Happy Birthday, Bram!

Bram Stoker, an Irish author-actor-playwright, is best known for his novel Dracula.

Bram Stoker, an Irish author-actor-playwright, is best known for his novel Dracula.

Abraham “Bram” Stoker (born November 8, 1847 – died April 20, 1912) was an Irish novelist and short story writer, best known today for his 1897 novel Dracula. During his lifetime, he was better known as personal assistant of actor Henry Irving and business manager of the Lyceum Theatre in London, which Irving owned. (Stoker’s residence and parish church can still be visited in Dublin.)

Although Stoker himself never visited Romania or the Carpathian Mountains, he spent several years researching European folklore and mythological stories of vampires. He also met Ármin Vámbéry, a Hungarian writer and traveler, whose dark stories of the Carpathians may have also contributed to Stoker’s inspiration.

Stoker’s most infamous character, the vampire Dracula, has gone on to appear in many “incarnations” or guises. In the Dresden Files series, Stoker’s novel is said to be a hunter’s manual for the Black Court vampires, now all but extinct as a result. Bela Lugosi played the vampire in both stage and film versions of the story. The new Something in the Blood by David Skal was reviewed in the New York Times at the end of October; it is an examination of where all the sexual energy and tension in the book comes from. One study, Who was Dracula? explores and uncovers the wide range of source material – from folklore and history, to personas including Oscar Wilde and Walt Whitman. There are many versions of The Annotated Dracula and each opens new windows into the world of Stoker and his famous, bloody creation.

Kindle Countdown to Hallowe’en!

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HAPPY HALLOWE’EN! TRICK OR TREAT!

Both Come Hell or High Water, Part 2: RISING and STORM WOLF are participating in the Kindle Countdown discount program on October 27-31, just in time to get the perfect reading for Hallowe’en OR Samhain on your Kindle or Kindle app! What a treat!

Both books go on sale October 27 and the price gradually rises until midnight on October 31, when both books resume their usual Kindle prices.

Remember that sales of Come Hell or High Water, Part 2: RISING help support the American Red Cross as part of the #VampireBooks4Blood program as well!

See the entire Come Hell or High Water trilogy here.

Read about the history of jack o' lanterns at http://www.history.com/topics/halloween/jack-olantern-history

Read about the history of jack o’ lanterns at http://www.history.com/topics/halloween/jack-olantern-history

#VampireBooks4Blood

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Come Hell or High Water, Part 2: RISING, which features Elizabeth the dearg-due, is participating in the 3rd annual VampireBooks4Blood program. More than 40+ authors are participating in the #VampBooks4Blood program and pledge that we will each donate certain % of royalties per book to either the American Red Cross or the Canadian Blood Services (depending on where each of us live).

Scott Burtness, who organizes the VampireBooks4Blood program, says that he created VB4B to support the American Red Cross for a few reasons:
*It’s a great organization whose work is vital to people and communities in need.
*It’s a blood services organization with a giant cross as it’s symbol. What better organization to support with a vampire-themed event? It’s a perfect fit.
*I think it’s important to give back. The world is what we make it, after all.
 
In 2015, he expanded the event to also support Canadian Blood Services.

Many of the #VampBooks4Blood authors will be participating in live online Q&A sessions with readers via the Books and Everything page on Facebook. (I will be answering readers questions on Friday, October 7 at 1 p.m. NYC time. Click here to join the conversation!)

You can get a paperback or Kindle version of Come Hell or High Water, Part 2: Rising on Amazon. You can also find the entire trilogy here; buy the trilogy and support #VampBooks4Blood three times at once! Please also look at the other wonderful #VampBooks4Blood books from a variety of genres that all feature vampires here. HAPPY VAMPIRE READING!

You can also connect with VampireBooks4Blood on Twitter.