Irish author, Bram Stoker released his novel Dracula is an 1897, the novel tells the story of Dracula's move from Transylvania to England, and the battle between Dracula and a small group led by Professor Abraham Van Helsing.
Despite being the most widely known vampire novel, Dracula was not the first. It partly inspired by Sheridan Le Fanu’s novel Carmilla, which predates Bram Stoker's Dracula by 25 years. Carmilla, was first published in the magazine The Dark Blue in 1871, it tells of a lesbian vampire who preys on a lonely young woman. Carmilla is able to pass through walls, and sleep in a coffin. Varney the Vampire, or the Feast of Blood was a serial from the mid-Victorian period by James Malcolm Rymer. The vampire is portrayed as an aristocratic man, like the character of Dracula, and was created by John Polidori in The Vampyre in 1819. Varney was a major influence on later vampire fiction, most notably Bram Stoker Dracula. Varney had fangs, which lefts puncture wounds on the necks of his victims, he had hypnotic powers, as well as superhuman strength. Bram Stoker's notes for Dracula show that the name of the count was originally Count Wampyr, but Stoker became intrigued by the name Dracula. Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia was a member of the House of Drăculești, a branch of the House of Basarab, also known by his patronymic name: Dracula. He was dubbed Vlad the Impaler ruling mainly from 1456 to 1462, the period of the incipient Ottoman conquest of the Balkans. Vlad used various forms of torture including disemboweling and rectal and facial impalement. A still-living victim was mounted on a long stake, driven through the rectum and emerging through the mouth to expire agonizingly over a period of hours or, depending on the position of the stake, this method could be a very slow excruciating death. It could often take days for death to occur if major organs were not pierced. Vlad usually had a horse attached to each of the victim’s legs and a sharpened stake was gradually forced into the body. The end of the stake was usually oiled and care was taken that the stake not be too sharp, because the victim might die too rapidly from shock. Normally the stake was inserted into the body through the buttocks and was often forced through the body until it emerged from the mouth. However, there were many instances where victims were impaled through other body orifices or through the abdomen or chest. Infants were sometimes impaled on the stake forced through their mother’s chests. Victims were sometimes impaled so that they hung upside down on the stake. This real-life Dracula might not have sucked blood out of his victims’ necks, but he still drank it in a different way: by dipping chunks of bread into buckets of blood drained from the people he impaled. The fifteenth century manuscript The Story of a Bloodthirsty Madman Called Dracula of Wallachia, by Michel Beheim, describes how Vlad would invite a few guests to his mansion, provide them with a feast, and then have them immediately impaled at the dinner table. With the bodies still draped over the stakes, he would finish his own food and then dip his bread into the blood collecting in buckets below the bodies. Vlad tortured thousands while he ate and drank among the corpses. Vlad often ordered people to be skinned, boiled, decapitated, blinded, strangled, hanged, burned, roasted, hacked, nailed, buried alive, stabbed. He also liked to cut off noses, ears, sexual organs and limbs. But his favorite method was impalement on stakes, hence the surname "Tepes" which means "The Impaler" . Historians put the deaths at the hands of Vlad anywhere between 40,000 and 100,000. When the Turkish army got to Targoviste, they found the infamous “Forest of the Impaled”—20,000 Turkish bodies displayed on stakes. Vlad the Impaler probably caused more rivers of blood to flow than any other tyrant in the history of the world. But despite all the brutality he was a people's ruler and always sided with the poor. He returned stolen land to the poor, built churches and defended the country against the numerous Ottoman attacks. Vlad is revered as a folk hero in Romania as well as other parts of Europe for his protection of the Romanian population both south and north of the Danube. Biography
Author Name: Line F. Nielsen Line is 28 years old and was born and raised in Denmark. She is newly married to the love of her life and now attends college. She plans on taking first a Bachelor in English Literature, and then later, a Masters in either Linguistics or Creative Writing. Always feeling like she was born in the wrong country Line has, since the age of 15, sought out the English language which she today speaks, writes and reads practically as well as a native English speaker. She loves the language so much that she could study nothing else but that. She also loves to meet new people from all over, with whom she can communicate in English. Line is also the author of the Romance Novel “From The Shadows” plus two Poetry and Song collections titled “My Life Is Worth Something Too” and “STRENGTH is more than just a word”. She plans on publishing more within that genre next year, as well as her much anticipated second Romance