Of Angels and Demons and...Vampires

Yep, it's a vamp story.  It goes on sale June 1st at eHarlequin.com and Amazon, and any of your favorite online retailers.  It is electronic format only.  If you've read ANGEL SLAYER, and you're interested in learning how the secondary character, Michael Donovan, got his start hunting halos, this is the story for you.


My name is Michael Donovan. I'm a halo hunter. And I want to believe.
For ten years I've been collecting halos, lost when fallen angels purposefully left heaven to mate with human women. But in all that time, I've never seen an angel.
In Paris searching for halo number fifteen, I get a lucky break when a gorgeous woman named Vinny offers up the halo's location--for a price. Even though she sends up all kinds of warning signals, I can't resist her offer. She's too interesting, too mysterious...and way too sexy.
Sure enough, soon I'm being shot at, followed by strange men, and learning more about the supernatural world from Vinny than I ever could have imagined. Why are the pretty ones always so dangerous?


You can read the prologue and first chapter here!

Vamped Out

Here's a funny new web-series, VAMPED OUT, about a vampire who is an actor, who cannot get hired to play a vampire.

YA Vamps in Vampire Kisses 7 "Love Bites" by Ellen Schreiber

"Love Bites", Vampire Kisses book 7, by Ellen Schreiber

Publisher Synopsis:

As a mortal girl dating a vampire, Raven knows that love isn't always easy. Now that Alexander's parents have returned to Romania, Raven and her dreamy vampire boyfriend are happy to resume their cryptic romance.

But soon another visitor comes knocking: Sebastian, Alexander's best friend, arrives for a stay at the mansion. At first Raven is wary, then thrilled—this is the perfect chance to learn more about her darkly handsome boyfriend and his past. Raven has been wondering whether Alexander will ever bite her and make their love immortal, and Sebastian could be her guide to the love habits of Alexander and his kind. But when Sebastian falls for a particular Dullsvillian, will another mortal beat Raven to the bite?

With suspense, danger, and a fabulous vampire party, this seventh book in the bestselling Vampire Kisses series continues the exciting nocturnal romance of Raven and Alexander.

Ellen's on Tour!

Love Bites came out on May 18th and arrived on my doorstep that day and I started reading almost immediately!  This series is one of my favorite YA vampire series and I was very excited to get this and read it.  I was reading on her website that they like to release one a year and that she is contracted at this time for at least 8 books so the next one won't be until next year around this time...  Oh boy, I'm already anxiously waiting!  :)  

In case you were wondering, it was worth the wait!  This book, lived up to my expectations.  I enjoyed it a lot.  Raven seemed to grow and we learned more of Alexander as his best friend Sebastian comes to stay with him.  Who, brings some fun and interesting things to the story.  And yes, goth girl Raven is still worried about whether or not her vampire boyfriend will bite her so she can be a vampire too.  Although, this time she is more concerned about a certain vampire biting another friend first!  It is quite an ordeal and she goes to great lengths to make sure that doesn't happen.  Well, I said she was growing... not all grown up!  Ha ha.  

And, if I thought I was going to get through it all without a major twist at the end...  Well, I was wrong and my stomach was about in knots of it's own with some games & parties going down, oh my!  Yikes...  Mostly in a good way, story-wise, Ellen Schreiber really did a good job of making this one stand on it's own and yet tying it in with the previous 6 books and making room for an 8th.  I have to say I was impressed and ready for the next one by the very end.  I only wish I was better at waiting... I guess a year isn't so long in vampire-years, hmm...  Bring it on, more Vampire Kisses for me!

I'll leave you with one of my favorite quotes from the book:

     "It's not about changing----it's about growing, together," he said, like the wise soul that he was. "I wanted to let you know----that I am with you.  Always.  Forever.  We don't have to be separated by the sun, school, or even the night.  Now I'm just a click away."

     I was deeply moved by Alexander's present to me and I rewarded my vampire boyfriend with mortal kisses.

Which reminds me, Alexander is a fabulous vampire boyfriend!  :)  He is one of my favorite vamps...sigh.

Happy vampire book reading!

