It’s that time of year again. On Saturday, don’t forget to change your clocks before you go to bed. Fall back people. Fall back.
Fun stuff
Join Me On Pinterest
Hey! I’ve set up a Pinterest account for all things Harry Russo Diaries. Come check it out Pinterest.com/LisaEmmeBooks/
I’ve pinned all sorts of great things related to Harry’s world and Dead and Kicking. In the future, I’ll set up boards for each new release. I’m calling these boards ‘Prop Galleries’ because they have pictures of many of the accessories, vehicles, and outfits I needed in order to tell Harry’s story.
If you’ve read the book already, you’ll know that Harry loves to eat, so I’ve also created a Recipe board with some of Harry’s favourite foods and all the things Harry hopes Isaac will make for her.
There’s even a board for Harry’s store, Contain Yourself, where Harry pins ideas for creating gorgeous looking planters.
An Interview with a Vampire
It’s Vampire Week and to celebrate Isaac has graciously agreed to participate in an interview. Stop by Compelling Beasts and visit. It will be illuminating to say the least.
This is really Tom Mison. When they make Dead and Kicking into a movie, he totally gets the part of Isaac if he wants it 😉
Vampire Week
Vampire Week is coming to Compelling Beasts and I’m taking part. Watch here for updates when my contributions go live throughout the week. In the meantime, I thought I would give you a little background on the vampire mythos of Harry’s world.
Vampires
Vampires and how they are portrayed can run the gambit. From the traditional
to the modern/futuristic
From campy
to sexy
to the definitely not-so-sexy.
In Harry’s world there are different types of Vampiro or vampires, with different abilities and powers.
Cutters – These are the wannabe vamps. They are the Goths that like to play at being vampires. They are called cutters because of the practice of keeping a small razor blade to slice the skin so they can suck blood. Most cutters are just posers, but some have the potential to be true vamps. The ones with potential will actually gain energy from blood, kind of like a high. Cutters are not undead but they hang around real vampires in the hopes of ingratiating themselves to a powerful vampire in order to receive the ‘Kiss’.
Vampires – are the most common of the Vampiro. They are undead and have retractable fangs. They must drink blood to survive. They can still eat and drink but without a daily dose of live human blood they will begin to lose their essence. Vampires can be of varying power.
Vlads – Powerful vampires are called Vlads. Vlads can go out in the day but tend to have an aversion to direct sunlight. No vampire, no matter how powerful can be out in the light of the dawning sun.
Princes, Kings, Emperors (and their corresponding female titles) – These are the higher power levels of the Vampiro hierarchy and much more rare. Depending on how powerful, they can draw life essence from a mere skin to skin touch. Some can absorb it from their surroundings. They don’t need to get it from a blood meal.
The Magister – the top vampire in a territory. The more powerful the Magister, the bigger the territory.
Dhamphirs – Most vampires are made in the traditional way through the Eternal Kiss, but there can also be born vampires. These are people that are born with the vamp ‘gene’ that will kick in on their first death to make them undead. Dhamphirs are very rare and result from the successful mating between a male vampire and a female human. While alive, they don’t need blood, but they can get a euphoric high from it. They may also have some special powers including supernatural healing, super strength and speed, telekinesis, and telepathy.
Here’s my dream casting of the major vampire roles in Dead and Kicking:
Fun Friday – A Day Late
Saw this and it made me laugh. Thought I would share.
Harry and the Bechdel Test
‘The Bechdel Test’ was inspired by cartoonist Alison Bechdel‘s 1985 tongue-in-cheek comic strip ‘The Rule’ which became a basic measure to see if women are fairly represented in a film.
Anita Sarkeesian, creator and host of the FeministFrequency, does an excellent job explaining what the Bechdel Test is all about. Basically, for a movie to pass the Bechdel Test, you must be able to answer ‘yes’ to the following questions:
1: Does it have at least two female characters?
2: Do they talk to one another?
3: Do they talk about something other than a man?
Simple, right? Well, you’d think so, but a surprising number of Hollywood movies don’t pass the test. What is even more surprising is the number of films you would think should pass but don’t. This is because, as Anna Waletzko discusses in her Huffington Post article, the Bechdel Test may be an excellent tool in triggering discussion, but it is a superficial measure of female empowerment in film.
Despite these limitations, it can be argued (as in this article by Charlie Jane Anders) that the test is important because it is often a part, or the beginning, of a larger and more complicated conversation about female representation in movies. It serves as a measure of how we are doing at promoting and increasing the opportunities for women.
So how did I do with Harry in Dead and Kicking?
1: At least two women?
Yes, besides Harry there are her roommates, Holly and Tess, as well as several other supporting women, including the two sisters and mother of the the main character Nash.
2. & 3. Do they talk about something other than a man?
Yes. There is a fair amount of banter between Tess and Harry especially, and very little of it is about a man. There are also plenty of conversations between all the female characters THAT ACTUALLY MOVE THE PLOT FORWARD.
I’ll take that as a passing grade.
Happy Thanksgiving To All My Fellow Canucks!
This Made Me Laugh
I was joking just the other day that Google must think I’m a serial killer and then I saw this. Love it! I’ve mentioned before that Google is your friend when you are writing. You can find almost anything and everything with Google. And, although I look forward to the day I’ll be able to afford to go abroad on a research trip, in the meantime I have Google streetview to show me around any potential locales for future books.
Countdown to Dead and Kicking – 3 days!
While Harry is no Maria, she does have a few favourite things. Funny how they all seem to be weapons or food. Oh, and Star Wars. Can’t forget about Star Wars.
Don’t forget to get your copy of Dead and Kicking! Pre-order sales really make a big difference. Order yours today at the following retailers:
Amazon
Kobo
Barnes & Noble
iTunes
You can also enter to win one of three signed copies on Goodreads. Check out my Release Week Giveaway starting October 2nd!
Fun Friday
Time for a little nerdy parody. Get down!
lisa emme 
