GetGlue True Blood stickers

I received the following info from the folks at GetGlue:

Today we are announcing exclusive stickers for fans of HBO shows True Blood, Entourage, & Hung. GetGlue users will be able to earn the stickers by checking into the shows using GetGlue iPhone app starting Sunday, August 1st.

Some of the stickers will unlock after fans check into the show several times. The other stickers are a secret and will require familiarity with the show and ingenuity to earn. HBO is planning to offer hints on how to earn the stickers in coming weeks via their Twitter and Facebook accounts.

GetGlue users will also be able to order free physical copies of these and other stickers they earn by visiting GetGlue.com website.

Bucketfuls of vampire book promos & a movie trailer

The suburban side of life has taken over Suburban Vampire this week, so my inbox overfloweth. Here are the promos, goodies, and movie news that have been brought to my attention lately.

THE BOOK PROMOS:

Darkness Falling Promotion & Giveaway.
DARKNESS FALLING is the brand-new vampire novel by Bram Stoker Award-Winning author David Niall Wilson. Crossroad Press is offering this brand-new, original novel at a special introductory price of only $0.99 until the 1st of September. They're hoping this will help spread the word and build some reviews. To that end, they are sponsoring an "event."

On the fifteenth of August Crossroad Press will be holding a drawing. There will be three prizes. The first is a signed, limited-edition novel – Vintage Soul – Book I of the DeChance Chronicles, also by David Niall Wilson. This book retails for $60 – it is signed by Wilson and by cover artist Don Paresi – published by Bad Moon Books. The second and third prizes are a $20 and a $10 gift certificate to Crossroad Press.

For more information on Darkness Falling and the Crossroad Press drawing, please visit http://crossroadpress.com.

Eternal Vigilance III: Bound in Blood Promotion.
The long-awaited conclusion to the first trilogy of Gabrielle Faust’s acclaimed post-apocalyptic vampire series Eternal Vigilance has arrived! Eternal Vigilance III: Bound in Blood is now available for pre-order exclusively on the Official Gabrielle Faust website! All pre-orders will include:

• Signed copy of Eternal Vigilance III: Bound in Blood
• Signed 11″x17″ limited edition Gabrielle Faust poster
• Copy of the gorgeously compelling new collaborative album Something To March To (http://www.somethingtomarchto.org) featuring Seth Walker, Solomon Schneider, Lauren Begent and DJ Chango

Pre-order packages will be available from July 21 through September 1st, the official release date of the novel from Immanion Press. Orders placed during that time will be mailed in September once the book is in print. As aforementioned, all pre-orders will be signed by the author. Please specify in the "Additional Instructions" box of your order who the book should be personalized for or if you would like simply the author’s signature.

Visit http://www.gabriellefaust.com/archives/5061 for more details.

Be sure to also check out the Cat the Vamp and My Vladislaus Dracula giveaways right here at Suburban Vampire.

SEXIEST-MALE-VAMPIRE NEWS:

Brad White at Bradmouth.com alerted me to his new article, No Pulse, No Problem: Hottest Male Vampires Part I. It's the only sexiest-vampire list I've come across that's included Count Chocula. Personally, I think The Count from Sesame Street is better looking, but this isn't my sexiest-male-vampire list.

THE VAMPIRE MOVIE TRAILER:

Thanks to Zahir at Night-Tinted Glasses, I learned about the Comic-Con Let Me In trailer. It's taken me a week to finally share it here, but here it is...

Teresa L. Jones guest blogs about MY VLADISLAUS DRACULA

Guest blogging today is Teresa L. Jones, author of My Vladislaus Dracula, who hopes to set the record straight about the real-life inspiration for Bram Stoker's Count Dracula.  Be sure to check out Teresa's contest at the end of her post.

When I was thirteen, I saw my first vampire movie. This movie starred Frank Langella and was titled, of course, Dracula. I have watched it so many times, I had to throw out the VHS and get the DVD. But the reason I watched it is not what you think. I watched it for the connection Dracula had with Lucy (in Bram Stoker's book, Dracula had the connection with Mina). Whether it was Mina or Lucy, in any movie I was fascinated by that connection. The connection I refer to is that binding of lives that can never separate them, only by death. But even after death that connection of those two people is so strong that over centuries time cannot even break it.

