Apr 30, 2011

New Vampire Releases for April 2011

There are plenty of choices for romance fans this month with books from Marie Treanor, Michele Hauf, and Kerrelyn Sparks, to name a few. If you're looking for adventure with a touch of humor check out The President's Vampire by Christopher Farnsworth. And Twilight fans can rejoice because Stephenie Meyer has produced The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide .  Whatever your pleasure you are sure to find something for the TBR pile. Enjoy!


Blood Sin: An Awakened By Blood Novel
by Marie Treanor
NAL Trade (April 5, 2011)

The author of Blood on Silk brings readers the next novel in her seductive new Awakened by Blood series.

Months after her dangerous encounter with the vampire overlord Saloman, Scottish academic Elizabeth Silk is still trying to cope with both the demands of her vampire-hunting bloodline-and the desire she feels for Saloman, the immortal she brought back from the grave. But when Saloman's ancient sword becomes the object of a ruthless race between humans and vampires, Elizabeth must decide between unwanted loyalty, or unholy love.




Crimson Dawn
by Ronnie Massey
Copperhill Media  April 2011

When vampire Valeria Trumaine comes home one morning to find her father waiting for her, she knows she’s about to get trouble in spades. But she never imagined it would come in the form of her ex-fiancĂ©. Now she must confront old demons and face new possibilities as she struggles to bring the rouge vampire to justice.

After she left him, Valeria avoided Tristan like the plague, but now that he’s gone rogue, she’s going to have to utilize every thing she’s learned as a sentinel to find him.




 
Department 19 
by Will Hill
Razorbill (April, 2011)
Young Adult

Jamie Carpenter's life will never be the same. His father is dead, his mother is missing, and he was just rescued by an enormous man named Frankenstein. Jamie is brought to Department 19, where he is pulled into a secret organization responsible for policing the supernatural, founded more than a century ago by Abraham Van Helsing and the other survivors of Dracula. Aided by Frankenstein's monster, a beautiful vampire girl with her own agenda, and the members of the agency, Jamie must attempt to save his mother from a terrifyingly powerful vampire.

Department 19 takes us through history, across Europe, and beyond - from the cobbled streets of Victorian London to prohibition-era New York, from the icy wastes of Arctic Russia to the treacherous mountains of Transylvania. Part modern thriller, part classic horror, it's packed with mystery, mayhem, and a level of suspense that makes a Darren Shan novel look like a romantic comedy. 




Eternal Kiss: Mark of the Vampire
by Laura Wright
Signet (April 5, 2011)

Raised by the Breed, Nicholas Roman wants to stop the Eternal Order of Vampires from controlling his life, and using other males from his bloodline-including possibly his son-for their vicious reign. Only a beautiful vampire stranger can help him. But what are her true motives?









Forever Vampire
by Michele Hauf   
HQN Books (April 19, 2011)

Vail the Unwanted is a pure-blooded vampire. But raised by Faery, he has neither home nor peace, and when his aid is sought in the recovery of a priceless diamond gown, his price is information. Specifically the whereabouts of his accursed father. His goal is revenge, and the supernaturally sexy Lyric, the icy blond vampiress with whom he must work, is a distraction he can't afford.

Outwardly as cold as the diamond dress in which she was kidnapped, Lyric has her own secrets. Desperate to break free from her criminal family, she aligns herself with the brooding Vail. Together they seek justice while each secretly works for freedom and a fresh start. For Lyric that means holding herself apart, even from the smoldering blue-eyed Vail. For Vail, it means a battle to the death for revenge—and for a temptress he can't deny.




The President's Vampire
Christopher Farnsworth
Putnam  (April 28, 2011)

The ultimate secret. The ultimate agent. Nathaniel Cade returns.

For 140 years, Nathaniel Cade has been the President's Vampire, sworn to protect and serve his country. Cade's existence is the most closely guarded of White House secrets: a superhuman covert agent who is the last line of defense against nightmare scenarios that ordinary citizens only dream of.

When a new outbreak of an ancient evil-one that he has seen before- comes to light, Cade and his human handler, Zach Barrows, must track down its source. To "protect and serve" often means settling old scores and confronting new betrayals . . . as only a centuries-old predator can.



