Blog tour stop and contest with Julieanne Lynch

I'm excited to be hosting a stop on the In the Shadows blog tour, an event brought to us by the fabulous Roxanne of Bewitching Book Tours. Ha, that sounded like Sesame Street for a second. All kidding aside, this looks like an interesting book and I look forward to reading it. As part of the book promotion there will be a tour wide contest and I will post the contest form (again) at the end of this post. Lots of goodies up for grabs, so good luck! Now, let's turn the floor over to Julieanne Lynch and get her take on the vampire experience...

The lure of the vampire in literature has definitely become a hit with 21^st century readers. It would be foolish to ignore the fact that most young adult readers are drawn to the blood sucking nightwalker. But what is it about the vampire that makes for compelling reading?

As a writer of mythical creatures the temptation to write about the vampire was all to easy not to resist. They make great villains, desirable lovers, frightening monsters and above all else, the thought of immortality is something most humans think about. It ignites the question - what if?

Yes there are readers who think the whole vampiric subject is old, past its sell by date and clichéd, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. People have a love/hate relationship with vampires. As much as we pretend that we have no interest in novels or movies about the blood sucker, we have this tendency to give in to the temptation and end up loving what we see or read.

Having recently had my own novel In The Shadows released, my experience with readers has been refreshing and in a sense inspiring. This to me alone proves that the fantasy behind vampires is far from dead and some of the bad press (haters) that has followed new releases since the days of Twilight is in a decline, simply because authors are delivering new and fresh material every day. No two takes on vampirism is ever the same and I feel this is an important attribute when it comes to creating something that can have such a profound effect on readership.

Women particularly are drawn to vampires. There is something about these Gothic symbols of manhood that make every woman weak in the neck. Monsters have always been able to elicit thrills and chills, but for a lot of women lately, those shivers are more of delight than fright. With the added level of sensuality of being claimed, it’s hard to ignore the allure.

What is more appealing is the danger, the inherent conflict in the relationship right up front of you because of who he or she is - “I want you but I’m could kill you.” It’s the perfect mixture of internal and external conflict.

Long gone are the days when the vampire was seen as a gruesome monster of the night, who fed on the young and weak, he has been replaced by a creature who can give women sexual gratification. In a time that is continually evolving, so are our attitudes towards sex. We are no longer living under societal constraints and self expression is one of our greatest powers. I see nothing wrong with expressing such emotions in writing or reading novels that surround their plots around vampires, and to me as a writer of supernatural elements I feel that the freedom to create such odysseys is proof enough as to how well the vampire is evolving. 

About the book: 

In the Shadows

By Julieanne Lynch

Published July 21st 2011
Strict Publishing International
ISBN 9780857791962

“In The Shadows”, the first of The Shadows trilogy, is an urban fantasy of vampires and the supernatural, and much, much more. In the shadows you will find lust and passion, battles for power and for blood, and death and fear around every corner. In the shadows you are carried away to an unknown future. Your destiny awaits, and you are no longer who you thought you were. You have a thirst, for blood perhaps, but a thirst for very much more than that.

Giselle was a normal girl with an attitude common to most girls of her age. Her
family might not have been perfect (whose is?) but she loved them, and her future
looked bright. She had an awesome best friend and a steady boyfriend, but how
could she possibly have been so wrong about someone she loved? And how could
she have been prepared for the darkness and for what she was to become?

The Buzz:

“In The Shadows is a must read for anyone who loves urban fantasy.” ~Review by
Dawn and Wini Book Lovers

“ Julieanne writes so eloquently you can feel and picture everything Giselle is
going through, with no question as to what role every character in the book plays.”
~Review by Ada McEwan

“Julieanne is a great story teller with a vivid imagination for the supernatural. I
absolutely love everything about it.” ~Reviewed by Firefly and Wisp

Click here to be directed to the contest form.