2009 vampire events

For some reason, a couple of major vampire events occur in March, so I thought I'd mention them here. I'm also including non-March events, although this is by no means a complete list, and I realize it contains mainly U.S. activities. If you know of another vampire ball or a similar function occurring in 2009, feel free to add info to the comments section.

Dracula's Ball: March 21 - Philadelphia, PA
Vampires Masquerade Ball: March 28 - Portland, OR
Dracula Con: April 25 - Windber, PA
Zompire: Film Festival of the Undead: May 15-17 - Portland, OR
Dance of the Vampires (The Musical): June 5-28 - Budapest, Hungary
Comic-Con: July 23-26 - San Diego, CA
Vampire-Con: August 14-16 - Hollywood, CA
Bat Fest: August 22 - Austin, TX, featuring SCARE for a CURE
Twilight Proms: September 18-19 - London & September 19-20 - Birmingham
Nightmare: Vampires: September 25-November 7 - New York City
KCon (Sherrilyn Kenyon Convention): October 9-11 - New Orleans, LA
Vampires Rock: October 14 - Bournemouth, UK
Bram Stoker International Film Festival: October 16-19 - Whitby, England
Festival of the Dead: October - Salem, MA
The Vampires' Masquerade Ball: October 23 - Salem, MA
Vampire Film Series and Festival: October 23-26 - New Orleans, LA
The Transylvanian Ball: October 24 - Portland, OR
Vampire Ball: October 24 - Flint, MI
Vampire-Werewolf Summit of 2009: October 27 - New York City
Dracula: The Undead, A Dramatic Reading with Original Music: October 28 - Ontario, Canada
Queen of the Damned Ball: October 30 - New Orleans, LA
Hallowhedon: October 30-November 1 - Heathrow, UK
Flight of the Vampire Race: October 31 - Brevard, NC
Twilight Conventions: Various dates - May 3 - Los Angeles, CA; July 10-12 - Atlanta, GA; July 17-19 - Minneapolis, MN; August 28-30 - Parsippany, NJ; August 14-16 - Phoenix, AZ

New poll: What is your favorite vampire trait from folklore?

Suburban Vampire visitor ddurance suggested a poll about favorite vampire myths/legends. In the past, I've asked, "Which vampire cliches would you like to see laid to rest?", "What are the must-have vampire traits?", and "Why are we so attracted to vampires?" For the last two responses, sex appeal took the top choices.

Because sexiness wasn't originally part of vampire legends, I've added a little twist to this week's poll: "What is your favorite vampire trait from vampire folklore?" All choices derive from original vampire lore, not literature and movies. Which enduring feature do you enjoy most in your vampires?

The Vampire's Wife's title...and news about an excerpt of the book

Thanks so much to everyone who helped me with the title of my novel! Blood Pressure: A Love Story squeaked by as the winner at the last minute. Suburbia after Dark had been going strong for so long; I was surprised to see which title came out on top. I'll pass the info along to my agent. She still really likes The Vampire's Wife, but I let her know I had this poll going to get some feedback from the public.

I'll post the final results below, but I also wanted to mention that you'll soon be able to read an excerpt from The Vampire's Wife (or whatever you want to call it). I'll give all the details as soon as they're available, but I'm really excited to share a part of the book after blogging about it for two years.

Tomorrow I plan to start up a new poll that was suggested to me by a Suburban Vampire visitor. Stay tuned...

Poll results: What would make the best title for a dark, romantic, comic vampire novel set in suburbia? (Based on 122 votes)

1. Blood Pressure: A Love Story (26%)
2. Suburbia after Dark (25%)
3. Keeping Up with the Undead (21%)
4. Why I Don't Eat Garlic (11%)
5. The Vampire's Wife (10%)
6. Neighborly Love and Death (4%)
7. A Dark and Stormy Suburb (3%)

Music Monday: They Might Be Giants, Coraline

I saw the movie Coraline over the weekend. Partway through the film, a character broke out in a song that, to my surprise, was obviously being performed by one of my favorite bands: They Might Be Giants. I've loved these guys since I saw a video for their song "Don't Let's Start" back in the earlier days of MTV. I temporarily lost my hearing by standing in front of a speaker near the stage at one of their concerts in my college days, and then over the years I watched their popularity slowly flourish to the point where they're now creating songs for kiddie shows on the Disney Channel. Even though I've known their weird, intellectual, nerdy style has expanded to children's entertainment, I had no idea they were involved in a dark, creepy offering like Coraline. Here's their all-too-short "Other Father Song" from the film. If you think it's too chipper for a vampire blog, pay attention to all the references to eyes. This is a story in which children are talked into handing over their eyes and souls to a sinister creature.

