Armchair BEA: Introduce Yourself

Even though I work this week and things will be pretty hectic, I'm going to try my darnedest to participate in Armchair BEA as much as possible. This week is Book Expo America in New York City and while I'd love to be there, my wings are clipped as far as traveling a great distance for convention. Through the wonderment that is Armchair BEA, bloggers can still participate in discussions as if they are live in person!


For day one, I'll be answering a few questions posed by Armchair BEA admins.

Hi, I'm Natasha, founder of Kentucky Geek Girl!

Book Review: Vampires Don't Sparkle edited by Michael West

Vampires Don't Sparkle by Michael West

Softcover | Website | Goodreads | Kindle

Publisher: Seventh Star Press, LLC

Pages: 246 (Paperback)

Published: March 12, 2013

Source: Mobi
Disclaimer: Blogger received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was awarded.
ISBN-13: 978-1937929602
Genre: Horror
Author: Twitter | Website | Facebook

Synopsis: What would you do if you had unlimited power and eternal life?

Would you…go back to high school? Attend the same classes year after year, going through the pomp and circumstance of one graduation after another, until you found the perfect date to take to prom? Would you…spend your days moping and brooding, finding your only joy in a game of baseball on a stormy day? Or would you…do something else? Anything else?
The authors of this collection have a few ideas; some fanciful, some humorous, and some as dark as an endless night. Join us, and discover what it truly means to be “vampyre.”

Edited by Michael West
Foreword by Michael West
“A New Life” by J. F. Gonzalez
“What Once was Flesh” by Tim Waggoner
“The Darkton Circus Mystery” by Elizabeth Massie
“Robot Vampire” by R. J. Sullivan
“Beneath a Templar Cross” by Gord Rollo
“The Weapon of Memory” by Kyle S. Johnson
“The Excavation” by Stephen Zimmer
“Skraeling” by Joel A. Sutherland
“Dreams of Winter” by Bob Freeman
“Dracula’s Winkee: Bloodsucker Blues” by Gregory L. Hall
“I Fuck Your Sunshine” by Lucy A. Snyder
“A Soldier’s Story” by Maurice Broaddus
“Rattenkönig
” by Douglas F. Warrick
“Vampire Nation” by Jerry Gordon
“Curtain Call” by Gary A. Braunbeck

I've had the esteem pleasure of being on the Seventh Star Press Blog Tour for Vampires Don't Sparkle a new anthology edited by Michael West. In a world which has become oversaturated by creatures of the night, this anthology brings the topic of conversation back to the monster, back to the old-fashioned vampire of lore. The vampires in this collection are meant to be terrifying, to cause suspense, to enthrall you rather than make you squee like a teenage Twihard. There are no vegetarian vampires in this book.

There are fifteen stories in this Vampires Don't Sparkle and each piece of this collection adds a new layer to the vampire mythos. Whether its by reimagining old tales or looking toward the future, these stories fit together in a brilliant tapestry with the common thread of the classic, fearsome vampire. I think that the stories flowed together quite well and I liked to see different themes within the book including the vampire hunter, which in my opinion is a very important part of the vampire mythology. Where there is a creature of the night there will (most likely) be someone who wants to figure out what makes them work and put an end to the terror.

For the purposes of this review, I wanted to briefly touch on two stories in the collection which stood out as my personal favorites: Robot Vampire by R. J. Sullivan and Beneath a Templar Cross by Gordo Rollo. Firstly, I think that Robot Vampire was a truly unique idea. There was a quick pace to the story, but the different parts were brought together so well that everything fit together nicely. The author presented us with a short prologue which linked very well to the main story. Sullivan even presents us with a good villain. It's easily my favorite of the collection.

I really enjoyed Beneath a Templar Cross as well. It's a unique origin story with an interesting twist. Though brief, I did very much like the characters. The 1870 setting was quite brilliant and a reimagining of the Knights Templar was inventive. The story was told using letters and flashbacks with flashforwards to the present time. I was a bit confused about the timeline at first, but I caught on to what Rollo was doing to build the story. In the end I was extremely satisfied. I would love to see both of these stories continue on as a longer novella or full-length novel. I was definitely able to see both of the stories playing out in my head and I was easily able to imagine the characters, which I think is a mark of great storytelling.

That is definitely what this anthology is. Great storytelling, plain and simple. If you're a fan of horror and vampires in general, this is the collection for you.

Many thanks to Seventh Star Press, Stephen Zimmer, and Tomorrow Comes Media for allowing me to be a part of the blog tour for Vampires Sparkle. Check the blog for my involvement in upcoming tours!

Here is the remainder of the Vampires Don't Sparkle tour!


Vampires Don’t Sparkle! Tour Segment:
May 16  MikesFilmTalk       Guest Post
May 17 Come Selahway With Me    Guest Post
May 18  A Girl and Her Kindle   Review
May 20  Laurie’s Paranormal Thoughts and Reviews   Interview
May 21   Kentucky Geek Girl   Review
May 22 Strange Amusements   Promo/Spotlight
May 23  Book Den  Guest Post
May 24  Beagle Book Space  Promo/Spotlight
May 26 Armand Rosamilla, Horror Author   Review
May 27  Bookishly Me    Review
May 30  The Cabin Goddess Review
May 31  WTF Are You Reading?   Review
June 3  Book in the Bag   Review
June 4  The Dan O’Brien Project  Guest Post
June 7  Bee’s Knees Reviews   Review
June 11 Darlene’s Book Nook  Guest Post
June 16  Jess Resides Here   Top Ten’s List
June 17  The Witchy Contessa   Review
June 19  My Seryniti   Review

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Around the Web: Dalek Relaxation Tape

In the past, I've used tapes to relax and help clear my head. I find that no matter your religion affiliation, meditation helps you to center and become a more relaxed and better you. That's why, when I found out about the Dalek Relaxation Tape, I jumped at the chance to learn some basic principles from our Dalek masters.

