Denise Verrico's Blog: Immortyl Revolution, page 22

Holiday Greetings!

Wishing you all a safe and happy holiday season!
My Fearful Symmetry Free Read

Apologies!

My apologies to C. J. Ellisson for the misspelling of her last name in the initial post.  It's been corrected.  This is what happens when you're in a hurry.  As someone with the last name Verrico, I should know better.  It's been such a pleasure having C. J. as a guest.  So many of you left wonderful comments for her, and I hope that you will continue to stop back for upcoming author visits and posts.  I've got a lot on the slate for January and February. 

Author C.J. Ellisson, Guest Blog and Free e-book!

Please welcome C. J. Ellisson, author of Vampire Vacation!  C. J. and I have been friends on Facebook for some time and finally met in person at A Day of Mystical Bloodlust back in October.  She's written a post on vampires and is offering a free e-book to all commenters in the next forty-eight hours.


Got Vamps?
What is it that attracts us to this creature? I've never stopped to analyze, I've accepted it as a reality.
When you look around at the over-stuffed bookshelves in brick-and-mortar establishments, troll the top sellers at large online retailers, and see the various imprints launched, it truly is a sight to behold. Whether your flavor is horror, light, dark, sexy, romance, crime-solver, or funny—there seems to be a vamp series to please.
I started writing as an escape. I wanted to have fun with it, so I wrote what I liked to read. The piece quickly evolved into an erotic suspense, tinged with humor, a bit of mystery, and a slight skirting of the dark. It doesn't fit into a cookie cutter mold. I'm not sure where it would belong on the shelves.

It would be arrogant to say next to Laurell K. Hamilton, but I can say her storytelling style certainly affected me when I read her work. She's a powerful writer who even though she has taken her series in a direction I'm not thrilled with, I can't deny she is a master in her craft.


What I want to know is what has happened to monogamy in regards to paranormal writing? Why is it the hero or heroine travels most of their path alone and—depending on the genre—may or may not wind up with someone in their lives at the conclusion? Who says you can't have fun in a tale with a team? Man and wife (or wife and wife, you get the drift) fighting against all odds, side by side, never wavering in their devotion to one another?
I hadn't realized when I penned my story I'd be one of the few writers who have married protagonists. Nick and Nora come to mind, so do Bones and Cat, or Amelia and Emerson... but the list is slim.

I wasn't sure if readers would respond to my unique tale with passion, adversity and strong characters. But I'm grateful to say they have. They reach out to me and write incredibly kind words about how they feel about Vivian and Rafe, how the story has moved them, reached them with certain passages, or just plain old turned them on.

Aside from the teasing I get from friends about my red-haired heroine sounding way too much like me, I can say I wouldn't change a thing. This rocky road as a new author has been a twisting, turning journey. Meeting other writers, like Denise, has been the light on the path when things get dark. We support, encourage, and inspire one another.


Have you ever had a dream you weren't sure could possibly come to fruition? In this season of dreams and good deeds, I encourage you to take a chance. The worst thing that can happen is you fail, right? And who among us has never failed? We've lived through it and will continue to—it is not our successes that define us, but our ability to overcome adversity.
Thanks for having me here today, Denise. In the spirit of giving and to show if I can make my dream come true then anyone can, I'd like to offer a free ebook to all commenters on your blog for the next 48 hours, please see below for the blurb. All they need to do is leave their email address and answer me this—what is your favorite flavor of vampire and why?
Wishing you all a very happy holiday season! And may all your dreams come true.

Thanks to you C. J. for your words of wisdom and your generous offer! Please read on for more information on C. J. and her work.

Links: Amazon, C. J.'s Website, Twitter, Wicked Writers, Write in the Shadows, Everything Erotic, C. J.'s Blog
C.J. Ellisson, author of erotic urban fantasy, lives near Washington DC with her husband, two children aged 10 and 8, two Staffordshire Bull Terriers and a young cat she's newly allergic to.



After spending most of her working life dealing with real estate—either as a sales manager in wholesale mortgage banking, corporate trainer, Realtor or as a property manager—she's now writing full time and happy for the first time in years. Writing has become her passion and to find people want to read her stories feels like a dream come true.



You can visit C.J. at her website, on Facebook, Goodreads, or her Amazon author page. She loves hearing from readers, please drop her a line at cj_ellisson@yahoo.com

~~*~~

Here's a blurb from Vampire Vacation:
Meet Vivian. She's a 580-year-old vampire who exudes sex, has a talent for drama, and is passionate about two things: her human husband, Rafe, and their resort for the undead. Her ability to project physical illusions has created the perfect vacation spot—a dark, isolated Alaskan hideaway where visitors can have their wildest fantasies come true.


