Dracula Remains Very Much UN-DEAD
From: Yahoo! Movies: Movie News -
Thursday May 17 12:58 PM ET
There have been countless spin-offs, take-offs and rip-offs of the original vampire character, but The Un-Dead has a pedigree.
By Dennis Michael, FilmStew.com
From Count Chocula to Grandpa Munster, thousands of characters owe their undead existence to the fact that Dracula is a public domain character, in the United States at least. But now a new chapter in the Dracula story has the proper, shall we say, bloodline. The Un-Dead, a novel by Bram Stoker's great grand-nephew Dacre Stoker, is on its way to the screen.
The Un-Dead will be made into a film, with a script by Stoker's co-writer Ian Holt. Ernest Dickerson is set to direct, and the entire project has the endorsement of the Stoker family. Shooting will begin late this year in Eastern Europe with some private financing shoring up production investment by AEI and Jan De Bont's shingle Blue Tulip Productions.
The storyline of The Un-Dead picks up 25 years after the end of the original Stoker book, and ties in Jack the Ripper and the notorious Madame Bathory in the plotline. Reportedly some details in The Un-Dead were originally in Bram Stoker's Dracula, but the book was reportedly heavily edited when it was first published. No casting has been announced as yet.
May 17, 2007
May 6, 2007
Andrew Fox and the Fat White Vampire
Humor mixed with well told tales are always a delight. The two following titles by Andrew Fox are excellent examples. Both are set in pre-Katrina New Orleans and both show the author's love for the city.
I wrote these reviews for Library Journal.
Fox, Andrew.
Fat White Vampire Blues.
Ballantine. Jul. 2003. c.352p.
ISBN 0-345-46333-1. pap. $13.95. F
Jules Duchon is one of the undead, a big, fat, white vampire weighing in at over 400 pounds. In his beloved New Orleans, his home for more than a century, he thrives on the food and jazz and drives a cab to make a living. He isn't the brightest guy in the world, but he is fairly content and manages to get by. All that changes, however, with the appearance of another vampire, a really mean fellow called Malice X who threatens Jules with permanent death. It's up to Jules, with the help of Maureen, the plus-sized vampire who transformed him, and a cross-dressing vampire pal named Doodlebug to find a way to eliminate a frighteningly real threat. This wry, witty, and often hilarious first novel delivers a wonderful mixture of characters and lovingly evokes the charm of the Big Easy.
This review is reprinted by permission of Library Journal. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
Fox, Andrew
Bride of the Fat White Vampire.
Ballantine. Aug. 2004. c.448p.
ISBN 0-345-46408-7. pap.$14.95. F
Jules Duchon of Fat White Vampire Blues is back, bigger than ever. When last seen, the unhappy vampire had changed himself into 200 white rats, living on restaurant refuse and hiding in storm drains. Now the snobbish vampires of the High Krewe need Jules's intimate knowledge of New Orleans's seedy brothels, low-life taverns, and trash-strewn alleys. A fiend has mutilated two beautiful female vampires, and only Jules has the expertise to find this creature. Doodlebug, Jules's cross-dressing
pal, transforms his friend back to his normal fat form. Jules agrees to do the job for the High Krewe but wants something for himself: the return of Maureen, the vampire woman he loves who was transformed to dust a few months earlier. Everyone looks to Doodlebug to find a way to accomplish the impossible. A wonderful cast of extraordinary but believable characters--human and vampire--populate this witty novel. The story's leisurely pace reflects the laid-back ways of the Big Easy.
This review is reprinted by permission of Library Journal. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
I wrote these reviews for Library Journal.
Fox, Andrew.
Fat White Vampire Blues.
Ballantine. Jul. 2003. c.352p.
ISBN 0-345-46333-1. pap. $13.95. F
Jules Duchon is one of the undead, a big, fat, white vampire weighing in at over 400 pounds. In his beloved New Orleans, his home for more than a century, he thrives on the food and jazz and drives a cab to make a living. He isn't the brightest guy in the world, but he is fairly content and manages to get by. All that changes, however, with the appearance of another vampire, a really mean fellow called Malice X who threatens Jules with permanent death. It's up to Jules, with the help of Maureen, the plus-sized vampire who transformed him, and a cross-dressing vampire pal named Doodlebug to find a way to eliminate a frighteningly real threat. This wry, witty, and often hilarious first novel delivers a wonderful mixture of characters and lovingly evokes the charm of the Big Easy.
This review is reprinted by permission of Library Journal. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
Fox, Andrew
Bride of the Fat White Vampire.
Ballantine. Aug. 2004. c.448p.
