September 2009 Archives

Forget TWILIGHT, NEW MOON, VAMPIRE DIARIES, TRUE BLOOD and all the current sagas that depict vampires like twenty-something supermodels. Author R. H. Greene wants to put the monster back into vampire fiction, and that's why he wrote INCARNADINE: THE TRUE MEMOIRS OF COUNT DRACULA, a just-released "origin myth" for Dracula and his three "wives" written as if by Dracula himself that hopes to do for vampires what Gregory Maguire's WICKED did for the Witches of Oz.

"Like a lot of teen culture, I think TWILIGHT is basically an overwrought metaphor for the emotional perils of dating," Greene says. "You know, Edward Cullen as the bad boy the world won't let you be with because he's too dangerous and you're too pure. That just doesn't speak to me, and I don't think I'm alone."

According to Greene, INCARNADINE tries to do something TWILIGHT can't. "Something closer to what WICKED does, which is to give an entirely fresh perspective on a character we all think we know.

"And it's for grown-ups," Greene adds. "It has to be. Violence, heresy, erotic compulsion - they're at the heart of Dracula's story, because, for me, they're at the heart of what Bram Stoker originally wrote."

To "get into character" as Dracula, Greene relocated to Bulgaria and lived in a ramshackle farmhouse in a remote village near the Romanian border. In Bulgaria, Greene did virtually all the writing on INCARNADINE and its Victorian-era follow-up THE CHARNEL HOUSE, completed last July and currently being rewritten.

"It was like finding a time machine," Greene says. "It brought me as close as I could get to living in the Middle Ages, the era Dracula comes from. Because despite a few conveniences and a lot of bottled beer, the life of a Bulgarian village is much the same as it was 500 years ago. There are superstitions. People live and die where they're born, and grow most of what they eat. There was even a Medieval-era stone cross at the mouth of the village, supposedly put there to ward off the plague."

Virtually no one spoke English, which Greene found "useful. Most days, the only meaningful conversation I could have was with myself. I think that's what a memoir is - a conversation with the self.

"And I was like a unicorn to them - the only American they'd ever seen. Dracula is a sort of unicorn too. He's a mythical beast, an object of fascination and wonder. It helped me to feel what he might be feeling, while living in a place where he might have lived. I couldn't figure out a way to become a vampire, and I was short a few wives. So this was the next best thing."

INCARNADINE: THE TRUE MEMOIRS OF COUNT DRACULA is available at Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com and in better bookstores everywhere.

SOURCE Protagonist Productions

Despite a measurable decline in reading among the general population, travelers overwhelmingly prefer to read when killing time at the nation's airports, according to a recent survey.

Conducted by GO Group, LLC, the nation's largest airport and ground transportation provider, the survey asked travelers to identify which activities they engaged in while waiting at the airport. Some 83 percent cited reading a book, newspaper or magazine as the No. 1 choice on a list of several options available.

The poll of more than 200 travelers also shows that doing crossword puzzles, Sudoku or other thinking games is the second-most popular method for entertaining oneself while waiting for take off, cited by 29 percent of respondents. Listening to music on an MP3 player was the third-most popular activity at 21 percent, in a survey that allowed for multiple responses.

About 45 percent of the respondents said they found other diversions, such as grabbing a bite to eat, accessing the Internet or buying gifts at airport shops. Other activities included playing handheld video games or watching DVD movies on laptop computers or other devices. Respondents were able to check all of the methods that applied to their time traveling, but reading was the clear favorite activity.

"These results imply that travelers primarily use their downtime at the airport to become either better informed or entertained as they deal with the delays often encountered at the nation's air hubs," says John McCarthy, president of GO Airport Express.

GO Group, LLC launched in August 2007 as a convenient, one-stop source for door-to-door airport shuttle services. Each year, its members transport nearly 29 million passengers to 110 airports around the world using a fleet of nearly 4,000 vehicles. Travelers can easily book ground transportation to and from both departure and destination airports through GO's Web site, www.goairportshuttle.com.