Vivian knows the best performance requires perfect timing, but the powerful vamp is put to the test when she discovers a corpse in a locked guestroom minutes before the next arrivals. Always cool-headed, Rafe hides the body, convinced he and Vivian can find the culprit without disturbing their guests.
Juggling the increasingly outrageous demands of their customers while tracking a killer isn't easy. Will their poking and prodding give them the answers they need, or will it uncover secrets Vivian would kill to protect?

Author C.J. Ellison, Guest Blog and Free e-book!

Please welcome C. J. Ellison, author of Vampire Vacation!  C. J. and I have been friends on Facebook for some time and finally met in person at A Day of Mystical Bloodlust back in October.  She's written a post on vampires and is offering a free e-book to all commenters in the next forty-eight hours.


Got Vamps?
What is it that attracts us to this creature? I've never stopped to analyze, I've accepted it as a reality.
When you look around at the over-stuffed bookshelves in brick-and-mortar establishments, troll the top sellers at large online retailers, and see the various imprints launched, it truly is a sight to behold. Whether your flavor is horror, light, dark, sexy, romance, crime-solver, or funny—there seems to be a vamp series to please.
I started writing as an escape. I wanted to have fun with it, so I wrote what I liked to read. The piece quickly evolved into an erotic suspense, tinged with humor, a bit of mystery, and a slight skirting of the dark. It doesn't fit into a cookie cutter mold. I'm not sure where it would belong on the shelves.

It would be arrogant to say next to Laurell K. Hamilton, but I can say her storytelling style certainly affected me when I read her work. She's a powerful writer who even though she has taken her series in a direction I'm not thrilled with, I can't deny she is a master in her craft.


What I want to know is what has happened to monogamy in regards to paranormal writing? Why is it the hero or heroine travels most of their path alone and—depending on the genre—may or may not wind up with someone in their lives at the conclusion? Who says you can't have fun in a tale with a team? Man and wife (or wife and wife, you get the drift) fighting against all odds, side by side, never wavering in their devotion to one another?
I hadn't realized when I penned my story I'd be one of the few writers who have married protagonists. Nick and Nora come to mind, so do Bones and Cat, or Amelia and Emerson... but the list is slim.

I wasn't sure if readers would respond to my unique tale with passion, adversity and strong characters. But I'm grateful to say they have. They reach out to me and write incredibly kind words about how they feel about Vivian and Rafe, how the story has moved them, reached them with certain passages, or just plain old turned them on.

Aside from the teasing I get from friends about my red-haired heroine sounding way too much like me, I can say I wouldn't change a thing. This rocky road as a new author has been a twisting, turning journey. Meeting other writers, like Denise, has been the light on the path when things get dark. We support, encourage, and inspire one another.


Have you ever had a dream you weren't sure could possibly come to fruition? In this season of dreams and good deeds, I encourage you to take a chance. The worst thing that can happen is you fail, right? And who among us has never failed? We've lived through it and will continue to—it is not our successes that define us, but our ability to overcome adversity.
Thanks for having me here today, Denise. In the spirit of giving and to show if I can make my dream come true then anyone can, I'd like to offer a free ebook to all commenters on your blog for the next 48 hours, please see below for the blurb. All they need to do is leave their email address and answer me this—what is your favorite flavor of vampire and why?
Wishing you all a very happy holiday season! And may all your dreams come true.

Thanks to you C. J. for your words of wisdom and your generous offer! Please read on for more information on C. J. and her work.

Links: Amazon, C. J.'s Website, Twitter, Wicked Writers, Write in the Shadows, Everything Erotic, C. J.'s Blog
C.J. Ellisson, author of erotic urban fantasy, lives near Washington DC with her husband, two children aged 10 and 8, two Staffordshire Bull Terriers and a young cat she's newly allergic to.



After spending most of her working life dealing with real estate—either as a sales manager in wholesale mortgage banking, corporate trainer, Realtor or as a property manager—she's now writing full time and happy for the first time in years. Writing has become her passion and to find people want to read her stories feels like a dream come true.



You can visit C.J. at her website, on Facebook, Goodreads, or her Amazon author page. She loves hearing from readers, please drop her a line at cj_ellisson@yahoo.com

~~*~~

Here's a blurb from Vampire Vacation:
Meet Vivian. She's a 580-year-old vampire who exudes sex, has a talent for drama, and is passionate about two things: her human husband, Rafe, and their resort for the undead. Her ability to project physical illusions has created the perfect vacation spot—a dark, isolated Alaskan hideaway where visitors can have their wildest fantasies come true.


Vivian knows the best performance requires perfect timing, but the powerful vamp is put to the test when she discovers a corpse in a locked guestroom minutes before the next arrivals. Always cool-headed, Rafe hides the body, convinced he and Vivian can find the culprit without disturbing their guests.
Juggling the increasingly outrageous demands of their customers while tracking a killer isn't easy. Will their poking and prodding give them the answers they need, or will it uncover secrets Vivian would kill to protect?

New guest blog on India and Vampire Lore at Vampchix

Please hop over to VampChix to check out a guest blog that I did.  You can enter to win prizes! Vampchix

NaNoWriMo Update.