Vampires use blood to seal this connection, but in real life, we call it true love. Many search for it. They want it, but may never find it. This is what I see when I watch a vampire movie. Who does the vampire want and who does he have to kill off to keep that person with him forever? Having this passion toward these movies, I was always misunderstood as to why I watched them. Then as I read and searched for more information about the name "Dracula," I found a real man who was more misunderstood than myself and has had more lies written about him (I believe) than any other man in history. This man is the real fifteenth-century Romanian prince, whose name was Vladislaus Dracula.

It has taken years to find all I have, along with a historical trip to Romania's monasteries and Hungary’s Visegrad Castle. But, with all I have found, it was so astonishing and it amazed me that no one has come forward to tell all the lies that were written about this man for personal gain. Whether it was 547 years ago when pamphlets were written about Dracula by his enemies to imprison him, or 120 years ago when an Irish storyteller manifested a mythical creature using his Christian crusading name, or even in modern day, when a celebrity claims he is related to Vlad Dracula only to gain publicity for his fictitious movie he acts in.

I was also so curious why in many Romanian articles about Vlad Dracula, with all that is said about him being the devil incarnate, was it stated he was a hero to his people? Why was it stated that Pope Pius II Piccolomini revered Vlad Dracula with honor and even held joyous celebrations in his name over all of Europe. I wanted to find the truth about the man; no myths, no forged documents, only the truth.

From Dracula's induction into the Order of the Dragon at the age of five, to the many languages he learned, the horsemanship he showed, the phenomenal swordsmanship he had, the imprisonment as a child hostage of the Ottoman empire for six years, his three reigns as Prince of Wallachia, the many battles he fought and won, the dozens of monasteries he built (Dracula built more monasteries in six years than his cousin Stephen the Great did in twenty years), the way he changed the entire system of government during his reign as prince, his, of course, supposed favorite form of punishment (impalement, which the German Saxons also used as a form of punishment), his concubine who threw herself from the poienari castle, his children, the forged documents that imprisoned him again in Hungary (this time for twelve years), his famous portrait where he wears the red velvet hat with the pearls, his wife, his coerced conversion from his Roman Orthodox faith to Catholicism just to be released from prison, his mysterious death, and where his headless body truly lies...all of these questions I believe I have found the answers to. So, throw out everything you think you know about Vladislaus Dracula. Throw it away and start over. Then begin with My Vladislaus Dracula.

- Teresa L. Jones

Teresa L. Jones's My Vladislaus Dracula contest:

Teresa has offered a free copy of My Vladislaus Dracula to the first person who can answer the following Vlad Dracula questions. Please send the seven answers directly to the author at myvladislausdracula at yahoo.com. Teresa says she's happy to ship overseas, so you don't need to be a U.S. resident to enter.

1) According to Niccolo of Modrussa, what was the color of Vlad Dracula’s eyes?

2)Besides Vladislav II and John Hunyadi, what group of greedy landowners were also responsible to help torture and kill Vlad’s father and his older brother, Mircea?

3) In Romanian folklore, Vlad placed a golden cup by a fountain and told everyone they could drink from it, but no one should steal it. No one stole it during Vlad’s entire six-year reign. Where was this cup placed?

4) Being the hottest night on record in June 1462.Vlad disguised himself as a Turk and bravely entered the Ottoman's encampment. After reaching the center of the Ottoman forces looking for the Sultan's tent, he then gave the word for the rest of his forces to attack. Vlad fought courageously from sundown (June 17) till sun up the next day (June 18). What was this daring battle named?

5) There were three documents that were forged to incriminate Vlad Dracula in crimes and treachery. Most historians believe these forged documents were written by a German monk from the Black Church in Brasov. Mathias Corvinus also used these forged letters to arrest and imprison Vlad Dracula. What was the name of these forged letters?