Novel “Chasing The Light”. She is a multi-creative HSP and therefore also introverted, but she makes the best of it through her writing, singing and drawing. Although she can be a bit reserved amongst strangers, Line is a very caring, honest and charismatic person, who believes that you can always rise from your struggles and become stronger. She herself is proof of that, overcoming struggles with being different as she grew up. “I once saw living in my head as a curse but I would never have gotten to where I am now if I didn’t. So today I see it as a blessing”. Line is addicted to music (mostly Rock and Metal), she is a book worm and she is the person that can make you laugh yourself to pieces from her kinky, naughty and sometimes dark humor. She is a free spirit who believes that you should never stop reaching for your dreams, and that you should value the things that sets you apart from the rest of the world. Words from friends: Durga: “You are a sweetheart, someone who is not afraid to speak her mind, a great friend” Tracie: “A Dane that loves to speak English J” Sam: “You’re a lovely and friendly person who is helping in every way you can be” … “She might look like an angel but her mind is as dirty as a devil” Jaimie: “you are a wonderful, compassionate person with a heart of gold” Jane: “a warm and kind soul, a friend who is beautiful inside and out” “AUTHOR PAGES: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Line-F-Nielsen/1440214972892309” Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8320805.Line_F_Nielsen Twitter: https://twitter.com/Noangel_86 Tsü: http://tsu.co/LineFNielsen Books: From The Shadows (Romance) My life is worth something too (Poetry Collection) STRENGTH is more than just a word (Poetry Collection) Books on the way: Chasing The Light (Shadows #2) Stuck In 1965 "Unnamed" (Shadows #3) When did you first realise you wanted to be a writer? Hmm.. Hard to say as I have been writing songs and poetry from a very early age and knew I wanted to publish that at some point.. But think it became really clear when I published my first poetry collection 1.5 year ago and realized I needed to write other genres too.. That is why I started writing Romance too.. - In what kind of environment do you work best in? Haha any really.. I find inspiration in the strangest things sometimes and then I need to get something down.. Can be on the train heading to my university, under the shower so I need to jump out and find a piece of paper.. But if I sit down to push myself to write a certain amount of words then I do it on the couch, laptop in my lap and music in my ears.. Preferably alone at home too - What's your favourite thing about being a writer? Being able to manipulate words in such a way that gets my readers to react and I just love the feeling of creating "art" - How did you come up with the idea for your latest book? Well my latest book was STRENGTH which is a poetry collection so I came up with that as I felt certain things.. I don't necessarily write because I want to but because I am compelled to. It's as much a part of me as my eye color - Do you ever base your characters on people you know? Yeah I do :) the characters in FROM THE SHADOWS and the sequel I'm currently working on is greatly inspired of my own life and my husbands past - Do you ever wish that some of your characters were real? Haha well when creating characters for Romances they are often sexy so.. Sure I would not mind having Nathan to drool over :) - What do your family and friends think about your book/s? Well the family I have is my friends and they seem to love my books and buy them whenever I release new one :) and my husband have yet to read an entire book (he is not a book'y) - Do you plan out your books or do you just go with the flow? I suck at planning anything so I mostly just write when and what I feel like :) - If you could ask a character from any book a question, who would it be and what would you ask? Jake from Jaimie Roberts' Take A Breath: "Will you be mine?" LOL - Who is your favourite author? Jaimie Roberts - What’s your favourite genre? Hmm.. Fiction.. I love my vampires but I hate erotic romances about them - What’s next for you? My second romance CHASING THE LIGHT which is the sequel to FROM THE SHADOWS - What advice would you give to someone just starting out? Write for yourself first and foremost because there will always be both lovers and haters of your work so make sure you are happy with it yourself What’s your favourite movie? Queen Of The Damned What’s your favorite genre of music? My poison of choice when it comes to music is most definitely Melodic Metal by bands like; HIM, Within Temptation, Bullet For My Valentine, Lacuna Coil.. and so many others.. I am a total music geek <3 If you were stranded on an island which three items could you not live with out? Pen, notebook and toothbrush :) If you could be born in another time when would you choose and why? Would be interesting to experience the Romance with all it's poetic writing and gorgeous dresses If you wrote an autobiography about yourself what would you call it? Well I kind of see my first poetry collection: MY LIFE IS WORTH SOMETHING TOO, as my autobiography because I put so much