Marriage on the (Vampire) Rocks - Hot Summer Romance Giveaway Hop

This blog post is part of the Hot Summer Romance Giveaway Hop!

The first inkling that I was a little umm...obsessed with vampires was when I read the thousand page Vampire Encyclopedia front to back...and enjoyed it. If that wasn't a clue, for sure, by the time I was stealing rocks from a vampire, there was no more hiding from the truth.

Hi. My name is Michelle and the only bad thing about the Vampire Encyclopedia? Was that it ended.

So rocks. Vampire. What gives?

Most of us are familiar with the idea of Dracula. Those of us with cable and a rainy Saturday on our hands have probably watched some Dracula movies. The thing is, Dracula is based on a psychopath named Vlad Tepes. He was no more vampire than I am werewolf (I wish!). However, there really were vampires in Europe. Actual documented bloodsuckers, and, for whatever reason, the truth in the legends never permeated modern fiction like Bram Stoker’s Dracula has.

Ever hear of Countess Elizabeth Bathory? The Countess is one of few known vampires (per the Vampire Encyclopedia, naturally) in Europe, and I visited the castle where she drained over 600 girls dry. Her exploits bring new meaning to the phrase ‘bloodbath’ as, not only was she rumored to drink blood, but she also bathed in it to preserve her youth. Once she was caught and prosecuted by a court known as the Diet (har-de-har-har), Bathory was walled into the castle tower a la Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart.

Not too many people get out to her castle. It's pretty isolated in Slovakia, a country that doesn't top all that many bucket lists (although it should). Lucky for me, my husband is Slovak, and, when we went ‘back home’ for a visit, I insisted he take me to see the castle.

Now, take a moment to picture what might happen to such an infamous castle here in the US. Think Salem, Mass. There are ghost tours, shops with made-in-China tchotchkes, restaurants and palm readers. Salem is a real supernatural smorgasbord.

It seems logical to think you would see something similar in Slovakia, but no. There's a museum with irregular hours and that's it. There's no entrance fee. No restaurants. No guardrails along the cliff. Nothing to stop a tourist from lighting a fire and doing a voodoo ritual.

Or, you know, filching a rock from the walls of a vampire’s castle.

The first rock I selected was about five pounds and my husband made me put it back. (Luggage weight limits in Europe are so strict!) With a long suffering sigh, he finally allowed me to take a flat rock about the size of my palm. He thought I was silly, but he also knew loving me meant enabling my rock obsession and he's a romantic guy at heart. My souvenir now sits with other rocks I've smuggled out of various countries, but mostly I remember how patient he was with me when the rocks I selected were bigger than my suitcase.

Why am I so crazy about rocks anyway? I don't know. Maybe I was a boulder in a past life. For whatever reason, I like rocks and I'll steal them from anyone, even a vampire.

It's genetic, too. My kiddo has a thing for stones just like her momma. We bring back buckets of rocks from the beach every year. When she's older, she'll probably dig vamps and werewolves, too, which would be awesome since I keep writing vampire and werewolf stories.

Here's the scoop on my latest vampire book:

In a world where vampires are real, blood is a financial asset and sex mixed with blood commands the highest price. 

Myra Danson is in desperate need of cash for her ailing mother and when she has the opportunity to join the shadow world of blood courtesans, she jumps before she looks. Soon she’s sharing a bed with the handsome Kristos Anastos, but then bullets start to fly and she finds herself running for her life.  

At first, Kristos assures her the attack stems from his enemies hoping to destroy him, but it quickly becomes clear that Myra is the real target. Worse, she’s falling in love with Kristos, but is the sexy vampire friend or foe?

Blood is money and Myra’s may be worth the most of all. A past she never knew existed has come to claim her and she’ll be lucky if she only ends up dead.

Blood Struck ranked Top 20 in Vampire Romance!

Read more: Amazon    Barnes and Noble     Kobo

This blog post is part of the Hot Summer Romance Giveaway Hop...details on the giveaway are below.

Leave a comment on this post and I'll select one winner to receive a free copy of Blood Struck in ebook form. To make it more fun I'll throw in a $5 gift card to enable your reading habit ;)  Winner will be announced on July 22nd.

Also, don't forget to comment on as many of the blogs in the hop as possible as that's how you get a shot at winning the grand prize for the tour; a Kindle Fire and a gift card.  For another chance to win a Kindle Fire and even more gift cards be sure to check out the Insatiable Reads tour site.