Here are posted my musings on vampires and various other fictional, paranormal critters. Comments from readers and writers of said literature are always welcome.
Fall of Light by Nina Kiriki Hoffman. Ace Hardcover (May 5, 2009)
[reviewed by Amy Weidenaar]
Wonderfully written, thoroughly engrossing, an absolute delight!
Opal LaZelle is a special effects make-up artist who has worked her way up through the business and has now found herself hired by none other than Corvus Weather – a horror movie/monster star. Having proven her skills to him in the first movie they worked together on, Opal begins to feel a little more comfortable using her own special touch of magic to help him bring his newest character to life.
Gradually though, Corvus becomes aware of the uniqueness of her magic touch even as she becomes aware that hers is not the only magic at work in Corvus. As she searches to find out more of the powers at work, she also learns more about herself, her family, and the strength of her powers. She has the power to change Corvus’ appearance into the ‘Dark God’ for the new movie “Forest of the Night” but when it is revealed that Corvus has been possessed by a local god, will her powers be strong enough to drive it from the man she loves? And does she want to?
Nina Hoffman paints such brilliant pictures, that you can almost physically place yourself in her settings. Gorgeous visualization. The story was fast paced. The characters interacted in such a way that you felt them grow into a tightly knit family of sorts. Light but gripping, this was a wonderful book. Whether you are looking for a book you can read while commuting on the train, or cozy up to on a rainy night, this book works for whatever mood you find yourself in. I highly recommend it. This review was written for Patricia's Vampire Notes by Amy Weidenaar
On Penguin.com Kari Sperring holds forth in the essay entitled Writing Sword-fights and Fanasy. "when I was fifteen, I finally realised what kind of writer I wanted to be, a fantasy author. I wanted sword-fights and magic, shape-shifters, ghosts, plots, duels, intricate politics and a dash of romance. And I wanted to get it right...." She is the author of Living With Ghosts DAW (March 3, 2009).
The story opens with Cassie time traveling, trying to catch up to the previous Pythia whose demise occurred before she could train the current Pythia, Cassie that is, in how to manipulate the tremendous power which comes with the position.
So what is a Pythia? As Cassie explains this is the supernatural community's chief seer, and also the person charged with maintaining the intergrity of the time line. That's quite a bit of responsibility for someone not sure of what she's doing and has a number of paranormals not wanting her in the job. Cassie is not one to go quitely into the night or day for that matter. She's been given a job to do and by golly she will find a way to get it done.
Fortunately she has allies. Two of the most important are John Pritkin a warrior mage who is much more than he seems, and the hunky master vampire, and alpha male, Mircea Basarab. Protecting Cassie falls into the hands of Mircea. He loves his job when Cassie isn't acting too independently and causing herself trouble. He and Cassie have very strong sexual feelings for each other, but Cassie doesn't want to get too emotionally close to anyone because, she believes, these things never last.
The Cassie Palmer stories are filled with nonstop action, and Curse of the Dawn is no exception. Danger follows Cassie everywhere she goes. At one point Cassie is abducted by a war mage who drags her through a ley line that suddenly explodes killing the mage and almost doing the same to our heroine. Then the big guns come out when war is declared by the god Apollo against earth's supernaturals. The Pythia who owes her powers to this god is the main target.
Mages and vampires don't always get along, but when the primary headquarters for all supernaturals is attacked and destroyed, a truce of some kind is the only way to keep the old deities, led by Apollo, from coming back and taking control once again. Naturally peace does not reign for more than a short time. War mages, dark mages, vampires, demons, and gods populate Chance's complex, intriguing, and captivating world.
The May, 2009 issue of Locus (The Magazine of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Field) will "pay extra attention to urban fantasy. There will be interviews with Kim Harrison, Patricia Briggs, and Marjorie Liu and commentary by Charlaine Harris, Kelley Armstrong, Vicki Petersson, Mike Carey, T. A. Pratt, Carrie Vaughn, Ginger Buchanan, Diana Gill, MaryElizabeth Hart, and others.."
Talk about a stellar lineup! If you are not familiar with Locus it is definitely worth either subscribing or finding a copy (I've seen it at Borders). Checkout the website.
My thanks to Ruthie at Books Books and more Books! for the Your Blog is Fabulous award! Be sure to check out Ruthie's blog for some well written book reviews.
"The Let's be FriendsAwards stands for this: These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers."
