Lucy Weston - Guest Blog and Contest

 

The Secret History of Elizabeth Tudor, Vampire Slayer 

by Lucy Weston

Gallery; Original edition (December 21, 2010)

[below is an essay by Ms Weston about the secret journals of Elizabeth I of England]

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

When  the secret journals of Elizabeth Tudor, hidden for centuries, were first put into my hands, I had no idea what I would find in them.  Although I had sought the journals for many years--and in the end paid dearly for them--I doubted that they could be as frank and true an account of the Queen’s reign as I hoped. But happily,  Elizabeth has proven to be even more forthright and courageous in the recording of her life than history has shown her to be in her actions. 

As she resided at the Tower on the eve of her coronation, Elizabeth tells us that she was approached by men she thought she knew well--two of her most trusted advisors--who astonished her by revealing that they were members of a secret, arcane society sworn to protect her.  At their insistence, she allowed them to lead her to her mother’s grave hidden deep within the precincts of the Tower.  There Elizabeth experienced an unearthly transformation that awakened her powers as the first vampire slayer born in a thousand years.

Not surprisingly, Elizabeth reveals that she had great difficulty accepting her new identity.  But her first encounter with Mordred, the king of the Vampires, changed all that.  As tempted as she was by his promises of eternal young and beauty if she would become his queen, Elizabeth was determined to protect her realm from all enemies--both mortal and immortal.  She assumed that she knew who those enemies were, but she was about to discover that nothing was as she expected.

Embracing her powers as a vampire slayer, Elizabeth learns almost too late that they come at a very high price.  As enemies close in around her and the fate of her realm hangs in the balance, the young queen faces a choice that will change both her life and the course of history forever.

My own choice to bring “The Secret History of Elizabeth Tudor, Vampire Slayer” to the public notice has also brought about great changes in my life.  From the moment I was transformed into a vampire more than a century ago, I have sought vengeance for what was done to me.  But now, heeding the voice of a queen wise beyond her years, I can only hope that the revelation of the true role vampires have played in human affairs will lead to a new, better accord between humans and vampires alike.

Lucy Weston

Follow Lucy on Twitter http://twitter.com/Lucy_Weston and at http://www.lucywestonvampire.com/lucyweston/

CONTEST

*Lucy is generously providing three lucky winners with a copy of  Elizabeth Tudor, Vampire Slayer

*To enter the contest simply comment on Lucy's post.

*The giveaway is limited to US residents only.

*Be sure your email address is associated with your comment.

*Contest ends Dec. 31, 2010 midnight PST.

Marta Acosta - Interview and Contest

A huge welcome to one of my favorite writers Marta Acosta author of the acclaimed Casa Dracula series. On Tuesday, September 28,  Haunted Honeymoon, the fourth and last book, will be available.  It is a terrific wrap-up for the series, but I can't help feeling a bit sad. I will miss the often funny, always fascinating characters Marta has created.

Recently Marta took time for an interview with PVN.

[see contest details at the end of the post]

PVN: Marta, thank you for being here!

PVN: Haunted Honeymoon is the last in the Casa Dracula series. Do you feel relieved? Elated? Sad? Any or none of the above?

MARTA: When I finished writing the last sentence of the book, I was shocked to find myself crying.  It’s been a great ride taking her through adventures and love, and she’s always kept her optimism and good nature.  However, I’m elated that I gave Milagro the ending she’s earned and deserves.

At the end of the book, Oswald tells Milagro, “I wouldn’t have missed a second of it, I wouldn’t have missed you, for anything in the world.”  That’s how I feel, too.

PVN:  For readers not acquainted with the series would you mind given some background, especially what sets your vampires apart from the more common garden variety?

MARTA: My vamps have a genetic condition that causes a craving for blood, photosensitivity, an ability to heal rapidly from injuries, and an extended lifespan.  They’re very family-oriented, quite career driven, and pretty snobby because vampires would be snobby, wouldn’t they?

Their snobbery adds to the fun with Milagro, who attended a Fancy University (F.U.), but can’t pay her rent.  They’re tasteful and her favorite color is “leopard print.” They savor fine animal blood blends and she enjoys dancing on tables at dive bars. They use an agency for proper vampire matchmaking and she habitually flirts with any “fabulous man” around.   They have serious professions and she writes loony political horrors and is convinced that someday her talent will be recognized.

PVN:  Through all her trials and tribulations Milagro has kept her sense of humor. Tell us how you see her and how she has changed over the course of the series?

MARTA: Milagro’s humor is what’s allowed her to keep her sanity after criminal childhood neglect.  She desperately wants family and love.  That’s what the vampires offer her, and Happy Hour at Casa Dracula is about Milagro finding a home with them. 

In Midnight Brunch, Milagro finally begins to accept that she’s not like others.  She’s not a born-vampire, but she’s far from normal.  She also has to adjust to a secondary infection that saves her life and makes her stronger than most born-vampires.

In The Bride of Casa Dracula, Milagro and her vampire fiancé Oswald are squabbling a lot over the wedding.  While compromise is essential for a happy relationship, where do you draw the line?  Milagro’s got to decide how much she’s willing to change for others and she has to battle new enemies, as well as deal with her attraction to an ex-lover, the dangerous and enigmatic Ian Ducharme.

