June 18, 2008 (Wesminster Eagle / Katie V. Jones) -- In a college town, a radio station's disc jockeys play music from the past decades. Depending on the time of day, listeners can hear anything from reggae to grunge to blues. The catch is that the DJs at WVMP, the "lifeblood of radio," are all vampires and the town where they spin tunes is Westminster -- or rather Sherwood, a fictional version of Westminster -- in the novel, "Wicked Game."

"They say write about what you know," said author Jeri Smith-Ready. "I picked on Westminster and built on some of the landmarks and flavors of the area to place these creatures in an environment I knew."

Smith-Ready and her husband Christian have lived in Maryland for the past 16 years, first in Baltimore, then Hampstead. The couple moved to Columbia so Smith-Ready could attend graduate school. They returned to Carroll County, settling in Westminster, about six years ago.

"I draw on all of the natural aspects of this area, the hills, the plants native to this area," Smith-Ready said. "All of my stuff is centered in these areas."

She also liked the idea of vampires living in a small town.

"It's not normally where you expect to find vampires," Smith-Ready said of Westminster. "It's not spooky gothic, and it is not a city. I wanted to see what I could do with a small town."

Not all of her books are about vampires.

A fantasy writer, Smith-Ready was interested in writing about characters stuck in time for her fourth novel. While zombies were tempting, she found vampires more interesting.

All of her books require research. Smith-Ready learned that one vampire myth suggests they are obsessive compulsive -- hence, people spread rice outside their doors to cause a vampire to stop and count each grain before entering. Each of the DJs in her book have their own quirks, too, such as having to keep all CDs in alphabetical order.

"The book is sort of ... a fun read. A beach read more than scary or horrific," Smith-Ready said. "There are a few scary moments, but it is definitely not a horror novel."

One of Smith-Ready's favorite aspects of the book was incorporating music into the narrative.

"I enjoy different kinds of rock n' roll like old blues to contemporary," Smith-Ready said.

"Technically, I'm a child of the '70s, but I grew up in the '80s and was in my twenties in the '90s. ... We all have a fondness for the music we grew up with and the memories attached," she said.

It was while in a coffee house listening to a live band that Smith-Ready first got the idea to be a writer. After entering college as a political science major, then switching to biology to become a veterinarian, Smith-Ready graduated as an English major with thoughts of becoming an editor.

"I never dreamed of being a writer," Smith-Ready said. "I always was an avid reader. I just loved it. (Writing) was not something people did as a living. They did it as a hobby."

All that changed after her first double espresso at the coffee house.

"I got an idea for a scene from a book and stayed up until 4 a.m. writing the first 10 pages," Smith-Ready said. "I had really caught the bug at that point."

At least half of the books she has written are ideas she got from a song or at a concert. "Music is a real inspiration for me," Smith-Ready said.

"Wicked Game" is the first book of a new series featuring the vampire station. Smith-Ready is almost done writing the book's sequel, "Bad to the Bone." All the while, she has been busy promoting "Wicked Game," which premiered in May.

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Posted by Vladimir Wed, 07/02/2008 - 21:21

 

Screaming Whispers

i scream
no words come to mind
the voices
the noise
i can't think
i can't breathe
i scream into an endless hell
no one listens
overwhelming feelings
thoughts
will it never end
i scream
it stops
silence
immense nothingness
i am alone
i am home
i am here

Raevynn
March 31, 2002

First published in Letters From the Soul (International Library of Poetry).  Permission to reprint granted by the author.

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Man beats peacock he says was vampire

July 1, 2007 (AP / New York) -- A peacock that roamed into the parking lot of a fast-food restaurant was attacked by a man who vilified the bird as a vampire, animal-control authorities said.

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'Vampire' man jailed in Bolivia

January 23, 2008 (BBC) -- An American man who took the name of a fictional vampire has been sentenced to 30 years for bombing two hotels in La Paz, according to Bolivian state media. Triston Jay Amero, 26, carried out the attacks with his Uruguayan ex-girlfriend, Alda Ribeiro Costa, 47.

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Greetings from Dracula Land

I've traveled a long way to talk vampires with Dan Matei Agathon, Romania's minister of tourism. As I wait in his cramped anteroom with its tattered wood trim and 1960s-era vertical blinds, assistants flutter to and fro, one of them bearing boxes that look like gifts for some visiting dignitary.

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Chapter 30

Silently the two men faced each other. Then Ernest hissed:

"Thief!"

Reginald shrugged his shoulders.

"Vampire!"

"So Ethel has infected you with her absurd fancies! Poor boy! I am afraid.... I have been wanting to tell you for some time.... But I think... We have reached the parting of our road!"

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