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I decided to do something a little different this Valentine's Day. I decided to publish a book. It was a complete surprise to just about everyone, since I hadn't publicized a date in connection with the book ahead of time. I just released it. No fuss. No fanfare.
Why? Well, maybe I'm a little crazy. Maybe I'm a little disorganized. Maybe I just wanted to surprise readers with an unexpected treat. Mostly, it's the last one, but I will admit to a little of the first two as well.
The way I see it, there are a lot of unrealistic expectations built up around holidays. Not just Thanksgiving and Christmas, but Valentine's Day. And a few others where popular culture tells us the day should be spent one way - surrounded by family, or cuddling a loved one, or having a blast at a barbeque with eighty of your closest and most fun-loving friends. Things like that. Things that not everyone can do for one reason or another.
Maybe all your close family is gone and you're spending Thanksgiving with just one or two other people - or your fur babies. Maybe you're single. Maybe you don't have crowds of friends who all like to barbeque and drink heavily. Whatever.
Yet, for some reason, there seems to be all this pressure on us each holiday to have that "good time" - however popular culture is defining it in relation to that particular holiday. It can be stressful. Especially for a quiet person - the kind of person who generally likes to read for recreation. I know I fit into that category.
So I thought this Valentine's Day, why not give those quiet people something to enjoy? Why not surprise a few special people who like my books with something unexpected?
It wasn't the biggest, splashiest release I've ever had. I hadn't told anyone about my plans. But much to my gratification, the people who I intended to surprise, got it. The response from folks who've been asking me for the next book has been awesome, and I'm tickled pink that my little surprise worked out so well.
I'm very much the kind of person who likes to give presents rather than receive them, and this feels a little like that. It's a good feeling. And I hope my book was able to bring a little joy into a long weekend where expectations for Friday, February 14th, were very high, indeed.
If you haven't heard about my surprise release, here's what it's all about...
A tortured vampire, a lonely shifter, and a deadly power struggle of supernatural proportions. Can their forbidden love prevail?
Magnus Redstone is the middle of the five Redstone brothers. He’s the quiet one. The one who keeps to himself more than the others. But he has good reason for his loner status. Two years ago, he met a woman. Not just any woman. This woman made his inner cougar stand up and roar. Even in human form, he purred when she stroked him. She was his mate. And that meant something very serious among shifters. Too bad the lady had fangs...
Following a lead about a very bad man, Mag discovers Miranda being held captive by an evil mage in a cage of silver that burns her. She’s been tortured and bled repeatedly as the monster sought to steal her power for his own. Mag frees her and takes her to his home, nursing her back to health and defying all convention to keep her with him. He doesn’t ever want to let her go again, but he knows the deck is stacked against them.
When a vampire uprising threatens the stability of the Las Vegas scene, Mag and Miranda are right in the middle of it, fighting against evil. More than just their necks are on the line when a group of vampires seek to kill them and overthrow the current Master vampire of the area. But they have powerful allies, and their renewed relationship has made both of them stronger than either would ever be alone. Will they prevail against all odds, and can they stay together forever? Or will the daylight - and their two very different worlds - tear them apart again?
For some odd reason, blogger has been acting weird about certain posts on this blog. One of them happens to be my blog from last month talking about my newest book - Brotherhood of Blood: Wolf Hills. So here's a bit about it, in case you missed it...
RT Book Reviews Magazine gave Wolf Hills a coveted TOP PICK and called it "A truly fantastic read! With a page-turning plot, dynamic
characters and plenty of heat, readers will devour every last delicious page."
Sally Decker is a big city police detective vacationing in Wyoming to visit
an old friend who is newlywed to a mysterious foreigner. When Sally arrives in
Wyoming, she quickly learns that her friend's new husband is the Master Vampire
of the region and there's a werewolf Pack living just up the road.
Jason Moore is an Alpha on a mission. When he sees Sally for the first time,
he knows there's something special about her. He's drawn to her and makes it his
business to be her tour guide. He invites her to take her meals at the Pack
house, in his company, not realizing his favoritism is going to wreak havoc
among the single females in his Pack. But Sally can handle just about anything,
including any werewolf bitch stupid enough to challenge her.
When werewolf children are targeted by evil hunters in the area, Sally
refuses to sit on the sidelines. She helps the Alpha hunt the perps and free a
child they've kidnapped, facing bombs, bullets and a lusty Alpha along the way. Unexpected allies and devastating attraction turn the rescue mission into a
mating dance between Jason and Sally, who learns she's not entirely human. His
magic sparks against hers, creating something entirely new and totally hot
between the two. Will fate help them bridge the chasm between their separate
worlds?
I'm honored to have Julia Phillips Smith on the blog here today. She's been a long time friend and advocate of all things author. She's been my cheering section for as long as I can remember and now I have the absolute pleasure to cheer for her.
Julia has a book coming out November 11, 2011. A self-pub title involving Vampires and since tomorrow is Halloween it's fitting to interview an author who writes in the genre.
Thanks for coming here, Julia!
Tell us about your upcoming release.
SAINT SANGUINUS is my debut novel which combines vampires with a Welsh Dark Ages historical setting, and a superhero origin story woven throughout for good measure.
What gave you the idea to write SAINT SANGUINUS?
If I go back a little ways, I've been a fan of Chelsea Quinn Yarbro's Count Saint-Germain series since I read my first taste of them, TEMPTING FATE (original publish date 1982,) when I lived in Toronto in the 90s. All of her books center around the constant need for an eternal being to relocate before the locals realize that the count never ages. The books are filled with all of the hassles of moving house, making arrangements for the house to be left to a faraway nephew in the future - which will be himself in a few generations - and I always loved the practical problems that Saint-Germain had to deal with, which get brushed aside in most vampire tales.
So my own story began with me wondering how it would feel to be a brand new vampire asked to consume the blood of men, when he'd been a man himself only days before.
Rather like the post-accidental-shooting car clean-up scene in Pulp Fiction, I love scenarios that aren't addressed as often.
Is there a sequel planned?
Definitely. In the superhero origin story category, SAINT SANGUINUS sets the stage for my main vampire character, Peredur, who will be called upon to use these new powers in upcoming showdowns. But Peredur isn't the only new vampire to rise from these pages. There's another one who many readers may feel takes them into the POV of a vampire in a way they've never encountered before.
Why Vampires?
I've been a fan of vampires since I was a small kid. I used to try to watch Dark Shadows, a gothic soap opera featuring vampire Barnabas Collins, although my mom would always switch it off. But I know I used to see it somehow.
When I was in junior high, a BBC version of Dracula completely captivated my cousins, my sister and me. It inspired us to write a script for our own vampire movie, for which we scouted locations and rehearsed without having any equipment to shoot it, whatsoever.
