Book freaks discussion

I'd like to thank Ellen Maze for joining a Q & A for her book Rabbit:Chasing Beth Rider.

Hey Steven and Ellen!
I'm so happy to have caught this Q&A.
Ellen my friend, with all the vampire themed books out there, what made you decide to write another one? And how did you come up with the idea to twist it up?
If there are members who haven't read Ellen's book, it's a vampire novel with a cool twist; a really cool twist.

Ya know as much as a cool twist as Ellen threw into the vampire genre, I'd love to see what she would come up with the zombie/Walking Dead world. I guess my question for Ellen would have to be, when tackling this vampire novel, did it take you a lot of time and planning to create a structure around this, I guess, hidden species?

@ P.Q. ~ Ellen my friend, with all the vampire themed books out there, what made you decide to write another one? And how did you come up with the idea to twist it up?

Hi P.Q.! Thank you for the question. My answer is easy: I couldn't help myself. My specialty and expertise is in horror and vampires, specifically, so when I write, I think in "Vampire". I actually enjoy writing other types of fiction, usually always paranormal in some way, but my biggest ideas are vampire ideas.

You mentioned the twist -- I work hard to re-create the mythos with every vampire story, and what makes them even more real is that I use biblical history to bring them alive.

I am also working on a werewolf story with biblical roots. That ought to freak folks a little .

Ya know as much as a cool twist as Ellen threw into the vampire genre, I'd love to see what she would come up with the zombie/Walking Dead world. I guess my question for Ellen would have to be, when tackling this vampire novel, did it take you a lot of time and planning to create a structure around this, I guess, hidden species?

Hi Steven! Thank you for having me!
As for zombies, hee hee, I threw some of them in my Rabbit sequel, RABBIT LEGACY (in print around Nov.15). So when you read that one, see how I worked zombies into my vampire (Rakum) world!

As for the question, yes, it took concentration and diligence to create this world of Rakum and to make them believable. The creepiest thing for me when I read someone's paranormal story is if it feels real, if I say to myself--this could really happen! That makes it oh, so much more frightening. So when I write, I unsettle people the same way, giving them a possible origin of my monsters... I think that makes the stories stick in the person's mind longer, too!

Wow a werewolf story, this sounds great. With your structure and work on the vampire end of things I can only see success with a werewolf angle. As for zombies, I do look forward to the addition in Legacy. I think zombies are by far the creepiest creatures because they are us and as we all know humans can really be some of the worst monsters...Jeffery Damer right.
I do have one more question. If you had to pick, what would be the scariest vampire movie you have ever seen so far?

If you had to pick, what would be the scariest vampire movie you have ever seen so far?

You've thrown me off on the word "scariest" because I don't think of them as scary. Sometimes "gross," but, Hmmmm... scary...

My idea of scary is NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET. That is the scariest movie ever made because you can't sleep and you can't stay awake -- those kids were doomed either way! Scary!

Scary vampire films? I consulted my movie-buff husband and he reminded me of the first SALEM'S LOT movie. The vampire was scary, rarely shown, monstrous, and hideous. Never was he sexy or desirable in any form or function!

My favorite vampire films have a hint of humor and thus, realism in them:
LOST BOYS
FRIGHT NIGHT
DRACULA (Frank Langella)
BLOOD AND DONUTS (a terrific Canadian film!)
and recently
DAYBREAKERS (yeah, I love that one!)

Hey did you know they are doing a remake of Fright Night and it's gonna take place in Vegas staring Collin Farell as Jerry Dandrige
for me I'd have to say the two scariest vampire movies would have to be Salem's Lot...those little boys in the windows scratching to be let in...creepy.
and 30 Days of Night was another great one.
Daybreakers was also pretty trippy.

Oh--I had heard about the new Fright Night...I don't think that movie needed remaking, but it looks like they are going a different way, so I can look at it as a different movie!

30 Days of Night was gross and scary -- I forgot about that one!

Hey Ellen, Have you seen "Children of the Night?" It had Dom Deluise's son and Karen Black in it. I believe it was a Wes Craven Film adopted from a novel I believe by Ann Rice?
That was THE scariest vampire movie ever!
There was a scene where the vampire literally vomits up his lungs and uses them as oxygen bags so he can sleep underwater and two girls go swimming in the flooded crypt.
Steven, do you know what movie I'm talking about?

P.Q. wrote: "Hey Ellen, Have you seen "Children of the Night?" It had Dom Deluise's son and Karen Black in it. I believe it was a Wes Craven Film adopted from a novel I believe by Ann Rice?
That was THE scarie..."

