Interview with Count Saint Germain author Chelsea Quinn Yarbro.

Today VampirePhile has the pleasure of an interview with Chelsea Quinn Yarbro author of Count St. Germain Chronicles. 

VampirePhile: Thank you Chelsea and welcome. Now regarding your essay: On the Electronic Backlist, Do you think that there will ever come a time when books will only be offered electronically? Thereby potentially eliminating the need for “print” publishing?

 

 

Chelsea Quinn Yarbro:  Of course not.  There will always be a place for books, although I think such things as purely recreational reading, and text books may well become largely electronic over the next decade.

 

 

VP: It seems that you were ahead of the time/s when you published e-books with Hidden Knowledge back in the 1990’s. Would you, personally, ever consider only e-publishing your books in the future?

 

 

CQY:  I certainly wouldn't rule it out, considering how the publishing industry has been acting the last few years, but I'm old enough to prefer having my work available in paper-and-print as well as electronic forms. I'm not being entirely facetious --- I suspect that layered publishing is going to emerge in the next five years, and small press editions accompanying e-editions will become more common than what is presently the norm.

 

  

VP: Do you see the continued advancement of electronic publishing having an impact on bookstores and their need to be?

 

 

CQY: I think bookstores will change how they present their products; I doubt they will vanish, although I wouldn't be surprised if the supermarket approach to bookstores will lessen.  I suspect specialty bookstores will re-surge in importance, and will offer more than books to their customers.  It wouldn't surprise me to see bookstores offering, along with signing parties, mini-seminars and discussion groups.  And since not everything will be available in e-form immediately, I think it likely that used and rare books will be part of the attractions that bookstores will offer.  At least that's how it looks now.  Ask me again in a year or two; my opinion may change in the interim.

 

 

 

VP: In your opinion, do you foresee any major steps, other than those already in place that may need to be taken to protect electronic copyrights, especially given the nature of the Internet and this being the age of easy access to information?

 

 

CQY:  I certainly hope so.  The whole issue of copyright and how to protect it is undergoing change.  The print life of copyright is longer than it's ever been, and I wholeheartedly support that.  There have been some recent decisions about e-copyright that, while a good start, have many bugs to work out of the system before the copyright can function in e-form as it does in print. 

 

  

VP: Taking a look at some of your honours, what was it like for you (your feeling in the moment) to be named a Living Legend by the International Horror Guild and being only two women ever to be named Grand Master of the World Horror Convention?

 

 

CQY:  Of course, the recognition feels wonderful and gratifying, but as you point out, most of the recognition has gone to men.  As satisfying as it is to get these awards, I would feel much better if more of the fine women writers in the field had received these awards as well.  There are many excellent women writers who have not been given the same attention as their male colleagues; I'd like to think that this will change in the not-too-distant future.

 

 

VP: Your vampire Count Saint-Germain novels are described as being “accurately detailed historical fiction”, what inspired you to plot your stories in a historical setting? And do you think authors who also write historical fiction (regardless of genre) owe it to their readers to be as authentically accurate as possible?

 

 

 

CQY:  When you have a 4,000 year old character, as the historical Comte de Saint-Germain claimed to be, it's hard to avoid history.  The evolution of human cultures, thought, and experience, fascinates me. I also think that the study of the past sheds a great deal of light on the present, and helps to develop a sense of the future --- you can't know where you're going until you know where you've been.  I try for as much historical accuracy as the story-line will allow, because I think there isn't much point in setting a story in an historical period, and then to represent the time inaccurately, but I'm not dogmatic about it.  Every writer is entitled to do his or her work their own way.  But if history is represented with anachronistic ideas and social conduct, I, as a reader, may throw the book across the room, but that's just me --- others may find no problem in historical inaccuracies.  I also like alternate history.  I have a proposal for an alternate history trilogy that has yet to find a home, which is too bad, because I'd have a grand time writing it.
 

 

VP: From perusing your website, I read the news that “Tor has contracted for A Embarrassment of Riches which will be novel #22 in the Saint-Germain Chronicles.” Can you tell fans a bit and/or reveal anything of what it’ll be about?

 

 

CQY: The story takes place in the Kingdom of Bohemia toward the end of the 13th century,  at a time when Bohemia was the richest Kingdom in Europe.  Almost all the action takes place in Praha (Prague) around the Court of Queen Kunigunde, who was the granddaughter of King Bela of Hungary.  The story has to do with all the various skullduggeries that happens under the surface of the Court.

