PLEASE NOTE: The contest portion of this event is now closed. Winners will be chosen later and contacted via email. Thank you!

Hi, you all–thank you so much for coming to the party, and a big thank you also to the fabulous Bitten by Books!

Like many of you, I love vampires, and the badder they are, the better. In my Vampire Babylon books, you can meet creatures who occasionally walk on the good side, but they still have mean streaks. But let’s not forget that there are vamps who’re just all-out dark.

Those are my favorites.

Altogether, I’ve written six books in this series—the first trilogy took place in Hollywood and concerned some very clever vampires who found a way to make a business out of providing celebrities with long-lived fortune, fame, and beauty in return for their souls. Then along came some hunters, including Dawn Madison. Her father was missing, and it seemed that his disappearance had something to do with this vampire underground. My latest release, the third book in this trilogy, Break of Dawn (1/26/10), is the climax of the team’s hunt for these stardust-hungry vampires.

This new mass market book is a reissue of the trade edition, but next month, there’ll be a new offering in the Vampire Babylon series—book six, Deep In the Woods (3/2/10). This one closes out the second trilogy, which takes place in London and features some vampires that I consider to be even scarier than the first group. Teen girls. And they’re all in the service of a master they call Wolfie, as well as his second-in-charge, Claudia the Cat.

In this second trilogy, I not only got to travel to London in order to flesh out the story and block out scenes (such as one in Highgate Cemetery), but it was great fun to weave in fairy tale elements, as well. I’ll bet you can tell from the title Deep In the Woods that Red Riding Hood was an influence, yes? Anyway, her thematic spirit is in the books, along with a wicked stepmother/queen and Sleeping Beauty. You’ll see them in the characters and the choices they make…as well as in the consequences.

Are there any fairy tale characters you relate to? Why? And what is it about fairy tales that speak to us on such a primal level?

Thanks for playing!

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Learn more about Chris Marie Green below:
To read reviews of this author’s work go here.
To visit the author’s website go here.
To visit the author’s blog go here.

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CONTEST: PLEASE NOTE There are also revisions to the rules for this contest, please read them all carefully. Also, PLEASE LEAVE YOUR FIRST AND THE INITIAL OF YOUR LAST NAME in your comment/post so we can give you the proper credit for your entries.

Readers, here’s how to enter the contest. You can do just ONE or ALL of these things, and each thing you do will give you additional entries at a chance to WIN. REMEMBER you have Until 2/3/10 at 11:59 pm Central to do the different things that YOU choose to do. It is NOT mandatory you make a purchase to enter the contest. There are plenty of free ways to get entries as well.

She is also giving away several AMAZING prizes to TWO lucky winners!

1st prize - $100.00 Barnes and Noble gift card plus all of the following signed books
Night Rising, Vampire Babylon, Book 1
Midnight Reign, Vampire Babylon, Book 2
A Drop of Red, Vampire Babylon, Book 4
The Path of Razors, Vampire Babylon, Book 5
First Blood, a vampire anthology that includes a Vampire Babylon novella
Twice Bitten, a vampire anthology that includes The Huntress, which was written as Crystal Green

2nd prize - All the following books
Night Rising, Vampire Babylon, Book 1
Midnight Reign, Vampire Babylon, Book 2
A Drop of Red, Vampire Babylon, Book 4
The Path of Razors, Vampire Babylon, Book 5
First Blood, a vampire anthology that includes a Vampire Babylon novella
Twice Bitten, a vampire anthology that includes The Huntress, which was written as Crystal Green

Open to readers worldwide.

1. Purchase copies of Chris’ books from Amazon
Click here

Purchase copies of Chris’ books from Barnes & Noble
Click here

Good for 300 entries per book you purchase by using the links above. Email your receipt to the prize Goddess here bittenbybooks.contests @ gmail.com (no spaces). Not valid on past purchases.