O-M-GEE! I didn't know what it was called, but YES I saw that years ago. I can't remember it being scary because I kept laughing at the coughed up lungs. I'll bet if I saw it again, I'd see what you mean. Thank you for reminding me! LOL

LOL, no problem! It just gave me the creeps when those two girls went swimming in the crypts. What were they thinking? EWWWWW!!!

Exactly! EWWW! LOL :-)

Seriously, anyone who hasn't seen BLOOD AND DONUTS is missing out. Here's a link. IT IS TERRIFIC in every sense of the vampire mythos...
http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Donuts-VH...

No P.Q. I hadn't seen that vampire movie and now I have to see it...the way you described it gave it such color :o) As for Fright Night Ellen, yes it would really be considered a new version than a remake. I used to actually have a set of Fright Night comics that took place after Fright Night.

Rabbit: Chasing Beth Rider would make an awesome vampire movie, I think. They could tone down parts of it to make it more mainstream, but the basic plot could play all over. I plan to send it to some studios in early 2011--the ones who are looking for new material. All I can do is send them out and see what happens!

You sound like you have a good plan of attack and I hope a studio does pick it up. It would almost be cool if they could have a crew like the one that did Interview With A Vampire. I know he's real busy with the Walking Dead show but Frank Daramont would be an awesome pick for directing. He is a perfectionist and pays a lot of attention to detail and can get actors to perform their best.

I agree, Steven!

Yeah, Rabbit would make a great mini series. You could treat it like the Walking Dead show. That would be neat.
Steven, Children of the Night is one I know you'd love.

I will check out Children of the Night on Netflix. It does sound pretty cool.
Ok where is everyone with the questions on here huh :O) I would ask more but I don't want to be the question hog.
Oh and P.Q. you and your daughter need to get going on a book together soon. Yous gals got some mad skills :O) And Ellen, I am so looking forward to zombies and werewolves now :O)

Ellen's Zombies and Werewolves...
In the mythology developed in the RABBIT TRILOGY, if a Rakum (vampire) drinks the blood of the living (and the victim survives--such as the Cows), this is called the Live Buzz and it allows the Rakum to look as human as possible.

If the Rakum drinks blood from the dying - the victim dies as they drain their blood -- this is called the Dying Buzz, and is illegal among their people because it causes the Rakum to grow long teeth and nails, pupils and skin changes, so they look like story-book vampires. If they do it once, the effects wear off in minutes. If they do it repeatedly, they will get stuck that way... (they find this buzz the most pleasurable and have to use restraint to NOT do it! You see more of this buzz taken in LEGACY...)

Then there's the Dead Buzz -- eating/drinking from corpses. The Rakum who do this are either desperate (as in LEGACY) or crazy. It causes them to morph into zombies if they do it too often. There are many zombie Rakum in Legacy.

Now, following this mythology...I propose that if a Rakum drank from an animal...wouldn't he become a were-something? I'll probably address this in the last book, RABBIT REDEMPTION!

Now we all have something to look forward to! LOL

Oooo some nibbles for us...very interesting. Zombies are THE creepiest of the creeps in my opinion.

You got my vote Steven. The Walking Dead has me hooked and it's crazy because not too long ago, I swore off Zombie movies. Then Zombieland came out and I had to watch that because everyone said it was hilarious, which it was. So now I'm hooked once again. (Sigh) when will I learn?

Zombieland is hilarious!! I concur!

Phyllis -- they should make a movie from HER SANCTUARY. Dang...I'd be there in a heartbeat!

Awww, shucks Ellen! You make me blush. :)
If they toned it down a bit, it could be a Lifetime Movie, but I would much prefer it stay like it is and just give it the "R" rating it deserves.

they way I see it if a book is put to film it should be done with the authors direction as well so it gets the justice it deserves so yes an R rating would be good for Her Sancutary but to defend your book it wouldn't be hard to tone it down for Lifetime. Those scenes could be done artfully enough to make them work well.

I totally agree Steven. I've seen plenty of movies that get your heart racing with the chemistry without being overtly sexual.

exactly you described it perfectly. Hey ya know what I got a question for Ellen again...I mean if nobody else is gonna ask I am gonna get kinda hoggish with them :O)
Ok I have an idea for a vampire story myself, and I actually got this idea while watching Passion of the Christ...weird right :O) anyway, I have always had my questions about things in the bible and such and want to know if there is like a bible for dummies book that would work as a research book for writing?

Oh and like I said, I'm not a profession/published writer but if you twon in here ever get the inkling for doing something like they did with that Draculas thing, I would love to help out. I read the behind the scenes thing on that piece of work and those guys seemed to have a blast with it. I actually have an idea for a really fantastic story but working full time I don't get much time for research. I have started an outline for the story but Ellen and P.Q. and even Roxy have the writing styles I would want to have this story flow awesomely and Ellen has such skills with creating the backround mythos that this idea would be way awesome.