Twilight for Those over 30 / Twilight at the Oscars

According to movie buzz, Robert Pattinson will be presenting an Oscar at this Sunday's Academy Awards ceremony. Even though Twilight garnered no nominations, fans will get to enjoy a little Pattinson moment while watching the awards.

Speaking of Twilight, I discovered this short but hilarious clip called "Twilight for Those Over 30" that portrays what would happen if the characters were twenty years older. No comment on whether or not some of us Suburban Vampires can relate.

Vampire Oscar more likely than female U.S. president

I don't know what it says about the American political system and equality of the sexes in the U.S., but in my recent poll, 56% of visitors felt we'd see a vampire film win a Best Picture Oscar before we'd see a woman become president of the U.S. Both are never-before-seen events, and I asked which one would likely come first.

Keep in mind that the odds of seeing a vampire film win Best Picture are pretty slim. The only Oscar wins I could dig up for the genre are 1992's Bram Stoker's Dracula's Best Sound Effects Editing, Best Makeup, and Best Costume Design Academy Awards. Martin Landau won Best Actor for playing Bela Lugosi playing Dracula in 1994's Ed Wood, but that seems to be the only Oscar win for an actor in a vampire-related role. If I've missed a win (not a nomination, but a win), let me know. I don't believe a vampire movie has ever received a Best Picture nomination.

Will any of 2009's vampire films beat the odds and wind up a Best Picture winner? Umm...I kind of doubt it. They may become blockbusters, but if an award-winning, critically acclaimed film like Let the Right One In fell through the Oscar cracks this year, I'd say the movie would have to be the Citizen Kane of vampire films to win over young and old Academy voters alike. I hope I'm wrong, though. If we have to wait for a vampire Best Picture win before we can see a female U.S. president, then let's get that prestigious undead flick made as soon as possible. Spielberg? Could you perhaps create a film about a WWII vampire hero, please?

Philosophical vampire Oscar poll closing soon

Just a note that my philosophical vampire Oscar poll is closing tomorrow. The poll asks, "Which never-before-seen event do you think will happen first: A woman will become president of the U.S. or a vampire film will win the Best Picture Oscar?" So far, the results are running pretty neck and neck. Interesting.

The original post in which I discussed the poll, vampire films, and the Academy Awards is located here. On a related note, I just started reading Let the Right One In. So far, it's chilling and enthralling, and I can't wait to read more tonight.

Jane Austen and zombies

A friend of mine alerted me to Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Classic Regency Romance - Now with Ultraviolent Zombie Mayhem! by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith. At first I thought this was a joke, but I checked Amazon, and there is indeed a book by that title coming out May 13, 2009, from Quirk Books (I love the publisher's name, by the way). The product description says, "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies features the original text of Jane Austen's beloved novel with all-new scenes of bone-crunching zombie action." Grahame-Smith is a film and television writer/producer who has blogs over at The Huffington Post and Amazon. I think I'm going to have to check this one out, even though--or perhaps especially because--I'm an Austen fan.

Music Monday--Arms Up's Vampire Campfire

Today's Music Monday is a fantastic song called "Vampire Campfire" by the band Arms Up, which describes itself as a psychedelic/big beat/jam band influenced by the Pixies, Weezer, and The Doors. According to one Arms Up member, "Vampire Campfire" is about "a vampire who's trying to fall in love with a girl but is always succumbing to his vampire ways." You can find the lyrics, learn more about the band, and hear their other songs at http://www.myspace.com/armsup. Enjoy!

Happy V-Day

Happy Valentine's Day! I found this artwork at The Tim Burton Collective.

Blood: The Last Vampire trailer (2009 live-action version)

I found the first trailer for the upcoming live-action version of Blood: The Last Vampire. The trailer is in Japanese without subtitles, but most of the scenes contain action, so you don't necessarily need subtitles to understand what's going on. For more info about this tale of a 400-year-old half-vampire in the body of a sixteen-year-old girl, check out the official website: BloodtheLastVampireMovie.com.

Vampire music

If you're looking for vampire music, make sure you check out my Music Monday link now available in my sidebar. I feature indie vampire music, vampire hits, vampire movie music, TwiRock, haunting tunes, and the occasional Danny Elfman/Tim Burton song. I was a deejay at KUCI 88.9FM during my U.C. Irvine days, and my enjoyment of featuring up-and-coming artists is still a part of me. I love having this feature on the blog.

