Vampire Bite Blog Hop

Velcome! And no, I don't want to drink your blood lol

Well, maybe later :)

When I saw the opportunity to participate in this blog hop about vampires, how could I refuse?  I couldn't!  Even though I have another one going on the same day, for Valentine's Day. But double your pleasure, right?  So now, on to my second Blog Hop! Stay tuned to find out how to win! And don't forget to check out the other participants of this fun blog hop here!

So, let's talk about vampires, shall we?

I have had a love affair with vampires ever since I read Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and watched the Bela Lugosi classic film version of the book. I thought he was intense and very sexy. When the film first came out, back in the 30’s, so did a lot of women. Bela had the perfect voice and accent to play the Transylvanian count. He came from Hungary, where he was actually a very successful and renowned stage actor. He came to Hollywood with high hopes, but things didn’t quite work out as he hoped, owing in large part to the very thick accent he could never lose. This was compounded by a drug addiction gained after surgery, which haunted the rest of his life, forcing him to take less than stellar roles, as many actors are forced to do to make a living. He died only a couple of days into the shooting of his last film—Plan 9 From Outer Space—and it shows. Low budget to begin with, they replaced him with somebody’s dentist, who was taller than Lugosi, and had him spend most of the film with his cape drawn over his face. The plot was almost non-existent, and ridiculous, and this rates as one of the worst films I’ve ever seen.

But I digress.

I also fell in love with Barnabas Collins, the tragic vampire from the long-ago ABC soap opera Dark Shadows, which was certainly unique in its use of the supernatural in a daytime series. I devoured the books, and drooled over the star, Jonathan Frid. There’s a story told in my family that I scared my little brother (who is seven years younger than I am) with tales of my vampire friends. So badly that he hung a crucifix from his bed for protection. Nice story, but patently untrue, and only told years after the fact. I’d be willing to swear my brother never possessed a crucifix. We never went to church, even.

But I loved vampires. Very much. So it was only natural that my first book should feature one. Originally, his name was Derek DeVille. I chose DeVille because that is the pseudonym that Dracula uses when he goes to London, in the novel. Derek was the name of a friend of mine’s young son, and I liked it. The two names fit. Derek he stayed for a long time. But back when I wrote it, there were no e-books, and getting published was a lot harder than it is today. So Dark Love was put aside for other pursuits. One of those was role playing, in games at such venues as Live Journal, Greatest Journal, and now Insane Journal.

For one of those games, I needed to make a vampire character. I couldn’t think of another name, so I used Derek DeVille, which was familiar to me. I figured what the heck, it’s still my character, and nobody would ever make the connection. Except that a strange thing happened. The role playing Derek took on a life and character all his own. One distinctive from the book Derek. And I decided he needed a book of his own.

Fast forward a bit. I’ve begun to be published, and I ask myself: what about Dark Love? I dust if off and think about submitting it. But I realize I can’t do it with a second Derek DeVille, not when I want to use the other one. So I need a new name. The first name I came up with was Gabriel Brandon, and I tried that, but it didn’t feel right. I finally settled on Eric Vargas, and I really liked that. So Eric he became and Eric he is.

Eric is blond, with long hair, usually tied in a tail at the nape of his neck. I love long hair in men—no lie. I find Eric very sexy. So does my heroine, Samantha Kane. Samantha is the name that would have been given to my son Chris, had he been born a girl. And as he was the last, I’ll never have a Samantha, except in this book.

I set the story in St. Louis, because I live there. The museum doesn’t exist, except in my mind. I used actual settings for parts of it, including the old Chain of Rocks Bridge. I gave Samantha my interest in vampires, and the Tarot, and my red hair.

Parts of the book were hard to write. In fact, there’s one chapter that even I have trouble reading. But sometimes you just have to go where the characters take you. Sometimes, too, it’s awesome how things work out when you write. I was stuck on the ending, not sure where to go, when something that was in the news at the time kept demanding my attention, and my brain put things together, and wrote an ending. Only after it was written, did I realize that it had been foreshadowed earlier in the novel. I just love when things work out like that. I won’t tell you what it was, that would be spoiling, and I try not to do that.

