explicit sex and violence, including violence between the hero and heroine. The sexual content includes but is not limited to bondage, blood play, and some rather creative uses for cling wrap. The author and her attorneys caution readers that the use of a taser to resolve relationship issues is a strategy best left in the realm of fiction.

Soulless (The Parasol Protectorate)
by Gail Carriger
Orbit (September 29, 2009)

Alexia Tarabotti is laboring under a great many social tribulations. First, she has no soul. Second, she's a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, breaking all standards of social etiquette.

Where to go from there? From bad to worse apparently, for Alexia accidentally kills the vampire -- and then the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate.

With unexpected vampires appearing and expected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia responsible. Can she figure out what is actually happening to London's high society? Will her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers prove useful or just plain embarrassing? Finally, who is the real enemy, and do they have treacle tart?

SOULLESS is a comedy of manners set in Victorian London: full of werewolves, vampires, dirigibles, and tea-drinking

The Vampire Book (Dk)
DK Publishing (September 21, 2009)
Ages 9-12

This book helps you get your teeth into all things vampire. Does your child love vampires? Then bring them face to fang with these evil beings. From how to kill a vampire, to famous profiles including Vlad the Impaler, they'll find out everything they ever wanted to know about the world's most evil bloodsuckers. This book is packed with tons of creepy vampire facts and chilling illustrations - no vampire-lover should be without one.

Dawnbreaker (Dark Days, Book 3)
by Jocelynn Drake
Eos (September 29, 2009)

Those of her race fear Mira for the lethal fire she bends to her will -- a power unique among nightwalkers, both a gift ... and a curse.
The naturi despise Mira for what she is -- as they prepare the final sacrifice that will destroy the barriers between the worlds. And once the naturi are unchained, blood, chaos, and horror will reign supreme on Earth.

Mira can trust only Danaus, the more-than-mortal vampire slayer, though he is sworn to destroy her kind. And now, as the day approaches when titanic forces will duel under cover of darkness, destiny draws them toward an apocalyptic confrontation at Machu Picchu. But all is not lost, for a wild card has been dealt to them: a rogue enemy princess who can change the balance of power and turn the dread tide.

Dark Road Rising (Vampire Files)
by P. N. Elrod
Ace (Sep 1, 2009)

Vampire P.I. Jack Fleming is playing babysitter to Gabriel "Whitey" Kroun, a dangerously unstable mobster-and newly-created vampire-with deadly secrets to hide.

As Jack tries to unravel the mystery surrounding Kroun's undead state, he gets caught between his charge's violent outbursts and some syndicate torpedoes looking to rub them both out, leaving him vulnerable to an even deadlier threat- the return of an old enemy desperate to unlock the secrets of Jack's vampire immortality.

Vampire a Go-Go: A Novel
by Victor Gischle
Touchstone (September 1, 2009)

Victor Gischler is a master of the class-act literary spoof, and his work has drawn comparison to that of Douglas Adams, Kurt Vonnegut, and Thomas Pynchon. Now, Gischler turns his attention to werewolves, alchemists, ghosts, witches, and gun-toting Jesuit priests in Vampire a Go-Go, a hilarious romp of spooky, Gothic entertainment. Narrated by a ghost whose spirit is chained to a mysterious castle in Prague, Gischler's latest is full of twists and surprises that will have readers screaming -- and laughing -- for more.

V is for . . . Vampire: A Vampire Island Story
by Adele Griffin
Putnam Juvenile (September 3, 2009)

Lexie might be the first vampire ever to run for ninth-grade class president, but she’s determined to make dreamy Dylan notice her, even if it means running against perfect, popular Mina. And things would be going pretty well, if it weren’t for those annoying pixie houseguests! Blix and Mitzi are wreaking backwards-speaking, house-pinkifying havoc, and now they want Lexie to run a smear campaign against Mina. But how will all this dirty campaigning affect Lexie, when she’s trying to shed her evil vampire nature and become human?

Release
by Nicole Hadaway
Vamplit Publishing (Sept. 1, 2009)
available only from ebookundead.com

“Forever.”
That’s the response Ben Gongliewski receives, when he asks Miranda Dandridge how long she’s been a vampire. He doesn’t expect the word “forever” in her reply, but then again, Ben never imagined meeting vampires, let alone demons and werewolves, during his time in the Polish Resistance during World War II. Far from being horrified, Ben discovers that Miranda and her friends have very useful … talents … especially when it comes to saving children from concentration camps. After all, in these desperate times, while the line between good and evil is clear, the one between heroes and monsters is very, very blurred.

The last thing Miranda wants at this point in her immortal life is a human lover, but as she and Ben perform rescue after daring rescue, she can’t help but be drawn to his passion to save his fellow Jews. As the War draws to a close Miranda must choose her love for Ben or her duty to her race. Ben is blindsided by a betrayal that no one sees coming, which leads to a danger where all hell is about to break loose … literally.

Moon Kissed (Silhouette Nocturne)
by Michele Hauf
Silhouette (September 1, 2009)

Escaping from bloodthirsty vampires, Belladonna Reynolds ran straight into the arms of a werewolf. As a man Severo drew her in with his dark good looks; as a beast he astounded her with his insatiable sensual appetite. Whether afraid or aroused, Bella fled to his lair when threatened by an evil monster of the night… Severo tried to keep Bella—his mate—safe from the vampiress who held a malicious desire for revenge against him, but he alone wasn't enough. Now Bella had taken the form of his most cursed enemy. How could he desire the very thing he'd spent his life destroying? And even if he did, what would the werewolf do to Bella on the next full moon?

Also check out Michele's "After The Kiss", available from Nocturne Bites for a followup on Moon Kissed.

To Meet With Darkness
by Boyd Hurtado
Publisher: LuluPublish Date: September 4, 2009

This is the first in a series.

Kell's Legend (Clockwork Vampire)
by Andy Remic
Angry Robot (September 3, 2009)

They came from the north, and the city fell. It is a time for warriors, a time for heroes. Kell's axe howls out for blood. The land of Falanor has been invaded by an albino army, the Army of Iron. A small group set off to warn the king: Kell, a magnificent and brutal hero; his granddaughter, Nienna and her friend, Katrina; and Saark, the ex-Sword Champion of King Leanoric, disgraced after his affair with the Queen. Fighting their way south, betrayal follows battle, battle follows deviation, and they are attacked from all quarters by deadly warriors, monstrous harvesters who drain blood from their victims to feed their masters. As Falanor comes under heavy attack and invasion, only then does Nienna begin to learn the truth about grandfather Kell -- that he is anything but a hero. Ferocious fantasy from a real-life hardman come to claim the post-Gemmell world

Count Dracula: Welcome to Transylvania, Home of Vampires
by Eddie Robson and Nicola L. Robinson
Carlton Books
Ages 9-12

Vampires never die—and Dracula is back in an exciting new format that allows children to experience this spine-tingling tale as never before!

This illustrated retelling includes all the highlights of Stoker’s chilling novel: Jonathan Harker’s first, near-deadly meeting with the count; poor Lucy’s death at Dracula’s hands; and the thrilling, nail-biting chase across Romania as Harker and Dr. Van Helsing attempt to destroy the vampire…once and for all.

As they read, children will enjoy an interactive experience, including an exploding pop-up, a pull-out guide to Transylvania, and a removable map of Dracula’s castle; pull tabs; a board game, and sidebars on how to spot, capture, and kill a vampire.

