Jamie Wasserman Interview and Contest

I recently read Blood and Sunlight by a fabulous new writer of vampire fiction, Jamie Wasserman. He also happens to live nearby in the historic town of Ellicott City, Md (not far from Baltimore), one of my favorite places to roam. I'm so happy to have Jamie here to tell you about himself and his new book.

[2 lucky readers will win a copy of Blood and Sunlight. See details at end of post]


PVN: Would you describe the characters of Melanie and Keenan the main characters of Blood and Sunlight?

Jamie:  Melanie is a troubled 23-year old who feels trapped in her hometown of Ellicott City. At heart, she's a romantic but does nothing to try to achieve her dreams. Instead, she latches onto whatever comforts are available-- whether it be sex, drinking, or drugs.

Keenan is a two-hundred year old vampire who first came to Ellicott City to work on the railroad. He's making his best effort at being human. He's desperately lonely but ever optimistic. He's found a comfortable existence but rarely takes chances.



PVN: In Blood and Sunlight: A Maryland Vampire Story  mention is made of The Vampire His Kith and Kin by Montague Summers? How does this book figure into your story and/or your research?


Jamie: Montague Summers is probably the only modern writer to make a serious study of vampires as a real creature. Before that you'd have to go back to the 1600's to find anything credible. He not only describes the vampire in detail but presents historical accounts of encounters with vamps and methods to dispatch them. My would-be slayer in the book takes this book as his 'bible', adding his own mythology along the way. As a writer, I drew heavily on Summers' work as well.



PVN:  The novel's setting is historic Ellicott City, MD which is also your home town. Would you describe the town to PVN readers? and explain why you used it as the background for the novel.

Jamie: Ellicott City is a former mill town surrounded by woods and rock and rivers and streams. The buildings and churches still look period though regular fires and flooding continue to take their toll on the area. Beyond that, the town is filled with wonderful ruins, strange legends and hauntings. For a writer, it's a place rife with possibilities.

Ellicott City was also my old stomping grounds as a teenager. I spent a lot of time sneaking around the grounds of the old monastery (Hell House in the book), drinking on the dillpapadated steps of the burned out girl's school, or hanging out smoking cigarettes on Main Street. The place has a secluded other-worldly feel that lends itself perfectly to a gothic re-telling of the vampire myth.


PVN: What are the characteristics of the vampires in your universe?

Jamie: I included the staple-- the need for blood. Animal blood will do but it's not as potent as human and requires that my vamps drink more often. Though not contained in traditional folklore, sunlight (and fire) is extremly harmful to them. I love the old Hammer films of the 60's with Christopher Lee and sunlight figured often in dispatching the vamp.

A simple taste of blood is enough to turn a person but not everyone comes over the same way-- each person is affected differently. Some are driven mad with it, their body quickly exhausts itself, while others seem to adapt perfectly. I went into the book thinking of vampirism as almost a blood disease and wanted to treat it as such.

My vampires are maddeningly fast and strong but also very human-- they make mistakes. They are not cold and calculating killers...but they can be. They can't read minds but they do have some power over the brain and a unique way of 'sharing' memories.



PVN: What attracts you to the paranormal?

Jamie: You know, I've never really thought about that. Ever since I was a kid I enjoyed monster movies and ghost stories. If I'm being honest with myself, I guess my interest in the paranormal is an escape, wanting to believe that there is more here than just what's on the surface.



PVN: Describe your writing day and your writing environment.

Jamie: I work a full-time day job and have two kids and another one on the way. Time is not my friend. I've learned to fit in writing whenever I can--on my lunch, in the morning when I first wake up, just before bed. When I take trips for work, the laptop goes with me. I'm always making notes or thinking of new scenes or ways to fix old ones.

I'm positively green with envy over writers who have the luxury of doing nothing but writing.



PVN: Which books or authors have inspired you?

Jamie: Way too many- Poppy Z. Brite, Neil Gaiman, Charlaine Harris, Bram Stoker, Caitlin Kiernan, Let the Right One In, Stephen King, Light at the End by John Spektor, Anne Sexton, Sylvia Plath, Anais Nin, Lola Haskins, and so many more. I devour books.



PVN: Please tell us about your current projects.

Jamie: I just finished a serialized novella on the Kindle Boards about a vampire guppy. Penumbra Publishing, the wonderful small press that did Blood and Sunlight, is going to make it available for free for Kindle Readers and on Smashwords in various formats. It's obviously a light-hearted story.

I'm also about 2/3 of the way through another novel. Vampires, of course, because I haven't gotten them out of my system but this one is more of a romance. A sequel to Blood and Sunlight is next on my list and I've already mapped out a basic story line.



PVN: How can readers contact you?

Jamie: They may visit my website: www.jamiewasserman.com, join my Facebook group, or email directly: wassermj@gmail.com. I love hearing from readers!



PVN: Anything else you would like to add?

Jamie: Just thank you. Small press and Indie writers survive largely on word of mouth and blogs like this and readers like you play a big part in that.

Also, if anyone is in the area and would like a tour of Ellicott City, drop me a line!

CONTEST

Two lucky readers will win a copy of Blood and Sunlight

To enter the contest email Jamie at wassermj@gmail.com

   put PATRICIA'S VAMPIRE NOTES CONTEST  in the subject heading 


The contest is open to US and Canadian residents.

Contest ends December 21 at midnight PST.

