Today is the 100^th anniversary of Bram Stoker’s death, so I wanted to mark the occasion with a blog post.

Naturally, the main thing he left behind was the fabulous novel, Dracula. He had a series of other novels and short stories too, but it was Dracula that seemed to catch the imagination of the world and has spawned a multitude of other vampire-related books, TV shows and movies (not to mention all the merchandise that goes with them!). As a fan of this particular genre, I couldn’t be happier. There is an endless supply of vamp-tastic stuff to keep me occupied forever and a day.

So thank you, Mr Stoker, for Dracula, which I’ve read many times (which certainly made my school, college and University courses much easier!), but really must re-read at some point soon. And thank you for helping to pave the way for some of my favourite things (in no particular order):

• Anne Rice’s The Vampire Chronicles (I met Anne Rice last year at a signing, but got her to sign her Beauty trilogy instead, as I was only allowed to have three books signed)
• Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy novels
• Charlaine Harris’ The Southern Vampire Mysteries (and the show based on them, True Blood)
• Rachel Caine’s The Morganville Vampires series (I’m going to a signing of hers next month, woohoo!)
• L. J. Smith’s The Vampire Diaries (though it has to be said, the TV show is vastly more entertaining)

That’s just a tiny selection of vamp stuff I love. There are films and books galore that I could mention, but I’ll be going on forever, and I’ll still end up missing some out!

In case you didn’t know, here’s where vamps have sneaked into my work…

• Punish Me Good (featuring a vamp that looks suspiciously like Eric Northman)
• Weekend at Wilderhope Manor (the main characters dress as the Brides of Dracula)
• Bite with Height (features two of my favourite things, vampires and Paris)
• Fang Bangers (my story features a girl who takes her life in her hands to seduce a vampire)

And I’ve no doubt there will be more! Despite what the press say about the vampire thing being ‘over,’ I don’t think it is. I still enjoy reading, watching and writing the stuff, and I’m sure many others do, too.

So thank you again, Mr Stoker. You’ve provided us with many, many happy hours of entertainment. RIP.

P.S. Looking for something vamp-tastic to read? Besides the four of my titles mentioned above (of course!), Victoria Blisse just released the third title in her Point Vamp series, The Vampire’s Choice. I haven’t read it yet, but I loved the first two so it’s definitely on my list!

Tortured Heroes by Doris O’Connor

As a reader I love a tortured hero and as an author I love writing them even more. I call them the two T’s tall and tortured—a must have. Every one of the heroes I have ever written could be summed up by that description, but I think Lucas may be the most tortured yet. I didn’t quite realise how tortured he was until I sat down to write his story. As he slowly revealed his past, I shed a few tears for my delicious vamp and at times wanted to jump into the manuscript and give him a big hug.

I can see you all backing away slowly now. Stay away from the crazy lady. He’s your hero, why didn’t you change things? Well, the jury is out still on the crazy part, but as for changing things, that’s not that easy.  My stories are entirely character driven and when I don’t do as I’m told, then they stop talking. And when a character reveals his past, well that’s just it, his past. I couldn’t change it. He wouldn’t be who he is today.

As you may have guessed my characters are very real people to me and I try very hard to do them justice on paper so to speak. I will leave it up to you to decide whether I’ve succeeded with Lucas. His inner struggle is one of the things that my heroine Coralie can really relate to, and is ultimately what wins her over, as they strive to connect emotionally when the odds are stacked against them.

I leave you with a little snippet of the start of that connection.

 

The fury and barely controlled violence radiating off Lucas made Coralie swallow nervously. He watched her warily, hands pushed into the back pockets of his jeans, his muscles straining the material of his tee.  Damn it, it just wasn’t fair. Even after everything that had happened her body reacted to him instantly. She straightened her shoulders and crossed her arms over the soft robe and glared at the man watching her with an unblinking gaze.

“Where the hell are my clothes? How dare you…” Heat rose in her cheeks, when she realized it must have been him undressing and washing her. And why the fuck didn’t she have any memories of that? The last thing she remembered was Lucas fighting with the fairy and Carmen’s cruel laughter.

“They reeked of fairy, as did you. Forgive me for taking care of you and saving your life – again. How dare I indeed? Next time I happen to find you in deadly peril, I’ll just leave you to it, shall I, Chere?”

The growled endearment settled somewhere perilously close to her heart and Coralie’s conscience chose that moment to whisper in her ear. Shame flooded her and she dropped her gaze to the floor. Her mum would be turning in her grave right now. Lucas’s frustrated sigh and mumbled words of French made her bare toes curl into the plush cream carpet. She could almost hear her mother berate her. “It doesn’t matter one iota what somebody looks like, what race he is or what his reputation is like. Sweet words are easy and mean nothing. What matters is inside and actions speak louder than words, so remember that in future, Coralie.”

