Jul 14, 2009

Guest Blogger Georgia Evans (aka Rosemary Laurey)


PVN welcomes Georgia Evans (aka Rosemary Laurey) author of the Bloody Series, a vampire trilogy set in 1940s England. This month book 2, Bloody Awful, hits the book stores. Book 3, Bloody Right, appears Aug. 4. And Bloody Good was published in June. At the end of this post watch for contest information. Two lucky commenters will win a copy of Bloody Awful.


Why vampires?

That’s a question I get asked a good deal, No doubt from people wondering why a mild-mannered grandmother spends her days writing about the blood sucking undead.


A good question too: What’s the appeal? Why are so many readers (and writers, of course) drawn to vampires?

Speaking for myself, the vampire first chose me, unexpectedly announcing around chapter five, that he was actually Kit Marlowe, and not dead as had been supposed for 400 years. After that, the undead sucked me in (forgive the pun, it just came out, I couldn’t help it). Whether heroes, heroines or villains, vampires are fun to write and add a layer to the story that mere mortals couldn’t possibly manage.

In the Bloody Series, I wrote the vamps as villains. Of course from their point of view, they are fighting nobly for a cause, aided and abetted by the German High Command. The Others of Brytewood see the whole scheme completely differently and one by one, with a few casualties, deaths, and close calls along the way, they eliminate the enemy. As the villains, vampires had to be eliminated but while they wreaked havoc among the Surrey hills, they added interest and tension to the books. In fact without them and their mission of sabotage and subversion, there wouldn’t have been much of a story.

In my Rosemary Laurey books, my vamps are romantic heroes and heroines. Very different and remarkably odd, if you think about it. Vampires as villains pretty much fits the notion of a bloodsuckers preying on the living but the metamorphosis from horrific figure to romantic hero is an incredible leap. Or is it? He fits many of the parameters of the genre. He’s the ultimate dark and dangerous hero. Messing around with a vampire you are playing with the ultimate risk. He might be good in bed but his kiss could kill. Plus, no matter how desperate your mother might be to see you settled for life, she would not want you bringing a a dead man home for Sunday lunch. Then there is the fantastic sex (although strictly speaking aren’t we skirting around necrophilia here?). On the other hand, by the time a man is a few hundred years old or more, he’s no doubt learned a thing or two and with a vampire’s stamina, he won’t fall asleep afterwards.

Hero or villain, a vampire in the plot makes for wonderful escapist fiction.


Now for the contest.
Two lucky commenters will each win a signed copy of Bloody Awful


To be eligible do one or more of the following:
* Leave a comment
* Ask Georgia a question
* 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 July 16 at 11:59 PM - Hawaii Time.



But there is more! August 4 Georgia returns for an open Q & A. Ask her about her books, the writing life, vampires, or anything else appropriate. Every question will give you a chance to win a copy of Bloody Right, book three in the trilogy.

The contest portion is closed. Thanks to everyone who participated!

63 comments:

LadyVampire2u said...

Congratulations on your new releases! My question for you is: Out of both your vampire series, which is your favorite to write? Just curious.
Also, I have twittered about this contest under my LadyVampire twitter name and have this contest up on my blog here: http://ladyvampire2u.blogspot.com/2009/07/july-contests-part-2.html
Thanks!
LadyVampire2u(AT)gmail(DOT)com

Marie said...

I am really looking forward to reading this series -- it looks great! I like that the time period is a bit different then the usual ones that I have read in the past!

marielay@gmail.com

Jessica @ a GREAT read said...

This is a series I have been contemplating about reading. It sounded really interesting. And what better of a way to start a new series by winning one of the books?!

Email: jessbess2505[at]yahoo[dot]com

Pam said...

I have to admit that I have never read a vampire book, aside from Dracula, and have honestly been avoiding them. Love the titles and covers in this series though, so I would love to give them a try. They do sound fun!

melacan at hotmail dot com

Alex Bledsoe said...

Very good article. I'd like to ask, how you chose which aspects of vampire lore to use and which ones to discard?