Nicola L. Robinson’s evocative art fully captures the story’s dark and gothic atmosphere

The Renegade Hunter: A Rogue Hunter Novel
by Lynsay Sands
Avon (September 29, 2009)

The Argeneau family has a secret . . . one of their own is a rogue vampire! Nicholas Argeneau was once a successful hunter who went after rogue vampires who broke the immortal law. Except no one has mentioned his name in the last fifty years, not since he turned into a rogue himself. But once a hunter, always a hunter. When Nicholas sees a bloodthirsty sucker terrifying a woman, it's second nature for him to come to her rescue. He had no idea he would also want to kiss her senseless . . .
One minute Josephine Willan is taking in a breath of fresh air, and the next sharp fangs are heading straight for her neck! Luckily, a gorgeous stranger saves her life . . . and gets locked up for his troubles. Can a man who kisses so lovingly and passionately really have committed the crime he's accused of? Jo isn't so sure . . . and she's determined to prove that this renegade hunter is worth fighting for.

Vampire Kisses: Blood Relatives, Volume III
by Ellen Schreiber, Elisa Kwon, and Rem
Katherine Tegen Books (September 29, 2009)
Young Adult

About the author: Ellen Schreiber was an actress and a stand-up comedienne before becoming a writer and moving to her own Dullsville. She is the author of Teenage Mermaid, Comedy Girl, and all of the books in the Vampire Kisses series. Vampire Kisses is an ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers, a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age, and an IRA/CBC Young Adults' Choice.

Intertwined (Harlequin Teen)
by Gena Showalter
Harlequin (September 1, 2009)

Most sixteen-year-olds have friends. Aden Stone has four human souls living inside him:

One can time-travel. One can raise the dead. One can tell the future. And one can possess another human.

With no other family and a life spent in and out of institutions, Aden and the souls have become friends. But now they're causing him all kinds of trouble. Like, he'll blink and suddenly he's a younger Aden, reliving the past. One wrong move, and he'll change the future. Or he'll walk past a total stranger and know how and when she's going to die.

He's so over it. All he wants is peace.

And then he meets a girl who quiets the voices. Well, as long as he's near her. Why? Mary Ann Gray is his total opposite. He's a loner; she has friends. He doesn't care what anyone thinks; she tries to make everyone happy. And while he attracts the paranormal, she repels it. For her sake, he should stay away. But it's too late....

Somehow, they share an inexplicable bond of friendship. A bond about to be tested by a werewolf shape-shifter who wants Mary Ann for his own, and a vampire princess Aden can't resist.

Two romances, both forbidden. Still, the four will enter a dark underworld of intrigue and danger but not everyone will come out alive....

Squires, Susan
Time For Eternity
St. Martin's Paperbacks (September 1, 2009)

Once, Frankie Suchet loved Henri Foucault—and it cost her everything. For two centuries, she has cursed the French duke who gave her his blood and then disappeared forever. Today, this sexy vampire is a bartender living in San Francisco. Now Frankie has been granted a chance to go back in time…and kill the man who made her what she is. But becoming “Francoise” again means losing all memory of the risk Henri poses to her future…and her heart.
France, 1794. The Reign of Terror is in full swing. From the first, Henri is an enigma, saving Francoise from an angry Parisian mob. Drawn to his seductive vitality, Francoise discovers there is much more to him than she once knew. Henri’s devotion to rescuing innocents from the guillotine is his sole passion—until he encounters Francoise’s intoxicating blend of innocence and warmth. And as their attraction explodes to dangerous desire, the only way to save each other may be to sacrifice their timeless love…

Retribution (Anna Strong Vampire Chronicles, Book 5)
by Jeanne C. Stein
Ace, September, 2009

With her partner out of town, her family abroad, and her mentor estranged, newly-turned vampire Anna Strong is keeping a low profile.

But now young vampires are turning up dead, completely drained of their life force. And though Anna wants to say no when Williams, her former teacher and now leader of a supernatural enforcement squad, asks for her help, she can't. But soon, she'll wish she did.

Bite Marks: A Vampire Testament
by Terence Taylor
St. Martin's Griffin (September 15, 2009)

A teenage runaway is killed by a sadistic vampire with the pathology of a serial killer, who has stalked her family for over a decade. Brought back to life to feed on her child, she’s killed again -- but not before reviving her first victim, her firstborn. The undead infant escapes, triggering a citywide search for a vampire baby whose existence threatens to expose the entire vampire society.
And they will stop at nothing to make sure that doesn’t happen.
In the downtown art world/club scene of New York City, Steven and Lori, an artist and a writer, are in the middle of a bad break up. Instead of being able to simply move on, they are stuck with each other, bound by a contract to do a book on vampires. When they stumble across the real thing, will their feelings for each other intensify as they're reunited to battle monsters they scarcely believe exist?

Night Runner: A Novel
by Max Turner
St. Martin's Griffin (September 1, 2009)
Young Adult

For Zack Thomson, living in the Nicholls Ward isn't so bad. After his parents died, he developed strange and severe allergies, and the mental institution was the only place where he could be properly looked after. As strange as it was, it was home. He could watch as much television as he wanted; his best friend Charlie visited him often enough; and Nurse Ophelia--the prettiest no-nonsense nurse ever--sometimes took him bowling. Of course, that didn't mean he had it easy. His allergies restricted his diet to strawberry smoothies, and being the only kid at the hospital could get lonely. But it never once crossed Zack's mind to leave...until the night someone crashed through the front doors and told him to run. Now he's on a race for answers--about his past, his parents, and his strange sickness--even as every step takes him closer to the darkest of truths.

The Space Vampires
by Colin Wilson
Monkfish Book Publishing (September 1, 2009)

Far out in the asteroid belt, an alien spaceship of colossal dimensions is discovered. Initial investigations of its vast, gothic interior reveal a number of humanoids preserved in a state of suspended animation. At last, there is real proof that intelligent life does exist in other galaxies. But when three of the beings are brought back to Earth, disaster strikes. The humanoids are discovered to be vampires, preying on people's life-fields and sucking the body's energy with a kiss of death. Suddenly one of the vampires-a female of extraordinary beauty and sexual allure-escapes. The desperate hunt to track it down soon develops into a psychic struggle for the survival of the human race.

Reprint of a classic. It was even made into a movie. Originally published in 1976.

Werewolf, Ghost, and Vampire Jokes You Can Sink Your Teeth Into
by Diane Woo
Tor Books (September 30, 2009)

A zany compendium of ghoulish Halloween humor presents jokes, puns, and riddles about ghosts, mummies, vampires, werewolves, skeletons, and other spooky denizens of the dark. Original.

Below are titles that were not listed with August releases.

Gideon Redoak
by Ann Fraser
By Light Unseen Media, August 15, 2009

England during the reign of Charles I was an unfortunate time to be different.
In 1641, Baron Gideon Redoak takes on adult responsibilities at the age of nineteen, following his father's murder. As he struggles with his duties as a peer and the new head of his family, the countryside around his estate is terrorized by mysterious deaths. Gideon welcomes an offer of assistance from a charismatic stranger, Etienne Corbeau. Corbeau has more than one hidden agenda. He recognizes Gideon's confused feelings toward other young men for what they are. But Corbeau also has far more sinister objectives when he seduces young Gideon and then kills him. Gideon is not destined to rest in peace. He awakens as a vampire, and the agony of his death is merely the beginning of the hell on earth that Corbeau plans for him.
Gideon eventually escapes Corbeau, and only then does he learn the breadth and variety of the shadowy supernatural underworld to which he now belongs.

How to Catch and Keep a Vampire: A Step-By-Step Guide to Loving the Bad and the Beautiful by Diana Laurence
Sellers Publishing Inc. (August, 2009)

From the publisher: Who needs a book on dating a vampire? Well, Bella Swan and Sookie Stackhouse to name just two. They are fortunate to have vampire boyfriends. But what the heroines of Twilight and True Blood don't have and could use is some advice on getting along with them. Everything they and every other red-blooded American girl (and guy) wants to know about finding a dreamy blood-drinker and keeping him is within How to Catch and Keep a Vampire: A Step-by-Step Guide to Loving The Bad and the Beautiful.

