Vampires are People Too

This post was inspired by 3 things:
1.) The ever present newbie-writer fear that "their IDEA will be STOLEN!"
2.) The incessant rants in the comments of nearly every blog post known to man insisting that their way is right.
3.) The argument that vampires are just a passing trend.

Vampires have been a part of myth and legend around the world probably since the beginning of time. But in 1819, when Dr. John Polidori published his short story, THE VAMPYRE, they have become a common fixture in popular fiction. Their mass appeal may wax and wane, but they shall always be around.

What is so wonderful about today is that there's an endless plethora of different vampires, ranging from hella-scary to hella-romantic. Last month, debut author, Rebecca Zanetti did this awesome post on how she made her vampires unique in this crowded market.

In her novel, FATED, (If you haven't bought it yet, DO IT NOW!) her vampires are a separate species that are born, not made. JR Ward is of the same school. But Zanetti's vampires are only male so they have to mate with human females to reproduce. Kinda like David Eddings's all female Dryads.

Already that is way different from the vampires in my novels. Mine begin as humans and are made into vampires of both genders. The transformation makes them sterile, so no babies, although they are perfectly capable of intimacy. :)

Culturally, Zanetti's vampires are very alpha and very militant with secret hideouts, superior technology, and a staff of scientists.

Ward's vampires come in 3 different classes: Civilians, which are much like average humans. The Aristocrats, which are stiff and spoiled and kinda weak, and The Warriors, which are way Alpha, mercenary and the protectors of the entire race.

My vampires are a cross between feudalistic and bureaucratic. Each city is ruled by a Lord Vampire and the Lords are governed by a council of Elders. Between the two, laws and policies are organized by lawyers and circulated by messengers and paper-pushers. Some Lords (male and female) are very alpha and some are kindly and diplomatic. Some are bat-sh*t crazy.

Besides all that, there are multitudes of variations. Like people, vampire characters are endlessly unique. There is no RIGHT way to do them and we all have our favorites. And even if every author followed the same definitions and traits of what a vampire is, you would still have different stories because we authors are all different people.

Making Vampires Unique: by Special Guest author, Rebecca Zanetti

I met Rebecca Zanetti on twitter as a fellow paranormal romance author. I didn't realize she lived in my town until I saw her on the front page of the newspaper and read the story announcing her deal with Kensington. So I was beyond pleased to not only attend her release party on Tuesday and pick up a signed copy of FATED, but to also get to feature her on my blog. 


Since we both write vampire romance, I asked her to give her perspective on how she made hers stand out in this beloved, but crowded market.


Without further ado, here's the awesome Rebecca Zanetti! Isn't she gorgeous? 

When Brooklyn Ann asked me to blog about vampires and world building in this crowded market, I thought it was a great topic.  As a writer, it’s a lot of fun to create something new, or something with a different angle.  In doing this, I’d advise you to “remember the why.”  If your world is different than the norm, there has to be a reason for it.  Keep in mind that world-building is important, but don’t spend all your energy with that.  

What sells a book is the characters, vampire or not. 

Lately I’ve asked people who’ve read my books about their favorite scenes, assuming (incorrectly it turns out), that they’ll choose my favorite scenes.  The scenes most often chosen are those that dig deep between the characters, either in a heartwarming or downright sexy way.  The fact that the hero is a vampire usually doesn’t come into play.  (Except his vampireness makes him dark and dangerous…all the more sexy.)

Having said that, hey, if you’re writing about vamps, what does make them stand out?  Mine in FATED are a species on earth, born and not made.  You’re either a vampire or not, and there’s no turning into one.  

Incidentally, vampires in FATED’s world are only male.  Now, science comes into play in the book, so I had to go into a bit of genetics with how this happened.  Easy enough and necessary.  So it isn’t really enough just to say…hey, my vamps are only male.  You have to explain why.  Remember the why.  Readers want to know.  For me, science was the easiest way to explain and took only a few sentences through some dialogue with the heroine.  If you met a vampire and he told you they were only male, wouldn’t you ask why?

Of course, the fact that vampires are only male makes it necessary for them to mate with human females.  

How convenient!

I really appreciate Brooklyn Ann having me on her blog today!  Since my amazing editor sent me some promo copies of FATED, why don’t we give one out to a commenter?  Please leave a comment for a chance to win.  You can comment on whether or not you believe in fate…if you like romances, or whatever’s on your mind today.  Can’t wait to read!


Thanks so much for stopping by today, Rebecca! Readers: I'll draw a random winner on Monday!

Fun at the Release Party for FATED

I'll warn you now, I'm going to make a huge deal over this. I live in northern Idaho, which is a beautiful place, but  is practically in the middle of nowhere. Therefore, we miss a lot of excellent concerts, plays, and other attractions. Authors almost never come here for book signings. But this time, I lucked out. In case you haven't heard, FATED by Rebecca Zanetti came out yesterday. And what's even better is that she's from my area, so I was able to attend the release party!

