FREE EBOOK!! (Coupon code inside)

Erotic Short Story Giveaway

Author, J. Alexander is offering a free download of her erotic short story, Becoming Dinner.

Becoming Dinner by J. Alexander. Action/Adventure, M/F Erotica, Short Story.

A four star review from Melissa at Dark Diva Reviews:

“… I was drawn right into Becoming Dinner on the first page. My attention was held captive by the action and suspense in which I was thrown. I felt as if I was teetering on a high ledge, and was not let down for the duration of the book. Ms. Alexander did such a wonderful job on such a short story; I would love to read a longer book by her. I would imagine it would be one of those books that I can’t stop reading until the story is finished.”

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Enjoy! The coupon is good through January 27, 2011.

Hunters & Prey Blog Tour - Stop 3

Sherry Gloag: Meet Katie Salidas - Immortalis: Hunters & Prey Virtual Book Tour

Check me out at The Heart of Romance today for a chance to win an ebook version of any of my books. (Winners choice) You must leave a comment on her blog to be entered in the giveaway.

Hunters & Prey Blog Tour - Stop 2

Ashley's Bookshelf: Guest Blog Katie Salidas & Ebook Giveaway!:

Check me out at Ashley's Bookshelf today for a chance to win an ebook version of any of my books. (Winners choice) You must leave a comment on her blog to be entered in the giveaway.

Hunters & Prey Blog Tour - Stop 1

Deanna's Tidbits: Author Interview - Katie Salidas - Paranormal/Urban Fantasy Author

Check me out at Deanna's Tidbits today for an interview with my vampire, Alyssa and a chance to win an ebook version of any of my books. (Winners choice) You must leave a comment to be entered in the giveaway.

Copying, Reimagining, or just... Americanizing?




One thing I've noticed lately is that mainstream entertainment media is in a copy, remake, copy, remake... mode. At least in America it is.


We take something that has worked in the past or is currently working (just not under American control) and re-do it. Where is the originality? Have we run out of ideas or do we just think we can do things better than others?

Here are just a few examples of vampire-related remakes going on now.
 
I've heard talks that the popular classic TV series Dark Shadows being re-made. Tim Burton is purportedly directing and Johnny Depp starring as vampire Barnabas Collins.
http://www.collider.com/2010/11/04/johnny-depp-dark-shadows-tim-burton-filming-april/



While yes it was a classic series and it was well loved during it's time (and still has a cult following now) is it really necessary to remake it for the modern generation? Can't we love the original as it was and get some fresh new vampire-related soap opera's? The TV series is available to own on DVD so those that loved the classic can still love it as it was.

How about films that aren't that old? Should we remake them because they are no longer playing in theaters?

Take Let the Right One In for example. This was a 2004 vampire fiction novel by Swedish writer John Ajvide Lindqvist, adapted to film in 2008.



(Personal Opinion) That was an awesome Swedish film. It wasn't in English and had to be subtitled (as I understand it the subtitles were "dumbed down" a little) but it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the film. It was great all on it's own, in its original format. I'm not the only one who thought so too. It won many awards (check them out here via Wikipedia)

Then in 2010 (a mere 2 years later) an American director decided to make it in English. Let Me In.



You know what... I didn't see it. I didn't have any desire to either. (Personal Opinion) Why should I? I liked the original. It was fine just the way it was. I didn't need it Americanized to enjoy it.

When things like this are done, especially riding so close on the heels of original work, I wonder if any insult is taken? Did director Tomas Alfredson (Let The Right One In) feel somehow slighted that his creation was remade? Did director Matt Reeves (Let Me In) try to one-up the original film or was he simply trying to make it more palatable for English speaking audiences? I wonder what the real motivating factor was behind the remake?

Was it all just a Hollywood cash grab? Did they figure they needed to be apart of an already popular vampire movie while the genre is still hot? Is Hollywood being lazy or are they out of original Ideas? Given the popularity of vampires right now and the hundreds of novels being published about them yearly, I doubt it's  lack of fresh ideas. Seems a bit like one-upsmanship to me. "Whatever you can do, I can make it better here in America." But that's just my opinion. 

Of course, I've only been talking about remakes of things that are in the past, even if it's just the recent past.

What about remakes of current things?

I've been out of the loop for a little bit TV-wise and was only just made aware of the latest "lets Americanize something popular in other countries" ploy.  Check out this

One of my favorite TV shows (Which plays on BBC America) is Being Human.