Yes, there is a sisterhood of book bloggers, and I am grateful to Bridget of Readaholic for naming me as a member! Many thanks!
"The blogger who receives this award believes in the Tao of the zombie chicken - excellence, grace and persistence in all situations, even in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. These amazing bloggers regularly produce content so remarkable that their readers would brave a raving pack of zombie chickens just to be able to read their inspiring words. As a recipient of this world-renowned award, you now have the task of passing it on to at least 5 other worthy bloggers. Do not risk the wrath of the zombie chickens by choosing unwisely or not choosing at all..."
I would never in my wildest dreams risk the wrath of the zombie chickens, but I truly want to pass on the names of others who know the joys of reading (and writing) and want to share their knowledge with the rest of us. The list of great sites seems infinite. Here are just a few.
"He's been a reporter, editor, photographer and door-to-door vacuum cleaner salesman. He now lives between two big lakes in Wisconsin, writes before six in the morning and tries to teach his two sons to act like they've been to town before. He's published more than fifty short stories on topics as diverse as big-game hunters, mermaids, modern witches, Victorian gentlemen and country musicians."
The quote above comes from Alex Bledsoe's own internet site. Bottom line, IMHO, he's a nice guy, an interesting guy, and a terrific writer! His latest work Blood Groove(Tor, April 28, 2009) is a not-to-be-missed vampire novel.
Today he answers questions from PVN. After reading the interview look for contest information. One lucky commenter will win an autographed copy of Blood Groove.
PVN: What attracted you to vampires? Alex: At a visceral level it's the power over us mere mortals. More philosophically, it's fun to envision a consciousness that has developed past the normal human life span. Is nihilism the inevitable result? Does depending on other beings, at the level a vampire must, alter your perspective on what you once were, and currently are? Freed from the constraints of time and biological change, what morality even applies to you? Questions like that fascinate me, and I hope come out in the story.
PVN: What are the attributes of your vampires? Alex: Stephen King said, apropos of writing "'Salem's Lot," that the brick wall he kept running up against was "Dracula," because it really *is* definitive. Because of that, my vampires have the abilities Stoker gave them, but the twist is that they don't fully know the extent of them; after all, how many of us understand everything about how our own bodies work? So there are still some surprises.
PVN: Baron Rudolfo Zginski - what an interesting fellow - describe this character. Alex: I wanted to use the Dracula archetype, so I needed an aristocratic, Old World, Eastern European vampire figure. I'd invented Zginski for a short story many years ago; when I began plotting the novel, I realized he fit perfectly with what I wanted to do, which in high-concept terms was "Dracula Meets the Lost Boys."
Zginski's primary characteristic, and his greatest weakness, is his arrogance. It's not so much based on his disdain for others as on his certainty that he is simply better, smarter and stronger than anyone else. He had these qualities as a mortal, and becoming a vampire just amplified them. And the thing is, he *is* smarter and stronger than almost everyone, but that "almost" keeps tripping him up.
PVN: What sort of research did you do for this book? Alex: I'm old enough to remember the Seventies pretty clearly, and I was 12 in 1975, the year in which the book is set. Most of my research involved locking down whether or not things I recall actually happened before or after this date. Teresa Nelson, the Memphis contact for About.com, was invaluable in helping me verify this. I made one deliberately anachronistic choice (if you spot it, it means you were there), but otherwise tried to get everything as accurate as possible. The trickiest part was recreating the attitudes, which were on the cusp of the feminist and civil rights movements becoming truly mainstream. Lip service was paid to equality as a concept back then, but the reality--especially in the South--retained a lot of the old status quo.
The older historical bits, particularly Zginski's plan to turn a profit on the Irish Potato Famine, required old-fashioned grunt work. Luckily, I enjoy that sort of thing.
PVN: Will there be a sequel to Blood Groove? Alex: There will be. It's titled "The Girls with Games of Blood," and it puts Zginski between two vampire sisters who have been feuding over men since the Civil War. It will be out in the spring of 2010.
PVN: What authors inspire you? Alex: In vampire fiction, my taste runs to the classics: "Dracula," LeFanu's "Carmilla," and the long-winded but absurdly fun "Varney the Vampire." In horror fiction I'm a long-standing fan of H.P. Lovecraft, especially "At the Mountain of Madness." In more general fiction I admire Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, Andrew Vachss, Ross Macdonald, Robert B. Parker, Charles de Lint and William Faulkner.