Winner of The Vampire Sonnets

Congratulations to E. J. Stevens who won a copy of The Vampire Sonnets by David Nelson Bradsher.  Sorry this took so long to get up here.  I had a very nasty virus on my computer and couldn't get on to post.  A very big thanks to David for being my guest!

The Vampire Sonnets Drawing

Congratulations to E.J. Stevens for winning The Vampire Sonnets drawing! Please e-mail your contact information to receive your prize. Thanks to everyone else who participated. You can purchase The Vampire Sonnets at Nelson Pearl Publishers.

Guest Blogger, David Nelson Bradsher, Author of The Vampire Sonnets

Today, I'm very excited to welcome David Nelson Bradsher the author of The Vampire Sonnets.  I was privileged to meet him and hear him read some of his beautiful sonnets at A Mystical day of Bloodlust in Lexington Kentucky.  Being a lover of poetry, I very much enjoyed the poems and chatting with David about Lord Byron and Shakespeare, among other things.  I was intrigued by the story the sonnets presented.  Vampires and poetry seem like the perfect marriage to me.  I think you will find David's work as exciting and innovative as I did.  David is also offering a copy of his book in a drawing.  Please read on for entry details.




Denise, thank for the invitation to be your guest blogger for the week. It's great to be here to talk a little about The Vampire Sonnets, my new verse drama from Nelson Pearl Publishers.


The Vampire Sonnets is one of those projects that more or less occurred rather than being planned. I call it a happy accident. I'd written a single sonnet, based on the image of the sun being a portal to flame, and it just made sense to couch it as a fourteen-line snapshot of a vampire, a vampire so immersed in his feeding of a serving wench that he doesn't notice the sun rising behind him. The sonnet ended with him having to seek sanctuary in the cool earth of a forest floor, and my intent was to leave it at that.


Therein, I located the happy accident, ripe for the picking. A British friend of mine, a writer of prose, read the sonnet and told me he'd like to hear the "resolution" of the immortal's plight. Not wanting to disappoint an interested party (poets dream of such an audience), I wrote another; then four; then eight; then sixteen, etc., and before I came up for air I had a full-fledged verse drama before me.
So, what we have now is a set of 193 sequential Shakespearean sonnets that tell the story of Tristan Grey, a 19th Century Londoner who is unwittingly led into the Chelsea clan by Nina, a psychotic ancient vampiress from Russia. What begins as a vampire seeking shelter from the sun transitions into an immortal review of his second life, complete with episodes of his siring, his relations, victims, loves and needs. It's a novel in the sense that it tells a story, but what sets it apart is the fact that the entire tale is written in rhyme and meter, with each chapter consisting of three quatrains and a couplet, and then moving immediately into the next chapter, which may be a continuation of the episode, or a change in time or setting, depending on the circumstance.

Many people are curious as to how you write such a story and stay true to the poetic form, but still achieve the freedom necessary to tell the tale in an unfettered manner. The best answer I can come up with is that it takes time, patience, and not a small dose of madness to grind the gears until it reads smooth enough to satisfy a perfectionist. Truth be told, I could have worked on this for forty years and still found things to change, but at some point you have set your fledgling free, and (with the help of my angel/devil of an editor/publisher) I finally signed off and let the presses roll.

I'd love to know from your readers, Denise, if the idea of a story told entirely in sonnets is off-putting or intriguing, and if those who haven't had much experience with poetry would still give it a day in court? I can pretty much guarantee that if a reader takes his or her time, follows the punctuation with minimal attention to the line breaks and maximum attention to the story, there's something there for lovers of poetry, paranormal, romance and mystery.

I appreciate the opportunity to be here, and I'd love to hear from the readers, if they have any questions or comments. To spark some interest, I'd also like to offer a free book, determined by a random drawing, to be awarded at the end of a week's time. Thanks again for letting me be here, and I hope to hear from some of you. For those interested in purchasing the book, please visit www.nelsonpearlpublishers.com. Please also feel free to visit the Facebook group page at http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/group.php?gid=47383438565.


David Nelson Bradsher graduated from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill ('89 B.A. English). He is a metrical poet, a late-arriving disciple of verse, and he still believes in the traditional forms, its meters, and rhyme's ability to capture the reader's ear and memory with an accordance of sound and music. He makes his home in Raleigh, North Carolina.
David, thanks so much for being my guest! Readers, please leave a comment for David to enter the drawing. The drawing ends 11/19/10, 11:59 PM EST. Winner will be announced the next day.
If you'd like to learn more about the world of Immortyl Revolution, please visit http://deniseverricowriter.webs.com/bookthreefreeread.htm.











Winner of the Twilight of the Gods Launch Drawing

Congratulations to Dina, who won the Twilight of the Gods Launch Drawing!  Thanks to all who have followed and entered.  Keep posted for upcoming drawings.