To this day, I still love vampires and love to write about them. I have other vampire characters to love and explore. And werewolves too. It’s a lifelong love, I’m sure.

Dark Love was published in January 2011, but late last year I pulled it from the publisher, and am currently seeking a home for it.

I’m still fascinated by vampires, in film and books. I’ve read all the Twilight books (and refuse to watch the films because the casting for Edward was so atrocious, plus the previews I saw looked like a bad made-for-TV movie). I’ve read some of the Vampire Diaries books and was talked into watching the series. I have to say this about that – I really don’t care for the series. There is only one reason why I even bother to watch, and his name is Damon Salvatore, aka Ian Somerhalder. He is sex on legs, and to die for! He is my avatar on FB, and incredibly gorgeous! He is also my dream casting choice to play Judas in the film version of Revelations. If he ever leaves the show… well, the show will die, so it doesn’t matter.

Another show I loved that featured a vampire was Moonlight. Mick St. John was to die for! How criminal that the show only ran for one season - which I happen to own, I might add. Good thing Alex O'Loughlin is in Hawaii now, shooting Hawaii 5-0, although I still miss Mick.

And of course, I'd be remiss at not mentioning the vampire whose actor stole my heart almost twenty years ago! I'm sure you'll recognize this very handsome face!

That’s enough about vampires for now, I know you have lots of other authors to visit, so have a great time!  Oh wait, the giveaway, right?

I will give two readers their choice of my books. If you want to play, tell me who is your favorite vampire and why. Don't forget to leave an email address, otherwise I have no way of reaching you!  Have fun!

Sweet Genius, Vampire Diaries and more Hawaii 5-0

Think of the new show Sweet Genius as Chopped for desserts. The comparison was made in the promos, so it's  not a farfetched idea. Of course there are differences, and that is what makes the show unique in its own way.

So, what's the first ingredient in a show such as this? A great host! They've certainly found that in celebrated cake designer Ron Ben Israel. I confess to being unaware of him before I saw the first commercial for Sweet Genius, but in my own defense, I haven't exactly been in the market for a wedding cake either.

He is, to put it simply, gorgeous! There's something about him that draws me, something in his eyes. I could not keep away from the show if I tried! He is very personable and had a commanding stage presence. I've watched two episodes now, and enjoyed them both.

The format is similar to Chopped, but there is no basket of mandatory ingredients, per se. You start with four chefs, who are intro'd as on Chopped, and Ron explains that there are three rounds: Frozen, Baked and Chocolate. The first round comes with a mandatory ingredient, and an inspiration which the chefs must work from. In the first episode, the inspiration was darkness. Other inspirations have been a pearl in an  oyster, a Fabergé egg, and a cat. During each round, there will be other mandatory ingredients which will be presented to the chefs, which they must incorporate into their dishes. At the end of each round, Ron (who is the sole judge) tastes each dish and critiques. He decides which one does not measure up and he informs that chef that he or she is not a sweet genius, and they leave.



If it's not obvious by now (and I'm sure it is) I'm quite taken with the host. Er, I mean the show. No, I said it right the first time, it's the host. I do like the show, yes, but he makes it for me. I also watch Just Desserts on Wednesday nights, but I have to say that Ron is a better host than Gail is. I like her fine, but I don't think she has the strength or charisma that Ron possesses. I'm intrigued with his accent, but I haven't placed it yet. I just hope he talks more and more in coming episodes.

Okay, moving on.

*********Spoiler Alert***********

Vampire Diaries started its third season. Not surprising in a way, but somewhat in others. As you may remember, the last episode of season 2 was a veritable blood bath and free for all. So now, we have Elena and Jeremy with no living relatives. The writers smoothed over that dilemma quickly by moving the plot up to Elena's 18th birthday (so far the issue of Jeremy as minor has not arisen, but more on that). Alaric is camping out with them, or something. He's sleeping on the couch because he can't bear to sleep in either the dead parents' room or his dead gf's room. I don't know if he's supposed to be a surrogate parental authority but by the second episode, he's out of there and ready to throw in the spiritual towel. Quitter!