ISBN 0-345-46408-7. pap.$14.95. F
Jules Duchon of Fat White Vampire Blues is back, bigger than ever. When last seen, the unhappy vampire had changed himself into 200 white rats, living on restaurant refuse and hiding in storm drains. Now the snobbish vampires of the High Krewe need Jules's intimate knowledge of New Orleans's seedy brothels, low-life taverns, and trash-strewn alleys. A fiend has mutilated two beautiful female vampires, and only Jules has the expertise to find this creature. Doodlebug, Jules's cross-dressing
pal, transforms his friend back to his normal fat form. Jules agrees to do the job for the High Krewe but wants something for himself: the return of Maureen, the vampire woman he loves who was transformed to dust a few months earlier. Everyone looks to Doodlebug to find a way to accomplish the impossible. A wonderful cast of extraordinary but believable characters--human and vampire--populate this witty novel. The story's leisurely pace reflects the laid-back ways of the Big Easy.
This review is reprinted by permission of Library Journal. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
May 4, 2007
Renew the Dresden Files!
Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information, contact: Bonnie Johnston
Email: bonnielala@gmail.com
Fans Rally to Support The Dresden Files
Campaign launched for renewal of SciFi Channel's original series
(May 1, 2007) – Since the first season of SciFi Channel’s original television series The Dresden Files ended its run in mid-April, an avid fan base has been actively campaigning for a second season of the show through online petitions, discussions in various online forums, and letters and postcards to SciFi Channel executives.
The Dresden Files, starring Paul Blackthorne as Chicago private investigator and wizard Harry Dresden, is based on the popular books by author Jim Butcher and features fast-paced, unique stories that blend the best of traditional detective work with the supernatural…as well as just enough humor and wit to make things more interesting.
The show, which also stars Broadway veteran Terrence Mann as Harry’s ethereal assistant Bob and Valerie Cruz as Chicago police detective Lt. Connie Murphy, has won numerous fans due to its clever mixture of drama, comedy and edge-of-your seat suspense.
The Save Harry Dresden website contains contact information for SciFi Channel executives, as well as letter-writing tips to help fans get their letters started. For those who want to do more, the site also offers contact information for the show’s producers and advertisers; a link to dresdenfiles.org's online petition; and downloadable flyers that can be printed and posted in bookstores and other places where Dresden Fans are likely to gather.
Overseas fans who want to participate in the campaign, but aren’t sure that their letters will reach the SciFi channel in time, may submit their pleas for renewal to the website: all overseas letters are being printed out and forwarded to the appropriate SciFi executives and to the show’s producers. In the first 14 days of the campaign, letters have poured in from around the world -- Portugal, the Netherlands, Argentina, Taiwan, Australia, Norway, New Zealand, Japan, Brazil, Canada, and the United Kingdom -- proving that Harry Dresden’s fan base isn’t limited to the United States.
Enthusiastic reviews of the show posted in the website’s guestbook by visitors are also being sent along to the powers that be. What are fans saying about the show?
"…the series has a perfect blend of mystery, fantasy, comedy, and a touch of romance." --Carlos Jackson
"Every episode is better than the previous one." --Angel Arthur
"I adore the series...it's as witty and entertaining to watch as the books are to read." --Kiya Wolfe
SciFi Channel’s own site dedicated to the program includes a very active discussion forum, which currently boasts more than 20,000 individual messages on over 600 topics.
While the first run of The Dresden Files may be over, fans can go to iTunes and download the entire season as another way to show their support for the show.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information, contact: Bonnie Johnston
Email: bonnielala@gmail.com
Fans Rally to Support The Dresden Files
Campaign launched for renewal of SciFi Channel's original series
(May 1, 2007) – Since the first season of SciFi Channel’s original television series The Dresden Files ended its run in mid-April, an avid fan base has been actively campaigning for a second season of the show through online petitions, discussions in various online forums, and letters and postcards to SciFi Channel executives.
The Dresden Files, starring Paul Blackthorne as Chicago private investigator and wizard Harry Dresden, is based on the popular books by author Jim Butcher and features fast-paced, unique stories that blend the best of traditional detective work with the supernatural…as well as just enough humor and wit to make things more interesting.
The show, which also stars Broadway veteran Terrence Mann as Harry’s ethereal assistant Bob and Valerie Cruz as Chicago police detective Lt. Connie Murphy, has won numerous fans due to its clever mixture of drama, comedy and edge-of-your seat suspense.
