Read the new interview with the family from The Darkness and the Night, the trilogy that takes erotic horror to a whole new level: vampire Karen; her blood donor, Jason; and her YA twin daughter and son phenomena, Anna and Andy.
Learn more about this bizarre, modern-day-Munsters-like family, the motley group that is as touching as it is disturbingly creepy. Then, leave your own questions for the crew for a chance to win one of two electronic copies of The Darkness and the Night III: Twins of Darkness. See you there!
"Ms. Lane has managed to entice, entrap, and thrill us with her latest installment in the Darkness and Night series, and I have enjoyed it thoroughly." –Bitten by Books (5 "tombstones")
"As I’ve already said, the plot is superb, and when such a plot comes along, I always marvel at the human imagination and what it can produce." –Cerebral Reviews (4 "brainys")
“The author’s style makes for effortless reading; Lane’s novel is interesting, variable and complicated without the heaviness often associated with stories of substance, and she balances her many characters and plot lines like a master.” –The Deepening
When in 2008 I learned that there was going to be a sequel to the 1987 cult hit, The Lost Boys, I remember experiencing a number of responses. I had been a big fan as a teenager, and I had even co-written a script for a sequel—call it fan fiction, if you will—and had sent a synopsis of The Lost Girls to Warner Brothers. I still remember the numerous letters a very cordial Scott Nimerfro sent back: No unsolicited manuscripts.
What did I know? I was just a kid back then, and my fan fiction was probably among trashcans filled with similar works. In hindsight, it definitely wasn’t the best script of my writing career....
One thing I did hope through the years was that, whoever eventually wrote the sequel’s script, the story paid homage to the feel, the charm, and mythos of the first. I hoped that more of the first cast might have been incorporated into the film. My expectations for the first sequel, The Tribe, might be significantly higher than most; with that in mind, I would like to share some of my critical thoughts on the movie.
1. The only things that I found this movie has in common with the original are the Lost Boys title, Corey Feldman (and a corny cameo by Corey Haim), and many, many inappropriately copied lines. Screenwriter Hans Rodionoff not only does not capture the feel or magic of its predecessor, but the storyline comes across as a cheap rip-off. New lead characters Nicole and Chris have the same last name as Sam and Michael Emerson, but without any clear ties.
2. The cover of Gerard McMann's and Michael Mainieri's "Cry Little Sister" doesn't even compare. Few singers have what it takes to pull off that song witht the same or better dynamics as the original. My first choices would have been David Bowie, Marilyn Manson, or Queensryche's Geoff Tate.
3. The sound editing, at least on the copy I watched, is terrible. I had to adjust the sound level about a dozen times throughout the film.
4. The storyline needs help. Rodionoff clearly has a couple of decent ideas, but he executes them poorly. Character motivations are confusing, character placement is contrived (how did Evan know Nicole was going to be at a party to which he was clearly not invited? how did Edgar Frog know to break in and wait at the house to stake newly turned Nicole?); the storyline revolving around Nicole’s brother, Chris, agreeing (way too easily) to join the coven in order to "infiltrate" for Edgar Frog is just ridiculous. Moreover, Vampires: Los Muertos covered that concept already (and with about as much functional purpose).
5. There is a difference between paying homage to a movie and repeating half of its best lines in contrived ways and with far too serious an execution. It needed to be campy to work, and it only came off as embarrassing.
6. The acting.
7. The ending(s).
Learning that there will now be a second sequel, The Thirst, I have to say that I think it’s a shame the original producers and director did not have their hands in either film. The Lost Boys was sexy, smart, and funny, and it deserved to have sequels of the same caliber. I will withhold my judgment until I see the second sequel.
I'm sure I've said enough for now.
Are there any other original Lost Boy fans out there? What are your thoughts on the sequels?
Do you like vampires? If so, why? Is it the myth behind them, or is it the romantic image that literature and cinema have slowly created of them? I like vampires, but more often than not I find myself disappointed with literature and movies that depict them. When I do find a work that captures the essence of the genre, it is usually because it contains a gritty realism that contrasts the myth with the actual world we live in. Good examples are the Swedish sensation Let the Right One In and the cult American flick Near Dark. They do not sensationalize the monster, but rather they use it to offer some kind of insight about humankind.
That is what I strove for in my erotic horror trilogy The Darkness and the Night. Each book is a separate story all in its own, but when read in order they create one long story that spans nearly twenty years. The main character is Karen, although her place in each book varies greatly. Through her, and, later, her two children, I explore many of the aspects to what makes a person “human,” putting them through moral dilemmas and scenarios with which many readers might connect. As a survivor of physical and mental abuse at the hands of a previous SO, I felt it necessary to examine the “human monster” the best way I knew how—through my writing. After all, what better way to look at humanity with all of its attributes and flaws, than to write about a monster in its image?
The Darkness and the Night trilogy is highly erotic, the use of sexual exploration being a strong venue for both the characters’ development and further commentary on human behavior. It is a piece on female liberation and empowerment (especially Book II: Cosmic Orgasm--don’t let the campy name fool you!) as much as it is about fallibility, humility, and evolution of the human spirit. You’re going to have to read all three books if you crave that ever-satisfying Happily Ever After, but if you’re willing to let go of all preconceived expectations for this particular genre, I can guarantee the ride will be well worth it.
Book I: BLOOD AND COFFEE
Karen is a young woman fresh out of grad school, with just one stop left to make before beginning of the rest of her life. Agreeing to meet her family at the old summer home one last time, hoping to find some sort of closure to the estrangement between her and her paranoid and delusional father, Karen suddenly finds herself alone in the large house, in the middle of nowhere, after her family calls to report a travel delay.