As you'll also recall, at the end of episode 2, Damon was bitten by a were, and that is pretty fatal for a vamp.  It looks like curtains for Damon (except we know better, seriously the show would fold immediately should they ever lose Damon Salvatore), but Elena doesn't realize this, so she gives him a last good-bye kiss. Surprise, he lives! And now he's tasted her sweet flesh, he wants more, and he intends to fight for it. While Elena, although pining for Stefan (the martyr sacrificed himself yet again, such a good boy) she is drawn to Damon, which is obvious. As I said, Stefan's doing the martyr thing, having agreed to go with Klaus in exchange for saving Damon's life. So now they're on a rampage in Tennessee and Stefan is killing with abandon. Damon and Alaric are tracking him through news clippings, but Elena finds out, and she still believes in him. A road trip to Tennessee with Damon leads him to believe the same, after a face to face with his brother. So I predict another road trip in the future, maybe some hot Damon/Elena action (any coincidence that they are allegedly dating in real life? Could be publicity driven, who knows. Ian can do better, I think, he's gorgeous, she's just okay).

So, what about the rest of the cast? Do they still exist. They do (except for Bonnie who really hasn't been  seen yet). Jeremy  (who died and was resurrected by Bonnie) is seeing things he shouldn't be seeing - namely his dead girlfriends. He's creeped out, and he's creeping out Matt as well. Caroline and Tyler did the horizontal mambo, and the next morning Tyler's mom caught Caroline - literally - with darts in her back. One vamp down! She tested Tyler with vervain but it didn't affect him cause he's a werewolf. She called in someone named Bill, who's being played by the guy who played Noah Bennett on Heroes, and they have Caroline locked up. Tyler puts two and two together, and on the night of the full moon, he forces his mother to witness his transformation. Howdya like them apples, Mrs. Lockwood? And in the kicker, we learn that Bill.... duh duh duh...... is Caroline's daddy. Interesting twist. We'll see how this plays out. We need to get Bonnie back in the plot, and I believe Elijah is unaccounted for. With Jeremy seeing dead people, who knows what past cast members might be resurrected? And of course there is Katherine. I don't remember what happened to her at the end of season 2, that's how little I like her.

Chopped Champions has its grand finale tonight, more about that later. Just Desserts is interesting, but I can't say it's the best Top Chef I've seen. I'm interested in seeing Top Chef Texas when it starts, and also the Next Iron Chef. I notice Sarah recorded The Chew, so I'm sure I'll be seeing that too - Carla (think Top Chef and hooty hoo and  you'll remember her) and Mario Batale are the only names I recognized in their line up. But those are two good names.

*****more spoilers*****

I watched the second Hawaii 5-0 today. I love this show so much! Especially, but not entirely for Alex  O'Loughlin. But primarily.

The new governor - former lieutenant governor - reinstated 5-0 after evidence came to light that McGarrett did not shoot the governor, although it was not conclusive enough to pin it on Wo Fat either. But the governor made it clear that things have changed, and that Hawaii 5-0 will have accountability. Today he proved he meant it by assigning a new member to the team, a former Homeland Security agent. Steve isn't thrilled and tries to keep her at a distance. But she grows on him. Which might be a good thing, since Kono's review before IA doesn't go well, and she's stripped of everything. I'm sure in future episodes we'll see more of the late governor/Wo Fat/McGarrett's dad connection. The greatest thing about the second episode is a scene in which Steve, Danno and the new girl are riding horses into a cult compound, and the boys start their typical bickering and she turns to them and asks "HOW LONG YOU BEEN MARRIED"  Best line ever. Again.

Okay, next new show. Person of Interest. Thursday nights, CBS. Michael Emerson and Jim Caviezel lead the  cast. I would never have discovered this show had it not been for Hawaii 5-0, cause that's the only time I'm on CBS, and it was just a fluke that I saw the promo. But something about it intrigued me, so I decided to give it a chance, and I'm glad I did.

