Navigate / search

Blood Shadows Blog Tour

I hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas! I got something really special this year that I want to show you on a blog post very soon. But blog tour information first…

Those of you who follow me on Facebook will know my blog tour around the U.S. started today. This is a somewhat nerve-wracking, albeit equally exciting, experience. Courtesy of Bewitching Book Tours, 30 U.S. book bloggers kindly signed up to host me over a month. There will be a mixture of me writing guest blog posts and being interviewed as well as bloggers promoting Blood Shadows or, the really scary stuff, reviewing it.

My first post is over on Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer and is up already. For those who have been following me since I launched this blog in April, you’ll be in familiar territory because I’m revisiting a blog post I wrote for here (under a different title). It’s the only one I’ll be repeating, but as a lot of people enjoyed that one, it broke me in gently! Other posts I’ll be writing will be, amongst others, creating Blackthorn, what I’ve learned from reader feedback, why vampires makes the perfect anti-heroes and the challenge of being a British PNR author.

For those who want to follow the tour closely, I’ve listed where I’ll be and when below – as well as what I’ll be doing for each. I will, of course, put reminders on Facebook. If you’re able to come and support any of them, you’d be most welcome!

Thanks for your continuing support. xxx

December 28 Guest blog
www.coffeeaddictedwriter.com

December 29 Interview
Books & Other Spells
nightskydarkstar.blogspot.com

December 30 Guest blog
http://saratrimble.wordpress.com/

January 1 Interview
Books & Tales
http://www.booksandtales.blogspot.co.uk/

January 2 Guest blog
Romance Book Junkies
http://www.romancebookjunkies.com

January 2 review
Books, Books, and More Books
http://dream-reader-dreamer2229.blogspot.com/

January 3 Guest blog
The Speculative Salon
http://speculativesalon.blogspot.com/

January 4 Promo
Krystal’s Enchanting Reads
http://enchantingreads7.blogspot.com/

January 5 Promo
Fetch Me My Fainting Couch
www.fetchmemyfaintingcouch.blogspot.com

January 6 Guest blog
Fangs, Wands & Fairydust
http://fangswandsandfairydust.com/

January 7 Interview and review
http://www.vampireromancebooks.com/

January 9 Guest blog
www.christina-mcknight.blogspot.com

January 10 Interview
Victoria Danann
http://victoriadanann.me

January 14 Promo
Mother/Gamer/Writer
mothergamerwriter.com

January 15 Promo
A Bibliophiles Thoughts on Books
http://bibliophilesthoughtsonbooks.blogspot.com/

January 16 Promo
The Solitary Bookworm
thesolitarybookworm.com

January 17 Character Profile or Character Interview
Butterfly-o-Meter Books
http://butterflyometerbooks.blogspot.com/

January 17 review
http://www.anitabook.com

January 18 Guest blog and review
http://www.shelleymunro.com/blog

January 18 review
Mind Reading?
http://monaliz-mindreading.blogspot.com

January 19 Excerpt and review
Michelle’s Paranormal Vault of Books
http://concisebookreviewsbymichelle.blogspot.com/

January 20 Promo and review
Readaholic’s Reviews
www.readaholicsreviews.com

January 21 Guest blog
Delirious About Books
http://deliriousaboutbooks.blogspot.com

January 22 Promo and review
Paranormal Opinion
http://paranormalopinion.blogspot.com

January 22 Interview and Spotlight
JeanzBookReadNReview
http://jeanzbookreadnreview.blogspot.co.uk/

January 23 Interview and review
Paranormal Book Club
http://paranormal-bookclub.com/

January 24 Guest blog
Ramblings From A Chaotic Mind –
http://nikkibrandyberry.wordpress.com/

January 24 review
My paranormal book review
Http://www.myparanormalbookreview.blogspot.com

January 24 Review
Cloey’s Book Reviews and Other Stuff
cloeyk.blogspot.com

January 25 Interview and review
Marked By Books
http://markedbybooks.blogspot.com

Win a Signed Copy of Blood Shadows!

Ah, Christmas is almost upon us – and it’s the most disorganised I’ve ever been! The decorations aren’t up, the food isn’t bought and I only have half the presents… Still, one thing that I have managed to do (all thanks to Bookouture!) is set-up a giveaway of 5 signed paperback copies of Blood Shadows. You have to be a member of Goodreads (or sign up) in order to be in with a chance of winning one, but all you have to do is click on the ‘Enter to win’ button below. It’ll run for a month and Goodreads will choose the winners.