Karen begins to question her own sanity when she falls victim to a vampire attack that night, recalling the similar circumstances behind her father’s psychotic break: in his delusions, however, he was the vampire hunter. The vampire informs Karen that his family is using her to settle a score against her father, for killing one of their family members years ago. The plan: present Karen, newly turned, to her recently “psychologically rehabilitated” father, and then see which one survives.
Karen manages to escape, only to embark upon a dark, virtual odyssey. Hitchhiking across the California coast, she searches for what is left of her humanity while she searches for the vampire that turned her, now set on settling a score of her own. During her journey, she finds herself taking refuge in a battered women's shelter, kidnapped by amateur demon hunters, joining a surreal nocturnal commune, and being confronted with the ethical dilemma of carrying the unborn child of a true monster....
"This is a strangely compelling tale of blood, love, lust, and betrayal." - Nicole - Bitten by Books
"...the writer is a good storyteller, and does an excellent job of leading the reader on..." - Regina - Coffee Time Romance
Available in paperback, Kindle, Sony Reader, audio book, and pdf. Click here for details.
Book II: COSMIC ORGASM (contains spoilers)
Karen's odyssey continues as she escapes from a mental hospital, after having accidentally turned another patient. She immediately finds herself running from a bounty hunter and his donor, sent by the insane commune leader, John-Michael, who has convinced himself that Karen carries his heir.
In the meanwhile, Karen finds herself haunted by Billy's restless spirit, his fluke death on the Astral having trapped him between planes. He visits her in her dreams, unable to accept his death ... and slowly, the dreams become nightmares as he decides he doesn't want to let her go. In a strange turn of events, lover becomes captor, foe becomes ally, love begins anew, and Karen survives her biggest challenge yet: childbirth.
"I couldn't put this book down!" – Five Stars - Michelle
Available in paperback, Kindle, Sony Reader, and pdf.
Book III: TWINS OF DARKNESS
Karen learns quickly that being both a mother and a vampire is no easy task, especially since her children, fraternal twins Anna and Andy, are not typical kids. Anna, although seemingly human, has the unique ability to not only travel the Astral, but also manipulate objects and people between planes. Andy also appears to be a normal human boy, but appearances prove disastrously deceiving.
With the help of her blood donor and lover, Jason, Karen does her best to offer the twins a “normal” suburban life. Despite them, Anna and Andy come into their own, exploring their family’s past . . . and the very different beings they are both slowly becoming. In the process, the author takes us on a wild ride that breaks beyond the boundaries of time and reality, sexual exploration, and love . . . and back to the vampire commune.
The book is actually four novellas that come together to create one full-length story:
Part I: Vampire. Mommy.
Karen's past returns to haunt her as Billy's nomadic family returns to the old Victorian, set on kidnapping the infant twins.
Part II: The Innocent One
The full extent of grade-school-aged Anna's Astral abilities shine through in dark and horrifying ways, as Karen's vampire-hunting father tracks them down in suburbia, intent on killing all of them.
Part III: A Family Affair
Desperate to know more about her natural father, adolescent Anna uses her Astral abilities to pull an alternate version of Billy into reality. His presence proves bittersweet for Karen, who has committed herself to donor and lover, Jason.
Part IV: The Awakening
Anna's twin, Andy, begins to undergo an unexpected transformation, while commune bounty hunters track down Karen and Jason. Anna, with her goddess-like Astral abilites, is their only hope . . . but her aid does not come without a sacrifice.
". . .well written and exciting. This is certainly one of the most unique vampire novels I have come across. It is chock full of imagination and feeling; a totally fresh look at the dark side." – Lototy - Coffee Time Romance
"Having read the first twenty-nine pages off and on, I continued straight through to the end. As I’ve already said, the plot is superb, and when such a plot comes along, I always marvel at the human imagination and what it can produce." - Fanny - Cerebral Reviews
Lisa Lane “Because even SEXY vampires should be DANGEROUS.”
Fellow writers and readers: What have you read/seen/written that, to you, stands out in the vampire genre?
2. The hidden, nocturnal commune is just too creepy to miss.
3. Penthouse Forum gave it a great review in its December 2009 issue.
4. S/he's stalking you in your dreams....
5. You like good amounts of both sex and blood with your vampires.
6. You like dark, gritty realism meshed into your fiction.
7. You're looking for a new author to read, someone who isn't afriad to push boundaries ... someone who might even push you outside your comfort zone once or twice.
8. You're way behind everyone else; its sequels, COSMIC ORGASM and TWINS OF DARKNESS, have been out for a while now, and both have received rave reviews.
9. You're trying to win the World Record for reading every vampire novel ever published.
10. You agree that vampires--even sexy ones--should be scary and dangerous.
Click here for more information, or stop by my website.
Join me at Fang-tastic Books, to discuss the dark side of erotic vampire horror. Leave a comment while you're there for a chance to win a copy of The Darkness and the Night III: Twins of Darkness, which has received glowing reviews across the board and has been called “superb” (Cerebral Reviews), “effortless reading” (The Deepening), and “beyond the imagination” (5 "Tombstones"--Bitten by Books).
BTW, Fang-tastic Books is definitely a blog to follow; webmistress Roxanne Rhoads holds contests on a weekly basis, with really great prizes.
"Ms. Lane has managed to entice, entrap, and thrill us with her latest installment in the Darkness and Night series, and I have enjoyed it thoroughly." –Bitten by Books (5 "tombstones")