Haunted Honeymoon has Milagro still missing her ex-fiance, Oswald, while carrying on a torrid affair with Ian.  She’s filled with regret for all the mistakes she’s made and she longs for a chance to do things over again.  When she suffers trauma and hits her head, she loses her memory and forgets her whole history with the vampires.  Can she do things right this time?  Milagro finally comes into herself as a woman and a vampire.  She also knows who she truly loves.

PVN: Throughout the series Milagro shows a love and knowledge of gardening. Why is that important to her character? Do you have a fondness for it as well?

MARTA: Milagro’s fondest memories are of the years she spent with her grandmother, who had a vegetable garden.  Her father is a landscaper, but he likes rigidly controlled borders and lawns, so perhaps Milagro’s reacting against that with her boisterous gardens. So gardening represents her grandmother’s love as well as her own individuality; it’s nurture and nature.

PVN:  Will we see Milagro, Ian, or any of the other wonderful characters of the Casa Dracula world in future novels or short stories?

MARTA: Milagro has some fun scenes with her best friend from F.U., Nancy Carrington-Chambers, in Nancy’s Theory of Style, written under my pen-name Grace Coopersmith.   Ian shows up in my young adult novel, The Shadow Girl of Birch Grove, which will be published by Tor in 2012.

I can see Milagro and her husband as a glamorous couple solving mysteries, flirting, and partying.  I don’t’ know if I’ll ever write that story, though, because I’ve got other ones I’d like to finish.

PVN:  Since Mil's friend Nancy now has the starring role in her own wonderful book - Nancy's Theory of Style [read review] - would you care to tell us about her recent adventure?

MARTA: Finicky, rich girl Nancy takes a “marriage sabbatical” from her boring husband and leaves the tacky McMansion he built.  She returns to her chic apartment in posh Pacific Heights and hires a gorgeous gay British assistant to help her with her event planning business.  She thinks he’s the perfect man and they’re trying to reinvent San Francisco’s most important and most boring fundraiser when Nancy’s irresponsible cousin abandon’s her four-year-old at Nancy’s. 

It’s all quite a challenge for a control-freak like Nancy, and she has to decide what – and who – is really important to her.

PVN:  You have written a lovely YA story The Shadow Girl of Birch Grove set in the same universe as the Casa Dracula books. Where is it now in the publishing pipeline?

MARTA: Thanks for asking about The Shadow Girl !  I’ll be getting my notes from my editor next month and then I’ll be working on improving the story and characters.  Booksellers now want to see books far in advance of publication, and I’m not quite sure when in 2012 it will be released.

PVN:  So, let’s say HBO or Showtime wants to make a series based on the Casa Dracula novels. Who would play some of the characters - Milagro, Ian, Edna, Oswald, etc?

MARTA: Oh, these impossible questions!  I “cast” actors in my video book trailers, but they are not how I see the characters in my imagination.  That said, I’d love someone like Holland Taylor to play Edna.  She’s the queen of a snarky line, sexy, and smart. 

The Casa Dracula books state that Milagro has a look that’s frequently seen:  she’s a pretty, curvy Latina of average height with brown eyes and black hair and she dresses in a lively, sexy way.  I often see girls on the street and think, that’s Milagro!


 Holland Taylor


PVN:  What other writing projects can we expect from you?

MARTA: I’m working on two novels.  One is a romantic comedy set in San Francisco about a couple of losers who make a decision to do anything and everything to improve their lives.  That’s the comedy so naturally mayhem ensues.

The gothic is a more ambitious work, at least in terms of research, that is set in the 1990s and the 1850s.  The actions in modern times are replicating the actions of the past, which a grand and murderous scheme to steal a fortune. 

PVN:  I love your blog Vampire Wire. My favorite feature is Gratuitous Video of the Day. Where did the idea come from and what is your criteria for choosing said video(s)? Any favorites?

MARTA: I spend way too much time on Vampire Wire, which I started as a way to promote my books.  I read the phrase “gratuitous video” somewhere and got the idea.  The video must be entertaining and the music can’t suck.  Or, if the music sucks, it’s got to be wretchedly awful.  I especially like horrible Euro-disco.

A video has a great chance of being selected if it’s set to Tom Jones’s “Sex Bomb” and has vampires.

Fans of “Supernatural” have made some great videos. They pick terrific songs and have the editing skills to turn out exciting three-minute videos. Some terrible movies are great for video tributes, and one of my favorites is “Dracula 2000” starring Gerard Butler. 

PVN:  Why did you start the Naked David Boreanaz Club, and what are some of the perks of membership?

MARTA: As much as I want to take credit for Naked David Boreanaz, I can’t.  I interviewed Amanda Ashby on my blog once and she said that if you mention Naked David Boreanaz in a post that your site visits will skyrocket. That’s how it all got started. If you Google “naked David Boreanaz” in quotes, Vampire Wire is the top result. I’m both proud and humbled.

PVN:  Where can readers find or contact you?

MARTA: I’m all over the place, although I check in at Vampire Wire most often.