At the beginning, Reese (Jim C) looks like a homeless person when he's attacked by young thugs on the subway. They picked the wrong person and he smacks them down handily, drawing the attention of the police. One female cop in particular is a recurring character, and she seems to be onto Reese. Finch (Michael E) is a billionaire with a lot of time and money on his hands. They have one thing in common - people think they're both dead. In a nutshell, Finch recruits Reese to his cause. He has a computer which was programmed to look for areas of trouble after 9-11. Every night it produces a list of non-essential data which it dumps, but these are actually people. So Finch retrieves them, one at a time. All he has is a social security number, but no knowledge of what will happen. Is this the victim, or the perp? Or the catalyst? Reese's job is to watch and prevent something from happening.

I really enjoyed the first show. It seems to be well written, fast paced, and definitely interesting, despite having  commercials (we watched it live, normally I record everything). It's also from JJ Abrams, who brought us the Star Trek movies, plus some TV shows I'm not really familiar with, so we'll see how this goes. But I'll definitely be watching it again. It comes on right before Sweet Genius, so I have two hours of TV on Thursday nights to look forward to, and two hours of crocheting.


I think that's it for now. I can't imagine what I've really forgotten. Whatever it is, I'll pick it up later.

Until next time, take care!

♥ Julie

Even Superman has flaws - no character should be perfect

Superman had everything going for him - faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound! Bullets ricocheted off his muscular physique like harmless grains of sand.  He could bend steel in his bare hands, he had powerful x-ray vision that see through anything, and he had a disguise which no one could penetrate.

Wait, scratch that.  He couldn't see through everything - lead was impenetrable to him. So, of course, once the bad guys caught on to that, lead-lined everything became the fashion.  And just let a little bit of kryptonite come onto the scene (a substance only found on Superman's planet of origin, Krypton, but luckily some of which made it into our universe along with the Baby of Steel), and Superman goes down for the count.  So, what does that prove?  That Superman, although a superhero, is not perfect.

Which is a good thing.  'Cause it's really hard to feel something or care about someone who's perfect, who can make everything happen with a simple wave of the hand, the right word, or the right blow.  How can you sympathize with someone like that, get into him, want to know him?  We're not perfect, as people, and we don't want our heroes to be either.  Even the ones with the amazing supernatural powers, such as the vampires, the werewolves, and the shifters. We want to know that there's a chance that they won't succeed, even if in the back of your mind you think they will, cause that's called conflict, and that's what writing is all about.

Your character can be the greatest person that ever was, but you want to make him imperfect.  Make  him human, give us a reason to care what happens to him. (For the purpose of this article, I'm using the male pronoun, but it goes for females as well, I just find it easier to use him rather than he/she). Backgrounds are good for that - tragedies in the past that hang over your hero's head like a dark cloud and come out to haunt him at the most inopportune times.  Here's a great one - the hero falls in love with the villain!  If that isn't a perfect conflict of interests, I don't know what is, and it produces lots of wiggle room and you can just watch the angst meter rise as he debates with himself just what to do - to love or not to love, to kill or not to kill, whatever the case might be.

It  may be nice to read about or watch the perfect hero for a while, but it does get old. So do something to mar that perfection, even if he isn't a superhero but just the perfect guy.  Make him a slob - have him throw his dirty socks in unfortunate locations, forget important occasions, or kick the dog (but not too hard, he's imperfect, he's not really mean). Have fun with the flaws.  In my Silver Flash series that I just started, I have a really cute guy who's really dense, and I find myself tickled at his denseness, even if his ex doesn't.  If  you're having fun with it, chances are better that your readers will have fun too.

There's a name for characters, particularly in fanfiction, that are just too perfect for words, one you truly wish to avoid - the Mary Sue/Gary Stu.  They're too good to be true, everyone loves them, everything they touch is golden, and they can do no wrong.  Ugh.  What they really are is manifestations of our own psyche translated to the written word - what we would be if we could be.  Ourselves as characters in our own dramas.  No one likes a Gary Stu.