Then following high school I was the assistant director for a community theatre production of Dracula here in Halifax, where I got to audition child actors and direct my own transition scene pieces which held the audience's attention away from set changes on the main stage.
Meanwhile, I've been reading vampire tales, watching vampire films and TV series steadily all along.
Can you tell us a bit about your journey writing this piece?
My cousin used to urge me to write a vampire novel when I was working on gritty historical stories. She knew I had a vampire tale inside me, waiting to emerge. But nothing ever really came to me until I first decided to take up the challenge of doing NaNoWriMo.
I just started with that simple premise of going through the mental progression of being a human to being a vampire, and when the virtual starting pistol went off for the writing marathon, Peredur was born.
Also, I've always had a real affinity for the archetype of the Unknown Soldier. Perhaps having my birthday fall on Remembrance Day has something to do with it, I don't know. But just thinking of fallen warriors laying on their last battlefields really wrings my heart into shreds, so I used that as my jumping off point for Peredur and went from there.
What made you decided to pursue self-publication?
Two things. The simple advance of technology making it possible for writers to viably self-publish, along with the eruption in the popularity of e-readers is the greatest reason.
The second reason is my own personality. I'm someone who never watched Friends, but watched Hercules and Xena Warrior Princess religiously. Although people who know I went to film school assure me that Under the Tuscan Sun has gorgeous cinematography, I've still never seen it. But I have watched Bubba Ho-tep in a packed theatre with other cult film enthusiasts. I've always known my writing would never fit into the mold being purchased for the Big Six publishing houses. I had no idea there would ever be such a thing as indie self-publishing, but in retrospect, it's almost as though I've always been waiting for this development. I embrace it with joy.
You did an amazing trailer for this release, how did that come about?
I've always been a big reader, but my first love has definitely been film. I graduated from Ryerson University's film program in 1995 and was more focused on screenwriting and gathering film credits. However, financially I couldn't afford the whole apprenticing stage of gaining those credits. I really needed to keep my day job, so to stay in the telling-stories game, I switched over to novel writing, which turned into a decade-long learning curve. The way to tell screenwriting stories and the way to tell prose fiction stories is radically different.
In the meantime, I worked on several film and TV projects over the years, never losing my passion for my original medium of choice. I have several film projects rumbling around in the old noggin, and I used to say to myself, "I just need to find the right producer."
Meanwhile, who should show up at my writers' group but a woman who has her own production company. At last year's writers' retreat, we really hit it off. She suggested we do the book trailers, and I have to tell you - when she said that, I hadn't realized how much I'd protected my heart over the years from the longing to work in film. Inside my chest I felt the Grinch-heart-grew-three-sizes thing, I was so happy.
So from January of this year Tara MacDonald of Charlie Mac Productions and I did pre-production on the trailers, which we shot in one day at the end of April, and I worked in post-production with Doug Woods of 902 Post to edit the trailers in time for the New York RWA conference, which I attended.
How much research did you have to do for SAINT SANGUINUS?
Quite a lot. I've always been very picky about authenticity, so personally I want to get it right in my own work. I've been attracted to the time period of Dark Age Britain since I was a girl and read Mary Stewart's Merlin trilogy, and I've got a personal library of Arthurian research nonfiction books that I've devoured over the years. Recent discoveries about that time period always loom large on my radar, and I find it thrilling that we've been able to learn so much more about a time that wasn't well understood until the past few decades.
However, the very murkiness of the time period makes it a perfect setting for a vampire tale, as who's to say they weren't roaming the countryside back then? Also, the following witch hunts that swept Europe in the middle ages makes a writer surmise that maybe there was a reason for such fear...
What made you decide November 11th for the release?
Because that falls on Remembrance Day, and because the brotherhood which my vampire joins then acts as a peacekeeping force between humans and vampires, I felt that this particular date held good resonance for the story.
And on this particular Remembrance Day, it will be 11 - 11 - 11. That certainly doesn't happen every day.
Also, November 11th will be my birthday, and for me this is a major milestone present to myself.
Do you have anything else in the works?
I've been writing a dark fantasy series for a while, part of which is posted on Wednesdays on my blog as serialized fiction. I'm seriously in love with that main character. I can't wait to send him off into the world.
I've also got a Victorian convict story, a Scottish gamekeeper story and a Jacobite post-Culloden story in various stages of development.
I've also got a few film projects that I'm looking to pursue, as well. And don't forget the day job.
Where can we find out more about you?
You can visit me at my web site, www.juliaphillipssmith.com or at my blog, A Piece of My Mind. I've been blogging since 2007 and I've made many wonderful friends there over the years.
Is this going to come as any surprise? Red and black.
What is your favourite drink?
Prosecco, pinot grigio and Glenfiddich. Oh, I had to stop at one...?
What is your favourite food?
I realize most people wouldn't say this. But rice is my favorite food ever. Especially the way my family does it - cooked in chicken or turkey broth with a little bit of butter, salt & pepper and several large glugs of ketchup. But I'll take stir fry, rice in casseroles, plain old rice just steamed, you name it. Just not rice pudding. I don't want it to be dessert.
Trapped on a desert island what three movies would you take with you? What three books and what three fantasy men?
Movies:
Kate & Leopold with Hugh Jackman and Meg Ryan
The Turning Point, mainly for the ballet pieces danced by Mikhail Baryshnikov, but the whole film is marvelous
Gladiator with Russell Crowe
Books:
THE SILVER CHAIR by C S Lewis
DEVILISH by Jo Beverley
BLOOD GAMES by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
Fantasy Men:
Dean Winchester from Supernatural
Wolverine from X-Men
Horatio Hornblower from the PBS series of the same name
Here are Julia's amazing book trailers:
Blurb:
An elite brotherhood stands between humans and vampires, preventing one side from annihilating the other. Who are called to this service? Only those warriors who curse God with their dying breath.
Welsh warrior Peredur falls to a spear before he can claim Tanwen for his bride. Raging on the battlefield, Peredur utters the curse that seals his fate and leads him to another life. Using the power of a saint whose bone makes up an amulet, Peredur takes on the trials to become a true member of the brethren. Yet his need for the chieftain’s daughter Tanwen still burns.
Tanwen resists her father’s command to take a husband. The only one who understands her sorrow is Cavan, the wise woman’s son. When he promises that he can reunite her with her beloved, she agrees to his terms. But does Tanwen truly understand the depth of the price that must be paid?
This has been a lovely month of monsters and mayhem and it’s my turn to talk about the creatures that move me the most. Turns out, it’s all of them!
For eight consecutive childhood Halloweens, I dressed as a vampire. I loved everything about the vampire concept, from immortality to inhuman fascination. As a product of the Anne Rice Generation, I didn’t see them as monsters, but simply as people who were capable of monstrous things—just like everyone else. The paranormal romance trend couldn’t have come too soon for my taste. In fact, I would have liked to see it spread at least a decade sooner, to fill that ever growing cavern of how I regarded supernatural creatures vs. how they were portrayed in horror.