PVN: Describe your writing day and what your writing environment is like. Alex: I'm a stay-at-home parent, so my writing day revolves around my one-year-old son. When he's napping I'm chained to my laptop, and when he's awake, I'm usually editing something with pen and paper. It's a bit chaotic, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. PVN: Anything else you would like to add. Alex: Blood Groove comes out on April 28th from Tor Books, and on unabridged audio from Blackstone.
PVN: Alex, thanks so much for this interview!
The contest portion is closed. Now for the Contest information:
One lucky commenter will win a signed copy of Blood Groove
For a chance to win do one (or more) of the following:
*Comment on any subject from the interview. Each comment on a different subject counts as an entry.
*Ask Alex a question. Each question counts as an entry.
*Link to Patricia's Vampire Notes and send me the URL or on Twitter use @patriciaaltner in the Tweet. Each link or Tweet counts as an entry.
Be sure to give me your email information so that I will be able to contact you.
The contest will end Friday April 24 at 11:59 PM ET
While the novel Where The Rain Is Made has a lot of passion it also has a gripping, original plot not to mention well wrought characters. Ethan Gray is a time wanderer chosen by the Sacred Council of the modern world to take the knowledge he has gained in his studies of the Cheyenne and return to the mid 1800s when his people faced so much danger from the whites and had suffered so much at their hands.
That was a difficult, often brutal world. In graphic prose the author shows the difficult, tenuous life of the Cheyenne, demonstrates their point of view and the reasons for their hatred of whites. She does this without blinking. The brutality whites and Cheyenne are capable of is not ignored.
In a raid by Meko (Ethan's name in the past) and his fearsome Dog Soldiers where many are slaughtered, he captures two prisoners, the beautiful Cesca and her young brother Marsh. It is through the lives of these three characters that the story is told. Cesca balks at becoming one with the tribe, but eventually acquiesces to her new life. Young Marsh finds the transition easier and wishes to go through the grueling ordeal that will allow him to join the Dog Soldiers.
Meko faces a conundrum. His stay in the past can end at any time the Council decides, but he has fallen deeply in love with Cesca, and she eventually returns those feelings. Meko has vowed to find a way for them to be together although the odds against two people from different time periods is all but impossible.
Where the Rain Is Made is an edgy,compelling story. It tells a very solid tale - one rooted in history.
A personal note from Patricia: After reading this book I wrote to the author and asked if this was a story dear to her heart. I also asked how she did her research.
This is her answer: "Yes, Where The Rain Is Made is a story dear to my heart. For whatever reason when my youngest boy was 12, he took an insane interest in the Cheyenne Dog Soldiers. He must have read a snippet somewhere. For months, we lived, ate and breathed Dog Soldiers. Dylan was fascinated with them. We went to the library countless time and checked out every book we could find on them. Several years later, I asked myself what I was going to do with all this knowledge know that I had it; and of course, by then, I had also fallen in love with their customs and beliefs. Their true life story was very sad, however. At the end when all the Plains tribes gathered to sign the last treaty, the Dog Soldiers refused to sign. But they rode in and a photographer wrote an account about them, stating he'd never seen anything so magnificent in his entire life. There they were, atop their mounts on a hill in the distance, their whistles and shields gleaming beneath the bright sun. Painted up like ghouls in the colors war, as were their horses. They hadn't come to cause trouble, but rather to make a statement that as long as one of them still breathed, they would never sign the treaty and would fight to the death.
"Sadly, they did until the last Dog Soldier was killed by the US cavalry. So, yes, I thought a lot about that while writing the book."
It Was a Dark and Silly Night by Neil Gaiman and Gahan Wilson. Go to Suvudu.com to see a video made about Gaiman's short story and animated by Wilson. For those of you who enjoyed The Graveyard Book this will be a special treat. The short story was written as an exercise before writing the award winning childrens book. (Actually a childrens book for ALL ages.) Wish I could post the video here. It really is delightful!
Listen to Dracula: the Podcast narrated by Tom Walters. You can listen online at the website or subscribe to it through iTunes. Says Tom, "Think you know the story? You don't. Now you can hear the timeless story of bloodlust and the struggle against evil incarnate from the original unabridged text. Complete chapters available as podcasts."
I listened to the most recent posting which was Chapter 23 of Stoker's classic. The narration was quite good with just the right amount of spookiness.