Marta Acosta website with my author blog:  www.martaacosta.com.
Facebook
Marta AcostaTwitter (which I pretty much ignore)
Marta Acosta Fans on Facebook: 
Vampire Wire
Vampire Wire Twitter
Grace Coopersmith website (which I totally ignore)

And I’m always happy to get emails from readers at Marta AT martaacosta DOT com.

Patricia, thanks so much for having me here on your site!  Yours is one of the first vampire fiction sites I discovered and it’s still a “must read” for me!

PVN: Thank you for the kind words, Marta, and for this interview and contest!

CONTEST

To enter make one comment on any subject mentioned in Marta's Interview.

The winner may choose any one book in the Casa Dracula series.

Contest is limited to residents of US and Canada.

Contest ends October 28, 2010.

Steve Unger - Guest Blog and Contest

Today PVN welcomes Steven Unger author of the new book In the Footsteps of Dracula: A Personal Journey and Travel Guide which he describes as perfect "for the armchair traveler with pictures and descriptions, in memoir form, of every site in England and Romania that is closely related to either Bram Stoker's fictional Count Dracula or his historical counterpart, Prince Vlad Dracula the Impaler...

 

THE WRITING OF "IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF DRACULA: A PERSONAL JOURNEY AND TRAVEL GUIDE "

By Steven P. Unger

My obsession to travel to every site related to either the fictional Count Dracula or his real historical counterpart, Prince Vlad Dracula the Impaler, grew out of a visit to Whitby, England, where part of the novel Dracula takes place.  I stood on the cemetery hill where, in Bram Stoker's Dracula, Lucy Westenra and Mina Murray spent hour after hour sitting on their "favourite seat" (a bench placed over a suicide's grave near the edge of the cliff), gazing out toward the "headland called Kettleness" and the open North Sea beyond—while Count Dracula slept just beneath them.

In my mind's eye, I could see the un-dead Count Dracula rising at night from the flattened slab of the suicide's gravestone to greedily drink the blood of the living.
The graveyard where Count Dracula spent his days sleeping in the sepulcher of a suicide looks the part that it plays, with its weathered limestone tombstones blackened by centuries of the ever-present North Sea winds.

That graveyard made the novel more visible, more visceral, to me, and I wondered if the sites in Transylvania and in the remote mountains of southern Romania would evoke the same feelings. As I was to discover—they did.

Old Parish Church Cemetery—Whitby, England

At that moment I decided to visit and photograph every site in England and Romania that is closely related to either Bram Stoker's fictional Count Dracula or his historical counterpart, Prince Vlad Dracula the Impaler—to literally walk in their footsteps and to write a book about my experiences.

Goth Girls Adorning Whitby's Bram Stoker Memorial Seat

Eventually I traveled along the Dracula Trail alone, using only public transportation, to some places that I'd seen before and to others I had only dreamed of, trying my best to systematically strip away the layers of myth about Count Dracula and Prince Vlad the Impaler to find the reality within.  I discovered in broken stones and parchments signed in blood why Prince Vlad's monstrous deeds in life would brand him forever with the name of Vlad Ţepeş (pronounced Tzeh·pish), Romanian for Vlad the Impaler, soon after his death.

In my research and travels I discovered two fascinating coincidences that link the historical and the literary Draculas.  First and foremost is that Bram Stoker chose to name his villain "Dracula," based on the translation of the Romanian word "dracul" into "devil," never knowing that the historical Voivode (Prince) Dracula he had read about was also Vlad Ţepeş, with a horrific and compelling biography of his own.

Vlad the Impaler Surrounded by his Victims

Bram Stoker's Transylvania was the pipe dream of an armchair traveler with a genius for writing:  real enough for the 19th Century reader, but bearing little resemblance to any Romania that ever existed.  For example, Stoker wrote of "hay-ricks [haystacks] in the trees" based on illustrations of Transylvanian haystacks built around stakes, with the ends of the stakes poking out like branches.  Thus, generations of Dracula readers assumed that Transylvanians put their haystacks up in trees.

  Haystacks on Transylvania's Borgo Pass

    The second coincidence is the uncanny resemblance of the real Castle of Dracula—Vlad Ţepeş' fortress at Poenari, which Stoker had no knowledge of—to Count Dracula's fictional castle in Transylvania.  Perched on a remote peak near a glacial moraine in the Făgarăş Mountains of southern Romania and mirroring Count Dracula's fictional castle at the top of the Borgo Pass almost stone for stone,Poenari remains pristine and almost inaccessible.

The Fortress Ruins at Poenari

One of my favorite places on the Dracula Trail is Sighişoara, in Transylvania, the birthplace of Vlad Ţepeş.  I was enchanted the moment I entered Sighişoara's Upper Town.

All at once I was in the middle of a perfect storybook medieval village enclosed by thick fortress walls, with cobblestone streets and Easter-egg-colored houses leaning every which way.  Guarding the town square was a spire-roofed and turreted 14th Century clock tower replete with carved wooden figures that circle a track to mark the passage of time.  In one window, a drummer plays to signal the hours; below the drummer, the angel of the night replaces the angel of the day at the final stroke of midnight.  In another window, gods and goddesses appear, changing for each day of the week.