Richelle Mead Blog Tour 2009

Blood Promise (Vampire Academy, Book 4)
by Richelle Mead
Razorbill (August 25, 2009)

PVN is happy to be a part of Richelle's Vampire Academy blog tour to celebrate the publication of the most recent book Blood Promise.  Below you'll find a brief synopsis of the series as well as the book followed by a Q and A.

Vampire Academy 

"Two races of vampires walk our world. The Moroi are alive and wield elemental magical, while the Strigoi are undead and evil--feeding on the innocent to survive. Rose Hathaway--a half-vampire with poor impulse control--is training to be a bodyguard for a Moroi princess. Learning to decapitate and stake is hard enough, but Rose's real danger may lie in an illicit romance with one of her instructors..."

 Blood Promise

Rose Hathaway's life will never be the same.

The recent attack on St. Vladimir's Academy devastated the entire Moroi world. Many are dead. And, for the few victims carried off by Strigoi, their fates are even worse. A rare tattoo now adorns Rose's neck, a mark that says she's killed far too many Strigoi to count. But only one victim matters . . . Dimitri Belikov. Rose must now choose one of two very different paths: honoring her life's vow to protect Lissa—her best friend and the last surviving Dragomir princess—or, dropping out of the Academy to strike out on her own and hunt down the man she loves. She'll have to go to the ends of the earth to find Dimitri and keep the promise he begged her to make. But the question is, when the time comes, will he want to be saved?

Now, with everything at stake—and worlds away from St. Vladimir's and her unguarded, vulnerable, and newly rebellious best friend—can Rose find the strength to destroy Dimitri? Or, will she sacrifice herself for a chance at eternal love?

Questions and Answers

PVN: Would you describe the characteristics of your vampires - the Moroi and the Strigoi?

Richelle: Moroi and Strigoi both come from Romanian mythology. Moroi are living, and Strigoi are dead. I've embellished their histories a little, and in my series, Moroi are good and wield elemental magic.  They don’t have to kill for their blood, whereas Strigoi are evil and prey on others.

PVN: What is your writing environment and your writing day like?

Richelle: I work at home, in an office with mauve walls.  My day is usually broken into segments of errands, working out, writing, etc.  There’s no hard schedule to it, though my writing increments are usually no more than 2-3 hours at a time.  This is both because that’s about how long it takes me to do a chapter and because my hands need the rest (according to physical therapists).  So, in a given day, I may get up and eat, write, go to the gym, answer email, write, eat lunch, etc.

PVN: Which books or authors have most influenced your writing?

Richelle: Growing up, my favorite books were the Dragonlance series by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. They influenced me a lot in that I believe strong, well-developed characters are the most important part of a book (even though you ideally want all parts to be good!). Those books also taught me not to be afraid to do shocking things in the middle of a series--as shown in Shadow Kiss, the third book in the Vampire Academy series.

Another favorite book is The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley. This always comes as a surprise to some readers, mostly because they’ve never heard of it. Also, there are no vampires in it at all. It’s a semi-historical novel, based on the myths of King Arthur and told through the women—who are portrayed as very strong—in those tales. It’s a massive book, and I first read it when I was fourteen. It totally opened up my eyes to the world and gave me a huge appreciation for Celtic culture, as well as insight into spirituality and religion. Every few years or so, I pick it up again and re-read it.

PVN: Thanks Richelle

To follow the tour go to the next stop -  The Bloody Bookaholic

Note:  This is the first book in the series that I have read (full disclosure, thanks to the publisher). Of course I knew about the books, even bought the first two, but never got around to reading any in the series until now. I honestly liked Blood Promise and will post a review soon.

If any reader has an opinion on this series I would love to hear from you!

Sarah Jane Stratford - Interview and Contest

 [see contest info update at end of interview]

A warm PVN welcome to Sarah Jane Stratford author of The Midnight Guardian: A Millennial Novel  St. Martin's Press (October 13, 2009). For more information about the author and her novel go to this PVN post

As many of you may know the contest for copy of The Midnight Guardian has already begun. I will continue until November 4. After this interview there will be more contest information.

Sarah Jane, thanks so much for this interview!

PVN:  What attracts you to vampires? What are the characteristics of your vampires?

Sarah Jane: I am enthralled by the idea of those who were once human now living a life that is, in a way, constant play-acting – pretending to be human. Seeming to be a part of, but really only an observer of, the human world. And yet needing humans for life, literally and otherwise. There seemed no end of territory to explore there – trying to further understand humanity through these creatures. My millennial vampires are extra-powerful – after 1000 years of life, they are much harder to kill. And they have observed an awful lot of history. They're really not supposed to get involved in the doings of humans, but sometimes they are compelled. 


PVN:  Describe Brigit for us.

Sarah Jane: She's a millennial, made in the 10th century when she was seventeen. She is intelligent, loving, loyal, powerful, and brave. She's also stubborn (after all, she hails from Yorkshire!), sarcastic, and prone to temper – although she's gotten a lot of that under control. And she's got a good, sometimes cynical, sense of humor. There's nothing she won't do for those she loves. Which can make things unpleasant for anyone out to injure one of her loved ones.

PVN:  Why the WWII setting for Midnight Guardian?


Sarah Jane: I often feel it wasn't wholly my choice in that Brigit told me so much of what was afoot, but I was excited to explore the juxtapositions. Here you have a group of humans being utterly monstrous – and in relief, the perceived monstrousness of the vampires. Part of what I wanted to do was query the true definition of "humanity" under these circumstances – and in life in general. In a state of war, humans are at their most shameful – although there is that contingent that rises up and becomes bigger and better than it might otherwise – and to observe as much through non-human eyes was fascinating.



