tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59147020424516785422024-03-17T19:59:20.885-07:00Mr Darcy, VampyreAn immortal sequel to Pride and Prejudice by Amanda Grange OUT AUGUST 2009, published by Sourcebooks - ISBN 9781402236976Amanda Grangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691898365706845233noreply@blogger.comBlogger48125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914702042451678542.post-47143709988322781992010-05-30T02:45:00.000-07:002010-05-30T02:51:34.259-07:00Mr Darcy, Vampyre nominated for award!Mr Darcy, Vampyre has been nominated for the <span style="color:#ffffff;">'Best Austen inspired book published in 2009'</span> category in the <span style="color:#ffffff;">Jane Austen Awards</span>. To cast your vote, click <a href="http://tinyurl.com/2b6dd3o"><span style="color:#ffffff;">here</span></a><br /><br />If you have blogs, twitter etc, please spread the word :))Amanda Grangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691898365706845233noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914702042451678542.post-9928339612615194672010-02-20T01:49:00.000-08:002010-02-20T01:55:41.896-08:00Audio version now out on CDFor those of you who like to listen on CD, Mr Darcy, Vampyre is now available from your usual stockists including <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mr-Darcy-Vampyre-Amanda-Grange/dp/1441836551/ref=ed_oe_a"><span style="color:#ff0000;">Amazon UK</span></a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Darcy-Vampyre-Amanda-Grange/dp/1441836551/ref=tmm_abk_title_0"><span style="color:#ff0000;">Amazon US</span></a><br /><br />Other audio formats including iPod are also available .Amanda Grangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691898365706845233noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914702042451678542.post-9340124010934973952010-02-16T08:38:00.000-08:002010-02-16T09:07:55.369-08:00Article in the Historical Novel Society magazineI've been a member of the <a href="http://www.historicalnovelsociety.org/">Historical Novel Society</a> for about ten years and I've written an article about Mr Darcy, Vampyre for their February review magazine. They issue their review magazine 4 times a year, and twice a year they also issue their Solander magazine, which is full of interesting articles and interviews.<br /><br />In the article, I explore some of my reasons for writing Mr Darcy, Vampyre. It's a mulit-layered novel and the layers begin with the title. I wanted a title which would warn my regular readers that it wasn't like my other books because I didn't want them to be shocked when they read it. I also wanted to make an ironic comment on the prevalence of vampyres in our modern culture, irony being particularly suitable for anything related to Jane Austen. And of course I wanted an eye-catching title.<br /><br />Writing Vampyre satisfied a lot of urges for me: the urge to write a sequel to Pride and Prejudice that wouldn't be just another sequel; the desire to write a book in the tradition of the nineteenth century novelists that Jane Austen liked to read, complete with <em>deus ex machina</em> ending; the desire to write a book which acknowledged love as an old, powerful and necessary force; and the desire to take Jane Austen's most famous characters and put them in their historical, political and literary context.<br /><br />This is an extract from the article.<br /><br /><em>Casting Darcy as a vampyre not only took the sequel into the Gothic realm, it also made a statement about the the deathless nature of Pride and Prejudice and the eternal freshness of its characters. Mr Darcy is over 200 years old and yet he is forever young and handsome and he still has the power to attract women.<br /><br />It also made a comment on the relationship between novel and reader. A novel does not exist by itself, it only truly lives when a reader gives up some of their lifeforce in order to vitalise it. Often this is a willing gift, when a reader is seduced by the cover or the synopsis, but there is also a moment when a book takes over. It glues itself to the fingers and sucks the lifeforce from the reader, refusing to let go.</em><br /><br />I think this is one of the reasons I'm so interested in Jane Austen, because her books are multi-layered. They are love stories, they are ironic comments on the world in which she lived and they are laugh out loud funny.Amanda Grangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691898365706845233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914702042451678542.post-77748854134110489162009-11-18T09:20:00.000-08:002009-11-23T07:28:17.208-08:00Bath<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaz7cZj-3gp3XV4mSVD97JL2ZZ_-IYv30ePFP4qlwzOZzSnmEojkS1E6-EIVS2Glf6uhtgEhTPUFjOYK7vM0lkI3nwLe8DySSqUglubmdHhDTODxlpk75HNu6TUz4Izbi8tvYwk7ZTRuI/s1600-h/Vampyre+in+Bath+2.