Saturday, July 10, 2010

Vampire Evolution: From Bad Guys to Bad Boys- Guest Blog & Giveaway with Madeleine Drake



I came to love vampires in the pre-Twilight, pre-Anita Blake, pre-Buffy days, when vamps were more likely to be villains than the sexy alpha-male heroes they are today. It's been fascinating to watch their transformation from horror staple to romance icon.


While I'd encountered vamps in the occasional short story, Simon Hawke's The Dracula Caper was my first vampire novel. I wouldn't have picked it up for the vamps back then; I bought it because it was eighth in a series about time-traveling soldiers whose missions led them to explore the historical backdrop for a particular work of literature (Ivanhoe, the Scarlet Pimpernel, the works of Jules Verne, or, in this case, Bram Stoker's Dracula). In The Dracula Caper, the vamps were genetically engineered humans, sent back in time to wreak havoc in Victorian England, and incidentally, inspire Mr. Stoker.


I loved this book so much that I decided I had to read Stoker's Dracula (thank you, Mr. Hawke!). Of course, the original Dracula was a villain too, but his story contained all the mystery and romance and lyrical eroticism that we still associate with vamps today.


Bram Stoker's Dracula left me wanting more, and I did a happy dance in the bookstore when I discovered Fred Saberhagen's The Dracula Tape: the first story I'd ever encountered where a vampire was portrayed sympathetically. Saberhagen's tongue-in-cheek portrayal gave the Count a chance to tell his side of the story without being interrupted by those pesky slayer-types. Now I was hooked.


About a year later, I came across Ann Rice's Interview with a Vampire, which I started on a Friday night and finished the following Sunday morning. How could I not admire Rice's tragic hero, after experiencing his unwilling transformation to a creature of the night and his struggle to come to terms with the violent, cruel nature of his existence? That I also got to experience a big chunk of European history along with him was icing on the cake.


But the first vampire I fell in love with? Count St. Germain, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro's vampire-alchemist. Yarbro takes advantage of St. Germain's immortal nature to take us to a new era in every novel, where we relive pivotal moments of history through the compassionate eyes of one who has lived through the best and the worst of human experience. St. Germain's bravery, intelligence, and sensuality contrast with his "monstrous" nature, and one of Yarbro's themes is that it's what you DO that makes you a monster (or not).


Although St. Germain loves and loses and loves again, Yarbro's books read like historical fantasies rather than romances. It wasn't until I picked up Mercedes Lackey's Children of the Night that I met a vampire who looked and acted like a romance hero. Sexy, mysterious, and a little bit wounded, Lackey's Andre has more in common with the alpha-vamps being written today than he does with Stoker's Dracula. Children of the Night led me to Tanya Huff's Blood series, which immediately earned a spot on my keeper shelf.


Finishing Huff's series left me with a craving for more and nothing to read. And that's how I found myself venturing into the Horror section of a Waldenbooks on my lunch hour, so hungry for something vampy that I was willing to leave the Science Fiction/Fantasy section to browse. Guess what I discovered? The first Anita Blake book. Hello, Vampire Renaissance!


The rest is literary history: the resurgence of the vampire in popular fiction and, thanks in part to Hamilton's willingness to explore Anita's sexuality, vamps made the jump to paranormal romance, with each new author adding their own personal twist to the lore. Now we have Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunters, Charlaine Harris' Southern vampires, Lynn Viehl's Darkyn, Christine Feehan's Carpathians...


Given how much a part of my reading experience they've been over the past few decades, it was probably inevitable that I'd eventually write a vampire story of my own.


How about you? Which vampire was your first? What beloved books brought you into the fangbanger fold?


BIO:

Madeleine Drake writes feisty, fast-paced paranormal romance and erotica that spans the space-time continuum. Raised by a pride of cats, a friendly mutt, and the Sonoma County library system, she loves to read about ancient history and mythology, anthropology, gender roles, and sexual archetypes. Her homeworld is located out past the constellation Orion, but she currently resides in Texas. You can find her online at www.madeleinedrake.com.

Her debut ebook, Blood Hero, became available July 9th from Excessica Publications: http://excessica.com/store/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=405&osCsid=6b75e0d646dda1fa104237913f645fe0


BLURB for BLOOD HERO:

When Babylonian solider Rihat discovers that his village is being terrorized by an akhazu demon, he seeks help at Marduk's temple. He meets Iltani, a demigoddess who's been cursed by Ishtar to live as an ardat-lili, enslaved by lust, a night-maiden who feeds on sexual energy.

