I'm a vampire...

I've been accused of it for years, not because I have fangs or am pale or because I drink blood - Yuck! I don't do that either.

But because I stay up so late at night. My regular bedtime can vary between 2 - 3:30 am. Drives my acupuncturist crazy as it's now her life mission to reset my internal clock. "Go to bed with the sunset get up with the sunrise" (In what world?)

My clock has always been this way. Even as a kid, I never could sleep more than 5 hrs and I typically would lie awake from 9 pm until 2 or 3 am listening to music and making up stories until I could fall asleep.

A lifetime of sleep deprivation is what my acupuncturist proclaimed I was suffering from.

A vampire is what my loving family and friends call me always followed by laughs and a few crossing of forefingers just in case. (Bwaahhh)

But frankly, I love staying up late. No phone calls typically after 9 except for friends and family who know I'm up, but they're generally asleep by 11 pm, except for some of my author buds and one is in Australia and knows she can always IM me at 1:30 am. I can have 2 or 3 IM conversations going and we all feel normal being up at that hour.

When I worked outside the home, I did keep regular hours, but getting up at 5:30 or 6 am was like torture to me. Even if I got to bed by 12 am, I still would not fall asleep until 3am no matter how tired I was.

My fam and friends don't care that I roam about the house at all hours, writing, watching an old movie, writing some more, chatting with pals on IM at 2 am... They know me and accept my evil ways. BUT my medical practitioners go crazzzzyyy over my schedule. They don't get that the creative stream flows a bit closer to the earth from 12 - 3:30 and I am just naturally wired to ride it.

So to those who want to rewire me... Leave me alone! I'm happy like I am. (vbg)

And, yes, you can call me after 9 pm. I'm up and quite lucid until 4 am.

The Witching Time is almost upon us

And you know, I love October. When I'm in the Carolinas it's a time for watching the leaves change, having bonfires at night and staring into the flames to see what imaginary worlds I can find.

When I'm in Florida it's the time of year when we finally start to cool down, the light does that subtle shift into "less intense and blinding" and the breeze kicks up.

And no matter where I am, I think about creatures of legend and myth and the people who will be masquerading as them come Oct. 31st. So as a pre-kick-off for what I like to call The Witching Time, here's a little story about one of my favorite creatures of myth and legend - something I call

Greed and Shadows: Architects of Our Own Demise

You glance over your shoulder as you stop before the door, you hand sliding into the pocket of your dark jacket for the small pouch bearing the tools of your trade. I slide back an inch or so even though I know I’m well hidden in the shadows. Still, I’m one to err on the side of caution. I’ll reveal myself to you in my own time and manner.

Admiration for your skills flashes through my mind as I watch you pick the lock and enter the dark building. Were I simply an innocent passerby I’d assume you’d just inserted a key into the lock. That the handsome man in the dark suit was just another business owner having to burn the midnight oil to balance the accounts or complete inventory.

But I am no innocent passerby. I’ve been tracking you for weeks, documenting your nocturnal forays and tallying up your take as I listen to the news reports in the ensuring days. You’re amassing quite a tidy sum; and taking increasingly more risks.

Like tonight’s venture. It’s not difficult to learn that the owner of this establishment is prone to putting the week’s till into his safe until Monday. Or that due to his less than reliable ability to remember numbers, he keeps the combination written down on a piece of paper that’s tucked behind the photograph of his wife and son on his office desk.

You don’t see this as an unusual risk, but I know better. I know that the forgetful owner has a brother-in-law in an elevated position on the police force and that his loyal relative dispatches one of his underlings every Saturday night before the change of the shift to pick up an envelope that’s always tucked beneath the cash register. Inside is a stack of cash. A payoff. Protection money so that law enforcement doesn’t look to closely at the owner’s business practices. So that no one discovers he’s fencing stolen jewels.

That errand boy is due tonight. In less than five minutes. If discovered you’ll spend the next ten to fifteen years watching Saturday night television with the other inmates. Not something a man like you could easily tolerate. I could leave you to the fate you’ve constructed, a victim to your greed, but I am a selfish creature, slave to my own desires. And at present my desire is for you.
Sure that you’ve had time to navigate your way to the office I leave the shadows. A locked door proves no barrier to those of my kind. Shadow dwellers, creatures of the night, we’ve been labeled with many monikers over the centuries, the most popular, of course, being that of Vampire.