 Piaţa Cetăţii—Sighişoara

But let's get back to Poenari, the real Castle of Dracula.  I had traveled to other remote, forbidding places before entering the almost lightless forest of Poenari.  Near Albania's southern border, I hiked the Vikos Gorge, a dozen miles from the nearest stone-housed village.  I baked beneath the unrelenting sun of the Timna Valley close to the Red Sea, where 120º in the shade is considered picnic weather.  But never before or since have I felt the apprehension and isolation I did while climbing to Vlad Ţepeş' mountaintop fortress at Poenari.  The forest was as quiet as a tomb; I can't recall hearing the song of even a single bird.

The ascent was exhausting.  At last I arrived at the lone approach to the fortress, a wooden footbridge (see top left of photo).  Of all the places I explored that are associated with Vlad Ţepeş, only at Poenari did I feel that he was somehow still keeping watch.  Thousands of boyars and their families had been force-marched there from Tărgovişte to die rebuilding the castle for Prince Vlad; it was here that his treacherous brother Radu stormed the fortress with cannons, reducing the once courtly residence into broken turrets and formless rubble.  And it was here that Prince Dracula's wife cast herself from the highest window of the eastern tower, choosing a swift death over the torture of the stake.

Walk along the top of the thick fortress walls of Poenari, look northward, and you can see part of the Transfăgarăşan Road, leading to a glacial moraine and one of the deepest lakes in the world.  (According to local legend, a dragon sleeps at the bottom of the lake, and the villagers nearby will caution you not to throw stones in the water lest the dragon awake.)  The view south from the fortress is straight down, to the Arges River far in the distance, and even farther, the road to Curtea de Arges.

 Footbridge to Poenari Fortress

 The Transfăgarăşan Road, as seen from Poenari

Parts of this article have previously appeared in Romar Traveler.

In the Footsteps of Dracula: A Personal Journey and Travel Guide, is published and distributed by World Audience Publishers

Upcoming signings will be held on:

Saturday, October 16th, 2010 from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Borders, 2765 E. Bidwell St., Folsom CA 95630 (916) 984-5900

Sunday, October 17th, 2010 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Copperfield's Books Petaluma, 140 Kentucky St., Petaluma, CA 95404 (707) 762-0563

Saturday, October 30th, 2010 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Borders, 2339 Fair Oaks Blvd., Sacramento, CA 95825 (916) 564-0168

CONTEST

Steve is offering two lucky readers a copy of  In the Footsteps of Dracula.

 

Winners may choose paperback or pdf copy.

To enter: Name your favorite Dracula site (city, country, etc) for ONE chance to enter.

Be sure I have access to your email address.

Contest is open world wide and ends Sept. 14.

Karen Essex - Interview and Contest

Today is a special treat for PVN readers. Bestselling author Karen Essex is here to talk about her wonderful new book Dracula In Love (Doubleday, August 10, 2010), a story told by Mina Harker about the centuries old romance she has shared with a remarkable man, and the hard choices she has had to make over the years. Karen is also the author of the National Bestseller Leonardo's Swans.

Look for contest details at the end of the post.

Hi Karen and welcome!

What led you to the idea of writing a novel centered on Mina and Dracula?

Ideas for novels are mysterious things having many threads that coalesce.  I have always loved Bram Stoker’s Dracula, mythology, vampires, and interesting female characters, especially those who have been misrepresented in the historical record. I am also intrigued by iconic literary characters like Mina Harker, characters who I believe were “underrepresented” because they were written through the lens of the period in which they were created, and without the benefit of a female perspective.

I believe that characters like Mina are as real, if not more real, in the popular imagination as actual historical figures, and that they, too, merit reexamination.  Stoker’s portrayals of Mina and Lucy Westenra, the “shadow” side of female sexuality, so perfectly fit the paradigm of good girl versus bad girl imposed on women, a paradigm that drives me nuts.  I couldn’t resist getting in there and trying to turn it on its head. 

How long have you had the idea to write Dracula in Love?

This idea came to me in September of 2006.  One day I was sitting in my office staring into space and I thought, hmm, what if I wrote the Dracula tale from Mina’s perspective?  It happened just like that.  I have absolutely no explanation for where the idea came from, but from the second it entered my mind, I knew I would write the book.

Is this your first foray into paranormal fiction? What attracts you to this genre?

All my books are loaded with mythology, and I have long wanted to write a story with supernatural elements, especially something about vampires.  But when you are born and raised in New Orleans and adore Anne Rice’s books, and in fact, know Anne Rice and once adapted one of her books into a screenplay (The Mummy for James Cameron), it’s a tad intimidating to venture into her turf!  I had to wait for the right idea. 

I am also interested in metaphysics.  I think the most interesting dialogue of our time centers around the theories of quantum physics, which I believe will eventually close the gap between physics and metaphysics.  Remember the old Sting lyric, “We are spirits in a material world?”  That sums it up. I always wear crosses, not to protect myself from vampires, but to remind myself to live at the intersection between heaven and earth.  My spiritual life is very important to me.

What is your view on reincarnation?