Ravenous (Clare Point Vampires)
V.K. Forrest (Author)
Kensington (April 1, 2011)

A seduction-gone-wrong leaves vampire Parker Hollis with a new vegetarian lifestyle and on the run from a vengeful witch. Moving to small-town Maggie’s Grove, Parker meets a redheaded dryad with green, leafy blood that draws him in a way he hasn’t experienced in decades. Tree-loving outcast Amara Schwedler has never quite fit in. She’s...As a member of his clan's kill team, Liam McCathal helps rid the world of undesirables. It's the perfect job for a vampire of his talents - except that lately, Liam is getting a little too good at it.

Which is why he's back home to "cool off," when Mai walks into his antique store and changes everything. Liam's not in the habit of making friends - least of all with beautiful, exotic human females. But something about Mai ignites a spark he hasn't felt in over a century. When Mai's uncle is killed and her father threatened, Liam takes on a ruthless crime boss and puts every vampire in Clare Point in danger of discovery. Because Mai's father has secrets too, and Liam is edging ever closer to losing his reputation, his clan, and the woman he would do anything to protect... 



Teeth: Vampire Tales
edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling
HarperCollins (April 5, 2011)
Young Adult

Fascinated by vampires?
Then feast on nineteen tantalizing, bite-sized tales exploring the intersections between the living, dead, and undead.

The vampires in these stories range from romantic to chilling to gleeful—and touch on nearly every emotion in between. The one thing they have in common is their desire for blood. . . .

Stories from:

Genevieve Valentine, Steve Berman, Christopher Barzak, Neil Gaiman, Delia Sherman, Garth Nix, Suzy McKee Charnas, Kaaron Warren, Cecil Castellucci, Jeffrey Ford, Nathan Ballingrud, Kathe Koja, Catherynne M. Valente, Melissa Marr, Ellen Kushner, Cassandra Clare, Holly Black, Lucius Shepard, Emma Bull, Tanith Lee



The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide 
by Stephenie Meyer
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (April 12, 2011) (Apr 12, 2011) 
Young Adult

This must-have hardcover edition--the only official guide--is the definitive encyclopedic reference to the Twilight Saga and provides readers with everything they need to further explore the unforgettable world Stephenie Meyer created in Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn, and The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner. This comprehensive handbook—essential for every Twilight Saga fan—is full-color throughout with nearly 100 gorgeous illustrations and photographs and with exclusive new material, character profiles, genealogical charts, maps, extensive cross-references, and much more.





Twilight Prophecy (Children of Twilight)
by Maggie Shayne
Mira (April 19, 2011)

According to ancient prophecy, there's only one chance to avert the complete annihilation of the Undead. Twins James William and Brigit Poe, part human, part vampire, believe that they are that chance. In truth, the key lies with the reclusive—and mortal—scholar Lucy Lanfair.

As Armageddon approaches, antivampire sentiment fuels a war neither side can win, driving James to abandon his moral code and draw Lucy into a deadly battle she wants no part of.

But Lucy soon realizes that she holds this powerful immortal's soul in her hands and that it's her destiny not only to stop a war but to save him from his inner darkness. If she fails, his race will die—and so will her heart. Is the power of love strong enough to save the world?






Vampire Dragon (A Works Like Magick Novel)
by Annette Blair
Berkley (Apr 5, 2011)

One the run from the mob, Bronte McBride needs the kind of protection that only the mysterious and handsome bodyguard Darkwyn-a former Roman warrior turned dragon-can give her.

But Bronte's secrets could endanger both of them. 






Vampire Mine
by Kerrelyn Sparks
Avon (April 1, 2011)

Nothing on earth can make this vampire fall in love.
After 499 years of existence, Connor Buchanan has arrived at an inescapable conclusion: he is a cold-hearted SOB. He's been watching his friends—those poor romantic fools—plummet off the cliff into love like a dazed herd of sheep. But not Connor. He knows that love leads to nothing but heartache.
Until Marielle . . .