Oh, I almost forgot to mention, Ellen Schreiber, like many other authors is branching out to werewolves!  So, we don't have to wait too long for another book of hers at least...  Check this out from her site:

Celeste Parker is used to hearing scary stories about werewolves -Legend's Run is famous for them. She's used to everything in the small town until Brandon Maddox moves to Legend's Run and Celeste finds herself immediately drawn to the handsome new student. But when, after an unnerving visit with a psychic, she encounters a pack of wolves and gorgeous, enigmatic Brandon, she must discover whether his transformation is more than legend or just a trick of the shadows in the moonlight. Her best friends may never forgive her if she gives up her perfect boyfriend, Nash, for Brandon, who's from the wrong side of town. But she can't deny her attraction or the strong pull he has on her. Brandon may be Celeste's hero, or he may be the most dangerous creature she could encounter in the woods of Legend's Run. Psychic predictions, generations-old secrets, a town divided, and the possibility of falling in love with a hot and heroic werewolf are the perfect formula for what happens . . . once in a full moon.

This one is slated for January 2011!  

Happy reading then!  :)

If you hang out on Goodreads at all look me up, I'm addicted!  It is great for keeping track of all of your reads.  Kind of like a virtual library and bookcase.  I love it!  

~Shauna

www.readwriterevamp.com

Guest: Alaya Dawn Johnson

Here's another great read to add to your shopping list.  Please welcome Alaya Dawn Johnson to VampChix, who has an intriguing new vampire story out right now!

Imagining vampires at the heart of the social struggles of 1920s, MOONSHINE  blends a tempestuous romance with dramatic historical fiction, populated by a lively mythology inhabiting the gritty New York City streets.


In addition to being a metaphor, folkloric tradition, literary craze and romantic fixation, the vampire is also a social engineering problem. When you have creatures with special abilities who propagate themselves by infection, a writer necessarily has to build in some rules to her world to make sure that her favorite undead creatures don't, well, take it over.

Because the vampire apocalypse? Way less fun than you'd think.

Some writers deal with this by making vampirism vanishingly rare. If it's complicated enough to pass on, there are natural population limits. Suzy McKee Charnas (in her brilliant The Vampire Tapestry) solved the problem even more elegantly: her hero is the only vampire in the entire known world.

I, on the other hand, wrote my vampires at the other end of the population scale. They are relatively common. A minority underclass, certainly, but a substantial one. In my alternate 1920s New York City, everyone knows about vampires, and not too many people like them. This presented me with a big issue: if so many people have a communicable disease, what keeps it from spreading throughout the rest of the population? I addressed this in a few ways.

Number one, newly turned vampires don't have many physical advantages, and they have lots of weaknesses. The older ones can be powerful in the way we recognize, but I knew that if every vampire in the Lower East Side could turn you to lunch by looking at you, there wouldn't be too many humans left. New vampires are deathly sensitive to blessed water, metal and garlic. They can stand the sun for brief periods, but their status as vampires is immediately obvious to anyone who looks at them. A few of them can hypnotize humans, but mostly they are forced to get their blood from a series of Blood Banks in operation around the city (where down-on-their-luck humans donate blood for spending money).

Number two, vampires don't often live very long. There's a lot of violence in the streets, and vampires are often at the center of it. Defenders (quasi-official militias that get paid to slaughter vampire 'nests' for private citizens) roam the streets. The city police will stake any chance they get. There might be a lot of vampires in New York City, but there's also a lot of turnover.

Finally, most vampires don't want to spread their disease, any more than most people with the flu go around spitting in their friends' drinks. Vampires have morals just like anyone else. And even if a few try to spread the disease, biting someone doesn't automatically turn them. In fact, the risk of transmission from a single bite is less than 1%. On the scale of the population of the United States that's quite a lot of people, but still not enough to bring down the undead apocalypse.

Now, I'm not an epidemiologist or a city planner, so it's entirely possible that New York City is doomed in another twenty or thirty years. On the other hand, I am a writer, and wouldn't that be a fascinating take on World War II...
 Alaya


Please visit Alaya at her website!

Winner!!

Winner of Nancy Gideon's MASKED BY MOONLIGHT is...

van_pham


Please email VampChix with your snail mail address!

Thanks to all who stopped by and commented!

Guest: Nancy Gideon

It's a thrill to have Nancy Gideon visit VampChix today!  I consider her one of the pioneers in the vampire romance genre.  If you haven't checked out her earlier works in the Midnight series, they are definitely worth finding!  Nancy will give away a copy of MASKED BY MOONLIGHT to one person so leave her some love in the comments! [winner announced Wednesday]

“IT’S HARD TO KEEP A GOOD VAMPIRE (OR SHAPE-SHIFTER) SERIES DOWN”

by Nancy Gideon

            It all started with a pair of tight shoes. 