I believe in the immortality of the soul; that consciousness is eternal.  I believe in some form of reincarnation, but it is probably not as simple as we imagine.  I often hear people say things like, “Oh, I was Julius Caesar in a previous lifetime, and this other person was my stable boy, and that’s why he’s intimidated by me.”  I find that kind of thinking very simplistic, but I also do not see why we cannot project or focus our infinite consciousness into many different physical beings throughout the flow of time (which we all know is just an illusion anyway).

What research did you do for the Victorian background of this book?

Well, I moved to London and got a flat in a neighborhood that was developed in 1890, the year the book takes place.  How’s that for commitment?  I wanted to breathe in the atmosphere as I wrote. I thought that this kind of sensual vivid book demanded it.  I made my usual substantive study of the era, reading as many documents as possible from the period and studying the art, culture, design, sexual and social mores, religious beliefs, customs, and laws concerning the rights, or lack thereof, of women.  Victorian culture is very complex; it’s lush and extravagant, and restrained and contained, all at once. 

I almost never, ever, if I can help it, write about a place I haven’t been to, which is why I am happy that I wrote the book here in London, where much of the late Victorian period can still be seen.  I also traveled to southern Austria, which was Bram Stoker’s original choice for Dracula’s home before he settled on Transylvania.  I also went to Whitby where so much of the original was set, and to the west coast of Ireland, the birthplace of Stoker’s mother.  Strangely, I had set Sligo as Mina’s birthplace before I learned that Stoker’s mother was born there, and that he grew up hearing tales of ghost stories and Irish folklore. 

But for my taste, the most harrowing locations in my book are the treatment rooms of Victorian insane asylums.  I did a lot of research in the archives of these places, and I can assure the reader that my portrayal of those institutions are quite accurate. As far as I’m concerned, that’s where the real horror in the book takes place.

Kate Reed is such a terrific character. Please describe her to PVN readers, and tell why you decided to use her in this novel.

Ah, another bizarre coincidence!  I decided to create a character I named Julia Reed to be Mina’s old school chum, when I read in Stoker’s notes that he had toyed with including a character named Kate Reed who would be Mina’s friend.  I could not resist using the name, though we have no idea what Stoker might have done with “his” Kate.

My Kate is a lady journalist who is a foil to Mina.  Kate is an outspoken feminist, reflecting the dramatic changes that women were pushing for at that time.  She pokes and prods Mina to think beyond the social norms.  Readers are responding very strongly to Kate.  I think that she is a woman of her time but also someone modern readers can relate to.  Without women like Kate Reed, we would not be nearly as advanced in our present day thinking.  All that we take for granted now was earned with a heavy price by those types of women.

What is your writing day like? Where do you work? How do you write?

I ascribe to the “obsessive compulsive” style of delivering a book, which means that when I get into it, I almost don’t let it go until it’s done.  I know people who write a daily quota and then stop.  I cannot do that.  I wring it all out, and when there is no more, I quit.  Sometimes.  I don’t recommend this system, but it works for me.

Whether in Los Angeles or London, I write at home.  I like to get out of my environment and even find it stimulating, but unfortunately, in cafes and public places, people do talk to you, no matter how focused and busy you look.  So I get rather reclusive when I need to work.  It’s can be a lonely business if one is not careful.  On the other hand, some of the best and deepest conversations I have are with myself.  What that says about me, I’m not sure, but it’s the truth.


Karen, I believe this entire interview tells all of us what a very special person you are. Thank you for taking time to be here

CONTEST

One lucky reader will win a copy of Dracula In Love.

*To enter the contest simply ask Karen one question OR leave one pertinent comment - one chance


You may also:

"Like" Dracula in Love on Facebook  

*Link to this contest on any of the social network sites, including Twitter, or your own web page. Let me know the url:  One chance for each link.

*If you are a Google follower (see sidebar on right): One chance

*If you are a member of the PVN Facebook page: One chance

*If you are an email subscriber: One chance


Contest is open WORLWIDE! Contest ends August 20, 2010.

Karen's home page

Review of Dracula In Love

Nancy's Theory of Style - Book Review

Many of you may know Marta Acosta as the author of the fabulous Casa Dracula series. Recently she branched away from the paranormal to write a wry, witty, romance about Nancy Carrington-Chambers, a fastidious socialite with a heart of gold.

Nancy's Theory of Style
by Grace Coopersmith (aka Marta Acosta)
Pocket, May 18, 2010

Recently wed Nancy is furious with her husband over his revised plans of the house they built. It is huge and hideous. Worse she has to share it with hubby Todd who no longer seemed a suave prince charming, but more like an uncouth barbarian. Nancy has spent her entire life doing things right - went to the right schools, befriended the right people, read the right books, joined the right clubs, and married the right man, or so she thought at the time.

The bloom is off the rose it appears. One day it occurs to her that she need not stay in the house from hell a moment longer. She has access to a lovely apartment in San Francisco. What a perfect place to be young, beautiful, rich and owner of a new event planning business whimsically named Froth. The separation from Todd is only temporary she tells herself and him. Meanwhile she will concentrate her time on building the business and meeting friends for lunch.

For starters Nancy needs an assistant, one who notices small details and thinks as creatively as she does. She finds him! Derek, her new assistant, is everything she has ever dreamed of - handsome, well-spoken, British and gay. Like Nancy he has an enviable sense of fashion. Could life be any better than this?