The Dalek Relaxation Tape has everything you need to helpe EXTERMINATE your tension. You're left with such a feeling of contentment that you're able to OBEY any command. I was surprised that Daleks had a concept of relaxation, but through the Dalek Relaxation Tape, all of my concerns have been allayed. Just take a listen, I know that you will be able to ACCOMMODATE this tape into your own meditation program.

The audio for this was also posted on Tumblr several weeks ago. Here is the original post!

The Dalek Relaxation Tape will definitely ABATE any feelings of stress that you might have. Enjoy!

(H/T to Victoria and Kerry)

She Said, He Said: Prequel to 'The Name of the Doctor'

"On the fields of Trenzalore, at the fall of the eleventh, when no living creature can speak falsely or fail to answer, a Question will be asked, a question that must never, ever be answered."

Trailer Tuesday: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and more!

This week's edition of Trailer Tuesday is going to look at both movies and television. This was a big week for the entertainment industry as the networks announced their pick-ups and cancellations for the Fall season. NBC seemed to almost gut the network while CW kept all of their programming. Along with the announcements made from the various networks, trailers were released for many of the new shows that have just found their home. Hit the jump for this week's trailers!

Terrible Mothers of Popular Culture

Today's Geeky Question of the Day in the Kentucky Geek Girl community on Facebook asked, "Who is the best mom of Popular Culture?" The more I thought about it, the more I realized that there are some pretty terrible moms in Pop Culture as well, even specifically in Science Fiction. Folks in the ?otD thread included some great moms such as Molly Weasley, Catelyn Tully, and even *shudder* Lori Grimes, but I thought that there has to be a flip side to this. So, I put on my Thinking Fedora and came up with a sampling of terrible mothers of sci-fi, fantasy, and horror.

Jackie Tyler is one of the best moms in pop culture

These are by no means in-depth character analyses.This is more just a fun look at the way people perceive characters, not a true character study. I don't necessarily agree with all of these points 100%, but I think that there some pretty obvious points. Also, there will be spoilers, which I am sorry is a bit unavoidable. If you haven't seen these TV shows or watched these movies, then either don't read or prepared to have some details spoiled. List after the break.

Matt Smith Shaves His Head: I Am Disappoint

Filming has begun on Matt Smith's new project How to Catch a Monster, directed by our favorite lover of everything we love Ryan "Hey Girl" Gosling.

This is the current synopsis on IMDB:

A single mother is swept into a dark underworld, while her teenage son discovers a road that leads him to a secret underwater town.

So, that's cool. Filming has just begun in Detroit, so there's not a lot about the movie out there. I did see that they're still casting for the movie. What I do know, however, thanks to Buzzfeed, is that Matt Smith has had to shave his beautiful head for this role. The pictures are a bit unsettling. Hit the jump to view them.

Stuff That Doesn't Suck 9 - Revenge of the STDs!

Stuff That Doesn’t Suck is a meme where I graciously share with you the things that I come across in a week that do not suck. This includes a variety of things from books to music to YouTube and even more. Feel free to join in on the comments or on your own blog.

After, well, a much too long hiatus, the STDs are back. This isn't a bad thing, as today we take a look at the Stuff that Doesn't Suck this week. Saturday has been the usual day for STDs, but I was so excited for their return that I thought, why not Thursday?

Trailer Tuesday: Ender's Game and More

Brand new this week is a trailer from the science fiction novel Ender's Game, but Hollywood trailer makers have been very busy over the last few weeks gearing up for this summer's movie season. Trailers after the jump!

Flashback Friday: My first CD

Flashback Friday is a series where I get in the wayback machine and revisit some of my favorite things from years past. It can be anything really, random stuff from teh intarwebz, books, movies, games, et cetera. 

We've covered some awesome teen shows from the 1990s and I've talked about my first video game. Now, I think, it's time to move into the musical realm. I think I entered into the age of compact discs a bit later than some. I remember seeing them at the store, but I was quite content with my tapes, big headphones, and small tape players. I even got a two tape deck boombox on the late side, so when I made mix tapes, I did so by holding a hand-held tape recorder (or a sweet microphone) up to radio or single deck tape player.

In the early to mix 1990s, my music of choice was mostly country. I grew up in Eastern Kentucky, from where around a dozen Country Music stars also hailed; country music runs through my blood. As does Bluegrass and Folk Music. At 25, I won't deny my love for the music on which I was raised, though in order to make myself appear cool, I did once denounce it. (I love all music, except country and rap," I once uttered.) I did listen to other music on the radio, 100.5 WKEE FM out of Huntington, West Virginia played songs from the "1970s, 1980s, and today" because that was "current" music. Songs of the '70s were not oldies at that point.