Fast forward twentyish years after reading, Interview with the Vampire, and I’m surrounded by exactly what I longed to see—preternaturals as the heroes rather than automatically the villains. That change was the first step in broadening my supernatural palate. It’s not that I didn’t feel for werewolves, the classic cursed just seemed too painful and sad to really be drawn to it. That element disappeared on the paranormal romance front and I was able to see them in the light that they always deserved.
Roleplaying games and fantasy novels moved the idea of werewolves to shape-shifters and an entire world of possibilities opened up. Feline shifters were an immediate favorite, but dragon shifters became a complete fascination. Fantasy rpgs and novels are filled with intelligent dragons that like to walk around among humankind and leave behind half-dragons, dragonkin, dragoons and pseudodragons to name a few variants. This predilection led to all sorts of ideas and opportunities to play with the dragon mythos, and the idea of sexy dragons plays into everything I wanted from every other creature.
They were ancient like vampires, could alter their shape like werewolves, were clever like fae/faries, and had layered emotions and complexities like humans, but with the wisdom of nature itself. They were people in the truest sense of the word, but a people that could be anything and everything else as well. What’s not to love?
Although I grew up on high fantasy that spawned my love of dragons, I’m not suited to write it. I’m more geared towards urban fantasy and romantic fantasy. Instead of high fantasy’s epic battles, I’d prefer dealing with the battles of the sexes and the battles of the heart. Yep, I have no classic sword and sorcery in my future to be sure. What I do have, is a paranormal romance with dragon shifters. It’s in the immediate future, Halloween Day in fact. And it won’t be the only one!
A Way To A Dragon’s Heart is the first introduction of dragons into my Therian World. The reception has led to many more ideas, one of which may be the closet fantasy/kingdoms/king’s honor type stories I’ve ever written or will write, and I’m excited. But that particular idea is a tale for another time, let me introduce you to A Way To A Dragon’s Heart.
Dragon Shifter Kryssa Drake works twenty-hour days, seven days a week racing toward a sabbatical and hiding from the dating world after a devastating break-up that left her questioning her sense of self. The highlight of her day is the two hour lunches spent listening to Near Human, Xander Luciano, co-owner of Luciano's Deli across the street, and living vicariously through his on-again, off-again relationship with Avian, Caleb James. Over the years and countless intimacies of their friendship, Kryssa has grown to love Xander and the idea of Xander and Caleb but ideas and potential are not enough to brave the pain of the past so soon.
Pastry Chef and Near Human, Xander Luciano, has spent the last two years trying to charm Kryssa out of her vow of a five year isolation following her break-up. He's spent that same two years sorting out his feelings for his college sweetheart, Caleb, and trying to figure out a way to pin the restless Avian down or to finally make peace with a few months of happiness at a time. When Caleb opens the pastry café they always dreamed about and invites him to become a partner, Xander sees the flicker of hope that maybe half of his dream is about to come true. When he's volunteered by Kryssa's brother and boss to assist her in her current projects as well as help her relax in his cabin up north, Xander thinks his persistence and culinary skills just might help him have it all.
Sometimes the only way to get a good man to settle down is to have a good woman help. And oft times the most direct way to a Dragon's heart is through her stomach.
Capclave Guests of Honor Carrie Vaughn (left) and Catherynne M. Valente compare the charms of vampires and werewolves at Capclave, October 15.
With Carrie Vaughn (whose most famous series features a werewolf named Kitty) and Catherynne M. Valente (who's explored the mythology of just about everything) as its guests of honor, it was inevitable that Capclave 2011, the Washington DC area's hometown con, would address the eternal question:
Fangs or fur?
Death or life?
Edward or Jason?
Well, maybe not the last so much, but the relative popularity of vampires vs. werewolves--and the apparent reasons for it--dominated the con's guest of honor chat Saturday evening, October 15.
On the face of it, the odds would seem stacked in the werewolf's favor. After all, werewolves represent life; vampires, death. But as the panelists said, some people have a problem with the fur.
Then there's the whole "daddy thing". Ms. Valente pointed out the modern vampire myth ultimately comes down to the seduction of an inexperienced young woman by an older, infinitely experienced male. He is the ultimate father figure--all-powerful and wise, even when for some inexplicable reason, he's still in high school. It's one of the evergreen romance plots: Beauty and the Beast, Jane and Rochester, Persephone and Hades (minus the crazy mother-in-law).
In contrast, the werewolf has, in Ms. Vaughn's words, "...gotten short shrift over the last hundred years of storytelling. It's always: The beast within takes over. You can't control yourself. You do horrible things, and then you die."
Larry Talbot and his cinematic descendants have a lot to answer for.
But the nice thing is the core myth (or metaphor, if you prefer) can change. In fiction, nothing's set in stone. Vampires can become heroes. Werewolves can take control of their destiny. Ms. Vaughn's werewolf DJ Kitty Norville is a prime example.
"I thought, let's get past the [standard Wolfman plot]. Let's assume werewolves are okay and can handle it. What stories can we tell then?"
Plenty, apparently, since the Kitty Norville series is up to ten books, with four more under contract. And Ms. Vaughn's books aren't the only ones redefining the myth. My Beyond the Veil blog mates have been very busy on that score, too. If they keep this up, who knows, within ten years the balance of attraction may tip. There's a lot to be said for fur, though I confess, I prefer mine in a coat. ;-)
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I apologize for the quality of my Guests of Honor photo. My Capclave camera karma was definitely lacking. I posted my best shots, such as they are, at my Flickr account. I have an ulterior motive in providing the link. There are two photos near the end I'm unreasonably proud of. Yes, that's me sitting on the dais with Ms. Valente, Ms. Vaughn and Danielle Ackley-McPhail, the editor of Dragon's Lure, the anthology containing my short story "Lord Bai's Discovery".
"Lord Bai's Discovery", along with Ms. Valente's "Days of Flaming Motorcycles" and Ms. Vaughn's "Amaryllis" were among the finalists for the Washington Science Fiction Association's 2011 Small Press Award. I wasn't surprised "Amaryllis" took the prize. It was nominated for a Hugo, too. I was surprised, however, and incredibly honored to be included in such company.
This month my co-bloggers will write about many different types of creatures. Most scary. And I have to say, I love me a good ghost, werewolf, vampire, bigfoot, or leprechaun story. Most of these critters are, or can be, evil. There is, however, one creature that pales in comparison to the rest. We see these creatures every day at work, school, shops, and restaurants. We see one every time we look in the mirror. As the Pogo quote goes, “We have met the enemy, and he is us.”
Obviously not all humans are evil. Homo sapiens are actually a pretty civilized lot. In spite of how it sometimes seems, most folks go about their business without the need to hurt, maim, or kill. Still, there are plenty of people out there who could give the worst werewolves, vampires, or soul sucking demons a run for their money. These are the two-legged creatures of true evil.