And who better to introduce mortal readers to the world of dating a 21st century vampire than a few mouth-watering immortals? The cast includes: Ethan, with his aquamarine eyes and supernaturally seductive piano playing. Mordred, classically cruel, dark, and handsome, with a thing for black leather gloves. His entrancingly cute carrot-topped friend Adam, as sweet as Mordred is scary. Gunnar, with his rich, golden hair, and dastardly but delightful knack for getting his way. The experienced and fascinating Colin, with his exquisite latte-colored skin and exotic beauty. The eccentric but gorgeous Aidan, purveyor of ancient magic. And enigmatic Conner, with his deep, dark eyes and protective soul.

These undead charmers will win the hearts and minds of readers everywhere, and author Diana Laurence will be their expert guide.

Boys of the Bite
by Cecilia Tan
Ravenous Romance (August 4, 2009)

Vampires are ever young, ever beautiful, and ruled by the cravings of the flesh. In Boys of the Bite, the gay male side of the vampire's legend is explored in every erotic possibility. From historical settings where vampires move through high society to modern vamps you find at the all-night laundromat, these lusty men know how to hunt, whether for love or just a midnight snack.

Mixing stories by gay male authors like R. R. Angell and Bob Panadero with some of Ravenous Romance's stars of m/m romance like Keta Diablo and Ryan Field, Boys of the Bite gives every reader plenty to get his or her blood pumping.

“Mortal Compass”
by Ann Cory
Samhain Publishing August 4, 2009

There’s always a choice…even if the options are deadly.

Rook Vasser hunts with the fate of his vampire clan riding on his shoulders. Without the clan’s stolen moonstone, an all-out war and his leader’s death are inevitable. Acting on a tip, he heads deep into the Blood Mountains, confident the stone is within his grasp. He doesn’t expect to find it hanging around the neck of a beautiful mortal—or that it will be nearly impossible to get it away from her.

Love’s Eternal Bite
by Dahlia Rose
Sugar and Spice Press (August 22, 2009)

More information can be found at Fang-tastic Books. Thanks, Roxanne

Dark Stranger - Blog Tour and Contest

2009-11-19T01:00:00.061-05:00

Dark Stranger
[a vampire novel of the Primes series]
by Susan Sizemore
Pocket Star (October 27, 2009)

Thanks to Pocket Books 2 US readers have a chance to win a copy of Dark Stranger. [Sorry, no PO Boxes]

New York Times bestselling author Susan Sizemore presents an exciting twist on her popular Primes series: the novel read by the one and only Vampire Book Club! Share the thrills as you discover a hidden world where passions and fear run high, and a vampire General and an Empire princess together find illicit, unquenchable desire....

A twist of fate made Zoe Pappas heir to the Byzant throne. Bound by duty and devotion to keep the Empire safe, Zoe is captured while on a secret diplomatic mission and sent to an underground prisoner-of-war camp. In this strange, shadowy place, residents are governed by fellow inmate General Matthias "Doc" Raven, whose powerful magnetism rouses an urgent desire in Zoe. But the intensity of her attraction is matched by her surprise at discovering that Doc has a secret of his own: he is a vampire.
Zoe's presence puts everyone in the camp in danger. Doc knows it, and knows too that Zoe's royal status makes it impossible for her to bond with a vampire. The only way to save her is to help her escape, and lose her forever. But some fires are impossible to quench, even when following your heart is the ultimate taboo....

Contest

To be eligible do one or more of the following:

*Leave a comment: What do you think about the cover of Dark Stranger?

* Link this contest to your own site or a social network site, and be sure to let me know the URL

*Contest ends Dec. 10, 2009 at 11:59 PM Hawaii Time.

If your email is not associated with your ID, please put the address in your response.

Publisher says this contest is open to US residents only and sorry, no PO Boxes.

Witch Heart - Review

2009-11-14T01:00:00.007-05:00

Witch Heart (Elemental Witches Book 3)
Anya Bast
Berkley (Sensation), January 2009

From the publisher: With the immense powers of an earth witch, Claire isn't destined to be a demon's handmaiden. Yet this has been her fate since she was six, when her warlock mother brought her to Eudae. Now as an adult, she's about to discover her true power—and how far others are willing to go to take it away...

As part of a mission with the Coven, Adam Tyrell rescues Claire from her enslavement—and finds himself immediately taken with the beautiful witch. But this charming playboy soon learns that it's easier to steal Claire from demons than win her heart, for her life as a servant has ravaged her spirit. But with Adam determined to protect her from the warlocks who want to harness her magick for evil, Claire's resistance starts to give way—and they find themselves in the heat of danger, surrendering to the lure of their deepest desires...

Read an Excerpt

From PVN: This is how the story begins: "Twenty-three years as the Handmaiden of a daaeman had prepared Claire for many things, but not this. Nothing could have prepared her for this.

"She huddled back against a brick wall, the cold seeping through her thin dress, and watched the inky shadows grow on the building opposite her. Discarded paper disturbed by the wind rustled/over the pavement and a sudden bloom of voices and laughter came from the mouth of the alley and gradually faded away.

"Still the shadows grew..."

Right from the start the fear is palpable. Claire is on the run for her life. Her pursuers, the Atrika, most malevelant of all daaemon, want the powerful magic she carries and will stop at nothing until they have it. The coven of Elemental witches stand ready to help Claire, but their combined magic has little effect against the Atrika.

One of the witches is the handsome, playboy Adam. He and Claire have a strong attraction for one another which they at first try to ignore. Although they usually find the time and inclination for ardent love making they must always be mindful of the relentless Atrika.

Anya Bast has created a vivid combination of sizzling, sexual passion and pulse pounding adventure!

This is Book 3 in the Elemental Witch series, and the only one I have read so far. I enjoyed the story tremendously, but would probably have had a better understanding of the complex world Bast created if I had read Books 1 and 2 first. That problem will soon be remedied. A dear friend is sending me copies. Then I'll be ready for Book 4.

Elemental Witches

Witch Fire (Elemental Witches, Book 1)

Witch Blood (Elemental Witches, Book 2)

Witch Heart (Elemental Witches, Book 3)

Witch Fury (Elemental Witches, Book 4)

[Dear FTC, I won this book in a contest]

One Lovely Blog Award

2009-11-14T00:55:00.002-05:00

Tara from 25 Hour Books has kindly given the One Lovely Blog award to Patricia's Vampire Notes. Thank you, Tara, for thinking of me! Now I have the honor of naming fifteen blogs I have recently discovered and liked.

All are maintained by book-lovers!

Teens Read and Write

Complete and Utter Poppycock

Good Girls Bad Juju

Preternatural Reviews

Anna's Book Blog

The Book Butterfly

Tales of the Ravenous Reader

All Things Urban Fantasy

Cherry Mischievous

Wendy's Minding Spot

Walker of Worlds

Magical Words

OCD, Vampires, and Rants, oh my!

I Hope I Didn't Just Give Away the Ending

In Bed With Books

The Paperback Stash

Please take the time to check out these awesome blogs! Lots of fun stuff here.

Bitter Night - Blog Tour and Contest

2009-11-10T13:00:00.004-05:00

Bitter Night: A Horngate Witches Book
Diana P. Francis
Pocket, Oct. 27, 2009

Contest has ended. Congratulations to Dot S., Shawna L and walkermisc. Please send your mailing address to patricialtner@gmail.com

Bitter Night is the first in a dark, glittering new urban fantasy series about a headstrong woman who is enslaved to a witch as her finest warrior and who must embrace her enslavement if she is to save humanity.

SOMETIMES YOU CHOOSE YOUR BATTLES. AND SOMETIMES, THEY CHOOSE YOU...

