Ever dream of seeing your name - or a friend's - immortalized in a published book? Brighton Township author Colleen Gleason might be able to help you achieve your dream. She is giving away the chance to name or be a walk-on character in her forthcoming book, "When Twilight Burns."

To be considered in the random drawing, merely go to her Web site at www.colleengleason.com and follow the directions, which include watching a trailer for the book and answering a question based on the trailer.

It's Gleason's way of drawing readers and building interest in her book series, the Gardella Vampire Chronicles, written in an unusual genre that she calls "historical urban fantasy with a vampire twist."

The first two books in the series, "The Rest Falls Away" and "Rises the Night," were published in January and June of this year by the New American Library, a division of Penguin Books. They introduce Lady Victoria Gardella, a socialite in Regency England by station and a vampire hunter by hereditary calling.

Gleason's heroine was the result of her fascination with both historical romances and contemporary characters like "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and agent Sydney Bristow, of "Alias."

"I wondered what it would be like for those women if they'd lived a century earlier - when women were always chaperoned, couldn't go out alone at night and when marriage was their main goal." The series begins when Lady Victoria, about to debut into 19th-century London society, learns she comes from a long line of vampire hunters.

"Not only does she have to find a place to hide her stake, but she has to figure out a way to get out at night to stalk vampires between pouring tea and filling her dance card," writes Gleason on her Web site.

Gleason's road to publication was paved with frequent forays into the world of writing.

"I've always read and written, all through grade school and especially in high school," she says. "When I began writing books, I was looking for something I couldn't find on the bookshelves; something I'd want to read."

Before "The Rest Falls Away" was accepted for publication, Gleason had written eight other books, none of which had found a publisher.

"I wrote historical romances; female James Bond stories; contemporary ghost romances ... but all I got was rejections saying my writing was good," she says.

Vampire historical novels worked the charm, it seems. "I didn't consciously think, 'Here's an untapped niche,' at least not at first, but it was a timing thing," she says. "The vampire market was exploding."

Before she secured a two-book-per-year contract with her publisher, Gleason's writing was restricted to hours when she wasn't working full-time in the health care industry, first in sales and then as the owner of a health insurance agency.

"In September of 2005, after writing eight books and working with my agent for two years, she sold my ninth book, and I was off." Her first two-book deal was followed by another that will include publication of a third book, "The Bleeding Dusk," in early spring of 2008, and "When Twilight Burns," in August 2008. "I'm under contract to write two books a year for them," she said. "At some point, I may write some other kinds of books, as well."

Gleason, who earned a bachelor's degree in English at the University of Michigan and an master's in business at the University of Michigan-Flint, researches her books online and at U-M's Hatcher Graduate Library in Ann Arbor.

A 10-year resident of Brighton Township, Gleason says she does most of her writing in the cafe at the Brighton Borders bookstore. "I do much of my most productive work here," says the mother of three children, ages 11, 9 and 6. "It's more difficult to write at home. My 6-year-old seems to have an antenna. I used to write when the kids were in bed, but now that they're older, they stay up later."

Gleason is a perfect illustration of the old saying, "If at first, you don't succeed, try, try again."

"You just can't give up easily," she advises. "Write your best book. Find a publisher and send it out. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat until you get published" - or run completely out of steam. The same goes for finding an agent to help you shop your books around to publishers. "You have to send your stuff to agents until one you like agrees to work with you.

"There's no secret handshake, no easy way. It takes perseverance, talent and luck."

Source: written by Stephenie Koehn, The Anne Arbor News

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Posted by Dracula's Guest Sun, 09/16/2007 - 16:50

 

Why do women love vampires?

"He met my eyes with his penetrating gaze. Suddenly, it was hard to breathe. The temperature in the room spiked into the tropical range. My heart pounded in my chest like a ritual drum, and my knees threatened to buckle. I'd never seen such a gorgeous male. My logical mind engaged in a futile attempt to regain my attention...

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Chapter 25

Only three hours had passed since Ethel had startled Ernest from his sombre reveries, but within this brief space their love had matured as if each hour had been a year. The pallor had vanished from his cheeks and the restiveness from his eyes.

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Darkened Pathways...

Walking along the path you built,
Searching for the life you lost,
Darkened skies and greystone cobbles pave your way.
Stumbling and picking yourself up again and again,
Stopping to wonder if life is worth finding but you always continue on.
Sometimes you get the courage to look back. All you see are corpses rotting away.
Almost choking, nearly gagging, riddled with guilt,
The life you lost you threw away, not caring at what expense or cost.
Not caring what others think, do or say.

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Chapter 01

The freakish little leader of the orchestra, newly imported from Sicily to New York, tossed his conductor's wand excitedly through the air, drowning with musical thunders the hum of conversation and the clatter of plates.

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Chapter 28

Terrible as was his loneliness, a meeting with Jack would have been more terrible. And, after all, it was true, a gulf had opened between them.

read more...