Says Marta, "I've decided to share chapters from my young adult gothic novel, The Shadow Girl of Birch Grove, with friends and fans.
"Fans of the Casa Dracula series will notice a few similarities, as well as major differences. My heroine is another lost girl, but Jane is somber and stoic. She's observant and quiet. She faces life without any illusions.
"Her obstacles are formidable and her enemies are unseen. Does small, plain, poor Jane have the strength and heart to overcome them?"
Here is a recent article about author Seth Grahame-Smith. His newly published book, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Classic Regency Romance has been quite a hit. From the publisher: "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains. " So begins Pride and Prejudice and Zombies , an expanded edition of the beloved Jane Austen novel featuring all-new scenes of bone-crunching zombie mayhem. As our story opens, a mysterious plague has fallen upon the quiet English village of Meryton — and the dead are returning to life! Feisty heroine Elizabeth Bennet is determined to wipe out the zombie menace, but she's soon distracted by the arrival of the haughty and arrogant Mr. Darcy. What ensues is a delightful comedy of manners with plenty of civilized sparring between the two young lovers — and even more violent sparring on the blood-soaked battlefield as Elizabeth wages war against hordes of flesh-eating undead. Can she vanquish the spawn of Satan? And overcome the social prejudices of the class-conscious landed gentry? Complete with romance, heartbreak, sword fights, cannibalism, and thousands of rotting corpses, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies transforms a masterpiece of world literature into something you'd actually want to read."
The article goes on to explain that Grahame-Smith's success has been so great that he has now been commissioned to write a story about Abraham Lincoln, vampire hunter. This one I will have to read!
Description: "All natural whole body cream, especially good for the neck. The fragrance will make him bare his fangs.
"This chemical-free cream is hand-crafted on our farm in the North Olympic Peninsula from olive oil, beeswax, and essential oils of lavender, cloves and other secret herbs..."
On Tuesday April 21 stop by PVN and read an interview with Alex Bledsoe author of the entertaining vampire novel Blood Groove (Tor, April 28, 2009). "an edgy, enthralling, entertaining story."
The legend of Josef Sardu was told to Abraham Setrakian by his grandmother when he was a child. It is a scary tale to keep young ones in line. But perhaps there is more to it.
Years later Abraham and his Jewish family are forced to flee, when the Nazis occupy their Armenian homeland. Abraham was imprisoned in the death camp Treblinka where he saw human evil along with its supernatural counterpart. He witnessed a dark ominous figure use the cover of night to enter the barracks and drain the blood of dying inmates. He knew this monster to be Sardu, and he vowed vengeance against this malicious entity,one more powerful than the Nazi oppressors.
Move forward to modern times. JFK International Airport. Flight controller Jim Mendes safely shepards inbound flight Regis 753 onto the runway. From that moment on all contact with the jumbo jet is lost. Port Authority fire fighters hasten to the scene. They find a plane completely dark. No beacon lights, no lights in the cockpit, no lights in the cabin, no sounds from the engines. All the window shades are closed. Like the plane is dead. Other emergency personnel are called including Dr Ephraim Goodweather of the who is in charge of the Centers for Disease Control rapid response team. There is an agonizingly long time before the only hatch that can be opened from the outside is unsealed. No one is prepared for what is found inside and no one knows how such a catastrophe could happen.
Now residing in New York City, at the same moment flight 753 landed, Abraham immediately sensed the overwhelming presence evil. For years he had readied himself for this day, but to fight the monster he will need help. How can he convince anyone with his tales of horror and what terrible things that must be done to destroy this abomination and his minions.
The Strain captured me right from the beginning. The suspense and terror build relentlessly until the authors allow a little breathing room by giving background information on various characters. Sometimes these ruminations went on a bit too long. I was anxious to get back to the action.
You will not find any romanticized brooding vampires here. These undead are evil through and through. There is no depth to their darkness. Even Count Dracula's nastiness pales in comparison. But Dr Abraham Van Helsing, Bram Stoker's character who alerted others to Dracula's undead status, does have a terrific counterpart in the persona of Abraham Setrakian.
The thriller, action writing comes from the pen of Chuck Hogan, but it is the imaginative mind of Guillermo Del Toro that adds the flavor of the fantastic. This is the perfect book for a dark and stormy night.
