Interview with Denise Verrico: Author of vampire novel Cara Mia

Happy Halloween! Today I have an interview with Denise Verrico, author of the forthcoming vampire urban fantasy novel Cara Mia: Book One in the Immortyl Revolution Series.

Mia Disantini is a vampire whose greatest desire is to walk again in the sun. Enslaved by her charismatic master, Ethan and plunged into the ancient, unenlightened Immortyl culture, Mia struggles for the freedom to live as she chooses. Trained as Ethan’s “Bird of Prey”, Mia becomes the pawn of their powerful, enigmatic elder, Brovik, in his deadly games of deception and intrigue concerning the “forbidden science” against his rival, Gaius Lupus. Cast out by Ethan, Mia joins forces with Kurt, Brovik’s deeply troubled slave and together the lovers steal “fire (immortality) from the gods” and deliver it to Genpath Laboratories where they are duped and imprisoned by CEO, Lee Brooks. Desperate, Mia calls upon the aid of Dr. Joe Ansari, a neuroscientist assigned to work with her. But Mia and Kurt are hunted for their crime and time is running out. Will Mia and Kurt escape with their lives and succeed in their mission before their Immortyl enemies harness the power of immortality for evil purposes?

There are a lot of vampires out there right now. Nosferatu,vampires that walk in the sun, vampires that don't, even sparklepires. What are your vampires like?

Well, I started with the premise of “what would it be like if a rather ordinary young woman became a vampire?” From the very beginning I knew I would be writing the story of a real person, who happens to be a vampire. I always think of my vampires as people with a biological mutation. Just like humans some are good and some are bad, some are downright evil and even genocidal. However, none of them are goody two shoes. My heroine is an acerbic, sexy, native New Yorker who tells it like it is.

The mutation drives them in a very painful way to kill and drink human blood. The blood can only be human or it doesn’t “work”. I won’t give away just how the mutation operates because it is an important element of the stories. You might say I take a sci fi view of vampirism within the framework of urban fantasy.

My vampires do have reflections in mirrors, have fangs, heal rapidly (but not instantly), and have greater than human strength. However, they have no magical powers. They don’t read your thoughts or possess anyone, not in the magical sense, but they are attuned to body language and scent cues, and some of them are very good at mind games and planting suggestions. They can’t reproduce sexually but like to fool around—a lot. They are hypersensitive, tactile creatures. Their strength is relative to their mortal shape and size. Men are generally stronger than women, adults stronger than children. The very old ones do have some enhanced abilities.

My vamps have their ‘kryptonite”. They can’t walk in the sun, and the desire to do so drives my heroine into a very dangerous set of circumstances. They don’t burn up or vaporize. They meet their demise in a unique way. Nobody sparkles.

How many books will be in the series?

I foresee the series as three separate trilogies. The first three are told from Mia Disantini’s POV. The second three will be from the POV of a male character introduced in novel three and the last three from another female character who isn’t a vampire but an entirely new species. I also would like to write a kind of prequel series about Immortyl history as I’ve imagined it.

What type of reader do you think will enjoy Cara Mia?

I believe my stories have a broad appeal for sci fi and fantasy fans that wouldn’t normally pick up a vampire novel, as well as urban fantasy and paranormal romance fans. I believe I’ve done something different. I didn’t really read a lot of this genre until after I’d completed the first two books. I don’t follow the standard murder mystery within a paranormal setting that a lot of urban fantasy does. I do enjoy reading those novels but I have a different take. I probably owe more to Rice’s Interview With A Vampire. Matheson’s I am Legend with a dash of Tolkien and even I Claudius by Robert Graves. Not that my style or story is similar to any of these authors’ but these are books that had a profound emotional impact on me. I love history, science and mythology and wanted to bring those elements together with a healthy dose of politics and intrigue, but humor and romance lighten the soufflé.

What has surprised me is the positive response I’ve gotten from male readers in my critique group and from readings I’ve done elsewhere. I’ve always thought of this genre as having a heavily female audience due to the romantic subplot component and female protagonists. I have found there are lots of men who read vampire novels. Shame on me for my prejudice! My heroine’s love interest (I hate to use that term), Kurt Eisen, has gotten positive feedback from males. I think men get as tired of the big strapping alpha male hero as women are of the tall gorgeous heroine. In Kurt, I wanted to create a male character that is as far from that mold as possible, yet is strong, resourceful and a potential leader. Kurt soon became my favorite character and took the story to a place I hadn’t originally envisioned.