Some of these evil humans blur the line between human and mythology. For example the infamous Vlad Tepes, could possibly have been the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula. His name Dracul or Dracula is translated by some sources as “dragon” and others as “devil” or “son of the devil”. Vlad impaled millions of people alive, and is rumored to have drunk blood. Still, even today, he is considered a hero to his country.
Today we don’t make serial killers official heroes, but there are those who worship these horrible examples of malevolence. There are collectors of serial killer memorabilia. Women want to marry them (serial killers are almost always male). Some of them, like Charles Manson, for instance, have fan clubs. The reason for this gruesome hobby may someday be explained. For now, most just think those involved are somehow mentally ill. Even those of us wouldn’t be caught dead with a lock of a serial killer’s hair, love watching movies like Silence of the Lambs, and TV shows like Criminal Minds.
What’s creepier in the dead of night? When the sound of creaking and moaning reaches for you? Are you more afraid of a vampire, werewolf, demon? Or is the real threat to our being, and our sanity, that the mythological creature might come to life, or that the neighborhood animal torturer just moved up the food chain?
Sleep well tonight, and don’t let the vampires, or whatever, bite.
Hmm. Maybe I should leave songwriting to the professionals. "Bridge Over Troubled Waters" is much more catchy as a title, no?
The paranormal: we are fascinated by it. We want to believe. We tell stories about ghosts and goblins, dragons and the fey. It’s what we see out of the corner of our eye, or what lives beyond the light at night. We follow spritualists and go to live performances, hoping that maybe it might be real and not a man behind a curtain.
Our tour through television has brought us many different kinds of entertainment, from reality to the outskirts of speculation. Our next theme, “Here There Be Dragons: and Werewolves and More” brings us to those edges and beyond.
As a bridge between September’s and October’s themes, I thought I’d talk a bit about some good dragon and werewolf stories that might not be as well known.
First, the well-known author Ursula K. LeGuin wrote the Earthsea trilogy, which she then continued with Tehanu, the fourth in what is now a cycle.
To my pleased surprise, a made for television miniseries was made of the story that is really interesting. Danny Glover is in it, and he rocks. The actor they chose for Ged, and the one for Vetch, are also awesome. The Shadow is deliciously creepy.
On the other end of the spectrum, I have a book called A Century of Lesbian Erotica. In it is “Blood and Silver,” by Pat Califia from 1997. This introduced me to a darker side of fantasy because the idea is a woman transforms into a werewolf, and then leads a secret life of dominating men and making them reveal their own animal natures. This was the first time I encountered the paranormal as a sexual object.
Then someone recommended Laurell K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake novels to me, and I loved them. It was a bridge between very hard-boiled paranormal mystery and erotica, and rather than the traditional fade-to-black at the moment of the bedroom scene, Laurell took us right inside the bedroom with her characters. Very fun.
From what I understand, though I’m hardly an expert, the idea of the vampire as sexually attractive is relatively new. Older legends and myths about them, and about werewolves, weren’t at all like that – they were considered very dangerous, evil predators.
I like the more sexy version. What about you?
Second question: which do you prefer, vampires or werewolves (or other lycanthropes)?
I’m totally stoked about my new novel, which my author copies for just showed up in the mail today. I thought I’d share some of that excitement with y’all. More TT fun can be found at Dreamtime and Xakara's Blog
13) World Collide has an ass kickin’ shape shifter heroine!
12) You know you love vampires that don’t sparkle…we got those too.
11) The story happens in Madison, Wisconsin… you did know that’s where the cool people live, right?
10) Did I mention the sexy female vampire heroine? The very, very sexy female vampire heroine!
09) Worlds Collide has got adventure and suspense! 08) One of the heroines is a veterinary student. What’s sexier then an animal lover, especially one who can turn into an animal?
07) For those of you who read Natural Order, there’s at least two characters from that novel who have guest spots in Worlds Collide.
06) The villain is deliciously nasty.
05) Who doesn’t adore a culturally diverse setting with empowered women? 04) The romantic elements of Worlds Collide are sensual without being overly graphic.
03) Did I mention our ass kickin’ shape shifter heroine must chose between love and duty? What will she do?
02) You know you can’t get a story from me without a bit of humor thrown in too.
01) Worlds Collide is a love story, a story about fighting for what’s right, and a story about inner strength and courage. Come join the adventure!
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others’ comments. It’s easy, and fun!
Great news! I just got an offer for a new Brotherhood of Blood story. It's called WOLF HILLS and it's the story of of Sally, a San Francisco police detective who goes to Wyoming on vacation to visit one of her best friends. Carly is newly wed to a mysterious foreigner. When Sally arrives in Wyoming, she quickly learns that Carly's new husband is the Master Vampire of the region and there's a werewolf Pack living just up the road. Because Carly has recently become a vampire too, the werewolves are tasked with showing Sally around during the day and keeping her company until the sun goes down.
Jason Moore is the Alpha of the werewolf Pack. When he sees Sally for the first time, he knows there's something special about her. He's drawn to her and makes it his business to be her tourguide. He invites her to take her meals at the Pack house, in his company, not realizing his favoritism is going to cause havoc among a few of the bitches in his Pack. But Sally can handle just about anything, including any werewolf bitch who challenges her.
When werewolf children are targeted by evil hunters in the area, Sally refuses to sit on the sidelines. She helps the Alpha hunt down the perps and free the child they've kidnapped, facing bombs, bullets and crazed killers along the way.
That's the gist of it. I haven't really written the blurb yet. We're just getting the contract together to formalize everything, but I thought it was worth sharing. This book has a lot of action and a great romance. It was a lot of fun to write and I expect it'll probably be out sometime around the beginning of 2012.
Just to be clear: I have an erotic science fiction book coming out in October called HIDDEN TALENT. And the last of the military paranormal zombie books, DEAD ALERT, arrives in stores on July 26th. Keep an eye out for it! This will be the last of the zombie books and it ends with a huge bang! :)
In fact, here's a little bit about it...
For Emily Parkington, the thrill of flying charter planes for Praxis Air has lately been tinged with dread. Mysterious cargo flights and a high number of fatal crashes lead Emily to suspect something sinister behind the scenes. And if her new colleague is involved, Emily won’t hesitate to turn him in, in spite of Sam Archer’s sexy charm and irresistibly easy confidence.
Enemy or potential ally? Sam can’t be sure of anything where Emily is concerned, except how much he wants her. Immune to the zombie virus created through military research, Sam is working undercover to find out if Praxis is trafficking forbidden technology. It was a potentially deadly assignment even before he found himself distracted by a woman he scarcely knows. And when a “controlled” experiment goes horribly wrong, there will be no limit to the danger they both face... or how far he’s willing to go to save her...