Welcome to author Paige Tyler who is guest blogging today to discuss her latest erotic romance Vampire 101 from Wiskey Creek Press, April 2009.
Thanks for being here, Paige!
Thanks so much for asking me to guest blog, Patricia!
I've had a thing for vampires ever since I first saw the tall, dark, and hunky Angel on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, so when I decided to write a vamp paranormal romance, I thought why not write about a heroine who was as into him as I am? Of course, Savanna, the sexy heroine in my new book Vampire 101, ended up getting a little more caught up in the whole vampire thing than I think I would like. For one thing, she likes to hang out at Goth clubs on the weekend, figuring that's as close to the dark, brooding Angel as she's ever likely to get. Now I can honestly say I've never done that! It was fun to write about it, though.
Since she's read just about vamp book ever written, and watched every television show and movie ever made about them to boot, Savanna considers herself somewhat of an expert on the subject. Of course, she doesn't really believe in her heart that vampires exist. It's just fun to think they do. She'd be happy just to find someone with a few vamp-like qualities - hence the Goth clubs. But then her whole world is turned upside down when she's bitten by a real-life rogue vampire and left for dead outside a Goth club. That's when she discovers the hard way that they really do exist after all. And when the sinfully handsome vampire Kaige, the hero of Vampire 101, comes to her rescue and saves her life by turning her into one, she learns that everything she thought she knew about vampires is wrong.
But just because she was wrong about the details, it doesn't mean that she isn't in for the wildest, craziest, most sensual ride of her life! Time to hold on tight and find out how a modern vampire really lives!
VAMPIRE 101
Being a Vampire Isn't What It Used to Be!
Savanna Royce is a weekend Goth-girl who has always been fascinated with vampires. She doesn’t really believe in them, of course, but that changes when she is bitten by a rogue vamp and left for dead.
Fortunately, two-hundred-and-seventy-eight-year-old vampire Kaige Travers is there to rescue her. Unwilling to let her die, he turns Savanna into a vampire to save her life, not knowing if she’ll thank him or hate him for it.
While Kaige is teaching Savanna what she needs to know about being a vampire, neither of them can deny the chemistry that’s there. Somewhere between getting her registered at the local vampire admin office and teaching her how to order blood on the internet, they fall for each other, fast and hard.
Just as things are heating up between the sheets – and everywhere else – they encounter one minor problem. The rogue vampire who attacked her is back and this time, he wants to finish the job he started.
Excerpt:
Heart hammering in her chest, Savanna lifted her head to see a tall, dark-haired man coming into the room. Even as fuzzy as she was, there was no mistaking those rugged good looks. He was the guy she remembered leaning over her.
“You’re awake,” he said. “That’s good.”
His voice was deep and velvety, just like she remembered. Savanna jumped to her feet and she backed away from him on wobbly legs.
“Who are you?” she demanded. “Where am I?”
The man held up his hand in a placating gesture. “Just take it easy. I’m not going to hurt you,” he said. “My name is Kaige Travers, and you’re in my house.”
Savanna’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. What the heck kind of name was Kaige, anyway?Probably fake. “Why did you bring me here?” she asked, not bothering to return the introduction.
Kaige regarded her thoughtfully for a moment. “How much do you remember about what happened at the Goth club?” he asked.
Savanna’s pulse began to race. He couldn’t possibly be referring to that crazy stuff from her dream. “What are you talking about?”
He hesitated. “You were attacked. I had to bring you here to save your life.”
She frowned. “What do you mean, you brought me here to save my life? Why didn’t yo just take me to a hospital? What kind of attack?”
“The hospital wouldn’t have been able to do any-thing for you,” Kaige said. “That guy who dragged you into the alley…he was a…you were…” He sighed. “You were bitten by a vampire.”
Savanna stared at him in disbelief. Okay, that did it. No more Goth clubs for her. She might like to dress all in black and pretend that vampires really did exist, but she knew enough to separate fantasy from reality. Unlike the handsome, but obviously insane, Kaige Travers.
“Look,” he said. “I know it sounds crazy, but –”
“It doesn’t just sound crazy, it is crazy!” she snapped. “Vampires aren’t real.”
Kaige folded his arms across his broad chest. “Actually, they are.”
She laughed. “Right. Next you’ll be telling me that I’m a vampire because I got bitten by one. Sorry, but I think you have your vampire and werewolf lore mixed up. In order to become a vampire, a person has to have their blood drained, and then they have to drink the blood of the vampire who bit them. Are you telling me that the guy who bit me gave me his blood?”