Anonymous said...

lol I loved your interview! Will try not to think on the necrophilia bit to much ;).

Congrats on the releases!

What is your favorite (or some of your favs) vampire character to date?

I am looking forward to this series!

I posted to facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pams00

Pam S
pams00@aol.com

Susan Blexrud said...

I just finished reading Bloody Good. Such fun! I'm wondering if you'll rescue Bela in the subsequent books. She's a delightful character, and I'd like to see more of her. Also, will Gloria have a love interest (a fox, perhaps?) in Bloody Awful? Will we see more of Alice and Peter? The wedding's imminent, correct?

M. said...

Just dropped by to say: am about ten pages in to 'Bloody Good' (Book 1) and enjoying it!
I'm quite fascinated by the art style of the covers - they remind me a little of Chagall's famous paintings.

(no need to enter my name)

Unknown said...

Hi Georgia/Rosemary and Patricia!

I haven't had a chance to try your book, but Bloody Good is on my wish list. Congrats on your new releases!

Outside of your own series, which series of the current books available would you recommend to a friend? Would it be the romance hero/heroines or the true blood-suckers of the original horror fantasies? Just wondering....

Thanks for a great contest!

I put your contest on my blog sidebar at http://myblog2point0.blogspot.com/

I've also tweeted at gymmom_027

Dottie :)

chey said...

Congrats on your new releases!

chey127 at hotmail dot com

Beth (BBRB) said...

This looks fun! And what great covers!

Please enter me!

BethsBookReviewBlog AT gmail DOT com

tetewa said...

I'm always looking for new vamp series, these sound good! tWarner419@aol.com

Rosemary Laurey said...

@Lady Vampire
My favorite actually is the one I'm writing now :-) Set in France after the capitulation. Not under con tract, writing on spec. but one lives in hope.

I really enjoyed writing the Brytewood books and the Forever series.

Rosemary Laurey said...

@ Alex

When I first started writing vampires, I did a vast amount of reading of nonfiction and folk lore. and learned the multitude of variation of the vampire myth across the continents.

For most of my books, I'm pretty much deferred to Stoker on most points although in the Brytewood books, the vamps don't need their native earth.

Rosemary Laurey said...

@pam00

My favourite? Luc Duran in the current w i p.
He is so full of himself and thinks Ella, the heroine, is a pretty useless butterfly sort and brother is he wrong :-) Pretty soon he's going to have to change his entire world view... It will be good for him

Rosemary Laurey said...

@ Susan

Bela rescues herself . Gloria gets her HEA, and yes, Alice and Peter have a wedding in the village church and her wedding dress is very much wartime :-)

Rosemary Laurey said...

@M

So thrilled you are enjoying BG Interesting comparing the covers to Chagall. I hadnft seen that but yes, you're right

I absolutely love them Am thinking of printing them onto fabric and making pillows of them

Rosemary Laurey said...

@ Dottie

I totally and absolutely love Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse series...

and Chelsea Quinn Yarbro's Saint Germain books

THey are two authors I buy in hardback as soon as they come out.

Unknown said...

Count me in, I'm a vampire freak:)

Unknown said...

Hi Georgia,

If you came face to face with a vampire what would you do?

Unknown said...

tweet

http://twitter.com/bridget3420/status/2636819791

Dena said...

Congrats on your new releases Georgia/Rosemary. I've only read your Rosemary good vamp stories so I'm looking forward to reading the villian vamp stories now. I was wondering why you chose the 1940s for the time period? I have never read a story in that time, so I will be interested to see the details from that era.

Unknown said...

Shared on Facebook

http://www.facebook.com/bridget.hopper?ref=profile

Susan Blexrud said...

Oops, forgot to leave my contact information for the contest. I posted a question earlier.

susanblexrud@bellsouth.net
www.susanblexrud.com

Valorie said...

I have Bloody Good and I can't wait to read that one!

Question: who is the ultimate vampire?

Blogged: http://www.morbid-romantic.net/2009/07/14/book-giveaways-07-13-07-19/

Valorie
morbidromantic@gmail.com

Vickie said...