I also wanted a multicultural cast. I’m from the East Coast where there are people of many cultures and I like my vampires to reflect the real world’s diversity. A close friend of mine decried the fact that she had never seen a major female vampire character of color. I took that to heart and Leisha was born. She isn’t always the most sympathetic character, but I like to think that her complexity makes her more interesting.

I deal a lot with child and teen vampires. I always wondered where the lost boys and girls of vampire stories came from. I read a startling statistic once that most street prostitutes are under the age of eighteen. This really upset me, and an idea germinated. My vampire kids are essentially victims of their masters that become a discontented underclass of runaways and cast-offs.

What is your favorite vampire story/lore?

I mentioned my two favorite vampire stories above, but I grew up watching Dark Shadows on TV and loved it. You could say Barnabas Collins was one of the first sympathetic vampires. I had the great pleasure to meet actor, Jonathan Frid, who played him, back in the eighties when a friend of mine was his personal assistant. He lived on Gramercy Park in NYC and as a tribute to him I have Mia living there at one point.

I’ve read a lot of vampire lore from Eastern Europe. I don’t really use it, but I do poke fun sometimes at the stereotypical vampire stuff, for instance, the convention of a vampire having to be invited into a house. Mia comments acerbically on vampires being “highly territorial bastards”, and that one must seek permission to enter another vampire’s territory or home.

Best advice you can give to aspiring writers?

The best advice I can give is to be original. Don’t try to imitate anyone. Use the unique knowledge and experience you have to create a completely new world in your stories. Join a supportive but honest writer’s group and share your work. The editorial advice is priceless. Read, read, read! Read books in all genres. I love to do research. I sometimes read several sources for what may end up as one sentence about a costume, setting or historical reference. Don’t give up if your first efforts are rejected. Don’t think you’re ever too young or too old to start writing. Every stage of life brings a new perspective.

You can read more about Denise and Cara Mia at her website, where you can find character profiles, excerpts from book one, book two, and more. You can also friend Denise on Facebook where you will get all of the latest updates on the Immortyl Revolution series.

Vampire Fiction On Its Way Out?

Last week I found an article in Publisher's Weekly that caught my attention and got my blood boiling. You can read the article in its entirety here.

An excerpt:

Vampires may live forever, but the recent vampire trend in YA fiction won’t. Author Michael Grant, for one, is “sick to death of vampires,” and he is not alone. But when one hugely popular trend ends, what will take its place? Some readers have their fingers crossed for postapocalyptic fiction.

Grant, along with fellow authors Scott Westerfeld, Carrie Ryan, and James Dashner, gathered with fans at Barnes & Noble on Manhattan’s Upper East Side last Thursday to discuss their latest books, as well as the future of this “bleak future” genre.

I'm a huge fan of post-apocalyptic fiction but...

1. Vampires have been popular in fiction longer than Dracula by Bram Stoker has been around. They were popular in YA fiction before Twilight, and I think they will continue to be popular because there will always be a following for the genre. The hype will die down, eventually.

2. "Bleak future" has been a genre for a long time as well. Like anything, it will also have its high and low points in popularity.

3. If I was an author in the "bleak future" genre, I'd tell people my work was the next big thing, too.

What do you think?

Winner of The Midnight Twins. Then some scary stories.

The copy of The Midnight Twins by Jacquelyn Mitchard goes to Lauren! Thank you to everyone who entered and/or advertised the contest. Welcome to new followers!

Here are some of my favorite stories from the "scariest thing that ever happened to you or someone you know" part of the contest.

From Tynga:

I didn't have any major encounters, but I am easily spooked, so I don't watch any ghost shows late at night or I'll be insomniac lol. But I remember once when I was about 9 years old, I was with my friend and we were alone at her place. We heard some strange noises in the basement and we were so scared! We head to the kitchen, she picks a butcher knife and she gave me... drum rolls... a fork! She gave me a freaking fork to defend myself against something potentially very dangerous! In fact there was absolutely nothing in the basement, but I never got over the fork thing lol.