Once, Max dreamed of a career, a home, a loving family. Now all she wants is freedom...and revenge. A witch named Giselle transformed Max into a warrior with extraordinary strength, speed, and endurance. Bound by spellcraft, Max has no choice but to fight as Giselle's personal magic weapon -- a Shadowblade -- and she's lethally good at it. But her skills are about to be put to the test as they never have before....

The ancient Guardians of the earth are preparing to unleash widespread destruction on the mortal world, and they want the witches to help them. If the witches refuse, their covens will be destroyed, including Horngate, the place Max has grudgingly come to think of as home. Max thinks she can find a way to help Horngate stand against the Guardians, but doing so will mean forging dangerous alliances -- including one with a rival witch's Shadowblade, who is as drawn to Max as she is to him -- and standing with the witch she despises. Max will have to choose between the old life she still dreams of and the warrior she has become, and take her place on the side of right -- if she survives long enough to figure out which side that is....

Read an excerpt

This is the first book in the Horngate Witches series, Bitter Night, was released October 27, 2009.

Thanks to Pocket Books two US residents (no P.O. Boxes, please) have a chance to win a copy of Bitter Night.

If you live outside the US let me know in your comment. I have a copy of Bitter Nights that I will send to an international entrant in a separate drawing.

Contest:

To be eligible do one or more of the following:

* Answer this question: If you were a witch what would be the first spell you would cast?

* Link this contest to your own site or a social network site, and be sure to let me know the URL. If your email is not associated with your ID, please put the address in your response.

Contest ends November 24, 2009 at 11:59 Hawaii Time

Contest has ended. Congratulations to Dot S., Shawna L and walkermisc

Please send your mailing address to patricialtner@gmail.com

August Vampire Book Releases

2009-11-10T12:50:00.001-05:00

Below are listed the titles of vampire books published in August, 2009. If any titles have been left out please let me know and I will update this post. Also be sure to check out the SciFiGuy.ca posting of Urban Fantasy and Paranormal titles. [This list originally appeared on VampChix]

By Blood We Live
by John Joseph Adams (Editor),
Stephen King , Kelley Armstrong, L. A. Banks, Neil Gaiman, Sergei Lukyanenko, Harry Turtledove, Anne Rice, Joe Hill, Tanith Lee
Night Shade Books (August 15, 2009)

Vampires. They are the most elegant of monsters--ancient, seductive, doomed, deadly. They lurk in the shadows, at your window, in your dreams. They are beautiful as anything you ve ever seen, but their flesh is cold as the grave, and their lips taste of blood. From Dracula to Twilight, from Buffy the Vampire Slayer to True Blood, many have fallen under their spell. Now acclaimed editor John Joseph Adams brings you 33 of the most haunting vampire stories of the past three decades, from some of today s most renowned authors of fantasy, science fiction, and horror.

Charming gentlemen with the manners of a prior age. Savage killing machines who surge screaming from hidden vaults. Cute little girls frozen forever in slender bodies. Long-buried loved ones who scratch at the door, begging to be let in. Nowhere is safe, not mist-shrouded Transylvania or the Italian Riviera or even a sleepy town in Maine. This is a hidden world, an eternal world, where nothing is forbidden...as long as you re willing to pay the price.

Mercy Thompson Homecoming
by Patricia Briggs(Author), Francis Tsai (Illustrator), Amelia Woo (Illustrator)
Del Rey/Dabel Brothers (August 25, 2009)

Mercy Thompson is a walker, a magical being with the power to transform into a coyote. She lives on the fine line dividing the everyday world from a darker dimension, observing the supernatural community while standing apart.

When Mercy travels to the Tri-Cities of Washington for a job interview, she quickly finds herself smack-dab in the middle of a gang war between rival packs of werewolves. And as if fangs and fur weren’t bad enough, Mercy must deal with the scariest creature of all: her mother, who is convinced that Mercy is making a mess of her life and determined to set her daughter on the right course.
(Although I have not seen this graphic novel, there are important vampire characters in the series.)

Scream Street: Fang of the Vampire
by Tommy Donbavand
Ages 9-12
Candlewick (August 25, 2009)

In Scream Street, Luke and his parents discover a nightmarish world of the undead. Luke soon makes friends with vampire Resus Negative and mummy Cleo Farr, but he remains determined to take his terrified parents home. After liberating the powerful book Tales of Scream Street from his new landlord, Otto Sneer, Luke learns that the founding fathers of the community each left behind a powerful relic. Collecting together all six is his only hope of opening a doorway out of the street, so with the help of Resus and Cleo he sets out to find the first one, the vampire’s fang. But with Otto Sneer determined to thwart him at every turn, will Luke even get past the first hurdle alive?

Bloody Right
by Georgia Evans
Kensington (August 4, 2009)

It will take all of Brytewood's Others to save their village from destruction in the climax of a Georgia Evans' supernatural trilogy...Gryffyth Pendragon has done his bit for the war effort when he comes back to sleepy Brytewood from the battlefront at Trondheim. It cost him a leg, and his chance to use his dragon's strength against the Nazis - or so he thinks. Until he finds out that his little village is facing a plague of vampire spies set on delivering it to the Third Reich. They've come up with a plan that, if they can pull it off, might break all of Britain's will to fight...But there are more allies for Gryffyth in Brytewood than he'd ever imagined, and while a doctor, a nurse, a schoolteacher, and a couple of sexagenarians doesn't sound like much of a battle force to him, there's more to his cohorts than meets the eye. Against ancient and impossibly powerful agents of evil, they will need every man, woman, and dragon-shifter they can get...

Mr. Darcy, Vampyre
by Amanda Grange
Sourcebooks Landmark (August 1, 2009)

Amanda Grange's style and wit bring readers back to Jane Austen's timeless storytelling, but always from a very unique and unusual perspective, and now Grange is back with an exciting and completely new take on Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet.
Mr. Darcy, Vampyre starts where Pride and Prejudice ends and introduces a dark family curse so perfectly that the result is a delightfully thrilling, spine-chilling, breathtaking read. A dark, poignant and visionary continuation of Austen's beloved story, this tale is full of danger, darkness and immortal love.

The Path of Razors: Vampire Babylon, Book Five
by Chris Marie Green
Ace Trade (August 4, 2009)

Mean girls come in all forms—including undead. London couldn’t be further from L.A., but stuntwoman-turned-vampire hunter Dawn Madison knows that her job hasn’t changed—find the local vampire Underground and wipe it out. She and her team have located the vamps’ lair at a private girls’ school and now they have the undead on the run. But the vicious pack is starting to realize that its greatest threat may be from within its own ranks.

Meanwhile, Dawn finds her psychic powers—and urge to hunt—growing. And as unrest rocks the Underground, Dawn begins to fall prey to her own dark desires.

Nice Girls Don't Date Dead Men (Jane Jameson, Book 2)
by Molly Harper
Pocket Star (August 25, 2009)

Once a devoted children's librarian, Jane Jameson now works at a rundown occult bookstore. Once a regular gal, she's now a vampire. And instead of a bride, she's an eternal bridesmaid -- which leads her to question where exactly her relationship with her irresistibly sexy sire, Gabriel, is headed. Mercurial, enigmatic, apparently commitment-phobic vampires are nothing if not hard to read. While Jane is trying to master undead dating, she is also donning the ugliest bridesmaid's dress in history at her best friend Zeb's Titanic-themed wedding. Between a freaked-out groom-to-be, his hostile werewolf in-laws, and Zeb's mother, hell-bent on seeing Jane walk the aisle with Zeb, Jane's got the feeling she's just rearranging the proverbial deck chairs.Meanwhile, Half Moon Hollow's own Black Widow, Jane's Grandma Ruthie, has met her match in her latest fiancé. He smells like bad cheese and has a suspicious history of dead spouses. But Jane's biting her tongue. After all, would a nice girl really think she has a future with a vampire?

