Liv Rancourt is visiting the Spell Room today to talk about Vampires and Reality.
Tagline for A Vampire's Deadly Delight:
An ordinary bookstore owner and
a gorgeous instrument of vampire destruction share a secret that could kill
them both. What will each of them give, and give up, to survive?
Reality Bites
Last weekend was terribly exciting because it marked the
release of my first book, A Vampire’s
Deadly Delight. I’m lucky to have kind and supportive friends like Liberty Liberty
As you can tell from the title, there’s at least one vampire
in my book. In fact, there are several, but before I wrote it I did
surprisingly little research about vampires. I didn’t really need to. These
days you’d have to be a doorknob not to know a little something about the
undead. They’re all over the place, a crazy collage of soulless blood drinkers
ready to entertain us.
It may sound like putting the caboose at the front of the
train, but I did the research after the book came out, so that when I have the
opportunity to write a blog post, I’d know what I was talking about. I’ve learned
that there are some fascinating and informative websites out there in
internet-land, covering every possible aspect of paranormal life. It’s really
kind of awesome. And I learned that there are websites dedicated to “real”
vampires. There’s a whole subculture
where, in one way or another, people identify themselves as vampires.
It’s enough to give a (living) body chills.
I’ve always been a fan of Lestat and Louise, of Don Ysidro,
and of ol’ Count Dracula himself*. They’re some of my favorite characters.
(*That’s Interview with a Vampire by
Ann Rice, Those Who Hunt The Night by
Barbara Hambly, and Dracula by Bram
Stoker). More recently I’ve been a loyal reader of any number of vampire
series, and I lived with vamps for quite some time while writing Deadly Delight, but never once, in all
that time, did I think that I might actually BE a vampire. With all due
respect, people, I think maybe you need to get out more. In the sunshine. In
clothing that’s not black and cobwebby.
I thought about including some of these “real” vampire website
addresses to support my claim, but I didn’t want to make anybody mad, so you’ll
have to do your own research. I found a site that describes the genetic
mutations that are required to create a vampire, and another that describes
itself as a vampire support center. And nowhere did either of those sites
indicate that they realized they were writing fiction.
In the end, I guess it’s a harmless enough pastime, no
crazier than refighting Civil War battles or, say, deciding to write your first
book at the age of 49 (ooh, guilty as charged!). As long as there’s no real
exchange of bodily fluids and everyone goes home happy, it’s okay. I guess. I
just prefer that my fictional characters stay on the page or on the screen, and
not lurking in the darkened corners of my basement.
Peace,
Liv
She’s a quiet, unassuming bookstore owner
by day, but by night...
Kristen has a deadly secret—when she
smells a vampire, she turns into Jai, a beauti-licious babe who makes vampspermanently dead. To a vamp, Jai is like ambrosia.
They can’t resist her. She uses this attraction, plus her super strength and
her trusty blade, Mr. Sticky, to end their undead lives. The thrill of wearing
miniskirts without worrying about cellulite stifles any qualms Kristen might
have about killing the undead. Being Jai is the most fun she has ever had—until
they come up against the one vampire Jai can’t kill. If he and Jai
have a history, as he claims, Jai can’t remember it...or him.
But when her work catches the attention
of some old enemies—who won’t hesitate to destroy Kristen if it also means the
end of Jai—this vampire may be their only hope. Can Kristen and Jai learn to
tell the difference between good and evil in time to defeat Jai’s ancient
nemesis? Or will being Jai’s hostess cost Kristen more than just her beauty
sleep?
Liv Rancourt is a writer of
speculative fiction and romance. She lives in Seattle
Available at Barnes & Noble
Available at Amazon
Liv, Thank you for joining me in the Spell Room today. Although I escape from reality as often as I can between the covers of a book, I must say, I have never been tempted to become one of the "undead".
ReplyDeleteThanks Liberty! You're a great hostess and I like what you've got going on here. Can't wait to see your short in Valentine Delights when it comes out.
ReplyDeletePeace,
Liv
And while we're at it, Liberty, I've nominated you for The Versatile Blogger award. Check out my post (http://bit.ly/A6lup4) to see the award and the instructions that come with it.
ReplyDeletePeace,
Liv
I'm with Liberty, while I like reading about the undead, I don't want to be one!! I love the sound of this story.
ReplyDelete