It's available now for pre-order on Amazon or B&N. Reserve yours today! :) And another odd thing - the pricing on this book is weird. It's actually cheaper to buy the paperback than the ebook! That just seems wrong to me, but I have no control over how the publisher prices things. *sigh*
That's the news for now. I've been writing a bit more than I have over the past year, so I hope to have more news for you next time my turn to blog rolls around. In the meantime, have fun with the zombies! :)
Since this is my first post at Beyond the Veil, it seems appropriate to introduce myself.I’m an Eastern band Cherokee, a two-spirit woman (Native LGBTQ), a mother, a practitioner of earth-based spirituality, an environmentalist, an activist, in fact there are many sides to Moondancer.
The reason I say all this is that as a writer all these ingredients that make up who I am, are part of everything I write. Being a Native American woman growing up loving speculative fiction yet never finding anyone like me in the stories I read, all the fiction I write now is multicultural. My real live experiences and passions effect my writing as well. In the city where I live so many people are separated, segregated, in fact from very young our Western culture is taught to be selfish, to “look out for #1”. Culturally and personally I believe strong and supportive communities are crucial to a society’s well being, even to a personal physical and mental health. I love reading about women living in strong, supportive of communities where belief systems like mine (and other non-mainstream spirituality’s) are fully accepted and even embraced. As a writer of paranormal fiction I can create these communities I wish I lived in. I can fight the fights against the evil of this world that we also often feel helpless against by bringing that evil into my world and having my heroines fight it there. It’s an empowering feeling for me as the author of the stories, and I hope for my readers as well.
Currently I have two published novels; Ancestral Magic and Natural Order, a new ebook novella called Seeking Light in the Shadows, as well as numerous short stories published in anthologies. Today I thought I would leave you with a taste from my new urban fantasy coming out next week or so, Worlds Collide.
***
Once she was in place on the garage roof, Rune pushed the ladder away from the edge and watched it fall back to the grass with a low thud. She wouldn’t need it to get down and didn’t want to draw attention to her presence. Rune hung her torso over the gable of the garage and peered into the window below.
Beyond the glass, one man walked across the room with his armed wrapped around a busty blonde. Past him, Rune could pick out five more women and another ten men moving about the flat. They all looked normal enough, but that was the trouble with vampires — as long as they fed well, the leeches looked just like everyone else. It was their scent — a rancid mixture of sweat and old blood — that made them stand out to a hunter like herself. Vampires didn’t sweat, because they had no need to; neither heat nor cold affected them in any but the rarest of cases. The sweat she smelled was from the humans on whom they feasted.
Laughter from the back of the room caught her attention. A group of four vampires was gathered in a corner of the room. Above the din of the music, Rune could just pick out the sound of a woman’s voice behind them. A vampire roared with amusement, taking a step forward, and Rune realized it was his laughter that had first drawn her attention. That was when she heard the woman scream.
Rune grabbed the edge of the gable and lowered herself, dangling by her arms. There was barely enough time to shift before she swung back and crashed through the window. She landed on the carpeted floor, legs bent and spread in a combat stance. She had not taken the form of a wolf this time. The eyes of many of the vampires widened with fear to suddenly find a werewolf in their midst.
Pandemonium raged as the smarter of the vampires hurtled for the door. The bouncer took a step back and the crowd scrambled past him, stampeding down the stairs. He glanced at Rune, the group in the corner, and back again. She braced herself for the charge that never came as he swore under his breath and dashed out the door.
Smart man. She grinned and turned back to those remaining.
The vampires fanned out from the corner and Rune glimpsed the three people on the floor. The man’s body was stretched out on a wide strip of wood flooring just beyond the carpet, while his two female companions hugged each other and shivered, eyes closed.
“You know, Farrell, I’ve always wondered what shifter tastes like.” The vampire ran a hand over his shaven head and licked his lips hungrily. “You boys help me bag this one, and we can all have a treat.” Pete and Jumala glanced nervously at each other, but didn’t move forward.
Her eyes narrowing malevolently, Rune snarled at the bald man, “You’ll never live to find out, parasite.
I have friends who swear that they can't write a specific character without music and playlists. I've never been one of those kind of writers...until now. I've been in a slump, but not from writer's block. Nope, no big wall staring me down. I've been writing, but the characters seem flat and lifeless to me. Definitely not what I'm going for as a first-person oriented author!
So I did something I rarely do. I borrowed a page from someone else's playbook. My friend, Colleen, is a wonderful inspiration to me. She uses music for every muse and swears it gives life to her characters. So, I dug in and started looking for a musical style that would help me bring my vampire heroine to life. Just when frustration was about to convince me to toss the piece into the trash and decide NaNoWriMo wasn't for me, CW came to my rescue. I know, television and music? I promise I wasn't drinking. *wink* I was streaming Life Unexpected in the background while I sorted through some Christmas projects and Kate Voegele came on to sing. BOOM! My muse started making comments.
I was FREE!! Literally. I loaded up my WIP, and went to town. Reading back through it, I edited, toned, and reworked it. Suddenly, it wasn't so flat and lifeless...and my heroine began to look a frightening bit like Kate Voegele. *grins* Hey, life is life and I can live with that. Physical appearance is a minor thing to trade off to have the personality spring to the forefront of the manuscript.
So now, I'm pounding away at the next St. George book and thrilled to know that music really does work when the chips are down.
What about you? Have you ever read a character that made you think of a particular musical style, or artist specifically?
What do you feel when you hear the word? Readers of traditional horror tend to see a predator; a dark, evil force that cares not at all for humans except for amusement and food.
The traditional mythology of the vampire fits this idea. Vampires were seen as evil, demonic. In the time Bram Stoker lived and wrote his masterpiece Dracula, people believed in vampires and took precautions to prevent their loved ones from coming back from the grave.
Only in the 20th Century did vampires begin to take on a more dignified, less horrifying persona. In the 1970’s, the soap opera Dark Shadows brought a vampire with a conscience into homes. Barnabas likely wasn’t the first fictional vampire who hated what he was, but Jonathan Frid’s portrayal of the tortured fanged-one introduced the idea of the tortured vampire to the masses. Things were changing.
It took a while for the trend to catch on. Books and movies with more sympathetic vamps didn’t do well for a long time, but eventually the spark flared into a roaring flame that continues to today with the vampire as hero. There continues to be talk that the vampire is…well…dying. But that never seems to happen. With the Twilight craze in full bloom, it’s unlikely to happen anytime soon. Or at all. Personally, I think the vampire is immortal — at least in fiction.
Many writers write about vampires, and these days vamps can be anything from scary to sexy to sweet (well, sort of). What I have discovered, is that they still need an edge. After a manuscript was rejected for the third time, I began to rethink my vampire hero. Finally I figured it out: I’d made him too human. I’m getting ready to do a take it down to the studs (figuratively speaking) rewrite. This time I’m giving my hero more darkness, more depth, more scary and unpredictable.