6) After fighting in eight known battles against the Ottoman forces and against his own cousin, all of whom were trying to take over his lands (this all happened in a period of four months and Vlad and his army covered over 1000 miles on horseback), Vlad was then surrounded at Poienari Castle by the Ottoman forces led by his own brother, Radu. Vlad's concubine (many stories say he was married, but there are too many documents that say he was not married to this woman) killed herself by jumping out the window and into the Arges river below. Then, if that wasn't enough, Vlad's son fell off his horse somewhere in the dark, mountainous forest during their escape. In one day, Vlad lost his kingdom, the mother of his child, and now thought his son was dead. This child was later found by local villagers near the village of Arefu and years later taken to Pest to be reunited with Vlad. What was this son's name?

7) Vlad was imprisoned twice in his short life. The first was as a young boy from the age of 11 to the age of about 17 at the Turkish prison in Egrigoz/Andrianople. The second imprisonment has had many historians arguing how long Vlad Dracula was actually imprisoned. But it lasted @ twelve years. Vlad was imprisoned for the second time in his life by Mathias Corvinus, the Hungarian king. (Mathias used those falsified documents in question 5 to arrest Vlad.) What place was Vlad Dracula imprisoned for the second time in his life? (HINT: Mathias sometimes moved Vlad during the winters, but I am looking for the name of the summer palace he was held at.)

Teresa L. Jones at MySpace
Teresa L. Jones at FiledBy

Music Monday: IRMA VEP

Last week I saw a poster for a local theater company's upcoming production of The Mystery of Irma Vep, which prompted me to see if there's any music associated with the Irma Vep character.  If you're unfamiliar with Ms. Vep, she first showed up in the 1915 French films Les Vampires, played by an actress named Musidora.  Irma Vep is an anagram of the word vampire, although the films were actually about a criminal gang and secret society.

In the 1996 movie Irma Vep, Maggie Cheung played an actress who reprises the Vep role in a Les Vampires remake.

Which brings me back to my original question: Is there an Irma Vep song I can play on one of my Music Mondays? Yes, indeedy, there is: a hip-hop song by ill.gates & Meesha, featuring Masia One, called--you guessed it--"Irma Vep." According to Masia One, "I was feeling particularly dark at that point and wrote a song called 'Irma Vep' to reflect the vampires I see in the industry of music (and beyond). I wanted to tell a story of this vampire woman who was infecting the art of music and moving on to her next victim."

Music Monday sent out too early

Followers: please ignore the Music Monday post I sent out earlier. I hit "Publish" instead of "Preview." Oops. We'll return to our regularly scheduled program tomorrow.

Will Smith inspires Essence.com's BLACK VAMPIRES THROUGH THE YEARS

Aaliyah from Queen of the Damned

Will Smith recently announced he'll be starring in and producing the upcoming vampire movie The Legend of Cain, a retelling of the Biblical tale of sibling rivalry.

To celebrate, Essence.com is currently running a feature called "Black Vampires through the Years," a photographic tribute to characters ranging from Blacula to Blade, along with newer undead faces that have risen from the grave in Twilight and True Blood.

Read the full article at Essence.com.

Comic-Con, Tim Burton & vampires, Honest Abe, & Being Human

Comic-Con is kicking off today, and vampires are still sinking their teeth deep into the four-day San Diego event.  Last year I posted when and where you could see Comic-Con vampire entertainment, but I see Vamp Chix already did the work this time around, so I'll make it easy on myself and send you over to vampchix.blogspot.com. You can also head straight to Comic-Con.org for the full schedule.

In other news, Tim Burton is jumping onto the vampire bandwagon with both feet. Not only is he producing the film adaptation of Seth Grahame-Smith's Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, but he's hired Grahame-Smith to write the screenplay for his long-awaited Dark Shadows movie, starring Johnny Depp. I've been a Burton fan since Pee Wee's Big Adventure, so I'm highly curious to see his take on vampires.  I haven't yet heard any talk of who'll be playing the stake-wielding Abe, but I nominate the Lincoln of the Geico commercial that cracks me up:



Last but not least, Being Human is returning to BBC America this Saturday at 10/9c. The series follows "three twenty-somethings and their secret double-lives - as a werewolf, a vampire, and a ghost, struggling to live normal lives, despite their strange and dark secrets." Here's a behind-the-scenes look:

Being Human's Homepage


Make sure you check out my current contest and interview: Christina Martine's Cat the Vamp.

Interview & Contest: Christina Martine, author of CAT THE VAMP

Joining me today is Christina Martine, whose debut novel, Cat the Vamp, takes a different approach to the world of vampires.  Christina chatted with me about her fictional vamps, her influences, and her Cat the Vamp contest.