It's brilliant! A vampire, a werewolf, and a ghost are all living together. I know it sounds like the start of a bad joke but the series is really quite good. Through the series the roommates are constantly struggling with their conditions and trying to have as normal a life as possible. I love it. It's witty, dramatic, and filled with a cast of characters who feel "real." Maybe it's because I am so used to things being glamorized and Americanized that I find this (and other British TV shows) to be a breath of fresh air. It seems to me they focus more on the characters and their development and interactions instead of their looks and status. Here are a couple of my favorite clips. You can see how "real" they feel for yourself.

Mitchell trying to get other vampires "on the wagon" with him.




Annie (The ghost) holding a house meeting with George (the Werewolf) and Mitchell (the Vampire). Mitchell goes completely bonkers over missing his favorite TV show. The clip is brilliant because of how utterly Normal they make them seem. No matter how "different" they are, they are still so Human!!



The series is moving into season three at the moment and I've been waiting anxiously for them to start.

So, it was quite a shocker for me to find out that while I'm waiting for the new season, the series is getting ready to start up again, from the beginning. Only this time, it's an American version.



According to the promo video, this is a "NEW" and "ORIGINAL" series. I have to ask though, what exactly is new or original about it?

According to Wikipedia... The only real difference here is location and name changes. Neither of them being really all that New or Original. Boston is a great location but it's a big city. You want originality, then go for a lesser known location. The names are all changed from their original British versions but their back-stories are all very similar to their British counterparts.

Aiden- Formerly Mitchell (by the way the actor who plays Mitchell in the original series is named Aiden) is a vampire who is "on the wagon" meaning he is trying not to drink blood. He wants to be good. (Just like the British series)

Josh - Formerly George is a neurotic man (just like the original series) who had to abandon his original academic plans because of his new condition as a werewolf (also just like the original series)

Sally- Formerly Annie is described as vivacious, smart, funny and driven. (Yep, you guessed it. Sounds a lot like the original series Annie.) She died young after moving in with her boyfriend Danny. (Hmmm, I wonder if he killed her...) Oops is that a spoiler? Nah this isn't the original series we're talking about this is the NEW and ORIGINAL American version.

You can probably tell I'm a little pissed off about this. This is a current series that is getting ready to go into an exciting third season, and instead of American TV stations trying to pick it up for their viewers, they've decided they can do a better job with it. That's just plain cocky arrogance here. They're thumbing their nose at the original despite its popularity. I can't speak for the British people who have it on their regular stations, but I know many of us here in America are happy we have the opportunity to see it on BBC America. We'd welcome it into our regular channel lineup.

I know I am not the only one who is a little put off by this and the constant remaking of other good movies/TV shows, etc... So tell me, what are your thoughts on all of this? Do you appreciate the constant remaking? Were you aware that this was going on? Which series will you be watching? Do you even care?

Hope to hear from you.

Author Spotlight with Elizabeth Loraine




K.S.  Hello and welcome to the blog. I am very excited to have you here. Why don’t we start off with a small introduction? Tell us a little about yourself. 

E.L. My name is Elizabeth Loraine and I just started writing last year, My YA vampire series is called Royal Blood Chronicles and currently there are three books in the series with book four to be released just before Christmas. I am married with two grown children and when I’m no writing I love to be out in my garden or cooking.

K.S.  Any interesting writing quirks or stories you would like to share with my readers?

E.L. I love the history that I add to my stories and try to sneak in a cameo appearance by a person from the history of the time of each book to let my readers try to figure out who it might be. Some are more obvious than others.

K.S.  When did you realize you wanted to be a writer? What sparked the desire to pen your first novel?

E.L. My love for vampires and the fact that everything out there right now seems to be the same modern take on them. Either that or it’s full of erotica, bad language and whinny girls.


K.S.  What would you say has inspired you most in your writing career? Or, who is your favorite author and why?

E.L. Loving vampires means Ann Rice to me. I love her writing. But growing up I was always fascinated by the fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen.

K.S.  What does your family think of your writing?

E.L. I never told them I was writing vampire books because I had no idea if I could actually do it or not. Once I finished the first one and they read it they have been so helpful and supportive.

K.S.  What was one of the most surprising things you learned while creating your book/s?

E.L. How hard it is after the book is done, editing, printing promoting is so much more difficult than the writing. And being disciplined to do it all and continue to write.

K.S.  What inspires you?

E.L. Everything really, life and history is all around us when you really do the research you find amazing stories of courage, heroism, betrayal, you name it.

K.S.  Can you tell us a little about any of your novels?