 

 

VP: Would you ever one day like to see your count Saint-Germain novels adapted for the screen (big? or small?)?  And have you ever imagined the actor who you’d like to see portray him?

 

 

CQY:  You bet.  And for the last thirty-plus years I've thought about casting.  My preferences have changed over time, largely because even the most charismatic actors are not immortal, and someone who might have been my choice twenty years ago is now no longer of an age to take on the characters.

  

VP: With the current “undead” trend in film and tv being ever so popular seems, especially today, like the fans want more fangs! Other than your own, what are some other vampiric or vampire related works you’d like to see adapted for the big and/or small screen?

 

 

CQY:  When I read, I rarely think of film, except occasionally when reading those annoying books that are clearly written with screen adaptation in mind.  That said, I think that some of Tanith Lee's work would do well on the screen, and although I think it would be difficult to do justice to the books, Christopher Moore's comic vampire novels could be great fun on the screen.  The trouble is, screen adaptation is such a complex matter, that the simple idea of a film or tv presentation would depend on who did the screenplay, who directed it, who designed it, how it was filmed, etc. etc. etc, that even imagining a cinematic form tends to be nearly impossible to envision, no matter how appropriate the story may seem to be to film or tv.

 

 

VP: Giving Saint-Germain’s nature as “more honorable, humane, and heroic than most of the humans around him.”  In a general sense, what do you think might be his take on the world we live in today?

 

 

CQY:  The world today is perhaps a bit too all-encompassing for an answer.  What aspect of the world today?  The international political situation?  Conditions in Africa and Asia and Latin America?  Issues of climate change --- which he has dealt with in a couple books --- and natural disasters?  The population crunch?  Technological and scientific advances?  Human trafficking?  The increasingly complex international Internet and its ramifications?  All of these aspects of the current world have potential as story material, as do many others.  The three novels and the eight Saint-Germain short stories set in the 20th century address some of these issues, as does the one short story in the 21st century, but there is no simple response to your question. 

 

 

  

VP: And finally, how far have you imagined taking Count Saint-Germain? That is to say, apart from those stories already planned (numbers #24 & #25, according to the website), how many more may be there after? 

 

 

CQY: That depends on the publishers much more than me.  I still have a lot of history I can draw upon, and a character who can go many places, geographically and historically, assuming that Tor wants more of him, or of Olivia; I'm willing to write more, if the publisher wants to publish more, but that part of the equation is out of my hands. 

 
  

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Essay 'On the Electronic Backlist' by author Chelsea Quinn Yarbro.

Today on VampirePhile, we have the pleasure of featuring an essay by vampire Count St. Germain creator, author Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, about the increasing importance of the electronic backlist for writers.

On the Electronic Backlist

by

Chelsea Quinn Yarbro

For the last decade I’ve been saying that the midlist —  where most novels are published —  is in trouble.  Print runs have been reduced, shelf-life has been shortened, in-print status has been cut in half, and back-lists have been decimated.  To make matters worse, many publishers blame the writers for reduced sales, as if their policies have nothing to do with the sales figures.  Those of us who have seen our incomes drop and have found that with fewer sales on record the chances for standard reprints evaporated, have been looking for some means of bringing our out-of-print titles back to the reading public.  I have long hoped that the electronic back-list would become a reality, giving those of us at the midlist a new access to readerships, and at long last, that seems now to be a real possibility.

We’re seeing the first promising steps that may lead to a companion publishing industry to print-on-paper in such devices as the Kindle, and such new markets as Google and Amazon, and the likelihood of expanding possibilities to come.  There are a number of kinks to be worked out of the system, as is always the case with new technologies, but for the first time in many years, things are not looking quite so bleak for out-of-print midlist books and their writers.

Back in the 1990s I published three e-books with Hidden Knowledge, an electronic small press run by Michael Ward of San Jose.  For years they brought in small amounts, usually totaling around $100.00 in total royalties for the year.  But in the last two quarters, the amount has more than doubled, and this, while hardly a statistically significant sample, or a windfall of dramatic proportions, does suggest a trend, one that could indicate that the business is reaching a kind of tipping-point where electronic sales become as much a part of publishing as paper-and-print sales.

Certainly most of the big publishing houses are beginning to see electronic publishing in that light: witness the mad scramble that some of them have undertaken to secure the rights to their long-dormant back-lists for electronic formats.  Contractual language is changing rapidly, too, as the large publishing houses seek to establish themselves in the electronic end of the business as well as the traditional paper-and-print.  That does not mean the end of paper-and-print books, of course, but it does mean that there will be an alternative to books with covers, one that will be welcome to the text book market as well as to the recreational readers.