She is an angel cast down from heaven for disobedience. Trapped in mortal form, she finds a protector in Connor, a Scottish vampire haunted by a dark past. Marielle hopes to heal his broken heart and earn her way back home, but suddenly she has these . . . feelings. This strange yet pleasant physical yearning—for a vampire! Is this the work of a demon luring her into hell, or has this angel found heavenly bliss?



The Vampire Queen
Jodie Pierce
Eternal Press, April 7, 2011

A young woman awakes to find out not only is she an important Countess but she is also the very first or 'Ancient One' as she is called by her subjects. Her memories of being a vampire or anyone are gone so she must relearn everything (from spells to flying) from the people around her, but can they be trusted? She learns her main objective as the old Countess was purifying the vampire race and wishes to continue with that work. The 'Others', powerful and evil vampires, attempt to use her memory loss to their advantage. They had been trying to entice her to their side for centuries. Struggling to remember her past, battling the 'Others' and coping with her new life keep the Countess busy throughout this spellbinding and thrilling novel. Will she succeed in her goals or will the 'Others' win her over to their side this time around?




Vampyrnomicon (Book Two of The Vampire Hunters Trilogy)
by Scott Baker
Pill Hill Press (April 1, 2011)

Hunters and vampires seek The Vampyrnomicon, a book that could destroy the vampires...or mankind. Within the vaults of the Smithsonian Institute lies the key to finding The Vampyrnomicon, the Book of the Undead that contains the history and secrets of the vampires. According to legend, whoever possesses the book can establish a vampire nation on earth - or destroy the undead once and for all. With an opportunity to end the war against the undead so close, Drake Matthews is determined to find the book. But the vampires also want The Vampyrnomicon. When Master Chiang Shih and her coven of the most powerful and dangerous vampires arrive in Washington to claim the book as their own, the hunters find themselves facing their most deadly enemy yet. With the stakes so high, so is the ferocity of the struggle.

Apr 26, 2011

R. A. Nelson Blog Tour and Contest

Please welcome R. A. Nelson author of the recently published and well received Young Adult novel Throat. [two lucky readers will win a copy of the book. see contest details at the end of the post.]

I asked Russ if he would explain the mythology of his vampire world, and here what he had to say.

Wonderful topic, Patricia. Thanks for having me!


Okay, vampires. Not the most original of subjects, I admit. So first off, I wanted to make my vampires as realistic as possible – I looked at the whole vampire mythos from a fresh perspective and took the idea almost down to ground zero. I tried to envision what it would be like to live in such a way in the real world. Because of the need to avoid daylight and the lack of any kind of legal documentation whatsoever, it would be virtually impossible for a vampire to own property or have very many material possessions at all. They wouldn’t have social security numbers, wouldn’t be able to transact any kind of business, hold a bank account, etc. Unless they wanted to take a huge risk (because of daylight or discovery), like hiding somewhere on a plane, they would be limited in travel to the distance they would be able to run in one night, and with each move they’d have to find a new safe haven. Even with all their physical advantages, it would be hard to find any glamour in the condition – a vampire would basically be a super-powered homeless person who happens to need blood.

Another twist in my book is the connection of my vampires to the sun. Each vampire is surrounded by a kind of electromagnetic field which gives them their powers and provides them a means of communicating over great distances, as well as other abilities. The downside to this is that their “disease” is actually a kind of mutation or alteration of this field, and they survive by tapping into the “feld” (German word, not a typo) of human beings when they drink their blood.

The condition of vampirism in my book is reversible, however. Every few hundred years there is a titanic solar flare on the sun which blasts the earth with a flood of electromagnetic particles that act to “cleanse” a vampire’s feld, making them human again. There is one faction of vampires who kind of worship the sun (from a safe distance, of course!), believing someday they will be relieved of their curse (unless they happen to be deep within the earth when the solar storm occurs).

Emma is a different kind of vampire altogether. When she is attacked by the monster Wirtz, she suffers a massive grand mal seizure, a kind of electrical storm of the brain, which scrambles her personal feld with that of the vampire. So when she is transformed, her epilepsy has turned her into a kind of half-vampire, half-human. She is left with all the powers of a vampire (super strength, speed, senses), without the need to drink blood or avoid the sunlight. So she’s basically super human. There’s just one catch – the bad vampires want to kill her for it.