Beloved Vampire
by Joey W. Hill
Berkley Trade (August 4, 2009)

Fourth in the Vampire Queen series.

Escaping the depraved servitude of a vampire master she killed, Jessica has found her way, with three nomadic guides, to the sun-baked desolation of the Sahara—only to slowly perish. Then she hears the tale of Farida, an enigmatic beauty lost as well to the Sahara three centuries ago, whose ancient desire for the legendary vampire Lord Mason is stirring the same desires in Jessica. But the more Jessica’s fatal curiosity reveals of Farida, the closer she gets to Lord Mason’s irresistible and forbidden secret.

Saving Midnight (Berkley Sensation)
by Emma Holly
Berkley, August 4, 2009

Graham Fitz Clare became a vampire to save his adoptive father from a deadly enemy. Sadly, the price of that rescue may have been too high. Edmund’s captors are at large again, and are amassing the sort of power that could make them unstoppable. In the end, the love the Fitz Clares share with each other could be all that stands between them and a desperate storm of destruction.

Desire to Die For
by Lee, Jessica
Loose-ID, August 2, 2008

Kenric St. James wants revenge. Three hundred years ago, an ancient female vampire turned him against his will and killed the woman he once loved. He’s spent more than a century building an Enclave of warrior vampires who have sworn their allegiance to defend humanity and to eliminate the ancient vampire determined to destroy them all. After two centuries of denying his body’s needs, and with vengeance finally at hand, the last thing he expected to find was the one woman he burns to claim as his own. If only giving her his love wouldn’t surely mean her death.

Blood Stalker
by Fawn Lowery
Extasy Books, August 1, 2009

When Detective Morgan Glover is assigned to stake out a suspected serial killer, she has no idea she's investigating a vampire--or that he knows she is trailing him.

Enigmatic Lincoln claims that the three murdered citizens of Madison were vampires cleverly disguised and knowing the secret of living in the light. When a fourth murder occurs, Morgan realizes she is Lincoln's alibi. Confusion wreathes the investigation. Who's to blame for the vicious killings? Her career is on the line. Should she take the vampire's allegations seriously?

An odd event throws suspicion on a new suspect and Morgan turns her attention to gathering evidence--only to innocently reveal her suspicions to the killer's accomplice and set into play a dangerous game of cat and mouse that puts herself in danger as well as the charismatic Lincoln Churchill.

Blood Promise (Vampire Academy, Book 4)
by Richelle Mead
Razorbill (August 25, 2009)

How far will Rose go to keep her promise?

The recent Strigoi attack at St. Vladimir’s Academy was the deadliest ever in the school’s history, claiming the lives of Moroi students, teachers, and guardians alike. Even worse, the Strigoi took some of their victims with them. . . including Dimitri.

He’d rather die than be one of them, and now Rose must abandon her best friend, Lissa—the one she has sworn to protect no matter what—and keep the promise Dimitri begged her to make long ago. But with everything at stake, how can she possibly destroy the person she loves most.

Bram Stoker's Dracula: A Documentary Journey into Vampire Country and the Dracula Phenomenon
by Elizabeth Miller
Pegasus (August 18, 2009)

When Bram Stoker's Dracula was published in 1897, the ghoulish tale shocked, captivated, offended and thrilled readers. How Stoker became the creator of the mysterious, seductive count from a castle (and coffin) in Transylvania was a story in and of itself. Over the past century, Dracula has never been out of print and has become its own cultural phenomena, starting with Bela Lugosi’s famed rendition in 1931, to Mel Brooks, Francis Ford Coppola, Christopher Lee, Buffy, Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles and the hugely popular Twilight series. This generously illustrated documentary collection explores in full the scope of the Dracula phenomenon, from the folkloric origins of the vampire legend to its unending legacy as a vital influence on the literary and performing arts, not to mention the Romanian tourist industry. Nor does it overlook Bram Stoker himself, and includes his working notes and exceptional primary documents.

Night's Cold Kiss: A Dark Brethren Novel
by Tracey O'Hara
August, 25, 2009

For centuries war raged between the humans and Aeternus vampires—until courageous efforts on both sides forged a fragile peace.

But the rogue Necrodreniacs will never be controlled—addicted as they are to the death-high . . . and bloody chaos.

Since witnessing the murder of her mother, Antoinette Petrescu has burned with fiery hatred for the vampire race—even for Christian Laroque, the noble, dangerously handsome Aeternus who rescued her. Now an elite Venator, Antoinette must reluctantly accept Christian's help to achieve her vengeance—even as he plots to use the beautiful, unsuspecting warrior as bait to draw out the bloodthirsty dreniacs.

Thirst No. 1: The Last Vampire, Black Blood, Red Dice
by Christopher Pike
Publisher: Simon Pulse (August 4, 2009)
Young Adult
This is a reprint. It was first published in 1994. Look for the entire series to be reprinted.

Tall, Dark & Fangsome (Immortality Bites)
by Michelle Rowen (Author)
Forever, August 29, 2009

Sarah Dearly's vampire life is not all B-positive cocktails. A curse made her a nightwalker, the most vicious vamp there is; the charm she wears to curb her deadly tendencies is losing its juice; and a hunter from hell is turning up the heat. Gideon Chase will kill the ones she loves most if she doesn't obey his orders. That includes breaking up with master vampire Thierry and turning Gideon into an immortal vamp so he can escape a doom of eternal hellfire.

Making things worse are Sarah's growing feelings for Gideon, a bad boy who keeps showing a vulnerable side . . . but is it for real? Will Sarah's dark side take over? Or can she cure herself of the nightwalker curse in time to stop Gideon and finally live happily ever after with Thierry . . . forever?

Vanished (Greywalker, Book 4)
by Kat Richardson
Roc Hardcover (August 4, 2009)

Harper Blaine was your average small-time P.I. until she died—for two minutes. Now Harper is a Greywalker—walking the line between the living world and the paranormal realm. And she’s discovering that her new abilities are landing her in all sorts of “strange cases.”

But for Harper, her own case may prove the most difficult to solve. Why did she—as opposed to others with near-death experiences—become a Greywalker? When Harper digs into her own past, she unearths some unpleasant truths about her father’s early death as well as a mysterious puzzle. Forced by some very demanding vampires to take on an investigation in London, she soon discovers her present troubles in England are entangled with her dark past back in Seattle—and her ultimate destiny as a Greywalker.

Retribution (Anna Strong Vampire Chronicles, Book 5)
by Jeanne C. Stein
Ace (August 25, 2009)

With her partner out of town, her family abroad, and her mentor estranged, newly-turned vampire Anna Strong is keeping a low profile.

But now young vampires are turning up dead, completely drained of their life force. And though Anna wants to say no when Williams, her former teacher and now leader of a supernatural enforcement squad, asks for her help, she can’t. But soon, she’ll wish she did.

Wizards of Waverly Place Super Special: Once Upon a Vampire
by TK
Disney Press (August 25, 2009)

When a new sandwich shop opens up on Waverly Place, the Russos decide to scope out the competition. But they are in for a big surprise--the owners don't even like sandwiches...they are out for blood! It turns out the new owners are vampires and when Justin falls for their daughter, Juliet, he really puts his neck on the line. Complicated love is in the air when Alex realizes that her boyfriend Dean isn't the boy of her dreams and then, when she decides to throw an anti-prom, she ends up inviting a roomful of the undead! Just in time for Halloween, things on Waverly Place are getting super spooky!