I can tell you when I realized that the change I had been seeking was underway: early last year a good friend of mine, a professional woman in her forties, went on vacation in Peru, and rather than take half a dozen books in her carry-on luggage, as had been her habit, she had ten books loaded into her new cell-phone.  She’s not fascinated with gadgets and gizmos, she isn’t determined to have the latest of everything, but the electronic books were easier to take with her.  That was the key —   ease and convenience.  It made more sense to have the books on her phone than in her bags.  And that is what tells me that we are nearing the tipping-point. 

In the last year several of my friends have bought various forms of book-storing devices, most of them choosing the Kindle.  The last short-story I sold, three weeks ago, had a clause in the contract for electronic rights, and E-Reads is bringing the first three Saint-Germain novels as well as my long out-of-print fantasy To the High Redoubt into both paper-and-print as well as electronic publication.  The writing is on the wall, and the screen, and for the first time in a long time, the news looks good.

© Copyright 2010 by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro. Reprinted with permission by the author. All rights reserved.

About Chelsea Quinn Yarbro

Chelsea Quinn Yarbro is the first woman to be named a Living Legend by the International Horror Guild and is one of only two women ever to be named as Grand Master of the World Horror Convention (2003). In 1995, Yarbro was the only novelist guest of the Romanian government for the First World Dracula Congress, sponsored by the Transylvanian Society of Dracula, the Romanian Bureau of Tourism and the Romanian Ministry of Culture.

Yarbro is best known as the creator of the heroic vampire, the Count Saint-Germain. With her creation of Saint-Germain, she delved into history and vampiric literature and subverted the standard myth to invent the first vampire who was more honorable, humane, and heroic than most of the humans around him. She fully meshed the vampire with romance and accurately detailed historical fiction and filtered it through a feminist perspective that both the giving of sustenance and its taking were of equal erotic potency.

A professional writer since 1968, Yarbro has worked in a wide variety of genres, from science fiction to westerns, from young adult adventure to historical horror.

A skeptical occultist for forty years, Yarbro has studied everything from alchemy to zoomancy, and in the late 1970s worked occasionally as a professional tarot card reader and palmist at the Magic Cellar in San Francisco.

For more information on Yarbro’s many books and interests, check out her website at www.chelseaquinnyarbro.net.

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Interview with Jerry Gonzales of Dusk Comics.

Today VampirePhile has the pleasure of an interview with Jerry Gonzales, artist/illustrator with Dusk Comics.

VampirePhile: Hello Jerry and welcome. So my first question is, for those reading who may not yet know about you, tell us a bit about yourself, such as how you got started as an illustrator/graphic artist?

Jerry Gonzales: Thanks for the opportunity. I'm from Austin, TX., born and raised, I got into wanting to draw comics at a young age. Then again who didn't. I really started to focus on getting in to the comic business around high school, after I had made a short comic for my friends and realized that I could do this for a living. I never went to college for my career, I was self taught in how to illustrate for comics. Before the age of Facebook, MySpace, DeviantArt, and so forth, I sent all my submissions via snail mail. After many months of mailing submissions to several different companies, one company from San Antonio named Antarctic Press, published several pin ups and stories for their fan based Annuals of Gold Digger and Ninja High School. A few years later, I met David at a con in Dallas and he got me a job at Dusk Comics.  

VP: Tell us a bit about Dusk Vol. I & II and Mystery Masque (formerly Miss Masque)?

JG:  Dusk is about a young woman name Eve who was in a abusive marriage but gets kidnapped into the world of vampires and magic. Her benefactor, Lord Ash, leads her back to a normal life but Eve chooses to stay with Ash. Mystery Masque is another version of the comic character from the 1940's Miss Masque. Also better know as Masquerade from Dynamite Entertainment. Note that Miss Masque is a public domain character so there's not too much of a worry of a legal lawsuit coming our way. Anyway the difference between Dynamite's Miss Masque and ours is that their character focuses on the superpower aspect of Miss Masque. Our version deals with crime fighting side of the character. In the book, Diana Adams is an adrenaline, she feels alive when she's in a stressful situation. So when her friend/co-worker, gets in trouble with a criminal organization, Diana takes advantage of the situation helping her friend out thus giving her the alter ego of Miss Masque.   

       

VP:  How long you've been an illustrator / graphic artist with Dusk Comics?