Haha! This still has me laughing a week after first reading.

From throuthehaze:

Scariest thing was when I saw a man in work boots pass by my kitchen entry, but from the direction he was walking he would have had to climb through my window which was locked. I looked around the corner and nobody was there.

What is it with ghosts in work boots? A friend of mine used to hear someone in work boots going up and down her stairs at night. She would yell "Could you keep it down, please?" and the noise would stop.

From Llehn:

My ghost story involves my aunt. My aunt was very close to my great aunt and when the latter passed away, my aunt had trouble sleeping. Every night she would smell my great aunt’s perfume in the room and feel the temperature of the room drop. She also kept having recurring dreams where my great aunt came to her and told her that she couldn’t cross over properly until she has her bible with her. So finally my aunt burnt my great aunt’s bible and the ‘haunting’ stopped.

This one gives me goosebumps!

Ghosts and Demons Week: Mama, Short Film

Mama is a short film about two sisters trying to escape from a ghoul they refer to as mom. The short is being turned into a feature length film. I'm very excited about Mama because of all the great writing in the short. More on that after the clip. If you're brave enough or if you don't want to sleep tonight, check it out.

Scared? I love that they are playing on the idea that this ghoul is a mother. One of the most comforting images in the world is that of your mother, yet here they present this terrifying thing. What was up with the fish bowl? There wasn't a fish in it. Maybe the water inside was Holy water? It seemed like they were sleeping in shifts as well. Why were they alone in the house? Why wouldn't Lily open the door for Victoria? Even though she was terrified, her sister should have been important enough for her to rescue.

All of these questions are raised in under three minutes. We have plot, characterization, climax, resolution in such a short time. It leaves me wanting more, but also gives me fulfillment because it didn't leave me confused.

I hope you enjoyed this clip. Sleep well!

Ghosts and Demons Week: The Midnight Twins Giveaway

Welcome to Ghosts and Demons Week! This is the week when I'll be posting about things that actually scare me. Anyone ever had a paranormal experience? They stay with you for a long time. But on to fun things! I'd like to kick off the week with a giveaway.

Meredith and Mallory are identical twins with different birthdays. They even have different birth years, since they were each born on opposite sides of midnight on New Year’s Eve. Coming from a family with a lineage of telepathic twins, these two have an extraordinary bond that includes having identical dreams. Just before the girls’ 13th birthdays, Mallory dreams about dying in a house fire—a vision her sister doesn’t share. The girls do survive a mysterious blaze, though, and Mallory continues to envision future traumatic events, while Meredith places Mallory’s dreams in time. A few elements of the story are more reminiscent of a teen horror flick than a carefully developed psychological drama, particularly a subplot about a friend’s brother, who turns out to kill animals and attack girls. Although the characters often act and speak as plot devices rather than as real people, foreshadowing keeps the pages turning, and a closing speech from the girls’ grandma indicates that their extraordinary talents will be showcased in future volumes.

This is the first book in The Midnight Twins series.

To enter:

In order to be eligible for this contest you MUST tell me about the scariest paranormal thing that has ever happened to you or to someone else. This is for 4 entries.

Extra entries:

These entries will only count if you do the above.

+1 For each time you advertise on sidebar, twitter, etc. Leave links!

+2 For making a separate blog post

+3 For adding me to your blogroll

+2 For becoming a follower

+3 For already being a follower

Contest ends Sunday, October 25 at midnight your time.

Werewolf Week: Full Moon Music

As the final hurrah of Werewolf Week, I'll leave you with some songs to listen to next full moon.

First up, my favorite werewolf song there is. All about how great it is to transform. This one doesn't embed but you can watch Wolf Like Me by TV on the Radio here.

Now, something to really get you in a feral mood.

Finally, something fun. Being a werewolf isn't all about angst!

Werewolf Week: Little Women and Werewolves

I wish I had thought of this.

GalleyCat reports that Louisa May Alcott's classic Little Women is following in the footsteps of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by throwing werewolves into the lives of the March girls.

"In this retelling of Louise May Alcott's classic, the beloved little women must keep not just the wolf, but the werewolves, from the door...and the kindly old gentlemen next door and his grandson may have some secrets to hide--or share with the March girls."

