I have a fun announcement for you today. One of the unfortunate side effects of the pandemic has been the demise of writer conventions. For many of us, these events presented a rare opportunity to talk shop, exchange tips and industry gossip, and interact with readers. It’s a place where really fun discussions happened, and while I am a hermit, I do miss it.
So, next week, on December 18th, at 1 pm CT, Gordon and I will be hosting a fun Zoom panel on vampires.
The chat is called Fangs for Christmas, because why wouldn’t you want fangs under your Christmas tree, and will feature two other panelists besides us.
The Panelists
First, Jeaniene Frost, who set a high standard for vampires in paranormal romance. She will have some exciting news to share with you regarding her current project.
Official Bio
Jeaniene Frost is a New York Times, USA Today and international bestselling author whose works include the Night Huntress series, the Night Prince series and the Broken Destiny series. To date, foreign rights for her novels have sold to 20 different countries. Jeaniene lives in Maryland with her husband Matthew, who long ago accepted that she rarely cooks and always sleeps in on the weekends. Aside from writing, Jeaniene enjoys reading, poetry, watching movies, exploring old cemeteries, spelunking and traveling — by car.
Our next panelist is a relative new comer to the vampire genre. We are happy to welcome Scarlett St. Clair. As a librarian, Scarlett possesses a unique perspective on research, and we’re looking forward to her point of view.
Official Bio
Scarlett St. Clair is a citizen of the Muscogee Nation and the author of the HADES X PERSEPHONE SAGA, the HADES SAGA, KING OF BATTLE & BLOOD, and WHEN STARS COME OUT.
She has a Master’s degree in Library Science and Information Studies and a Bachelors in English Writing. She is obsessed with Greek Mythology, murder mysteries, and the afterlife.
I’m not going to do our bio. You are here, so you know who we are.
The Topics
This is going to be fun. We’re going to cover topics like Vlad Dracula, the origins of vampire myth, the transformation of vampire form monster to hero, the heroines of vampire genre, and so on.
We will be doing Q&A as usual and there will be a spoiler question section at the end. Please submit your questions to all three panelists by commenting on this post or by emailing Mod R directly at modr@ilona-andrews.com – specifying it’s for the Zoom Q&A please. They don’t need to be questions solely on vampires. As Mod R says, “let your curiosity fly free hehe.”
The panel is set to last 90 minutes.
Registration
We ask you to please register for this event. This helps us plan our Q&A. Spaces are limited. Once again, the zoom chat will be held on December 18, 1 pm CT. Here is a website that lets you figure out Central Time as it relates to your time zone.
Signed Books
We’ve partnered with Bank Square Books for this event. NOTE: because of the pandemic, “signed book” in this case means a book with a signed bookplate in it. Bookplate is a fancy sticker with the author’s signature.
If you would like a signed book by one of our panelists, you can order it through this store. Once the book is in your cart and you are ready to check out, you will see this screen.
Scroll down until you see Order Comments.
You’re going to click that and type in your request for signed copies.
We hope to see you for this fun Q&A. Oh and one more thing. Those who attend the chat will get to read Chapter 1 one week early. Chapter 1 of what you ask? Hehehehe.
Woohoo!????
First?
First. Certified.
????????????????☃️
Yay!
Fangs a lot!
Can’t wait !
Hahaha!
It’s going to be amazing! Thank you for the opportunity! ????♀️
It doesn’t matter which book Chapter 1. I’ll read your grocery list. Really excited for this. I love both authors works!
I just live your Hehehehes!
This is awesome! I will be working and will miss, but can’t wait to hear or read what happens.
Sounds like fun! Have to say, I prefer hot male vampires like Bones and Ian (Jeaniene’s guys) and Arland and the men of House Krahr (your guys) to sparkly teenagers or creepy old men.
And signed bookplates are cool! I got one for “Hex on the Beach” (Jeaniene F., Melissa M. and Kelley A.) because I ordered from the independent bookstore they partnered with. My first author signed book!! Very exciting!!
Hoping that writers conventions will come back in the future – that’s on my “to do” list. (Need that much more than a cruise or a visit to the House of Mouse!!)
I LOVE you! Thank you super lots, great Christmas gift.
What a lovely surprise, sounds like fun, can’t wait!!
This is going to be brilliant ????
Some years ago as a school librarian I was on a weekend of literacy with various authors of young peoples books giving workshops. one of them was GP Taylor a NY Times best selling author. Who is a hilarious raconteur from Yorkshire UK. In his varied different careers he discovered Christianity and became the vicar of his local church which was in Whitby Yorkshire. Where he said he was regularly asked the whereabouts of Dracula’s grave. He told us he would send them off into the graveyard with the answer that it was in the corner by Bugs Bunny’s and he said off they would go heading into the corner of the graveyard. He also said his favourite pastime was creeping up on people searching the graveyard at night and suddenly switching his flashlight on under his chin! Then watching them running away screaming!!???? lovely guy. ????????
