Vampire Week: My Turn!!!!

Okay we've heard from fab authors PC Cast and Rachel Caine about their vampire mythology. Now it's my turn to round out Vampire Week here on the blog. And yes, you have a chance to win all three books - Boys that Bite, Stake That! and Girls that Growl - when you comment.

Commenting is still open for PC and Rachel as well. Contest closes midnight on Saturday.

So now...let's talk Blood Coven!

In BOYS THAT BITE, all sixteen year old Rayne McDonald wanted in life was to become a vampire. She networked, got on the waiting list, even took her vampire certification class (which required some heavy homework.) But on the night she was supposed to be bitten and made undead, her intended Blood Mate, Magnus, accidentally bit her identical twin sister Sunny instead. Sunny had no idea, up until this point, that vampires even existed, and was so not pleased to be informed that she would now be turning into one a week before prom.

Poor Rayne’s luck doesn’t get much better in Book #2, STAKE THAT!. She’s informed by her school’s drama teacher (who also happens to be VP of Slayer Inc) that she’s the one in her generation destined to become--not a vampire, but a vampire slayer. Her first assignment? To get into a seedy blood bar downtown and slay its owner, a baddie vamp named Maverick. Luckily, she has help in the form of brooding, emo vampire Jareth.

In book #3, GIRLS THAT GROWL, our Goth heroine Rayne gets a new assignment—her toughest yet. To infiltrate the ranks of her high school cheerleading squad! Some football players have gone missing and the cheerleaders have been heard, well, growling.

A lot of people have compared my series to Buffy the Vampire Slayer and I would definitely say I was influenced by Joss Whedon’s brilliance. But while the humor may be similar, the vampire world I created is very different than his. My vampires are high tech and organized and most of them are good—mingling with humans and getting blood from specially tested paid Blood Donors, instead of running around biting and killing people. They don’t like garlic and crosses, but have no problem with mirrors. They can regenerate quickly when injured, except when infected by tainted blood. They can’t go out in the sunshine and live in massive underground crypts hidden below cemeteries. They are extremely rich and hold many prominent positions around the world.

When Rayne decided she wanted to become a vampire, she had to go through a ton of testing and take certification classes. Once she was approved, the Council had to find her a Blood Mate with compatible DNA. A Blood Mate is kind of like a soul mate, who agrees to share his or her blood with the vampire-to-be and become partners with them for eternity.

I hope you will get a chance to check out the series. Book 1, BOYS THAT BITE, was released in May 2006 and was a YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers. Book 2, STAKE THAT!, came out in December 2006. And now, we continue the story with GIRLS THAT GROWL, out this week!! For more information, friend me on MySpace at www.myspace.com/marimancusi.

Comment below to win the entire trilogy!

MARI