Wednesday, July 17, 2013

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.

57 comments:

  1. Thanks for a great post. itlnbrt @ att dot net

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  2. I'm the same way with vampires, always have been. I just preordered Vampire Clans: The Vampires Who Shaped The World to complete my collection - until the next book comes out that I must must have. It's over at Creepy Hollows if you want to take a peek at it. http://shop.creepyhollows.com/product.php?productid=14152&cat=&page=1 Found it while searching for a new vampire book to read. :) Thank you for the giveaway! heather1974 at gmail dot com

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  3. Woot! Thanks! I love vampires too! kamclauc AT gmail DOT com

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  4. Sounds really intriguing--thanks so much!

    vitajex(at)aol(dot)com

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  5. Thanks so much for the post. your books sound facinating

    parisfan_ca@yahoo.com

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  6. Interesting post, thank you.

    Kit3247(at)aol(dot)com

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  7. I'll have to check out this encyclopedia

    fencingromein at hotmail dot com

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  8. Thanks for the chance. Blood Struck sounds like a keeper. I"ve added it to my book wish list.

    jmesparza821 at gmail dot com

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  9. I need to check out the encyclopedia hopefully they have it for the Kindle ;).

    You gave me a great vacation spot to ask my DH to go to next year. Can't afford Slovakia(unless I hit the lottery) so I am going to plead with him to go to Salem Mass :).

    vampiremistress2010(at)gmail(dot)com

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  10. Added Blood Struck to my TBR Thanks fr the giveaway

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  11. Another book on my TBR. This one sounds really good! Hopefully I win a gift card and can buy some of them. :P

    jess820[at]gmail[dot]com

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  12. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  13. You had me laughing when you mentioned being a boulder in a past life lol
    Thanks for the awesome giveaway!
    dixiedukegurl2 AT yahoo DOT com

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  14. Love vampire tales, thanks for the giveaway
    wandad1961@yahoo.com

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  15. I love paranormal romance especially ones with vampires, thanks for the chance at this great giveaway.

    huntress023(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  16. This sounds wonderful! Thank you for being part of the give-away! Blessed Be!

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  17. So many great books being added to my TRB list today!!
    Thanks for being in the hop!
    grapeapril75(AT)gmail.com

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  18. Thanks for being a part of the hop
    virgilio324@gmail.com

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  19. This book sounds yummy!!! Thanks for the great giveaway!!

    viajeradelmar@aol.com

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  20. This book looks great, put on my wishlist!

    susanmplatt AT Hotmail DOT com

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  21. Love the blurb! And I'm a fellow vampire, werewolf, rock enthusiast. I've been enthralled with vampires since I was 7 according to my mom, and werewolves since 10, don't ask about the gap.

    I collect any rock that calls to me, including those that might be part of someone else's landscaping--not that anyone can prove it. And I display certain stones anywhere I stay for more than a few days to make it feel like home.

    Thanks for being part of the hop, I'm so glad to have found your post. So few people know about Bathory it always makes me happy to find others.

    ~Xakara

    My Bromance to Romance Hop Contribution

    Xakara at Xakara dot com

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  22. Sounds good, thanks.
    magic5905 at embarqmail dot com

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  23. cool thanks
    sharoncummin@gmail.com

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  24. I know I'm going to love your book and thank you for introducing me to it. Thank you for the life story also.

    strawberryrose@earthlink.net

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  25. YEAH! A hot, sexy vampire read!

    books4me67 at ymail dot com

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  26. Sounds like an interesting read :)
    Thanks for the giveaway!
    naralee94(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  27. Thanks for being part of the hop! theresafischer@bellsouth.net

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  28. Sounds interesting!

    staceyprice(AT)gmail.com

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  29. You're a new author for me and this one sounds great. Thanks for the chance.

    mythic021@gmail.com

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  30. Steamy cover, I like it! Thank you!

    jaidahsmommy(at)comcast(dot)net

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  31. Thanks for the chance to win!
    Sounds really good!
    natasha_donohoo_8 at hotmail dot com

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  32. Ohh another TBR.. I will never see daylight! Thanks for the hop giveaway opportunity.