I can’t make it ???? will there be a transcript made available sometime after??
+1
+1
registered…. looking forward to the zoom
and the first chapter of whatever hehehe
Terry Pratchett’s Carpe Jugulum & all the random crazy vampire myths in it need a mention/discussion tie in! I have no idea how to turn this into a question… ????
Excited to get to know Scarlett St Claire’s work! This panel sounds delightful.
“Chapter 1 of what you ask? Hehehehe.”
oh this is evil and I love it xDDDDDDDD
Just signed up, thank you!
The real question is which kind of vampires are repping the IA team ? The KD vampires or the innkeeper ones… xD
It’s there any way to get a signed copy if you live somewhere else than UK, USA or Canada?
Hey Agatha,
If you go to the website of the partner bookstore, you will see instructions referring to international shipping ???? https://www.banksquarebooks.com/shipping-rates
Thank you The Mighty and Omniscient Mod R! I’ll contact them 🙂 My friend is a doctor, working very hard – I hope I’ll manage to get a signed copy for her!
I wrote them an e-mail, but no answer so far 🙁
I can’t. ????
Will there be a way to replay?
Please?
Yeah, I’ll be attending a zoom funeral that day.
Any way to see it later?
Whee!! The 18th is my birthday and I was able to successfully sign up! It’ll be 4AM in the morning for me, but one of the best birthday presents I’ve had in a long long time! Thank you!
Happy (early) Birthday!
Sounds like a fun time! Unfortunately, I have a family thing that day, so I probably shouldn’t do the Zoom call, but I’ll be wishing that I was doing your thing instead! ????
YAY! I finally saw an announcement early enough to register and participate. I can’t wait. Thank ya’ll for something SO FUN to look forward to! 🙂
I have been feeling very ill(chronic painful illness) for the last week, so I began rereading all the Innkeeper books. They have kept me entertained and optimistic! 🙂 This is definitely icing on my cake! Thank you SO MUCH Ilona. You really can’t imagine how much your writing helps chronically ill folks like me make it through our days!
I have a two question for the chat? Have y’all fallen out of love with the innkeeper series and that why its ending .The second one is since the panel is vampire theme does this mean more of Maud series is on the way.
Kelly, could you please link to an announcement that states Innkeeper series is ending?
I presume she’s thinking of the Fated Blades Q&A (https://ilona-andrews.com/2021/fated-blades-qa-video-and-transcript/), in which you said “With Innkeeper we have very vague ideas and we are just not ready to dive into it, it hasn’t gelled enough and we don’t want to screw it up because it will probably be the final Innkeeper book.” Say it ain’t so??
Molly, “not ready to dive into it” does not equal the series is ending. 🙂
I suspect the part Molly was looking at was “…it will probably be the final Innkeeper book.” Not so much that it is ending now, but that it will be ending eventually, as all good things must.
:sips tea:
Kelly: Are you ending Innkeeper because you hate it?
Me, anticipating yet another BDH rumor: Where did you see that Innkeeper is ending?
Molly: Let me explain what Kelly meant.
Me: We are not ending the series right now.
Jewelwing: Let me explain what Molly meant.
I’m half-tempted to leave this thread open just to see if the next person will explain to me what Jewelwing meant. 🙂
If there is not official announcement stating that a particular series has ended, than it has not ended. 🙂 As of right now, the Innkeeper is not finished.
This thread is now closed. Hehe.
Sounds like fun.
But I already have fangs for Christmas. ????
I’m so excited for this! And so sad that I have a conflict I can’t reschedule. This sounds like an absolute ball!
“Fangs for the Memories”! Sorry, couldn’t resist.
I cannot make the 18th. Will there be some type of podcast/recording of the event so I listen to it later? If so how will I find it?
Thanks, this sounds like a fun fun event.
Yay! I miss writer panels too! My zoom q&a question: Non typical vampires or ‘conceptual’ vampires, thoughts?
So, the question becomes, would you be willing to get back to live appearances next October? If so, how do we send you an invitation?
Unfortunately, we have no plans to return to touring. We may do an occasional appearance, but the days of flying to 7 cities in a row are gone. The new normal. 🙁
LOL, even on my good years the 7 cities in a row is more than I could handle. This is just a one weekend sci fi convention who needs a good guest of honor 🙂
Ooooh. Exciting stuff. Will be interesting to see how American authors see the origins of the vampire mythology. I was actually born in Transylvania, Romania so I have had numerous discussions and debates with people from other cultures and it is always cool to see other perspectives. Before you ask, no, we do not hang garlic in our houses because we are afraid of vampires 😀
😉 Well…let’s just say I have a surprise in store. An ace in the coffin sleeve, as it were hehe.
“Ace in the coffin sleeve”, that killed me ????