Oh, and for those who have already asked, as much as I’d like to oblige, I’m afraid that the answer is no – Kane cannot deliver them personally. 😉

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Blood Shadows by Lindsay J. Pryor

Blood Shadows

by Lindsay J. Pryor

Giveaway ends January 18, 2013.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

 

And here’s wishing all my amazing friends, supporters and reviewers a wonderful Christmas! Enjoy!

xxx

Vampire Weekend – Part 3

I’m concluding my top ten favourite vampire films, with a countdown of 3 through to 1. Enjoy!

 

Number 3

Underworld 

Selene (played by Kate Beckinsale) is a vampire determined to destroy the lycans who allegedly killed her family. When she discovers they’re pursuing a human – Michael – she sets out to capture him herself. There were four films in total, but the first is definitely the strongest. Great vampire and werewolf mythology, a superb gothic backdrop, terrific action scenes and with a strong British female lead playing the heroine, this film is sheer entertainment.

 

Number 2

Daybreakers 

I adore this film. The premise is simple: a plague has transformed humans into vampires so that less than 5% of the human population exists. Of course, vampires needs human blood to survive. More so, vampires deprived for too lengthy a time degenerate into psychotic, blood-hungry creatures that will attack anything. A vampire corporation is working to capture and farm all remaining humans whilst a synthetic blood substitute is found – and quickly. In the meantime, a good-guy vampire haematologist who works for them gets word of a cure (and it’s inspired!). Credit where credit is due, this film really offered something different.

 

Number 1

The Lost Boys

Okay, so I’m predictable. But will anything ever top this? Scary, funny, action-packed, edge-of-your seat stuff, this film will forever be number 1 on my list. Michael and Sam move to the beach community of Santa Carla only to discover it’s the murder capital of the world – oh, and home to a gang of urban, bad-boy vampires. Wanting to fit in, Michael falls prey to becoming one of them, but he’s yet to make a human kill and turn. The race his on for his younger brother to kill the head vampire before Michael takes a bite out of one of the locals. Inspired by Peter Pan (yes, really) and with two of the lead characters named after Edgar Allan Poe, you get a sense of the balance between light and dark in this film. It has to have one of the best closing lines/scenes to a vampire film ever, and by a character (the grandfather) who wasn’t even written into the original script! Vampire film bliss, and here’s the original trailer embeded direct from You Tube… 🙂

Thanks for joining me in my countdown!

xxx

 

Vampire Weekend – Part 2

Yesterday, I gave a run down from 10 through to 7 of my favourite vampire films. Next up, 6 through to 4…

 

Number 6

Interview With The Vampire 

I think this film most definitely earns a rightful place in my favourite vampire films of all time. A stunning adaptation of the novel which, unlike my latter choice, actually did do the masterpiece justice. Apparently Anne Rice wasn’t happy with Tom Cruise being cast as Lestat, but changed her mind after seeing him in action. I too, despite not being a huge Cruise fan, thought he played the role to perfection. I remember one scene in particular causing quite a bit of controversy when the film was released. So, yes, of all the clips I could have chosen, I had to pick that one…

 

Number 5

Bram Stoker’s Dracula 

Another triumphant book to film adaptation – moving, disturbing and downright unnerving at times, this film beautifully captured the essence of the book by skilfully portraying the horror and romance with equal balance. With over 170 versions of the classic, reviews dictate that this was the best of the rest and I haven’t yet come across one better. I thought I’d pick a short clip (I know you don’t have all day), so here’s Harker’s arrival at Dracula’s home. I’d still go there for a visit. I’d just maybe get a nice firm bolt on the door. Oh, and on the window too.

 

Number 4

Blade

Based on the Marvel Comics character, Blade’s a vampire super-hero (played by Wesley Snipes) who protects humans. Born a vampire-human hybrid after his mother was bitten while she was pregnant, Blade has all the strengths of vampires but none of their weaknesses. Needless to say this equips him well in his mission to protect humans from vampire nasties. It’s not long before he comes up against Deacon Frost (played by Stephen Dorff) who wants to rule the human race rather than co-exist peacefully with them. There were three films in the series, but the first still wins out. Action packed, relentless, great special effects and some laugh-out-loud moments, I remain loyal to Stephen Dorff as one of the best vampire portrayals ever.

My final three are up tomorrow!