Iltani offers Rihat the power to slay the akhazu, if he'll agree to serve her every need without question. But will the price of that power be more than Rihat can bear to pay?


EXCERPT from BLOOD HERO:

Rihat knelt before the limestone statue of Marduk, more out of despair than reverence for the stern-faced war god. Tomorrow, Rihat would seek out the monster that was ravaging his village, and tomorrow, he would die.

Once he was dead, who would protect his sister from the beast?

Anger tightened its hold on his throat, and he growled, trying to clear the ache that threatened to choke him. He'd wasted too much time already, first begging his fellow soldiers to fight with him, then trying to bribe palace staff to give him an audience with the king of Babylon, and finally spending his last few shekels on a scrawny pig for Marduk's priests to sacrifice on his behalf, hoping they could tell him how to defeat the monstrous akhazu by himself. All for nothing.

What could he do now but face the beast himself and die with his honor intact? If he died well, perhaps Marduk would protect his sister.

As he opened his mouth to repeat his prayer, a fierce prickling crawled over his skin. Invisible, fiery needles pierced every inch of him, stinging his arms and legs, burning his belly, inflaming his cock. The air turned thick and heavy, and he gasped, blood pounding in his temples, a sudden, involuntary erection straining against his loincloth, lifting his kilt. His strength ebbed; the muscles in his thighs trembled.

Had Marduk noticed the frustration behind his plea, and chosen to punish him for it?

Behind him, a scuffing sound. Rihat jumped to his feet and whirled, lightheaded with the effort, grunting with the pain of stiff knees forced to move too quickly.

A woman.

Not just a woman. A beautiful woman. The most beautiful woman he'd ever seen.

She wore a robe of white linen so sheer he could see the red-brown circles of her nipples and the dark, furry triangle between her legs. Her skin shimmered gold, like the desert sand at midday. Her hair, black as pitch, was unbound, flowing down her back to brush against the back of her thighs like a veil. A huge carnelian, like blood turned to stone, hung from the intricate chain around her neck.

His cock throbbed harder, as if trying to tear through his clothes to get to her. If he were naked, it would be pointing straight at her.

Why hadn't he heard her enter the room?

She examined him deliberately, head to toe. When her kohl-lined eyes paused at his groin, she smiled and licked her lips with a delicate pink tongue.

"Who are you?" he rasped.

"Rejoice, Rihat," the woman answered. "Your prayer has been answered."


* * * *

She could smell his arousal with every breath, a musky, salty scent far more pleasing than the smoky-sweet myrrh permeating the temple. He was clearly a soldier, dressed in the standard leather tunic reinforced with bronze scales, a fringed wool kilt and battered sandals. Alert brown eyes over his straight nose, broad cheeks tapering down to his strong chin, wavy black hair pulled back with a cord--she would have found him attractive even if she hadn't been half-mad with the need to feed.

Iltani reined in her hunger, ignoring the deep ache in her core, the dampness between her legs. She'd finally found a warrior who might suit her purposes. She couldn't risk frightening him off before she'd had a chance to talk to him.

Even if he doesn't accept your offer, he might let you feed anyway. Few men had the willpower to resist an ardat-lili. As much as she hated what she'd become, Iltani could only restrain her hunger for so long.

He looked like he was about to speak. "It won't help to call out," she said. "No one will hear anything until I'm finished with you."

"Who are you?" the tall, well-muscled warrior demanded again. His fingers twitched, clenched into fists. "How do you know my name?"

"I heard you praying. You may call me Iltani."

The warrior took a sharp breath. Sweat beaded on his brows, highlighting the rapid pulse at his temples. "What are you?"

"My father is Ea."

"A goddess," he breathed, fear flickering over his face. He banished it with a scowl that in no way distracted Iltani from the prodigious lump beneath his kilt.

She was so hungry. "Half-goddess. My mother was human."

"What do you want with me?"

The prayer Iltani had overheard was for his sister, and Rihat was clearly prepared to die in order to protect her. A man who could love that deeply deserved the truth. But was he brave enough to look that truth squarely in the eye? Or would he recoil with disgust as soon as he learned what she really was?

"I served as one of Ishtar's handmaidens, until the goddess caught her consort Tammuz ogling me." Even the anger roused by the memory of her exile wasn't enough to eclipse her swelling hunger for Rihat. She wanted to push him down, to kiss him, to drink in the vitality he radiated. The delicate linen of her robe, soft as it was, seemed to scour her swollen nipples with every breath she drew. The tingling between her legs grew stronger. "Ishtar cursed me to be an ardat-lili and banished me to live in your realm."