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404382228289195474" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaz7cZj-3gp3XV4mSVD97JL2ZZ_-IYv30ePFP4qlwzOZzSnmEojkS1E6-EIVS2Glf6uhtgEhTPUFjOYK7vM0lkI3nwLe8DySSqUglubmdHhDTODxlpk75HNu6TUz4Izbi8tvYwk7ZTRuI/s320/Vampyre+in+Bath+2.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><p>One of my lovely friends, <a href="http://victoriaconnelly.com/"><span style="color:#ff0000;">Victoria Connelly</span></a>, sent me these fab pics of Vampyre in the Jane Austen Centre giftshop in Bath. </p><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBWFszVyuCoMql_iv8m6aJvKsN7gND91k55PF5qSe9337e6fmMfPYJZSvN3UBOuuG08A3gYLz-gf9RGjhLomGgeu1zwOJ-3Q8F6UOi5_EuYoz9xNpWQlvdWrEw39NjrxoQWvMFic_vnEc/s1600-h/Vampyre+in+Bath+3.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404382308792870194" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBWFszVyuCoMql_iv8m6aJvKsN7gND91k55PF5qSe9337e6fmMfPYJZSvN3UBOuuG08A3gYLz-gf9RGjhLomGgeu1zwOJ-3Q8F6UOi5_EuYoz9xNpWQlvdWrEw39NjrxoQWvMFic_vnEc/s320/Vampyre+in+Bath+3.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><p>Victoria is writing a trilogy of modern romances about a group of friends who are obsessed with Austen and she was paying a flying visit to the city on her way to Wales. It really is a beautiful place. I love the golden stone, something about that warm and mellow colour makes it seem as if the sun in shining even if it's raining.</p><br /><br /><br /><p>The city features in a number of Austen's works but Jane didn't like it. She was a country girl, and to find herself suddenly transplanted to a city must have been very hard.</p><p></p><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Rphe_pZf6w50bLYG56SR8h7jYdiY8hFH6lludIvYwvKPzsKiLaWNy8glJHgSoQgaihoaLp3IoGZWRu6FlMSfTV5D0VtaO3xAX4ASwPwYFqLuLGelbEUt-5pMQkzbwV0wDhbcGybBTq0/s1600-h/Vampyre+in+Bath+1.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404382147596369650" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Rphe_pZf6w50bLYG56SR8h7jYdiY8hFH6lludIvYwvKPzsKiLaWNy8glJHgSoQgaihoaLp3IoGZWRu6FlMSfTV5D0VtaO3xAX4ASwPwYFqLuLGelbEUt-5pMQkzbwV0wDhbcGybBTq0/s320/Vampyre+in+Bath+1.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />Mr Darcy, Vampyre looks at home there though, as he surveys the scene and looks out at all the tourists!Amanda Grangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691898365706845233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914702042451678542.post-43224243661822215092009-11-13T01:28:00.000-08:002009-11-13T04:30:11.739-08:00Out soon in Italian<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3oj6w7j9Vs0T9Z17NutkapE4xV1Gx_iZYuVaTdZqD4nkd0Pf-rSshIlJDcrap4snVPRC2-GpbMg6gyu-S-LtkZRhi0GyQngNz50Vkp12aJ8SqqyFbInU3gNTgBwBWp_1_uRKNE5gXr4A/s1600-h/Venice+staircase.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 208px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5403553509852264802" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3oj6w7j9Vs0T9Z17NutkapE4xV1Gx_iZYuVaTdZqD4nkd0Pf-rSshIlJDcrap4snVPRC2-GpbMg6gyu-S-LtkZRhi0GyQngNz50Vkp12aJ8SqqyFbInU3gNTgBwBWp_1_uRKNE5gXr4A/s320/Venice+staircase.jpg" /></a><br />Mr Darcy, Vampyre will soon be available in Italian!<br /><br />I'm really pleased about this because a lot of the book is set in Italy and it will be interesting to know what the Italians think of it.<br /><br />Venice is such a beautiful city, despite its problems. It has the most fantastic buildings and history, and I tried to capture some of that in Vampyre. The picture at the right is of the Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo, with its famous spiral staircase. The love and artistry that have gone into this building are amazing. Just looking at the staircase lifts my spirits.<br /><br />The Venetian palazzos are so beautiful that I knew I wanted to include them prominently in the novel. At first I thought I would have Lizzy and Darcy staying with some of Darcy's wealthy friends, but then I decided to give Darcy a palazzo of his own. Wealthy families often had property in Europe and although no European properties are mentioned in Pride and Prejudice, it would have been quite likely that Darcy would have had property abroad. The faded grandeur of the Venetian palazzos created just the atmosphere I wanted, something beautiful and opulent, but with a sense of decay underneath.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij9izt-n0uDYOy9GQxzvy3rDnihZF_bMrSPNgecvG9fYmBbz12Ti54Xaem0iryTfNPOGvcFFhHC-YDHla8D9lBEy20pUIJSEciQUOcdDqv3MTV8R3Ju6rNcw0XIV8ZlKq0JUeDmcbhQQE/s1600-h/Venice+flood.