of myself, heart and soul, into my poems What your guilty pleasure? Chocolate.. I'm a sucker for anything chocolate :) What’s your favourite season and why? Summer because I love heat and lighter clothing Do you have a nickname? My husband calls me Little Foot and friends used to call me Lenny or The Julekalender (a name one fellow Danes will understand) - How do you handle writers block? Depends.. Somedays I push through it and others I realize there will come nothing good from that and put my writing away for a while What’s your favourite writing snack/ drink? I usually only have coffee and water How do you cope with distractions? I can be as scatter brained as they come.. But when I write I can usually focus better than at any other time so I don't really have to cope with it in writing situations What would be your ideal holiday? Sunny, historical and relaxing.. I like to have options when traveling like: go see old architecture, experience foreign amusement parks and such, some days, and then chill at the beach or pool other days.. It’s very important to build up a tan while keeping up on my reading LOL If you weren't a writer what would your dream job be? I'm multi creative so any artsy or musical job would be great: I sing, draw and write.. What three words best describe you? Creative, loyal and unique Would you prefer a quiet night in or a night on the town? Quiet night in.. I don’t really like to ingest alcohol and big groups of people tend to drain my energy really fast so staying in or being with small Groups of friends is much preferred What has been the best day of your life so far? The day my husband asked me to marry him on Juliet's balcony in Verona, Italy If you could go back in time what one piece of advice would you give yourself? Embrace your uniqueness; it is no shame to be different so don't hide and feel less self worth because of it What’s the craziest thing you've ever done? Hmm I'm not really a person to do crazy shit to be honest.. The craziest is probably having a summer flirt on one of my vacations to Italy who ended up being my first.. If you could be any animal in the world what would you be and why? Hmm.. Probably a dolphin because I love to swim, they seem so free and happy and they have one of the highest and purest levels of chakra energies which means they can heal other creatures with fx cancer.. Or so it's said! If you could have any super power what would it be and why? Some kind of telekinesis that would allow me to travel to a different country with the blink of an eye.. We don't have a lot of money so it does not allow us to travel much, though it is one of the biggest joys of my life If you only had one more day to live how would you spend it? In Gardaland with my husband, just having fun and riding all the roller coasters For many of us writing is not our full time job, what is yours? Currently I don't have a job as I'm a full time BA student in English and just started my 3rd semester 23 years old James Riva shot his handicapped grandmother Carmen Lopez, who was wheelchair bound from a spinal tumor and weighed about 75 pounds, 4 times, and then stabbed her several times in the heart. He drank the blood from her wounds and then set fire to her house to hide the evidence. The gun was loaded with gold-painted bullets.
James Riva claimed to be a 700 year old vampire and needed to drink his grandmother’s blood to survive. Riva also said his grandmother was also a vampire and that she fed on him at night while he slept. Jimmy Riva was a troubled youngster who developed a bloodlust in at a very early age. He became obsessed with the notion that his grandmother was a vampire, who was feeding on his blood at night when he was asleep. He believed that his only hope was to her kill her using golden bullets because a "vampire told him that was what he had to do." Riva had a history of mental illness dating back to 1975 - 78, when he spent time in a mental institution. The diabolical plot to slaughter his grandmother was the culmination of a whole series of bizarre incidents in the life of James Riva. He began by drawing horrific pictures and slowly moved to killing and drinking the blood of animals, until finally, he snapped completely. He gave two separate stories when confronted about his crime. He told his mother that he was a vampire who would gain strength from drinking his grandmother's blood. He also told psychiatrists he thought his grandmother was a vampire who came to feed on him as he slept. He believed he was satisfying his masters in the netherworld of vampires by making a human kill. He thought that if he killed "everybody who was bad to him, he would come back as a handsome man and have a car and girls and his life would be fine." Riva’s mother, Janet S. Jones, was the first to hear his sordid confession. Janet Jones, testified that her son believed a 200 year old vampire he met in Florida told him to paint the bullets he used for the murder gold. He also told her he tried to suck his grandmother’s blood, but couldn’t because she was too old. In the rubble of the fire, firefighters found a box in which Riva kept several .38-caliber gold-painted bullets like the ones found during Lopez’s autopsy. In Riva’s car, police