Wirtz is a Germanic vampire from the old school. Truly horrific and menacing, Wirtz is hundreds of years old and monstrously bitter after losing his son and being passed over during the last healing sonnenruption (he was hiding in a coal mine at the time). This merciless creature is in relentless pursuit of Emma for most of the book and will stop at nothing to destroy her – after learning her secrets first, of course. Emma’s only hope of surviving a second encounter with the vampire and keeping her family alive lies in…well, you’ll have to read the book to find that out!

Thanks again!


Blog Tour stops for THROAT

Monday, April 25th    Books with Bite   

Tuesday, April 26th    Patricia’s Vampire Notes   

Wednesday, April 27th    Bite Club   

Thursday, April 28th    Suvudu   

Friday, April 29th    Random Acts of Reading   

Saturday, April 30th    Dangers Untold and Hardships Unnumbered

The publisher will be tweeting about Russ’s blog tour on @RandomHouseKids!
(Follow the author: @RANelsonYA)




Contest

* The publisher is offering a copy of  THROAT to two lucky readers.

* Leave a comment for Russ about this post for a chance to win.
 
* Be sure contact information is included with your comment.

* This contest is open to US residents only

* Contest ends May 10, 2011 at 11:59pm EST

Apr 19, 2011

Forever Vampire by Michele Hauf - Announcement

Today April 19, 2011 is publication day of Forever Vampire by Michele Hauf one of my favorite authors of paranormal romances. Read an interview with Michele

FVPressRelease





Hunters & Prey by Katie Salidas - Announcement



Hunters & Prey is the sequel to Immortalis Carpe Noctem by Katie Salidas. [Read her fascinating post on Vegas Vampires]



"After being forced to reveal her true nature to Fallon, her human best friend, Alyssa finds she done more than just broken vampire law, she's created a new pawn in the Acta Sanctorum's game of vampire extermination."


Synopsis:

Becoming a vampire saved Alyssa from death, but the price was high: the loss of everything and everyone attached to her mortal life. She’s still learning to cope when a surprise confrontation with Santino Vitale, the Acta Sanctorum’s most fearsome hunter, sends her fleeing back to the world she once knew, and Fallon, the friend she’s missed more than anything.

Alyssa breaks vampire law by revealing her new, true self to her old friend, a fact which causes strong division in the group that should support her most: her clan.

Worse yet, her revelation entangles Fallon in the struggle between vampires and hunters and The Acta Sanctorum is ready to attack again, with a new army of hybrid creations: the Frenzy Soldiers.

If Alyssa hopes to survive and keep her mortal friend safe, she’ll have to be willing to make a deal with the enemy, and regain her clan’s support. It will take everyone working together in a precarious truce to fight against the Acta Sanctorum’s new threat.

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Adult Content: Yes
Pg Count: 300
Publisher: Rising Sign Books, LLC.
Formats available: Print, Kindle (US/UK), Nook, Sony, etc...

Apr 18, 2011

The President's Vampire - Book Review

The President's Vampire
by Christopher Farnsworth
Putnam, April 28, 2011

The President's Vampire is the second adventure of Nathaniel Cade, a truly dangerous guy. He is utterly ruthless, single minded, and will not stop until the job is finished. He's like the Terminator but with a touch of humanity and a bit of conscience. Sometimes I picture him as a kinder, gentler American Psycho.

Cade is a vampire, a secret weapon in the arsenal of the president of the United States in the war against monsters from the Other Side. From these monsters come the ever present danger to the eminent destruction of humanity. The time is the twenty-first century. The current peril comes from reptilians - savage beasts cooked up in the laboratory of a super secret agency. The bite of one creature turns a human into a mindless, killing nightmare. Fortunately Cade's inhuman strength and cunning can destroy these monsters but when he faces an entire army he may need help from friends like his human handler/pal Zach and Cade's vampire girlfriend Tania.

There are plenty of chills and thrills as Cade and his friends attempt to outwit and outmaneuver the calculating mind behind this currant diabolical plan. The plot is so intricate that sometimes it's hard to tell who the good guys are - except for Zach and Cade of course, Tania has her own agenda. Readers who enjoy adventure with a compelling cast of characters will enjoy this clever, witty sequel to Blood Oath.