SOURCE GO Group, LLC

It Books, the pop culture imprint of HarperCollins, today announced the publication of Aaron Karo's latest book, "I'm Having More Fun Than You." Asking, "Why settle down when you can hook up?" the book is an outrageous account of one man's quest to party like a rock star, get laid with abandon, and silence his critics in relationships with the rebuke "I'm having more fun than you." Irreverent, insightful, and relentlessly funny, Karo offers a unique glimpse into the world of guys who defy convention, morality, and their moms in order to preserve their independence.

"I'm Having More Fun Than You" is a collection of anecdotes and observations about single life and dating that Karo documented as he neared his thirtieth birthday. As that milestone approached, Karo noticed that the women around him wanted to get married more, while he actually wanted to get married less. Each of the seven chapters addresses a different aspect of bachelorhood - from the nuances of flirting with girls via Facebook, to attending weddings where the singles table is full of couples.

Karo's first two books, "Ruminations on College Life" and "Ruminations on Twentysomething Life," were published by Simon & Schuster in 2002 and 2005, respectively. Just as the first focused on dorm life and the second tackled the transition from college to the real world, "I'm Having More Fun Than You" addresses the next seminal experience in the lives of many young adults: turning thirty and realizing that everyone is married except for you.

Karo is also a nationally headlining comedian whose latest stand-up album, "Just Go Talk To Her," was released by Comedy Central Records in December 2008. The publication of "I'm Having More Fun Than You" will be accompanied by a fifteen-city stand-up tour in October and November 2009. In addition to performing, Karo is the Chief Executive Officer of www.Ruminations.com, the user-generated humor site and social network he founded in August 2008. Karo is perhaps best known for "Ruminations," the email column he began from his freshman dorm twelve years ago that remains an international phenomenon.

For more information, www.imhavingmorefunthanyou.com.

Who doesn't like a great treasure hunt especially when the bounty is free, signed copies of "The Lost Symbol" at Borders.

The retailer has secured 80 copies of the book -- each signed by author Dan Brown -- and will place them in 80 Borders and Waldenbooks stores nationwide for lucky readers to claim. Borders will deliver the clues to the locations of the books via Twitter at twitter.com/BordersMedia beginning Tuesday Sept. 15 through Thursday, Sept. 24. Each clue will direct readers to the approximate super-secret location of the "Lost Symbol Golden Ticket," hidden somewhere in the 80 stores, which readers must discover and present at the information desk to claim their free, signed copy of "The Lost Symbol."

"There's a rabid anticipation and excitement for the 'The Lost Symbol' -- it's not everyday that a book becomes part of the collective conversation like this particular title has," said Rich Fahle, vice president of Outreach and Entertainment for Borders. "We are going to make 80 Dan Brown fans extremely happy by giving them a rare gem: a free, signed copy of a book they've been waiting years for and will treasure for years to come. It's going to be a lot of fun."

"The Lost Symbol" Twitter promotion is the latest in a series of successful mini-Twitter promotions Borders has been hosting. For example, to commemorate the release of the film "9," Borders gave away nine copies of the collector's edition of the "9" movie book plus 180 free tickets to the movie. Also, in late August, the retailer gave away seven signed copies of "The Hunger Games," the first book in the wildly popular Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins.

About Borders Group, Inc.

Headquartered in Ann Arbor, Mich., Borders Group, Inc. (NYSE: BGP) is a leading retailer of books, music and movies with approximately 25,000 employees. Through its subsidiaries, the company operates more than 1,000 stores primarily under the Borders(R) and Waldenbooks(R) brand names. For online shopping, visit Borders.com. For more information about the company, visit www.borders.com/media.

Source: Borders Books

Authors Include the Second Man on the Moon, a Pulitzer Prize-Winner, a Food Network TV Celebrity

Today, Former First Lady Laura Bush announced the authors and revealed the poster art for the 2009 Texas Book Festival, which will take place on October 31 and November 1 at the Texas State Capitol in Austin. Mrs. Bush, the honorary chair and founder of the Texas Book Festival (TBF), made the announcement at her home during a reception for the organization's supporters. Headlining authors include Buzz Aldrin, Margaret Atwood, Jimmy Santiago Baca, Bryan Burrough, Jeanette Walls, Jonathan Safran Foer, and Taylor Branch.