Will Beth be bitten instead of getting scarlet fever? Will Joe cut off her hair because it is causing her fur to be too long (logic fail)? I've never read the book, but I am a devoted fan of the 1994 film adaptation. Around here, it is a tradition to watch the movie at Christmastime.

How do you feel about Little Women and Werewolves? Is it a great idea or blasphemy?

Werewolf Week: The Wolfman Trailer

I like werewolf movies. I haven't seen a ton of them, but really, it's not easy to beat Teen Wolf. ~.^

Anyway, The Wolfman is coming out in February and I'm totally stoked. They have a great cast lined up with Benicio Del Toro, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt, and Hugo Weaving. But what I'm excited about most is that the transformation and werewolf actually look cool. Unlike, say, the balding rat in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

Werewolf Week: Little Red Riding Hood Is Top Dog

Most of us know the version of Little Red Riding Hood in which Little Red and Grandma are saved from the wolf's belly by a passing hunter. An earlier version by Perrault ends with Little Red being gobbled up, no rescue. But before all of that was a tale called The Grandmother.

From the University of Pittsburgh's website:

There was a woman who had made some bread. She said to her daughter, "Go and carry a hot loaf and a bottle of milk to your grandmother."

So the little girl set forth. Where two paths crossed she met the bzou [werewolf], who said to her, "Where are you going?"

"I am carrying a hot loaf and a bottle of milk to my grandmother."

"Which path are you taking? said the bzou. "The one of needles or the one of pins?"

"The one of needles," said the little girl.

"Good! I am taking the one of pins."

The little girl entertained herself by gathering needles.

The bzou arrived at the grandmother's house and killed her. He put some of her flesh in the pantry and a bottle of her blood on the shelf.

The little girl arrived and knocked at the door. "Push on the door," said the bzou. "It is blocked with a pail of water."

"Good day, grandmother. I have brought you a hot loaf and a bottle of milk."

"Put it in the pantry, my child. Take some of the meat that is there, and the bottle of wine that is on the shelf."

While she was eating, a little cat that was there said, "For shame! The slut is eating her grandmother's flesh and drinking her grandmother's blood."

"Get undressed, my child," said the bzou, and come to bed with me."

"Where should I put my apron?"

"Throw it into the fire. You won't need it anymore."

And for all her clothes -- her bodice, her dress, her petticoat, and her shoes and stockings -- she asked where she should put them, and the wolf replied, "Throw them into the fire, my child. You won't need them anymore."

When she had gone to bed the little girl said, "Oh, grandmother, how hairy you are!"

"The better to keep myself warm, my child."

"Oh, grandmother, what long nails you have!"

"The better to scratch myself with, my child!"

"Oh, grandmother, what big shoulders you have!"

"The better to carry firewood with, my child!"

"Oh, grandmother, what big ears you have!"

"The better to hear with, my child!"

"Oh, grandmother, what a big nose you have!"

"To better take my tobacco with, my child!"

"Oh, grandmother, what a big mouth you have!"

"The better to eat you with, my child!"

"Oh, grandmother, I have to do it outside!"

"Do it in the bed, my child!"

"Oh no, grandmother, I really have to do it outside."

"All right, but don't take too long."

The bzou tied a woolen thread to her foot and let her go. As soon as the little girl was outside she tied the end of the thread to a plum tree in the yard.

The bzou grew impatient and said, "Are you doing a load? Are you doing a load?"

Not hearing anyone reply, he jumped out of bed and hurried after the little girl, who had escaped. He followed her, but he arrived at her home just as she went inside.

Okay, so I do crack up at the fact that Little Red escaped by telling the wolf she had to relieve herself. But I love that she saves herself. There are many versions where she does this, but The Grandmother is the one most pertinent to the rest of the post.

In 1979, The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter was published. The Bloody Chamber is a collection of short stories that are Carter's interpretations of fairy tales. The Company of Wolves is her interpretation of Little Red Riding Hood, which closely resembles The Grandmother. You can read The Company of Wolves here. It is a quick read and will help to make sense of the following criticism.

I wrote en essay recently that talks about the way Carter critically revises the tale of Little Red Riding Hood and would like to share it with all of you. As a word of warning or a way to lure you in, this paper has a feminist slant.

Enjoy!

