Friday, November 6, 2009

Another Vampire Family Giveaway!

Arise Nocturnal November, uh, Nocturnes!

Part of the Vampire Bash 2009 is still happening at Vamp chix, and Saturday November 7 the fang gals are offering another chance for you to win an Autographed paperback copy of The Vampire Family!




Just visit http://vampchix.blogspot.com and comment to be entered into their latest drawing. After that, stop by the Eternal Press website for our new releases chat extravaganza! Fellow NJ author Leigh Wood will be welcoming her science fiction erotica baby On the Way to New Isosceles into the world! Lengthy excerpts and R posts will also be simulcast to the Eternal Press Readers Group and the Eternal Press Fever Loop, respectively!

http://www.eternalpress.ca/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EternalPressReaders/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EternalPressFEVER/


Leigh also has FREE Chapters for preview at our collaborative livejournal page, aptly named Scars and Spices!

http://kristin724.livejournal.com



I hope to see you this weekend! Well, virtually, at least! Remember you can stay up to date with our calendar at the Kristin Battestella Yahoo Group!

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/kristinbattestella/



Monday, November 2, 2009

A Vampire Family Playlist

Now that the writing and editing of The Vampire Family’s sequels is in full swing, I thought I could keep November spooky by sharing my unofficially official playlist of vampy inspiring music. Sometimes I listen to this music while writing, other times I fall asleep with the headphones on for nighttime creativity. Several of the bands and titles are referred to in The Vampire Family text, so there’s a little hint of what’s in store for Tales from The Vampire Family and Requiem for The Vampire Family. Requiem is turning out to be kid of huge, so if it has to be split in two, I figured The Vampire Family Forever is a fitting name. Woohaaa!


The Vampire Family Playlist


O Fortuna: The Empress of the World – Carl Orff

Funeral March – Frederic Chopin

Montaques and Capulets – Sergei Prokofiev

Night on Bald Mountain – Modest Mussorgsky

In the Hall of the Mountain King – Edvard Grieg

Swan LakePeter Tchaikovsky

Legends – Nox Arcana

Darklore Manor – Nox Arcana

Phantom Procession – Nox Arcana

The Forgotten – Nox Arcana



Farmer Ferdinand Hudson – Robin Gibb

Little Red Riding Hood – Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs

Time is on My Side – The Rolling Stones

Monday’s Rain – The Bee Gees

Bury Me Down by the River – The Bee Gees

Desperado – The Eagles

I Put a Spell on You - Credence Clearwater Revival

Run Through the Jungle - Credence Clearwater Revival

Bad Moon Rising – Credence Clearwater Revival

Sweet Song of Summer – The Bee Gees

Voices – The Bee Gees

Witchy Woman – The Eagles

One of These Nights – The Eagles


Long as I Can See the Light - Credence Clearwater Revival

Take it to the Limit – The Eagles

Live and Let Die – Guns n Roses

White Wedding - Billy Idol

This Train Don’t Stop There Anymore – Elton John

I Surrender – The Bee Gees

Gone with the Wind – Robin Gibb

Love Bites – Def Leppard

Every Rose Has Its Thorn – Poison


Bat Out of Hell – Meatloaf

Hot Summer Night – Meatloaf

Black Magic Woman – Santana

Haunted House – The Bee Gees

She’s a Mystery to Me – Roy Orbinson

California Dreamin’ – The Mamas and the Papas

California Blue – Roy Orbinson

My Immortal – Evanescence


Never Tear Us Apart – Inxs

Haunted – Evanescence

Flesh and Blood – The Bee Gees

I Alone – Live

Plush – Stone Temple Pilots

Taking Over Me - Evanescence

Whisper - Evanescence

Going Under - Evanescence

Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door – Guns n Roses


I also use several Halloween sound effects sets mixed in between the songs just for mood and atmosphere. Some of them include:

Bells tolling, Hounds of Hell, Breathing, Thunder, Dogs Barking, Thunder and Rain, Wind and Rain, Fire Burning, Women Falling, Monster roars, Wolves, Transylvania Owls, Wind, Lightning, Door Creaks, Footsteps

(I shouldn’t admit that I can fall asleep while listening to howling and thunderstorms, but there it is, and I imagine it says a lot about my mental writing state!)


Most of the Halloween albums are pretty random and either obscure or cheap to find. I tend to find them at Dollar stores, November clearance sales, or second hand shops. Nevertheless, here are the titles I have that I could find online:


Haunted Mansion House

Vampire’s Lair: Blood Thirsty Beats for Halloween

Very Scary Night

A Tribute to Alfred Hitchcock Movie Themes

Scary Sounds

Halloween Horrors

Scary Sounds of Halloween


I’ve no affiliation or officiality from any of the big music band wigs listed, of course- just some spooky writing fun and me. All this is subject to change, naturally, as my moods, inspirations, and obscurities change. Enjoy!