It was held at The Gourmet Way, a fabulous store full of cooking supplies, spices, and wine. And I got a new digital camera so I was able to go all fan girl and get a picture of myself with the author.

I gotta say, Rebecca Zanetti is even prettier in person! And she was all cool and classy the whole time signing TONS of books for her never ending line of eager readers. I would have been blushing and babbling like a moron, I'm sure.

With all the people there, I didn't get a chance to talk to her long, but there were other awesome people in attendance. My buddy and fellow IWL member, Shelley Martin was there along with romantic suspense author, Bonnie R. Paulson. Then later I ran into author, Asa Marie Bradley who did an awesome workshop at last year's IWL conference.

I also got to sample some delicious appetizers, yummy wine, and these decadent chocolate cupcake thingies. While munching, I overheard the funniest conversation between two guys. They said they loved the cover of FATED because men could read it in public without anyone knowing they were reading a romance novel. LOL!! I was still laughing when I left to go to work.

NOW for my awesome news: Be sure to stop by on Friday, because Rebecca Zanetti is doing a guest post and you guys will get a chance to win a copy of FATED!

Interview with Trina M. Lee and bonus chance to win a free book!

Trina and I met when author Stella Price invited us to form the Paranormal Pretties blog. Since then, I have enjoyed getting to know her online and my admiration has grown since I read her work. I am so happy to finally have a chance to interview her.

 Without further ado...

 What made you stand up one day and say, “I’m going to write a romance novel.”?

I     I  never really planned to write romance. I just wanted to write what I enjoy. As a reader I love all genres and I think I draw a little on all when writing. But I am a sucker for a love story. I guess it was natural for me to write them.

 What made you decide to write paranormal romance/ urban fantasy?

I’    I've been in love with vampires and werewolves since I was a kid. I started my first vampire story at the age of 12. Urban fantasy has the best of all worlds: action, drama, horror and romance.


     From what I understand you’re predominately in the e-book market. What are some benefits and challenges you’ve encountered in this market?

     
      The e-book market allows authors more freedom in many ways. Authors often have several publishers to consider for their work. I find authors in the e-pub market are able to take more liberties with their stories and push certain boundaries or ideas that you may not see in mainstream markets. It can be a challenge to promote yourself effectively and get your name and books out to the readers. Like anything, it takes work. I find personally the benefits outweigh the challenges.

 What is some memorable feedback that you’ve received from your fans?

       I’ve had a few fans of Charlaine Harris’s True Blood series that have welcomed my Huntress series with open arms. They have done so much to promo my series and spread the word to other readers. It’s beyond amazing. I can’t thank them enough.


       Name one thing you’d do/ buy if you became a mega best-seller?

      That’s a tough one. I’m not sure. I’d probably start by building my dream house. Not to mention the charities I’d love to contribute to if able.

Tell us a little about your next project.

      I’m currently working on book 4 in my Huntress series as well as two other books, neither of which are currently in a series. Latest release is: Huntress Book 3, Only Vampires Cry Blood

http://www.liquidsilverbooks.com/books/onlyvampirescryblood.htm

Trina was awesome enough to do a book contest. A random commenter will get their pick of any of Trina's books featured here: http://trinamlee.com New blog followers will get an extra entry. :)

What's Your Favorite Paranormal Hero?

Forget the whole "Team Jacob" vs. "Team Edward" thing. For one thing, they're so limited. What I am talking about today goes far beyond opposing creations of the same author, or even two or three authors. I am talking about what cover description, what "creature feature," if I may, that is most likely to tempt you to take out your wallet and a book to the cashier.

Back in the late 80's and early '90s, when the paranormal romance genre came into being, the choices were fairly limited. You had the ghosts, classic brooding vampires (that never wanted to be vampires), and in a rare case, you'd get a sorcerer or a Djinn.

Now we have fey, selkies, satyrs, mermaids, were-everything (Authors, Stella and Audra Price even have weresnakes! Check out Entwined by Fate) witches, sorcerers, ghosts, demons, djinn, and classic vampires.

Even with all these choices, I still gravitate towards vampires. To me they are the epitome of all that is dark and sexy. Witches and sorcerers are a close second, because I've always loved magic.

I've never been all that into ghosts because face it, they're dead! I suppose the same would go for zombies. I've grown up on too many zombie flicks to even remotely considered an animated corpse as a sex object. Howver, there's a disclaimer. I have yet to read a zombie romance, so though I'm reluctant, I will give em a shot.

As for werewolves, at first I cringed at the thought of a werewolf romance. I'm a cat person and the smell of dog makes gag. To have a canine lover that would reek when he came out of the rain? Ewww! But I've read so many good werewolf stories that, if recommended to me, I'll give em a try. Favorites so far are the Kitty series by Carrie Vaughn and 13 to Life by the awesome Shannon Delany.

So which monsters and creatures are your favorites? What turns your dials up to ten? Which paranormal heroes do you loathe? And why?