Georgia: I have the first two of your series, they arrived just last week! I am reading as quickly as I can in my current books (non-paranormal to show myself I still like other mysteries) so that I can start BLOODY GOOD. I look forward to 4 Aug for the Q&A and for the third in the series!

Rosemary Laurey said...

@ Bridget

I'd freak out!

Rosemary Laurey said...

@ Dena

My editor at Kensington asked me to write a WW2 book. and suggested making the vamps the villains... I proposed the trilogy and she bought it

Rosemary Laurey said...

@ Valorie

I'm rather partial to Yarbro's Count St Germain

-.- said...

Please enter me as well. I loved Bloody Good, so I'd love a copy of Bloody Awful.

Question: For Georgia: What made you decide to write Bloody Good under a pseudonym name?

Thanks!

~ Popin
proudbookworm[@]gmail[dot]com

Unknown said...

Blogged about giveaway

http://bridget3420.blogspot.com/2009/07/714-book-giveaway-list.html

Rosemary Laurey said...

@Poppinfresh

My publisher wanted me to use a pseudonym as they marketed these books a Fantasy and my Rosemary Laurey books are Romance

Llehn said...

Hello Georgia,

If your books were made into a TV show, which actors do you see playing the roles?

lesly7ch(at)yahoo(dot)com

Sara M said...

Congratulations on the releases! I've seen these books while browsing and now I'll definitely be checking them out.

Sara M
silentalibis AT yahoo DOT com

silverhartgirl said...

Great interview. I would love to read this book.

I ♥ Book Gossip said...

Awesome interview.

Question: How do you come up with titles?


cindyc725 at gmail dot com

Martha Lawson said...

I'm looking forward to reading these books! Great contest. count me in please

Caffey said...

Hi Rosemary! I've been thrilled about this series from you! And so loved your vamps too! So I've been following your books and its been a beautiful journey reading your books! Now that you're into some historical, is there other settings you'd like to write as well?

I posted this contest up on my blog at
http://caffeys-reads.blogspot.com

CathieCaffey(at)gmail(dot)com

donnas said...

Congrats on the new release. This sounds like a very interesting series. Thanks for sharing.

bacchus76 at myself dot com

Rosemary Laurey said...

@ I Heart Book Gossip.

My editor chase the titles. I seldom keep my titles.

Rosemary Laurey said...

Caffey:

I find I rather enjoy the WW2 period. Not sure if I can sell another one but would really like to.

Rosemary Laurey said...

@Llehn
Oh a hard question. I've never thought of actual live people (actors or otherwise) as the characters. Honestly have no idea.

Anonymous said...

Bonjour!

Well i just discovered about your books with this post,and now i find myself really interested in reading them. And even more since you said you're writting another one set in my country =D ...Yeah i'm that patriotic ;)

Anyway did you ever kill a character (one that annoyed you for no reason...) just for the fun of it? Or at least have thought about it?
I'm always interested in the relationship authors have with their characters.

Caroline.A
pattepoilueATgmailDOTcom

I'm tweeting about this here :http://twitter.com/pattepoilue/status/2650747450

Fokxxy said...

Looks great! I would love to be entered please.

ssummmer(at)gmail(dot)com

Rosemary Laurey said...

Pattapoilu

Here's hoping I sell the Vichy France one.
Will give me a reason to make research trips :-)

Plus I really do like this heroine (Ella) ... She grows so much in the course fo the story...

And as for killing characters,,, I've never (yet at least) done it on a whim... Some I've enjoyed killing off - the vamps here for a start.. others I hated to but it was necessary- after all there's a war on - and on more than one level.

Did feel rather cruel polishing off poor old Mother Longhurst, but I had a good reason for it.

If anyone has read Kiss me Forever, they know what happens to the stone knife :-)

drey said...

Ooh, these look like they'd be awesome on my bookshelf... =) I twittered: twitter.com/dreys_tweets/status/2656203413

Sable said...

