Garlic-Loving Vampires

I was asked to write an article about vampire fiction for the Dracula's Bookshelf section of the Vampire Film Festival's website. Encompassing over two hundred years of literature in a short piece was not an easy task. The result, GARLIC-LOVING VAMPIRES: THE RESHAPING OF VAMPIRE LORE IN MODERN FICTION, is now available.

Here's an excerpt:

How did a "pariah even among demons" transform into the sexually alluring cover models staring out from many a paranormal romance novel? And why do many modern authors prefer to stray away from vampire legends of old, rejecting even ancient vampire deterrents such as garlic? Read more...

Voting for Crossover Music Video Contest ends soon

If you want to vote in the Best Vampire Crossover Music Video Contest, you have just two days left. I'm assisting by making Suburban Vampire a voting site. You can watch the videos at the Vampire Xover Contest YouTube site, then pop back over here and go to the poll box at the top of my sidebar. Voting also takes place over at Undead Whispers. I'll play the winning video at the end of the contest.

Next week I'll return to my regularly scheduled polls. I better get busy after taking a month off from them.

Two vampire trailers featuring very different types of teens

The English-language trailer for Blood: The Last Vampire is now available, and it looks like the film will be released in the US in July. Blood is the tale of the 400-year-old daughter of a vampire mother and a human father who uses a military mission and her samurai skills to hunt down an evil vampire patriarch--all the while looking like a 16-year-old girl. For more release dates, click here, and head over to SonyPictures.com for the official website. You can find the trailer below, as well as a sneak peek of the CW's upcoming take on vampire teens, The Vampire Diaries.

Music Monday on Tuesday: Emilie Autumn

If you're in need of atmospheric vampire/Gothic music, be sure to check out the work of Emilie Autumn. Autumn grew up as a child-prodigy violinist, she's worked with Courtney Love, Billy Corgan, and Metalocalypse, and she's backed by an all-female band known as the Bloody Crumpets. As her website explains, her music can be described as "a harpsichord-heavy romp through Victorian asylums where screaming is allowed and girls always get revenge." Here are two samples of her music: "Syringe" and "4 o'Clock."







Emilie Autumn at iTunes:

Music Monday delayed a day

Ack! I just remembered it's Monday, and I don't have my Music Monday feature ready to go. Memorial Day threw me off. Because I don't want to throw this week's music spotlight together too quickly, I'll simply postpone it until tomorrow when I have more time.

Happy Memorial Day.

New Moon clip, The Vampire Diaries, and the need for geekier vampires

I've had a weird schedule with my kids' random no-school days lately, so my work/blogging time has been very limited. Here are a few newsworthy vampire items, highlighted by my proposals.

1. SciFiGuy has posted press release info and a teaser trailer for the CW's upcoming series The Vampire Diaries. The show looks like it will continue to satisfy the sweeping need for pretty bloodsucking guys and lovely, sad girls who speak in voice overs. My proposal: Let's make the girl look and act more like Dawn Wiener, a.k.a. "Wiener Dog" (Heather Matarazzo), from Welcome to the Dollhouse and turn the vampire guy into a member of the chess club whose vampire scrawniness gets him picked on by the tan, buff jocks. Fangs and Geeks. The show will do terribly, but the director will go on to produce wildly popular Judd Apatow-esque comedies, such as The 400-Year-Old Virgin.

2. You can watch an exclusive sneak peek of New Moon at E! Online. My crazy schedule prevented me from commenting on the new New Moon poster. A leading criticism of The Twilight Saga is its lack of feminism, and the poster doesn't help: one of Bella's love interests blocks her from her other love interest while she holds onto a protective muscle. My proposal: Bella and Edward switch places in the poster, and it's Edward who Jacob holds back. I know it's Robert Pattinson's Edward who's selling movie tickets, but, come on, Bella is the core of the love triangle. Oh, and the guys are wearing Team Jacob and Team Edward shirts, while Bella sports a University of Washington School of Dentistry sweatshirt (she could make a killing off all those ancient teeth that are certainly in need of repair!). Let's have her holding a dental drill while we're at it.