Our heroine is not as superficial as she first seems. One of her closest pals is PG, a geeky, awkward fellow with no "connections" to the upper class, her best friend Mil has a very down to earth approach to life and doesn't mince words with anyone. As we get to know Nancy's "prominent" family we realize that throughout her life Nancy has graciously put up with a lot of crap. Her mother is usually zonked out on some substance, but Nancy's response is love and tenderness. Then there is cousin Birdie, a beautiful woman who spends her time running around the globe with whichever sexy artist currently strikes her fancy. Birdie's preschool daughter can be a drag on such a high spirited life style, so one day she stops by and asks Nancy to watch little Eugenia for an hour. Birdie doesn't return.

Now, much to her horror, Nancy has a child to care for, although she is quite careful never to let Eugenia know of her reluctance. Gradually Nancy's playful and nurturing side emerges with the little one around. Surprisingly Derek takes to Eugenia as well.

There are plenty of quirky characters and humorous situations in the humorous, charming novel. All interact to give Nancy the lessons she needs to get beyond her need for perfection and control. Once you get to know her, Nancy is quite endearing.

Vampire & Paranormal Books of Interest

Marta Acosta, author of the brilliant Casa Dracula series has posted a YA gothic, The Shadow Girl of Birch Grove on scribd. It's free! Here's your chance to read a story from one of my favorite writers. [Read about Shadow Girl's history on Vampire Wire.]

This is a synopsis of Shadow Girl: "When foster teen Jane Williams is invited to attend elite Birchwood Academy for Girls, she thinks the offer is too good to be true. It is.

Soon she starts receiving threatening messages from an unknown enemy. She's also beginning to suspect that the pale elegant headmistress and her gorgeous sons are hiding secrets. And the longer she stays at Birchgrove, the more questions she has about the disappearance of another scholarship girl.

What's Jane willing to sacrifice for this once in a lifetime opportunity?"

It's also worth noting that Haunted Honeymoon, the final book (sob!) in the CD series will be out this fall.

Color Your Own Graphic Novel DRACULA
John Green (Adapter), Bram Stoker (Author)
 Dover Publications; abridged edition edition (August 21, 2009)

From the publisher: Dracula fans will love to sink their teeth into this version of the classic vampire tale! This unique rendition of Stoker's novel features the abridged story in a cool graphic novel format. Colorists of all ages will thrill to its retelling of a trip to Transylvania that descends into a nightmare encounter with literature's most bloodthirsty ghoul.


It has been forever since I had a coloring book in my hands, but that might change. This one looks like a lot of fun.


Below is a list of books I have recently acquired:

Bloodpressure: A Vampire Testament
by Terrence Taylor
St. Martin's Griffin; 1 edition (March 30, 2010)

From the publisher: he secret war between vampires and humans escalates and the world will never be the same again…

Christopher Jude Miller – fully grown and still human – has returned to New York to seek answers about his past.  It is there he meets Joie, a young woman connected to his past, and falls into a twisted love triangle. He and Joie also realize that the magical forces that made both their lives possible have unexpected side effects, as they discover that united they have abilities neither knew of before - including the power to cure vampires.

Created after the incidents that brought in the National Guard to contain the vampire zombie plague on the Lower East Side, Clean Slate Global is a covert ops organization formed to rid the world of vampires, run by ex-deputy mayor Jonathan Richmond.  But Richmond unleashes an ancient evil with darker motives.  It plots to use Christopher and Joie’s power to eliminate all vampires from the Earth…with the exception of its own new and improved indestructible army of the undead.

Silver Borne (Mercy Thompson, Book 5)
by Patricia Briggs
Ace Hardcover; 1 edition (March 30, 2010)

From the publisher:  When mechanic and shapeshifter Mercy Thompson attempts to return a powerful Fae book she'd previously borrowed in an act of desperation, she finds the bookstore locked up and closed down.

It seems the book contains secret knowledge-and the Fae will do just about anything to keep it out of the wrong hands. And if that doesn't take enough of Mercy's attention, her friend Samuel is struggling with his wolf side-leaving Mercy to cover for him, lest his own father declare Sam's life forfeit.

All in all, Mercy has had better days. And if she isn't careful, she might not have many more to live...

[read a recent review by Breia B. at Literaturely Speaking]

Zombies, Vampires, and Philosophy (Popular Culture and Philosophy

K. Silem Mohammad (Editor)

› Visit Amazon's K. Silem Mohammad Page

Find all the books, read about the author, and more.

See search results for this author

Are you an author? Learn about Author Central

by Richard Greene (Editor), K. Silem Mohammad (Editor)
Open Court (March 30, 2010)

From the publisher: Since 1968's Night of the Living Dead, zombie culture has steadily limped and clawed its way into the center of popular culture. Today, zombies and vampires have taken over TV shows, comic books, cartoons, video games, and movies. Zombies, Vampires, and Philosophy drags the theories of famous philosophers like Socrates and Descartes into the territory of the undead, exploring questions like: Why do vampires and vegetarians share a similar worldview? Why is understanding zombies the key to health care reform? And what does "healthy in mind and body" mean for vampires and zombies? Answers to these questions and more await readers brave enough to make this fun, philosophical foray into the undead.