JG: I've worked for Dusk Comics for about roughly two or three years. Wow, time flies when you get into the comic biz. (laughs)

VP: How long does one panel take to draw and/or colour in? 

JG: With one panel, from pencils to inks, it only takes about an hour. A full page from beginning to end takes about eight hours to do. I used to crank out pages in less time but the end result was the pages turned out poorly. So I started to slow down my process and take my time with the artwork. I've avoided coloring, due to the fact that I suck at it. Someday, I might take the time to learn how to color. 

VP: What materials do you use and/or prefer to use? And what medium do you work in? Do you illustrate by computer or by hand or both?

JG: I materials that I use are mechanical pencils (varying from .03 to 2mm), non-photo blue pencils, kneaded eraser, Sumi black ink, Hunt 102 crow quill pen, various brushes, .35 and .50 Koh-i-noor pens, and for paper I use Blue Line Pro art boards. I mainly go the traditional route when it comes to illustrating comics. But I recently started messing around with sketching on Manga Studio and on Photoshop. I not sure if I really want to commit to doing all of my comic work digitally.

VP: In three words, describe your style?

JG: Work in Progress.

VP: Give us a general idea of the process it may take to develop a comic such as Dusk, especially as it’s all collaborative. How many people are involved at any one time? Is it all done at the same time or does it go through several stages starting with the author?

JG: The steps for developing a comic usually goes by: writer has a script, which goes to the penciler who illustrates the pages, then the inker goes over the pencils and last the letter types up the dialog. In between each step there's constant communication (via email) with the writer/editor. As for how long the process takes, it all depends on how reliable everybody who is contributing to the book(s). Some of us have bills to pay so we rely on our jobs in the outside world to take care of that while getting an issue done at a particular time frame. The first volume of Dusk, didn't have too much of a deadline to work on. All the stories were culminated over long periods of time. Mystery Masque was done in about eight or nine months, or at least on my part I was able to finish the book within that time.        

VP: Other than graphically, do you contribute to the storyline of the Dusk series and/or Mystery Masque?

JG: The only thing I contribute to the storyline is mainly just pacing of the story. If there's something that doesn't look right with a particular page then I'll shoot an email to David and then go from there. I would like a shot at writing a comic someday. It may not involve Dusk or Mystery Masque, but I have a few ideas that I would like make into a comic.

VP: Given the nature of Dusk, what do you find attractive about the world of the Paranormal, if anything?

JG: I find it amazing that every paranormal story and/or legend that has been told for God knows how long, still fascinates us and keeps us wanting more.

VP:  Where and/or how far would you like to see the Dusk series go?

JG:  I would like to see the series last a few more volumes in the comic world, I like illustrating the book and I would like to continue drawing Dusk in the future. As for anything past the comics medium...well that's for David to decide.

VP:  What is your opinion of comics adapted for the big screen? What have been some of your favourite adaptations? Or what are you looking forward to?

JG: For a long time I was real picky about how the movie industry would handle some of the well known comic characters. Over time I realized that they're not making a movie just for the regular comic geeks, they're making a comic movie for the people who aren't comic geeks. I mean you're trying to fit a full comic into a two to three hour movie, and keep the viewer entertained. So you have to forgive a little on the screenwriter or the director from deviating away from the original book. Best advice for anybody who wants to see a movie that looks good, don't go in with high hopes, there's a good chance that you'll be disappointed. As for some of my favorite adaptations, Dark Knight is right on top of the list. Kick-Ass was a good movie, also The Losers, was really good. It didn't do well in the box offices but when you watch the movie, its really entertaining. I look forward to seeing Green Lantern, Captain America and Thor.

VP: What is your opinion with regards to Western and Manga? 

And with regards to the terminology “Comic” vs. “Graphic Novel”? Which of the two do you do prefer to use? Do you think there is any relevance to the divide that some enthusiasts feel with regards to the label “Graphic Novel” vs. the label “Comic”?

JG: I enjoy both western and Manga. I grew up on western comics (Marvel, DC, Image), so I have the traditional style of comic book storytelling embedded in my memory. With Manga, I discovered that genre back in high school, much like everyone did in my generation. I'm amazed on how long it has lasted and how mainstream it has become. Back in the day, you couldn't buy mangas at a Borders or a Barnes and Nobel. You would have to special order it through a local comic shop, order online, or go to a convention just to get a import of a manga. I really got into the manga genre because I was fasinated with how complex the stories were and how the artwork was detailed and bold. If it wasn't for manga, I think, I would still be looking for my own style or just plain given up comics all together.