            I’d put on my conference fine to have lunch with my then Zebra editor at RWA National in the early ‘90s.  We chatted about my Dana Ransom westerns for a while then he asked if I’d ever thought about writing a vampire romance.  Vampire romance?! (Remember, this was the early ‘90s and that first big wave of paranormals had yet to hit the industry.) Hmmm. I told him I’d think about it. 

To give my aching dogs a rest, I snuck back to my hotel room to stretch out, basking in the silence and wiggling my toes.  Vampire romance . . .

Nostalgia took hold as I shut my eyes to enjoy the A/C chill, remembering how I’d rushed home from junior high (okay, don’t stop to do the math, please!) to watch the campy vampire soap opera Dark Shadows, how I’d lose myself in the musty hallways of Gothic romances until I discovered the delicious shivers of Stephen King.  I confess.  I’ve always been a paranormal junkie. 

Vampire romance . . . What if I combined my love of historicals with my preternatural characters?  What if I placed my tall, dark and ghoulish hero in the Regency period in England, in Post-Revolution France, in turn of the century New York?  What if the stories followed a reluctant vampire who longed for the return of his humanity, gave him a human wife who would grow old while he remained ever youthful, a half-vampire daughter with an identity crisis, villainous friends who scheme to keep him walking the night shadows with them instead of finding a cure for his curse? What if he was the hero in more than one of the books? My imagination started painting the picture and in less than two hours, I caught up with my editor at a workshop to tell him that I not only had the idea for a vampire romance—I had a three book series.  He blinked then told me to send it.  The outlines were on his desk waiting for him when he got back from the conference.  My MIDNIGHT series was born.  I was a paranormal author!

Then Midnight Kiss was released in 1994 and was DOA.  My suave and sexy hero had turned into a greenish zombie on a cover that was so frightful, it was shelved in horror by mistake. Reviewers loved it, but readers couldn’t find it anywhere.  The next two came out with even more critical acclaim and award recognition, but they had the shelf life of a May fly.  By the time readers found out about them, the only way they could be ordered was for $75.00 a book on E-Bay! With a regretful sigh, I put away my plans for continuing the series… but my readers didn’t.  They wanted more books.  They started a petition launched through Romantic Times Magazine.  Remember, this was before social media, before Facebook and blogs and the Internet as we know it.  There were only readers writing letters of protest, begging for a return of my characters and a book for Gerardo Pascale: a cry that didn’t fade away even as the paranormal trend disappeared, and years went by.

Then writer friend Linda Kichline did something amazing.  She started her own small press called ImaJinn (imagine) Books, specializing in the paranormal. Maybe this could be a new home for my very pale hero and his friends?  When I approached her about vampire romances, she said, no. Her market survey showed that readers didn’t want vampires.  I shamelessly wheedled and finally she agreed to look at one of the books. And then she called and asked how many I’d like to write for her.   The books came out in trade size with great covers and terrific reviews and more awards…and the readers, who rejoiced about finally having a book for bad boy villain Gerard, again, couldn’t get a hold of the books.  Bookstores couldn’t order them through traditional avenues, problems with distributors and return policies bogged down shipments. As frustrated as the booksellers who couldn’t meet the demand, I buried my poor vampires once again and moved.

Then a funny thing called Twilight hit, and a whole new generation of readers started sinking their teeth into all things AB-negative, breathing life back into my series once again…through e-books. 

This re-kindling (pun intended!) of interest leads me to contemplate the pros and cons of writing a series.  The cons are dramatically outlined above:  Series cancelled with plot, characters and angry readers left hanging  First books in the series unavailable by the time later installments arrive. A glut of not-very-good-books quickly thrown on the shelves to meet the demand leading to a sudden shift in trends and a cooling publisher interest. Worth the risk?  I think so.

The great thing about a paranormal series is that it can go on…forever!  The characters never freaking die, or can be resurrected and good as new again. It never gets stale. It’s a paranormal!  There are no conventions, no boundaries, no limits except the imagination and the writer’s ability to take the reader with them on that journey beyond belief. The trick is building.  Building a huge platform from which to launch your stories.  A brave new world, filled with unique and ever developing properties. Powerful characters with lots of issues, tons of baggage, and an endless supply of fascinating family and friends.  I never met a secondary character I couldn’t make into a hero or heroine.  It’s like Facebook…each one expands exponentially. You build on a readership base, on the momentum, on the anticipation, on the mythology.  And don’t worry, like bellbottoms and platform shoes, romance trends cycle back around.