Personally I detest that word. It has no elegance, does not flow off the tongue easily or musically. And the definition assigned to the word offends my sense of self. I’ve never ripped open anyone’s throat, or drained the life from them. Yes, I’ve taken my share of blood, but what I’ve given in return lasts a lifetime; a memory of the most sublime sexual experience my subjects have ever had. No other experience will come close. No other lover will ever measure up.
No, that’s not a boast, simply a fact. I do not claim credit for the abilities I was endowed with. It’s as much a part of me as my silky mane of hair or sky blue eyes. What my subjects receive is not something I choose to give. It’s something over which I have no control.

And why humans find my kind so irresistible.

I find you bent over the safe, swiftly removing stacks of cash from its dark interior. On feet as silent as a tomb I move up behind you. “Your greed is about to become your undoing,” I whisper.

You start, whirl and look upon me with eyes wide and startled. That changes rapidly to a look of suspicion and lust. “Who are you?”

“Why your dark angel of salvation, of course.”

You raise your hand as if to take hold of my arm, anger lancing through you and false bravery making you bold. How could I be a threat to you? Someone as small and unimposing as I could not possibly overpower a man as big and powerful as yourself.

I smile and raise my hand in a gesture I know to be both casual and elegant. And the force propels you back, slamming you into the opened safe, packets of money spilling from your hand.

“Who are you?” You whisper, this time not so bold.

“I’ve already told you. Now decide. Within five minutes a police officer will unlock the front door. Stay and you risk losing everything.”

I can see the thoughts in your mind. Am I lying? What if I’m telling the truth? Why would I want to save you? What do I want from you? Five minutes? That’s enough time to grab the cash and get out.

“Stupidiy is an unappealing trait,” I comment and smile at your expression. I offer you my hand. “Come with me now.”

You hesitate. Greed wars with lust, fear providing the weight to tip the scales. You place your hand in mine. And before you can blink, I’ve pulled you to me, wrapped one arm around your waist and run from the building to the shelter of the park across the street. The deep shadows conceal us even from the oncoming headlights of the patrol car that pulls up in front of the store.

“How'd you do that?” You ask, stepping back from me.

I shrug and step toward you. “Have you no words of thanks for being saved?”

“Uh, yeah. Thank you. What the fuck are you? How did you do that? Why did you—“

“Shhhh,” I place my finger to your lips to silence you. “All will be explained.”

“You want something.”

I smile. Your quick mind is one of the things that attracted me to you. Not only are you a handsome man in his prime, but you’re intelligent and inquisitive. Curious enough that when I smile and display my pristine fangs, your rush of fear is tempered with a rash of questions.

“You’re … is this for real?”

“Quite real.”

“Are you going to kill me?”

“Of course not.”

“Are you going to bite me?”

“Absolutely.”

How was I to know that one bite would seal my fate? That his greed would become mine and that together we’d traverse the world, living in the shadows from one heist to the next. How was I to know that I would become as much as prisoner to him as he to me?

Shadow and Greed. We would become legendary.

Hope you're dreaming up your own vampish delights:)

Hugs-
Ci

Sex Appeal and the Paranormal

WHO DID IT?

I mean, seriously, who was the first writer who decided to change how vamps had previously been portrayed as fanged blood sucking horrors into the modern day perception of sexy, and ah... darnit, handsome heart-stoppin' hunks of burnin' love?

I racked my brain, did some research and then I had a lightbulb moment - bowing to the mistress of vampires - ANNE RICE! Yes, she is the queen of giving the vampire sex appeal. Oh, others tried in films before her, but none did it quite like she did. Sure Bram Stoker created a most excellent one, too, but I dub Anne Rice forever!

And what makes a modern vamp sexy? Well, he or she has lived long enough to know not just how to do it, but many many ways to do it. (eg)

What about ghosts? Well, the old classic The Ghost and Mrs. Muir comes to mind, but then Patrick Swayze in GHOST wins hands down as sexy in the mist, baby! DITTO!

Other memorable paranormal misfits and star-crossed lovers have filled books and films, but the question remains- What is the mystique of a sexy paranormal lover? The obvious answer is other worldly.

The paranormal lover be it vampire, ghost, werewolf, shapshiter, or whatever -- is intriguing because of its very nature being different from ours. The possibilities of its life being forever and a human as the object of its desires captures the imagination in stark contrasts. The chemistry of opposites attracting sends tingles up and down our spines.

A being who is immortal is awe-inspiring. Our quest to conquer death plays into the fascination of these heroes and heroines with the possibility their ability to cheat death just might rub off on their human lover. Of course, it will to have the perfect HEA.