I have mixed feelings about the label "comics" vs. the label "graphic novel". I prefer use the label "comics" over "graphic novel". But when I talk to someone about what I do I tend to use graphic novel. The way I see it, saying graphic novel over saying comics is like saying I work as a Movie theater consultant, when actually you work in the box office at a movie theater near the mall. Both have the same meaning, just one sounds more grown up.  

 

VP:  Who are some (other) graphic artists you may admire and why?

JG:  The top one on my list is Fred Perry, he's an writer and American-manga artist for "Gold Digger". I love his work, he's the reason I have an art style. Another artist is Frank Cho of Liberty Meadows fame, his artwork is amazing. Also Carlos Pacheco, is another great artist, I got into his style when I read JLA/JSA: Vice and Virtue. I love the way he draws hands. I could go on, but if I did then this interview would take forever. 

VP:  Technology and Art. With regards to both, what do you think are the pros (and cons) if any? 

JG: The good thing that I can think of is that technology has become a very reliable tool with comics. It has changed the way we do art. The down side, it has become too reliable. I feel that without learning how to draw traditionally, the art itself will suffer. Granted I'm in that phase of learning to draw digitally, but it still won't replace the feel of working with pencil and ink.     

VP: A just for fun question to finish - With the current “undead” trend in Film and Tv being ever so popular with True Blood, Twilight, Vampire Diaries, Being Human, Underworld etc – seems like the fans want more fangs! What are some other vampiric or vampire related works you’d like to see adapted for the big and/or small screen?

JG:  Well (I'm out dating myself here), there was a book that was released back in the mid to late 90's called Crimson, done by Humberto Ramos. I enjoyed that book and I would of like to see it in a form of a live action TV series. But honestly I would like to do the opposite of putting a vampire related movie or Tv show into a Graphic Novel format. Kind of like what happened to Buffy after the TV series was over, the following season was done in comic format.              

                                                                                                                                                                         

VP: Well thank you very much Jerry for stopping by and giving readers the opportunity to discover more about your world and the world of Dusk Comics. We would like to wish you and David Doub and everyone at Dusk Comics continued success with the new release/s. It’s been a pleasure having you here and definitely looking forward to more in the future. 

For more info on Dusk Comics and for a free read of Dusk Vol. 1, visit: http://www.duskcomics.com/

You can also see more of Jerry's work on his deviantArt page. http://monkeygeek.deviantart.com/

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Release Announcement: Chelsea Quinn Yarbro's novels available through E-Reads.

Author Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, whom some of you may remember we had the pleasure of hosting last December '09 with a guest post while on blog tour for Burning Shadows, has had two of her novels released in both electronic format and print-on-demand trade paperback editions by E-Reads.

The novels are THE PALACE,  the second novel in Yarbro's historical horror series featuring the vampire Count Saint-Germain, and TO THE HIGH REDOUBT, an epic fantasy novel. 

According to the press release, THE PALACE, (originally released in 1978) set in "Renaissance Florence, provides the background for the story of the collapse of the artistic and literary life of the city after the death of Saint-Germain’s friend Lorenzo the Magnificent, followed by the rise of the fanatical Savonarola."

Likewise, E-Reads will release Yarbro's HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA --- which introduced readers to Saint-Germain in 1978 --- later this year.

In the coming week/s Vampirephile will yet again have the pleasure of hosting Chelsea with another guest blog post and a possible interview. 

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Succub...? Well, hello 'Lost Girl' : A Series Debut Review.

   
**Caution, may contain spoilers if you have not seen the episode yet!**

"You can control people by touch... And not in a creepy, hand job sorta way." - Kenzi to Bo (Lost Girl, S1 E1)


So last Sunday night (Sept. 12th), I passed on watching the season 3 finale of True Blood!

Why?

Because there is this new Canadian show I had been reading/seeing/hearing some buzz about and I wanted to tune in to its series debut episode. The show in question was/is Showcase's Lost Girl which some of you may remember I'd mentioned about three posts ago?

I felt it was a "not to be missed" debut, and besides, I knew I could see the True Blood season 3 finale in a repeat episode (which, btw, now that I've seen it, I was not very impressed with the ending of. It was basically a non-ending. But I digress...)

Well anyway, I'm very glad that I had decided to catch the series premiere / pilot episode of Lost Girl, 'cause it was pretty damn good, in my opinion (I even went to work the next day and recommended it to a few of my genre loving colleagues).