PVN:  Is this a series? How many more books do you plan?

Sarah Jane: It is a series! I'm working on the second book now. My plan so far is to see what happens with the vampires as the war progresses. After that, well…we'll see!


PVN:  What other projects are you working on?

Sarah Jane: Besides the afore-mentioned second book, I'm making revisions on a stage play that I like the look of, and two screenplays. As soon as I'm done with the second book, there are about three other books I want to dive into, so I should be nice and busy for a while.

PVN: You have a masters degree in Medieval History - any plans to write fiction or nonfiction set in that era?

Sarah Jane: I briefly touched on some of medieval York in TMG, but I'd love to do a whole book in that time. Before they moved to London, my vampires were very proud Yorkists, and I know they were active in the War of the Roses, so that seems fertile territory.


PVN:  You earned your degree in York, UK . I visited there once for 3 days and fell in love with it. What was it like for you living and studying there?

Sarah Jane: Isn't it incredible? I found it endlessly inspiring – it seemed as though there was a story around every corner. I did a lot of my work at the King's Manor, a 16th-century building that definitely got us in the mood for medievalism. Although the 1960s orange lounge chairs were a tad jarring – Mad Men and medieval don't mix (much though I love both). It was just amazing to read about an event in a particular street, and then go and walk that street! Even if it was now chock-a-block with trendy modern shops, the past didn't seem that far off. I can't wait to go back – especially if I can have a warmer bedroom. 

PVN:  Describe your writing day and your writing environment.

Sarah Jane: I like to try and get started by nine in the morning and go till I collapse, or get to a yoga class or the theatre. I'm a member of the Writers Room in New York – it's a purpose-created office space where writers in all sorts of media can have a quiet, comfortable place to work. What's great about it is that it allows for camaraderie and networking too – writing is so solitary, but here you can work and also interact when you need a break.

PVN:  What writers have inspired you?

Sarah Jane: Wow – so many, and in so many ways. Whatever the medium, I gravitate towards those who explore the human condition. Margaret Atwood, Jane Austen, Kurt Vonnegut. I love theatre, so Shakespeare, Pinter, Stoppard, Shaw, and Sondheim have all been powerful inspirations. And I'd be remiss not to cite Joss Whedon and especially Marti Noxon, from whom I was honored to get a blurb on the book jacket. These were scripts that delved the depths of emotion and humanity, with wit, flair, and above all, honesty. Powerful stuff.


PVN:  Where can readers find you on the Internet?

Sarah Jane: I have a web site – www.sarahjanestratford.com. Brigit posts outtakes from her journal there. The book has a Facebook page, as do I, and I also Twitter at stratfordsj. I love to hear from people, so please stop by!

Read a guest blog by Brigit and take another look at the book cover which features the Brandenburg Gate,

CONTEST INFORMATION

Three lucky readers will each win a copy of The Midnight Guardian: A  Millennial Novel. To be eligible do one or more of the following:

* Leave a comment

* Ask Sarah a question

* Link this contest to your own site or a social network site, and be sure to let me know the URL.

If your email is not associated with your ID, please put the address in your response.

Contest update the publisher has limited winners to US and Canada

My apologies for this misunderstanding. It was my mistake!

The contest ends November 4, 2009 at 11:59 PM Hawaii Time.

Please post comments and questions here.

Gail Z. Martin - Interview and Contest

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

Patricia's Vampire Notes is proud to be a part of Gail Z. Martin's Days of the Dead Halloween Blog Tour for 2009. She will answer any questions you might have about: the writing life - hers or yours; the fantasy/paranormal genre; and her Chronicles of the Necromancer series.

Two winners will each win a signed copy of a limited edition ARC for The Blood King and a signed copy of Dark Haven.

Read the interview below. Contest rules will follow

PVN: Vampires—you call them vayash moru—play a big part in your Chronicles of the Necromancer series, and especially in the Dark Haven/Dark Lady’s Chosen duology.  How have your vampire characters come to the forefront?  Are they stealing the show?

Gail:  I’m not sure about them stealing the show, but they certainly play an increasingly important role as the series moves along.  In Dark Haven, a group of rogue vayash moru break the centuries-old truce with mortals to try to achieve domination.  It leads to all-out war with the vayash moru who respect the truce, and with the vyrkin (shapeshifters), led by the Lord of Dark Haven, Jonmarc Vahanian, who is mortal.  And of course, as with any war, there are a long of collateral damage and unintended consequences.

In part, the vayash moru have come to the forefront because of Jonmarc’s role as Lord of Dark Haven.  He is a mortal, chosen for the role of lord over an area that has been a traditional sanctuary for Those Who Walk the Night.  He’s supposed to be a guardian of both the mortal and undead residents, and now he finds himself protecting mortals from rogue vayash moru, and protecting law-abiding vayash moru from vengeful mortals.

Along the way, we get a lot more insight into vayash moru history and culture, as well as some of the characters who have been around since the first two books in supporting roles.


PVN: Would you say your vampires are more like traditional vamps or more like the urban fantasy vamps?

Gail:  I write in a quasi-medieval setting, so some of the modern twists just don’t apply.  On the other hand, in my world, vampires are an acknowledged fact, and they live within society with varying degrees of tolerance from mortals depending on the location.  Under the best circumstances, they stay on the family farm or in the family business for generations, helping out.  In the worst circumstances, they are hunted and persecuted.

