No judgments on where you read, but for the sake of books everywhere, please don’t bend the cover back like this! Photo by Taryn Elliott on Pexels.com
Today is National Drop Everything and Read Day, which really should be an international holiday, as far as I’m concerned. DEAR day happens every 12 April, in honour of author Beverly Cleary’s birthday, but can be celebrated all month and beyond. The goal is for people to take time out of their day and spend it reading a book. Seems like a great holiday to celebrate (I suggest your favourite warm drink as the official accompaniment).
Looking for something you can read right now? I’ve got you covered…
If you prefer paperback, use this link to order Love Lies Bleeding from Bookshop – a portion of each sale goes directly to independent bookstores, as well as to myself. Thank you for supporting indie! ♥
It’s Read An E-Book Week again and Smashwords is celebrating with a sale! Thousands of e-books are free or heavily discounted until 12 March, including mine!
Get Love Lies Bleeding for only $1.97, and while you’re there don’t forget to pick up your free copies of Blood Magic and Tooth & Claw…
Fun e-book fact: Angela Ruiz, a teacher, created the first “e-reader” in 1949. It consisted of text printed onto spools that were operated by compressed air. Text could be magnified, and there was even a light so it could be read in the dark. Find out more here. (More e-book facts here.)
Although Valentine’s Day was last week, true love is forever– especially for vampires. Or it can be, anyway. These TV couples’ stories left us wondering but I’d like to believe they got their happily ever after. Here are three vampires who were (probably) lucky in love…
Spoilers Ahead
Mick and Beth, Moonlight
Mick (vampire) and Beth (human) have a complicated relationship. Beth has a boyfriend and Mick saved Beth’s life as a child and has been keeping tabs on her ever since. It’s a tale as old as time. But as the show goes on, their feelings for each other grow and turn into something else (and just as complicated). There’s a lot of back and forth about whether a vampire-human relationship could even work, and when the series was cancelled it ended ambiguously on a kiss between Mick and Beth. These two have a real connection, even if their fears cloud their feelings at times, so I think they have a solid chance to make it work. The show hinted at the potential for a vampire cure, so Mick could eventually become human. He could also turn Beth. Love finds (fangs?) a way.
Is this love?: 8/10
Jessica and Hoyt, True Blood
Jessica and Hoyt, True Blood
Although it might not seem like it, Jessica (vampire) and Hoyt (human) have a lot in common. Both had traumatic childhoods with domineering, manipulative parents. Both have quieter, somewhat innocent/naive personalities with rebellious sides. Both also have to cope with situations they have no control over, and neither really know where they fit into the world. When they meet each other, it’s love at first sight. They did try to make it work for a while, but there were too many things working against them, including Hoyt’s mother and Jessica’s vampire nature. Their breakup was both inevitable and necessary, giving them a chance to figure out who they were. They eventually reunite, and even though we don’t get to see how their life together plays out, chances are they make it work (at least, they’d better make it work after all the screen time the producers devoted to their wedding in the series finale).
Is this love?: 9/10
Alex and Hal, Being Human
Hal and Alex, Being Human
Okay, this one might be cheating since both characters are human by the end of the series, but sparks started flying while Hal was a vampire, so I’m counting it. Although both are attracted to each other, their budding relationship is cut short when another vampire takes it upon himself to kill Alex (and then gives her blood to an unsuspecting Hal to drink). Hal is horrified at what’s happened, and when he finds out Alex is still around in ghost form, he promises to get revenge for her murder. With nowhere else to go and few people to talk to (thanks to being invisible to humans) Alex ends up moving in with Hal. Their opposing personalities make them something of an odd couple: Hal is precise, compulsive, and terrified of losing control; while Alex is carefree, no-nonsense, and takes things as they come. But the real hindrance to a relationship is that one of them is incorporeal (and it doesn’t help that the other one is constantly fighting his blood lust). The series (officially) concludes with an interesting twist that has all supernatural beings become human again, finally giving Hal and Alex a real chance at a life together.
Is this love?: 8/10
What other vampires have a shot at love? Share your thoughts in the comments…
If you prefer paperback, use this link to order Love Lies Bleeding from Bookshop – a portion of each sale goes directly to independent bookstores, as well as to myself. Thank you for supporting indie! ♥
Happy Year of the Tiger! Tiger years happen to be my favourite in the cycle (mostly because I was born in one). The zodiac tiger is a symbol of strength, “exorcising evils,” and bravery, and this Year of the Tiger is supposed to be a prosperous, uplifting, and hopeful one. If you were born during a Year of the Tiger, wear red this year for good luck.
Aspasía S. Bissas 