Suburban Vampire: First of all, I'm excited to come across a vampire character named Catherine… especially one who spells her name with a C! Please tell us a little about your main character and the central plot of Cat the Vamp.

Christina Martine: Thanks for having me! Cat the Vamp follows eighteen-year-old Catherine Taylor. She’s a small-town girl who leads a fairly sheltered life, and though it appears that she has everything going for her, she can’t seem to find contentment within herself. One day, she is whisked away by her parents to a mysterious castle called Blacklune. There she learns that she is a vampire. Her parents inform her that vampires are like any other human, but there is one difference that defines them: they lack life energy. Life energy is found in the food we eat, the earth we walk upon, and of course, in the blood that runs through our veins! Catherine has to spend some time at Blacklune learning about the methods and morals of this underground vampire community. During her schooling she meets a handsome young man named Morgan and they form an instant bond. Together, Catherine and Morgan try blood for the first time and experience what it’s like to feel happy and complete. As their passion for each other grows, however, so does their need for blood. They start taking their new lifestyle to extremes, tempted by their newfound powers. It’s only when serious harm comes to someone else that they realize they may be losing control--but it may be too late to save themselves.

SV: How did the idea for Catherine and her foray into the world of vampirism first come about?

Christina: I have always been in love with vampires because of the connotations surrounding them: beauty, intelligence, eternity, power, seduction, etc…. I came across the notion of “real vampires” and was immediately intrigued. The idea that one could possess an energy leak and have the ability to give and take life energy really fascinated me. At the time it was also a very funny explanation for my teenage angst. Now I could blame my mood swings on my lack of life energy! I practiced yoga and had previously heard of prana, a life-sustaining energy that permeates all living things. I thought it would be neat to incorporate some of my favorite aspects of ancient eastern philosophies into this very modern idea of vampirism. I was surprised to find out that there were no vampire novels that combined these ideas, though there seemed to be tons of people out there who could identify with them. I wanted to create a vampire novel that would reach those people; thus, Cat the Vamp was born.

SV: Your vampires technically aren't undead. What are they like? What inspired you to make their vampirism unique?

Christina: My vampires are extremely different from what people are used to simply because they aren’t undead, they can walk in the sun, and they don’t necessarily need blood to live. They can absorb energy from nature if they choose to. I think my take on the genre is going to be refreshing for readers. I’d like to think I’ve taken the art of vampirism and turned it into a science--more of a metaphysical or occult science though! We all know that vampires crave blood, but why? What’s in the blood that they yearn for? I try to explain the mystery behind the need. Because my vampires have these energy-taking abilities, they can take an excess amount of life energy. This proves to be a very tempting, yet dangerous gift.

I love change and I like standing out. I strive to think outside the box, so making my vampires unique was natural for me.

SV: Do you feel there's a huge amount of pressure to make a vampire book stand out in the middle of the current vampire craze?

Christina: Yes, of course. With the current Twilight craze, when people hear that another teen vampire novel is available, they probably think it’s going to be a chick-lit, romance book. When people think vampire they envision Edward Cullen sparkling in the sun, which is fine by me. (I do enjoy Twilight.) In fact, I’m happy that vampires are so popular right now. It definitely works in my favor. Because there are so many vampire books out there, however, I do feel it is paramount to set myself apart. The darker aspects of my novel definitely do just that.

SV: How long have you been interested in writing?

Christina: I have always been interested in writing. I was a pretty shy kid, but an imaginative one, so I wrote stories and drew pictures and allowed my mind to wander. I usually wrote fantasy stories about witches and monsters and fairies, etc.… Writing has always served as a form of expression and escape for me. I have a collection of stories from my childhood in a shoebox at the back of my closet. One story is an actual stapled-together “book” complete with illustrations, numbered pages, and a title page. I always knew I was going to be a writer. The journey to becoming published has been arduous, but so rewarding. I can sincerely say I enjoy what I do for a living.

SV: Are there any authors/novels that inspired you as a writer?

