Vampire Appeal with Linda Robertson & A Chance to Win An Autographed Copy of Hallowed Circle

I’ve been pondering this guest blog for a week or so now and throwing around ideas of what to write for it. Being that this blog is called Fang-tastic, of course, I’ve been thinking on vampires—a subject I certainly don’t mind daydreaming about. I’m sure the majority of this blog’s readers share that little guilty pleasure with me.

Reasons for the vampire’s appeal are surely as varied and unique as we individuals who indulgently read all we can about them. So, I’ll share one of my favorite reasons below, but first…here’s an excerpt from the second installment of the Persephone Alcmedi series:


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…from HALLOWED CIRCLE:

The vampires strode toward the dais. They were handsome men wearing fashionable clothing that combined I’m-hot-and-I-know-it with I’m-going-clubbing-to-find-a-piece-of-ass-worthy-of-me. Not that design and style could say all that alone, it was inherent in the very fabric of their beings. From their squared shoulders to the self-assurance of their gait—everything about them radiated confidence.

They looked over us witches with what elsewhere would be taken as lascivious intent. One exuded conceit with the lift of his chin and the firm set of his unimpressed mouth. The other made me think of a delighted frat boy who’d just strolled unnoticed into the ladies locker room.

“Eldrenne, Madam Elders,” said the unimpressed one. His voice was deep. Tall and muscular, he had the disproportionate chiseled features of a comic book hero. Even his blond hair, trimmed business short on the sides, was styled so that three perfect tendrils of the longer top fell forward in a trademark-rugged way. He did not bow his head, but rather turned it sideways a fraction while cocking his head. It might be construed as a slight bow, but vampires were not ones to show obeisance to any mortal. “I am Heldridge and am pleased to participate in your Eximium.” He signaled the other vampire.

“I’m Sever.” He flashed them each a flirty smile, but didn’t bother to offer them any pretty words that probably weren’t true.

Sever had golden brown curls that hung past his shoulders.

“Welcome,” Desdemona said to them. To us contestants, she said, “The test will entail the—”

The other Elders all reacted to her sudden stop, sitting straighter as their notice drifted beyond the line I and the other contestants had formed before the dais.

A trembling resonance began low on my spine then fluttered upward like fingernails scraping over each vertebra. The fine vibration slid around each rib only to rejoin in my sternum where heat began to build between my breasts. My mind flashed on images of the darkened living room, of Johnny’s face before me while our bodies were entwined. My nipples hardened.

I blinked hard, willing the images to stop, willing this reaction to stop, but the heat dropped down, gliding under my skin to my navel and lower, between my legs. A rush of desire swept through my body—

The southern doors burst open behind me. Without looking, I knew who was there.

“Ladies—and my fellow vampires—please permit me to interpose myself.” As the contestants around me turned, I did, too, and saw Menessos come striding in, projecting his innate patrician polish. “My presence may not have been solicited, but I trust it is not unwelcome.” His walnut-colored waves brushed his shoulders as he moved. The thin beard, trimmed to balance his square jaw perfected his image as a manifestation of Arthur Pendragon, the warrior from centuries past and from my dreams. However, the elegantly cut modern suit that draped from his strong, broad shoulders and the white shirt—sans tie and fashionably unbuttoned—branded him as a New Age warrior, Lord Executive of the Boardroom. In my eyes he was a time-transcending champion, cunning and adaptable, trained to win at any cost. A man to be wary of.

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So what is it about vampires? I’d like to offer you my take on one tiny little piece of that enormous puzzle that is vampires. Let’s go back to a line from near the top of that excerpt.

“… everything about them radiated confidence.”

If you’re a writer, you’ve probably been to the mall and spent some time sitting on one of the centrally located benches just watching people. It’s easy to combine a person’s looks with the way they move, act, and sound and thereby come up with an imaginary personality. Mall-walkers aren’t quite like the businessman at the jewelers during his lunch, or the weary-eyed mom with toddlers at the kiddie play area hoping the little ones get tired enough to nap so she can get a nap.

But even if you’re not a people-watcher, if I say, “Confidence has a look,” you know what I mean. It’s in a person’s posture, the set of their eyes, tone of their voice, body language and the fluidity of their gait. Who do you find yourself imagining? Someone famous, gorgeous, and wealthy perhaps? Maybe an actor or actress?

I imagine it would take a lot of confidence to stand in front of the cameras and risk the criticism of the media as much as actors do, although vanity could certainly be a motivating factor. That sounds like a vampire to me.

Then there’s the part about walking the night forever youthful. The young are known for being cocky. They don’t have joints that creak and crack when climbing the stairs so they don’t know what aging feels like. A vampire may never have lost that cockiness. Or maybe they did, but got it back.

Aside from providing time to acquire wealth (a flavor of confidence all of its own), immortality also implies the defeat of death itself. No wonder vampires often have boosted egos. (Let’s not tarnish this happy little discussion with the evil underpinnings, the implied spiritual ramifications for the soul, or the nasty nuances of day-time lifelessness and rot. This little blog piece isn’t about the negative impacts of the vampire’s existence.)

Not to say that vampires who lack confidence can’t be interesting and fun all the same, but the magnetism of the charismatic vampire is—to me—very appealing and those particular qualities are built from the bedrock of self-confidence.

And on that note…

How about that contest now?

WHAT YOU COULD WIN:

An autographed copy of HALLOWED CIRCLE.

RULE ONE: You must have a US mailing address.

RULE TWO: Leave a comment on this blog revealing the one—or one of—the things you find most appealing about the vampires you read/write about. **

You have until Noon EST Monday January 25, 2010 to leave your comment.

I will draw a name from those who participated, and announce it in the blog comments. (If at all possible I will announce the winner that day within an hour or so of the deadline. However, things happen—I do have rambunctious kids, so barring emergency room visits or other such unforeseeable events I will be on-time, but I reserve the right to be late.)

Once the winner is announced, the winner has 48 hours to email me their shipping address. If the winner fails to do so, another name will be drawn and that winner will have the same 48 hours to comply.

If these rules are satisfactory to you, post your comment now!

:-) Good luck!

~ Linda

Linda’s website: http://www.wolfsbaneandabsinthe.com/
There you can find links to her livejournal,
blogspot, twitter, and facebook.