The Save Harry Dresden website contains contact information for SciFi Channel executives, as well as letter-writing tips to help fans get their letters started. For those who want to do more, the site also offers contact information for the show’s producers and advertisers; a link to dresdenfiles.org's online petition; and downloadable flyers that can be printed and posted in bookstores and other places where Dresden Fans are likely to gather.
Overseas fans who want to participate in the campaign, but aren’t sure that their letters will reach the SciFi channel in time, may submit their pleas for renewal to the website: all overseas letters are being printed out and forwarded to the appropriate SciFi executives and to the show’s producers. In the first 14 days of the campaign, letters have poured in from around the world -- Portugal, the Netherlands, Argentina, Taiwan, Australia, Norway, New Zealand, Japan, Brazil, Canada, and the United Kingdom -- proving that Harry Dresden’s fan base isn’t limited to the United States.
Enthusiastic reviews of the show posted in the website’s guestbook by visitors are also being sent along to the powers that be. What are fans saying about the show?
"…the series has a perfect blend of mystery, fantasy, comedy, and a touch of romance." --Carlos Jackson
"Every episode is better than the previous one." --Angel Arthur
"I adore the series...it's as witty and entertaining to watch as the books are to read." --Kiya Wolfe
SciFi Channel’s own site dedicated to the program includes a very active discussion forum, which currently boasts more than 20,000 individual messages on over 600 topics.
While the first run of The Dresden Files may be over, fans can go to iTunes and download the entire season as another way to show their support for the show.
Apr 8, 2007
Blood Price by Tanya Huff
I have been a fan of the Vicki Nelson books since reading Blood Price, the first in this entertaining series by Tanya Huff. Now that Vicki has her own show - Blood Ties on Lifetime I've taken this as a welcome excuse to reread the novels in order, as published.
Blood Price. Daw, 1991. (with various reprintings)
Vicki Nelson, former Toronto police detective, has left the force because of the deteriorating eye disease retinitis pigmentosa. She sets up a private detective office where business has been scarce. Things quickly change when late one night Vicki witnesses a brutal murder on a subway platform. The victim is Ian a young man who only moments earlier had been thinking about his girlfriend Coreen and how upset she would be with him for being late. Seconds before his attacker strikes Ian smells a rotting stench. As he opens his mouth to scream the monster throws him to the ground, and tears out his throat. This is when Vicki happens upon the scene. She sees a figure in black bending over the victim. She races the long distance down the platform, but by the time she arrives the killer has escaped, leaving a blood trail into the dark tunnel. Her eye sight being what it is she does not get a good look at the killer. The victim, with his hideous wounds, and body drained of blood, is beyond any help. But the murderer's foul odor cannot be ignored.
Vicki summons the police. When they finally arrive it turns out the lead investigator is her former partner and lover Mike Celluci. She tells him as much as she knows, but she has questions of her own for him. They have had no contact since she resigned eight months earlier, and Mike makes a point of reminding her that she is no longer on the force, and not privy to police information. And he is still furious with her for quitting. He considers it like running away. His attitude angers Vicki but being the pigheaded, charge ahead type that she is, Mike's vitriol only fuels her determination to find out what's going on.
There have been other savage murders like this - victims with ravaged throats and drained of blood. When even more killings occur the press dubs them the vampire murders. This particular designation upsets Henry Fitzroy, romance writer, illegitimate son of Henry VIII, and vampire. The killer is giving vampires a bad name and Henry plans to do something about it.
Now the three main characters that appear in all the series books have been introduced. Vicki, of course, is central, but Mike and Henry, both very attracted to her, will be involved in solving each paranormal mystery.
In Blood Price someone is calling forth a very powerful, blood lusting demon who will literally destroy the world if he is not stopped.
Vicki Nelson, former Toronto police detective, has left the force because of the deteriorating eye disease retinitis pigmentosa. She sets up a private detective office where business has been scarce. Things quickly change when late one night Vicki witnesses a brutal murder on a subway platform. The victim is Ian a young man who only moments earlier had been thinking about his girlfriend Coreen and how upset she would be with him for being late. Seconds before his attacker strikes Ian smells a rotting stench. As he opens his mouth to scream the monster throws him to the ground, and tears out his throat. This is when Vicki happens upon the scene. She sees a figure in black bending over the victim. She races the long distance down the platform, but by the time she arrives the killer has escaped, leaving a blood trail into the dark tunnel. Her eye sight being what it is she does not get a good look at the killer. The victim, with his hideous wounds, and body drained of blood, is beyond any help. But the murderer's foul odor cannot be ignored.