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 246px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5403553598262012898" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij9izt-n0uDYOy9GQxzvy3rDnihZF_bMrSPNgecvG9fYmBbz12Ti54Xaem0iryTfNPOGvcFFhHC-YDHla8D9lBEy20pUIJSEciQUOcdDqv3MTV8R3Ju6rNcw0XIV8ZlKq0JUeDmcbhQQE/s320/Venice+flood.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The Venetian floods feature in a dream sequence in the novel, which is the first thing I wrote. I don't usually write books out of order, but in this case the images of Elizabeth running through the streets with her red dress flowing out behind her like liquid flame, whilst the waters rose all around her, were so strong in my mind that I wanted to get them down before their vividness faded.<br /><br /><br /><br />Fantasy and the supernatural flourish in times of transition and the dream sequence involves disorienting changes between past and present, night and day. Luckily for Lizzy, Darcy is there to wake her, but their problems are only just beginning.Amanda Grangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691898365706845233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914702042451678542.post-54193690479798206462009-11-08T11:45:00.001-08:002009-11-08T11:46:43.985-08:00And the winner is . . .Thanks to everyone who entered the Halloween competition. The winner, chosen at random, is Bekah. If you send your details to amanda_grange @ hotmail.com I will send you a copy of Mr Darcy, Vampyre, Bekah.Amanda Grangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691898365706845233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914702042451678542.post-89674446183331085502009-10-30T01:36:00.000-07:002009-11-01T04:51:29.514-08:00Which Austen character are you?Which Austen character are you?<br /><br />A fun quiz for Halloween. When you’ve found out, leave your answer in the comments for a chance to win a copy of Mr Darcy, Vampyre! Closing date November 7th.<br /><br />1) You notice that some of your companion’s teeth appear to be long and sharp. Do you think:<br /><br />a) He must be a vampyre.<br />b) Perhaps he should visit the dentist.<br />c) Jane has lovely teeth, doesn’t she, mother? We are so proud of Jane’s lovely teeth.<br />d) Lord! Those teeth are worse than Denny’s!<br /><br /><br />2) You notice a bat outside the window. Do you think:<br /><br />a) Oh, no, my companion isn’t here, he must have turned into a bat!<br />b) I’d better close the window.<br />c) That reminds me of the time when Jane first saw a bat, doesn’t it, mother? I say JANE SAW A BAT ONCE, DIDN’T SHE, MOTHER?<br />d) If I catch that bat, I could scare all the officers. Lord, fun!<br /><br />3) Your ship is about to be attacked by pirates, but they suddenly turn tail and run. Do you think:<br /><br />a) There must be a vampyre on board the ship.<br />b) They were frightened off by the ship’s guns.<br />c) Jane was nearly drowned once when she was on a ship, or was it a boat, let me fetch her letter and read it to you.<br />d) Thank goodness there are plenty of officers on board. <br /><br />4) Your companion’s friend shows you some very old clothes Do you think:<br /><br />a) She must be 500! She’s one of the undead!<br />b) They are very beautiful, and very well preserved.<br />c) Jane had a lovely shawl, a present from Mr Dixon, it was ever such a lovely shawl, all different colours and she was so careful of it. She put it away ever so carefully but when she took it out again it was all holes, wasn’t it mother? Jane’s shawl, I say it was full of holes.<br />d) She ought to ask her father for a larger allowance.<br /><br />5) You are visiting a castle when it is stormed by an angry mob. Do you think:<br /><br />a) The villagers are rising up against the undead!<br />b) This is how the revolution started in France, it seems the unrest is spreading.<br />c) Thank goodness Jane is staying with the Campbells. Just look what the mob has done to mother’s spectacles. <br />d) Lord, what a time we’re having! Just look at that peasant over there, he’s very handsome, I’ve always liked a man in a blue coat.<br /><br />6) You go to a masked ball where you start to see strange things. Do you think:<br /><br />a) Someone is tampering with my mind.<br />b) I must have had too much champagne.<br />c) I think I must need some spectacles like mother. Jane will probably need them too as she gets older, but not yet, she has such lovely eyes. Such pretty, pretty, eyes.<br />d) Lord, I’ve never had so much fun in my life.<br /><br />7) You learn something terrible about someone close to you. Do you think:<br /><br />a) I knew there were monsters. I was right all along.<br />b) I must think about what to do.<br />c) I must be very stupid, I really must have been very stupid not to have seen it before, Jane would have seen it straight away.