3. This has nothing to do with vampires, but I finished reading the excellent Gothic bestseller The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield last night. My proposal: Ms. Setterfield, please write another new novel soon!

New Moon poster

Here it is...

Best Blood Suckers over at Horror Blips

Yours truly along with five other vampire bloggers contributed to the Horror Blips article "Best Blood Suckers." Check out our takes on the scariest, sexiest, and funniest vampires. I probably should have re-watched some vampire comedies for the last answer. My gut instinct was to go with Leslie Nielsen in Dracula: Dead and Loving It, but it's been so long since I've seen the Mel Brooks comedy that I wasn't sure if it's as funny as I remember.

A flurry of vampire news

It's another hodgepodge posting day, but I've got several great links to share.

1. Francesca Miller interviewed Sherrilyn Kenyon at VampireFilmFestival.com. Kenyon talks about everything from her struggles with dyslexia, growing up amid a brood of brothers, and, of course, her wildly successful Dark Hunter series.

2. Apparently, the NoHo Arts Center's stage production of Dracula that I mentioned last week was excellent. Zahir raved about it in a review over at Undead Whispers.

3. I didn't make it to Zompire: The Undead Film Festival this past weekend, but I did hear people at my local Baskin-Robbins talking about cars filled with people dressed as zombies heading into downtown Portland. Here are some pictures from the event.

4. Last, but not least, I read in Parade that a Broadway musical version of The Addams Family will be opening spring 2010. I checked into more details and learned a pre-Broadway run in Chicago will premiere November 2009, potentially with Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth, although casting hasn't been confirmed. Creepy and kooky.

True Blood DVD release tomorrow

Just a reminder to True Blood fans (and future fans): the the complete first season will be released on DVD tomorrow, May 19. If you haven't yet checked out the series, now's your chance. I'm also happily awaiting my Weeds Netflix to show up in early June. I love living in a world where cable network shows eventually become available to those of us who can't afford the subscription packages.

True Blood: The Complete First Season (HBO Series)

Find True Blood at Netflix:

Music Monday: Devil Town

Today I'm featuring the Bright Eyes version of the Daniel Johnston vampire song "Devil Town." Not only is the song a good one, but the video is a short film--directed by then-high schooler, now-film student Erika Houle--that was featured in the 2007 South by Southwest Film Festival. I'm not a Friday Night Lights viewer, but apparently Bright Eyes's cover of the song also gained some fame when it appeared on the show a year or so ago. Below the video I'll include a "Devil Town" sampler that includes the original Daniel Johnston version. Enjoy.

Zompire: The Undead Film Festival

I just visited the events page at the Vampire Film Festival's website and learned Zompire: The Undead Film Festival will take place this weekend. If I fetched my paper from outside, I'd probably read about it there, too--it's taking place right in my backyard of Portland, OR. Here are the details listed at Zompire.com:

DATE/TIME:
May 15-17, 2009
Doors open at 6:00pm, show times from 7:00pm-1:00am

LOCATION:
The Hollywood Theatre
4122 N.E. Sandy Blvd. Portland OR 97213

TICKET PRICES:
Evening passes: $10 per day, $25 for weekend pass
Order tickets here

The festival will feature short films and full-length features, such as The Revenant, Day of the Dead, and Planet of the Vampires.

Zompire.com

Vampire Marketplace: Boutique du Vampyre

Several weeks ago I discussed having a weekly Vampire Marketplace section of Suburban Vampire, but I haven't done a whole lot with the feature. So, let's call it an every-now-and-then item instead of a weekly one. I'd especially like to highlight small businesses specializing in vampire-related products...
such as Boutique du Vampyre, located in New Orleans. The shop sells vampire hunting kits, apparel, artwork, bite tattoos, custom fangs, books, Vampire Wine, Gothic jewelry--pretty much anything and everything that has to do with vampires. They also host "Lullabies," a vampire genre short story contest. Submissions will run June 1, 2009, to September 30, 2009.

