Guest Blogger: Danielle Blanchard

I hope no one gets this post twisted and thinks it is only for writers or would-be writers. I am an avid reader and I love to read as much as I love to create characters of my own.

Like most readers who have an electronic readind device (Kindle, iPad, Nook, Sony, et cetera), I find myself going to a website (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, Smashwords—take your pick) and I usually decide whether or not to buy a book based upon the cover (is it professionally done or at least attractive), the blurb (I cut some slack on this one as some people just don’t know how to write effective blurbs), reviews (I am quite morbid as I go to the lowest rated reviews first) but more often than not, what will make the decision for me will be reading a sample of said work.

Okay, so what the hell does this have to do with creating a kick ass vampire series? Quite a bit to be honest. The paranormal market is saturated but there are more tales about werewolves and vampires than any other kind of supernatural creature (I’d hazard to guess zombies come in a close third but they are mostly relegated to horror and not paranormal or urban fantasy).

That is a lot of material to peruse and to be honest, who has the time?

Of course there are short cuts to finding a new and interesting book or author. Amazon has created popularity pages and a top one hundred for ever genre and sub-genre. That means for vampire lovers, they can simply peruse the top 100 in vampire novels/novellas to see if there is anything they like and buy.

That must be great if you are on the top 100 but since I haven’t gotten there—yet—checking the top 100 to see what is popular can definitely give you a good idea in what direction you want to go but first we should lay down some ground rules:

·         The lethal vampire hunter genre is oversaturated and unless your name is Laurell K. Hamilton or Jeaniene Frost then I would stay away from this sub-section.

·         Bad ass, hot vamp guys to base a story upon…great idea but that market is cornered severely by J.R. Ward and Lara Adrian so just…stop, don’t do it!

·         Somewhat innocent mortal females who are dragged into the vampire world…nope, no, nein and non! Please, please don’t embarrass yourself. One word: dignity. Remember Stephenie Meyer, Charlaine Harris and Kresley Cole (gotta love how she combines super bad ass supernatural villains and somewhat spit-fire innocent females…classic)!

There is a reason while all the authors above along with a whole host of others are a mainstay in the paranormal/urban fantasy genre, especially when young paranormal romance junkies are looking for their fix. Don’t bother poaching on territory that is perfection, especially if you don’t have a publishing contract and your name isn’t one with any real weight behind it.

Believe it or not, my series, The Vamp Saga, slowly came to me. I wanted to create a whole new breed of vampire where they didn’t have to hide in the shadows and they ran everything. Mortals aren’t exactly vamp food in my books as they don’t have to be…they have their blood beverages but nothing beats a tasty old human…unless you are a Day Walker and then mortal blood doesn’t do anything for you.

One of the best compliments I have ever received came from a blog reviewer who asked me how much research I did for my novels. The answer is tons and although she noticed, it doesn’t bother me the least bit when someone doesn’t notice either.

So, to recap, The Vamp Saga doesn’t encompass any of the above as the main character, Manon, is a half-vampire who doesn’t know it. She falls for the ultra suave Mikkel, and sparks fly. But—and there is a huge BUT—is he the love of her life and were they ever meant to be?

The story had to be a series because the plot was too intricate and too complicated to shove all in one novel but for those who want to read about their story, there is Death Wish; for those who want to read what happened before that night and how all the chess pieces were put into place, there is a novella I wrote after Death Wish, Death Lair. And lastly, for those who just want to see what happens when one must reap what they sow, there is Better off Dead.

Although it is book two in the series, Better off Dead won’t be the latest in The Vamp Saga for long. Book Three, Queen of the Undead, is finished and will be released at the end of June or early part of July this year. I can tell you BODdoes not end on a cliffhanger (my editor abhors them and won’t let me so I stopped trying… *sigh*) but that isn’t the purpose. So much is going in, I just thought I would treat the readers out there who have discovered my different vampire series and actually like it.

Do I crave J.R. Ward and Charlaine Harris status? Of course I do…but I won’t ride their coattails to do it. They created some damn good characters and I hope one day someone is writing a blog post and mentions me in a list like this as well.