<br />d) Lord, what a lark. <br /><br /><br />Answers<br />Mostly a's: You are Catherine Morland.<br />Mostly b's: You are Elinor Dashwood.<br />Mostly c's: You are Miss Bates.<br />Mostly d's. You are Lydia Bennet.Amanda Grangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691898365706845233noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914702042451678542.post-62169598531893779152009-10-15T00:29:00.000-07:002009-10-15T03:00:32.231-07:00Halloween blog tourI'm going on a blog tour in the second half of October for Halloween. These are the dates and destinations:<br /><br />19th <a href="http://www.abibliophile.com/"><span style="color:fuchsia;">A Bibliophile’s Bookshelf </span></a><br />20th <a href="http://fang-tasticbooks.blogspot.com"><span style="color:fuchsia;">Fang-tastic Books </span></a><br />21st <a href="http://www.nightowlromance.com"><span style="color:fuchsia;">Night Owl Romance </span></a><br />22nd <a href="http://www.romancejunkies.com/rjblog"><span style="color:fuchsia;">Romance Junkies </span></a><br />23rd <a href="http://www.popsyndicate.com "><span style="color:fuchsia;">Pop Syndicate’s Book Addict </span></a><br /><br />26th <a href="http://annavivian.blogspot.com/ "><span style="color:fuchsia;">Anna’s Book Blog </span></a><br />27th <a href="http://ajourneyofbooks.blogspot.com "><span style="color:fuchsia;">A Journey of Books </span></a><br />28th <a href="http://www.freshfiction.com"><span style="color:fuchsia;">Fresh Fiction </span></a><br />29th <a href="http://tbfreviews.net/"><span style="color:fuchsia;">The Book Faery </span></a><br /><br />For a new extract, check out <a href="http://www.twitter.com/mrdarcyvampyre"><span style="color:fuchsia;">Twitter </span></a> in the week of Halloween.<br /><br />The celebrations will finish with a quiz, here, on the 30th.<br /><br />Hope to see you there!Amanda Grangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691898365706845233noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914702042451678542.post-25578240454963241492009-10-10T09:41:00.001-07:002009-10-10T09:46:49.663-07:00If you'd rather read in different languages . . .I know that people drop into the blog from around the world so I thought you might like to know that Mr Darcy, Vampyre will soon be available in Spanish and Turkish as well as English.<br /><br />There's also an <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Darcy-Vampyre-Amanda-Grange/dp/1441836551/ref=ed_oe_a"><span style="color:#ff0000;">audiobook</span></a> coming out in February, which will be available on CD as well as MP3.<br /><br />I'll be going on another blog tour towards the end of October and I'll be putting the dates up in a few days time, so I hope you'll join me then.<br /><br />AmandaAmanda Grangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691898365706845233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914702042451678542.post-86197321841321196922009-10-07T08:12:00.000-07:002009-10-07T08:19:20.937-07:00Pride and Prejudice, the epic sequelI often play fantasy casting with my books, thinking who I would like to play the parts in the event of a film, but when I heard this track - Preliator by Globus - I played fantasy music for the first time, because it blew me away.<br /><br />Just click <a href="http://www.globusmusic.com/"><span style="color:#cc0000;">here</span></a>, then click on Music and select Preliator.Amanda Grangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691898365706845233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914702042451678542.post-48228258910075569932009-09-12T01:57:00.000-07:002009-09-12T02:59:01.088-07:00Fragment of a Novel by Lord ByronIn tracing the history of the vampyre story in print, The Fragment of a Novel by Lord Byron is the story that started it all. It was written at the Villa Diodati, on a fateful night when a group of friends decided to write a ghost story <a href="http://mrdarcyvampyre.blogspot.com/2009/06/vampire-or-vampyre.html"><span style="color:#ff0000;">(more here)</span></a><span style="color:#ff0000;"><br /></span><br /><br />Byron wrote no more than a few pages, but the idea was taken up by Polidori, who used it as the basis for his famous story, The Vampyre. This story, in turn, was the forerunner of all our modern vampyre tales.<br /><br />Mr Darcy, Vampyre, has an homage to the Byron fragment in the last few chapters. It's inspired by this section:<br /><br /><span style="color:#33ff33;">" 'On the ninth day of the month, at noon precisely (what month you please, but this must be the day), you must fling this ring into the salt springs which run into the Bay of Eleusis; the day after, at the same hour, you must repair to the ruins of the temple of Ceres, and wait one hour.'"