[A version of this review appeared in Library Journal which sent me the book for review. Thank you!!]







Read Sandy Rainey's review of Blood Oath

Apr 14, 2011

David Blue - Guest Post and Contest

Many have read Leonard Wolf's The Essential Dracula: The Definitive Annotated Edition or Leslie S. Klinger’s The New Annotated Dracula, both excellent sources for understanding the times in which Bram Stoker wrote his classic novel. But before Dracula there was  J. Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla, a mesmerizing story of vampire seduction. 


Today PVN welcomes David Blue who has written a similar treatment for Carmilla  (one of my all time favorite vampire tales). David is also offering a PDF copy of his book to one lucky winner. [see contest details at end of post]


 Carmilla helped define a genre. Before its publication in 1872 (a full quarter century before Dracula),  no vampire story had ever included the POV of a victim.  Never before had an expert vampire hunter been called in, nor had strangely erotic dreams accompanied the nightly visits of an undead seducer.  Reading the story, you may find a whole host of other tropes that have since become commonplace, almost cliche.  Here a painting of a vampire from over a century before provided a clear clue as to what kind of supernatural events were afoot!  Likewise, for almost the first time, a vampire seems to love her victim, to yearn for understanding and love in return.

Little wonder it has proven the most adapted vampire tale in cinematic history after Bram Stoker's story of the Transylvanian Count!


The book certainly captured my imagination, and at an early age.  I can still see in my mind's eye the cover of the very first copy I ever owned.  Much of the past year I spent pouring over the manuscript, noting every detail that might spark a question in the average reader.  When in doubt, I defaulted to answering the question--with the result ending up over four hundred footnotes, contained in my book The Annotated Carmilla.  One result was to discover dozens of little clues embedded Le Fanu's words, including details about the phases of the moon (which are actually somewhat important) and references to mythology that aren't at all immediately obvious.  Most people picking up Le Fanu's story for the first time, for example, probably have no notion where "Styria" actually is.  The footnotes answer this and many more questions.

One lovely piece of luck lay in the fact that as I readied the book for publication, I learned that a new film version was in post-production--the first serious version in over two decades (since the 1990 film starring Ioney Skye and Meg Tilly).  This film, titled Styria, stars Eleanor Tomlinson (who was in Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland) as well as Polish actress Julia Pietrucha.


CONTEST

*Now I'm going to give away one copy of The Annotated Carmilla to the winner of a simple contest.  At heart Carmilla remains the story of two young women--one mortal, one undead--who are friends and maybe more.  Arguably the most famous casting of the two can be seen in Hammer Studio's The Vampire Lovers starring Ingrid Pitt and Madeleine Smith.

*To enter the contest simply comment in this blog [Patricia's Vampire Notes] and name your two choices to play the leads in an imaginary adaptation of Le Fanu's vampire story.

*The contest runs until May 1, 2011.  Or if you cannot wait, you can purchase a copy here: https://www.createspace.com/3507727 Please feel free to share the link! 

Herein is the trailer...

http://youtu.be/EJisi6lhRfM

Apr 12, 2011

Liz Strange - Interview and contest

Meet Liz Strange author of the new vampire trilogy The Dark Kiss. Liz has a whole range of interests and is certainly never bored. Here is how she is described on her website:

"When not working, writing or spending time with her family, she enjoys reading, watching scary movies, spicy food, soccer and hitting the gym.  Liz is aself-confessed sci-fi nerd, loving Star Trek, X-Files and Torchwood, and is a horror fanatic.

"She also loves anything to do with mythology, history and anthropology, and has a long-standing fascination with ancient Greece and Easter Island.

"Her true ( and undying) love for vampires was born when she got her  hands on a copy of Stephen King's 'Salem's Lot."

Book one My Love Eternal and Book two A Second Chance at Forever have been published.   [see contest details at end of post]


Thanks for joining PVN today, Liz. Let me begin by asking about your latest series. What is the premise of The Dark Kiss Trilogy?