Boutique du Vampyre location:
712 rue Orleans
New Orleans, LA 70116
504-561-8267

Websites:
www.feelthebite.com
Boutique du Vampyre at MySpace

If you'd like your own vampire-related business to be featured, please send me a note at suburbanvampire at gmail dot com.

Cheating on vampires with ghosts

As I immerse myself in writing my novel about spirits, I've found myself dwelling more on the ghostly side of entertainment instead of the vampire side. Therefore, you might see a few more posts involving things that go bump in the night without sucking your blood. However, I'm not giving up the vamps and will still keep all my usual features running.

I wanted to quickly mention a novel I've finally started reading: Diane Setterfield's The Thirteenth Tale. I'm still in the middle, so I don't know if my opinions will change as I'm further along. But I recommend checking it out if you're fond of Gothic literature but want to try a contemporary take on Yorkshire manors, haunted, lovesick men, and strong-willed women. It's the type of book that immediately sucks you into its plot, and Setterfield's writing style is gorgeous and enviable. I love it.

I also wanted to share a little bit about what it's like to be a child of a Suburban Vampire blogger slash historical/vampire/Gothic lit novelist. This morning, my daughter declared They Might Be Giants' ghostly/steampunk-ish "The Edison Museum" to be her favorite song. She's nine, and by the looks of everything being marketed to her, from snacks to pajamas, she should be wild about Hannah Montana and High School Musical. No, she has no interest in Hannah and instead prefers a tune about the phantom staff of a Thomas Edison museum. Historical and paranormal at the same time. That's my girl. My four-year-old loves my Music Monday songs, his current favorite being this week's "Vampire Ska," otherwise known as "the song about my girlfriend being a vampire." Don't worry, Hot Topic scares my kids, so these aren't children running around with dyed-black hair and eyeliner. Think Marilyn from The Munsters. That's us.

Here's a clip of "The Edison Museum," which will give you a small taste of what rides in the Karp car sound like:

Dracula on stage

Zahir at Undead Whispers alerted me to a Virginia Commonwealth University theater production of Dracula that can be watched in its entirety online at vcutvhd.vcu.edu.

That discovery prompted me to look to see if there are any vampire theater productions occurring right now, and I came across a NoHo Arts Center Ensemble version of Dracula that will be playing in Los Angeles through this weekend, May 17. The LA Times raved "SENSATIONAL! HIP & EROTICALLY CHARGED! ALL THE ATMOSPHERE AND CHILLS YOU COULD ASK FOR FROM A DRACULA PRODUCTION." For more info, check out thenohoartscenter.com.

There are several ballet and theater adaptations of Dracula and other vampire stories out there. If you know of any coming up, please let me know so I can help spread the word. Thanks!

Music Monday: Vampire Ska

I've been a huge fan of ska for ages, and I don't know why I haven't explored vampire ska music before this moment. If you're unfamiliar with the musical style, think reggae that's sped up and accompanied by a lot of brass. Ska is actually the precursor to reggae and also has its roots in Jamaica, and it's changed throughout the years, most notably during England's 2 Tone stage when bands such as Madness, The Specials, and The Selecter became hits. I was connected to a small part of the music's history by working at the college radio station KUCI 88.9 FM in the early nineties. The KUCI show The Ska Parade helped launch the careers of third-wave ska groups such as No Doubt and Let's Go Bowling.

Today's featured song is "Vampire Ska" by Horny Toad, off their 1996 album Thirteen. I'm also including a vampire ska sampler widget that includes "The Vampire" by The Selecter. Put on your bowling shoes and vintage shirts and hats, and call out the popular ska phrase, "Pick-it-up, pick-it-up, pick-it-up..."

Poll results: Keep bringing on the bloodsuckers!

I'll be the first to admit that when you ask visitors of a vampire blog if they're sick of the current vampire craze, they'll more than likely say, "no." But, I asked anyway. Here are the full results:

Question: Are you getting tired of the vampire craze?
Yes, definitely, 6%
A little bit, 9%
Not at all - bring on the bloodsuckers!, 85%

That's excellent news for all the upcoming vampire books and movies waiting in the wings, including Ethan Hawke's January 2010 thriller, Daybreakers (see photo). I don't think vampire tales will ever completely disappear due to the nearly endless ways writers can reshape and embellish upon these creatures' legends. But hopefully the flood of vamps hitting the shelves and big screen won't have everyone rolling their eyes anytime the word "vampire" is uttered.