I am just posting because I know you guys will share my pain…and everyone here is just looking at me like they don’t understand my problem… my Luisa Preissler calendar of all the lovely IA covers finally showed up today and had been completely destroyed in the post ( I am not complaining- shit happens, and I am doing what I can as far as refunds, complaints etc)…. But it was so pretty and was utterly ruined and I am sad. Australia post helpfully put it in a plastic bag with some paper towel and a letter referring me to their postage guidelines on how to package things (like I teleported to Germany to send it to myself?). It wasn’t just damp – it has taken a bath and marinated in its own juices for a while – all the pages stuck together and print lifted.. to make a complaint I had to give it back to them & I was like…um it’s an amorphous mass of paper not sure why you think I’d want to keep it? Anyway my family was all like ‘meh get another one’ and I was ‘aaaarrgggh I can’t (sniff sniff)’ – thanks for letting me vent …. I know it is only a very small problem in the wide world but I was very much looking forward to it and somehow having this small pleasure squashed has been very disheartening. I know you guys will feel my pain, and understand (unlike certain luddites who think I am being overly sensitive). Peace and love BDH
*Hugs* I hope something can be sorted for a replacement/refund.
Just think what awesomeness could grow out of a literal mash-up of all the fierce IA characters. Just watch it if it starts to glow ????♀️
Any news on getting Ruby Fever available for the Nook?
Hi Kathleen,
We are awaiting answer on it, I will update as soon as we know ????
Thank you for your patience ????
Thanks for keeping up on the problem.
Hah! Yes – like the magical spatter around some mad genius workroom becoming sentient… is all good – the lovely Luisa is sending a replacement so I will just need to possess myself in patience once again. It’s nice to have things to look forward to, hope the end of the year treats you all kindly.
Zoom Q&A
I don’t have a question, but I have a comment regarding “the transformation of vampire from monster to hero.” I remember the sad, old days of vampire heroes who longed to be human again, and I’m so glad they ended.
Thank you, Ilona Andrews for the post.
The event sounds divine but I can not attend (via zoom) due to mandatory family thingie. Enjoy yourselves.
Your ha ha— my no driving pregnant neighbor had an ultrasound appointment Friday. While I was gone chauffeuring my resident Fang-ER fanged my supplements piller. Fortunately nothing canine harmful was masticated or missing. Apparently I didn’t remember to put piller back on 8 foot high shelf. Sigh. Okay so was a weak ha ha.
Have fun on 18th.
So sad,i wont be able to attend – work :-(. The talks would be worth it and the sneak peak chapter the icing on that cake.
Will there be a video of that chat as well?
How do you feel about LGBTQ characters as the main protagonists in a romance novel? What I really want to ask is are publishers pushing authors to consider a novel with same sex couple as the main heros?
Hey Macleisha,
House Andrews have addressed this on several occasions and chats 🙂 , this is the one that first pops to mind https://ilona-andrews.com/2017/christopher-and-barabas/
“Gordon and I talked about this before and we never understood it. People are people. From our point of view, one writes about LGBT couple just like one would write about any couple.”
Macleisha,
To date, no publishing professional has ever attempted to influence me personally to not write LGBTQ or heterosexual pairing or to write one. I would consider that type of pressure to be an irreconcilable creative difference and I would terminate my professional relationship with that publisher at the first opportunity. 🙂 Creative freedom is precious and must be vigorously guarded.
Wish I could attend the chat, but that’s 3am on a work day for me. Will definitely check out St Clair’s books.
I don’t Zoom.
????
I’m getting notified that registration is closed. Did I miss a deadline?
Hey Fran,
Unfortunately, we have currently reached the limit (even the extended one) for participants.
+1
Oh no! The registration is closed already. I really wanted to participate, I hope more spots become available. Thank you so much for the lovely gift!
Ohh, i wanted to attend too…
I actually made registration! Woo!
Two of my favorite authors talking? Could it get any better? Why yes it can, because a member of MY ancestral tribe is going to be there too!
My question for Scarlett is, how does being Native American influence your perspective in writing? Are there comparable characters is the Muskogee lexicon, such as vampires, etc.
Sorry can’t register for THIS chat as it’s closed. Sad Face, but I will be thinking about you all, and rereading Julie’s book.
I missed this opportunity because we’re moving. Will you add more openings? If not, I’ll be happy for all the others in the horde will get to enjoy! I’m only 100% jealous????
Hi Elizabeth, we’re already at 1500 after extending twice, but we will post highlights (at least!) on the blog and the first chapter will be shared with everyone eventually ????
So sorry to miss it since I will be at work reading MRIs. Hope it’s fun and crowded. Please consider a complete book list for panelists. Dying to read a chapter of anything.
This brightens my Christmas! Thank you
Dang it’s closed boo!!!!
I missed it! I’ve been busy, and today is the 22nd. I guess I’ll just have to wait until my budget allows me to buy some books by these authors. I’m still sorry I missed it.