I think something that differs from “traditional” vampires is that my vayash moru aren’t automatically monsters because they are vampires.  They retain moral choice.  Unlike urban fantasy, they’re not automatically sexy and beautiful, although their regenerative powers are a big plus when it comes to not looking their age.  I’m very interested in how living for centuries would affect your self image, your identity, and your definition of community as the world around you changes and you don’t.




PVN: What’s your vision of vampires and why do you like writing about them?


Gail: I’ve loved vampire stories (and ghosts and haunted houses and cemeteries) since I was a kid.  But as an adult, I guess I love the way vampires struggle to retain or rethink what it means to be human after they have lost everything.  They’re technically dead.  They outlive their loved ones, their friends and their time period.  The longer they exist, the less meaning they attach to the politics and upheaval that grips us when we’re mortal.  So who are you, after 400 years?  What drives you to exist?  Why strive to live according to any set of values or morality?  What makes you human even if you are no longer mortal?  I love delving into that. 

For me, vampires are an archetype of people who have experienced great loss or trauma.  The language is much the same.  When we grieve, we talk about “feeling dead,” feeling cold, feeling as if all the light has gone out of the world.  We stop eating.  We have insomnia.  We withdraw.  People who experience great pain or loss have a choice: they can inflict pain on others to equal what they have felt, or they can rise above their pain to re-gain a different kind of humanity than what they had before.  That perspective gives me insight into the way I write my vayash moru.


PVN: You’ve just signed a deal with Orbit for four more books.  Will the Chronicles of the Necromancer series continue?

Gail:  My first four books have been published by Solaris Books, which was just bought by Rebellion, Ltd.  It will be Solaris/Rebellion bringing out Dark Lady’s Chosen on Dec. 29.  I am very excited about the deal with Orbit because we will be bringing the characters and setting of my world of the Winter Kingdoms into a new story arc with a new series, The Fallen Kings Cycle.  I’m already working on Book One: The Sworn, which should come out in 2011.  It will feature the characters and world from the first four books, but it opens up a new set of adventures, making it a perfect gateway for someone who is new to the series.  Readers who have been along since the beginning will just keep on rolling along, but new readers won’t have to go back and read the first four to enjoy The Fallen Kings Cycle, although I’m hoping that they’ll want to!

PVN: How are your ghosts different and what role do they play in your books?

Gail:  Ghosts play a big role in my books.  The whole idea of a Summoner is someone who can intercede between the living and the dead (or undead) so my main character, Tris Drayke, spends a lot of time talking with ghosts.  In my newest book, Dark Lady’s Chosen, ghosts play a very active role.  They are spies during a war, they comfort and protect the living, they attend festivals and special occasions, and they share knowledge.  In the next book, The Sworn, we’ll see ghosts interacting with mortals in even more ways.  I have always been fascinated with the idea of ghosts and the concept of the departed as being just another level of extended family.  The series lets me play with that in whole new ways.


PVN: What do you make of the current zombie phenomenon?

Gail:  Well, I have a special place in my heart for zombies, since I once worked at the Monroeville Mall outside of Pittsburgh, where all zombie-lovers know George Romero shot Dawn of the Dead, and my boss had been cast as an extra zombie in the film.  So I’ve worked for the living dead!  In my books, the zombies are Ashtenerath.  The word literally means “awakened dead” and they are a little different from the traditional zombie.
 First, they don’t eat flesh, although they are highly aggressive.  They are made more like the “real” Voodoo zombies, by a combination of drugs and physical abuse, and they are wielded as weapons of war, often made from the prisoners taken during combat and then used against their own side for additional shock value.
 
There is another kind of zombie in my world, one created by a dark summoner, where a soul is forced back into a rotting corpse.  Obviously, that’s a no-no, but we’ll see some of that in the new duology I’m working on for Orbit, The Fallen Kings Cycle. 

Then there’s a third kind of zombie, which is more of a gollum.  It is possible for a mage who isn’t a summoner to animate a corpse, not my forcing a soul into the body but by essentially being a puppeteer.  It’s very creepy, but the corpse in this case wouldn’t have any ability to move or speak or make decisions because it really is a dead body being manipulated by magic.  You get to see some of that in Dark Lady’s Chosen, which is the new book coming out Dec. 29.

As for why zombies are hot right now, I’ve seen a number of articles attempting a psychological interpretation, what with the recession and all.  I do think that under times of stress people turn more to horror movies as a way to release anxiety.  But I also think monsters tend to come and go as fads, and we’ve been on a vampire/werewolf fad for a while now, so people want something new, and zombies don’t come with the psychological baggage and angst that vamps and weres do.  No brain, no angst.  A simple monster for a complex time.

PVN: You’ve got audio and excerpts from Dark Lady's Chosen (Chronicles of the Necromancer) online, plus there are other sites participating in your Days of the Dead blog tour.  Where can we find all the goodies?

Gail:  Check out my site at www.ChroniclesOfTheNecromancer.com, for all the downloads and more Days of the Dead stuff.  Also, please find me on Twitter.com as GailZMartin and on Facebook and MySpace as well.

The first four Chronicles of the Necromancer books

The Summoner
The Blood King
Dark Haven
Dark Lady's Chosen

The titles above are available on ebook through Double Dragon.  These four books will also be available on audiobook from Audible.com in December, 2009. Dark Lady's Chosen debuts in paperback from Solaris Books on December 29, 2009.