The only exception that I can think of to this rule is Lt. Commander Steve McGarrett of Hawaii 5-0, played by the extremely sexy Alex O'Loughlin, late of Moonlight.  I've seen every episode of this series so far, and I'm here to tell you this - there is nothing that this man can't do or doesn't know.  Last night's episode begins with an important witness to a murder trial who is being pursued by bad guys sent by the murderer in question. Steve and Danno are split up at the beginning of the episode, because Danno's ex-wife and child are carjacked, and he has to deal with that, so Steve and Chin are searching for the witness, who is fleeing from professional killers. When they find her, Chin takes her back to safety, while Steve works on apprehending the hired hitmen. When he does get one, the guy has a punctured lung, and Steve has to perform an emergency procedure or he'll die!  Wow, whatta guy!

Are you gonna argue with that?  I know I'm not! Let him be perfect, it works for me!

Two things I particularly loved about this episode and about this oh so perfect man: While he's going after the two armed killers, he takes time out to talk to Danno on his cell phone and give him advice about how to deal with the situation he's in, with his ex and her new husband and all!  And I loved something that Chin said to the witness as they split up, Steve rushing out into the jungle to track down her would-be killers:  "Some guys, they're just born without a fear gene."

Yes, Steve is a Gary Stu, but I don't mind cause he's gorgeous.  As I said, he's the one exception to the rule.  Otherwise, they're just annoying and unrealistic.  And let's not forget the obverse rule - even villains have something good about them.  If you write your bad guy as all bad, that's gonna get real old too.  Writers have picked up on that whole sexy villain thing, and good and bad are on a more even playing field now, which is good. Villains need their humanity too, they're not all bad.  No one is.  It's that whole grey area thing.

In conclusion, a good character has to be multi-layered, like a real person.  You want them to appear to be as real as possible, so readers can relate. The nice thing is that different people will relate to different characters for their own reasons - it's called variety, and it works.  We don't all have to cheer for the same person, and it's okay to like someone that others hate.  It just makes it fun.

Now for the questions - tell me about characters you think are too perfect, and why that annoys you - good or bad.  Or tell me about the characters whose very flaws endears them to you - who are they and what are their human flaws?  I'd love to hear them!

TV Rambling - in anticipation of the return of Justified and a chance to win

Check this guy out.

For those of you have haven't been privileged to meet him yet, that's Raylan Givens, federal marshal relocated to Kentucky from Florida after he shot a man there (the shooting was justified, but nonetheless Raylan was sent back home for it).  Raylan comes from Kentucky, and knows a lot of people there, including his ex-wife Winona, and Boyd Crowder, criminal turned evangelist whose daddy Bo is still a crimelord in those parts.  This is the background against which Justified is set.  Justified has completed its first season, which is now out on DVD (my copy of which is even now on its way to me), and the new season begins on February 9th.  I am way excited for this for many reasons.  I almost didn't give Justified a chance, as I am very selective in my TV viewing, which is close to non-existent.  But I saw some promos for this at the theater (and it's impossible to fastforward through those, so you either watch and listen, or tune them out).  First I tuned out, but then I began to watch and listen and I became interested, and now I'm hooked.

Having watched the first season, I was unaware until recently that Raylan began with a short story.  His creator is none other than Elmore Leonard.  You may know him for many reasons, among them being Get Shorty and Be Cool.  The original story is called Fire in the Hole, and I recently read it.  You can read it before you watch the series, or after, bearing in mind that transferrence from one medium to another generally involves change, and this one is no exception.  Justified is full of humor, action, and plain good ol' fashioned fun.  The characters will hold your attention, and Raylan is definitely my favorite, although Boyd is an interesting case study, and Dewey Crowe - well, there are not adequate words to describe that boy.  Do yourself a favor, check it out when it returns February 9th, and then catch up on the first season.  If you like what you see, find more of Timothy Olyphant.  I did - Hit Man (which I reviewed here), Die Hard 4 and Catch and Release.

Moving on.

