Not Your Typical Blood-Sucking Vampires

Guest post!! Some awesome vamp authors wanted to stop by and impart some words of wisdom for us all.

by Janice Gable Bashman and Jonathan Maberry, 

authors of Wanted Undead or Alive: Vampire Hunters and Other Kick-Ass Enemies of Evil

We bet you thought a vampire’s a vampire. Right? Those guys with pointed teeth and black capes that swoop down in the middle of the night to suck your blood and turn you into an immortal being.

Wrong.

Vampires come in all shapes, sizes, and genders. There are bloodsuckers like the Abchanchu from Bolivia, shape-shifting human monster hybrids such as the Adze from Togo, and child hunters shaped like polecats from Malaysia called the Bajang.

Some vampires don’t even have to be present to feed. The Bebarlangs, found in the Philippines, are human vampires capable of sending their astral bodies to feed on unsuspecting victims. And watch out for the Breath-Takers. These vampires are often invisible. It’s hard not to fall victim to their bite if you can’t see them.

One bite is all it takes for the Children of Judas to drain their victims of blood. So watch out for these red-haired vampires if you’re in Serbia, Romania, or Bulgaria. And if that’s not bad enough, the Craqueuhhe not only drinks its victims’ blood but also eat their flesh. Found throughout Europe, this powerful vampire is extremely difficult to kill due to its ability to ignore pain.

Children had better avoid the Estrie, a vampire from Hebrew folklore. This female vampire loves children’s blood above all else and will deceive her prey with her shape-shifting ability so that she gains easy access.

It doesn’t take much for the Gierach of Prussia to kill. All this vampire needs to do is speak the name of its victim and the person will die. This is one vampire whose path you don’t want to cross. And if the thought of encountering a vampire is not scary enough how about crossing paths with a vampire werewolf hybrid. The Pryccolitch from Romania is one beast we wouldn’t want to encounter, that’s for sure.

There are many different vampires found in cultures throughout the world. To delve deeper into vampires and other monsters, check out WANTED UNDEAD OR ALIVE: Vampire Hunters and Other Kick-Ass Enemies of Evil. The book deals with the struggle of good vs evil in film, comics, pop culture, world myth, literature, and the real world. 

Everything from ghosts to vampire slayers to paranormal investigators to FBI serial-killer profilers. It includes interviews with folks like Stan Lee, Mike Mignola, Jason Aaron, Fred Van Lente, Peter Straub, Charlaine Harris and many more; and the book is fully illustrated by top horror, comics & fantasy artists. In stores everywhere.

Janice Gable Bashman has written for THE BIG THRILL, NOVEL & SHORT STORY WRITER'S MARKET, THE WRITER, WILD RIVER REVIEW, and many others. Janice Gable Bashman’s blog: http://janicegablebashman.com/

Jonathan Maberry is a NY Times bestseller, multiple Bram Stoker Award-winner and a writer for Marvel Comics. His works include ROT & RUIN, THE DRAGON FACTORY, CAPTAIN AMERICA: HAIL HYDRA and THE WOLFMAN. Jonathan Maberry’s Website & Blog: www.jonathanmaberry.com

It sounds like a pretty cool guide for the Undead, a must for any vamp fan, a.k.a more than half of my followers!

So what do you think? It has an interview with Charlaine Harris!!! What more can you ask for?  Oh, and I certainly don't wanna meet Gierach of Prussia they sound like a scary bunch... really puts a hole on the whole theory that all vamps are hot and awesome.

New Sequels Covers, Yay or Nay?

**Found cover on Goodreads, but apparently, some people have told me, its a fan art cover, not the real cover! You shouldn't post stuff like that at Goodreads!!"

Hmmm... It's a pretty cover, but is it better than the cover for Fallen and Torment? I don't think so...

I think my favorite is Torment, then Fallen, and then Passion. I think it may be that they actually showed the model's face in this one that is the factor which is turning me off. I liked the fact that the face was always hidden. I haven't even read these books... I should.

It goes with the theme of Infinity, but again I might like the cover of Infinity better, but that doesn't mean I don't like this one! This is is pretty cool, and I like the red.

I mean, look at that! That is gorgeous!

Pink... Pink... Pink... I'm trying to accept all the pink give me a moment... Pink... Pink...

I think I got it now. Pretty, very pretty. As always I like the frame of the cover, and the model's pose is good. But my order of preference would have to be The Iron Daughter, The Iron King, and then The Iron Queen.

 

Tempest Rising by Nicole Peeler

Title: Tempest Rising

Author: Nicole Peeler

Series: #1Pages: 344
Publisher: Orbit
Reading Level: Adult

Publish Date: November 01, 2009.

Rating: .3

Cover Rating: 

Living in small town Rockabill, Maine, Jane True always knew she didn't quite fit in with so-called normal society. During her nightly, clandestine swim in the freezing winter ocean, a grisly find leads Jane to startling revelations about her heritage: she is only half-human. 

Now, Jane must enter a world filled with supernatural creatures alternatively terrifying, beautiful, and deadly- all of which perfectly describe her new "friend," Ryu, a gorgeous and powerful vampire. 

It is a world where nothing can be taken for granted: a dog can heal with a lick; spirits bag your groceries; and whatever you do, never-ever-rub the genie's lamp. 

Taschima's POV:

Tempest Rising was average. At first. By the end I started understanding all the buzz that this series has received, and all the potential it has on store.