Contest:
[The contest portion has ended. Thanks to everyone who participated!]
For the contest Gail is offering  signed copy of a limited edition ARC for The Blood King and a signed copy of Dark Haven for 2 winners

For a chance to win do one or more of the following

* Ask Gail a question

* Post a comment

* Link this interview to your own site or a social network site, and be sure to let me know the URL

If your email is not associated with your ID, please put the address in your response.

Contest ends November 2nd at 11:59 PM Hawaii Time

Upcoming Event - Interview and Contest with Gail Z. Martin

PVN is proud to be a part of Gail Z. Martin's Days of the Dead Halloween Blog Tour for 2009. She will answer any questions you might have about: the writing life - hers or yours; the fantasy/paranormal genre; and her Chronicles of the Necromancer series.

For the contest Gail is offering  signed copy of a limited edition ARC for The Blood King and a signed copy of Dark Haven for 2 winners

My Interview at Ink and Paper

Jo at Ink and Paper (a terrific fantasy review site) has added me to her list of interviewees. I feel very honored.

For the past several months she has been doing book blogger interviews and now I have been added.

If you have a chance please stop by.

Thanks a bunch, Jo

Karen Chance - Interview and Contest

The contest portion is now closed. Many thanks to all who visited and/or commented!
A warm welcome to Karen Chance author of the popular, and vampire friendly, Cassandra Palmer series. In April book four, Curse the Dawn, made the New York Times bestseller list, and deservedly so.

Many thanks for taking the time for this interview!




PVN: Thousands of books are published each year. What sets the Cassandra Palmer Series apart from those other books?

Karen: A number of things. First it’s structured differently. Most urban fantasies tend to lean either toward the mystery genre, where the lead is a supernatural detective, or to the romance genre, where the story centers around the growing relationship between two otherworldly lovers. The Cassie Palmer series has elements of both mystery and romance, but it’s more of a fantasy thriller than anything else. It also has a somewhat unusual plotline, in which each book has its own plot that’s wrapped up at the end, but there’s also an ongoing meta-plot that continues through all of the books.

And then there’s the lead character. I wanted to do something a little different, and no one had a clairvoyant as their lead, much less one brought up by the vampire mafia! I also wanted to do time-travel in the books, because I’m a historian by profession. Cassie, my lead character, became the pythia. It's the title of the world’s chief clairvoyant (based on the ancient Greek oracle at Delphi), who can not only see the past, but travel into it.

Finally, it must be said that in a sea of kick-butt heroines, Cassie is, uh, different. A recent review characterized her as “a smarter Inspector Clouseau” which made me laugh because it’s so true. A bunch of power was dumped in her lap, but the training to manage it didn’t come as part of the deal and she didn’t exactly take that in stride. I always thought it was a little too convenient when characters in novels or comic books had a life altering event which they just seemed to blow off. If I was suddenly able to fly or punch down buildings--or time travel like Cassie--I don’t think I’d take it so well, and neither did she. Of course, there’s a learning curve happening, and she is slowly becoming more capable. But seeing her flail around like any normal person would has been a lot of fun.



PVN: Which book in the Cassandra Palmer series is your favorite?

Karen: Curse the Dawn, probably. It was not the most fun to write, mind you—I tore my hair out over that book! But it’s the one I most proud of, maybe for that same reason. It also has several scenes I’d wanted to do for some time, but couldn’t because the foundation wasn’t there. So it was nice to finally get to that point in the plotline.



PVN: Who is your favorite character in this series?

Karen: I don’t really have a favorite. I like them all, even the villains! However, Billy Joe (Cassie’s ghost companion), Mircea (her vampire lover) and Pritkin (her war mage bodyguard) are the easiest to write. Cassie can sometimes be more difficult, because I have to constantly keep in mind what she knows and what she can do at this point in the story. The other characters develop emotionally as the story progresses, but she is not only growing up, she’s also growing into her power. I have to pull myself back sometimes and say, no, she wouldn’t be able to do that yet.




PVN: Like many I find the war mage Pritkin especially fascinating. What can you say about him without spoilers, of course?

Karen: John Pritkin is part of the war mage corps, the body charged with maintaining the peace in the supernatural world. Most of the time, the corps acts like a police force, running down those who break magical laws and bringing them for trial. But the recent war in the supernatural community has forced them to also act as an army, and Pritkin is at the forefront of the fight. He has the unenviable task of trying to keep Cassandra Palmer, the chief seer of the supernatural world, alive when the list people who want her dead seems to grow every day.

Protecting Cassie causes Pritkin frequent nightmares, but the most dangerous aspect of their relationship may be the growing attraction between them. Cassie is claimed by a powerful master vampire, Mircea, who can be utterly ruthless when protecting what he views as his. Pritkin also has compelling reasons of his own for avoiding intimacy. Yet temptation can be so hard to resist…

PVN: Would you mind talking about the body switching between Pritkin and Cassie. It was so cleverly written. How was it for you to write it?

Karen: I really enjoyed that one! All books have certain elements that have to be present in order for the plot to come together; the trick is to also make them enjoyable to read. I think in this case, plot exposition also ended up being very funny!


PVN: Please describe Dante's?

Karen: It’s a casino in Las Vegas that features prominently in the books as a sort of base of operations for Cassie. Her vampire protector, Mircea, owns it, so it’s as safe as anywhere for her. A lot of the comedy of the books comes out of Dante’s, which was designed with the idea of concealing any slip ups of the paranormal kind. It’s sort of a demented haunted house, with shops, restaurants and bars themed to almost any kind of supernatural motif imaginable.