Control and Independence in Angela Carter’s “The Company of Wolves”

In "The Company of Wolves," Angela Carter turns Little Red's role as a victimized girl to that of a sexually aggressive young woman who uses dominance to break away from oppressive tradition. Carter's version most resembles the French tale “The Grandmother” in which Little Red meets a werewolf who kills her grandmother and serves her to Little Red for dinner. After burning her clothing at the werewolf-as-grandmother's command and climbing into bed with him, Little Red escapes by feigning that she has to relieve herself outside.

It is in Little Red's reaction to the wolf that Carter's tale differs dramatically. While Little Red does burn her clothing, she acts without fear as “...she stood up on tiptoe and unbuttoned the collar of his shirt...What big teeth you have!...All the better to eat you with. The girl burst out laughing; she knew she was nobody’s meat. She laughed at him full in the face, she ripped off his shirt for him and flung it into the fire…” (Carter 118).

Little Red is no longer the victim but the aggressor since she is the first to make physical contact when she unbuttons the werewolf's shirt. She is now the one in control and shows this by laughing at what is usually the most fearsome line in the story. Since Little Red bursts out with laughter, it can be inferred that she is baring her teeth, which is another form of aggressive behavior.

Little Red's confidence that "she was nobody's meat" (Carter 118) begs the question of how she can be so confident in her safety while in the presence of a homicidal werewolf. In the opening of the story, we are given a tale about the werewolves in Little Red’s country. There is a passage which tell us “seven years is a werewolf’s natural span but it you burn his human clothing you condemn him to wolfishness for the rest of his life…” (Carter 113). Being a citizen of the area where the tale is told, Little Red is familiar with the ritual of burning a wolf’s clothing. In order to shed her role as one to be acted upon, Little Red throws her clothing in the fire so she may join the werewolf pack for the rest of her life, and forces the werewolf before her into the same fate. She has shown him that he is part of the pack forever because she has deemed it so—she is the alpha female and he is the beta male. Little Red's aggression also dominates the werewolf as the narrator tells us "she will lay his fearful head on her lap" (Carter 118). The werewolf shows his submission by lowering his head; he is no longer the dominant one of the pack.

Little Red goes as far as to disregard the safety of her grandmother in order to enter her new lifestyle when "the old bones under the bed set up a terrible clattering but she did not pay them any heed" (Carter 118). In Grandmother’s brief appearance in “The Company of Wolves,” she is presented as a woman who relies on her faith in a Christian God to save her. When the werewolf enters her home, the narrator takes on a second person voice to tell us “you can hurl your Bible at him and your apron after, granny, you thought that was a sure prophylactic against these infernal vermin…now call on Christ and his mother and all the angels in heaven to protect you but it won’t do you any good” (Carter 116). Grandmother literally throws her traditional values at the werewolf, but they have no effect on the him because, as we are told at the close of the story, “it is Christmas Day, the werewolves’ birthday, the door of the solstice stands wide open; let them all sink through" (Carter 118).

As the birth of Jesus was the beginning of a new religion, so is the werewolf’s birthday for Little Red. She disobeys her grandmother’s warning, which is reminiscent of her disregard for her mother's warning to not stray from the path because she will "fall down and break the bottle and there won’t be anything left for grandmother." (Grimm 36). The broken bottle of wine is representative of a hymen stretching to bleed during intercourse, making Little Red's sexual act with the werewolf another move away from tradition, leaving nothing of her grandmother’s lifestyle for the old woman to hold onto or instill in Little Red.

Little Red survives her night with the werewolf and is now able to see not only a new day, but a new season as well. Her disobedience has given rise to a new way of life. Carter shows us that by shedding her submission in favor of dominance, Little Red lives to see the solstice that is large enough for all the players of the story to pass through. Little Red can now live in a world where she has freedom because the werewolf is a tamed beast who will not take sex from her if she does not will it, and the authority of her grandmother who would have controlled her sexuality is now dead.

Works Cited

Carter, Angela. “The Company of Wolves.” The Bloody Chamber. New York: Penguin, 1979. 110-118.

Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm. “Little Red Cap.” Folk and Fairy Tales. Eds. Martin Hallett and Barbara Karasek. Buffalo, New York: Broadview Press, 2009. 35-38.