<br /></span><br />A ruined temple, a set of extraordinary instructions . . . anyone who has read Mr Darcy, Vampyre, will recognise these elements in the finale!Amanda Grangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691898365706845233noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914702042451678542.post-73595421173162279842009-09-08T01:08:00.000-07:002009-09-08T01:10:04.421-07:00And if you'd rather have an ebook . . .If you prefer ebooks to print, then you can find Mr Darcy, Vampyre at your usual ebook shop or get it from <a href="http://www.booksonboard.com/index.php?BODY=viewbook&BOOK=476136"><span style="color:#ff0000;">Books on Board</span></a>Amanda Grangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691898365706845233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914702042451678542.post-32756499276185901412009-08-30T02:02:00.000-07:002009-08-30T02:14:03.937-07:00In the UK!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGNGurPnAWfmHdDuUNQqFMXkLn5dx9nCN6k8FObU2sseDXLOu8SX6yNgW9j5E7aRQr3E9fnECkPb4A9Xq-lyh50JoKbEwgm_CPADmPJewYR8Asa_3oPKzZtinWDXNWHLRnQSHR0EUAv7Q/s1600-h/DSC00223.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGNGurPnAWfmHdDuUNQqFMXkLn5dx9nCN6k8FObU2sseDXLOu8SX6yNgW9j5E7aRQr3E9fnECkPb4A9Xq-lyh50JoKbEwgm_CPADmPJewYR8Asa_3oPKzZtinWDXNWHLRnQSHR0EUAv7Q/s320/DSC00223.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375679897890785458" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I was in Leeds yesterday and happened to go into Borders. I wasn't looking for Mr Darcy, Vampyre because it's not officially out until Sept 1st in the UK, so I did a double take when I saw the display! No sign of it in Waterstone's yet, but look out for it there on Tuesday!Amanda Grangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691898365706845233noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914702042451678542.post-48529347836457675892009-08-22T08:29:00.000-07:002009-08-22T08:32:01.901-07:00Official trailer for Mr Darcy, VampyreSourcebooks (my publishers!) have made an official trailer for Mr Darcy, Vampyre. Just <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAGv8jnPQJ8"><span style="color:#ff0000;">click here</span></a> to view.Amanda Grangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691898365706845233noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914702042451678542.post-74934565413368344622009-08-14T09:49:00.001-07:002009-08-14T09:56:42.181-07:00And now for the UK . . .Although Mr Darcy, Vampyre is out in the US it will be another few weeks before it's out in the UK, on 1st September. There have been some interesting pieces in the press already, though, commenting on the Austen / paranormal trend, one in <a href="http://ow.ly/jXBs"><span style="color:#ff0000;">The Independent</span></a> and one in<br /><a href="http://ow.ly/jXBV"><span style="color:#ff0000;">The Telegraph</span></a>Amanda Grangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691898365706845233noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914702042451678542.post-13104803436548016702009-08-11T08:13:00.000-07:002009-08-11T08:15:34.537-07:00Release date!Today's the official release date in the US! To celebrate, here's an extract from early on in the book:<br /><br />Darcy’s companions claimed his attention and he turned reluctantly away. As he did so his hand moved to his chest as though he were lifting something beneath his shirt, pulling it away from his chest and then letting it drop again.<br />‘What is it he does there?’ asked Katrine. ‘Does he wear something round his neck?’<br />‘Yes, I bought him a crucifix yesterday. The shops in Paris are very tempting,’ said Elizabeth. ‘He refused to take it at first, but he had given me so much and I had given him so little that I insisted and at last he allowed me to fasten it around his neck.’<br />Katrine’s voice was reverent. ‘He must love you very much,’ she said.<br />‘Yes, I believe he does,’ said Elizabeth.Amanda Grangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691898365706845233noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914702042451678542.post-25565313156872688912009-08-06T03:31:00.000-07:002009-08-06T03:46:10.991-07:00Horror, fantasy and romance Part 3There are many horror and fantasy influences on Mr Darcy, Vampyre, but it's about Lizzy and Darcy and so at it's heart it's a love story. It picks up where Jane Austen left off, with Lizzy and Darcy getting married, on a rapturously romantic wedding day. <br /><br /><em>Elizabeth Bennet’s wedding morning was one of soft mists and mellow sunshine. She drew back her bedroom curtains to see the dreaming English landscape lying serene and beautiful beneath a soft white quilt. The mist was at its thickest by the river, lying voluptuously over the water, then thinning out as it spread over the fields and pastures before disappearing, wisp-like, into the trees.