Readers love a series even more than writers, and they are LOYAL!  Give them a reunion with characters they think of like family. Give them what they expect, then surprise them with more.  Like a lover, never cheat on them or leave them unsatisfied.  Think of a paranormal series like an addiction.  A good one.  It has less calories than chocolate, is more health conscious than smoking, is cheaper than the slots.  Okay, running is probably better for you, but does anyone really look like they’re having a good time while doing it?  And best of all, you don’t feel guilty for getting your friends hooked on it, too.

I’ve learned some things since those first three books were conceived in a strange hotel room.  With my edgy new shape-shifter series for Pocket Books, the first three are coming out back-to-back-to-back so readers will be able to find them.  Six have been sold so there’s plenty of time to settle in and get comfortable with the characters.  And with electronic editions, they won’t disappear before interest does.  And the covers represent the story…hot, hot, HOT. Not a greenish ghoulie in sight. And a taste of one, will lead to a hunger for all.

Why didn’t I think of that twenty years ago?

I think I’ll blame the shoes.

Nancy Gideon is the author of over fifty romance novels spanning the genre from historicals and series suspense to the paranormal, as well several horror movie screen plays.  She’s also written under the pseudonyms Dana Ransom and Rosalyn West and is a “Career Achievement for Historical Adventure” winner.  She works full time as a legal assistant and has a secret addiction to Net Flix.

Nancy’s MOONLIGHT series debuts with MASKED BY MOONLIGHT (May 25, 2010).  

“Intriguing characters and zippy action,” says Publishers Weekly in a starred review. “Gideon masters the tension required to keep her complex and engaging story moving.”  He’s a deadly shape-shifter searching for his past and she’s a dedicated cop hiding from her own demons in a steamy New Orleans backdrop, where a criminal empire filled with treacherous alliances, a clan of ferocious shape-shifters searching for their prophesied leader, and an inescapable fate conspire to pull them apart. Troubled by secrets, torn by loyalties and tortured by a passion both irresistible and frightening, Max Savoie and Charlotte Caissie fight  for an unexpected chance for happiness against odds impossible to beat.  

Their romance and adventures continue in CHASED BY MOONLIGHT and CAPTURED BY MOONLIGHT on June 29, 2010 and July 27, 2010.  Visit me and learn more about the series at www.nancygideon.com.

Enjoy a little taste of Romance by Moonlight:  

What’s your favorite thing or pet peeve about paranormal series you’ve read?  What makes you want more or decide enough is enough?

Vampire Appeal: What Makes Them So Irresistible

Photos: The Vampire Diaries CW Promos

This is a topic that is often brought up- why are vampires so damn sexy?

Seriously what is it that is so appealing that we just can't get enough of them?

Some books and movies depict them as grotesque, evil and downright hideous.

Even the sexiest vampires are still described as being walking corpses.

So what the hell is so sexy about something dead? (I ask not because I am grossed out but because I am curious that I find them so damn irresistible myself)

Let's take a look at some of the more common beliefs about vampires- they are pale, they are cold-like dead cold, they have bad breath and they lack a pulse or a heartbeat. What could possibly be sexy about making out with a cold, pale guy (or girl) with bad breath that doesn't even have a heartbeat ? Hmmm

And then there's the blood drinking. Ewwww. Yet somehow in the books and movies even that can be turned into something downright sexy but if you went on a date with a normal guy and he decided to down a blood shot I can't imagine that the night would end up favorably.

So why is everyone falling all over themselves to join the fangbangers club?

Really, when you sit down and seriously think about all the nastiness involved with vampires it looks like we should all seek serious counseling for even considering these creatures of the night to be attractive at all.

But we do.

Somehow the appeal of eternal life, eternal youth, and extreme power override all rational thought when it comes to vampires. We even overlook simple things in books and movies that taken in another context would have us totally grossed out.

Like the age difference between the centuries old vampire and the teenage or young twenty something girl he falls for.

Talk about robbing the cradle! I think author Nicole Peeler brought up a great point when she brought up the supernatural daddy complex. What makes us swoon for the ancient, alpha male?

Sure these vampires may look like an eternal teenager but that doesn't mean they are. They've lived far longer than any normal human ever would. (That brings up a question for me, are you only as old as you look- so age isn't really a number but an appearance?) And it's a storyline that never seems to get old: Buffy and Angel, Bella and Edward, Elena and Stefan (and Elena and Damon).