PVN: Cassie is a pythia. What is a pythia and why does Cassie have so much trouble doing her job?

Karen: The pythia was the ancient Greek name for a seer, with the most famous of all being the oracle at Delphi. The Cassandra Palmer series is set in a world where the pythia still exists and is an important force in the supernatural hierarchy. As to why Cassie has problems with her job, that’s easy: no one ever taught her how to do it. Her clairvoyance is natural, but the rest of the job (and there is a lot more to it) is not. As she was never considered for the role, she was never given the proper training. She is figuring things out, but it takes time. Maybe more than she has.


PVN: Curse the Dawn debuted at #7 on the April 26, 2009 New York Times Bestseller list! - How did it feel making the NYT bestseller list?

Karen: Embrace the Night, the previous Cassandra Palmer novel, debuted at #6, so this wasn’t the first time the series showed up in the top ten. That being said, it was wonderful to make the list again. It’s great when fans of the series enjoy it enough to rush out and get the book when it is first available, because making the list helps to spread word about the series.


PVN: Dorina Basarab is the dhampir (half-human, half-vampire) heroine in her own series. Would you describe Dory's character and what some of her challenges are?
[Midnight's Daughter (Dorina Basarab, Dhampir, Book 1)]


Karen: Dory is pretty much persona non grata in the supernatural world. She is hated and feared by vampires as a creature who traditionally has preyed on their kind. But she isn’t liked much better by humans, because dhampirs in my world are prone to rage-fueled black outs that are as frightening as they are dangerous. This has left her in limbo for much of her life, with seriously strained family relationships and few friends. That is starting to change, however, as Dory finds a niche for herself in the most unlikely of places: the middle of a war in the supernatural community. Suddenly, her special skills are needed and valued, even if she herself is not.



PVN: Dracula has a role in Dorina's life. How much of Bram Stoker's Dracula is like the vampire you write about?

Karen: They were both based on legends about Vlad the Impaler (Vlad Tepes, a fifteenth century ruler of Wallachia) and they’re both vampires, but that’s about it. My Dracula was a psychopathic killer with a serious grudge against his elder brother, Mircea, who had helped to imprison him.


PVN: What attracts you to the paranormal?

Karen: I like the scope it provides for imagination and inventiveness. There are things you can do in fantasy that you simply can’t get away with in any other genre (except for maybe science fiction) and that presents a chance to do something new.


PVN: Are there particular books or authors that inspired you to be a writer?

Karen: That list would be very, very long!. I have always read eclectically, and have enjoyed works in many genres. I suppose that is why I write books that blend fantasy with mystery, comedy, thrillers and romance—because I’ve enjoyed books in all of those genres. I also read in science fiction, horror, and historical fiction.


PVN: Do you have any favorite paranormal TV programs or movies?

Karen: I like True Blood. Charlaine Harris’s books are always fun, and the producers managed to bring them to life without butchering them (a rare feat). I liked the Dresden Files, too, and was sorry it didn’t stay around longer. And, of course, I liked Buffy. Everyone liked Buffy. It was the single most influential fantasy TV show in recent memory.


PVN: Describe your writing environment and your writing day.

Karen: My writing “day” is usually at night, because I just seem to think better then. As for my environment…

You know, I was asked a while ago to take a photo of my office for a web page. I felt a little intimidated, because most of the other offices they had displayed were well-appointed, uber-organized and sparklingly clean spaces, like something off a film set. Whereas mine…well, I’ll just say that, at the moment, my office/storeroom/exercise room contains mainly chewed up doggie toys, piles of books I haven’t gotten around to reading yet, notes I left myself that I no longer understand, old sneakers and various scattered CDs. There’s a computer wedged in there, too, which I use when I can find it.

PVN: What do you do for relaxation?

Karen: Not a lot these days! I always find it funny when people tell me, “Oh, you’re an author? You must have tons of free time!” Not so much. I actually spend way more time at my job now than I ever did at any nine-to-five occupation. Putting out two books a year, plus novellas and short stories, plus the editing and promotional duties that come with the job, keeps me very busy! When I do get a chance to relax, I like to travel, read, cook, and just hang out with friends.

PVN: How can readers find you on the web?

Karen: My website is www.KarenChance.com. News about the series, contests and sample chapters can be found there.


Cassandra Palmer series:

Touch the Dark (Cassandra Palmer, Book 1)

Claimed by Shadow (Cassandra Palmer, Book 2)

Embrace the Night (Cassandra Palmer Series, Book 3)

Curse the Dawn (Cassandra Palmer, Book 4)

Dorina Basarab series:

Midnight's Daughter (Dorina Basarab, Dhampir, Book 1)

Death's Mistress (Dorina Basarab, Book 2)
[pub date is January 5, 2010]


Contest information:

One lucky commenter will each win signed copies of Embrace the Night (Cassandra Palmer Series, Book 3) and Curse the Dawn (Cassandra Palmer, Book 4).

To be eligible do one or more of the following:

* Leave a comment on any topic in the interview
* Ask Karen a question
* Link to this interview to your own site or a social network site, and be sure to let me know the URL
*Leave your email address.

Contest ends June 18 at 11:59 PM Pacific Time

Upcoming Event - Interview with Alex Bledsoe

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."

Read PVN's review.

Commenters will have a chance to win a signed copy of Blood Groove.

Hope to see you!