Hi, Rosemary! I have a question about titles, too. The titles for this series are so, so clever that I half-expected you to say that you had thought of them before the books had really taken shape. Has that ever happened to you before, or do you always write the book first and entitle it later (or leave the titling business to your editor)? I've never been good coming up with titles, but once in a while I think of one that's so good I feel compelled to write something to match it.

Congratulations on a fascinating series! I can't wait to dive in!

Sandy rrainey@columbus.rr.com

mrsshukra said...

Nice to meet Georgia Evans here! Please enter me in this giveaway!

delilah0180(at)yahoo(dot)com

mrsshukra said...

Hi Georgia/Rosemary!

What is it about vampires that draw you to write about them?

delilah0180(at)yahoo(dot)com

Unknown said...

love your rosemary laurey books, so know ill love your new name books.

how many names do you think you will have while writin? as lon as you write
i notice more and moer authors are havin more tan one name and genres
and is there other genres you like to write?

BreiaB said...

Congrats on the new release. I have your book on my TBR pile as a reward for when I finish all my reviews. I can't wait.

Do you have a favorite character from your books, if so who is it? and Why?

tina werner said...

congrats on your new releases! i love reading anything vampire, so i'm thrilled to have the chance to win! thanks!!!

stampitchick at yahoo dot ca

i also have you linked on my side bar at http://tinawerner.blogspot.com

Vyrdolak said...

This looks like a fascinating series! Georgia, I have a question: I'm working on a book that starts in 1952, and researching it has been highly illuminating. I'd love to know some of the less typical research techniques you used for the 1940s, and whether you discovered any cliches or commonly held ideas about that era that didn't hold up? Thanks!

Vickie said...

Just in case....

VWinship at aol dot com

Ellz said...

This sounds like a great series, you sound like a smart writer.
Do your stories have any other paranormal creatures in them? Do you plan on writing any other books with paranormal creatures?

Rosemary Laurey said...

Sable:

I always have a title (what I think of as 'my' title) for my books, It usually comes pretty early, Right about when I have the 'big problem' straight in my mind. These books I called: Watchers, Defenders and Fighters. I liked them as they seemed (to me) to express the change that happens to the Others as the threat intensifies.. but have to say they weren't exactly attention getting.

It just happens that almost every time my titles get changed... Current projects are titled (by me) Dark in the Woods and Ancient Ways... who knows what they will end up sad if and when I sell them.

I tend to have a better chance of keeping my title with short stories, but then with them the title isn't so important for marketing.

Rosemary Laurey said...

@etirv

THe vamps picked me :-) When I was writing the books that ended up as Kiss me Forever, after a few chapters I discovered the hero was a vamp. hadn't know that when I started.

Rosemary Laurey said...

@blackroze

How many pen names? WHo knows. Right now three is quite enough. Publishers like them for different genres.. It's all about marketing.

Rosemary Laurey said...

@vyrdolak

A lot of my research was reading contemporary diaries and popular fiction of the period - the latter really helps with dialogue and attitudes.
Also used the BBC site of WW2 reminiscences. That was fascinating.
And for specific details (things like: were window panes taped on the inside or the outside- or did milk delivery continue during the war) I asked friends who are a few years older than I am and lived through the war.

I do think researching recent history such as the 50s or WW2 is easier than more distant periods as there is so much extant contemporary materials and you have still living sources OTOH since you have still living sources, you'd better be meticulous with details or readers won't hesitate pointing out your errors!

Rosemary Laurey said...

@einice

Most of My Rosemary Laurey books have paranormal elements. And yes, I'll keep writing them as long as I can sell them.i I really enjoy the pranormal elements in my stories.

Rosemary Laurey said...

Forgot to mention earlier
If anyone would like a book mark and/or signed book plate. Please send a SASE to
Brytewood Book Mark/ Book Plate
Po Box 6548
Columbus, OH 43206

Misusedinnocence said...

I would love to read this. :)

misusedinnocence@aol.com

Misusedinnocence said...

I'm curious as to what your favorite musical is. :)

misusedinnocence@aol.com