Christina: I’m a huge Harry Potter fan. I can honestly say that I have never been more affected by another series. J.K. Rowling has created such an amazing magical world and I’m not afraid to admit I wish I could be a part of it! I’m on a mission to read all the classics. I’m currently reading Siddhartha by Herman Hesse. His simplistic, empathetic style is enjoyable to read. I find I’m drawn to books where the main character is on a journey to find himself, so to speak. Books like this have inspired me to further incorporate philosophical ideas into my works. In my next novel, which will be a sequel to Cat the Vamp, I’m going to greatly expand on the metaphors surrounding blood and explain why vampirism occurs in the first place.

SV: When did you first become a vampire fan, and who are your favorite vampire characters?

Christina: Anne Rice definitely had a profound impact on me. I read Interview with the Vampire when I was a teenager and fell in love with the idea. I was attracted to these terrifying creatures that also were so powerful and mysterious. I don’t think my love for vampires would have surfaced quite as intensely without her novels. My favourite vampire character of all time would have to be Lestat. Who could resist a sexy rock star vampire dressed in black? I guess I’ve always had a thing for bad boys.

SV: Where can readers learn more about you and Cat the Vamp?

Christina: Readers can visit me on the web at www.christinamartine.com. I also have links there to my personal blog, Twitter, Myspace, and Facebook fan page. I’m always doing giveaways so make sure to check up on me!

Cat the Vamp is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, etc… It’s now also available on the Apple iBookstore for your iPad!

SV: Thanks so much for visiting Suburban Vampire, Christina. Good luck to you and Cat the Vamp!

CONTEST INFO:

One lucky person will receive a paperback copy of Cat the Vamp! To be entered into the draw, join Christina Martine’s Facebook fan page (http://www.facebook.com/christinamartinefanpage) and leave a comment on the wall. The winner will be selected randomly--Christina is actually going to draw names from a hat--and contacted via Facebook messaging. Contest ends August 4.

The return of two sites

Pretty-Scary.net has been under construction recently, but they're now back and better than ever with a new look and a new URL: http://www.fangirltastic.com. They're not just celebrating horror these days; they've also expanded to science fiction, fantasy, and action, and they offer headlines, reviews, interviews, forums, and FanGirlTastic studs.

Also back after an extremely lengthy hiatus for health reasons is SciFiGuy. Welcome back, Doug!

He's already lining up interviews over there and rejoining the blogging loop. It's always nice to see new posts pop up from familiar faces when I browse through my blogroll.

Winners of BOLEYN: TUDOR VAMPIRE contest

The winners of Cinsearae S.'s Boleyn: Tudor Vampire contest are Mindy and Patricia Altner.  Congratulations!  Please send your snail mail address to catkarp at gmail dot com.

If you haven't yet checked out Cinsearae's book, head to bloodtouch.webs.com/boleyn.htm or the Boleyn: Tudor Vampire Amazon Page.

"Tudor history has been turned on its head and then some! Now THIS is an Anne for the ages, an Anne you've never seen before, and if you're a horror fan, you'll be happy she got her revenge the way she did! Vamps, zombies, ghosts--this book has it all, with Tudor flair!" -- Shaun Collins, ThePurpleRaven.blogspot.com

BOLEYN: TUDOR VAMPIRE contest ends tonight!

It's not too late to enter the  Boleyn: Tudor Vampire giveaway. The contest ends tonight at 8:00 PM Pacific Time.

Check out my interview with author Cinsearae S. for details. 

Don't miss out!

Music Monday: I'M COMING TO GET YOU

Last week I wrote about the upcoming DVD release of the vampire rock and roll movie, Suck. One would assume that a film starring rock legends such as Iggy Pop, Moby, and Alice Cooper involves a must-have soundtrack--but, alas, no album seems to be available yet. However, the movie's website, SucktheMovie.com, has offered a couple sample songs, including one I'm attaching below: "I'm Coming to Get You." After the download links become available, I'll add them to this post. For now, have a taste of the musical side of Suck.

Interview with STAKE THIS! co-creator Mina Kim

I recently ran a feature on the new vampire web series Stake This!, which follows three ancient vampires and their experiment of starting a sorority to find a new follower and eternal BFF. This week I've had the opportunity to chat with Mina Kim, a Stake This! producer, director, and writer, who co-created the series with Jennifer Stackpole and Lorena Stackpole.  She also plays the role of bloodthirsty sorority sister Mika Nim (note the Irma Vep-ish anagram of her own name for her character's name). 

