Best Vampire Site!!
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Are you a fan of L.J. Smith? You know who I mean, the gal that writes those amazing series The Vampire Diaries, Night World and quite a few others besides that. I have always enjoyed both her writing and the fact that she does such an eloquent job of it. I am always looking forward to whatever she is working on next. Well, I got curious to see how things were coming with the book I hear she is writing now, Strange Fate so I slid over to her blog to see what was up.
Man – does she ever have a great site. I really do recommend if you are a fan of hers to check it out, and most of all to sign up. She has a fabulous contest going on her site right now, you can check it all out today right here.
The Dark Valentine’s Day Contest that she is running right now will give one lucky winner a black rose (yes there are such things, I have even grown them) and an autographed copy of a book from either the Night World or Vampire Diaries books. How can you possibly beat that?
She has contests pretty often on her site, and they are always fun to be a part of. Her fans are a feisty lot, so the forum can get pretty lively at times! And of course there is her blog, which can be pretty personal and is a great way to see what is up with her work and her life. I am always amazed how much the internet has made it possible for authors, normally quiet and reserved people who sit and toil in solitude, to connect to the world out there.
So I urge you if you are a fan of her work to stop by her site. There are all kinds of great things to read like the Hecate Family Tree and things to join like the fun quiz about if you are a good witch or a bad witch. There are even pictures of her dog! So be sure to pop on by and say hello!
Vampire Kisses – Manga and Book
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I always love it when I happen upon an author’s site and find out she (or he) does a lot more then I thought they did. Sometimes it is simple things like a new series I find out about, or an old one. And sometimes I find out that someone who writes great vampire stories also does wonderful (and cute!) graphic novels. That is what I found out recently when I went up on Ellen Schreiber’s site to check out if the latest installment to her Vampire Kisses book was out and what she was up to these days.
Turns out she not only has a new book coming out, but she has a whole other series related to her Vampire Kisses series that is done as a manga comic book or graphic novel. The actual name of the new series is Vampire Kisses: Blood Relatives and from what I have seen so far it looks very fun.
Manga, for those who don’t know, is a specific type of Japanese comic art style that is intended for girls or young women. The boys all have long hair and are cute; the girls all have big eyes and are darling. It is a very feminine style and looks a lot like a fashion drawing in some ways. To put a vampire story into this style is a great mixing of goth and romance, just the way we like our vampires!
So be sure to check this out – I am certain that even if you have never opened a comic book you will find these stories a great read and lots of fun!
Top Vampire Books: Killer Boxed Sets
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Have you noticed how so many of the really good vampire characters are in a series? I think it is because the author has plenty of room to develop the characters and the setting becomes so familiar to the readers. This is particularly true of the two series I am looking at today, equally of which have some gorgeous boxed sets available.
Both of these series began as a simple YA book, and the interesting thing is that both of these vampire-driven paranormal series have the main character at a school. Of course, the similarities end there. They have both developed really strong main characters, great supporting cast and although set in different areas (Oklahoma and Montana) have great stories that propel you along.
In one, she is in a school to train her to be a defender of a princess vampire while the other is sent to a secret boarding school to learn more about her true nature as a vampire. You just might want to buy both box sets and see which one is the better series!
House of Night by P.C. Cast and Kristen Cast– When Zoey Redbird at sixteen is “marked” by a vampire tracker, she learns she must come to the House of Night to learn her true calling as she begins the journey to be a vampire. But of course, even if she is about to not only become a vampire but discovers that the goddess Nyx has marked her as special, she is still a teenager.
So she goes through all the angst and joy that is peculiar to that age of extremes when nothing is trivial. She will discover love, as well as the nature of evil and soon learns there is more to this life than just looking good and getting grades – so much more, and so much more dangerous. This is an amazing series by a Mom and daughter writing team that has gone beyond many expectations. It is a perfect blend of styles and outlooks that makes this YA book series one that anyone would enjoy.
Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead– It is a complicated world, with two sets of vampires. One are the Moroi who are vampires who are mortal and yet control elemental magic like gods and goddesses. The other vampires are the undead Strigoi. They are the ones most of us humans have heard of, who feed on the innocent as an act of survival. Into this world we are introduced, with Rose Hathaway as our guide. She is half human and half vampire, and determined to play her role as protector of her best friend Lissa Dragomir a Moroi princess.
When we meet them they have been on the run, two years of freedom that is about to end as they are returned to St. Vladamir’s Academy. At the Vampire Academy they will learn the lessons of survival complete with rituals of blood and secrecy, rules for the complex social world they now inhabit and most of all to be always on the alert for the Strigoi. For the lesson is that to let your guard down once is to pay for it with more than just your life.