A new show premiered on F/X a couple of weeks ago.  Being pleased with Justified, I checked it out, and I'm glad that I did.  Lights Out is about a boxer who left the ring five years before, after a title fight which he, and a lot of other people, think he was robbed in.  Since that time, things have gotten rough for him, and he's been reduced to such things as calling bingo games and appearing in cheesy ads to make money.  He has a large home to maintain, a wife and daughters to support, but times are tough, and a real estate investment he sunk a lot into isn't materializing quite the way that he'd hoped.  His brother is his business manager, and he does what he can, while his dad (former Papa Titus Stacy Keach) helps out at Lights' gym.  But when he is compelled to help with collection of a debt, and resorts to violence, and then ends up wailing on a loudmouth at a bar - well, he's sinking fast and it looks like his only way out is the rematch of that title fight which the winner is clamoring for, cause he's tired of hearing that he robbed Lights.  To complicate things, Lights has been diagnosed with pugilistic dementia.

I like this already, after only two episodes.  It's character driven, and well written and acted, and I think it has potential.  F/X is doing good.  I would be happier with them if they hadn't let Terriers get canceled.  I understand that it was a bad time slot, but it could have been moved to a different one.  I recorded it anyway, so it didn't matter to me when it aired, but it was good, and its cancellation is our loss.

So what else is going on in my TV land?  Hawaii 5-0.  I watched it for Alex O'Loughlin, but there is more to it than him (though if you only watch for him, you won't feel shortchanged, I assure you). If you'll recall, he was vampire Mick St. John in Moonlight, which died far too soon, after only one season.  Blame the writer's strike.  I do - for that and for the demise of Deadwood, but that's another story.  Hawaii 5-0 is beautifully shot, the acting and the writing are first rate, the scenery is magnificent, and it's a refreshing update of the old series.  The stories are all good, the last one, which actually aired last night, after the football game, was about a killer tsunami hitting the island.  If you haven't seen it, check it out, you'll be glad you did.

******potential spoilers ahead******
A few weeks ago, Californication returned for its fourth season, starring that sexy sex-addicted bad boy Hank Moody (David Duchovny).  I have liked this show from the start, never missed a one.  It's still got the kick it had when it began, and it never disappoints.  If you'll recall from the first season, Hank had sex with a girl he picked up at a book signing, who punched him during their coitus, and who turned out to be only 16, but he didn't know.  Later, after a dry slum of non writing, he wrote the story of what happened, under the guise of a novel, called it Fucking and Punching.  The girl in question, whose name is Mia (Madeline Zima, also of Heroes) found the manuscript, stole it, and published it under her own name.  Ye gods!  It gets worse.  She's a sudden instant hit, feted and touted for her writing, to Hank's chagrin.  But how can he reclaim his own material without his long time girlfriend discovering the truth of what happened (it's a very complicated situation). Well, last season she found out and the shit hit the fan, and now this season - the fallout.  Hank is still Hank, and he's still got his sleazy but cute manager Charlie Runkle, as well as the regulars.  This season's guests so far include Rob Lowe and Matt LeBlanc.  If you haven't seen it, you should.  Be warned that there is a nude or semi-nude David Duchovny in almost every episode, not to mention a great deal of language and sexual situations.  Not everyone's cuppa tea, but definitely mine.

Enough about my shows - let's hear about yours.  Ever watch something, get totally hooked and have the network yank the rug out from under you by cancelling it?  I think we've all been there done that.  Ever written a letter of protest?  I'm not sure if those even help, but I hear they do.  The one time I tried was years ago when they canceled Matt Frewer's show Doctor, Doctor (pre Max Headroom).  It didn't help.  I also wrote last year to the writers of Vampire Diaries telling them their stories were horrible and the writing had slid downhill by the end of the first season.  It's gotten better this season, but that could be a coincidence.  They never replied, so who knows if they even read my letter.

Who are your deepest regrets from the TV graveyard?  What shows did you love that died without being allowed to properly wrap up their storylines?  Do you regret that they left the castaways on Gilligan's Island and only came back to them in movies years after the fact?

I'll be giving out a gift from my virtual gift basket to one of my new followers.  Follow and leave a comment which includes your email addy!

That's all for now!

Julie