And I plan to enjoy myself thoroughly while I do it.
Have a great weekend!
Cheryel www.cheryelhutton.com
19 April 2010
Lots going on in my world. I've recently finished writing the fourth military paranormal (with zombies!) story for Kensington Brava - a novel titled A DARKER SHADE OF DEAD, which will be out in November and is already available for pre-order on Amazon. Before that, though, a novella in the series will be included in THE BEAST WITHIN, a Halloween Brava anthology anchored by Erin McCarthy. My story in the anthology, which will be out in September is called "Smoke on the Water."
Isn't the cover great? Too bad my story isn't a werewolf tale, but it is definitely paranormal and I think it'll be a fun and sexy addition to the anthology.
The first two stories in the series, HALF PAST DEAD and ONCE BITTEN, TWICE DEAD are receiving great reviews and seem to be doing well. I've had lots of comments from readers who had some concern about the whole zombie thing, but were "converted" after reading my take on the myth. Hopefully you will be too! So if the zombie thing is keeping you from trying the books, don't let it scare you. I really don't write horror. (At least I don't think I do - sure there are tense moments and a few scary parts, but I doubt anything in my books would qualify as true horror.)
I seem to have a lot of print releases this year, including the most recent, INFERNO. Here's a little bit about the book...
A forbidden union forged in love-and tempered in hellfire.
One last task and Megan will be free of the debt of honor owed by her family. Spying on Dante, a powerful vampire with questionable friends, sounds simple enough. But her mission is complicated by the fact she’s got something every vampire wants-tangy, powerful, werewolf blood.
It’s easy to capture his attention. The hard part will be getting out with her heart — and soul — intact. Not to mention her life, thanks to a crazed bomber.
Dante isn’t the kind to forgive or forget easily, especially the grudge he holds against werewolves. Still, he is instantly drawn to the injured lone wolf in his care. When he and his friend Duncan treat her wounds, they discover something that marks her as much more than she seems.
The mark is a neon sign warning to be careful, but Dante can’t help himself. He wants her and nothing will stand in his way. Not her species. Not his. Not the strange woman who keeps trying to kill him.
Ah, the romance...the danger...the irresistible lure of immortality...and the man who would share everything just to be a part of your life.
Yep, you guessed it...the lure of the Vampire.
I remember being in college in the early nineties. Yes, I'm dating myself, but it's for a good cause. My Gothic Literature class had Dracula on the reading list. I read it with a consuming fascination and had furious debates with Dr. Ian Crawford, my advisor, about the influence it had over the books emerging from the period.
It was even being made into a movie, much to the horror of the Southern conservatives who loudly decried the entire movement as an attempt by the devil to lead the nation's youth astray. And that was my first step down the rabbit hole.
Maybe it was the taboo factor, but as a young woman struggling to find my balance in an uncertain sea of chaos, it struck a cord in me. So much so, in fact, that my thesis in college was the Vampiric Element in the Victorian Novel. I immersed myself in the myth and legends only to devour classic books of the era with my trusty highlighter in hand...searching for elements, clues, and validation that I wasn't alone in believing the classics held a darker understory if one chose to look for it.
And, way back then, before I had the confidence to ever believe I would see my name in print, I sketched out what I thought my vampire world would be like. The rules, the correlations to real life, the influence the dark and mysterious could have on my own protagonist.
It was a fantasy that stuck with me through the years. Every time I started to wander back down the path toward the vampire in my mind, I pulled back believing the idea had been done ten ways to forever and it wouldn't be original anymore. But I couldn't dismiss it. It simply would not be forgotten.
Then, one day, I discovered Destiny in a random scene writing exercise. I thought, why not? Wouldn't it be great to have a protagonist strong enough to withstand that intoxicating temptation?
You know, the thing about vampires is we think we can resist. We, as modern women, can simply smile and tease...and walk away. It's like playing with a tiger in the zoo. It looks tame and starts out innocently enough, but once you let your guard down, the claws come out and you're a goner.
I thought Destiny was made of sterner stuff. I thought she was the perfect foil for Marcus.
I didn't count on exactly how much power the idea of the vampire lover held. I fought the story. I struggled to detangle Destiny and Marcus as they pulled themselves tighter.
In the end, the vampire won. But doesn't he always?
Hey, everyone. With Easter on the horizon, my blog title is quite appropriate, but I'm not talking religion here. Instead, I am talking about the unconditional love from our pets...specifically man's best friend - canines.
Recently, I was sidelined for over a week with a kidney stone. Wow, how could something tiny cause so much pain? I mean, really. I was praying for someone to hit me in the head with a two-by-four for a week while two different emergency centers claimed I had a UTI, gave me a prescription and sent me home. Finally, after a note from my GYN, a different ER did what the first one should have done...a scan. And yep, just as I thought, a kidney stone.
I spent two and a half days in the hospital to clear up the infection and had a stint put in while I await outpatient surgery to remove the lodged stone. Upon release, I drove myself home. When I walked through the door, I had stupidly expected a banner or a note..."Welcome Home!" No such luck, but what I did receive quickly doused my disappointment. My two doggies - Sadie and little Choco were so glad to see me, I was overwhelmed by their enthusiasm. Choco, in particular, had been with me nonstop during the entire week I lay in bed, and once I got home from the hospital, it took him days to allow me out of his sight.
Choco was so funny. While I lay in bed and slept, he kept himself entertained by carrying his toys into the bedroom and onto the bed. In fact, one morning I rolled over one.
So, that's my short message today. It's no wonder we get so attached to our pets and they become such an important part of our family. It's easy to love them as they show their love for us every day...or at least I hope that's the same for you, lol.
Unconditional love. Hmmm....perhaps that is why vampire romance has become such a hit these days (shameless segway into the April 6th print release of the third novel of The Watchers series - Midnight Revelations). The intense emotion from an alpha male who can rip a man apart with his bare hands, but will also give his last breath for his love's happiness. He can sense when his love needs a slow dance between the sheets or rock her world into the next universe.
Ahhh...love. Whether two legs or four, warms your heart, doesn't it?
It's been a crazy week. The feedback has been kind, generous even. And I keep saying, "Pinch me."
Years ago, I swore I wouldn't write a book featuring a vampire as a primary character. I meant it with every fiber of my being. And when I introduced Marcus into the storyline, he wasn't intended to become the hero of the story. In fact, there wasn't a hero to the story at all.
He had other ideas. When I shared the opening chapter with my critique group, the Cookie Monsters, the general question was, "Does he know he's not a primary character?"
Marcus foiled every attempt I made to phase him into the background. He stubbornly refused to go away! After several revamps of the outline of the story to carry him forward a little bit further, I finally gave up and threw it out. If the blasted vampire wanted to be the hero of the story, then I was just going to have to let him.