Rihat didn't back away, or start praying, or make that silly gesture humans believed would protect them against evil spirits. Was he that brave? Or did he simply love his sister that much? He asked, "Why me?"

Hope welled in Iltani's heart. Had she finally found a man who would help her? She'd already released three others from their vows of service--two because she caught them abusing their newfound abilities, and a third because he'd proven too squeamish about her curse to be reliable.
"I require a warrior to help me break the curse. In return, I can give you the strength to defeat your akhazu."

Rihat regarded her in silence.

"Once the curse is broken," Iltani added, "You'd be free again. But until then, you must serve me without question."

"Free," he repeated dubiously. "Why would you release me once I've agreed to serve you?"

She shrugged, tried to hide the trembling thrill she felt as his eyes followed the movement. "That is not your concern."


* * * *

"How?" Rihat asked, barely able to think for the thunder of lust through his veins.

"How what?"

"How would you help me kill the akhazu?" It was a mistake to bargain with her. How many men had she killed, seducing them and feeding on their souls? Sucking them to husks and abandoning them, the poor bastards still crying for her touch with their dying breath. No matter that her father was the God of Wisdom, this woman was a demon, and any sane man would run from her.

But if she could save his sister, he'd give up his sanity as willingly as he'd give up his life.

Iltani licked her lips again and the muscles in his thighs shivered, his aching cock shifting beneath the fabric that restrained it. He was certain all the blood in his body was gathering in his groin. Even knowing what she was, he wanted her more than he'd wanted anything in his life.

"The blood of the gods still flows through my veins," Iltani answered. "Drink from me, and you'll have the strength of fifty men. For a while."

He could barely talk, he was working so hard at restraining himself. He wanted to seize her, to back her up against the wall and take her. Right now. "How long is a while?"

"Long enough to save your sister."

"While I serve you, you'll...feed from me?" he asked.

"I won't take enough to weaken you. I need you to be strong."

Did he believe her? Did it matter? She was the only hope he had of defeating the akhazu. A deal with a demon. It was foolish, but he was desperate.

No doubt, he would enjoy serving her as much as he would regret it. "I'm ready."

The ardat-lili smiled. "Take off your tunic."


* * * *

Want to win a pdf of Blood Hero?

Answer Madeleine's earlier questions in the comments:

Which vampire was your first?
What beloved books brought you into the fangbanger fold?

Be sure to leave your email address with your comment

Winner announced Wednesday July 14

35 comments:

bittenbyromance said...

Great interview ladies. I fell in love with Barnabas Collins. Books I would say Laura Adrian's Midnight Breed.
xtreamsimsfan(@)gmail(dot)com

Madeleine Drake said...

Hi, Laurie! I still haven't seen Dark Shadows, although it's in my Netflix queue. I'm currently watching the second season of True Blood and the first season of Blood Ties. (Love Eric and Henry both!)

Judy said...

Hi!!! I haven't thought about Barnabas in many years!! Use to watch the show every week:) Like I said before Lestat was my first and then I found Yarbro's books. I like the Count and I like Yarbro because she puts the history with the stories.

Judy
magnolias_1@msn.com

Anonymous said...

Hi! You don't need to enter me in the drawing since I already have a copy of Blood Hero. I really enjoyed it.

It's interesting that you liked Louis in Interview with the Vampire. He was the one I liked as well, but it seems like the majority of people I've talked to found him whiny and preferred Lestat. I think I enjoyed Louis' journey though. The way he discovered his new nature and new abilities was fascinating.

Madeleine Drake said...

Hey, it's great to see you again, Judy! Do you have a favorite of the St. Germain books? I'm pretty partial to the one where he meets Olivia and ends up in the games. Blood Games, I think it was called?

She's also got some non-St. Germain novels that I need to buy soon...

Outside of Yarbro's books, a lot of historical vampire novels seem to be set in the Regency/Victoria era.

If you could pick another era of history that you'd want to read vampire stories set in, what era would it be? Any time and place that you're especially interested in?

Madeleine Drake said...

Hi, Gavin! Thanks for stopping by! I didn't know that you were also a Louis-lover. :)

For those of you out there who like m/m and vamps, Gavin has a sexy novella called Slave to Shadows (published by Excessica). His twist on vampires is unique, and his dom-vamp, Cavan, is extremely hot!

