Vampire Survival Guide

I'm resigning to the fact that my blogging time will be greatly reduced over the entire summer as I work on my current manuscript. Between having two kids home and tackling a historical novel, time has become a precious commodity.

But...I'll still mention vampire tidbits now and then. For example, Skyhorse Publishing has alerted me to some of their vampire and zombie titles that sound intriguing. The one that catches my eye the most is The Vampire Survival Guide: How to Fight, and Win, Against the Undead by Scott Bowen. According to the publisher, "Topics include the habits and routines of vampires, how to tell if somebody you know has become a vampire, how to protect yourself from attack, how to set traps, what to do if you must fight off multiple vampires, how to cleanse an entire town after devastating vampiric attacks, and much more." Vital information, of course.

You may also be interested in Vampire Seduction Handbook: A Guide to the Ultimate Romantic Adventure by Luc Richard Ballion and, for undead enlightenment, The Zen of Zombie: Better Living Through the Undead by Scott Kenemore. I haven't read any of the books, but they sound like an entertaining take on the vampire and zombie craze.

Music Monday: Jill Tracy's Nosferatu score...and a poll request

I've featured the music of Jill Tracy on past Music Mondays, but I haven't yet included her most vampire-related work: her score to F.W. Murnau's 1922 vampire classic, Nosferatu. She performs the spellbinding music with The Malcontent Orchestra, and you can hear more on the album Into the Land of Phantoms.



Speaking of Nosferatu, I'll be running a Most Horrific Vampire poll soon and need some nominations. I'm compiling a list of my own (including Nosferatu's Count Orlok), but I want to make sure I don't leave off any of the big ones. We're always compiling lists of the sexiest vampires, so I thought I'd head to the opposite end of the spectrum and give the hideous guys and gals a chance.

Tanya Huff interview

I interviewed Tanya Huff, author of the Blood books that inspired the vampire TV series Blood Ties, over at Vampire Fest. I had a great time chatting with her about her evolution as a writer, her involvement with Blood Ties (as well as her cameo), and the powerful allure of vampires, including her own highly appealing creation, Henry Fitzroy.

Tanya Huff Interview

Also at Vampire Fest right now is a fascinating article called "Striking the Balance: Terror, Desire & Robert Pattinson" by D. MacDowell Blue. You can learn how the casting of Pattinson fits into the casting of other vampires throughout film history.

Daybreakers trailer

The Daybreakers trailer is now available. This Ethan Hawke thriller takes place in 2019, when a plague has transformed most every human into vampires. The release date is currently listed as January 8, 2010. If you enjoy the sci fi side of vampires, this one is for you.

Best 1990s and new millennium vampires

I'm still on my mini-poll vacation for another week, which means no Music Mondays and virtually no posts. But I wanted to quickly wrap up my last poll and start a new one.

I asked, "What is the best 1990s vampire movie?", and 330 of you responded. Not surprisingly, Interview with the Vampire took the lead. My only question was how far ahead it would be from Bram Stoker's Dracula. Here are the full results:

1. Interview with the Vampire, 44%
2. Bram Stoker's Dracula, 23%
3. Blade, 12%
4. From Dusk Till Dawn, 10%
5. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (the movie), 4%
6. John Carpenter's Vampires, 3%
7. Other, 2%
8. Vampire in Brooklyn, 2%
9. Dracula: Dead and Loving It, 0%

Moving on from the 90s, my next poll is going to ask "What is the best new millennium vampire film?"--BUT I'm going to make the selections pre-Twilight ones. It's a given Twilight will win due to its blockbuster status and extreme popularity, so I'm going to give other new-millennium films a chance to shine. Let the Right One In premiered before Twilight, so I'm allowing it on the poll. My apologies to the Cullens, but they know they're loved.

Back to my temporary blog hibernation...

Vampire-Con, vampire steampunk, upcoming interviews, & other updates

I need to take a mini-blog vacation, so I'll gather a few updates in one message. I just finished the first draft of my young adult Gothic historical fiction novel, which has been consuming most of my computer time lately. I also have company coming for a week, my husband and I will be heading out on a short anniversary trip, and my kids will both be on summer break starting today, so something needs to temporarily travel to the back burner. I'll announce the Best 1990s Vampire Poll winner on Friday, and possibly start a new poll, but that'll be about it until around the 29th.

Here are my quick announcements:

1. Make sure you check the Blood Ties contest winner post. I still have one unclaimed prize waiting for its winner.

2. Speaking of Blood Ties, I've interviewed Tanya Huff about her novel series that inspired the TV show. You'll be able to check out her enjoyable answers at the Vampire Film Festival's website in the next week or so.

3. I'll work more on updating my Vampire Events page this summer. One item I just added is a Los Angeles festival called Vampire-Con, coming August 14-16, 2009. The event will include a film festival, panel discussions, and Vampirella's Ball.

4. If you're a fan of both vampires and steampunk--or even if you have no idea what steampunk is--be sure to place Gail Carriger's upcoming novel, Soulless,
on your must-read list. The book won't be released until October, but Carriger's Victorian-inspired website, gailcarriger.com, is a blast, and you can already pre-order her tale of "vampires, werewolves, and parasols" at Amazon. Because of my love for all things Victorian, I've already nabbed her for an interview, coming this fall.

Gotta run and work more on my own historical world.

BLOOD TIES CONTEST WINNERS!

My four-year-old assistant pulled three winners for my Blood Ties contest this morning.

Blood Ties:Season One DVD:
Liyana

Tanya Huff's novel Blood Price:
Amy S.
Lexie

Winners, please send your snail mail address to catkarp at gmail dot com.

Thanks so much to Eagle Rock Entertainment for providing the prizes, and thanks to everyone who entered. If you missed the contest, people who entered had to come up with a profession for TV vampires. We had everything from vampire funeral home directors to bloodsucking skydivers. Yipes.

Still time to enter Blood Ties contest

My Blood Ties contest ends tomorrow morning at 8:00 AM Pacific Time. There's still time to enter.

Entry Rules Page