If these guys weren't vampires or other supernatural creatures but just plain "old" humans we'd all be grossed out about the older guy pursuing the young girl but with the vamps we're all for it.

Maybe it is how these creatures are described and portrayed on the screen.

Look at The Vampire Diaries- I don't care how evil Damon is- I can't get past that face- he's just so damn beautiful. And as the show has progressed the bad boy's heart is starting to show, which really adds to his bad boy with a sensitive side oh so sexy vamp appeal.


What is the ultimate draw for you? What makes a vampire sexy? What makes them so sexy that all the other stuff can be overlooked?

I think for me it all depends on the vampire- some are worth the fuss...others not so much. Damon is worth the fuss for me...Edward not so much.

Who is your sexiest vampire of all time and why?

New Vampire Releases for May 2010

Some lovely choices this May for vampire lovers of all ages. Several are geared to the teen market like the first title about the young descendant of Dr. Van Helsing.

Alex Van Helsing: Vampire Rising
by Jason Henderson
HarperTeen; 1 edition (May 4, 2010)

From the publisher: The Van Helsing name reborn
Fourteen-year-old Alex has no idea that he's descended from the world's most famous vampire hunter, but that changes fast when he arrives at Glenarvon Academy and confronts two vampires in his first three days. Turns out Glenarvon isn't the only school near Lake Geneva. Hidden deep underground lies an ancient university for vampires called the Scholomance. And the deadly vampire clan lord known as Icemaker? You might say he's a visiting professor.

When two of Alex's friends are kidnapped by Icemaker, it's up to Alex to infiltrate the Scholomance and get them back—alive. Assisted by the Polidorium, a top-secret vampire-hunting organization with buried ties to the Van Helsings, Alex dodges zombies, bullets, and lots—and lots—of fangs on his way to thwarting Icemaker's plans and fulfilling his family destiny.

Blood Born
by Linda Howard and Linda Jones
Ballantine Books; Original edition (April 27, 2010)
(missed this one last month, sorry!)


From the publisher: When the human and the vampire worlds collide, there will be hell to pay.

Luca Ambrus is a rare breed: vampire from birth, begotten by vampire parents, blood born. He is also an agent of the Council—the centuries-old cabal that governs vampirekind, preserving their secrecy and destroying those who betray them.

When a cryptic summons leads him to the scene of the brutal killing of a powerful Council member, Luca begins the hunt for an assassin among his own people. But instead of a lone killer he discovers a sinister conspiracy of rogue vampires bent on subjugating the mortal world.

All that stands in their way are the conduits, humans able to channel spirit warriors into the physical world to protect mankind. Chloe Fallon is a conduit—and a target of the vampire assassin who’s killing them. When Luca saves her life, an irresistible bond of trust—along with more passionate feelings—is forged between them. As more victims fall, Chloe and Luca have only each other to depend on to save the world from the reign of monsters—and salvage their own future together.

BLOOD OATH
Christopher Farnsworth
Putnam Adult; 1 edition (May 18, 2010)

From the publisher: The ultimate secret. The ultimate agent. The President's vampire.

Zach Barrows is an ambitious young White House staffer whose career takes an unexpected turn when he's partnered with Nathaniel Cade, a secret agent sworn to protect the president. But Cade is no ordinary civil servant. Bound by a special blood oath, Cade has spent more than 140 years in service to the president, battling nightmares before they can break into the daylight world of the American dream.

Immediately Zach and Cade receive their first joint assignment: one that uncovers a shadowy government conspiracy and a plot to attack the Unites States with a gruesome new biological weapon. Zach soon learns that the world is far stranger, and far more dangerous, than he ever imagined . . . and that his partner is the least of his problems.

BLOODBORN: Ulrika the Vampire
by Nathan Long
Games Workshop (May 25, 2010)

From the publisher: Newly made vampire heroine Ulruika must adjust to her life as a vampire in the midst of an investigation into the death of one of her Lahmian sisterhood

Circus of Sins
By Natasha Rhodes
Solaris (May 25, 2010)

From the publisher: When young Hunter recruit Kayla Steele is bitten by a werewolf, she thinks it's the end of her world. However, little does she know that the real end of the world is not far off. Master vampire, Harlequin, has made a deal with the devil, and plans to commit the ultimate sin by killing an angel and triggering the Third War in Heaven... which could wipe out mankind forever. Kalya must join forces with her ultimate enemies, the werewolves, in order to stave off Armageddon and save the man she loves from the clutches of Hell - or die trying.