Alison said...

ohhh tough call. either barnabas collins or the christopher lee dracula in the hammer films. I was a creepy kid who watched those more than cartoons.
Books...I too loved Louis. I was wanted to jump in the book and take his sadness away. what a silly 13 year old!
Alison
maddy56 at ufl dot edu

The Scarf Princess said...

OMG! The cover of your book is to die for! That cover model is droolicious.

My first vampire in the literary world was Bram Stoker's Dracula. A great book that really entertained my 12-year-old mind. In a visual realm, it's definitely Barnabas Collins. The only soap opera I watched with my mom.

An era that I don't see enough of, vamp or not, is the Roaring 20s. I could totally picture a vamp carrying those big old guns around while transporting illegal alcohol.

And thanks for the m/m recommendation. This is getting to be a favorite genre for me. So I'll definitely look it up.

joderjo402 AT gmail DOT com

Michelle Miles said...

Great interview here! I loved it. And this is a fantastic book, too. I should know - I read it! :)

Madeleine Drake said...

Thanks for stopping by, Alison! I've never seen the films where Christopher Lee played Dracula...going to have to add those to my Netflix queue. :)

Lee was a great Saruman in LOTR!

Madeleine Drake said...

Thank you, Joder! One of my fellow Excessica authors worked with me on the cover--Dakota Trace. She did a fabulous job!

Oooo, the 20s would be an awesome setting for a vamp story. A vamp who owns a speakeasy, maybe? And the flapper he lusts after? I think I feel a story coming on...

I was going to post the Excessica link for Slave to Shadows, but it seems the website is down right now, so here's Gavin's book on ARE, if you want to read more about it: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-slavetoshadows-82287-139.html

Madeleine Drake said...

Thanks for the positive comments, Michelle! :)

Booksrforever123 said...

I remember watching Barnabas when they brought dark shadows back for a second time. I was really bummed when they took the show off the air. My first vampire book was Bram Stokers Dracula-I had to read it in high school in an advanced English class. I have since read many vampire books like anne rice-didn't really like her, and many of the erotic vampire writers of the current age.

She said...

I'm not sure who my first was. I went through a period where about all I read was vamp. Jean-Claude from Anita Blake is definitely one of my favorites. But I also liked the P. N. Elrod Crimson Files series. It's been a while since I read about Jack but it's set during the Depression. A good read! Then there was Amanda Ashley, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, Kim Newman, Jeanne (a Greek name starting with K--Children of Dracula series), Christine Feehan, Anne Rice's Pandora series, oh, and others I can't remember it's been so long and so many. I love vamps--the brooding, sexy, alpha.

Amanda from Novel Addiction said...

I got into Paranormal romance through a favorite author - Katie MacAlister. I read her contemporaries, and noticed she had a vampire romance. I picked it up, LOVED it, and then never stopped reading them. From there i moved to Anita Blake, the Dark-Hunters, Lynsay Sands' Argeneau series, and more. So many years ago that was... and I still can't get enough!

ohmorningglow AT aol DOT com

Stacey Smith said...

I had read Sci Fi for ever when i came a pound Tanya Huffs Blood series and i have been reading Paranormal romance ever since then.I found them in Sci Fi and loved them my grandma a few years later found and read them in horror and was talking about them and I told here that I had the hole set if she wanted to read them but to me thay where not a horror.to me thay wore a Romance everybody see things differently.

sasluvbooks(at)yahoo.com

Gabby said...

It's been a long time since I thought about what first led me to the vampire world. I was in love with werewolves first and still am, but I've learned to share that love with both werewolves and vampires.

I think the first book that allowed me to love literary vamps was Master of Ecstasy by Nina Bangs, that book ultimately caused my love of all paranormal romance, it was Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunters after that. And Christine Feehan's Carpathians after that....I think.

As for the movie and tv. vamps my mom got me hooked on Forever Knight, and then I found Blade and Interview with The Vampire. Although I think watching that with my dad several times is what allowed me to fall for Louis.

To this day he's one of favorite movie vamps, I love him even more because he was one of the few vamps that was able to retain his humanity I always liked vamps like that because it shows that they're not completely dead.

I don't think I've heard of Chelsea Quinn Yarbro before do you think I could still get a copy of that book? It seems like I'm the only one who hasn't read Bram Stoker's Dracula I feel sort of like I've missed out.

Thanks for the info about the m/m novel as well I'm fast becoming hooked on this genre I'll have to look into it!

Loved the interview and this book looks really awesome!

Carol L. said...