If you're part of a band or a fan of a song that falls into one of the above categories, just send me note. This upcoming Monday I'll be playing a great new indie vampire tune, so make sure you come back to check it out.

Twilight: Director’s Notebook sneak peek

This week's Entertainment Weekly has the exclusive first look at Catherine Hardwicke’s upcoming book, Twilight: Director's Notebook. The magazine is offering a two-page sneak peek online today, and the February 20 Entertainment Weekly issue will contain more goodies. Hardwicke's book about the making of Twilight will be released March 17.

Is it just me, or do they never do poor Robert Pattinson justice on EW covers? It sort of looks like he's auditioning for a werewolf role here.

Vampire Film Festival / Book title help needed!

A couple quick items:

First of all, the Vampire Film Festival, coming fall 2009, is getting ready to officially launch their website: vampirefilmfestival.com. The festival will be held, quite appropriately, in New Orleans during Halloween weekend. I'll post more about the site when there's more info in March, but if you're a filmmaker or an interested festival attendee, you may want to go ahead and join their mailing list. Here are the award categories listed on their submissions page:

Bloodiest Vampire Film, Scariest Vampire Film, Outstanding Vampire Short, Outstanding Vampire Feature, Outstanding Foreign Language Vampire Film (International Award), Best Gothic Representation, Best Animation/Mixed Media, Best Vampire Portrayal (acting award).

Also, I have two polls running right now, which is a bit much, I admit. I'm getting input again on the title of my novel that's currently called The Vampire's Wife. You can comment at the original post, in which I bemoan the economy's effect on publishing and describe the stunning submission package my wonderful, hardworking agent is about to prepare to help this book see the light of day. I'm tempted to start a Vampire's Wife petition to get this book in print (it's come so close to getting there!), but I'll try to maintain some authorly dignity.

Don't forget my Valentine's items: Vampire Valentine's gift suggestions and haunting Valentine's Music Monday.

Book title help needed!

Because of the current brutal state of publishing, my agent is holding off on submitting my vampire novel until we have some added ammunition. A bestselling novelist graciously offered to write a cover blurb for me (thank you, thank you!!). My agent and I are keeping track of stats from this blog (please keep visiting; your hits help tremendously). And I've been reconsidering the book's title, which is currently The Vampire's Wife. I know I already have another poll on the site, but I've added a second one that asks, "What would make the best title for a dark, romantic, comic vampire novel set in suburbia?" Here are the choices:

Blood Pressure: A Love Story
Keeping Up with the Undead
Neighborly Love and Death
Suburbia after Dark
The Vampire's Wife
Why I Don't Eat Garlic
A Dark and Stormy Suburb

Comments? Criticism? Would any of these catch your eye? At this point, we need to dazzle editorial boards and serve them dollar signs on a platter, so I appreciate any and all feedback. This is more than likely a book that would show up on general fiction shelves. Thank you!!

Thicker Than Water

Continuing with this week's subject of award-winning vampire films, I wanted to mention a movie that was recently brought to my attention: Thicker Than Water: The Vampire Diaries Part 1. It's an indie, now available on DVD, that's won Best Director and Best Music at the B-Movie Film Festival, The Accolade Award of Excellence, the Viewer's Choice for Best Horror Film at the Independent Features Film Festival, and numerous other awards.

Inspired by American Beauty, Thicker Than Water is a dark comedy/horror film about a family taking care of their vampire daughter. You can check out the film's website, which includes interviews and a trailer, at http://bloodjunky.hilltoppictures.com.

If you're an independent filmmaker, feel free to let me know about your own vampire project. I'll also have some info about an upcoming vampire film festival, so please check back.

Music Monday--Have a happy, haunting Valentine's

In honor of Valentine's Day, I'm featuring two haunting love songs this week. The first is Jill Tracy's "Haunted by the Thought of You" from her newest album, The Bittersweet Constrain. As I mentioned last week, Jill is presenting a Black Valentine's Party at Bar Sinister in Hollywood on February 14. The second song is Evanescence lead singer Amy Lee's rendition of "Sally's Song" from Nightmare Revisited, a cover album of The Nightmare Before Christmas's soundtrack.

Jill Tracy, "Haunted by the Thought of You":


Amy Lee, "Sally's Song":


If you know of any other Valentine's events that would appeal to Suburban Vampire fans, please let me know.