Her mother’s wise words increased her discomfort. Vampire or not, he had saved her life twice. Shit, he almost killed himself trying to convince her that he hadn’t turned her. And as despicable as his actions in Carmen’s presence seemed, Coralie was still alive and relatively unharmed, the chunk of lost time and the big black hole in her recent memory notwithstanding. Had he caused that memory loss?

Lucas had moved away from her to the bar at the other side of the living area. He had his back to her and she allowed her eyes to feast freely. The dejected slump of his big shoulders and the heavy-handed way in which he poured himself a straight Scotch spoke of deep-seated wariness and her whispering conscience settled in the pit of her stomach with intensity.

“I’m sorry.” His head shot up at her whispered words and he turned around slowly. Coralie’s heart gave another little lurch inside her tight chest when she saw the swirling emotions in his brilliant green eyes.

“Don’t.” He ran one hand through his hair, making the slightly damp strands stick up and Coralie’s heart skipped another beat. He looked to the floor and the white-knuckled grasp on his glass lessened slightly. “You’re right. I am a monster who shouldn’t exist. I don’t blame you, running from me. Most people do and with good reason. The fact that I need to drink their blood is usually an instant conversation stopper.”

His eyes briefly flickered to her face.  He swore and threw the glass in his hand against the nearest wall with such force it shattered into a gazillion pieces. Coralie jumped at the display of violence and he swore again.

“Merde, Chere, I so want to take that look out of your eyes, but I can’t.”

*****

You’d think a three thousand year old vampire would believe in forever. Not Lucas. He has an escaped demon to hunt and no time for the follies of humankind. When strip-o-gram Coralie arrives on his boat, she awakens human instincts long buried, and protecting her becomes of paramount importance.

Coralie, standing in for a friend, is mortally embarrassed at having stumbled onto the wrong boat. The vampire wannabe she encounters makes her body sing in ways she never thought possible. Finding out that he is indeed the real thing throws everything she ever believed in into doubt.

With the demon closing in and the future of humanity in peril will they manage to find their forever?

Buy Links

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Evernight Publishing

*****

Author bio

Glutton for punishment would be a good description for Doris… at least that’s what she hears on an almost daily basis when people find out that she has a brood of nine children, ranging from adult to baby and lives happily in a far too small house, cluttered with children, pets, dust bunnies and one very understanding and supportive husband.  Domestic goddess she is not.

There is always something better to do after all, like working on the latest manuscript and trying not to scare the locals even more than usual by talking out loud to the voices in her head. Her sexy Alpha heroes and sassy heroines tend to be pretty insistent to get their stories told, and you will find Doris burning the midnight oil on a regular basis. Only time to get any peace and quiet and besides, sleep is for wimps. She writes contemporary, erotic and paranormal romance.

German born, Doris now resides in the middle of a busy town in Bedfordshire/England and dreams of a nice big house by the sea, with plenty of space to run kids and dogs and let her imagination soar.

Find Doris on the web here:

Website: http://www.dorisoconnor.com/

Blog: http://thetardisscribbles.blogspot.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/mamaD8

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Doris-OConnor-Romance-Author/241366635885432 

*****

Contest:

If you’d like to be in with a chance to win a copy of Lure Of Forever, just leave a comment. I will be picking three winners at the end of my blog tour.  Every time you comment on one of my stops, you will get another entry into the draw

Details of the tour stops can be found here. http://www.writermarketing.co.uk/prpromotion/blog-tours/currently-on-tour/doris-oconnor/

Foreplay

Did that get your attention? LOL, I bet it did.

Now that I have your attention I’d like to introduce myself. My name is Brenda and I’m a writer, reader and a chocoholic. Oh, and I love bacon.

I’d like to take a moment to thank Lucy for allowing me on her blog. I promise not to do anything stupid–well too stupid.

I was going to talk on and on about my debut novel, Love’s Prophecy, but then I changed my mind. I’d like to talk about foreplay.

LOL, not oral foreplay before intercourse. I’m talking about foreplay between the characters that leads up to the sex scenes.

For me, the foreplay lead up is as important or even more so than the sexual act. The conflict and build up of sexual tension between the characters can be a huge turn on if written properly. I love the frustration they feel when near each other–how they want nothing more than  to tear each other’s clothes off.  I love the excitement, the newness.