And according to the statistics on TV, eh?, over 400,000 in Canada tuned in to its premiere, and I can count myself among them.

I'm generally a genre loving fan, esp. of most things Horror-Fantasy, Sci-fi and Supernatural. I consider myself as a die-hard, albeit not overly hardcore (No tats of my fave characters. No RPGing or LARPing) and I know what I like. 
And when I like something I talk about it (off and/or on line> as I recently did about this self same show, with sisters Suzie and Shannon from Hexed: Sisterhood of the Supernatural on their FaceBook Page.) and I'm definitely liking the potential I'm seeing in Lost Girl. (Note: Suzie and Shannon also discuss Lost Girl beginning on section 1:25:45 of their recent podcast.)

Season 1 episode 1 titled "It's a Fae, Fae, Fae, Fae World" had a nice balance of action, drama, intrigue and story introduction and development; with some nice, sassy dialogue and witty, memorable one liners (and we all know how much of a sucker I am for witty dialogue. Can you say Blood Ties anyone? :) 

"It's like the 4th of July in my mouth!" - as said by Bo after she engages in a kiss with Dyson... and Mais Oui! I tell ya, that was indeed some HOT kiss between Bo (Anna Silk) and Dyson (Kris Holden-Reid).
I was like "Wow!" First episode and already some fierce tonsil hockey!? LoL! (albeit she was intentionally sucking some of the lifeforce out of him, as per his offering, but that just added to the "Wow!" "Hot!" factor).

I have to say here that I'm already liking the chemistry between Bo & Dyson. That scene where they both made eye contact while passing each other on the street, was intense and truly believable. And already we can see that sort of back/forth, love/hate dynamic between them (kinda like a Lois and Clark... Bo's sass and fiesty personality certainly reminds me of Erica Durance's Lois Lane on Smallville, but Dyson seems to be more than a "goody gumshoe" even for a "Light" Fae.)

And speaking (still) of Dyson (insert Soni's usual segue loving self here :) ... I couldn't not mention some cool coincidences I came upon while doing my research, regarding actor Kris Holden-Reid (who somewhat resembles another "Chris", i.e. Martin of ColdPlay) and Lost Girl in general. 

Apart from the fact that Holden-Reid had attended my alma mater University here in Montreal some time back, he also played "William Compton" on The Tudors. Of course "William Compton" is also the proper name of vampire Bill Compton on HBO's True Blood. Furthermore, The Tudors, revolves around the life of King Henry VIII. King Henry VIII was the father of Henry Fitzroy (can you see where I'm going? :) Of course, the historical persona of Henry Fitzroy was used by Canadian author Tanya Huff as a vampire in her Blood Books, which were used as the basis for the tv series Blood Ties, which was created by none other than Peter Mohan who is also one of the executive producers of Lost Girl... And/End segue scene :)


Ultimately, from what I can see, the premiere episode of Lost Girl has setup, what could no doubt be an intriguing storyline over the course of the season. As a viewer, my mind is already wondering with loads of questions, esp. as with regards to 'Bo', a succubus living among humans (although initially, she didn't know what she was ). 

Where did she come from? Who is she really? How is it that Fae live among humans? What other kinds of fae are there? How extremely do the "Light" Fae differ from the "Dark"? And why must Bo choose a side? What is Trick (as played by Rick Howland)'s secret and why is he having fellow fae Dyson observe her? And of course, how far will Bo go to find out "where or from whom she came"?

Cinematographically, I'm also liking the warm tones and deep hues in some of the scenes (my photographers' eye generally "lights" upon things like that.)

So now, as I have been pleasantly "sucked in" and "seduced" by the potential in the first episode. Here's hoping it will continue to improve. I will certainly be tuning in again tomorrow and every Sunday at 9pm on Showcase to find, Lost Girl!

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New Release Announcement: Dusk Comics Launches Two New Books

David Doub, author of Dusk Volume 1 (as seen at right) has now released the second installement in the series, as well as new title. Read more below:

Dusk Comics Launches Two New Books

The Graphic Novels Dusk Volume 2 and Miss Masque are now available for purchase.


Dusk Volume 2

Eve is still in a trap of her own devising. She tries to find her place in a horrid supernatural world that does not want her. She thinks she loves a vampire and is definitely addicted to the power of his blood. She encounters everything from Zombies to Demons and the morality of her life is always murky at best.
Dusk continues to explore the dark recesses of the Vampire mythos, mining out a hauntingly entertaining read. Come join in Eve's continuing journey of damnation and possible redemption.

