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It’s Amazon Prime day, which means it’s the perfect time for Prime members to get the 5-star book one critic called “abominably good”: Love Lies Bleeding
I’m also excited to announce that I’ll be at the Eden Mills Writers’ Festival on 9 September.
Stop by and get a copy of Love Lies Bleeding, and get your copy signed too! Hope to see you there…
Toronto is going through its usual series of summer heat waves, where temperatures reach well into the 40s (104F+). It’s hot, it’s sticky, it’s miserable. There’s an inescapable burning orb in the sky, buzzing insects in your face, and a pervasive smell of fake coconut (AKA suntan lotion, which is actually one of the pleasanter smells one encounters at this time of year). Summer can be rough, even intolerable, for a lot of people. Being of Greek descent you’d think I’d love the sun and heat. You’d be wrong. Born and raised in Canada, I’m far more tolerant of low temperatures than high ones, but even my ancestors had a word for people like me:
Ancient Greek Word of the Day: κακοθερής (kakotherēs), unfitted to endure summer heat (via Tumblr)
So unfitted. But never mind the heat, there’s a bigger issue with the sun: I can’t stand the feel of it on my skin. Hell, I don’t like being in direct sunlight even when I’m completely covered. No, this isn’t some sort of melodramatic goth affectation (not that I’m opposed to those). Up until age 8, I loved the sun and spent my summers outdoors, usually in the nearest pool. And then my immune system decided to start going after me instead of sticking to fighting bacteria and viruses. All of a sudden sunlight was uncomfortable, exhausting, and overall unpleasant. I don’t know if this is a common side effect of auto-immune disorders or if I’m the lucky exception, but I can relate more than a little to my vampire characters.
So what do you do when you and summer just don’t get along?
Are you looking for books featuring characters that avoid the sun as much as you do? I’ve got you covered:
Make sure to leave a rating or review on your favourite book site!
What’s summer like for you? Share your thoughts in the comments…
Wishing all my friends to the south a happy Independence Day!
Are you looking for good books to help appreciate the day? Here’s Goodreads’s list of Best Non-Fiction American History Books. Or check out Bustle’s list of books to help you understand the United States’s complicated history, or The Odd Historian’s 10 Best Books for American History Buffs. Happy reading 🙂
May Canadians never stop being all the things that makes us what we are: funny, polite, caring about others, celebrating diversity, and easy to get along with (but not taking any crap). Universal healthcare and maple syrup forever!
Note: This post has been updated HERE. Thanks for checking out my blog!
As a writer, I love words. As a vampire fan, I write about vampires. It seems natural to combine it all into one post: I bring you words about vampires 🙂
Sanguisuge (n) is a new word to me. It means bloodsucker, or leech. From Latin sanguisuga, from sanguis (“blood”) + sugere (“to suck”). Wikionary says it’s obsolete but I think it’s due for a comeback.
Related: “Sanguisugent,” (adj) blood sucking or blood thirsty.
You may have heard vampires occasionally referred to as revenants. The word was coined in 1814 by Laetitia Matilda Hawkins in Rosanne:
“‘Well, but what is it? What do you call it in French?’ ‘Why, revenant, to be sure. Un revenant.'”
From Greek lamia “female vampire, man-eating monster,” literally “swallower, lecher,” from laimos “throat, gullet.” (Source).
“Philosophy will clip an Angel’s wings,
Conquer all mysteries by rule and line,
Empty the haunted air, and gnomèd mine—
Unweave a rainbow, as it erewhile made
The tender-person’d Lamia melt into a shade.” -John Keats, “Lamia”
The earliest form of the word “vampire” goes back to only 1734, although stories of monsters that rise from the dead and attack the living can be found even in ancient times. The idea of blood-gorged walking corpses goes back at least to the 1100s. There’s some debate as to where the word comes from, but it most likely has its roots in the Old Church Slavonic “opiri”. (Source)
“It was too much, the weight of it all was too much. Maybe that was why emotions were deadened in vampires; the alternative was to be overtaken by them, crippled, left stranded and isolated and trapped by unbearable sensation. How could they hunt if they felt sympathy, empathy, love for their prey? How could they—how could she—live with themselves?” Aspasía S. Bissas, Love Lies Bleeding
Yes, that’s a quote from my own book (I’m sneaky that way). You can find out more about Love Lies Bleeding, including where to get it, here. And if you want even more vampires, don’t forget to download my FREE story Blood Magic: get it here.
Did I miss your favourite word about vampires? Let me know in the comments. If you’re interested in words, you can also read my post on words about books.
Aspasía S. Bissas 