Vampire Weekend – Part 1

I’m letting the side down here having not talked vampires for a while. So after a fun-filled but busy week of interviews and reviews, I thought it time I indulge in my favourite topic again. Over the next three days, I’ll do a run-down of my top 10 vampire films. The heart-wrenching, the blood-thirsty, the terrifying or the just simply original, there’s quite a range coming up. Let’s kick off with the first four and why they made it…

 

Number 10

Queen Of The Damned

Ill probably be met with a few groans for choosing this one. Okay, so there were plenty of cringe moments and yes, I rushed to the cinema to see it only to be bitterly disappointed, but then I should have known better than to expect anything of the calibre of Interview With A Vampire. This film version of the Anne Rice classic did no justice to the book at all – in fact, if you hadn’t read the book, the ending would leave you totally confused. But for all it’s cheesy moments, it’s rushed and sometimes paper-thin storyline, it does have Stuart Townsand in it (and darn does it wear those leathers well) and a stunning portrayal of Akasha by Aaliyah. As well as some stunning gothic scenery, it’s basically a watchable film if you’re happy to keep it tongue-in-cheek. I was lucky to stumble on this YouTube trailer which manages to pick out some of the better moments of the film.

 

Number 9

30 Days Of Night

It’s graphic, it’s dark, its disturbingly gory and I spent plenty of moments hiding behind my hands, but it’s still an utterly brilliant film with a superb concept. Based on the comic book miniseries, if you want vampires the way they used to be then this film will remind you just how terrifying the original legends were. Oh, and it has Josh Hartnett in it. 🙂

 

Number 8

Let The Right One In (2007)

This Swedish romantic horror is based on the 2004 novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist. I haven’t seen the remake, only the original 2008 film (subtitled). I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first settled down to watch this film, but I found it one of the most poignant and moving vampire films I’ve ever seen. The storyline was superb. the acting immense and its dark innocence was something to be beheld. I was really moved by the developing relationship between the two main characters – a bullied 12 year old boy called Oskar who develops a relationship with a vampire girl called Eli – and an ending that I thought was just perfect.

 

Number 7

Fright Night (1985)

Don’t get me started on the remake – nothing beats the original when it comes to Fright Night. Yes, it’s dated and the special effects (rubber fanged bat, anyone?) might make you purse your lips to stop you smirking, but I still love it. It has a gripping storyline, you can’t help but root for the fumbling Brewster and Jerry (the vampire) is just enough of a mixture of dark and light to have you part smiling and part palpitating. It’s a classic vampire film and a prized possession in my collection.

I’ll do my next three in the countdown tomorrow. Anyone brave enough to hazard a guess at what might appear?

Kane and Caitlin Interviewed!

With Blood Shadows now having been out almost a month, the interview invites are coming in. I’ve discovered two things about myself through the interview questions I’ve received so far – anything deep or probing and I can give you an answer more or less straight away, but ask me about my favourite book or what song I listen to most and you’ll have me floundering for hours.

I’ve had three interviews so far with another three coming this week and another two booked for after Christmas. I’ve also got a blog tour around the US starting on the 28th December courtesy of Bewitching Book Tours. I always hope, as I open the questions, that there will be something a bit different asked. Something I’ve not been asked before. I’ve been very lucky with all three this week, especially as they’re so close together, that each interviewer has offered a unique set of questions and a very different style. It kept me on my toes and that hopefully means it’ll be more interesting for you if you read them.

We’re kicking off the week with Aimee Duffy. When she approached me and said she didn’t only want to interview me, but also Kane (brave girl!) and Caitlin ‘Jeremy Kyle’ style, I thought it was inspired. When I threw in an added curveball to the questions she had sent me and asked her, instead of asking about me, why she didn’t focus on my perceptions of my characters (no one had done that yet), she was onto it within minutes.

I’ve never answered questions so quickly or easily.

If you’d like to see what I and Kane and Caitlin had to say for ourselves, you can find the full interview (and a flatteringly gushing review of Blood Shadows) here.

Thanks for the interview fun, Aimee! And the terrific review. 🙂

xxx

 

Signing Blood Shadows

A night with friends turned out to be a night with a difference when I signed my very first collection of books at one of their houses last night.

My lovely friend Kelly not only bought Blood Shadows for herself, but enjoyed it enough to buy it as a Christmas present for friends and family. Aw thanks, Kelly! (She’s potentially single-handedly responsible for those Amazon ratings, you know 😉 )  Hence my very first Blackthorn book signing session!

As it was another special moment for me (notice I’m milking these ‘special’ moments for all they’re worth), I thought I’d post a couple of pics to share with you…

 

 

 

Complicated stuff this book signing, especially when

you can’t even work out which page to write on…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Right, down to business. Musn’t make a spelling

mistake… mustn’t blot my pen…. concentrate….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     

     Achieved! I could get into this… 🙂

 

 

 

And thank you, Kelly’s cat, for not jumping on me half way through.

xxx