<br />The birds were silent, but there was a sense of expectancy in the air. It was as though the world were waiting for the sun to rise and burn away the gauzy veil, revealing the true colours of the countryside, not muted white and grey, but green and blue and gold.<br />Elizabeth sank onto the window seat and pulled her knees up in front of her. She wrapped her arms around them and her thoughts drifted to the ceremony that was to come. Images floated through her mind: she and her father walking down the aisle, Darcy waiting for her, the ring slipping onto her finger . . . <br />She was not the only one to have risen early. Her mother was already awake, complaining to anyone who would listen to her about her nerves, and Mary was playing the piano. Kitty was calling out, ‘Has anyone seen my ribbon?’ and Mr Bennet was adding a full stop to his dry reply by closing the library door.<br />Beside her, Jane was still sleeping.<br />As she watched the world waking outside the window, Elizabeth thought of the past year and of how lucky she and her sister had been. They had both met men they loved and now, after many trials and difficulties, they were to marry them.</em><br /><br />The trials and difficulties of Pride and Prejudice are over, but new ones are just beginning, and this in the end is why I chose to write a paranormal sequel to Pride and Prejudice, because a sequel, like the original, needs problems.<br /><br />Most sequels make those problems the real life problems of a move to Pemberley, but I wanted something bigger. I knew that Darcy and Lizzy were deeply in love and so I wanted something that could really challenge this, something that could put the outcome in real doubt, just as it is in real doubt in the original. And so I made Mr Darcy a vampyre. Even Lizzy and Darcy's love would be challenged by something like that!<br /><br />Their love for each other is at the heart of the novel, and the test of that love will take them to hell and back.<br /><br />Don't forget to check out the review on <a href="http://www.savvyverseandwit.com/"><b><span style="color:fuchsia;">Review on Savvy Verse & Wit</span></b></a> and drop by at <a href="http://www.savvyverseandwit.com/"><b><span style="color:fuchsia;">Review on Savvy Verse & Wit</span></b></a> tomorrow for an interview, with your questions at the ready!Amanda Grangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691898365706845233noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914702042451678542.post-91072740908706978762009-08-05T08:48:00.000-07:002009-08-05T08:50:52.130-07:00Now in Stock!It's still not quite the release date (Aug 11th) but <a href="http://tinyurl.com/lbta6w"><span style="color:#ff0000;">Amazon.com</span></a> now have Mr Darcy, Vampyre in stock!Amanda Grangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691898365706845233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914702042451678542.post-68114453215058606912009-08-04T07:52:00.000-07:002009-08-04T08:00:57.765-07:00Review and don't forget . . .Don't forget to come over to <a href="http://romancebuythebook.com/"><span style="color:#ff0000;">Romance B(u)y the Book</span></a> tomorrow (Wednesday)and join me in a chat about Darcy, Austen and vampyres!<br /><br />Meanwhile, <a href="http://romancebuythebook.com/"><span style="color:#ff0000;">Amy's review</span></a> - "A thought provoking and seductively gothic tale" - has provoked a lot of interesting comments. It sounds like there's going to be a lot to talk about tomorrow!Amanda Grangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691898365706845233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914702042451678542.post-35289191440341157982009-08-03T00:51:00.000-07:002009-08-03T01:00:22.372-07:00Competition winner!Thanks to everyone who entered the competition to win a signed copy of Mr Darcy, Vampyre! And the winner, chosen at random, is Cecelia Bedelia, who posted about the competition <a href="http://ceceliabedelia.blogspot.com/2009/06/everything-austen-challenge.html"><span style="color:#ff0000;">here</span></a><br /><br />Just email me your address, Cecelia, by clicking <a href="mailto:amanda_grange@hotmail.com"><span style="color:#ff0000;">here</span></a>, putting Signed Copy in the subject line (things with competition in the subject line tend to go automatically into the junk folder) and a signed copy will be on its way to you!