A Practical Guide to Vampires
by Lisa Trutkoff Trumbauer (Author)
Ages 9-12
Mirrorstone (August 11, 2009)

How old is a vampire fledgling? Why do vampires avoid mirrors? What's the best way to slip into a vampire's home? New York Times best-selling author Lisa Trumbauer illuminates the twilight world of vampires in the next edition in the Practical Guide family of fantasy essentials.

Nekropolis
by Tim Waggoner
Angry Robot (August 6, 2009)

Meet Matt Richter. Private Eye. Zombie. His mean streets are the city of the dead, the shadowy realm known as Nekropolis. This place has always been ruled by the vampire lords. Now they're planning to destroy the city. Over his dead body. More pulp than Pulp Fiction, more butt-kicking than Buffy, Nekropolis is the first in a deathly new series.

Haunt of Jackals (Jerusalem's Undead Trilogy)
by Eric Wilson
Thomas Nelson (August 11, 2009)
Book 2 in a Christian vampire series

A decade earlier, Jerusalem's Undead escaped their tombs in the Field of Blood. One of their group was missing, and he will return with a vengeance, fighting his fellow Collectors for control of a vile book--a blueprint that exploits "six things, no, seven, that the Lord hates," as a way of dragging down mankind.

As the Collectors vie for dominance, Gina Lazarescu finds herself fleeing through the mountains. She is alone and wounded, but more determined than ever to find and protect the children in her care. She does not know that Cal Nichols still has life-shaking secrets yet to share. She knows only that she is headed for another confrontation with the Collectors, one that will lead from Romanian castles to the Pacific Northwest and eventually to the Haunt of Jackals, birthplace of Judas Iscariot in Israel's arid wastelands.

[Special Note: Author Eric Wilson will be interviewed at VampChix on September 28th. Mark your calendars.]

Vampires: Dracula And The Undead Legions
by L. A. Banks, Elaine Bergstrom, P.N. Elrod, C. J. Henderson, Nancy Kilpatrick, Paul Kupperberg, Bill Messner-Loebs, Martin Powell, J. C. Vaughn, Dan Wickline, Ken Wolak
Moonstone (August 29, 2009)

Dracula! Vampires! The blood runs red under the moon! In late summer of 2009, Moonstone follows up its fang-favorite monster anthology, Werewolves: Dead Moon Rising, with this second installment in the Moonstone Monsters series, this time focusing on those enigmatic creatures of the night, Vampires! Two extra-sized special Dracula stories serve to open and close this collection of ten all-new vampire tales by some of the industry's favorite horror writers. Vampire stories are timeless and continue to dominate horror-fiction in books, as well as the big screen and television. L.A. Banks, P.N. Elrod, and Elaine Bergstrom are all celebrated for the runs of popular Vampire novels, Martin Powell demonstrates his intimate familiarity with the mythos of Count Dracula... these and other stories contained in this gruesome horror anthology are sure to appeal to an audience that can't get enough of these ages-old bloodsuckers!

Richelle Mead Blog Tour 2009

2009-11-06T01:00:00.001-05:00

Blood Promise (Vampire Academy, Book 4)
by Richelle Mead
Razorbill (August 25, 2009)

PVN is happy to be a part of Richelle's Vampire Academy blog tour to celebrate the publication of the most recent book Blood Promise. Below you'll find a brief synopsis of the series as well as the book followed by a Q and A.

Vampire Academy

"Two races of vampires walk our world. The Moroi are alive and wield elemental magical, while the Strigoi are undead and evil--feeding on the innocent to survive. Rose Hathaway--a half-vampire with poor impulse control--is training to be a bodyguard for a Moroi princess. Learning to decapitate and stake is hard enough, but Rose's real danger may lie in an illicit romance with one of her instructors..."

Blood Promise

Rose Hathaway's life will never be the same.

The recent attack on St. Vladimir's Academy devastated the entire Moroi world. Many are dead. And, for the few victims carried off by Strigoi, their fates are even worse. A rare tattoo now adorns Rose's neck, a mark that says she's killed far too many Strigoi to count. But only one victim matters . . . Dimitri Belikov. Rose must now choose one of two very different paths: honoring her life's vow to protect Lissa—her best friend and the last surviving Dragomir princess—or, dropping out of the Academy to strike out on her own and hunt down the man she loves. She'll have to go to the ends of the earth to find Dimitri and keep the promise he begged her to make. But the question is, when the time comes, will he want to be saved?

Now, with everything at stake—and worlds away from St. Vladimir's and her unguarded, vulnerable, and newly rebellious best friend—can Rose find the strength to destroy Dimitri? Or, will she sacrifice herself for a chance at eternal love?

Questions and Answers

PVN: Would you describe the characteristics of your vampires - the Moroi and the Strigoi?

Richelle: Moroi and Strigoi both come from Romanian mythology. Moroi are living, and Strigoi are dead. I've embellished their histories a little, and in my series, Moroi are good and wield elemental magic. They don’t have to kill for their blood, whereas Strigoi are evil and prey on others.

PVN: What is your writing environment and your writing day like?

Richelle: I work at home, in an office with mauve walls. My day is usually broken into segments of errands, working out, writing, etc. There’s no hard schedule to it, though my writing increments are usually no more than 2-3 hours at a time. This is both because that’s about how long it takes me to do a chapter and because my hands need the rest (according to physical therapists). So, in a given day, I may get up and eat, write, go to the gym, answer email, write, eat lunch, etc.

PVN: Which books or authors have most influenced your writing?

Richelle: Growing up, my favorite books were the Dragonlance series by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. They influenced me a lot in that I believe strong, well-developed characters are the most important part of a book (even though you ideally want all parts to be good!). Those books also taught me not to be afraid to do shocking things in the middle of a series--as shown in Shadow Kiss, the third book in the Vampire Academy series.

Another favorite book is The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley. This always comes as a surprise to some readers, mostly because they’ve never heard of it. Also, there are no vampires in it at all. It’s a semi-historical novel, based on the myths of King Arthur and told through the women—who are portrayed as very strong—in those tales. It’s a massive book, and I first read it when I was fourteen. It totally opened up my eyes to the world and gave me a huge appreciation for Celtic culture, as well as insight into spirituality and religion. Every few years or so, I pick it up again and re-read it.

PVN: Thanks Richelle

To follow the tour go to the next stop - The Bloody Bookaholic

Note: This is the first book in the series that I have read (full disclosure, thanks to the publisher). Of course I knew about the books, even bought the first two, but never got around to reading any in the series until now. I honestly liked Blood Promise and will post a review soon.

If any reader has an opinion on this series I would love to hear from you!

Vampire Taxonomy - Contest

2009-11-02T01:10:00.003-05:00

Vampire Taxonomy: Identifying and Interacting with the Modern-Day Bloodsucker
by Meredith Woerner
Perigee Trade (November 3, 2009)

[The contest portion has finished. Thanks to everyone who participated!]

Thanks to Perigee two US readers have a chance to win a copy of Vampire Taxonomy.

From the publisher: Our culture today is inundated with beloved blood-thirsty creatures of the night. Referencing a wide variety of well-known bloodsuckers from film, literature, and other media, vampire expert Meredith Woerner provides detailed information about the different types of vampires now roaming the earth, classifying them by their reaction to sun exposure, physiology, attire, and preferred diet. VAMPIRE TAXONOMY will equip readers who meet vamps to answer the question: Should you hand him your heart or stake his before he makes you his next meal?

For the reader's protection, Meredith Woerner reveals the truth about:

•Sunlight sensitivity-Do vamps venture out in the day or stick solely to the evening hours?

•Physiology-When ready to feed, do they change appearance or simply lure with the seductive flash of a fang?

•Dress-Are they decked out in leather with aspirations of becoming the first vampire rock stars or do they cling to Gothic robes and ruffled collars?

•Diet-Are they waging a never-ending struggle against the temptation of human blood or do they view the world as their personal blood buffet?