Oh, don’t get me wrong, I enjoy hot, sweaty sex scenes, but how the characters interact beforehand is essential to making those scenes fulfilling–at least for me.

I think why I enjoy the foreplay before the foreplay is because it reminds me of when I first met my husband. The newness and excitement–the rush. It was like a drug, lol. So now I experience that high through characters in novels.

What about you? Do you enjoy the foreplay before the foreplay?

I would like to give away a free copy of my novel, Love’s Prophecy to one commenter.

*****

Dark warriors of might…

Mel is a vampire warrior sworn to hunt and kill demons in the dark streets of Vancouver. But he’s burdened with a new assignment: find the meaning behind the Vampire Prophecy. Having no faith in the gods and their empty words, he believes there’s no truth to the ancient legend until he meets Breeana, a human woman who bears the mark of the prophecy and resembles the mysterious woman haunting his dreams. When a vengeful demon spies Breeana in his arms, she is marked for death. He must take her from the world she knows until he can eliminate the threat. But the real danger is the role Breeana must play in fulfilling the prophecy and the intense feelings she brings out in him. Mel is forced to choose between his obligations to his kind, the world, and the woman he loves. Does he have the courage to let the one woman who could heal his wounded heart and soul go, or will he risk her life and bind her to him for all eternity?

Small warriors of light…

Veterinarian, Dr. Breeana Spencer yearns for love and companionship, but the disappointment of failed relationships have left her bitter. She now finds solace in romance novels. But when she meets a mysterious stranger, she’s drawn to him by a connection so forceful it shatters all reason, leaving her incapable of resisting him. Yet there’s more to him than smoldering good looks and a rock-hard body. As she’s drawn deeper into his danger-filled world, she learns she’s part of an ancient vampire legend. Breeana fears her future is no longer hers and will not include Mel. As their enemies close in, desperate to destroy them both, she must fight to convince Mel her place is at his side. A  life-altering choice is before her—one that will take all her courage and love to make.

Buy links: Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00702YWF0

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/125112

B&N: bit.ly/z89nmB

*****

About the Author:

Brenda Dyer lives in the small town of Sooke off the coast of British Columbia with her husband, two teenage boys, and an assortment of animals.

She is a graduate from LongRidge Writers group.

When she isn’t writing you can find her out in her gardens or working with her two miniature horses.

Brenda loves to hear from readers. If you would like to contact her, visit her website.

http://www.brendamdyer.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BrendaMDyer

Twitter: www.twitter.com/brendaMDyer

The more eagle-eyed (or long memoried –  just made up a new word there!) amongst you will know full well that the divine Ian Somerhalder has already appeared on my Totty Tuesday list, albeit a long time ago. However, I’m struggling to find new totty to feature, plus I’m celebrating the fact that the sex god himself is back on the UK’s screens this evening in The Vampire Diaries. It’s been on such a long break that I can’t bloody remember what happened – stupid TV scheduling. It’s no wonder I usually wait until shows come out on DVD then watch them back to back!

So, yeah, here he is. In my defence, I used a new photo – and a damn hot one, at that! So I’m sure you’ll forgive me, right?

February is the month of love and what do we love more than hot, sexy, dangerous and seductive vampires? Vampires For Valentines Giveaway Hop is all about spreading our love for these supernatural creatures.

Vampires For Valentines Giveaway Hop runs from 12:01am February 10th through to 11:59pm February 16th 2012, and is hosted by Felicity Heaton (Paranormal Romance Author) and Bitten by Paranormal Romance.

For this hop, I’m giving away a PDF copy of my lesbian erotic vampire romance, Bite with Height. Use the Rafflecopter to enter (this is an international giveaway), then check out the rest of the participants using the linky list. There are lots of awesome prizes to be won!

Yep, you read it right – my lesbian paranormal story set in my beloved city of Paris was awarded Book of 2011 by SexyReads.co.uk!

The site reviewed the book some time ago, with lovely comments such as:

“Lucy Felthouse does short but sweet to perfection, a true mistress of the erotic word in it’s most dramatic and dare I pun climatic form.”

and

“Definitely one with extra bite for the heart and loin warming pile!”

Which naturally made me dance around the room, but to have been given an award, too, well… let’s just say I’m now catapulting around the room!

So, um, yeah! That’s me walking on air then

Wanna see what the fuss is about? Check it out here.

Article first published as Book Review: 666 Charing Cross Road by Paul Magrs on Blogcritics.