In other poll news, this is still a voting site for the Vampire Crossover Music Video Contest until the end of the month. After that, I've got other polls ready to debut.

Back to the world of spirits--I'm knee deep in work on my current project and loving every minute of it.

Vampire music list

I've now given my Music Monday feature its own page. I'll be updating the vampire music list at http://suburbanvampire.blogspot.com/p/vampire-music.html.

Song/Artist

BEAUTY OF THE DARK, Mads Langer
LET'S GET LOST, BAD BLOOD, & VAMPIRE VOLTAGE NO. 6, Beck
TRUE BLOOD MUSIC: VOLUME 2, Various Artists
FRESH BLOOD, Eels
THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE SOUNDTRACK, Various artists
THE RECLUSE, Cursive
GIVE ME A BITE, Heather Haze
GOTHIC SURF-A-RAMA, Vampire Beach Babes
CAN'T SLEEP, Adrian Lux
BROKEN, Dave Wallace
PERHAPS VAMPIRES IS A BIT STRONG BUT..., Arctic Monkeys
OH THE VAMPYRE, A.A. Bondy
THE WOLFMAN SOUNDTRACK, Danny Elfman
THE VAMPIRES OF NEW YORK, Marcy Playround
LOVE ME DEAD, Ludo
DAYBREAKERS SOUNDTRACK, Christopher Gordon, Placebo
MERRY SCARY CHRISTMAS, Various Artists
KETCH VAMPIRE, Lee Perry
VAMPIRE, Sinead O'Connor
VAMPIRES WILL NEVER HURT YOU, My Chemical Romance and The Vitamin String Quartet
WHEN DARKNESS FALLS, Nox Arcana
VAMPIRE, Michael Smith
HALLOWEEN CAROLS, Kristen Lawrence
VAMPIRE SURPRISE, Veronique Chevalier
DIG MY GRAVE, They Might Be Giants
ROSENCRANTZ AND GUILDENSTERN ARE UNDEAD SOUNTRACK, Sean Lennon
CORRUPT, Depeche Mode
MEET ME ON THE EQUINOX and I WILL FOLLOW YOU INTO THE DARK, Death Cab for Cutie
VAMPIRE, People in Planes
FLESH AND BONE, Burning Brides (Suck soundtrack)
VAMPIRE, Black Uhuru
VAMPIRE, Tribal Seeds
NOSFERATU, Blue Oyster Cult
CRY LITTLE SISTER, True Blood style, G Tom Mac
WOLF SONG, Patrick Wolf
A CUTE VAMPIRE, Cho Young-wuk (Thirst soundtrack)
BULLET WITH BUTTERFLY WINGS, Smashing Pumpkins
VAMPIRE BLUES, Neil Young
NOSFERATU SCORE, Jill Tracy
VAMPIRE GIRL, Jonathan Richman
SYRINGE and 4 O'CLOCK, Emilie Autumn
DEVIL TOWN, Bright Eyes
VAMPIRE SKA, Horny Toad
LONELY VAMPIRE, The Never
CRYING BLOOD, VV Brown
RUNNING, Barackula: The Musical soundtrack
NIGHT OF THE VAMPIRE, The Moontrekkers
VAMPIRES, Adam Ant
CRY LITTLE SISTER, Carfax Abbey, Aiden, and Blutengel
CRY LITTLE SISTER, Gerard McMann (The Lost Boys soundtrack version)
TASTE OF BLOOD, Mazzy Star
DECODE, Paramore (Twilight soundtrack)
ELI'S THEME, Johan Söderqvist (Let the Right One In soundtrack)
AIN'T NO GRAVE, Crooked Still
BAD THINGS (Live), Jace Everett
OTHER FATHER SONG, They Might Be Giants (Coraline soundtrack)
VAMPIRE CAMPFIRE, Arms Up
HAUNTED BY THE THOUGHT OF YOU, Jill Tracy
SALLY'S SONG, Amy Lee
I DON'T KNOW, The Mitch Hansen Band
WHEN I THOUGHT OF YOU, Bella Rocks
BREATHLESS, The Twilight Music Girls
THEY ALWAYS COME BACK, Jordan Galland
VAMPIRE, Leo Bear Creek
POSSUM KINGDOM, The Toadies
BELLA'S LULLABY, The Bella Cullen Project
EDWARD SCISSORHANDS THEME, Danny Elfman
BRIEF VAMPIRE OPENING THEME SONG HISTORY
BORN TO DARKNESS, Elliot Goldenthal (Interview with the Vampire soundtrack)
TWILIGHT SOUNDTRACK SAMPLER
THE FINE ART OF POISONING, Jill Tracy
VAMPIRES, Jerry Cherry
VAMPIRA, The Misfits
BLOOD, My Chemical Romance
GRIM GRINNING GHOSTS, Disneyland's Haunted Mansion
PEOPLE ARE STRANGE, Echo and the Bunnymen
MUSIC OF THE NIGHT, Andrew Lloyd Webber (Phantom of the Opera soundtrack)
PRETTY WOMEN, Stephen Sondheim (Sweeney Todd soundtrack)
VAMPIRE, Bif Naked
AFTER DARK, Tito & Tarantula (Dusk Till Dawn soundtrack)
THE TIME WARP & SCIENCE FICTION/DOUBLE FEATURE, Richard O'Brien & cast (The Rocky Horror Picture Show soundtrack)
THIS IS HALLOWEEN, Danny Elfman
THIS IS FOR KEEPS, The Spill Canvas
BONES, Little Big Town
BAD THINGS (True Blood theme song), Jace Everett
LOVE SONG FOR A VAMPIRE, Annie Lennox
BELA LUGOSI'S DEAD, Bauhaus
MOON OVER BOURBON STREET, Sting
BLOODLETTING, Concrete Blonde
VAMPIRE, Antsy Pants (Juno soundtrack)