Hi Madeleine,
I too love your cover and the whole interview as well as the blurb. It's on my TRL. The first Vamp was Antonio Banderas in Interview with A Vampire. I think he's beautiful. :)no matter what part he plays.My first book was Ann Rice's Interview With A Vampire, after that it was Lynsay Sands and I love Sherrelyn Sparks vamps.And definitely Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunters as well as Kresley Coles.
Thanks for alerting me to Gavin's book as well. Will be checking it out next.
Carol L.
Lucky4750@aol.com

Roxanne Rhoads said...

My first vamp loves were Louis and Lestat. I liked Louis in Interview but later found Lestat appealing once I got to know him better in the other books.

On tv I adored Rick Springfield as Nick Knight in the tv movie and loved the movie The Lost Boys.

Later I fell for Angel and Spike hard. And Henry in Blood Ties was so unapologetic- he owned his vampire self and was not whiny like so many vamps.

Now I love bad boy Damon on Vampire Diaries- those blue eyes suck me in.

Judy said...

I am partial to Hotel Translyvania because that is the first book I had picked up and read by her. There is no telling how many times I read that book:) She puts out her books so fast I can't keep up with them. I have about 5 or 6 I need to buy. I have some of her other books, some I really like, I have found a couple I did not care for.

Gabrielle Lee said...

My first vampire book was Dracula but Anne rice's Lestat was the one who really brang me over to the dark side.From than on I have been hooked.


Gabrielle
meingee@yahoo.com

Anonymous said...

Um let's see the first vampire I fell in love with was Lestat from the Anne Rice books. Then I moved on to the Vampire Huntress Novels by LA Banks and fell head over heels for Carlos Rivera and his friend Yolando. They are evil while at the same time having a good heart, not to mention being drop dead gorgeous. I've read alot of vampire books/series, but none have been able to capture my heart or my attention like those boys have. Not even the sexy Eric Northman. :-)

zuradia@yahoo.com

Brandy B aka Brandlwyne said...

Hi, I would say that the 2st vampire books I read were by LJ Smith and Christopher Pike. I can't wait to look into more of your books!!!

brandyzbooks@yahoo.com

Unknown said...

My first, the one vampire that made me see vamps as sexy and swoonworthy was Angel in Buffy. DAvid Boreanaz really knew how to do tortured dark handsome. :-)

stella.exlibris (at) gmail (dot) com

SandyG265 said...

My fist vampire experience was watching Bela Lugosi in Dracula on TV in the old Creature Features TV show.

Heather B. said...

My first vampire books would have to be Anne Rice. I have always been a huge reader and after my cousin recommended Pandora, I picked up the entire series and everything Anne Rice had written.

From there, my brother suggested the Anita Blake books. he had the old school paperback versions that were well worn. I was instantly in love. Started scavaging the aisles at the local book stores and Walmart for more books to read. Used the library for awhile, now I have almost 1000 books on my book shelves.

Leigh, Singh, Kenyon, Feehan, Ward, Briggs, Harrison, Warren, the list goes on and on.

*yadkny* said...

WOW that was a great excerpt! This one is definitely going in my TBR pile. Lestat was also my first vampire, but I liked Louis the best. I am going to agree with Carol L. and say that Antonio Banderas was beautiful in Interview With a Vampire:) As for TV shows right now I am watching Vampire Diaries. I'm going to have get True Blood on DVD. My first vampire book that I picked up was Twilight but now my tastes run much darker than that.

yadkny@hotmail.com

Rosie said...

My first print vamp was Jean-Claude from the Anita Blake series. Once I read book one, I didn't stop till I finished all of them to date. :-)

Madeleine Drake said...

Hi, everyone! Apologies for being so slow to reply; I was traveling cross-country all day yesterday from TX to WA, to visit my mother.

Booksrforever123--Pretty cool that your advanced English class included Dracula! Mine spent a lot of time on Joyce (Portrait of the Artist). Vampires have really been revisioned by the current generation of writers, but the classics never die. I've yet to read Le Fanu's, but it's on my list.

She--I had a hard time with the grimness of the Crimson Files; I had to read them in short stints. But P.N. Elrod really captures that era. Are you thinking of the Family of Dracul Diaries, by Jeanne Kalogridis? I have the first of those in my TBR pile, which never seems to stop growing. ;)

Morning Glow--Katie MacAlister is so much fun! The first of her books I read was the beginning of her Aisling Gray series.
Stacey--Tanya Huff is such a wonderful writer, and I was so happy to see the Blood books made into a TV series. I think they did an excellent job of capturing the love triangle between Vicki, Henry, and Mike.