666 Charing Cross Road is a light hearted take on the gothic and supernatural. The action is split between London and New York, and starts in Manhattan. Shelley works in a museum, and is dating her boss, Daniel. He’s stuck up, but she puts that down to him being a posh Englishman. Things are going reasonably well until Shelley’s aunt Liza gets in touch with a weird old bookshop on London’s Charing Cross Road and starts ordering spooky tomes. Soon, a dusty leather book arrives which Liza finds repellent, and her dog even more so. Daniel, however, is fascinated by it.

Liza soon realises it’s stained with vampire blood and carries an evil entity, but it’s too late. Daniel calls forth the power into himself, and at the same time it gives life to Bessie – one of the artefacts in the museum. It seems the newly-powerful Daniel and Bessie are mortal enemies. Daniel’s aim is to infect the whole of New York, and beyond, whereas Bessie is determined to put a stop to the evil curse. But she can only do it with the help of her human friends. And so off to London they go…

This is a real page turner. It’s all quite tongue in cheek and yet has elements of supernatural myths and legends which really make you think. 666 Charing Cross Road is a good fun, engaging vampire novel with a difference. I’ll definitely be looking out for more from this author.

Available from:

Amazon UK
Amazon US
The Book Depository
Waterstone’s

As most of you probably already know, I’ve just been to Paris on a research trip for the follow-up to my lesbian erotic romance short, Bite with Height. Naturally, as Paris is just so inspiring and beautiful, I have tons of ideas for my upcoming story, which is very likely to be novel length, eek!

Also, though, I took the opportunity to revisit the “scenes of the crime” from Bite with Height, i.e. places that appeared/were relevant in the story. So for those of you that have read it, I hope you’ll enjoy seeing some of the places that you’ve read about in the flesh. If you haven’t, then perhaps these will whet your appetite and send you scurrying to your preferred eBook retailer

Me posing with a Bite with Height postcard in front of the Sacre-Coeur basilica. This is where a great deal of the action takes place, mainly up inside that dome that you see right at the top. You know, the one you have to climb 300+ steps to reach. *phew*

A closer shot – not particularly flattering as it was a bit warm! The postcard is cute though, huh?

The view as you emerge from the first lot of steps. Though as it was a spiral staircase, my view was actually spinning a little, and I was gasping and pouring with sweat. Sexy, huh? No wonder Meg grabbed Grace and got her onto the roof the ‘easy’ way!

Finally up on the roof – the hat has been removed as it was uber-windy up there. Which is the only possible explanation for my insane hairstyle. I’m sitting on one of the stone benches inside the dome of the Sacre-Coeur – could this be where Meg and Grace got it on? Who knows…?

Plenty of room for two girls to get naughty there! They’re only slight, after all

A rusty and somewhat mysterious-looking door. Could this be the entrance to Meg’s lair? That’s for me to know…

Sitting outside the Starbucks opposite the Moulin Rouge with a postcard. This is where Meg and Grace first met. It’s not as busy as when they first met, mainly because it had been raining and no-one wanted to sit on the wet seats. I, however, in my infinite genius got some tissues out of my bag and wiped them down. Ta-da! Posing picture!

I’ll probably do another post later in the week with some photos relating to the research for the follow-up to Bite with Height. In the meantime, if you haven’t read it – check it out here.

OK, so I obviously haven’t gone fishing. That’s not my cup of tea. I have, however, gone on my holiday/research trip to France, where I’ll be spending three days in Paris sightseeing and also researching the sequel for my paranormal erotic romance, Bite with Height. I’ll be hanging out in graveyards, bookshops, churches, erotic museums and much more. I’ll let you decide what’s for fun, and what’s research. You may well be surprised! All being well, I’ll also be meeting the lovely Emma Hillman for lunch – erotic writers lunching in Paris, how very cosmopolitan!

There will be some posts appearing on the site (scheduling technology permitting) while I’m away, and I’ll probably send the odd Tweet via text, or if I can find free WiFi (that actually works!). Otherwise, though, I’m out of contact *shock, horror* until the 10th when life returns to normal (until K D Grace and Maxim Jakubowski’s book launch at Sh! Hoxton on the 14th October, of course!) and I’ll start wading through my emails then.

In the meantime, don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!

I just had the nicest email in my inbox – my paranormal erotic romance tale Bite with Height was reviewed by Whipped Cream and they awarded it 4 cherries (out of 5)!

Here’s what they had to say:

“I really enjoyed this short, sexy story with lots of girl-talk, coffee with a vampire twist in the shadow of Sacré-Coeur. I’d gladly recommend it to others who enjoy paranormal and F/F Romance. If you’re in the mood for an uncomplicated, quick satisfying read with F/F romance, don’t miss Bite With Height.”

You can see the full review here.

Want to bag this sexy tale? See a list of retailers here.

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