The TBF is pleased to honor best selling children's writer and San Antonio resident, Rick Riordan with the Bookend Award for his Percy Jackson & the Olympians series, concluded this year with Volume 5, The Last Olympian. The Bookend Award is given to a Texas writer for his or her ongoing and outstanding literary achievement. Past recipients include Cormac McCarthy, Sandra Cisneros, and Horton Foote, among others. Others topping the list of children's authors are Jon Scieszka, Rosemary Wells, Libba Bray, and Judy Schachner. The poster image for the Festival is a photograph, White Owl 2004, by the internationally known, award-winning artist Keith Carter. The full list of Festival authors and poster art is available on www.texasbookfestival.org.

The Texas Book Festival is an organization that has made more than $2.3 million in grants to public libraries since the organization was formed in 1995. In addition, more than 30,000 children in low-income schools have benefited from its literary program, Reading Rock Stars. The two-day Festival is entirely open and free to the public. "The Texas Book Festival is a Texas treasure and one of the premier literary events in the country," said Heidi Marquez Smith, executive director of the Texas Book Festival. This year's list of 210 participating writers reflects the best books in categories ranging from literary fiction to lifestyle titles such as travel and cookbooks. There will be panel conversations mixing the industry's top writers with audience question and answer sessions during every event. In addition, Festival attendees can get their books signed by authors, feast on food from a wide-range of top local eateries, inspire their children with educational author events and activities as well as enjoy live musical entertainment.

Incredible writers such as Sandra Brown, Oscar Casares, Kurt Eichenwald, Blake Bailey, Colson Whitehead, David Wroblewski, and Amanda Eyre Ward will appear at this year's Festival. Other prominent authors attending are Luis Alberto Urrea, Jane Smiley, Harold Evans, Kati Marton, Julia Glass, Gail Collins, and Harold Kushner.

News and political junkies will enjoy Douglas Brinkley, Howard Campbell, Bryan Carlile, and Dave Cullen. Cooking enthusiasts will be inspired by authors Rebecca Rather, Lidia Bastianich, Ellie Krieger, and Guiliano Hazan, who will be demonstrating their skills and talking about their new cookbooks. Lovers of all things Texan will be drawn to Jane Clements Monday, Gary Clark, Wyatt McSpadden, and Michael Marvins. Dr. Cara Natterson and Po Bronson dispense current views on child-rearing, while Katherine Brooks helps those looking to map their career. Hollywood enthusiasts can hear from three Texans who made it big working in the City of Angels: Robert Hinkle, Billy Taylor, and Gary Kent.

Approximately 1500 books were considered, and those chosen are the preeminent titles of 2009. "This is a very literary year in publishing," said Clay Smith, literary director of the Texas Book Festival. "For example, four authors have amazing literary biographies and we are thrilled to have all of them in one panel at the Festival." Book lovers travel from across the country year after year to witness and participate in the extraordinary discussions that are borne from the collaboration of these brilliant authors.

About the Texas Book Festival:

Founded in 1995 by Laura Bush and a group of interested volunteers, the Texas Book Festival (TBF) is held every year on the grounds of the Texas State Capitol. It features readings and discussions from more than 200 of the most accomplished Texas and national authors. With the help of the Austin community, a statewide advisory committee and more than 900 volunteers, the organization has grown each year. In addition to being one of the most prestigious literary festivals in the nation, the TBF develops and manages year-round programs that foster literacy statewide.

TBF Facts:

• has surpassed the $2.3 million mark in total grant awards to Texas public libraries since its inception through its Library Grant program
• has reached more than 30,000 children in economically disadvantaged Central and South Texas Schools, providing for many the first book they've ever owned through its Reading Rock Stars program
• with the University Interscholastic League sponsors a Middle and High School Fiction writing contest
• entertains and informs approximately 35,000 festival attendees, adults and children alike, free of cost, with engaging author events, local foods and music
• Sponsors include: Austin American-Statesman, AT &T, Barnes & Noble, Brigid Cockrum & Family, Central Market , HEB, KLBJ-AM/KGSR-FM, KLRU, KUT 90.5, The Meadows Foundation, Texas Monthly, Republic National Distributing Company, Pearson Education, Sibley Peteet Design, and T.L.L. Temple Foundation
  

 Source: Texas Book Festival