Vicious Circle (Persephone Alcmedi, Book 1)by Linda Robertson
Pocket (June 30, 2009)

From the publisher:  A girl's got to do what a girl's got to do....
Being a witch doesn't pay the bills, but Persephone Alcmedi gets by between reading Tarot cards, writing her syndicated newspaper column, and kenneling werewolves in the basement when the moon is full -- even if witches aren't supposed to mingle with wolves. She really reaches the end of her leash, though, when her grandmother gets kicked out of the nursing home and Seph finds herself in the doghouse about some things she's written.

Then her werewolf friend Lorrie is murdered...and the high priestess of an important coven offers Seph big money to destroy the killer, a powerful vampire named Goliath Kline. Seph is a tough girl, but this time she bites off more than she can chew. She needs a little help from her friends -- werewolf friends. One of those friends, Johnny, the motorcycle-riding lead singer for the techno-metal-Goth band Lycanthropia, has a crush on her. And while Seph has always been on edge around this 6'2" leather-clad hunk, she's starting to realize that although their attraction may be dangerous, nothing could be as lethal as the showdown that awaits them.

Hell Fire (Corine Solomon, Book 2)
by Ann Aguirre
Roc; Original edition (April 6, 2010)

From the publisher: As a handler, Corine Solomon can touch any object and know its history. It's too bad she can't seem to forget her own. With her ex-boyfriend Chance in tow-lending his own supernatural brand of luck - Corine journeys back home to Kilmer, Georgia, in order to discover the truth behind her mother's death and the origins of "gift".

But while trying to uncover the secrets in her past, Corine and Chance find that something is rotten in the state of Georgia. Inside Kilmer's borders there are signs of a dark curse affecting the town and all its residents - and it can only be satisfied with death...

Hearts at Stake: The Drake Chronicles
by Alexandra Harvey
Walker Books for Young Readers (December 22, 2009)

From the publisher: On Solange’s sixteenth birthday, she is going to wake up dead. As if that’s not bad enough, she also has to outwit her seven overprotective older brothers, avoid the politics involved with being the only daughter born to an ancient vampire dynasty, and elude Kieran Black—agent of an anti-vampire league who is searching for his father’s killer and is intent on staking Solange and her entire family.

Luckily she has her own secret weapon—her human best friend Lucy—who is willing to defend Solange’s right to a normal life, whether she’s being smothered by her well-intentioned brothers or abducted by a power-hungry queen. Two unlikely alliances are formed in a race to save Solange’s eternal life—Lucy and Solange’s brother Nicholas, and Solange and Kieran Black—in a dual romance that is guaranteed to jump start any romance-lover’s heart.

Even fans of the genre who’ve seen it all will find a fresh read with kick-butt characters and family dynamics that ring true for all brothers and sisters—vampire or otherwise.

Winner of Casa Dracula Contest

Many thanks to everyone who stopped by to read or comment on the interview with author Marta Acosta. And of course a big thank you to Marta for her interesting and forthcoming answers.

The winner of is Happy Hour at Casa Dracula Vampy Nurse.

Congratulations! Please send an email with your mailing info to paltner@verizon.net.

Interview with Marta Acosta

Today meet Marta Acosta author of the hilarious Casa Dracula series. The books thus far: Happy Hour at Casa Dracula, Midnight Brunch (Casa Dracula Series, Book 2), and The Bride of Casa Dracula (Casa Dracula, Book 3). This is a terrific series. I highly recommend it.

At the end of this interview check for contest information. One lucky reader will win a copy of Happy Hour at Casa Dracula.

Welcome Marta!

PVN: Please discuss Milagro De Los Santos, the heroine of your Casa Dracula series. And how much of you is in Milagro?

Marta: I adore Milagro! I created her by thinking about all my favorite characters and the traits I loved. She’s bright, funny, intrepid, witty, wears her heart on her sleeve, and is impetuous. She’s gullible, not because she’s stupid, but because she’s young and optimistic about people.

I wish I had Milagro’s good-nature and optimism. I’m quite cynical. She’s isolated in the world, and I’m very much connected to my family. We do share our love of books, love of fun, sarcastic sense of humor, and culture. I was also rather aimless after college, more interested in going out with friends than a career, and wanting a real relationship. But I think this is common to many people, which is why they identify with Milagro.

She writes eccentric stories, and no one takes her seriously. So make of that what you will!

PVN: There are some wonderful, wacky characters in your books - Edna, who doesn't take kindly at first to Mil; the sexy brother/sister duo Cornelia and Ian; Mil's rich friend Nancy, and so many other. Discuss some of them, please. Do you have favorites? Are any based on real people? Did any of them "pop up" on their own while you were writing?

Marta: Thanks for the kind words about my secondary characters! Edna came to me whole. I could imagine how she looked and spoke, and I find it very easy to write her parts. I think she’s the result of all those fabulous older women I’ve known – smart, sharp, sexy and attractive. You want to be them.

I’ve always liked the sophisticated and troublesome brother and sister in The Europeans by Henry James and the mischievous, morally-compromised brother and sister in Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park. These siblings were my inspiration for Ian and Cornelia Ducharme. I wanted characters who would blow in, wreck havoc, and sail away. Of course, they get more than they bargained for with Milagro.