Dead in the Family: (Sookie Stackhouse Book 10)
by Charlaine Harris
Ace Hardcover; 1 edition (May 4, 2010)

From the publisher: After enduring torture and the loss of loved ones during the brief but deadly Faery War, Sookie Stackhouse is hurt and she's angry. Just about the only bright spot in her life is the love she thinks she feels for vampire Eric Northman. But he's under scrutiny by the new Vampire King because of their relationship. And as the political implications of the Shifters coming out are beginning to be felt, Sookie's connection to the Shreveport pack draws her into the debate. Worst of all, though the door to Faery has been closed, there are still some Fae on the human side-and one of them is angry at Sookie. Very, very angry...

 Jess Haines is a new author for Zebra with Hunted by Others, the first book in her H&W Investigations Series coming out in May. This one is about a detective who may become the secret weapon in a battle between good and evil. The mention of a possible love interest with a mesmerizing vampire has piqued my interest.

Enemy Lover
by Karin Harlow
Pocket Star (May 25, 2010)

From the publisher: When you have no alternative, then you call in L.O.S.T. Because with the Last Option Special Team, it’s do or die. . . .

It’s Jax Cassidy’s first mission for L.O.S.T.—one that will give the former cop who went rogue a chance to prove herself. Her assignment: gain the trust of assassin Marcus Cross . . . eliminate him . . . then take down Marcus’s mentor, Joseph Lazarus, a man with a bold eye on the White House. But the woman who’s known by her team for being a femme fatale succumbs to passion, only to discover Cross’s deadly secret. He’s a vampire, and Joseph Lazarus is his creator.

Left for dead by his platoon in the violent hills of Afghanistan, Special Ops sniper Marcus Cross was given a second chance at life. His newly heightened skills make him the perfect killing machine, and as Lazarus’s right-hand man, he’s quickly rising to the top of his dark empire, purging enemies with speed and precision. Only when dangerous beauty Jax Cassidy is sent to bring him in does he begin to question Lazarus’s motives and his own actions. But when Jax’s life is threatened by the one thing that can destroy them both, Marcus must make a bitter choice—her death or his.

Honeymoon of the Dead
By Tate Hallaway
Berkley Trade; 1 edition (May 4, 2010)

From the publisher:  In wintry Wisconsin, occult bookseller-and witch-Garnet Lacey isn't immune to the cold. But even though her new vampire husband doesn't actually have a pulse, love will keep them warm-if the honeymoon doesn't drive them apart.

Thanks to a vengeful frost demon, instead of a gothic honeymoon in Transylvania, Garnet and Sebastian are stuck in exotic Minneapolis, Minnesota. And with gods and goddesses running amok all over town, Garnet can't seem to find much quality time for her new hubby...

Infinity (Chronecles of Nick #1)
by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Berkley Trade; 1 edition (May 4, 2010)

From the publisher:  At fourteen, Nick Gautier thinks he knows everything about the world around him. Streetwise, tough and savvy, his quick sarcasm is the stuff of legends. . .until the night when his best friends try to kill him. Saved by a mysterious warrior who has more fighting skills than Chuck Norris, Nick is sucked into the realm of the Dark-Hunters: immortal vampire slayers who risk everything to save humanity.

Nick quickly learns that the human world is only a veil for a much larger and more dangerous one: a world where the captain of the football team is a werewolf and the girl he has a crush on goes out at night to stake the undead.

But before he can even learn the rules of this new world, his fellow students are turning into flesh eating zombies. And he’s next on the menu.

As if starting high school isn't hard enough. . .now Nick has to hide his new friends from his mom, his chainsaw from the principal, and keep the zombies and the demon Simi from eating his brains, all without getting grounded or suspended. How in the world is he supposed to do that?

LITTLE VAMPIRE WOMEN
by Lynn Messina
HarperTeen; 1 edition (May 4, 2010)

From the publisher: "Christmas wont be Christmas without any corpses."

The dear, sweet March sisters are back, and Marmee has told them to be good little women. Good little vampire women, that is. That's right: Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy have grown up since you last read their tale, and now they have (much) longer lives and (much) more ravenous appetites.