Suburban Vampire: How did the idea of combining vampires with sorority life originate?

Mina Kim: Jenny, Lorena, and I came to the idea on our own from different directions. Lorena liked the idea of a group of vampires that “hires” its members, inspired by Victoria and her goons from Twilight.

I was in a house in college, and what fascinated me were the secret initiations, being “best friends forever,” all of that.

SV: Tell us a little about your three main vamps—Ruxandra cel Rau, Fane, and Mika Nim--and their plans for the Zeta Zeta Zeta sorority.

MK: ZZZ is a cover for the vampires, a new “sorority,” created expressly for the purpose of hazing and initiating a new member. After centuries of being a party of three, the vampires have decided they would like to turn another human, and so they advertise for new pledges.

Fane is the oldest vampire, and due to her age, all the initial excitement and glamor of eternal life on earth has worn off for her. Most things bore her, except for her hobby of sketching and painting food items, which of course she can no longer consume. Ruxie is the middle “sister,” and the romantic of the group. She’s constantly searching for The One, a mythical being who, it is foretold, will save vampires from their neverending lives. I suppose Ruxie might interpret that as becoming a human being again, but Fane thinks of it more as an end to her existence. Mika is the youngest, and as such, she has very little power in the group, since vampires have a strong sense of hierarchy to maintain order. So while Ruxie would like to find another girl to join the “sorority” for reasons of friendship, Mika’s main interest is to find someone to be lower in the food chain. And Fane is for the most part apathetic.

It was great fun crafting all the characters—we created our own and brought them together during the writing process.

SV: Sexy, serious vampires seem to rule the big screen and bookstores, but comedic vampires tend to have a tougher time breaking into the mainstream…yet they've found a home on the web (for example, your own series, Kevin Pollak's Vamped Out, and Vampire Mob). Do you think we're more open to humor when we seek entertainment online?

MK: That’s a great question! I suppose so, partly because of the way online media is consumed—in short segments. People often watch webisodes at work or on their phones while waiting at the doctor’s office, in class, etc. I think that type of viewing works best with comedic material.

SV: Is there more freedom in creating a series for the web than producing a show for film or television? What are the biggest challenges?

MK: I think so, mainly because distribution is so much easier. All one needs to do is upload the finished video online. The challenge with online media is to find your audience, and even the big networks haven’t truly figured out a way to monetize online media yet.

SV: How long did it take to create the entire first series of Stake This!?

MK: When all’s said and done—a year! I know, surprising, isn’t it?

SV: You have an impressive background—a film degree from Northwestern University, Shakespeare training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, theater and television credits. Did you always want to be a part of show business? Is there an aspect of it you enjoy the most?

MK: Thanks very much for the compliment—you’re making me blush. I’ve always wanted to be an actor, which is a bit different than show business, I suppose. What I love most is the collaborative nature of the work. Working with co-creators Jennifer Stackpole and Lorena Stackpole has been a phenomenal experience.

SV: Do you have any favorite vampires from film, TV, or fiction?

MK: Ultimately, I’m a traditionalist. I’ll have to go with Bram Stoker’s Count Dracula, although my favorite vampire-related character is Mina Harker.

SV: What is your ultimate dream for the success of Stake This!?

MK: I’d love for Stake This! to go viral and to get enough support so we can shoot season two! We’ve left some Easter Eggs and pop-culture references for viewers so if people can find those, that would be fantastic as well.

SV: How can Stake This! fans help get a second season underway?

MK: If you like what you see, please spread the word—through your blogs and tweets. Become our friend on Facebook. Email us at stakethisseries AT gmail.com and let us know what you’d like to see in season two. And if you’re able, please consider donating a few bucks online or purchasing some fun ST! merchandise on our website: www.stakethis.com.

A big thanks to you, Cat, for featuring us on your blog! I hope your readership enjoys Stake This! If it leads to a giggle to brighten someone’s day, I consider it a success.

SV: Thanks for joining me, Mina.  Good luck with the series!

I posted the Stake This! trailer last week, but here it is again in case you missed it:


www.stakethis.com