Theresa Meyers Interview and Contest

Today, March 4, is the last day to enter the contest for Theresa Meyer's special prize package. But first read the fascinating interview with the creator of special kind of vampire world in Salvation of the Damned.

My Interview on Erotic Horizon

Erotic Horizon has had a series of interviews of other bloggers. It was very flattering when I was asked to be included.

My interview will be posted Monday March 2.

Many thanks to E. H. for this opportunity to speak a bit about the blogging life.

Interview with author Lina Gardiner on Dec. 2

An interview with Lina Gardiner, author of vampire suspense novels Grave Illusions (Imajinn, 2007) and Beyond the Grave (ImaJinn, November, 2008) will be posted on Tuesday, December 2.

Ms Gardiner will standby to answer any questions or reply to any comments you might have. There will also be a contest with one lucky commenter winning a copy of each book.

Lynda Hilburn - Contest Winners

Dina has won a copy of Dark Harvest, and Tricia has won a copy of The Vampire Shrink.

Congratulations to both!

Thanks to everyone who participated by posting questions and comments.

Remember there will be more interviews and guest bloggers with contests and prizes as we Count Down to Halloween

Interview with Jeri Smith-Ready

Maryland writer Jeri Smith-Ready author of Wicked Game (Pocket 2008) and several other fantasy novels also, somehow, finds time for gourmet cooking and fostering shelter dogs in conjunction with Tails of Hope Sanctuary. She is a very busy lady.

Following the interview look for contest rules to win a copy of Wicked Game.

PVN: Jeri, it's a pleasure to welcome you today. Thanks so much for joining us.



PVN: Tell us about WVMP radio as well as WVMPradio.com.

JSR: At WVMP The Lifeblood of Rock ‘n’ Roll, all of the DJs are vampires. The public thinks this is just a marketing gimmick, but no, they really are vampires! In the universe of Wicked Game, the vampires are stuck psychologically and culturally in the era they were turned. They still speak the slang and wear the fashions of their Life Time. It makes them weird conversationalists, but fabulous DJs. No one understands an era’s pop culture better than those who lived through it, right?

WVMPradio.com is a joint web project of my husband’s web design firm (Christian Ready Web Services) and Henderson Creative, Inc. . It’s a real website with real music (and real Lifeblood of Rock ‘n’ Roll merchandise). You can learn more about the DJs and listen to a sample of songs from their shows. Soon I’ll have a weekly vampire DJ blog, in which one of them will discuss a musical topic from their era.

Future plans for the website include featured “non-fictional” bands, reviews of vampire books and movies and interviews with their creators, and eventually DJ podcasts. I’d love for it to someday become a place where music fans could hang out and discuss their favorite bands.

PVN: What a unique idea - vampire DJs who only play music from their own era. Where did that idea come from?

JSR: It was total serendipity. I was driving to work flipping the dial and came to a classic rock station playing “Bad Company” by the band of the same name. I thought, Hmm, “Bad Company” would be a perfect title for a paranormal book with a shady main character. Ooh, and there could be a whole series with “Bad” songs as the title: “Bad to the Bone,” “Bad Medicine,” “Bad Moon Rising”…

By the time I got to the office, I had a fully formed idea for vampire DJs stuck in time and a heroine with a criminal past. If I hadn’t been listening to that station at that moment, the series would have never been born. (Cue Twilight Zone music…)

The punch line is that even though it all began with “Bad Company,” the publisher ultimately asked me to change the title.

PVN: How do you know Weasel (a DC area disc jockey)? Has he influenced your taste in music?

JSM: I don’t know him personally, but he’s been my favorite DJ since the 80s when I started listening to WHFS, which was an alternative/indie radio station here in the DC area. After WHFS died a slow death earlier this decade, he moved to 94.7 WTGB The Globe, which is also a great station—a mix of classic and contemporary rock that has a lot more variety than most stations. Weasel is the most amazingly knowledgeable DJ I’ve ever known.

So anyway, I figured as a long shot, I’ll write him an e-mail and see if he’ll give a cover quote for the book. He did it! Even better, he said it was true to life and based in reality, and that he could relate to the vampire DJ characters (I know, scary, huh?). I was thrilled beyond belief—to me, this was the ultimate validation that I had done my research and brought the characters to life.

PVN: Talk about the playlist at the beginning of the book.

JSR: Music is an integral part of the story, and when I wrote the book, I put music into most scenes. For instance, a song might be on in the background, or Shane might play Ciara a tune on the guitar. Or a song might change the heroine’s mood, as it does at the end of the first chapter.

So my publisher asked me to make a list of all the songs mentioned in the text, and that became the “playlist” that is literally a soundtrack to the novel (which can be heard on my website).

The fun part of forming the list was figuring out which songs to choose when they were mentioned only obliquely. For instance, the text in one of the creepiest scenes said that a Cure song was playing on this old 1940s radio. I chose “10:15 Saturday Night” because it’s a particularly haunting tune, providing great atmosphere.

PVN: Are your tastes in music similar to Ciara's?

JSR: Ciara’s a lot hipper than I am. If you go to our MySpace pages (http://www.myspace.com/ciarawvmp and (http://www.myspace.com/jerismithready) you can see that her favorite bands include more contemporary artists than mine does. I do like a lot of new bands, though—I’m not stuck in time like the vampires—just not as many as Ciara does. But she’s younger than I am, so that’s my excuse. ;-) My tastes in general are closer to Shane’s and Regina’s—indie, punk, Goth, etc. Hers are a little lighter, more funky, and pop-oriented.