Vicki summons the police. When they finally arrive it turns out the lead investigator is her former partner and lover Mike Celluci. She tells him as much as she knows, but she has questions of her own for him. They have had no contact since she resigned eight months earlier, and Mike makes a point of reminding her that she is no longer on the force, and not privy to police information. And he is still furious with her for quitting. He considers it like running away. His attitude angers Vicki but being the pigheaded, charge ahead type that she is, Mike's vitriol only fuels her determination to find out what's going on.
There have been other savage murders like this - victims with ravaged throats and drained of blood. When even more killings occur the press dubs them the vampire murders. This particular designation upsets Henry Fitzroy, romance writer, illegitimate son of Henry VIII, and vampire. The killer is giving vampires a bad name and Henry plans to do something about it.
Now the three main characters that appear in all the series books have been introduced. Vicki, of course, is central, but Mike and Henry, both very attracted to her, will be involved in solving each paranormal mystery.
In Blood Price someone is calling forth a very powerful, blood lusting demon who will literally destroy the world if he is not stopped.
Mar 24, 2007
X-Rated Bloodsuckers by Mario Acevedo
In 2006 Mario Acevedo published humorous novel The Nymphos of Rocky Flats about an Iraqi vet, Felix Gomez, who gets turned into a vampire shortly after a nasty fire fight. Now he's back in the US and is working as a private investigator. An old college chum asks him to investigate an outbreak of nymphomania at Colorado's Rocky Flats nuclear facility. What could be more interesting?
The sequel is X-Rated Bloodsucker. Rayo, 2007 (February). Felix faces his toughest task ever—navigating the corrupt world of Los Angeles politics to solve the murder of a distinguished young surgeon turned porn star. But both human and vampire alike have reasons to want the secret to stay buried. . .
Below is a brief Q & A with Acevedo
A Conversation with… Mario Acevedo author of
X-Rated Bloodsuckers
Q. Your book takes place in and around the porn industry in Los Angeles—what’s the connection, in your mind, between vampires and porn?
A. Both porn and vampires tap into the lurid, forbidden recesses of our psyche. Plus, writing this book gave me the chance to look at porn and legitimately claim it as research.
Q. You were once a soldier, and can even fly an attack helicopter. How much of your own personal experience fueled the premise of this, your second, novel?
A. This second novel had little to do with military action. In the first draft I did have some helicopter stuff but the story worked better without it. Plus, people would rather read about porn than helicopters.
Q. Felix, X-Rated Bloodsucker’s protagonist, goes into combat in Iraq and comes back a vampire. Are you making a stronger statement, using an admittedly hilarious vehicle, about how your own combat experience changed you?
A. I was lucky. I didn’t come back with any disorders I didn’t already have. In X-Rated Bloodsuckers I had to remind the readers how Felix became a vampire and that could be an allegory to the lingering affects of war on people.
Q. The Vampire genre continues to fascinate readers—why do you think this is?
A. Vampires tap into our primal fears about death and monsters. While we deny it, death is always nearby and vampires represent the monsters who live among us. That, and vampires wear great clothes and throw fabulous parties.
The sequel is X-Rated Bloodsucker. Rayo, 2007 (February). Felix faces his toughest task ever—navigating the corrupt world of Los Angeles politics to solve the murder of a distinguished young surgeon turned porn star. But both human and vampire alike have reasons to want the secret to stay buried. . .
Below is a brief Q & A with Acevedo
A Conversation with… Mario Acevedo author of
X-Rated Bloodsuckers
Q. Your book takes place in and around the porn industry in Los Angeles—what’s the connection, in your mind, between vampires and porn?
A. Both porn and vampires tap into the lurid, forbidden recesses of our psyche. Plus, writing this book gave me the chance to look at porn and legitimately claim it as research.
Q. You were once a soldier, and can even fly an attack helicopter. How much of your own personal experience fueled the premise of this, your second, novel?
A. This second novel had little to do with military action. In the first draft I did have some helicopter stuff but the story worked better without it. Plus, people would rather read about porn than helicopters.
Q. Felix, X-Rated Bloodsucker’s protagonist, goes into combat in Iraq and comes back a vampire. Are you making a stronger statement, using an admittedly hilarious vehicle, about how your own combat experience changed you?
A. I was lucky. I didn’t come back with any disorders I didn’t already have. In X-Rated Bloodsuckers I had to remind the readers how Felix became a vampire and that could be an allegory to the lingering affects of war on people.
Q. The Vampire genre continues to fascinate readers—why do you think this is?
A. Vampires tap into our primal fears about death and monsters. While we deny it, death is always nearby and vampires represent the monsters who live among us. That, and vampires wear great clothes and throw fabulous parties.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)