Vampires for All Tastes~A Very Bloody Happy Hour of Horrors

Some of my favorite people, lovers of horror and freaks extraordinaire, are down on vampires lately. They are anti-Twilight-saga, over Anne Rice, tired of trends. But I say “BAH!” Vampires are IMMORTAL and therefore IMMORTALLY popular.  Take, for instance, the glorious vampires  of movie fame, including Bela Lugosi, those beloved Lost Boys, and that creepy little girl from Let the Right One In. And vampire stories have been churned out for centuries including Polidori’s The Vampyre and Viereck’s The House of the Vampire, not to mention the searingly sexy and somewhat taboo story Clarimonde.  And we all know and love Bram Stoker!

You can get my vampire collection, available as digital bookiewooks for your devices, for the low, low price of $1.99-2.99, including haunting cover photos and intros by this vampophile. And for your convenience I’ve sorted them by vampire-loving topics, in case you aren’t sure. You probably would like them all, of course.

So check the mirror for your reflection, dim the lights, drape yourself in some velveteen and grab the ingredients for a Bloody Mary to celebrate a rainy wintery weekend with vamps, Varla, and vodka!

The Vampyre: A Tale by Varla Ventura and John William Polidori. Best for traditionalists, fans of Frankenstein and Lord Byron, historians.

Amazon

B&N

Dracula’s Guest by Varla Ventura and Bram Stoker Best for classic vampires.

Amazon

B&N

B&N

Clarimonde by Varla Ventura and Théophile Gautier Best for necrophiliacs, priests, sexy vampires.

Amazon

The House of the Vampire by Varla Ventura and George Sylvester Viereck Best for psychic vampires.

Amazon

B&N

Here’s a fun adaptation of a Bloody Mary, which is veg friendly, for all you blood thirsty vegans out there.  What I think is key here is the lime instead of lemon, a dash of Sriracha  and the spicy garnish. I tweaked this recipe from Food.com:

• 1 1/2 ounces vodka
• 3 ounces tomato juice, but V-8 is best because it has extra salt and is yummier
• 2 limes (most people put lemon juice but I just think lime is better)
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (get the Vegetarian kind so even your socially conscious drinking pals can enjoy! You can also make a Vegetarian version yourself, following this Martha Stewart recipe)
• 3 drops Tabasco sauce AND a dash of Sriracha.
• pepper, fresh ground
• salt, chunky sea salt
• 1/2 tablespoon prepared horseradish (optional–and frankly I think the Sriracha gives it all the kick it needs!)
• Garnish: I like a pickled Serrano peppers, or pepperoncinis, or pickled green beans AND a couple of olives. It’s nice to get some kind of swizzle stick to stab these things on–like a Bat swizzle stick.

Directions:

1. Rub lemon or lime around rim of glass and then put the rim in salt.
2. Add ice to glass.
3. Mix Vodka, tomato juice, lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, Sriracha,  salt, pepper, and horseradish (if using) and pour in glass.
4. Garnish as mentioned above.
5. DRINK it fast and make another.

Everyday Is Halloween

At last, it is here! Our beautiful holiday, the finest of all holidays, Halloween!! And since this year it’s on a Wednesday I get  bookends of revelry!! Last weekend was full of mayhem, both in celebration of the All Hallow’s Season and another very important event here in San Francisco--the Giants winning the World Series. So party goers and baseball fans, clad in clown wigs and witch hats, spilled out of bars and homes alike, throwing black and orange streamers high into the air. (Black and orange happen to be the team colors–fitting for freaky SF.) The streets were mobbed, City Hall was lit up orange, and fireworks exploded in the sky.

This next weekend is the wonderful Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) parade and celebration in SF’s Mission District, including amazing altars to honor those who have died and celebrate the beauty of life.  And in between, there are bat cookies to bake, fake mustaches to perfect, candles to light, and candy to procure. Here’s a song to get you in the spirit:  Everyday is Halloween  by Industrial music gods Ministry in their earlier gothpop days.

Though I’ve been busy I do want to share with you one of my favorite stories about the origins of Jack O’Lanterns.

Wandering Jack
The origins of the jack-o’-lantern are told in a popular Irish folk tale. A man named Jack chased the devil into a tree, then drew a cross on its trunk so the devil couldn’t get down. Pleased with himself, Jack walked away, back to his rather unseemly life of greed and sloth. When Jack died, he was denied access to heaven for being sinful. And the devil, who had eventually managed to get out of that tree, wouldn’t let Jack into hell, either. Jack was doomed to walk the earth forever. The devil, in a rare sympathetic mood, felt pity for Jack and gave him some burning coal to light his way. Jack was eating a turnip at the time. He took one bite, decided he would rather go hungry, and put the burning coal inside the turnip. And that was the first jack-’o lantern ever made. When Halloween came to the United States, people started making their jack-o’-lanterns out of pumpkins.