Hair from the Paranormal

Lawdy is that a can of worms or what? Can a vampire have a bad hair day? Have you ever seen one with a bad hair day other than one that has nearly been destroyed and is in process of restoration?

Just ask Claudia from Interview With the Vampire. Every time she cut hers, it grew back all perfect curly and long. I can still hear her screams.

And what about those hot male vamps? I mean it's always a good hair day.Sexy is the middle name of vamps because everything has been frozen in time. Immortal. And their hair whether good or bad before becoming vampire is magically transform into fantastic hair.



And that's the way it should be. Who wants to go through eternity with a cowlick?



And then here are the werewolves, who have well, not so good a hair day or night - ever. They are scruffy and unkept, men gone wild and as for werewomen, just know they'd prefer no one saw them out in public like that even if it is under a full moon.


(Cute vid, unfortunately got the name of Creedence incorrect, still a good job)

Ghosts on the other hand are ethereal, so hair washing is not going to happen and since they are merely energy manifesting, they can appear short hair, long hair, any kind of hair.

Which brings me to banshees. Historically known as the screaming mimis of the world their hair is always bad. It's frayed and wild and standing on end as they scream their curly heads off. A tangled mess to be truthful and hey, that's enough to make any of us scream! Been there! So perhaps that is the reason behind the banshees being in such a foul mood. Bad Hair.

Zombies are just messy critters and I've never seen a zombie with good hair, much less anything else that looks good. Unlike their distant undead cousins, vampires, zombies are braindead. So hair is not even going to enter their minds. They have none. Just a few electrical pulses sparking their rotting bodies to move and find brains to eat. I mean, it would be impossible to paint a nice doo with that picture.

Aliens, now, they come in a wide variety of shapes and forms. From grays who have no hair to the Orions who look like us only better - The movie stars of the galaxies.

Moving down the paranormal foodchain we come to demons and they are a tricky bunch because first off, they disguise themselves as humans, so if they're having a really bad hair day, just know it's by design and not chance.

THE TRUTH ABOUT VAMPIRES, DEMONS, WEREWOLVES, GHOSTS, and ALL THINGS PARANORMAL.

You've read the myths, the stories, the legends, and you've read the books where vampire characters emerge as heroes and heroines. Movies and even TV series have become huge hits in this genre. So what draws us to the dark and spooky?

Is it truly a psychological safe zone to examine our inner demons or is there a group consciousness this genre triggers? Cell memory or even past life recall? I've been studying this field for more years than I care to claim and the one common thread I've seen in the paranormal tapestry is every culture regardless of geography has a similar story of most of these creatures, all with different names, but all with similar characteristics just as most cultures have a story of a great flood.

Have you stopped to wonder how and why most cultures have some form of a vampire, demon possession and disembodied spirits legends? It's understandable when these cultures are on the same continent. But how is this possible when many of these civilizations were on continents across the world, separated by large oceans and their legends predate seafaring to their land? Does it make you wonder if perhaps there is something more going on than human psyche and unfounded fears? Could it be that vampires do exist and these are the stories handed down through centuries?

Since I could write a book about all of these creatures, I'm focusing on my favorite. Those blood-sucking creatures- Vampires. Could it be the continents are not so far apart because the symptoms of disease have been historically misunderstood? When I wrote, All I Need, I used a French vineyard as a backdrop in the story where my vampire king Armondés runs a very successful wine company and also bottles blood for his clan.

In researching this novel, and All I Want, a Scottish Time Travel, I discovered many of the vampiric symptoms could be explained as medical conditions. For instance, Porphyria is a disorder of enzymes found in heme and can make a person sensitive to sunlight. A very severe case of anemia could contribute to the gaunt deathlike paleness associated with a vampire combined with sunlight sensitivity, and the making of a powerful legend begins to emerge. The fear of water as in holy water can be explained by a little understood disease until the 19th century-Rabies. So any person bitten by a rabid animal would become fearful of water and could easily bite anyone trying to help. The spread the disease would imitate the vampire tendencies of biting to spread the disease before the infected would die. Could this have played a part in the creation of the vampire legend? And of course there is vampire bat which would not be in every environment.

The fear of garlic. There are some people who are allergic to garlic. The allergic reactions can vary from skin irritation to stomach problems and in some cases exacerbate asthma symptoms. Such reactions could account for garlic being included in the mythology as well as the long held belief that garlic is a blood purifier. If the vampire's blood has been tainted, made impure, then garlic would be a potential cure or in the extreme, could harm or even kill whatever was living inside the vampire.