found a white candle and handmade circle enclosing a five-pointed gold star, a pentacle, a symbol associated with magic. At the trial, Riva’s attorney warned jurors that they would hear evidence “so bizarre it staggers, it shocks the imagination.” He told how Riva had been a loner as a teen, roaming the countryside at night. Riva felt the need to drink animal and human blood, and when at home he would consume concoctions of ketchup and oil because it resembled blood. At the conclusion of his lengthy trial, the jury deliberated for 3 hours and found him guilty of second degree murder. He was also found guilty of arson and assault and battery on one of the arresting officers. Judge Brady sentenced James Riva to life imprisonment in Walpole State Prison on the murder charge, and concurrently to ten to twenty years on the arson charge. Carly
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Carly-DM-Wolfenden-ebook/dp/B010FVGAWU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1441382770&sr=8-1&keywords=DM+Wolfenden 5.0 out of 5 stars A cracking read! 29 July 2015 By Karl Wiggins Format:Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase This was a cracking read! DM Wolfenden has a talent for hooking the reader, and although it’s only a short story – a novelette, I believe the term is – it just breathes tension. Two women sit down in a police cell to talk across a steel table, and the weight of the atmosphere just oozes out of the pages of your kindle. Vanessa St. John is professional and diligent, Carly is aloof and controlling. In fact she doesn’t give a damn about anything except the dog, but as the story unfolds …. Do you know what? Just read this book, you’ll love it. If I say anymore I’ll end up throwing spoilers in, which I have no intention of doing. The Box http://www.amazon.com/The-Box-DM-Wolfenden-ebook/dp/B010M7HMME/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8 5.0 out 5 stars Great Read. ByReggieon August 6, 2015 Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase The Box by DM Wolfender proved to be one of the best stories I've read. The characters were well developed. I'm impressed by the author's writing style. There was enough romance to soften and bring light and shade to a story that involved an abusive father. The reading experience was enjoyable with the suspense maintained until the end. A great book. Behind Blue Eyes http://www.amazon.com/Behind-Blue-Eyes-Good-Blood-ebook/product-reviews/B00C2UAK8S/ 5.0 out 5 stars Tragic, deep and dark. ByPJ Fialaon July 8, 2015 Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase Behind Blue Eyes is a tragic tale of unrequited love. Vasile searches for his mate. When he meets the beauty, Elizabeth Sutton, he grants her the gift of everlasting life, only for it to be his demise. There are many subplots in this book, starting with Mia and Cain. When Mia and Cain meet she is only ten years old, but that is old enough for the bond to forge and a lasting relationship to begin. Cain is dark, sexy and unfortunately, oh-so-tragic. This story is woven through time and generations pass from the beginning of Cain’s transformation to the last page. The many characters in the story add a richness and varied plot that kept me turning the pages. This story is dark, tragic and graphic. But if you love vampires, you’ll love this story. We have all seen the 1 star reviews on Amazon that accuses the author of getting their friends and family to post 5 star reviews for them. I couldn't believe that fifty five star reviews would come from friends and family. But hey, I thought, let’s see how many friends and family I can get to review my work.
So I posted everywhere, free books for honest reviews. I even hounded my co-workers (shameful I know). In the end, thirty five people offer to read and review my work, and they all promised to be honest with me and their reviews. All I had to do now was sit back and wait for the reviews to come flooding in. I got a lot of positive remarks from most people, a couple said they weren't keen on the stories but thought they were well written (Ego now through the roof, it’s a wonder I can get through the door with the size my head has grown). Now the reviews start to come in… I got two 5 star reviews (hmmm, maybe the 1 star reviewers are right?) Then I got a 4 star review. Cool, four stars is still great. And then two 3 star reviews. Wait a minute, one of the 3 star reviewers said she loved my book, it was great blah blah blah. Then why did she leave a 3 star review? Now this played on my mind for a few days, what went wrong, why couldn't she be honest with me (she hates my book). Then I re-read the review, it was mostly positive, she had spotted a couple of typos (OMG I had typos, how embarrassing). Apart from that she loved the story. She was honest, I am grateful for that review, and feel honoured she took time out of her life to read and review my book. So, out of thirty-five free copies of my books I get five reviews, 14% if you want to be technical. So, if all these authors are getting so many 5 star reviews from their F&F’s what is their secret? How do they manage to do this? Really, I want to know!!! |
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