Of course, it didn't help that Destiny was in love with the blasted blood-sucking playboy. Not that there isn't a lot to love about him, but it definitely interfered with my plans! And I couldn't be happier.
BLOOD AND DESTINY is close to my heart, not because it's my newest release, but because it is a story that wrote itself. I hope the readers enjoy it as much as I do.
Ohoh, before I skip off to share the blurb and buy link, let me metion that I am celebrating Destiny's release with a contest. The grand prize is a Sony Pocket Reader to be awarded on June 21st. Details can be found on the contest page of my website.
Now for the blurb: When the past bites, bite back.
Ladies of St. George, Book 1
For Destiny St. George, shapeshifting lioness and private investigator, her best friend’s looming wedding is little more than a reminder of her failed relationship with vampire king Marcus Smythe. Tired of being only one of many mistresses—and dinner entrees—she’s stayed away from the vampire scene altogether. Until a missing-person case forces her to seek his help.
Knowing that pressing Destiny is not the way to convince her to give their relationship another try, Marcus has been waiting her out—and his patience is rewarded when she steps into his nightclub. Now is his chance to lure her back into his arms. This time, he plans to keep her there.
Destiny’s not sure which is worse: working with Marcus, or trying to remember all the reasons she called it off with him. And when it becomes clear the case is an elaborate trap to avenge a millennia-old grudge, she finds herself caught between love and instinct—while the clock ticks down on an innocent victim’s life…
Product Warnings
Vampires determined to take more than a bite out of the heroine. A lioness sure that she’s going to have the last word.
Here it is - the cover for this year's Halloween anthology from Kensington Brava. I just saw it for the first time last week and I'm really impressed with how hot it is in a subtle way. My third zombie story, titled SMOKE ON THE WATER, is in this book, which will release in September 2010. I sort of wish my story were a werewolf tale, considering the cover, but I'm guessing the other two stories in the anthology probably are. ;-) Isn't it a great cover, though? THE BEAST WITHIN is already available for pre-order on Amazon and a few other places. I can't wait to read the other stories in the anthology!
I'm still working on catching up with my writing schedule after the devestating loss of my Mom in late December, but it's slow going. The good news is that my military paranormal zombie romance series has been getting great reviews and seems to be doing well. That's a huge relief to me. I really wasn't sure if romance readers could get past the whole decomposing zombie thing to enjoy the romance part. ;-)
RT Book Reviews Magazine said about HALF PAST DEAD: "These zombie stories stand out in a genre dominated by vampires....D'Arc delivers a creepy and pulse-pounding story of danger."
And they had this to say about ONCE BITTEN, TWICE DEAD: "D'Arc deftly blends horror, romance and action for a thrilling, sexy tale."
ONCE BITTEN, TWICE DEAD comes out officially on March 1st, but it looks like it'll beging shipping from Amazon on February 23rd. :)
I've been really fortunate with some great reviews of late, including this last one from RT about my latest print compilation, BROTHERHOOD OF BLOOD: "These vampire tales can stand alone, yet cleverly intertwine the lives of the characters...Each one entertains with drama, tender romance and erotic sex scenes."
I have a lot of print titles coming out this year and little energy to keep up with all the promotion I should probably be doing, unfortunately. With any luck, things will start to settle down soon. I have a feeling my depression and new appreciation for the realities of suffering will be affecting my writing. It'll be interesting to see how I might grow as a writer as a result of this devestating experience.
It's one of the few potentially good things that might come out of this experience. I've been trying to find the silver lining to all of this and it's really, really hard. Meanwhile, I just keep trying to live one day at a time. Thanks to all of you who've taken time to write to me. Your support through this awful time means more than I can say.
My first zombie story is out! It's a novella called "Simon Says" in the HALF PAST DEAD anthology from Kensington Brava. Look for it in a bookstore near you. Here's the blurb:
Special Forces soldier Simon Blackwell ended his affair with Mariana Daniels three years ago, but he hasn't stopped protecting her. Mariana has no knowledge of the dark, deadly creatures that lurk in the forest surrounding her clinic, or of the mysterious powers that make Simon the only one who can defeat them. But soon he'll have no choice but to reveal the truth, and urge her to trust in an explosive passion that never faded...
And the first novel in the series is coming out at the end of February. It's called ONCE BITTEN, TWICE DEAD. Here's a little bit about the book:
Thrills, chills and a smoldering sexy hero combine to unforgettable effect in Bianca D'Arc's irresistible new novel of paranormal romance...
When police officer Sarah Petit investigates a disturbance in an abandoned building, she expects to find a few underage drinkers. Instead, she's attacked by creature straight out of a horror movie. Waking a week later in a hospital, Sarah is visited by Special Forces soldier Captain Xavier Beauvoir. The zombies who attacked Sarah are the result of military research gone terrifyingly wrong, and Sarah's immunity to the virus makes her the perfect person to help Xavier eradicate them. But his smooth Cajun accent, whiskey-colored eyes, and dizzying kiss are risky to her in a very different way.
Sarah attracts danger like a magnet -- and the smart, fearless cop attracts Xavier too, instilling a bone-deep need that's undermining his steady facade. Enlisting her aid is a necessary gamble, but vicious undead creatures are not the only enemy they face. And the only way to keep each other safe is to trust in an instant connection that could be their greatest strength -- or the perfect way to destroy them both...
The book is available for pre-order from Amazon and will also be available for the Kindle.
While I'm plugging new books, I should also mention that three of my vampire novellas have been collected into a single print volume called BROTHERHOOD OF BLOOD. It's available now for pre-order on Amazon. Or you can get the individual stories in ebook formats. The volume contains the stories: ONE & ONLY, RARE VINTAGE, and PHANTOM DESIRES.
Here's a little bit about each:
Three mortal women discover the loves of their lives…the vampires of their dreams.
One and Only - Vampire Atticus Maxwell stands at the edge of his own oblivion…until the faint heartbeat of a desperately wounded mortal woman calls him back. The terrible crash that almost took both their lives has brought him a woman who just might give him a reason to live again. No barrier to their love seems too great—until they learn the crash was no accident at all…
Rare Vintage - Marc LaTour is drawn to Kelly when she goes to work for the newlyweds Atticus and Lissa at their vineyard. He moves into the mansion on the pretext of needing a place to stay while his own home is remodeled. Then an upstart vampire challenges him to a fight to the death. Kelly is willing to trade her life for his — but can he save her from himself?
Phantom Desires - Dmitri Belakov enters the scorching hot dreams of the woman who just bought the farmhouse that rests above his secret lair. He must either bargain with her or kill her, but she is much too intriguing to dispose of so easily. When he discovers she is his One — his perfect match — he’ll do anything to keep her by his side... forever.