PVN: Ciara's a con artist. Will her "expertise" in this field be useful in future adventures?

JSR: Absolutely! In the sequel, BAD TO THE BONE, she goes “undercover” to infiltrate a sinister organization called the Fortress, which is trying to shove WVMP off the air by pirating its signal (oh, and by tossing Molotov cocktails at it).



PVN: Why the location of Sherwood, MD?

JSR: It’s a fictional version of the smallish town I live near. Because there are so many vampire books already out there, I tried with each element of Wicked Game to do something different. I thought it would be interesting to put vampires in a non-traditional setting—not super spooky gothic, but not a city either. Then we could see how they interact with the kind of world most of us can relate to.

Also, Sherwood is accessible to a number of interesting cities (Baltimore, Gettysburg, Washington, DC) that could provide great locations. For instance, in Wicked Game, our gang visits a group of ancient vampires who live in a cult compound out near Camp David (hey, it’s secure from flyovers!).


PVN: What attracts you to vampires?

JSR: Wow, where to start?

First, they’ve conquered death. They’ve been resurrected, which is the most powerful mythological act imaginable. It would shake a person to the core of his soul to travel toward that light or whatever and be yanked back into a whole new life. I imagine most of them would have trouble adjusting, to say the least.

Second, they’re predators. Even my vampires, who are very human, possess the instincts and heightened senses of a hunting animal. That makes them dangerous and exquisitely sensitive.

Third, they’re nocturnal. There’s a poignancy to this restriction—if you could never see the sun again, it would feel like a punishment. It would also require a lot of caution, not to mention ingenuity, especially when traveling.

I firmly believe that in fantasy, magic and power should have a cost. Creatures who are immortal and strong and fast and mesmerizing should have serious vulnerabilities, to maintain balance in the universe. Otherwise it feels like cheating.

I could list a fourth, fifth, and sixth reason why vampires fascinate me, but my fingers would fall off, and I sort of need them.

PVN: What are you working on now?

JSR: I’m getting ready to rewrite the Wicked Game sequel (BAD TO THE BONE), which will be published May 12, 2009. My rewrites are usually pretty extensive—I often change the ending and eliminate subplots; often characters who once lived will die in the rewrite and vice versa.

To tide readers over until BAD TO THE BONE comes out next May, I’m writing a series of free tie-in short stories, to appear on my website roughly once every other month, that depict the “turning” of each vampire DJ. These are very secret tales they only share with people they trust with their lives (like me). Subscribers to my quarterly newsletter will get a week’s early access to each story. Sign up at my website!

Monroe’s story, “Crossroads”:

Spencer’s story, “Rave On”:

I’m also very excited about the final installment of my ASPECT OF CROW trilogy, THE REAWAKENED, which comes out November 1. This epic fantasy series takes place in a world where everyone has magical powers bestowed by the Guardian Spirit Animal (some might call it a “totem” or “power animal”). I sometimes describe it as X-Men meets Clan of the Cave Bear.

PVN: What type of literature do you like to read? Any favorite authors or titles?

JSR: My tastes are pretty eclectic. I read a fair amount of urban fantasy and paranormal romance, of course, because it’s part of my job, but for a break I return to mainstream fiction or contemporary romance—the funnier the better. I also enjoy YA fiction, both paranormal and mainstream, because it often deals with deep personal issues in a more unflinching way than adult fiction.

Some of my current favorites are Caprice Crane, Neil Gaiman, Christopher Moore, and Charlaine Harris. When it comes to vampires, my favorites (in addition to Harris) are PC Cast/Kristin Cast (House of Night series), Jenna Black and newcomer Adrian Phoenix. My all-time favorite book is probably GOOD OMENS by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett.


PVN: What is your writing environment like?

JSR: Because I use a laptop, I can write anywhere. For actual creative writing I tend to find a place that’s sort of cavelike. The bedroom, the guest room/cat room, or the family room in the basement. When it’s raining (or nighttime), I can write anywhere, because the whole world becomes like a cave.

I generally do business stuff at the dining room table. Lots of pointing and clicking (for working on the website or whatever) requires a mouse instead of this horrid little touchpad. Then when I move into the Cave of the Day, I feel like I’m ‘going to the office’ to write.

That’s the theory, anyway. Most of my time is spent tricking myself into working.

I’ve finished the last several books in the guest room/cat room, which is technically my office. It has a desk (which is incredibly tidy as a result of its disuse), but the chair long ago moved out to the dining room, and now there’s a litter box under the desk.

So I’m not one of those authors who has pretty photos of her office on her website. To me the only space that matters is the one inside my head, and you really don’t want to see pictures of that.



I love to hear from readers, so I encourage anyone to contact me through my website, www.jerismithready.com. I also give away free bookmarks and signed bookplates for any of my books and frequently hold contests on my blog and in my newsletter.

For more about Wicked Game, check out http://www.jerismithready.com/books/wicked-game/. To visit the DJs and listen to a sample of their shows, go to www.wvmpradio.com. Ciara and Shane and I can also be found on MySpace, though mysteriously never at the same time. Ciara and Shane love to get fan mail and blog comments—it makes them feel all real and stuff. ☺

PVN: Jeri, once again thanks for being here!
_______________________________________________________________

Now for the contest information.

Jeri is offering a copy of Wicked Gameto one lucky reader.

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 Jeri 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 enough email information so that I will be able to contact you.

This contest ends at midnight September 11, 2008.

Winners will be announced on Saturday September 13, 2008.