    vals_hemi at yahoo dot com

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  33. I love the rocks story! I did the same thing when we toured castles of the Rhein and Mosel in Germany as well as Luxembourg. It does seem silly for some but its a rather unique souvenir.
    sbfugate@bellsouth.net

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  34. Great and funny post (I think is funny this obsession about rocks. Not about vampires, this one I can understand...lol). Love the castle, so much better than a Disney-american one would be.
    Renata
    alifeamongbooks[at]gmail[dot]com

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  35. Sounds great! Thanks for the giveaway :)
    chantelle(dot)ip(at)me(dot)com

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  36. It is a shame that more people don't have a fascination with vampires. ;)
    planterofhope at aol dot com

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  37. Thanks for hosting! :) swordlily_girl(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  38. I am OBSESSED with vampires!! I went through a phase where I wanted to be a vampire lol!! I love reading this genre of books and am so glad to have been introduced to your books!! Thank you for being a part of this hop!!
    usmcwifey1@live.com

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  39. thanks!!!
    jrryba(at)gmail(dot)com

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  40. Blood Struck sounds like a great Vampire book. Thanks for sharing the 2 awesome giveaways. I am looking forward to reading your book. evamillien at gmail dot com

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  41. Thanks for the chance to enter.

    barbistull@Yahoo.com

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  42. thanks for the chance
    meandi09@yahoo.com

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  43. Blood Struck sounds awesome! Thanks for participating in the hop and for the chance to win.

    dragon5174 (at) gmail .com

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  44. I've never heard of the Countess Elizabeth Bathory. She sounds really interesting. Thanks for the giveaway!
    ~Krista
    pinkbonanza{ AT }gmail{ DOT }com


    P.S. Now I kinda want to steal rocks too ;)

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  45. I can remember reading about the Countess Elizabeth Bathory in a some book or another (I could probably recall the book if it weren't 2:37am making it exactly 5 hours and 37 minutes past my bedtime, hey, I'm getting old!!) and being applaud in a completely fascinated needing more sort of way (some of the ways she drained her "victims" was pretty harsh!). That is really cool that you got to go to her castle. A dream come true really. Very, very cool.

    Blood Struck sounds incredible and obviously well researched! It's now on my to read list so I'm looking forward to it!

    Thank you so much for the chance to enter and I'm sorry to cut this short! My old eyes are failing me I think and sleep is calling out.

    Happy summer one and all,

    Shelly H
    booski24@hotmail.com

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  46. Thanks for the giveaway!

    Janhvi
    justjanhvi at gmail dot com

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  47. Thanks for the international giveaway!!

    sweety225(at)rocketmail(dot)com

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  48. Thanks for the giveaway!

    Thanks for the hop! deathangyl@gmail.com

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  49. Sounds like a great book!

    pjmillion(at)comcast(dot)net

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  50. I LOVE vampires!! I actually did my thesis for undergrad on the evolution of the vampire through history, folklore, and novels like Dracula through some of today's popular vampire-esque authors (Christine Feehan, Sherrilynn Kenyon, Anne Rice). The Countess was one of my historical "REAL" vampires. I would love to visit her castle someday!
    Thanks for the giveaway!
    Lumanesce (at) gmail (dot) com

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  51. I, too, love vampires and werewolves and anything else paranormal. I know my husband wouldn't be that patient, though. He'd be jealous. (LOL) I love searching for the magic and reading about alternate planes of existence, all the ways that there can be happiness ever after. Shifters and vampires and other alternate life forms may say they don't get along, but somehow, they find a way to work around their cultural differences, something we choose not to do in the real world. Loved the excerpt; hope I win! michelle_willms@yahoo.com.

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  52. Hi! Great post! Your book sounds awesome! I like reading about vamps. Each book is so different! And ive heard of that countess. Not a very nice person. Thank you for the fun hop and giveaway! :)
    shadowluvs2read(at)gmail(dot)com

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  53. The stories behind the legends are truly fascinating. Countess Bathroy is one of them. Thanks for being on the hop. I am finding so many amazing books to add to my summer reading.

    Mel
    bournmelissa at hotmail dot com

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  54. Blood Struck sounds like a great book.

    carolcobun @ yahoo.com

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  55. The book sounds really good. Thanks for the giveaway.
    marlenebreakfield(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  56. Thanks for the amazing giveaway!
    elizabeth @ bookattict . com

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