Saturday, October 31, 2009

A Vampire Plea from Victoria Welshire!

Hello Halloween peeps!

Here's the message sent earlier this week by one of the characters from my EP
Release The Vampire Family. She has a habit of stopping by Ginger Simpson's
blog to complain. You can see the original mayhem as part of Ginger's Halloween
fun, too.

http://mizging.blogspot.com/2009/10/victoria-returns.html

High School Vampires Bite
A Plea from Victoria Welshire, beloved daughter of The Vampire Family

I've had to visit Ms. Simpson earlier this year with my complaints, but
apparently no one was listening. This emo, girlie girl, kiddie vampire phase has
to stop. I've lived NINE hundred years and this whiny, teeny bopper vampire
moment can't end fast enough for me. When I was what we now call a teenager,
there wasn't high school cliques and bad boy romantic decisions. All this black
eye makeup and spunky hair really gives the rest of us vampires a bad name.

Should you meet me in a dark alleyway in Philadelphia or London this Halloween,
remember the true meaning of masks and Samhain. I'm not you're friend, and I'm
not your lover. You wish! But no, I'm a vampire to be feared and run away from,
for I will eat you the first chance I get. Yes maybe I'll bat my eyes at the
foolish gents or admire a lady's leather jacket. But when he's spent and she has
no use for the jacket, only I'll remain. I can't speak for this other *dreamy*
vamps, but our house is not one to be trifled with.

My webmaster Kristin would have me remind you our complex, torrid tale can all
be found in The Vampire Family. And I have to say, it's a real pain the in ass
googling myself and having to weed through all these other references to some
'Cullen' family. The Welshires were here long before and from further away.
Occultist Professor A. James is in the process of compiling our earlier records
in order to make his fortunes. Until then, you'll just have to keep up with us
through Kristin's efforts. Someone has to chronicle our latest adventure-to
combat this hormonal vampire drivel if nothing else.



Victoria crept into her room and shut the door. She stood a moment in the dark.
Her dress was not plain, and she didn't eat crumbs. They lived better than
anyone anywhere although she knew no one beyond her castle.

Is Gaston right?

She lit the candle beside the entrance and saw Stephen on her bed.

"Did you have fun?" He inched toward her and pulled some moss from her hair.
"Our dear mothers have told us not to venture off. Yet every night you get on
your dark horse and ride off into the sunset. You are hiding something, and I
want to know what it is."

"Mind your own business." Victoria crossed her arms. Where James over sought
books and art, Stephen divulged in people too much. "We are too alike for you to
blackmail me."

The door opened, and Samantha peaked in.

"Mother is coming." She shut the door.

Goody Goody Girl.

"Tell me."

"No."

The door opened again and Ann entered.

"Stephen," she said sternly. "Get to your room and go to sleep."

The boy reluctantly followed his mother's orders.

"You best be getting to bed, too, Victoria."

Ann was strong willed, unlike Elizabeth, but Victoria enjoyed chiding her
father's mistress.

"I already have a mother. I don't listen to you."

Ann blew out the door side candle and left Victoria in the dark.



Now, visit http://vampfam.blogspot.com and don't bother me again. I have
vampires to do and people to bite.


Fiesty, isn't she?

Kristin


The Vampire Family
by Kristin Battestella
Now in ebook or Paperback
http://vampfam.blogspot.com

Friday, October 30, 2009

New Horror Reviews at I Think, Therefore I Review!

Hello my fiendish Friends!

Read up on some horrific commentaries from Kristin Battestella and Leigh Wood at the spookiest review blog around, I Think, Therefore I Review!


http://ithinkthereforeireview.blogspot.com


Here's q quick list if this month's analysis of mystery, murder, goth, and mayhem! Sure Halloween is almost passed, but we'll probably be talking scary through Thanksgiving!

http://ithinkthereforeireview.blogspot.com/search/label/horror


Vincent Price Treats
Underworld and Underworld: Evolution
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans
Horror Documentaries
Horror Comedies
The Masque of the Red Death
The Premature Burial
Scream and Scream Again
The Oblong Box
Freaks
The Phantom of the Opera
House of Wax
The Pit and the Pendulum
Must See Horror
Shivers
Stephen King Features
Dead Calm
The Company of Wolves
Count Yorga, Vampire!
Dark Shadows: The Revival


Whew! Happy Halloween!