And for those of you who may be plunged into darkness more than usual thanks to the Frankenstorm, may the lights of the Jack O’Lantern guide you home!

This Blog Has Been Infected! Zompocalypse 2012

The gorgeous beings at Paranormal Wastelands are hosting a Zompocalypse Halloween Hop! And there are TWO (that’s right TWO) ways to win. I’ll be giving away a copy of  The Book of the Bizarre and a grab bag of oozing zombie fun, including bug bracelets and stretchy zombie toys. Winner will be announced on November 2nd.

1. Follow my blog, then leave your comment below telling me your favorite character from horror, movies or books. If you’re inclined, like me on facebook and follow me on Twitter too. Between October 28th-31st.

Comment (leave your email address) anytime between October 28th and midnight on Halloween. I’ll announce the winner by the 3rd or so of November.

AND/OR

2. You can also  go and check out my guest post on Paranormal Wasteland  For Whom the Bell Tolls: The Bateson Revival Device and Other Freaky Stories of  Premature Burial, Funeral Customs, and The Walking Dead

There is a button to enter to win at the bottom of the post.

All entries must be in the US or Canada.

Good luck, and Happy Halloween Month!!!!!!!

Zompocaplyse! A Grab Bag of Giveaway Fun!

The gorgeous beings at Paranormal Wastelands are hosting a Zompocalypse blog hop! And there are TWO (that’s right TWO) ways to win.

Today October 25th: go and check out my guest post For Whom the Bell Tolls: The Bateson Revival Device and Other Freaky Stories of  Premature Burial, Funeral Customs, and The Walking Dead

At the bottom of the page you can enter to win my book + zombie swag.

On October 28th-31st there will be an additional giveaway/Zompocalypse Blog Hop where you can do the following and enter to win again! I’ll repost this in a few days…

Follow my blog, then leave your comment below telling me your favorite character from horror, movies or books. If you’re inclined, like me on facebook and follow me on Twitter too. Between October 28th-31st.

I’ll be giving away a copy of  The Book of the Bizarre and a grab bag of oozing zombie fun, including bug bracelets and stretchy zombie toys. Winner will be announced on November 2nd.

Comment (leave your email address) anytime between October 28th and midnight on Halloween. I’ll announce the winner by the 3rd or so of November.

All entries must be in the US or Canada.

Good luck, and Happy Halloween Month!!!!!!!

Horror Movie Madness Giveaway! WINNER

We have a winner! Ron Oliver, you’ve won the Horror Movie Madness giveaway. You’ll be receiving your soon–it’s going out it today’s mail! Here’s a sneak peak of what is creeping around in the big package coming your way, which includes copies of both of my books and some freaky fun things!

One of Ron’s favorite horror movies is The Exorcist. In a competitive genre, The Exorcist is definitely a stand out. Thanks to all who entered, and don’t worry if you didn’t win!! See the other posts about the Spooktacular Giveaway Blog Hop AND watch for the Zombocalypse Giveaway coming later this week!

I’m just in a giving mood this Halloween season. I want to give YOU, dear reader, signed copies of each of my freaky trivia  books, The Book of the Bizarre and Beyond Bizarre, along with a grab bag of zombirific  Halloween splendor, including but not limited to stretchy zombies, bug bracelets, stickers, and grow-your-own maggoty worm things.
How, pray tell, can you win such a wonderful prize? It’s easy! Do one or more of the following for a point to enter. No more than 6 points allowed per person. Each point counts as an entry (so if you do everything you have 6 x the chances to win.)

1. Follow my blog. (If you already do, just say so in your comment and you’ll get the point.) (1 point)

2. Add me to your interests on facebook. You just click on my page, like it if you haven’t already, and then to the right of the like button you’ll see an a tab that you can click on. A drop-down menu appears, and you just say “add page to interests.” (2 points)

3. Follow me on twitter. (1 point)

3. Comment with the answer to this question (2 points!):

What is your favorite horror movie???

Answer by October 21st, 2012. The winner will be announced on October 22nd.

Open to US residents only (if you live elsewhere you can enter if you want the prize to go to someone in the U.S. )

Fangs, Fur, and Fey Giveaway WINNER!!!

 

A coffin bag full of books and zombie bags full of fun!

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and ghouls…

The winner of the Fangs, Fur, and Fey Giveaway is…..

Zara Alexis.