Warning: This book contains three individual tales of vampire lust, sexy neck biting, a little naughty dreamwalking, a touch of ménage action and lots of everlasting love.
I hope you'll enjoy all the new releases! For more information visit my website at http://www.biancadarc.com/
No, I don't mean Christmas...although that is exciting. I'm talking about the fourth novel of my paranormal romance series - The Watchers. Midnight Savior is releasing through Samhain Publishing on Tuesday, December 15, 2009. Be sure to stop by the Samhain Cafe Tuesday to chat with all the other authors with stories releasing that day. Excerpts and contests...you can't go wrong with that.
Midnight Savior - The Watchers, Book Four
The clock is ticking…
The phrase “home sweet home” means nothing to Marie DeVeux. Her parents never understood her ongoing relationship with her dead grandmother. Plus, she’s plagued with dreams of a man being tortured. Dreams so real, the burden strips away every vestige of normal life. At rock bottom, she hears her grandmother’s voice telling her that the man exists, and she’s the only one who can save him.
Kern, a Watcher, should have been more careful when he wished for a little more excitement in his life. Kidnapping wouldn’t have been his choice. Torture, solitary confinement and starvation have left his soul consumed by a burning rage and inner demons that push him to lash out at the first face he’s seen in eight long months. Marie.
Is this woman his knight in shining armor, or just another experiment? Kern must sift through the chaos of his mind for the truth that lies hidden in his heart. And make a decision before time runs out—for them both.
Warning: Contains dead relatives who never leave, climactic lab scenes, and a mad scientist.
Haven't caught the Watcher train yet? Here's what reviewers had to say:
“I couldn’t stop reading and felt the characters’ emotions as surely as if they’d been my own.” – The Romance Studio
A ruthless drug runner who will stop at nothing to get what he wants, a Rogue killing vampire with a heart of stone, and a woman caught in the middle. One may take her heart, and the other, her life.
“There’s a lot going on in this novella length story that will keep your attention, so grab a snack and a soda then sit down and enjoy.” -- Literary Nymphs
His date kidnapped, vampire crack threatening to hit the streets, a psycho vamp planning to take over the city, thousands of humans and civilian vamps pack the waterfront for the fireworks festival, and someone is shipping in Rogues…Sometimes being a Watcher really sucks.
“Well written, not over the top, kept my interest with multiple plots for the characters, not just the rogues but also the man trying to trap Suma’s wolf.” -- Paranormalromance.org
Hunting fanged creatures of the night while in her wolf form is the only life this Skinwalker has ever known, that is until a drool-worthy Native American male battles by her side. When his own fangs gleam in the night, showing his true nature, everything she thought she knew about vampires is turned upside down.
I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book. ~ Groucho Marx
I think Groucho would have become very educated if he had to look at the 2009 fall TV line up. I'm looking the network choices over, and finding very few shows to get excited about.
That means more time for writing and reading though! My silver lining.
So what am I looking forward to? It's a short list. First, a few returning shows. - Castle on Monday - and I admit I watch it for Nathan Fillion more than the writing. He'll always be Captain to me. Unfortunately this show isn't Firefly, so I'll probably only remember to turn it on a few times during the season. - I'll TiVo NCIS on Tuesday and watch it later in the week with hubby. It's about the only show we both watch. - The Mentalist on Thursday. Ok, so there are two shows hubby and I both watch. This one we'll also TiVo to watch together later. - Dollhouse on Friday! I'm having an "ugh" moment seeing Fox is leading into it with a pair of sitcoms. Hopefully Summer Glau can chase my fears of imminent cancellation away.
Wow. One show I'll actually plan to watch, one I'm Eh about, and two that are on there to be 'date shows' with the hubby.
Maybe there's something more exciting in the new shows? Don't get too excited. - V (ABC) Premieres: Tuesday, Nov. 3 at 8/7c. Notice that the new show I'm most excited about won't be here until November. From TV Guide :
Lost's Elizabeth Mitchell stars in this reimagining of the 1980s sci-fi miniseries and series as FBI counter terrorism agent Erica Evans. She is the first to discover that, beneath the skin of a presumed friendly visiting alien race, they're more sinister than anyone imagined. Evans' son, Tyler (Logan Huffman), sees the Vs as an opportunity to make mankind unite with a common goal while news anchor Chad Decker (Scott Wolf) wants to advance his career by getting an exclusive interview with the aliens' leader, Anna (Morena Baccarin).
Am I letting nostalgia get in the way of judgment? I loved the original miniseries. Even bought the novelization, and held onto it until college. The diretoor and cast have a lot of geek cred, so I'm hanging onto my high hopes for this one.
- Eastwick (ABC) Premieres: Wednesdays, Sept. 23 at 10/9c From TV Guide :
The producers of this fantasy series about suburban witches, which stars Rebecca Romijn and Lindsay Price, hope the third attempt to bring John Updike's novel to the small screen will be the charm. The big-screen version, The Witches of Eastwick, was a major success in 1987.
I liked the movie ok, but always thought there was more potential here than a 2 hour movie could catch. So I'm going to give this one a shot. And, witches. Fun times.
- FlashForward (ABC) Premieres: Thursday, Sept. 24 at 8/7c From TV Guide :
ABC has high hopes for this series, centered around a bizarre event that allows millions of people to briefly see flashes of the future. What do they see? What does it mean? And should people be worried if they don't have a future? Watch to find out, we don't know, and yes.
The hype around this one reminds me a bit of the hype around Heroes. And Heroes was fun for one season. Ok, for most of one season, they actually lost me about 2 episodes from the end. Maybe ABC has found a similiar spark with this one?
- The Vampire Diaries (The CW) Premieres: Thursday, Sept. 10 at 8/7c From TV Guide :
Brooding high school newcomer Stefan (Paul Wesley) can't get his mind off classmate Elena (Nina Dobrev) — perhaps because the two of them were deeply in love 130 years years ago. Yeah, Stefan is a vampire, and so is his reckless bad-boy brother, Damon (Lost's Ian Somerhalder). This one also features a special guest appearance by massive amounts of fog.
Vamps. They're hot, they're now, and they may be getting close to being overdone. Unlike HBO's True Blood (which you'd think would be marketed to adults only with all that blood and sex) this show is aiming for the high school crowd; think Twilight fans here. Will the show have any appeal outside the 15-18 demographic the network usually aims for? I'll tune in once or twice and give it a shot.
And that's it for me. One new show I've got as a don't-miss, and a few I'll give a shot. There's a few more on cable that look interesting (Stargate Universe being the big one), but again - a lot of yawns across the listings.
Have I missed something? Is there a show out there that you're especially excited about and think I should give a try?
I'm looking at one bright spot out of this. Maybe I'll be able to find time to get to a lot of great books that have been waiting on my TBR pile for far too long.
