Fresh FIction Box Not To Miss
Kate Maddison | A Trip to London
Author Guest / August 7, 2014

One of the most exciting things I did in research for my YA mystery romance novel, THE INCREDIBLE CHARLOTTE SYCAMORE AND THE SECRET TRAPS, was take a trip to London for a behind-the-scenes tour of Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle. The top 8 things I discovered: 1.) There are secret hallways in Buckingham Palace that are used only by Queen Elizabeth. Our group was shown how one of the fireplaces swings open from floor to ceiling so that the Queen doesn’t travel the corridors like everyone else, to maintain her privacy and security. 2.) It’s considered rude to turn your back on royalty. During Queen Victoria’s time, all staff had to walk backward out of a room when Her Majesty was in it. This rippled through our culture and is still a matter of etiquette. Have you ever had someone apologize when their back was turned to you? 3.) In North America, we call rivers by their name, then add “river” behind it. Such as Mississippi River, Fraser River, etc. In England they do it the other way around. People call it the River Thames. (Eek! Last minute edit change in my manuscript caught just before printing!) 4.) Windsor Castle…

Brooklyn Ann | 10 Quirky or Offbeat Vampire Movies
Author Guest / August 7, 2014

Most of us are familiar with classics like The Lost Boys, Salem’s Lot, Fright Night, and my favorite, Interview With the Vampire, but I’d like to share some of the lesser known vampire movies. Some are cult classics and others are obscure, but they’re all a ton of fun. Shadow Of The Vampire This is an extremely unique film about the making of the 1922 classic, Nosferatu. John Malkovich plays Max Shrek, the actor cast as the role of Count Orlock. The funny thing is that Shrek actually is a vampire! Dracula: Dead and Loving It I freakin’ LOVE Mel Brooks and this spoof on Dracula has all the slapstick goodness one could desire. Leslie Nielsen spoofs Gary Oldman’s role as Dracula, but I think Renfield stole the show with his flat-out goofiness. The Night Flyer Stephen King does yet another creative take on vampires in this film about a serial-killing vampire pilot. Vampire Party This French Film about a trio who gets invited to an elite private party held in a remote mansion features spoofs on top of spoofs. It’s the ultimate in cheeseball goodness. Vampire Hunter D An incredible, classic Anime, this might be one of the first…

Sara Luck | People Are Hungry for History
Author Guest / August 7, 2014

This past weekend, my husband and I, along with a few thousand other people, have enjoyed the reenactment of the Battle of Mobile Bay and the Siege of Fort Morgan, Alabama. It was particularly meaningful to us, because our house is a little over a mile from the fort. I cannot tell you how many times I have been to the fort over the fourteen years that we have lived here—but in all those times I never really got the full impact of what happened there. Seeing the re-enactors in their wool pants in the heat of an August day, or watching the soldiers garrisoned in the fort as they made their beds on straw pallets and ate their cabbage soup, or even watching the grass catch fire from the bombardment, I was transported in time, back to 1864. But then while I was walking through, I heard a cell phone ring, and one of the soldiers opened his knapsack and the moment was lost. The same thing happened to my husband when he saw powder charges wrapped in aluminum foil—those were surly anachronistic. And then I thought about my job as a writer of historical romance. I am a…