The muscle in Kaige’s jaw flexed. “The vampire who bit you left you to die. I was the one who turned you.”
Savanna blinked. “You?” she said incredulously.
He nodded. “After I chased the other vampire off, I gave you my blood.”
“Please tell me you’re joking,” she said.
“It was the only way to save your life,” he said.
Savanna’s stomach churned. It was one thing to think vampires were sexy, but the idea of drinking blood was too disgusting for words. She swallowed hard. “So, you’re telling me that you’re a vampire?”
He nodded. “Yes.”
“Riiiiiight,” she said, drawing the word out. “Look, no offense. I mean you’re hot and everything, but you’re definitely not vamp material. Take it from me, I know.” She picked up her evening purse from the bedside table. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to go ahead and leave.”
Alarm flickered in Kaige’s golden brown eyes. “You can’t leave yet. You’re still weak. You need more blood.”
Savanna made a face at that, her stomach churning again. “What I need is a shower and a cup of coffee.”
Giving Kaige a wide berth, she headed for the door. As she did so, she glanced at her reflection in the mirror over the dresser and immediately stopped when she saw the puckered red scars on her neck. She reached up to lightly run her fingers over them.
“Now do you believe me?” Kaige asked.
He had moved across the room to stand behind her and she met his gaze in the mirror. She was tall, but even in the high-heeled boots she was wearing, the top of her head didn’t quite reach his chin.
She lifted her own a fraction of an inch. “No. If I were a vampire, I wouldn’t have a reflection. Neither would you.”
He muttered something she didn’t catch under his breath. “You’ve been watching too many movies. Of course we have a reflection. We’re vampires, not ghosts.”
Savanna spun around to face him. “You’ve got an answer for everything, don’t you?”
His mouth quirked. “But unfortunately none of them seem to be enough to make you believe me.”
“Because what you’re talking about is crazy,” she told him. “Vampires don’t exist.”
Kaige lifted a brow. “You certainly seem to know a lot about vampires considering you don’t believe in them,” he said, folding his arms over his chest again.
Savanna felt her face color. “Just because I’m into vampires, that doesn’t mean I think they’re real. Or that you’re one of them.”
His eyes narrowed. “What if I could give you proof?”
“What kind of proof?” she said.
Kaige didn’t answer, but simply opened his mouth. As she watched, his canines elongated before her very eyes, and then retracted.
Savanna backed up until she hit the dresser. Holy crap! “Where the heck did you find a dentist to do that?”
He clenched his jaw. “I didn’t have a dentist do it. I’m a vampire. They come with the title.”
She chewed on her lower lip. This guy really believed what he was saying, she realized. And while the fangs did look sexy as hell on him, the whole thing was still way too weird even for her.
“I’m out of here,” she said, heading for the door.
He followed her down the hall. “Look I won’t stop you from leaving, but if you start feeling weak, you need to come back here immediately.”
She glanced over her shoulder at him as she hurried down the stairs. “Oh, sure thing. I’ll do that.”
“And watch out for the sun,” he said when she yanked open the front door.
She turned to give him a superior look. “Let me guess. Because I’ll burst into flames, right?”
His mouth tightened. “No, but you will get one hell of a nasty sunburn faster than you ever thought possible.”
Savanna just shook her head. The guy might be gorgeous, she thought as she closed the door behind her, but he was also completely certifiable!
WHAT REVIEWERS ARE SAYING ABOUT VAMPIRE 101!
5 Cherries from Whipped Cream Reviews! "Absolutely delightful and wickedly tempting, Ms Tyler has put a new spin on the vampire curse giving it a fresh look. Filled with deliciously sinful love scenes written to set the sheets on fire and characters that will make your mouth water and leave your eagerly flipping to the next page to see what happens next. Guaranteed to tease the senses, push you to the brink and leave you squirming in your seat!"
Night Owl Romance Says It Will Have You Panting! "Vampire 101, Modern Day Vampires is a wonderfully witty tale that will have you laughing at the witty repartee as well as panting at the hot steamy sex. Ms. Tyler gives a whole new take on vampires and what makes them tick. Her characters are all well rounded, interesting and for the most part normal people. They have all the hallmarks of being someone you might know, which makes them immensely likeable. The plot is well thought out and has enough of a mystery element to keep you guessing and wondering what the heck is going to happen next to keep you reading all the way to the end. The sex is very well written and doesn’t overwhelm the rest of the story. And of course love wins out in the end. Pick this work up and you’ll definitely be adding Ms. Tyler to your paranormal favorite authors list."