Marmee has taught them well, and so they live by an unprecedented moral code of abstinence . . . from human blood. Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy must learn to get along with one another, help make society a better place, and avoid the vampire hunters who pose a constant threat to their existence. Plus, Laurie is dying to become a part of the March family, at any cost. Some things never change.

This horrifying—and hilarious—retelling of a timeless American classic will leave readers craving the bloodthirsty drama on each and every page.

LOVE AT FIRST BITE: THE COMPLETE VAMPIRE LOVER'S COOKBOOK 
by Michelle Rae and  Andrea Norville
Adams Media (May 18, 2010)

From the publisher: Interest in all things vampire is at an all time high with the success of the "Twilight" series. "Love at First Bite" is for those who can't get enough of vampires. It includes over 200 recipes like: Cold-Blooded Gazpacho; Blackened 'Like My Heart' Bass; Bloody Mary Fondue; Coffin Cakes; Hot Cross Buns; and Blood Orange Mimosas. This humorous, one-of-a-kind collection provides real recipes for fang-watering meals.




Magic Bleeds by Ilona Andrews
Ace (May 25, 2010)

From the publisher: Kate Daniels cleans up the paranormal problems no one else wants to deal with-especially if they involve Atlanta's shapeshifting community.

And now there's a new player in town-a foe that may be too much for even Kate and Curran, the Lord of the Beasts, to handle. Because this time, Kate will be taking on family.

MOON SWORN (Riley Jenson, Guardian, Book 9)
by Keri Arthur

Dell (May 25, 2010)

From the publisher: Shape-shifting werewolf and vampire Riley Jenson is through with death—causing it, solving it, surviving it. Her soul mate, Kye Murphy, is dead—and at Riley’s own hands. Not even the seductive embrace of her vampire lover, Quinn, can fully ease her mind, for she has begun questioning everything that makes her Riley—including her job at the Directorate.

Now, the ritualistically slain bodies of ex-cons have started turning up. Reluctantly, Riley takes the case, but something even worse is waiting in the wings. A vicious enemy from her past is determined to strip Riley of everything that gives her life any meaning: her lover, her brother—and even her own identity. Can Riley survive this ultimate assault? All she knows is, she must fight one last time to find answers, before everything goes dark forever.

Moonshine: A Novel 
by Alaya Johnson
St. Martin's Griffin; 1 edition (May 11, 2010)

From the publisher: Imagining vampires at the heart of the social struggles of 1920s, Moonshine blends a tempestuous romance with dramatic historical fiction, populated by a lively mythology inhabiting the gritty New York City streets

Zephyr Hollis is an underfed, overzealous social activist who teaches night school to the underprivileged of the Lower East Side. Strapped for cash, Zephyr agrees to help a student, the mysterious Amir, who proposes she use her charity worker cover to bring down a notorious vampire mob boss. What he doesn’t tell her is why. Soon enough she’s tutoring a child criminal with an angelic voice, dodging vampires high on a new blood-based street drug, and trying to determine the real reason behind Amir’s request—not to mention attempting to resist his dark, inhuman charm.

Spirit Bound Vampire Academy #5
Richelle Mead 
Razorbill (May 18, 2010)

From the publisher: Dimitri gave Rose the ultimate choice. But she chose wrong...

After a long and heartbreaking journey to Dimitri's birthplace in Siberia, Rose Hathaway has finally returned to St. Vladimir's-and to her best friend, Lissa. It is nearly graduation, and the girls can't wait for their real lives beyond the Academy's iron gates to begin. But Rose's heart still aches for Dimitri, and she knows he's out there, somewhere.

She failed to kill him when she had the chance. And now her worst fears are about to come true. Dimitri has tasted her blood, and now he is hunting her. And this time he won't rest until Rose joins him... forever.

Still Sucks to be Me: More All-True Confessions of Mina Hamilton Smith, Teen Vampire
by Kimberly Pauley
Mirrorstone (May 11, 2010)

From the publisher: With vampire boyfriend George and best friend Serena by her side, Mina thought she had her whole life—or rather afterlife—ahead of her. But then Mina’s parents drop a bomb. They’re moving. To Louisiana. And not somewhere cool like New Orleans, but some teeny, tiny town where cheerleaders and jocks rule the school. Mina has to fake her death, change her name, and leave everything behind, including George and Serena. Not even the Vampire Council’s shape-shifting classes can cheer her up. Then Serena shows up on Mina’s doorstep with some news that sends Mina reeling. Mina may look a lot better with fangs, but her afterlife isn’t any less complicated!