Steven wrote: "exactly you described it perfectly. Hey ya know what I got a question for Ellen again...I mean if nobody else is gonna ask I am gonna get kinda hoggish with them :O)
Ok I have an idea for a vamp..."

Bible for Dummies -- good idea! I'll bet there is such an animal out there. I call myself a Bible scholar of sorts, not very good, not very accomplished, but I study it, read it, live by it, and write by it... still, every person sees certain aspects of it a different way, so I guess the Bible for Dummies book can be helpful for getting your juices started!

Steven wrote: "Oh and like I said, I'm not a profession/published writer but if you twon in here ever get the inkling for doing something like they did with that Draculas thing, I would love to help out. I read t..."

As for the Draculas thing -- that was pretty cool. I haven't read it yet, but I downloaded a free sample to read when I have time. I bet they did have a fun time doing that!

Re: Vampires and the Passion of the Christ-- are you aware of 33 A.D. ? David wrote a vampire story that ran parallel to Jesus' crucifixion, and it was very interesting and compelling. David said on his blog he's not a Christian, but he covered this topic with care, and really created a fascinating vampire mythos along with it. I was hooked by the first line of the book!

David Who? That is very interesting.
Thank you Steven for your confidence in us. You say the sweetest things! :)
I found out years ago that you can Google just about anything. I had a question about something in the Bible. It had come up in a conversation with someone I was witnessing to and I didn't remember where it said it so I googled it and found out there are tons of quick reference guides for free that pull up Bible verses and answers questions with Bible verses.
So when in doubt....Google it. LOL
How are you guys by the way? I haven't been very active lately. The business is keeping me hopping like a rabbit. LOL

I have so many pots on the fire that I hope I don't get burned! I love being busy, but I am looking forward to the current juggling pins to rest easy.

RABBIT LEGACY is published now--today, actually, and I need to start making announcements, contests, giveaways, set up special sales...

THE JUDGING is coming out before the end of the month...and the same with that one.

Maybe by Christmas time I can relax. (probably not!)

I have seen and entered for that book 33 A.D. and figured it might have that kind of thing going on. Now I have to read it to make sure it doesn't go into the thought/ideas I had on the mix. And Googling the Bible hmmm there's an idea. There has always been a lot of interest in different aspects of the Bible for me. As for Rabbit Legacy and The Judging...very excited for both :O)

As for Rabbit Legacy and The Judging...very excited for both :O)

That's what I'm talking about!

well next to Thanksgiving and Christmas what could be more exciting :O) well, today it could be pizza and beer for me...I don't know what it is, it's all I can think about today :O)

I get in these moods sometimes where I could literally eat pizza every single day of the week. No kidding.
I have been known to eat a Totinos party pizza for lunch for a whole week. They are small and thin and just right for lunch, plus most of them only have 700 calories in the whole thing.
It sounds like a lot but if you only eat that and nothing else that day, not so bad. :P

you can make a Totinos party pizza last a whole week..wow you eat like a bird huh :O) Actually I knew what you ment he he he, and usually I take 2 of those pizzas and cook them one on top of the other, and I really like the Red Baron pizzas they are the bomb diggity :O)~
I really miss NY style pizza though. This west coast living is lot's different.

Pizza is a God-inspired food...
in my humble opinion.

I whole heartedly agree. :0
LOL, Steven, if I did that I'd be a whole lot smaller. Frankly, I don't know how anyone can eat less than three pieces...and that's if it's a large Pizza Hut pizza.
I used to love the hamburger pizzas they used to make in the cafeteria at school many many years ago. No one has ever been able to even get close to it since. Sigh, I really miss those things.

LOL - I miss those cafeteria pizzas too!!

YUMMY! Hamburger meat on a thin crust with cheddar cheese. Nothing like it in the whole wide world. :)

wow this is a great topic, maybe we should make one on Book Freaks titled Food & Drink. This type of talk could definitely inspire a good story :O)
I don't think I am going to be able to wait till Thanksgiving with all this talk...ya know what sounds really good...a big slice of pumpkin pie with a big helping of either whip topping or vanilla ice cream on top...oh and it's gotta be warm pie too :O)~

I'll be working Thanksgiving into RABBIT REDEMPTION... it takes place the last 3 weeks of November...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING, STEVEN AND PHYLLIS!

BTW~
and both are out in print now!!! YIPPEE!!!

I got a quick simple yet dificult question, as a writer here in High School what advice do you have for young writers breaking into the scene? As well on how to improve on our writing skills?

Hi Helbin! My daughter wrote her first novel at age 13-14, and her second at 16-17, so I know exactly what that's like! Please email me personally at ellenmaze@aol.com, and I'll help any way I can.
:-)
ellen