Fresh Blood

An outstanding collection of seriously wicked vampire tales by the authors of Vampire Writers Support Group. (and a cute little satire of Twilight titled “Mary Sue Wants To Die Forever”, by yours truly) 😈

Fresh Blood, and I’m in it…

The Vampire Writers Support Group proudly presents “Fresh Blood”, an eclectic collection of short stories set in a dark, blood-soaked world full of vampires.

The authors gracing its pages are Daven Anderson, Matthew E. Banks, Lucy Blue, Jessica Cage, Danielle DeVor, Drusiana, Donna Fernstrom, Donald L. Pitsiladis, Karen Plaisance, Selene MacLeod, Brian Patrick McKinley, Dan Shaurette, Tabitha Grace Smith, Emma Rawlin, and Jay Wilburn.

Amazon Kindle: “Fresh Blood” (Vampire Writers Support Group Anthology Volume 1)

Includes Daven Anderson’s short story “Mary Sue Wants To Die Forever.”

A tour bus driver in Forked River, Washington gives young paranormal romance fan Mary Sue Blake the (bus) ride of her life. 😈

Where do you get your ideas?

My interview on Chris Devlin’s Blog

Guest Author Daven Anderson on Vampires, Classic Cars, and Forks

Devlin: Where’s the best place to eat in Forks?

Daven: Outside the city, in the dense forest, when the Twi-hards are out at night looking for vampires.
“Pardon me, young ladies. It appears you’re looking for vampires. Forgive my impertinence for asking this question, but what exactly were you planning to do if you found one?”
*(screams)*

😈

Chiseled in Rock: What’s New from Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers?

The “Mary Sue” Litmus Test

Here’s a post for everyone who writes fiction.

It’s time to put your characters through The “Mary Sue” Litmus Test.

TV Tropes.org – Mary Sue

My newly-turned 18-year-old vampire protagonist J scored a whopping “3” .
0-10 points: The Anti-Sue. Your character is the very antithesis of a Mary-Sue. Why are you even taking this test?

My character D who owns a black 1960 Plymouth Fury coupe (as pictured above) is easily the most “Mary Sue” of my characters, scoring “30” .
21-35 points: Borderline-Sue. Your character is cutting it close, and you may want to work on the details a bit, but you’re well on your way to having a lovely original character. Good work.

Even better is when you test other writers’ characters. Such as Bella Swan and Edward Cullen.

Bella got a “41” on a test taken from my “outside” perspective (and she may have scored a few points higher if Stephenie Meyer had taken the test herself and and answered honestly).
36-55 points: Mary-Sue. Your character needs some work in order to be believable. But despair not; you should still be able to salvage her with a little effort. Don’t give up.

And then there’s Edward Cullen. “71” , with the test answered from my point of view.
71 points or more: Irredeemable-Sue. You’re going to have to start over, my friend. I know you want to keep writing, but no. Just no.

If my ambition was to create an “anti-Twilight”, my character’s scores (relative to the main “Twilight” characters) are in line with my goals.

Why is the “Twilight” saga such a huge success, then? The answer: Bella Swan became the “Mary Sue” for several million adolescent females, not just the author.

Cracked: Five reasons why Pop Culture is run by Fan Fiction

Cracked: Five Authors More Badass Than The Badass Character They Created

Dream date with a writer, versus your date

So, my dear lady, you’re going out on a date with a writer?

Let us wax poetic on the differences between what you anticipate, and what you will get.

“Dream Date with a Writer, versus Your Date”,  by:

• Dream Date:
  Writes novels about an Old West Sheriff saving damsels in distress.
• Your Date:
  Writes gory novels about serial killers.
• Dream Date:
  Dating women so he can empathize with his dashing Old West Sheriff protagonist.
• Your Date:
  Dating women takes his mind off his ex-wife, so he won’t empathize with his serial killer protagonist.
• Dream Date:
  Takes you for a sunset drive on a scenic mountain road–
• Your Date:
  –at 100+ mph, so you “really get the feel” of his climactic car chase scene.
• Dream Date:
  Learned Spanish to deepen his appreciation of foreign films–
• Your Date:
  — or so he could insult janitors in their native tongue.
  
• Dream Date:
  Brings you flowers–
• Your Date:
  –that he was going to give to his ex-wife, until he decided not to bother apologizing to her.
• Dream Date:
  Keeps up with popular culture for story ideas and research purposes.
• Your Date:
  “Kill Your T.V.” cultural elitist who considers you beneath pond scum because you admitted that you watched “Jersey Shore” once.
• Dream Date:
  Published in hardcover
• Your Date:
  Blogs