150 Pages

10 Dollars
ISBN-10: 0982920512
ISBN-13: 978-0982920510

Available on> Amazon.



Mystery Masque Comics

The Golden Age Heroine Miss Masque is finally in her own full length Graphic Novel. Since her inception in Nedor Comics' Exciting Comics #51 (September 1946), Miss Masque has been worked on by comic greats from Alan Moore to Alex Ross. Now the amazing team, of David Doub, Jerry Gonzales, and Jaymes Reed have updated Miss Masque for modern times.
Diana Adams, is a woman addicted to excitement. She'll do almost anything to get that adrenaline fix. So when her friend and coworker runs afoul of organized crime, Diana Adams seizes the opportunity. Using the guise of a crime fighter, Diana is able to morally justify her new way to get her kicks.

100 Pages

10 Dollars
ISBN-10: 0982920504
ISBN-13: 978-0982920503

Available on> Amazon.

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"Kat Scratch Fever" Review: Vampire Diaries Season 2 debut: The Return

     **Caution, may contain spoilers if you’ve not seen the episodes yet!**

"What Happened?" / "Katherine Happened!".

Well last night we saw the highly anticipated debut of The Vampire Diaries Season 2, aptly titled The Return and OMD! (Oh My Damon!) what a RETURN it was!

Picking up exactly where season 1 had left off, with Elena returning home to the ominous threat of the fierce, Katherine Pierce having been, "invited in" her home, with the only option, as Damon quite wittingly pointed out, being: "Move!"

This Return episode was, in my opinion, chocked full of:
 
Shock - with what Damon did to Jeremy           and       
Awe - the glimpse of Stefan's potential "badassness"      and
Touching Honesty - Elena's heartfelt revelation to and observation of Damon : "I care for you!" (her revelation) / "You care" (her observation).

And not to (forget to) mention heart break - when Katerine, all but drove a stake through Damon with her revelation that "it has always been Stefan"... and it didn't help that Elena, her "dead ringer", practically told him the same thing in a later scene.
It's like I said in the past, in one of my previous posts > Sympathy for The D-Man: Damon Salvatore, it's no wonder Damon has trust issues.

Ultimately, The Return episode saw Katherine leaving her scratches on just about everyone, most notably Damon, which in turn drove the episode onward at a fever pace.

And as usual with TVD, just when you thought it couldn't get any better... the end is only the beginning, as the final scene proved... Oh, sweet Caroline-a!

Here's a preview of next weeks episode!

Ready to take a bite, back into Fall: True Blood, Lost Girl, Three Inches/ Kyle Schmid, Vampire Diaries, etc

Well dear readers, I'm officially back from my Vampire(less) Vacation ready to bite (back) into a fang-tastic Fall. 

To the extent that I have added a new profile picture of yours truly all "vamped" out (well somewhat), sporting my Blood Ties vampire Henry Fitzroy tee from Cafe Press, reading Gabrielle Faust's Eternal Vigilance Book 1, while wearing my Lost Boys handmade bottlecap necklace by Holly Sparks . There was also my True Blood mug which I had forgotten to include in the pic at the time of taking, but nonetheless, I photoshoped it in, LoL! ;)

So, although my vacances (as they say en français) was supposed to be vampireless, it wasn't, at least not entirely. 

I still made sure to tune into True Blood - can you say helluva good season or what? Give or take a few unnecessary story lines, like that of Lafayette. I mean I like him as a character and all, but seriously, where is his and Jesus' storyline going to? 
Regardless though, I still think Alan Ball is a genuis in the way he has carved out his niche, making True Blood an original, stand alone show, to that of the books on which it is based.  

My only hope though, is that for season 4, with whatever changes he continues to make, that Alan Ball at least sticks to the Eric/Sookie saga that makes up book 4 Dead to the World. 
Mr. Ball I beg of you :)


Still on True Blood, of course by now, everyone and their vampire (or Alexander Skarsgard ;) loving mother, have probably already seen the (now infamous?) Rolling Stone cover of Alex/Eric, Anna/Sookie and Stephen/Bill. 

Well although I was in a part of the world where I couldn't readily put my hands on the mag, thank goodness for good friends. My best friend (who is probably reading this post and smiling :) was able to secure me a copy for my collection. I'm hoping/assuming that she may have secured one for herself as well as I know she, like me, is an everloving Eric/Alex fan ;o)


And with True Blood's season 3 finale set for next Sunday 12th of September, that Rolling Stone mag may be all that we have to tide us over 'til season 4 debuts next Spring/Summer 2011 (most likley, as per usual in June).

