Guest Blog & Giveaway: Kelly Meding as Evangeline Stone, Vamps 101

Kelly Meding, author of the upcoming Three Days To Dead (releasing on November 24, 2009), was kind enough to send over her resident paranormal bounty hunter, Evangeline Stone, to clear up a few myths about our favorite fanged friends.  Kelly sent a long a gift as well: $20 Amazon gift card (details below).  Now what book could you spend it on…

Book Description: She's young, deadly, and hunted—with only three days to solve her own murder… When Evangeline Stone wakes up naked and bruised on a cold slab at the morgue – in a stranger’s body, with no memory of who she is and how she got there – her troubles are only just beginning. Before that night, she and the other two members of her Triad were star bounty hunters -- mercilessly cleansing the city of the murderous creatures living in the shadows, from vampires to shape-shifters to trolls. Then something terrible happened that not only cost all three of them their lives, but also convinced the city’s other Hunters that Evy was a traitor . . . and she can’t even remember what it was. Now she’s a fugitive, piecing together her memory, trying to deal some serious justice – and discovering that she has only three days to solve her own murder before the reincarnation spell wears off. Because in three days, Evy will die again – but this time, there’s no second chance…

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Vampires 101:
Or, Why It's Better to Die Than Be Bitten

By Evangeline Stone

So you want to hear me talk about vampires?  I have to admit, that's both really smart and incredibly dumb.  Smart, because vampires abound in this city, so the more you know about them the safer you (theoretically) are.  Dumb, because vampires abound in this city, so the more you know about them the bigger a target you paint on your back.

Sure you still want to know?  Okay then.

Myth #1: Vampires are human beings who have been cursed/turned/changed/whatever into what they are now, either by blood exchange or demon possession.

Truth #1: Vampires are an ancient species who walked the earth long before humans got up on two legs.  They breed amongst themselves, they generally stick to their own kind, and their greatest crime is infecting a human (I'll expand on that later).  Vampires are humanoid in appearance, but have extremely tall, slim builds, pale skin, white hair, and eyes usually some shade of lavender.  They are not, and never have been human beings.

Myth #2: Vampires need human blood to survive.

Truth #2: Vampires require raw sustenance to survive, but learned a long time ago that feeding off humans created half-Bloods (see Myth/Truth #3).   Vampire law forbids them to feed directly from humans, but those who prefer the vintage will still buy it from the poor and desperate (or steal it and murder their victim to prevent infection).  Any raw sustenance will do, though, and using the blood of other animals has kept us from hunting them to extinction.

Myth #3: Vampire bites are sexy/sexual/easy to heal.

Truth #3: Vampire bites are lethal for human beings.  Vampire saliva contains a parasite that is extremely infectious to humans, and a single scrape of a tooth can kill you.  Infection will affect your central nervous system, as well as your physical appearance, causing hair/eye color changes and fangs.  The parasite will create severe blood lust and disorientation.  Three out of five infected go insane from it, often lashing out and feeding, and creating their own infections. The rest try to cope and adapt, until a Triad comes along and puts them out of their misery.  Half-Blood infection is the number one cause of Dreg-related death in this city.

Myth #4: Vampires can shape-shift.

Truth #4: I've never seen it. I've never met anyone who's seen it.  But if they can, I'll eat my favorite knife.

Myth #5: Vampires can influence your mind/control your thoughts.

Truth #5: Again, I've never seen it.  I've never met anyone who's seen it.  Although I suppose if they had, I might not remember it.  But I seriously don't think it's true.

Myth #6: Vampires are immortal.

Truth #6:  Vampires live very long, natural life spans, but they can be killed.  The oldest I've met was around three hundred, but I've heard of some who've lived longer than that.  They can be killed by a traditional stake (or knife) to the heart—a stake to the heart will kill pretty much anything, if you angle it right and be sure to shred the heart well.  Beheadings work, too (I've yet to meet a creature who could survive a beheading).  As Triad Hunters, we also work with special ammunition laced with an anti-coagulant, which forces the wounded vampire to bleed out—exsanguination is a great, if messy, way to kill them.

So what is true?  Vampires are very, very strong, and that strength transfers over to half-Bloods, too.  Vampires are highly allergic to sunlight, and will burn to a crisp within minutes without some sort of protection.  Vampires are a cousin race to gargoyles.  Vampires are violently allergic to plants in the Allium genus—garlic, onions, shallots, leeks and chives.

Well, you asked and now you know.  Just don't advertise that you know, or an unexpected visitor may knock on your door.  And they don't need to be invited to come inside.

GIVEAWAY GUIDELINES

1. Open to everyone
2. You must include your email - [at] [dot] is fine
3. Leave a comment asking Evy a Vampire related question.
4. Entries must be received by Midnight MST on Friday the 13th of November