Dark Angels Reviews Says Vampire 101 Is Another Mouthwatering Hit from Paige Tyler!
"MODERN DAY VAMPIRES: VAMPIRE 101 is another mouthwatering hit from Paige Tyler. I absolutely devoured this book. Savanna and Kaige are so mesmerizing that it felt like I actually knew them. They could have been my neighbors they were so realistic. The romance that blossoms between them is heartfelt and passionate. I was rooting for them from the very beginning. Kaige is such a protector of Savanna. He makes it his job to keep her safe at all costs. When it dawns on him that he's falling in love with her, I wanted to hug him, he was so dumbfounded about it. Savanna is a jewel. Sweet, innocent, charming and when it really counts, strong and passionate. At turns, MODERN DAY VAMPIRES: VAMPIRE 101 is hilarious, comical, suspenseful, erotic and downright captivating. Paige Tyler is wicked with a pen and knows how to yank her readers in and leave them breathless from beginning to end. If you're in the mood for a superb paranormal romance with some erotic scenes woven in with a splash of suspense for good measure, MODERN DAY VAMPIRES: VAMPIRE 101 is definitely the book for you. This one is going on my keeper shelves and I've already re-read it three times, so I guarantee you'll love it!"
This month email subscribers to Patricia's Vampire Notes will be entered to win a copy of Season of the Witch by Natasha Mostert.
Subscribing is easy. In the right hand column click on Subscribe to Patricia's Vampire Notes by Email. Be sure to respond to the email asking you to validate your subscription.
You may have noticed that there has not been a lot of substantial activity at PVN these past few weeks. Hubby's surgical recuperation is taking a bit longer than expected, so my attention has been focused elsewhere lately. He is getting better, though, and fortunately there is nothing life threatening.
My apologies to authors and publishers who are waiting for reviews, but the books will be read and reviews will be written. That's my promise.
Thanks to everyone for your understanding and support!
Bloody Good by Georgia Evans Kensington, June 2009
Vampires have invaded England. It is 1940 and the British are in their lonely fight against a German invasion. On a night time drop four undead, allied to the German cause, land in the English countryside prepared to do damage at a nearby munitions plant. Things go smoothly for three but the fourth lands in a tree with one branch impaling his shoulder. Wood is poison for the undead.
In a nearby village physician Alice Doyle goes about her busy schedule of working with the town folks as well as evacuees from London.
One patient turns out to be a man with a badly injured shoulder where a tree branch had punctured him. He is so weak that even walking a few steps is nearly impossible. When she goes to check on him later he has disappeared. In a seemingly unrelated event Alice finds her pet dog has suddenly died with out any obvious cause.
Alice lives with her grandmother a woman proud of her pixie blood and the prescience it gives her. Alice admits that sometimes Gran's predictions come true, but she is a doctor, a woman of science and scoffs at her grandmother's superstitions. Gradually we learn that Others, supernatural humans, have a presence in the village, although they keep this part of themselves secret.
As a conscientious objector Peter Watson has been assigned to work with Alice as her medical assistant. Many people, including Alice, despise COs, as they are called. Still Alice finds it hard to ignore how intelligent and handsome Peter is. When she discovers the terrible secret that will not allow him to ever touch a gun, all of her qualms disappear, and she falls hard for him. Her feelings are reciprocated.
All these disparate people must come together in order to figure out the evil that stalks their land.
Evans creates excellent, believable dialog (including believable britishisms) spoken by a brilliant medley of characters. There are perils and secrets tightly woven into a gripping tale of mortals and Others struggling against the Germans and their vampire allies. This is book one in a trilogy.
by Nina Kiriki Hoffman. Ace Hardcover (May 5, 2009)
DAW (March 3, 2009).
by Leigh Savage
) and 
) - offered commenters a chance to win a signed copy of their books.
by Kim Harrison has not responded so I have drawn a new winner 
this will be a special treat. The short story was written as an exercise before writing the award winning childrens book. (Actually a childrens book for ALL ages.) Wish I could post the 
, $6.99; On Sale April 28, 2009)
(July 09)