The Dark Kiss trilogy follows Rachel, from her days as a young, mortal woman in my hometown of Kingston, Ontario on to finding the love of her life, who happen to be a vampire, and the subsequent adventures they have together (and apart). Rachel’s lover, Giovanni, has a history he can’t seem to escape from, and which haunts then throughout the books.

What are the characteristics of your vampires?


My vampires follow a more traditional notion; they don’t go out in the sun, they don’t age, they drink blood, are incredibly strong/fast, and have varying levels of psychic awareness and control over humans. They are monsters and they know it, but they still hang on to a touch of their humanity. They haven’t entirely lost the notion of love or friendship.

When will Book three be available?

The print version should be available sometime in April or May, and the e-book version will be out in the summer.

I also have a fourth book coming out from MLR Press, which is more of a off-shoot of the series, but still takes place within the same “realm” and involves some characters introduced in books two and three of the series.  It’s called The Embrace of Life and Death (A Dark Kiss tale).

What attracts you to the paranormal?


I love everything about it- the mystery, the thrills and chills. There are so many great stories out there, often with some basis in mythology, local lore and spiritual beliefs. It fascinates me. 

Which authors or books have influenced your writing?

Well definitely Anne Rice, Stephen King, H.P. Lovecraft and Tanya Huff. For my vampire fixation I enjoy authors like P.N. Elrod, Laurell K. Hamilton, Raven Hart, and Charlaine Harris. I always consider myself a horror or dark fantasy author first, though my stories often involve relationships, sex and love stories.

Please describe your writing day and writing environment.

I wish I had writing “days”. I work full-time, so my writing is at night after my kids are in bed and I’ve taken care of everything else I need to for the day, and on the weekends. At present my office is a desk pushed into the corner of my dining room.

Do you use music or visuals to inspire you as you write?

I do like to listen to music when I write. It keeps me alert and energized.

When reading for pleasure what kinds of books to you choose?


I like paranormal, horror, fantasy and mysteries.

Are you a fan of any of the paranormal themed TV series?  (What are they and why?)

I am a HUGE X-files fan. As far as I’m concerned that was the best TV show ever. I love True Blood, Being Human and have just discovered Supernatural. Not sure how I missed that when it first came out, but I’m catching up on the past seasons.


Anything else you would like to add?


Just to say thanks to all the readers for buying my books, and for the compliments and encouragement. I really appreciate hearing from you.

Readers can find me here:

Website: www.lizstrange.com
Facebook:: https://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=291798485838
Twitter: www.twitter.com/LizStrangeVamp
Gooodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3360700.Liz_Strange




The Dark Kiss Trilogy

Book 1:  My Love Eternal

Blood, sex and eternal life… What more could a girl ask for?
Tall, dark, and sexy, as well as fabulously wealthy, Giovanni is everything a girl could ask for in a lover. There’s only one catch. He’s been undead for more than three hundred years.

Giovanni’s world, she learns that the rules of human existence mean nothing in the world of vampires. This, however, is a fair price to pay for a love that will last forever.

Hunted by the Desmarais family, who carry a centuries-old vendetta, Rachel and Giovanni travel to the ends of the earth in order to stay one step ahead. Can their love survive, or will their eternity together end?

Content Warning: Violence, sexual encounters with the undead.

Book 2:  A Second Chance at Forever

Forever is a long time to live without love.

 After enduring a sequence of tragic events, Rachel is forced to start over without her beloved Giovanni. Relocation to San Francisco with vampires Eli and Charles is the second chance at life she feels she needs.

With the help of immortal allies, Rachel, Eli and Charles initiate a brutal showdown with the Desmarais, avenging Giovanni’s death and removing the threat to all vampire kind.

But after making the most unexpected discovery, she knows lines have been crossed and things may never be that same for any of them.

Contest

1.    What city is the main setting for A Second Chance at Forever?
2.    Who are the “bad guys” in A Second Chance at Forever

*Liz is offering an electronic copy of A Second Chance at Forever to one lucky reader. Note: US or Canadian winner may choose a print copy.

* Answer ONE of Liz's questions for a chance to win.
 
* Be sure contact information is included with your comment.

* Contest ends April 26, 2011 at 11:59pm EST

* Contest is international