Zara, you can expect a package of creepy fun coming your way soon. Included are copies of my book, The Book of the Bizarre, and Reginald Bakeley’s Goblinproofing One’s Chicken Coop. Also a zombie-grab bag of fun!!!

See the pictures of your spoils below…

And if you didn’t win take heart! There are three more giveaways happening this month, so watch here for more details. I’ll be giving away more spooky swag and copies of both of my books.
Congrats Zara!!

(Check out Zara’s cool blog here: http://zaraalexis.wordpress.com/)

Happy Halloween!

To the victor go the spoils!

Banned Books: Frankenstein

Mary W.  Shelley, feminist and banned book author

Did you know this is Banned Books Week? I love books, especially banned ones! I say any book someone says you shouldn’t read just makes me want to read it more!

My favorite Banned Book of all time is Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. She started the story when she was 18 and it was published when she was just 21. The first edition was published anonymously in London in 1818. Shelley’s name appears on the second edition, published in France in 1823.

From wikipedia: The storyline emerged from a dream. Mary, Percy, Lord Byron, and John Polidori decided to have a competition to see who could write the best horror story. After thinking for weeks about what her possible storyline could be, Shelley dreamt about a scientist who created life and was horrified by what he had made. She then wrote Frankenstein.

Check out my post about Polidori here: The Vampyre, A Tale

Banned! Because it proposed man as God. Banned! Because Shelly’ was a feminist and forward-thinker.

What is your favorite Banned Book?

Check out this link to read about the latest additions: http://bannedbooksweek.org/

What is your favorite Banned Book? Click this link to find out some of the latest titles on the list.

Banned! Because it proposed man as God. Banned! Because Shelly’ was a feminist and forward-thinker.

Church of Mabus and Varla’s House of Horrors

Just had a great interview with Jeffery Pritchett. Jeffery  is the host of The Church Of Mabus Show “bringing you high strange stories from professionals in the carousel of fields surrounding the paranormal.”

Read about hospital horrors, magical creatures, psychic premonitons, and body snatchers~

Interview on Examiner dot com, Varla Ventura on Real Life Horrors

Interview with Dark Harvest Radio

Hello Pumpkins and Pumpkin Eaters!

It’s been ages since you’ve heard the sweet (or should I say scratchy? It’s been Dark and Stormy night…) sound of my voice. Well, the agonizing wait is over. Listen to me live Monday the 24th, at 7pm EST where I’ll be chatting with host Dan Marro on his show The Dark Harvest Radio Show. 

We’ll be talking about all that is creepy, freaky, fun, and paranormal. Listen live!!!

 Dan Marro as the Dark Harvest Radio Program broadcasts live Monday nights from 7pm-9pm(EST) on Global Radio Alliance The Dark Harvest Radio Program is designed to be a forum for those who have a curiosity for the unknown. From conspiracies and cover-ups to ghosts and other dimensions, The Dark Harvest Radio Program will address all topics that fascinate us about this mysterious universe of ours. You can even talk LIVE during the show by joining us at the GRA Live Interactive Chat

Tune in!

Ray Bradbury Is So Cool

I was settling into my annual reading of The Halloween Tree, which is a ritual I have invoked and maintained for the last few post-Halloweens–a great way to come down from the witches’ high of the Big Night and prepare for Dia de los Muertos or Day of the Dead.  I was savoring my copy of the book–pilfered from my Grandma’s basement when I was but a teen–and I noticed something for the first time in several years. The words on the dedication page read thus:

With love for

MADAM MAN’HA GAREEAU-DOMBASLE

met twenty-seven years ago in the graveyard at midnight on the Island of Janitzio at Lake Patzcuaro, Mexico, and rememebered on each anniversary of The Day of the Dead

Oh now, I have read these words before. But I hadn’t noticed them of late and this is significant because I actually visited that island! I guess Ray Bradbury was in my subconcious because two years ago on The Day of the Dead I was crouching behind mourners and candlelight vigils, taking orb-ladened photos and sips from a flask as the icy chill of midnight and the mountain lake’s waters settled all around us.  I was in the same cemetery as Bradbury, doing the same thing. Only he is way cooler because he did it back before it was really something tourist did. The influence of the Mexican culture, specifically their Day of the Dead tratiitons are all over Bradbury’s books.

In honor of his friend, and in honor of a few of mine who have gone to the great beyond, tonight I burn the candle I bought on Isla Janitzio those moons ago. And I think of those who have passed, the loved ones, the family and friends, and even the forgotten souls who wander. Tonight is the celebration of life in honor of the dead. And if you are lucky enough to live somewhere with a celebration, its time to paint your face like a skeleton and join the parade!!