<br /><br />Meanwhile, don't forget to head over to <a href="http://bittenbybooks.com/"><b><span style="color:fuchsia;">Bitten By Books </span></b></a> for today's interview! I'll be dropping by later to answer any questions. See you there!Amanda Grangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691898365706845233noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914702042451678542.post-72747840243572887432009-08-02T07:59:00.000-07:002009-08-02T08:03:13.292-07:00RSVP to Bitten by BooksHere's a great idea! If you send an <a href="http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=9707"><span style="color:#ff0000;">RSVP to Bitten By Books</span></a> accepting the invitation to visit the blog on 3rd August for my interview, you will get an automatic 50 entries into the contest to win one of FIVE copies of Mr Darcy, Vampyre. So what are you waiting for, head on over there and RSVP now!Amanda Grangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691898365706845233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914702042451678542.post-9721300607319129722009-07-31T02:04:00.000-07:002009-08-20T02:43:06.720-07:00Blog tour!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSb6orHJk9qtuD0Rt3NLzVr_Orxw7D7hY-JigElSc_Pc72hcICWEVhi6ixL8S-IodW99HVzP24Xpwa85bCouCcl64LCxceueg-3hOQXDAIomfsKp3of7KNiKGfYzHekXYunj1GoKMECoc/s1600-h/Mr+Darcy+Vampyre.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 210px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347561597332745106" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSb6orHJk9qtuD0Rt3NLzVr_Orxw7D7hY-JigElSc_Pc72hcICWEVhi6ixL8S-IodW99HVzP24Xpwa85bCouCcl64LCxceueg-3hOQXDAIomfsKp3of7KNiKGfYzHekXYunj1GoKMECoc/s320/Mr+Darcy+Vampyre.jpg" /></a>I'm going on a blog tour in August, so come along and join in the fun! The tour kicks off on August 2nd over at the Risky Regency blog and ends on 31st August at Love, Romance and Passion, going to a lot of great blogs in between. So here are the dates:<br /><br /><br />3rd August <a href="http://bittenbybooks.com/"><b><span style="color:fuchsia;">Bitten By Books </span></b></a><br />5th August <a href="http://romancebuythebook.com/"><b><span style="color:fuchsia;">Romance B(u)y the Book </span></b></a><br /><br />6th August <a href="http://www.savvyverseandwit.com/"><b><span style="color:fuchsia;">Review on Savvy Verse & Wit</span></b></a><br />7th August <a href="http://www.savvyverseandwit.com/"><b><span style="color:fuchsia;">Interview on Savvy Verse & Wit</span></b></a><br />10th August <a href="http://debbiesworld.wordpress.com/"><b><span style="color:fuchsia;">Debbie's World Interview</span></b></a><br />12th August <a href="http://yankeeromancereviewers.blogspot.com/"><b><span style="color:fuchsia;">Yankee Romance Reviewers</span></b></a><br /><br />14th August <a href="http://peekingbetweenthepages.blogspot.com/"><b><span style="color:fuchsia;">Peeking Between the Pages </span></b></a><br />16th August <a href="http://riskyregencies.blogspot.com/"><b><span style="color:fuchsia;">Risky Regencies </span></b></a><br />17th August <a href="http://trinsnook.blogspot.com/"><b><span style="color:fuchsia;">Bloody Bad Book Blog</span></b></a><br />19th August <a href="http://cafeofdreams.blogspot.com/"><b><span style="color:fuchsia;">Café of Dreams</span></b></a><br /><br />21st August <a href="http://siamckye.blogspot.com/"><b><span style="color:fuchsia;">Sia McKye's Thoughts… Over Coffee</span></b></a><br />24th August <a href="http://zensanity.blogspot.com/"><b><span style="color:fuchsia;">Zensanity </span></b></a><br />31st August <a href="http://www.loveromancepassion.com/"><b><span style="color:fuchsia;">Love Romance Passion</span></b></a><br />Meanwhile, check out Sia McKye's fab review of Mr Darcy, Vampyre over at her blog <a href="http://siamckye.blogspot.com/2009/07/sias-reviews-mr-darcy-vampyre.html"><span style="color:#cc66cc;"><b>here</b></span></a><br /><br />And don't forget, the competition to win a signed copy ends at midnight on August 1st (London time) so if you haven't entered yet, see below for details! The winner will be announced here on the blog on Monday.Amanda Grangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691898365706845233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914702042451678542.post-62780990325503452432009-07-28T00:38:00.000-07:002009-07-28T02:11:26.299-07:00Horror, fantasy and romance Part 2When I was growing up I read a lot of fantasy. I loved the Narnia books by C S Lewis and I also loved the Andrew Lang books of fairy tales. There was one for each colour of the rainbow and, although they're now out of print, I can still remember the covers. Does anyone else remember them?<br /><br />As I grew older I read Alan Garner. The Owl Service in particular made a big impression on me. When I found out it was based on the story of Blodeuwedd, which was to be found in the <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mabinogion-Voyager-Alan-Lee/dp/0261103911/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1248767240&sr=1-5"><span style="color:#ff0000;">Mabinogion</span></a>, a collection of Welsh folk tales and legends, I bought the Mabinogion. The version I bought had very evocative illustrations by Alan Lee, who of course went on to work on The Lord of the Rings films.