Gabby--Have you read Peter David's Howling Mad? It was the first werewolf story I ever read where the werewolf wasn't a villain. Very funny, and poignant. I think it might be out of print now, but you might be able to find it on half.com or alibris.com. Chelsea Quinn Yarbro's books are still in print; I can't recommend them highly enough. She's a fabulous writer, and each novel is set in a pivotal point in history.

Carol L--Thanks for putting Blood Hero on your TRL! I hope you enjoy it. Yes, Antonio Banderas makes a delicious vampire!

Roxanne--Thanks for the recommendation for Vampire Diaries. I liked Angel, but I was happier when Buffy got together with Spike. He was so good for forcing her to grow as a character.

Judy--Yarbro also has a book of St. Germain short stories, if you haven't read them. She went through a period where her sales dropped (people were saying then that vampires were dead, no pun intended), and she kept writing even though she was having a hard time getting published. So when they picked up again, she had a few St. Germain novels ready to go.

Gabrielle--Thanks for stopping by! It's definitely an addiction, isn't it? ;)

Zuradia--Okay, now I'm going to have to go buy the first LA Banks book...her vamps must be pretty sexy if they can outshine Eric Northman!

Brandlwyne--Thanks for your enthusiasm! :) What are the titles of of the LJ Smith books?

Stella--Yes, Boreanaz fits the brooding romantic hero to a T. I've wondered for a while if he's really like that in real life, or if he's just that good.

SandyG265--Wow, Bela Lugosi, you are really old school! I'm impressed.

Madeleine Drake said...

Hi, everyone! Apologies for being so slow to reply; I was traveling cross-country all day yesterday from TX to WA, to visit my mother.

Booksrforever123--Pretty cool that your advanced English class included Dracula! Mine spent a lot of time on Joyce (Portrait of the Artist). Vampires have really been revisioned by the current generation of writers, but the classics never die. I've yet to read Le Fanu's, but it's on my list.

She--I had a hard time with the grimness of the Crimson Files; I had to read them in short stints. But P.N. Elrod really captures that era. Are you thinking of the Family of Dracul Diaries, by Jeanne Kalogridis? I have the first of those in my TBR pile, which never seems to stop growing. ;)

Madeleine Drake said...

Morning Glow--Katie MacAlister is so much fun! The first of her books I read was the beginning of her Aisling Gray series.
Stacey--Tanya Huff is such a wonderful writer, and I was so happy to see the Blood books made into a TV series. I think they did an excellent job of capturing the love triangle between Vicki, Henry, and Mike.

Gabby--Have you read Peter David's Howling Mad? It was the first werewolf story I ever read where the werewolf wasn't a villain. Very funny, and poignant. I think it might be out of print now, but you might be able to find it on half.com or alibris.com. Chelsea Quinn Yarbro's books are still in print; I can't recommend them highly enough. She's a fabulous writer, and each novel is set in a pivotal point in history.

Madeleine Drake said...

Carol L--Thanks for putting Blood Hero on your TRL! I hope you enjoy it. Yes, Antonio Banderas makes a delicious vampire!

Roxanne--Thanks for the recommendation for Vampire Diaries. I liked Angel, but I was happier when Buffy got together with Spike. He was so good for forcing her to grow as a character.

Judy--Yarbro also has a book of St. Germain short stories, if you haven't read them. She went through a period where her sales dropped (people were saying then that vampires were dead, no pun intended), and she kept writing even though she was having a hard time getting published. So when they picked up again, she had a few St. Germain novels ready to go.

Gabrielle--Thanks for stopping by! It's definitely an addiction, isn't it? ;)

Zuradia--Okay, now I'm going to have to go buy the first LA Banks book...her vamps must be pretty sexy if they can outshine Eric Northman!

Madeleine Drake said...

Brandlwyne--Thanks for your enthusiasm! :) What are the titles of of the LJ Smith books?

Stella--Yes, Boreanaz fits the brooding romantic hero to a T. I've wondered for a while if he's really like that in real life, or if he's just that good.

SandyG265--Wow, Bela Lugosi, you are really old school! I'm impressed.

Madeleine Drake said...

Oops, apologies for the double post; blogger told me that the first one was too long and that it didn't go through... didn't realize that it had worked until I started reposting in small blocks.

Brandy B aka Brandlwyne said...

LJ SMith wrote The Vampire Diaries. She has a really good witch series and now has some adult books aswell...

 
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