But whereas I remembered to tune into one vampire tv show, I forgot to tune in another vampire... (werewolf, witch, succubus) show, ABC's The Gates . But from what I've been reading, it's probably on its way to being cancelled, if it hasn't been already (though there has been no "official" word as yet).


I tried. I really did try to give this show a chance, but it was just so... bloodless and lackluster (worse than a hungry, pasty skinned vampire). 

And speaking of succubus, set to debut next Sunday, September 12th is a new show on Canada's ShowCase channel called Lost Girl. From the promo trailer <(seen here and included at the bottom of this post), this show looks hot/cool. With lots of action and an intriging storyline, I will definitely be tuning in. And what's more, Peter Mohan who brought us Blood Ties is an executive producer on Lost Girl (along with Prodigy Pictures' Jay Firestone).


And speaking of Blood Ties (yes, I do love a good segue :o). 
More vampire type news broke while I was away on vacay. This one involving a vampire three way (sort of). 


Our, as in my and fans of his, favourite (former vampire) actor Kyle Schmid (he played vampire Henry Fitzroy in Blood Ties) announced about 2 weeks ago, via his FaceBook page that he was set to star in a new pilot on the SyFy channel called Three Inches , cast as Brandon (aka: Captain Normal). And get this, Kyle will be alongside another favourite (former vampire) James Marsters (Spike from Buffy The Vampire Slayer.)


Yes my dear fang fans, vampire Henry Fitzroy (or "Captain Fantastic" as he was once called  by his Blood Ties co-star Christina Cox) and vampire Spike (aka: "William the Bloody", aka: "Captain Peroxide") will both be gracing our screens in one show, albeit not as vampires this time, but as "semi" or "not so super" heroes. 


As a fan of both of these actors, needless to say, I'm looking forward to seeing this show. 


And to complete the vampire three way (sort of). James Marsters will be a guest star on the premiere episode of the re-imagined Hawaii Five-0, which is headed by, you guessed it, another former vampire, this being MoonLight's Mick St. John himself, Alex O'Loughlin. Hawaii Five-0 is set to debut on September 20th, 2010.


So here, three cheers to having three of y/our favourite former vampires on the small screen again.

Of course this Fall, another of our current favourite vampire shows is set to return as well. Come this week, Thursday, September 9th, The Vampires Diaries will be back for its second season on the CW (US) and CTV (Canada) - note TVD airs at 8pm eastern in the USA, but 7pm eastern in Canada. Yes we lucky Canucks get to see it one hour beforehand (is it because the lead Nina Dobrev who plays Elena is Canadian?)


As well Supernatural - (we know they always have a vampire or two in there somewhere, so they more than deserve a mention) - it returns on Friday, September 24th, at 9pm (lead in by Smallville at 8pm). 
Yes, unfortunately the bothers Winchester have been bumped from Thursday nights by a new show, Nikita, set to debut on the CW.

More news on the vamp-tastic front. Canada's Space Channel (where on we get our daily dose of all/most things Sci-fi, Fantasy and Horror) have begun airing the BBC's Being Human series. They aired the first season in its entirety one week towards the end of August. And subsequently will be re-airing these season 1 episodes beginning Thursday September 16th at 10pm. They plan to air season 2 of Being Human, on Thursday October 28th, 10pm eastern.

And speaking of Being Human. The aforementioned SyFy Channel is doing their own, North Americanized version of the UK cult hit. And guess what? Said version is being shot right here in Montréal. 

Back at the beginning of August and on different occasions, I was fortunate enough to stumble upon two of the filming locations, albeit I did not know for what series at the time. However, upon research, I had soon discovered that it was indeed for this SyFy remake. (Here's a listing of films which have been shot in/around Montréal )


This re-imagined series will star a few familiar faces. Notably Sam Witwer (who played Davis Bloome / Doomsday on Smallville), Mark Pellegrino (last seen on Supernatural and on Lost respectively) and Meaghan Rath, a Montreal actress, whom I recall fondly from the series 15/Love with Laurence Leboeuf who currently stars in the local Quebecois series Trauma, the set of which, again I stumbled upon just this past Friday while in the Old Port area.

In vampire music related news now. If you're in Montréal this coming Wednesday, 8th of September you can catch New York indie rock band Vampire Weekend performing at Métropolis.  


And last but not least, I recently answered a few interview questions about Blogging via WhoHub. My responses can be read> here.