<br /><br />A year or so later I read The Lord of the Rings. My local library only ever had The Two Towers but I was intrigued by the cover and by the world I glimpsed inside so I went out and bought The Fellowship of the Ring. I then went on to read the trilogy many times. The characters now seem like old friends, and I love returning to the world of Middle Earth.<br /><br />As I grew older I discovered American fantasy - I loved The Dragonbone Chair in particular - and continued reading English fantasy, including the weird but very atmospheric Mythago Wood by Robert Holdstock.<br /><br />All these influences whirl around in my imagination, mixing with each other and changing subtly as they do so. Sometimes they stay there but sometimes they find their way into the book I'm writing. In the last few chapters of Mr Darcy, Vampyre I can definitely see a lot of fantasy influences. I don't want to give too much away, but the settings and atmosphere come from the world of fantasy.<br /><br />I think that's why I found Mr Darcy, Vampyre such an absorbing book to write, because it has so many influences from a wide divergence of genres.Amanda Grangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691898365706845233noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914702042451678542.post-71299161425346295922009-07-22T05:25:00.000-07:002009-07-22T05:39:58.460-07:00USA TodayI had a lovely chat with Carol Memmott from <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/"><span style="color:#ff0000;">USA Today</span> </a>recently as she was writing an article on the popularity of Jane Austen / monster novels.<br /><br />The chat ranged from why such books were popular to my inspirations for <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Darcy-Vampyre-Amanda-Grange/dp/1402236972/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1248265879&sr=1-1"><span style="color:#ff0000;">Mr Darcy, Vampyre</span></a>, but the best bit for me was when she said that she'd read Mr Darcy, Vampyre and really enjoyed it. Yay! <br /><br />You can read the whole article <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2009-07-21-jane-austen-zombies-vampires_N.htm?csp=34"><span style="color:#ff0000;">here</span></a>Amanda Grangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691898365706845233noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914702042451678542.post-11290609147759114652009-07-18T01:56:00.000-07:002009-07-18T03:04:44.652-07:00Horror, fantasy and romanceAlthough Mr Darcy, Vampyre is a paranormal sequel to Pride and Prejudice there are a lot of other influences on the book. They come from a variety of other genres including horror, fantasy and romance, and I thought I'd blog about some of the horror influences today.<br /><br />I'm not sure if Buffy the Vampire Slayer counts as horror but as regular blog readers know, it was Buffy that first gave me the idea of Darcy as a vampire (read more about it on my brilliant friend Amanda Ashby's blog <a href="http://amandaashby.blogspot.com/2007/03/amanda-grange-talking-about-darcy-david.html"><span style="color:#ff0000;">here</span></a>) <br /><br />Other horrror influences are Polidori and Byron (see below) and of course Dracula. Less obvious might be H P Lovecraft, but he definitely influenced certain aspects of the style as a kind of Lovecraftian eeriness seeps into some of the chapters of Mr Darcy, Vampyre.<br /><br />I didn't realise this when I was writing the book, although I've always adored the language of Lovecraft and the atmosphere he generates, but once I'd written the book it was obvious to me and so I went back and put in a gibbous moon as an homage: gibbous moons often appear in Lovecraft's works.<br /><br />I love the word gibbous. Like much of Lovecraft's vocabulary, it suggests all sorts of horrible things - it always makes me think of gibbering monsters - but in fact it's perfectly innocent, meaning more than half but less than fully illuminated.<br /><br />I also tried to include the word squamous, another brilliantly evocative word much used by Lovecraft, but I couldn't fit it into Mr Darcy, Vampyre. It will, however, fit brilliantly into <a href="http://www.austenblog.com/2009/07/15/from-zombies-to-sea-monsters/"><span style="color:#ff0000;">Sense and Sensibilty and Sea Monsters</span></a> As the author says that he, too , was inspired by Lovecraft, I'm hoping to see it there!Amanda Grangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691898365706845233noreply@blogger.com0