In this eagerly awaited sequel to the popular Sucks to Be Me, Kimberly Pauley addresses many of her fans’ most pressing questions (Will Serena become a vampire? What happened to Raven? What’s next for Mina and George?) with signature humor and breezy bloodsucking style.

Vampire Kisses 7: Love Bites
by Ellen Schreiber
Katherine Tegen Books; 1 edition (May 18, 2010)

From the publisher: As a mortal girl dating a vampire, Raven knows that love isn't always easy. Now that Alexander's parents have returned to Romania, Raven and her dreamy vampire boyfriend are happy to resume their cryptic romance.

But soon another visitor comes knocking: Sebastian, Alexander's best friend, arrives for a stay at the mansion. At first Raven is wary, then thrilled—this is the perfect chance to learn more about her darkly handsome boyfriend and his past. Raven has been wondering whether Alexander will ever bite her and make their love immortal, and Sebastian could be her guide to the love habits of Alexander and his kind. But when Sebastian falls for a particular Dullsvillian, will another mortal beat Raven to the bite?

Vampire Mistress (Vampire Queen)
By Joey W. Hill
Berkley Trade (May 4, 2010)

From the publisher: Joey W. Hill returns to the dark and seductive landscape of her Vampire Queen novels as a desperate woman named Anwyn finds herself trapped between the desires of two men, each with his own mission of the night: vampire hunter Gideon Green and vampire Daegan Rei. But when Anwyn is attacked by a rogue bloodsucker, Gideon and Daegan must become allies in order to save the woman they both love.

Vampire Vendetta
Alexis Morgan
Silhouette Nocturne (May 1, 2010)

From the publisher:  As the lone survivor of his vampire clan, Seamus Fitzhugh lives only for revenge. And now that he's infiltrated the compound of his enemy his chance has come…until he rescues a stunning hybrid from certain death. Megan Perez is a woman on the run from her own demons, and she's a distraction that could cost them both their lives. But the passion that burns between them is too hot to ignore, and not even the threat of danger can keep them apart.

Now their fates are intertwined—for better or worse— as they risk everything to experience the ultimate sensual release, as evil closes in all around them. Seamus must weigh how far he will go in the pursuit of vengeance…and love.

Vampireology: The True History of the Fallen (Ologies)
by Archer Brookes, Nick Holt, and Various
Candlewick; 1 edition (May 11, 2010)
For ages 9-12

From the publisher: Explore (if you dare) the true history of the Fallen Ones — and follow the fate of a 1920s investigator lured by a beauty with violet eyes.

Long before the term vampire was born, long before Bram Stoker fictionalized this being’s ways, blood-drinking demons were banished to Earth by Michael’s host of Angels, or so the Bible describes. Now this rich, mesmerizing resource, written in 1900, sheds light on what happened hence to the three vampire bloodlines — especially the tortured souls known as the Belial. Interspersed are booklets, flaps, and letters between a young paranormal researcher who discovered the book in the 1920s and an oddly alluring woman who seeks his help. Among the phenomena explored are:

* vampires’ genealogical origins, attributes, and range
* myths about the making of vampires
* secrets of vampires’ powers and shape-shifting skills
* tips for spotting vampires, protecting oneself, and fighting back
* case studies of famous vampires — and vampire hunters — through history
* a shocking overview of vampires "living" among us

VAMPIRES DON'T SLEEP ALONE: YOUR GUIDE TO MEETING, DATING AND SEDUCING A VAMPIRE 
by Elizabeth Barrial; D. H. Ahair
Ulysses Press (May 1, 2010)

From the publisher:  What girl can resist a dark, brooding, neck-nibbling boyfriend whose forbidden love adds to the intense attraction and sexual excitement? But it's not easy for a mere mortal to hook up with a vampire — unless she knows all about these mysterious creatures of the night.

That's where Vampires Don't Sleep Alone comes in. The authors of this revealing book have ventured deep into the hidden world of vampire lust, romance, and sex to find answers to the questions on the lips of every red-blooded American girl.

From basics like "Where can I find a cute vampire?" and "How do I get his attention without becoming dinner?" to trickier issues like "What if I want to have sex with the lights on?" and "Is his feeding cheating?," Vampires Don't Sleep Alone covers and uncovers it all. The author's clever advice, sexy tips, and proven tricks allow readers to meet, attract, and ultimately bed the vampire of their dreams.