Contest

To be eligible do one or more of the following:

*Leave a comment: Tell what you would do if you met a vampire, ie put a stake through the heart; run screaming into the night, or jump into his/her arms, etc. Use your imagination!
* Link this contest to your own site or a social network site, and be sure to let me know the URL

If your email is not associated with your ID, please put the address in your response.

This contest is open to US residents only.

Contest runs until Nov 16 at 11:59 PM Hawaii Time.

October Contest Winners on PVN

2009-11-02T01:00:00.004-05:00

Your Favorite Vampire(s) Halloween Contest at PVN

Winners: Kathleen's Book Reviews
1st prize The Strain: Book One of The Strain Trilogy by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan

Haleyknitz 2nd prize Mr. Darcy, Vampyre by Amanda Grang

kassilei 3rd prize The Outlaw Demon Wails (The Hollows, Book 6) by Kim Harrison

Marie 4th prize Personal Demon (Women of the Otherworld, Book 8)
by Kelley Armstrong

Josef13 5th prize Winter Duty: A Novel of the Vampire Earth by E. E. Knight

October 2009 Book Contest

Winner: onlyladyknight

This month of Halloween onlyladyknight has won 2 books Dark Road Rising by P. N. Elrod and Undead and Unemployed by MaryJanice Davidson.
The winner was selected from email subscribers to Patricia's Vampire Notes

Hellbound Hearts - Contest

Winners: Indigo, tina werner, Andrea, Mary Ann DeBorde, Froggy

Day By Day Armageddon - Contest

Winners: Madwoman-doing-cartwheels and bbricke

Winners please send your mail address to me (paltner(at)verizon(dot)net so that you can receive your books. If I don't receive the information by November 15 a new winner will be drawn.

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T03:26:00.000-04:00

LAST DAY FOR 4 CONTESTS ON PVN

Monthly contest for email subscribers - see right hand bar

Your Favorite Vampire(s) - Halloween Contest at PVN

Day by Day Armageddon

Hellbound Hearts

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Sarah Jane Stratford - Interview and Contest

2009-10-28T01:00:00.003-04:00

[see contest info update at end of interview]

A warm PVN welcome to Sarah Jane Stratford author of The Midnight Guardian: A Millennial Novel St. Martin's Press (October 13, 2009). For more information about the author and her novel go to this PVN post

As many of you may know the contest for copy of The Midnight Guardian has already begun. I will continue until November 4. After this interview there will be more contest information.

Sarah Jane, thanks so much for this interview!

PVN: What attracts you to vampires? What are the characteristics of your vampires?

Sarah Jane: I am enthralled by the idea of those who were once human now living a life that is, in a way, constant play-acting – pretending to be human. Seeming to be a part of, but really only an observer of, the human world. And yet needing humans for life, literally and otherwise. There seemed no end of territory to explore there – trying to further understand humanity through these creatures. My millennial vampires are extra-powerful – after 1000 years of life, they are much harder to kill. And they have observed an awful lot of history. They're really not supposed to get involved in the doings of humans, but sometimes they are compelled.

PVN: Describe Brigit for us.

Sarah Jane: She's a millennial, made in the 10th century when she was seventeen. She is intelligent, loving, loyal, powerful, and brave. She's also stubborn (after all, she hails from Yorkshire!), sarcastic, and prone to temper – although she's gotten a lot of that under control. And she's got a good, sometimes cynical, sense of humor. There's nothing she won't do for those she loves. Which can make things unpleasant for anyone out to injure one of her loved ones.

PVN: Why the WWII setting for Midnight Guardian?

Sarah Jane: I often feel it wasn't wholly my choice in that Brigit told me so much of what was afoot, but I was excited to explore the juxtapositions. Here you have a group of humans being utterly monstrous – and in relief, the perceived monstrousness of the vampires. Part of what I wanted to do was query the true definition of "humanity" under these circumstances – and in life in general. In a state of war, humans are at their most shameful – although there is that contingent that rises up and becomes bigger and better than it might otherwise – and to observe as much through non-human eyes was fascinating.

PVN: Is this a series? How many more books do you plan?

Sarah Jane: It is a series! I'm working on the second book now. My plan so far is to see what happens with the vampires as the war progresses. After that, well…we'll see!

PVN: What other projects are you working on?

Sarah Jane: Besides the afore-mentioned second book, I'm making revisions on a stage play that I like the look of, and two screenplays. As soon as I'm done with the second book, there are about three other books I want to dive into, so I should be nice and busy for a while.

PVN: You have a masters degree in Medieval History - any plans to write fiction or nonfiction set in that era?

Sarah Jane: I briefly touched on some of medieval York in TMG, but I'd love to do a whole book in that time. Before they moved to London, my vampires were very proud Yorkists, and I know they were active in the War of the Roses, so that seems fertile territory.

PVN: You earned your degree in York, UK . I visited there once for 3 days and fell in love with it. What was it like for you living and studying there?

Sarah Jane: Isn't it incredible? I found it endlessly inspiring – it seemed as though there was a story around every corner. I did a lot of my work at the King's Manor, a 16th-century building that definitely got us in the mood for medievalism. Although the 1960s orange lounge chairs were a tad jarring – Mad Men and medieval don't mix (much though I love both). It was just amazing to read about an event in a particular street, and then go and walk that street! Even if it was now chock-a-block with trendy modern shops, the past didn't seem that far off. I can't wait to go back – especially if I can have a warmer bedroom.

PVN: Describe your writing day and your writing environment.

Sarah Jane: I like to try and get started by nine in the morning and go till I collapse, or get to a yoga class or the theatre. I'm a member of the Writers Room in New York – it's a purpose-created office space where writers in all sorts of media can have a quiet, comfortable place to work. What's great about it is that it allows for camaraderie and networking too – writing is so solitary, but here you can work and also interact when you need a break.

PVN: What writers have inspired you?

Sarah Jane: Wow – so many, and in so many ways. Whatever the medium, I gravitate towards those who explore the human condition. Margaret Atwood, Jane Austen, Kurt Vonnegut. I love theatre, so Shakespeare, Pinter, Stoppard, Shaw, and Sondheim have all been powerful inspirations. And I'd be remiss not to cite Joss Whedon and especially Marti Noxon, from whom I was honored to get a blurb on the book jacket. These were scripts that delved the depths of emotion and humanity, with wit, flair, and above all, honesty. Powerful stuff.

PVN: Where can readers find you on the Internet?

Sarah Jane: I have a web site – www.sarahjanestratford.com. Brigit posts outtakes from her journal there. The book has a Facebook page, as do I, and I also Twitter at stratfordsj. I love to hear from people, so please stop by!

Read a guest blog by Brigit and take another look at the book cover which features the Brandenburg Gate,

CONTEST INFORMATION

Three lucky readers will each win a copy of The Midnight Guardian: A Millennial Novel. To be eligible do one or more of the following:

* Leave a comment

* Ask Sarah a question

* Link this contest to your own site or a social network site, and be sure to let me know the URL.

If your email is not associated with your ID, please put the address in your response.

Contest update the publisher has limited winners to US and Canada

My apologies for this misunderstanding. It was my mistake!

The contest ends November 4, 2009 at 11:59 PM Hawaii Time.

Please post comments and questions here.

Gail Z. Martin - Interview and Contest

2009-10-26T01:00:00.020-04:00

[The contest portion has ended. Thanks to everyone who participated!]

Patricia's Vampire Notes is proud to be a part of Gail Z. Martin's Days of the Dead Halloween Blog Tour for 2009. She will answer any questions you might have about: the writing life - hers or yours; the fantasy/paranormal genre; and her Chronicles of the Necromancer series.

Two winners will each win a signed copy of a limited edition ARC for The Blood King and a signed copy of Dark Haven.