E.L. Here is a synopsis:
As a vampire, being hunted was nothing new, finding out that I had to protect those hunting us was. Katrina is a young royal blooded vampire from a very old vampire family. She along with young members of each royal vampire family have been called to council. Why? No one knows, but Katrina feels the danger all around them and feels that she will the one called upon to save them all. This fast paced historical saga begins here with Katrina as she begins the journey that will change all their lives forever. It's full of romance, intrigue, danger and betrayal. To succeed the Five must become the many...Join us. John Daniels, author writes: "This is a page-turning, swashbuckling adventure told by a gorgeous seventeen-year-old vampire on the verge of womanhood. Katrina and her companions are girls who love fancy clothes and romantic gossip; but when their race is threatened they become Women Warriors, using their paranormal talents, lightning speed, and razor-sharp blades to wreak deadly justice. By turns tense, funny and sad, this is a great read for fans of bloodlust."


K.S.  Where can we buy your novel?

E.L. The books are available now on Amazon, Kindle, Barnes and Noble and my website.


Paperback link -

Kindle link-

K.S.  Do you have a website, fan site, or Blog that we can visit?

E.L.
http://royalbloodchronicles.com and you can follow me on facebook and twitter.

K.S.  Do you have any closing advice to aspiring writers?

E.L. Don’t give up, find people that support you and will tell you the truth about your work.

Listen to an Excerpt of Immortalis

With the print release of Hunters & Prey right around the corner (December 14th 2010. Pre-Order now and you can have it by Christmas!!), I thought I'd give a try to creating an audio version of the original to share via YouTube. Here is an excerpt of the first half of Immortalis Carpe Noctem, Chapter 1.







Please note, I am a complete novice at making audio & video files so feedback is helpful!

I couldn't say it better...

Check out this wonderful post by Zoe Winters at Indie Reader.com
http://indiereader.com/blog/2010/12/07/stop-comparing/


Too often we feel the need to compare ourselves to the success of others. It's really an unhealthy thing to do because there is no gain in it. If someone is doing better than you all comparing will do is make you feel like crap. If someone is boasting about better sales and higher royalties than you are currently getting, it's going to make you start to question yourself as a writer.

Am I good enough?
Are my books crap?
Why am I not selling as well?

These questions are self-destructive. As a writer/author, your only ambition should be the love of writing and sharing your stories. Yes we all know money needs to be made (we all have to eat), but constantly second guessing yourself is only going to prevent you from writing more. While your first story may not sell well, future work might and if you're spending too much time worrying, you won't be writing.

Zoe says it so much better than I so please stop in and have a read.
http://indiereader.com/blog/2010/12/07/stop-comparing/

You'll be glad you did.

Stage Fright




PHOTO CREDIT


Or in this case Book Fright. Maybe Publishing Fright. How about Reading Fright. Hmmm Review Fright... Is that even a thing?

Ah well, you get the idea.

I wonder how many other of my author friends are going through this right now: That small (but seemingly eternal) limbo between the release of your latest book and the first couple of reviews.

From an indie author's perspective, it's a frightening time, that's for sure.

As an author, you work months at a time (sometimes years) perfecting your masterpiece. You slave over your characters and words, making sure each one is perfect, before you release your novel to the marketplace.

It's a lot like sending your kid off to school on the very first day. You hope and pray that you have given them everything they need, that they have a good time, are well received by friends, and don't run into any bullies. If they do, you hope they're strong enough to hold their own, since you aren't there to protect them. (I'm not saying readers are bullies, but some do go for the throat in reviews.)

In short, you want the best for them. The same applies to your newly-printed book (or ebook). You want the best possible response to it's release.

There's a bit of narcissism in it too, I won't deny it. An artist's self-worth is often tied to their work. That applies to writers too.

Once you've put in that kind of work, you want to hear gushing reviews. It validates you in a way. It makes you feel like the months (or years) weren't wasted. Negative reviews will happen but you hope they are few and far between. You want to walk away at the end of the day feeling great about your latest project.

So to my other author friends out there,commiserate with me. Tell me how you are dealing with limbo. And readers (I'd never forget about you) tell me about your experiences with reading new authors. Show me what it's like from the other side. How do you feel about reading new authors or work?

About The Author

Katie Salidas is a USA Today bestselling author and RONE award winner known for her unique genre-blending style.

Since 2010 she's penned five bestselling book series: the Immortalis, Olde Town Pack, Little Werewolf, Chronicles of the Uprising, and the all-new Agents of A.S.S.E.T. series. As her not-so-secret alter ego, Rozlyn Sparks, she is a USA Today bestselling author of romance with a naughty side.

In her spare time Katie also produces and hosts a YouTube talk show; Spilling Ink. She also has a regular column on First Comics News where she explores writing from a nerdy perspective.