Music Monday: Lonely Vampire by The Never

My husband is home from work because of a swine flu scare in the district where he teaches, so I'm going to try to cram in as much writing time as I can when he's helping with the kids. Therefore, I may not blog as much this week so I can devote my time to my newest book. However...I can't go without a Music Monday! Today's featured song is "Lonely Vampire" by a Chapel Hill, NC, band called The Never. They call their musical style indie/French pop/classical, and I'd say "Lonely Vampire" probably best represents their indie side. It's definitely worth a listen, so please check it out. Thank you, Chris at Stumbling Over Chaos, for suggesting the song.



Download "Lonely Vampire" at The Never's MySpace Site

Other songs by The Never:

Vampire music, a birthday bash, a DVD, and an Octomom musical

It's time for one of my hodgepodge posts.

1. First of all, I'd like to thank Chris at Stumbling Over Chaos for a fantastic collection of vampire songs she sent me. Some of the songs in her mix are already waiting patiently for their turn on my Music Mondays, but she also introduced me to numerous ones I hadn't yet heard of. Music Mondays have become my favorite blogging days, and Chris just helped make them easier. Thank you!!

2. Bitten by Books is turning one this month, so scoot on over and check out their contests, polls, interviews, etc., as they celebrate their "Bloody Birthday Bash."

3. Can a group of Goths and wanna-be vampires hold their own when the real thing arrives? The cult New York midnight movie Gothkill--coming to DVD May 12--shows what happens when a bloodthirsty dead man who made a deal with the devil shows up in 21st-century New York.

4. And now for the most frightening news of all: character actor Christian Voltaire has written a musical about Nadya Suleman, aka Octomom. Octomom: The Musical is now at the casting stage, and according to the show's creator, they need the lead actress to be "a great singer, pole dancer, and child-rearing comedienne." For more info, please visit octomomthemusical.com.