Predictions, Musings and other "Nibbles"

The last year brought some great successes, like Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series, and some disappointments, like the big-screen, big-budget "I Am Legend" I didn't see the latter, but several teens assured me that it sucked. Which is too bad, because I am fond of Will Smith, cannibal zombies, and movies set in New York. Where did they go wrong? At least we will always have that quintessential hunk/cannibal zombie/New York masterpiece, "Escape From New York (1981)" with Kurt Russell as Snake Pliskin. If loving Kurt Russell in black leather and an eye patch is wrong, I don't want to be right.

Here are my predictions for the upcoming year.

• . Vampires step aside as werewolves and shapeshifters get seated at the best tables in the restaurant. Novels featuring psychics and ghosts will make stronger appearances.
• . Baby-got-back cover: book covers will feature female fannies and legs instead of the way overdone theme of feet and shoes.
• . We'll see more books that defy categorization and cross genres and styles. I really hope that too-cute, punning titles will crawl into a crypt and stay there, but I fear that we're stuck with them.
• . Oh, and in a great win for fashion over function, tulip-shaped champagne glasses, called champagne coupes, will make a comeback over flutes.

Yes, I just make this stuff up.

January is bringing a whole slew of paranormal books, including the Kerrelyn Spark's fourth Love at Stake novel, The Undead Next Door. You can read excerpts from this book on Fresh Fiction's website.

Colorado is the new "it" location for all things supernatural, and if you like your bloodsuckers funny, you might want to pick up Mario Acevedo's The Nymphos of Rocky Flats, now available in mass market paperback. Felix Gomez is a delightful concoction of skirt-chasing private detective, savvy vampire, concerned Army vet, and smart-ass Latino.

The mass market edition of my award-winning first novel, Happy Hour at Casa Dracula, will be available in January, too! It's a delicious romantic comedy that will warm you up on these chilly days.

I don't know how Lynsay Sands does it, but she's got her ninth Argeneau Vampire novel coming out at the end of January, Vampire Are Forever. Fans of the series won't have to wait long for the tenth novel, either, because the comic, action-packed Vampire, Interrupted will be released in February.

Kim Harrison continues her Rachel Morgan series with The Outlaw Demon Wails. For a little fun, read Kim's books while listening to the songs that inspired her as she wrote. She's got a list on her site and it's an eclectic selection, with songs that range from Duran Duran to Linkin Park to Henry Mancini.

Many readers have discovered terrific books shelved in the Young Adult section of their bookstores. Among those cross-over books is Colleen Gleason's Gardella Vampire Chronicles, a historical series about a vampire slayer. Colleen's third novel, The Bleeding Dusk, will be released in February and she offers a sneak peek on her site.

February also brings Jennifer Rardin's Biting the Bullet, the third in her thrilling Jaz Parks book, and Dakota Cassidy's comic romance, The Accidental Werewolf.

So dig out your grandmother's crystal coupes, toast the New Year with a glass of fizzy wine, and curl up with a good book. Be sure to check out my blog, Vampire Wire, for daily news about paranormal entertainment, and I'll see you next month!

Marta
MartaAcosta.com
Vampire Wire