When Vampires Were Scary

By Donna Burgess (Guest Blogger)

I'd pleased to welcome Donna Burgess to Beyond Romance. She'll be giving away two copies of her book, Darklands, to some lucky reader who comments today! ~ Lisabet

I want to thank Lisabet for having me as a guest today. I’m probably giving away my age, but I remember when vampires were scary. I’m not sure what exactly happened or when it happened, but somewhere over the course of the last decade or so, vampires guys became dreamy hunks who never need little blue pills and vampire chicks became these temptresses in great leather outfits, flowing hair and incredible alabaster skin.

I sort of miss the good old days. Why? Because the vampires I just described grace the covers of 99% of the “horror/paranormal/fantasy” paperbacks down at my local Books-A-Million right now. The gatekeepers in the world of big-time publishing are satisfied with rehashing the same stories again and again because they want to believe the readers have become trained to look for the formula again and again.

I did not set out to be an “indie” author when I wrote Darklands. I had this naïve idea that something different might just be what it took to break into publishing. Wrong! But as they say, things do happen for a reason. I’ve learned a lot about writing, and more importantly, I’ve learned the gatekeepers aren’t always right. In fact, they seem to be a tad out-of-touch with what the book-buying public wants these days. Just take a look at Amanda Hocking or any number of indie authors who are outselling their traditionally-published peers, lately.

Anyway, I didn’t guest here to rant about the state of traditional publishing, but to promote my tale of vampires. We’ve all heard the old saying, “You always hurt the ones you love” (but not always in a good way ;-D). There is a lot of conflict in Darklands. People do get hurt and at the end, not everyone is going to dash off to Neverland. At the heart of the tale is Devin, a vampire who hasn’t been exactly truthful about his past relationship, and Susan a newbie vampire with a chip on her shoulder. Throw Michael, Susan’s normal-guy fiancé, and a crazy Nazi vampire hunter named Kasper, into the mix and things begin to get a little messed-up. I’ve tried to create something a bit different with this novel (and the entire Darklands series). If you like some scares and a dash of steamy sex with your blood drinkers, please check out the sample from Amazon. You may find something you like.

About Darklands:

Halloween night, twenty years ago, college student Susan Archer watched as her beloved twin brother was brutally murdered at the hands of a stranger she invited into their home. Still haunted by the guilt of that night, Susan is now a tough but bitter cop in a nowhere town, trying as best she can to lead a normal life. When she is nearly killed during a wild shoot-out, she realizes she is not as strong as she first thought. Fearing a breakdown, she flees the confines of her safe boyfriend and familiar surroundings to find salvation in the arms of “Deathwalker” Devin McCree—the very man who killed her brother. But things aren’t always what they seem and she quickly realizes Devin was not the monster she originally thought, but a kind of guardian angel instead. On the run from a crazed Nazi vampire-hunter named Kasper, she and Devin must find a way to endure the dreary urban landscape of a dying metropolis and escape Kasper’s wrath. Darklands: A Vampire’s Tale is a sexy and violent tale of survival, bloodlust and two people grasping to the edge of immortality while trying to hang on the last shreds of their humanity, the first volume in the Darklands Vampire series.

youtube link for Darklands book trailer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmeoZuPwt2w

Buy Links:

Ebook on smashwords http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/33941

Print Amazon http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0982966512?ie=UTF8&tag=fangtasticbooks-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0982966512

Amazon Kindle http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004GNFTQC?ie=UTF8&tag=fangtasticbooks-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B004GNFTQC

Author Bio:

Donna Burgess is an author of dark fiction and poetry who enjoys surfing, painting and has a deep affection for all things Monty Python and low-budget horror flicks. Over the past fifteen years, her fiction and poetry has appeared in genre publications such as Weird Tales, Dark Wisdom, Sybil’s Garage and others. She has been married for twenty years and has two children. Her newest releases include Darklands: a vampire’s tale (the first book in the Darklands Vampires series) and Breaths in Winter, a short story collection. Both are available in print and e-book. When she is not conjuring, she can be found surfing.

http://www.donnaburgess.com/

twitter http://twitter.com/winniethepoe

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/ScaryDonna

publisher blog http://nakedsnakepress.blogspot.com/

tour schedule: http://bewitchingbooktours.blogspot.com/2011/01/tour-schedule-for-darklands-vampires.html