My philosophical vampire Oscar poll

Because it's Academy Award month--and I've been a lifelong Oscar fan--my current poll asks, "Which never-before-seen event do you think will happen first: A woman will become president of the U.S. or a vampire film will win the Best Picture Oscar?"

In 2008 we had strong candidates in Hillary Clinton and the multi-award-winning vampire film Let the Right One In, but the Bill Clinton factor and the Swedish factor probably soured their chances. According to sites like Ain't It Cool News, Sweden didn't even submit Let the Right One In as a Best Foreign Language Film contender, even though it won Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Script, Best Set Design, and Best Sound for Sweden's Oscar equivalent, The Golden Bugs. Other recent award-winning vampire films that lost out on Oscars include Interview with the Vampire and Shadow of the Vampire.

Personally, I'm leaning toward saying we'll have a female U.S. president before we have a vampire film picking up a Best Picture Oscar. And, as much as I enjoy seeing genre films get a chance at awards (heck, I was even surprised to pick up a writing award for my vampire manuscript, considering vampire novels' traditional lack of award love), my greater desire is to see a woman in office within my lifetime.

Claudia wallops the favorite child vampire competition

Anne Rice's memorable vampire character trapped in a little girl's body, Claudia, took half the votes in my favorite child vampire poll. The feminist in me always enjoys seeing a female vampire stand out from the crowd, and it's always nice to see a little love for vampire queen Anne Rice in today's Twilight-dominated world. Here are the final results:

1. Claudia (The Vampire Chronicles) (50%)
2. Rudolph Sackville-Bagg (The Little Vampire) (16%)
3. Divia (Forever Knight) (13%)
4. A tie:
--Danny Glick (Salem's Lot) (9.5%)
--Eli (Let the Right One In) (9.5%)
5. Homer (Near Dark) (2%)

Thanks so much to Zahir for suggesting the poll. He also mentioned Vlad from Young Dracula, and I'm sure a few others could have been included, as well.

Speaking of children and dark entertainment, Coraline--created right here in Portland--comes out this weekend. My daughter and I really want to see the movie, but we may need to wait until she's feeling better. So far, the film is doing well at Rotten Tomatoes. Unlike with Inkspell, we haven't yet read the book, so we might end up watching the movie before reading Neil Gaiman's novella. It looks like Gaiman's The Graveyard Book is also on the way to becoming a movie. I tend to see more children's movies than grown-up ones in theaters these days, so I say, "Keep bringing on the dark, clever kiddie entertainment!"

Don't forget to check out my Vampire Valentine's Gifts and my Vampire Wire interview and contest. I'll get a new poll up soon. Thanks for participating.

Current poll deadline & the Vampire Wire contest

Just a reminder that my favorite child vampire poll closes tomorrow morning, 8:00 AM PST time.

Also, there's still time to enter to win a copy of my séance novel, Voices Airy, over at Vampire Wire.

Here's a snippet from my Vampire Wire interview:

"VOICES AIRY is the tale of shy, seventeen-year-old Lucy Crumb, who moves in with her Spiritualist medium sister, Rosaline, after the death of their father in 1918. Rosaline's character is a conglomeration of actual late-19th-century/early-20th-century mediums. Most of those women used sex appeal to lure séance customers; many were accused of fraud..."

Stephen vs Stephenie

I'm sure you may have already seen the controversial news blazing across the blogosphere: in an upcoming USA Today article, Stephen Kings states, "Stephenie Meyer can't write worth a darn. She's not very good." He claims the appeal of her vampire saga is that "it's exciting and it's thrilling and it's not particularly threatening because they're not overtly sexual."

I highly doubt King will lose any diehard fans due to his comments, but I'm guessing a legion of devoted Twilight fans will rise up against him. I haven't read any message boards yet, but I can practically feel them buzzing with outrage. While King is certainly entitled to his opinion--and may become a hero in the eyes of folks tired of Twilight mania--the comments are pretty brutal. I'm sure Meyer's sales won't be hurt, however.

An interview with me at Vampire Wire!

I just came back from stressful weekend with a medical scare for my daughter (false alarm, luckily!), so I was thrilled to get online today and see Marta Acosta's wonderful, wonderful showcase of me and my books at Vampire Wire. She interviewed me about my historical séance novel, Voices Airy, ghosts, my literary influences, as well as my ventures into vampire fiction. She's also running a Voices Airy contest, so make sure you head over and enter between now and Saturday night. Thanks so much, Marta!! I'm thrilled to be a part of the Vampire Wire chats.

I'm skipping Music Monday today to highlight the interview instead. Check back next week for spooky, romantic tunes.