Nancy reminds me of one of my good friends in college. She was delightfully silly, blonde, and cute and she had lots of rules about the proper way to iron clothes, wear perfume, and eat soup.

One of my favorite characters is the tabloid writer and high school English teacher, Bernie Vines. He tells Milagro, “Everyone knows writing isn’t work,” and scams her, but also is there to help her out when she needs help.
Despite the titles of your books the vampires are certainly not the traditional Dracula type. In fact they don't even like the term. Tell us about your vampire creations.

Marta: I’ve never been fond of the vampire as romantic hero. Because they’re dead and cold and scary old. So I came up with vampires who have an attitude and a genetic “condition.” After all, there are people with strange food cravings, those who are allergic to sunlight, and those with heightened immune systems. Many vampires in fiction are also wealthy, stunning, and worldly; it follows naturally that they’d be terrible snobs and look down on an aimless, broke, snarky young woman.

PVN: Humor is an essential part of the Casa Dracula series. Why do you use humor to communicate?

Marta: I use humor to amuse myself. But it’s also a way to convey messages without boring or turning off your audience. There are real messages in my books – about exclusion, isolation, greed, bigotry – but I don’t want to preach to the choir. I want people who might not ordinarily consider my ideas to be so entertained by the humor that they see things from a different perspective. Humor is all about perspective.

PVN: Would you discuss your own background. Education? Writing struggles? Being bilingual? Or anything else you would like to mention.

Marta: I’m the second child of Mexican parents. I think my love of reading is partially because I was an only daughter and because I really didn’t fit in. Books not only entertained me, they taught me about the world I lived in. I always wrote, just because it seemed natural. I was a good student and studied literature, theater, and writing at Stanford. But I didn’t know how to go about getting a writing job after that, and I didn’t have the sort of connections that get young people in the door. I needed to pay rent, so I’d take whatever jobs came my way.

One of my biggest struggles is that I don’t write what people expect. If you write what’s expected, you’re rewarded. People expect Latinos to write magical realism, but I’m not interested in writing magical realism. My natural writing voice is dark and cynical, but editors ---and most readers – want sympathetic characters. I’ve always loved writing humor, too, but most people assume that humorous writing takes no real skill.

Right now I’m struggling with publicizing my books. Because I have a paranormal element, people assume my books are paranormal romance. Real fans of paranormal romance are disappointed if they buy my books wanting romance conventions. People who don’t like romance won’t pick up my books because of the covers. My books are shelved in general fiction, but even bookstore clerks don’t know they’re there. I wish there was a section of the bookstore for hilarious books by women.

I’m not bilingual, though I wish I were.

PVN: What response, if any, has there been from Latino readers?


Marta: The response from Latino readers has been really positive. Many of them write to tell me how much they identify with Milagro, who often feels like an outsider, but just as often wants people to know that she’s a regular human chica.

One of the most gratifying things to me has been the positive response from teenage readers of all types. I think they connect with Milagro’s sense of alienation, her snarky humor, and her hopefulness.

PVN: What writers have most influenced you? Why?

Marta: I’ve been influenced by Mark Twain in my use of a first-person, colloquial voice for humor. I’ve learned many lessons from Jane Austen, and like her heroines, Milagro deals with issues of social class, manipulative secondary characters, and misunderstandings. But I’ve been influenced by many writers, from Laura Ingalls Wilder and her Little House books to writers of absurdest humor.

I’ve always liked television shows and movies which combine humor with paranormal elements, too. “The X-Files,” “Buffy, the Vampire Slayer,” “Dead Like Me,” “The Frighteners,” and “Supernatural” all have characters who use humor to cope with the insanity of their lives.

PVN: Describe your writing environment.

Marta: I have a little alcove off my bedroom with a window out to my back garden. There are piles of paper all over the long table I use as a desk, and piles of paper and books on the floor. My dogs, Betty and Bosco, frequently keep me company while I work. I listen to music, look outside to see the hummingbirds, butterflies, and squirrels, and work away. I feel pretty damn lucky.

PVN: What are your current projects?

Marta: I’m working on a romantic comedy tentatively titled Nancy’s Theory of Style. It features Milagro’s wealthy, style-obsessed friend, Nancy, and her effort to start an event planning business. It goes without saying that mayhem ensues. My editor is not sold on the title, but I like it.

I’m also working on Casa Dracula Book Four. No title, yet, and I’m not going to give away the plot, but Milagro matures a little, faces danger, and finally comes to terms with her heart. Both Nancy and CD Book Four will come out next year.

Patricia, thanks so much for having me here! I subscribe to your newsletter and tell fans of vampire fiction that they should, too!

Thank you, Marta, I'm blushing! It was great having you here, and I'm really looking forward to reading Milagro's and Nancy's new adventures.

Visit Marta at her home page on her blog site or at Vampire Wire


Now for the contest information:

One lucky commenter will win a copy of Happy Hour at Casa Dracula

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 Marta a question. Each question counts as an entry.

*Link to Patricia's Vampire Notes and send me the URL. Each link counts as an entry.

Be sure to include your email information so that I will be able to contact you.

This contest ends at 11:59 pm February 25, 2009.