Jane True is a weird girl who likes to swim on occasion. Nothing wrong with that. Did I mention she really likes to swim when temperatures are freezing? Now your getting it, she is weird. Freak, bitch, murderer, this are only some of the things people around town call her. And they don't even know about her swimming. But a terrible accident has scarred Jane for life in the eyes of the town, and to her own eyes. Broken + being a freak is more like it. All is going well until one night she discovers a body on her favorite swimming place. Desperate to not being linked to this murder, she leaves the body on a trail for somebody else to find. She thought her problems would end there, but little did she know. Suddenly old friends aren't what they seem, new people are competing with her on the freak scale, and her libido has woken up with a vengeance when she meets a certain investigator by the name of Ryu who is gorgeous, mysterious, and deadly.

I will be completely honest (as always), at first the book was going a bit dull for me. Though Jane captured my attention from page 1, so I kept on reading. The pace picks up pretty fast though, and a lot of stuff start to happen. Plus Ryu comes into the scene, which I still don't know if it's a plus or a minus with me.

As I already say I liked Jane. She is a normal woman with freaky issues, but she is so funny. I could have kept reading the book eve if nothing else happened just to see what she would do next. I agree that this book will be particularly enjoyed by Sookie Stackhouse fans, it has the elements while still being original. Now Ryu... I think this is the first time I haven't fell in love with the main lover at first sight. He is just so cocky!  And he is a vampire! Generally when they are vampires that is just a done deal with me, but no. Though as the book kept going, and his defenses kept falling, I started to rather care for him, and may like him a bit. BUT! There is a side character which has totally caught my attention...

I loved the side characters also, the book wouldn't have been so awesome without them. I also liked how real the story progressed. Jane didn't become super wise all of the sudden, she grows into it. 

Anyways, it's a great beginning to the series. I would recommend it (I'm already reading Tracking the Tempest, imagine that!).

PS; I love the cover, why do people hate it? I don't get it. It's so original, and the drawing is good.

Teaser Tuesday! Tempest Rising

"After all, I knew so little about this world that even hearing about their arguments over whether the nahuals who preferred cat shapes should be given litter boxes or expected to use the toilets "like everybody else" was still informative. Ik kept thinking about Jonathan Swift's famous poem about how "Celia, Celia, Celia shits!" in which the narrator discovers proof that the love of his life -the angelic Celia- goes to the bathroom just like everybody else. In movies or books, you never saw Dracula leave off chasing the virginal heroine to have a wee. But here I was learning that, just like Celia, the supernatural community does -indeed- shit. I found it strangely comforting."

This, was, hilarious. As soon as I read this I went online to see if this poem about Celia exists and guess what, it does! This is one of the thing I live about this book, it contains the supernatural but the author mixes up a lot of real stuff into the story, like music, literature, and so forth.

Plus, its a pretty dirty story, my libido approves ;)

In My Mailbox

"The missing dead call to Violet. They want to be found. 


When Violet Ambrose's morbid ability to sense the echoes of those who've been murdered leads her to the body of a young boy, she draws the attention of the FBI. She is reluctantly pulled into an investigation that will endanger more than just her secret...but her relationship and possibly her life as well."

From HarperCollins (thanks guys ^.^).

So, I request the help of everybody who has read The Body Finder to tell me if I should either a) Read The Body Finder and then read this one, or b) Give this book away to someone who really wants it.

Is The Body Finder good? Cause I was about to buy it but then I read this rather awful review on it, and the person who wrote it seemed to me like they knew what they were talking about.

Night Star by Alyson Noel -Chapter One!!!-

The Immortals has not always delivered as we expected, but I know lots of you are waiting for Night Star and they just released the first chapter!!!!!!

One

"You'll never beat me. You'll never win this one, Ever. It's impossible. You can't do it. So why waste your time?"

I narrow my gaze and peer into her face-taking in her small, pale features, her dark cloud of hair, the absence of light in her hate-filled gaze.

My teeth clenched tightly, voice low and measured, I say, "Don't be so sure. You're running a serious risk of overestimating yourself. In fact, you are overestimating yourself. I'm one hundred percent sure of it."

She scoffs. Loudly, derisively, the sound of it echoing throughout the large empty room, bouncing off the plank wood floors to the bare white walls, meant to scare, or at the very least intimidate and throw me off my game...

If you want it all then Click Here, and it will lead you to the online page where the Chapter resides.

Hope you enjoy it! And please, if you have a chance, come and join the party for The Agency at:

Date: Tuesday, September 28

Time: 4pm BST (UK/Europe) or 4pm EST (US/Canada)

Place: Twitter

Hashtag: #bodytower

Y.S. Lee Online Party with Prizes and Much More!

I don't know if you remember this, but I really like Y. S. Lee's series The Agency. It's about a girl who becomes a spy in a time where women are taken for granted, so they use it to their advantage. ;)

It's a very fun, and light read, with background and emotional charge. Also, the guy in the novel ain't half bad... and by that I mean he is "oh so awesome".

Anyways, I call all my followers and ask them to pretty please attend this fantastic event! Next if information I got on an email...

Dear Followers:

I am pleased to invite you to an online launch party for Y. S. Lee's second Agency novel, THE BODY AT THE TOWER. The details:

Date: Tuesday, September 28

Time: 4pm BST (UK/Europe) or 4pm EST (US/Canada)

Place: Twitter

Hashtag: #bodytower

Walker Books UK and Candlewick Press are co-hosting the parties, and they are all providing prizes. Theres Agency t-shirts and stickers to give away, and Y. S. Lee's publishers are offering up books (of course!).

Im sure Y. S. Lee will be thrilled to see you all there! (and of course, you can attend whichever party you like – the times are intended to be convenient).

So, I think it's a pretty sweet deal. So (if you are like me) go dust off your Twitter account, or if you are an addict take a bit of your time and attend, what's the worst that could happen? You get to learn about a great book? Or you get fabulous prizes? It's a win-win.

PS; Also, these books have to die for covers, would't you like to see THOSE on your shelf? ;)