Read the interview below. Contest rules will follow

PVN: Vampires—you call them vayash moru—play a big part in your Chronicles of the Necromancer series, and especially in the Dark Haven/Dark Lady’s Chosen duology. How have your vampire characters come to the forefront? Are they stealing the show?

Gail: I’m not sure about them stealing the show, but they certainly play an increasingly important role as the series moves along. In Dark Haven, a group of rogue vayash moru break the centuries-old truce with mortals to try to achieve domination. It leads to all-out war with the vayash moru who respect the truce, and with the vyrkin (shapeshifters), led by the Lord of Dark Haven, Jonmarc Vahanian, who is mortal. And of course, as with any war, there are a long of collateral damage and unintended consequences.

In part, the vayash moru have come to the forefront because of Jonmarc’s role as Lord of Dark Haven. He is a mortal, chosen for the role of lord over an area that has been a traditional sanctuary for Those Who Walk the Night. He’s supposed to be a guardian of both the mortal and undead residents, and now he finds himself protecting mortals from rogue vayash moru, and protecting law-abiding vayash moru from vengeful mortals.

Along the way, we get a lot more insight into vayash moru history and culture, as well as some of the characters who have been around since the first two books in supporting roles.

PVN: Would you say your vampires are more like traditional vamps or more like the urban fantasy vamps?

Gail: I write in a quasi-medieval setting, so some of the modern twists just don’t apply. On the other hand, in my world, vampires are an acknowledged fact, and they live within society with varying degrees of tolerance from mortals depending on the location. Under the best circumstances, they stay on the family farm or in the family business for generations, helping out. In the worst circumstances, they are hunted and persecuted.

I think something that differs from “traditional” vampires is that my vayash moru aren’t automatically monsters because they are vampires. They retain moral choice. Unlike urban fantasy, they’re not automatically sexy and beautiful, although their regenerative powers are a big plus when it comes to not looking their age. I’m very interested in how living for centuries would affect your self image, your identity, and your definition of community as the world around you changes and you don’t.

PVN: What’s your vision of vampires and why do you like writing about them?

Gail: I’ve loved vampire stories (and ghosts and haunted houses and cemeteries) since I was a kid. But as an adult, I guess I love the way vampires struggle to retain or rethink what it means to be human after they have lost everything. They’re technically dead. They outlive their loved ones, their friends and their time period. The longer they exist, the less meaning they attach to the politics and upheaval that grips us when we’re mortal. So who are you, after 400 years? What drives you to exist? Why strive to live according to any set of values or morality? What makes you human even if you are no longer mortal? I love delving into that.

For me, vampires are an archetype of people who have experienced great loss or trauma. The language is much the same. When we grieve, we talk about “feeling dead,” feeling cold, feeling as if all the light has gone out of the world. We stop eating. We have insomnia. We withdraw. People who experience great pain or loss have a choice: they can inflict pain on others to equal what they have felt, or they can rise above their pain to re-gain a different kind of humanity than what they had before. That perspective gives me insight into the way I write my vayash moru.

PVN: You’ve just signed a deal with Orbit for four more books. Will the Chronicles of the Necromancer series continue?

Gail: My first four books have been published by Solaris Books, which was just bought by Rebellion, Ltd. It will be Solaris/Rebellion bringing out Dark Lady’s Chosen on Dec. 29. I am very excited about the deal with Orbit because we will be bringing the characters and setting of my world of the Winter Kingdoms into a new story arc with a new series, The Fallen Kings Cycle. I’m already working on Book One: The Sworn, which should come out in 2011. It will feature the characters and world from the first four books, but it opens up a new set of adventures, making it a perfect gateway for someone who is new to the series. Readers who have been along since the beginning will just keep on rolling along, but new readers won’t have to go back and read the first four to enjoy The Fallen Kings Cycle, although I’m hoping that they’ll want to!

PVN: How are your ghosts different and what role do they play in your books?

Gail: Ghosts play a big role in my books. The whole idea of a Summoner is someone who can intercede between the living and the dead (or undead) so my main character, Tris Drayke, spends a lot of time talking with ghosts. In my newest book, Dark Lady’s Chosen, ghosts play a very active role. They are spies during a war, they comfort and protect the living, they attend festivals and special occasions, and they share knowledge. In the next book, The Sworn, we’ll see ghosts interacting with mortals in even more ways. I have always been fascinated with the idea of ghosts and the concept of the departed as being just another level of extended family. The series lets me play with that in whole new ways.

PVN: What do you make of the current zombie phenomenon?

Gail: Well, I have a special place in my heart for zombies, since I once worked at the Monroeville Mall outside of Pittsburgh, where all zombie-lovers know George Romero shot Dawn of the Dead, and my boss had been cast as an extra zombie in the film. So I’ve worked for the living dead! In my books, the zombies are Ashtenerath. The word literally means “awakened dead” and they are a little different from the traditional zombie.
First, they don’t eat flesh, although they are highly aggressive. They are made more like the “real” Voodoo zombies, by a combination of drugs and physical abuse, and they are wielded as weapons of war, often made from the prisoners taken during combat and then used against their own side for additional shock value.

There is another kind of zombie in my world, one created by a dark summoner, where a soul is forced back into a rotting corpse. Obviously, that’s a no-no, but we’ll see some of that in the new duology I’m working on for Orbit, The Fallen Kings Cycle.

Then there’s a third kind of zombie, which is more of a gollum. It is possible for a mage who isn’t a summoner to animate a corpse, not my forcing a soul into the body but by essentially being a puppeteer. It’s very creepy, but the corpse in this case wouldn’t have any ability to move or speak or make decisions because it really is a dead body being manipulated by magic. You get to see some of that in Dark Lady’s Chosen, which is the new book coming out Dec. 29.

As for why zombies are hot right now, I’ve seen a number of articles attempting a psychological interpretation, what with the recession and all. I do think that under times of stress people turn more to horror movies as a way to release anxiety. But I also think monsters tend to come and go as fads, and we’ve been on a vampire/werewolf fad for a while now, so people want something new, and zombies don’t come with the psychological baggage and angst that vamps and weres do. No brain, no angst. A simple monster for a complex time.

PVN: You’ve got audio and excerpts from Dark Lady's Chosen (Chronicles of the Necromancer) online, plus there are other sites participating in your Days of the Dead blog tour. Where can we find all the goodies?

Gail: Check out my site at www.ChroniclesOfTheNecromancer.com, for all the downloads and more Days of the Dead stuff. Also, please find me on Twitter.com as GailZMartin and on Facebook and MySpace as well.

The first four Chronicles of the Necromancer books

The Summoner
The Blood King
Dark Haven
Dark Lady's Chosen

The titles above are available on ebook through Double Dragon. These four books will also be available on audiobook from Audible.com in December, 2009. Dark Lady's Chosen debuts in paperback from Solaris Books on December 29, 2009.

Contest:
[The contest portion has ended. Thanks to everyone who participated!]
For the contest Gail is offering signed copy of a limited edition ARC for The Blood King and a signed copy of Dark Haven for 2 winners

For a chance to win do one or more of the following

* Ask Gail a question

* Post a comment

* Link this interview to your own site or a social network site, and be sure to let me know the URL

If your email is not associated with your ID, please put the address in your response.

Contest ends November 2nd at 11:59 PM Hawaii Time

Upcoming Event - Interview and Contest with Gail Z. Martin

2009-10-24T01:05:00.000-04:00

PVN is proud to be a part of Gail Z. Martin's Days of the Dead Halloween Blog Tour for 2009. She will answer any questions you might have about: the writing life - hers or yours; the fantasy/paranormal genre; and her Chronicles of the Necromancer series.

For the contest Gail is offering signed copy of a limited edition ARC for The Blood King and a signed copy of Dark Haven for 2 winners