Monday Musing

Good Morning!
I've been giving a lot of thought to the evolution of vampires. The earliest vampire movie I'm aware of is Nosferatu. It was released in 1922. He was a walking corpse. No chance of getting hot and bothered looking at that guy. Certainly no voluntarily exposing your neck for a little nip either. I guess in those days, the main jest of the movie was horror, not sex or romance. Along came the movie, Dracula played by Bela Lugosi in 1931 and later by Christopher Lee in 1958. These men were fairly nice looking, but again the movies were horror, not romance. They were easy on the eyes, so exposing the neck didn't appear to be a problem ( of course, they did use mind control to get what they wanted, too). In 1979 Frank Langella took the role of Dracula. A pretty hot guy as far as I was concerned. This version was still a horror, but with romantic elements. He falls in love with Lucy (we'll call her the heroine) and "marries" her. At the end, in their attempt to escape England and go to Transylvania, Dracula is destroyed. Lucy is "saved" by her former fiance' who does not forgive her transgression of infidelity. The last scene shows her smiling enigmatically as Dracula's cape fly away in the wind. Which makes you think, sequel! He'll be back!

Instead of vampires being creatures that cause mortals to fear, dread and panic they now incite feelings of lust, charisma or sex appeal. Writers and movie directors now show vampires as leading men or heroes. Today's vampires are not just ordinary looking Joes. They have muscles, amazing abs, firm jaws, intense eyes and dazzling smiles.

There are some pretty smokin' series about vampires out there by such authors as Lara Adrian (Breeds), F.D. Davis (In The Beginning: A Vampire Series), Sherrilyn Kenyon (Dark Hunters), Katie MacAlister (Dark Ones) and Kerrelyn Sparks (Love At Stakes).

Who are some of your favorite vamp writers? Which vamps do you think are smokin' hot?

Teaser Tuesday Snippets

Welcome to Teaser Tuesday. Each Tuesday, I will post a snippet of a book from my personal bookshelf. Some books may be fiction. Some may be on the craft of writing. Here's today's selection.

"Stop," I said quietly. "Find someone else to toy with. We both know I lack experience, so I don't know how to play the game without getting hurt. Besides, I hate games. I prefer knowing straight up what's real and what's bullcrap."
He sat back, something lurking in his gaze that tempted me despite knowing better. I gulped my wine for a distraction.
"It's your directness and refusal to lie to yourself that I find most appealing. And I'm not toying with you. I'm very serious about making you mine."

Page 107, Once Burned by Jeanine Frost


Here's the Blurb:

She's a mortal cursed with dark power...

After a tragic accident scarred her body and destroyed her dreams, Leila never imagined that the worst was still to come: a terrifying ability to channel electricity and to see a person's darkest secrets through a single touch. Leila is doomed to a life of solitude...until creatures of the night kidnap her, forcing her to reach out with a telepathic distress call to the world's most infamous vampire...

He's the Prince of Night...

Vlad Tepesh inspired the greatest vampire legend of all--but whatever you do, don't call him Dracula. Vlad's ability to control fire makes him one of the most feared vampires in existence, but his enemies have found a new weapon against him--a beautiful mortal with powers to match his own. When Vlad and Leila meet, however, passion ignites, threatening to consume them. It will take everything they have to stop an enemy intent on bringing them down n flames.