And finally, it has not been that long since the practice of bleeding a sick person was believed to help cleanse the person and rid them of the disease. So if all of these are tied together into a nice neat package of a legend, the frightening tale of a creature emerges. That is until modern literature started romanticizing, tall dark and vampire.

I love vampire romances and it is the bad guy trying to be redeemed that entices me. I think the bad boy persona always attracts because he is the forbidden and taboo. When combined with a vampire, it makes for the perfect genre hero. Angst galore and wanting to rescue the broken vamp.

When I wrote All I Need and Last Resort, I wanted my vamps to embrace their immortality. So they don't walk about in the angst and crying, "I wanna be a human". They are beyond all that. In fact, they are taking advantage of immortality. In All I Need, Armondés has created a renaissance for his clan inspired by Chaucer. In Last Resort, Alex is working to make a vampire beach resort for his kind and in All I Want, Jeanne, a scientist, is trying to convince 13th century Scotsmen that vampires can be medically explained.

So these heroes and heroines have adapted and now move through the world enjoying what they are because hey, they no longer have to hunt for their food. And certainly that is true of our modern world where we are free from the task of hunting and dressing our kill in preparation of cooking. When the task of survival is taken away, we, like the vampires are free to explore our lives and enrich ourselves with the arts and other cultural pastimes.

With technology adding more conveniences almost daily, I often wonder how our fictional vamps will survive in the next century. Being immortal, I'm sure they will simply reinvent themselves and become the future's bad boys, too.

Sally

Music for the Spooky Classics

In keeping with this week's music theme. I started thinking about spooky movies and the soundtracks used for them.





Think about Jaws and the music played right before the shark attacks. Those few bars of music have become a humming icon just like the screeching score for the shower scene in "Psycho".

This scene would not have been the same with that haunting build up of music. And another classic favorite, The Exorcist. Any other music for these movies just wouldn't have left the same kind of impression on our entire culture.

Then there is the creepy music that fills the world whenever danger lurks nearby. The breathtaking strings when you know the woman should run, but instead goes down into the basement to see what made the growling sound. We're all yelling, "Don't go down there, stupid!" But of course she must or there's no movie.

The music helps carry the emotion and fear factor that stays with us long after it's over. It embeds itself into our minds so we forever associate the emotion of the story with the melody. Everyone knows Close Encounters of the Third Kind theme song just as most of us know the theme song to X-files.

And wading out of the oldies into the modern, I love the theme music for 28 Days Later throughout the movie and was also used in 28 Weeks Later. My all time favorite zombie movies. The soundtrack is as brilliant as the movies. It builds and builds until the end and carries the urgency and emotion of the movies.



Vampire movies well, there so many like best. Blade is always a winner. My favorite is Blade Trinty.

Underworld kicks vamp and were arse! The music throughout is sexy and tough. Bram Stoker's Dracula is a beautiful movie that has such life with a great storyline, film, acting, and music and the underlying theme of reincarnation.


The love song from the movie is haunting as well.





Talk about love redeeming! Okay stop me. I could go on forever!

Sex and The Vampire

Sex and the vampire.

I’ve written a couple of vamp novels and have to say for me that whole bad boy appeal just makes my toes curl. I adore the tall dark and non-human aspect of the vamp lover. And while my vamps are quite comfy in their skins and never lament about not being human, they do have their own brand of angst of emotional wounds.

Recently I started writing another vamp book and plan for it to be a book 2 in the Savannah setting I created for All I Need. In writing it, I've added quite a few other elements such as werewolves and another yet unnamed species of dark and mysterious. (g)

This whole process made me think about vampires and their kindred ghouls and what exactly about them appeals to us as women and as readers.

The biting aspect during the heat of sex can be sexy if conveyed just right. Then there is the vulnerability of the vampire. He's tall, he's dark and oh so sexy, but he can be destroyed by something so simple as sunlight. Does that bring out the protective instinct in us? Or does it just keep him from being godlike in his immortality?

Could it be the fact he outlives everyone he'll ever know, humanwise that is? Or does his immortality appeal to us and capture our imaginations? He's died and been restored as a non-human so in effect he's defeated death. Power over life.

So what elements of a vamp book grab you? Is it the dark side struggling to be good, but just not able to make it? Is it the rescuing of a wounded hero? Or is it just the eternal lure of the bad boy?