OR you can use the Barnes & Noble link HERE to make your purchase of ANY kind of merchandise during the contest. You can also use the Amazon link HERE to shop as well. Good for 100 entries to the contest for EACH item you purchase. Not valid on past purchases.

2. You MUST answer Chris’ question she left her in her post above. Good for 10 entries.

3. Post her book trailer on your blog or website here’s the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ReLmr6MYk8 Good for 25 entries per place you post. (max 5) come back here and post the links where you have shared it.

4. Be friends with Chris by joining her here:

Newsletter: http://www.vampirebabylon.com/lists/?p=subscribe
Twitter: http://twitter.com/ChrisMarieGreen
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/people/Chris-Marie-Green/1051327765
Myspace: http://myspace.com/vampirebabylon

email your confirmations of friendship to the prize Goddess here bittenbybooks.contests @ gmail.com (no spaces). Good for 25 entries per place you friend her.

5. Join us at our daily book chat here: http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=19305 and vote in the weekly paranormal poll here: http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=19225 good for 25 entries for each one you do.

6. Spread the word about this event! Use this direct link to the event: http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=19276 on twitter, at another blog, website, Myspace, Ning Group, Facebook, Yahoo Group, Goodreads, Shelfari (any group where it is appropriate). You MUST come back here to this interview and post those links in one response here in this thread so we can verify your entries. Good for 50 entries per place you post the event link.

7. Join the Bitten by Books newsletter located on the upper right hand side of the site just above the video player. You must confirm your subscription which will come in an email. Email your confirmations of subscription to the prize Goddess here bittenbybooks.contests @ gmail.com (no spaces). Good for 75 entries. Unconfirmed subscriptions are deleted. Also be SURE to check out our amazing line up of other author events this  month here: http://bittenbybooks.com/?page_id=4

RULES AND LEGAL DISCLAIMERS

The contest ends on 2/3/10 at 11:59 pm Central and the winners will be contacted via email. You will receive your prize directly from the author. PLEASE LEAVE YOUR FIRST AND THE INITIAL OF YOUR LAST NAME as well as a valid email where we can contact you. REMEMBER the more things you do, the more entries, the greater the chances of winning. PLEASE ALLOW THIRTY DAYS to receive your prize BEFORE EMAILING US.

1. Please note, the prize stated IS the prize you will receive, there will be absolutely no substitutions or changes the prize is non-transferable. If you don’t want the prize being offered, please don’t enter the contest. If you ever win an electronic copy of a book, please note that it is ILLEGAL to forward, give away or copy it in anyway once you receive it. Doing so violates copyright. If we find out that it has been done, you will no longer be eligible to win any of our contests.

2. You have FIVE days from the day the we contact you to claim your prize by sending your name/mailing address to me. Failure to contact me will forfeit your prize. BBB can at that time, choose either to re-award the prize to another entrant or not.

3. The prize stated IS the prize you will receive, there will be no substitutions, trades or changes. No exceptions. Please do not ask. If for some reason you do not wish to claim your prize, please let me know as soon as possible. Bitten by Books has the option to re-award it or not.

4. Contest is open to readers in the USA except where noted. The prizes are shipped directly from the author unless otherwise noted.

5. Bitten by Books is in NO way responsible for the prizes being offered in any of the contests. If for some reason a contributor does not honor their prize or it gets lost in transit to you, there is nothing we can or will do about it. We are not worried that this will happen, but we want to be very clear that WE are not offering these prizes, the contributor is and it is their responsibility to fulfill their prize obligations.

6. These rules are subject to change or be modified without prior written notice.

7. Contest is void where prohibited.

8. By entering this contest you are agreeing to our terms of entry

(2 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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This fifth installment in the exciting and addictive Vampire Babylon series begins the morning after the events at the close of the previous book, A Drop of Red. The team of Dawn, her father Frank, psychics Kiko and Natalia, Breisi the spirit Friend, and Costin/Jonah review the events of the night before, attempting to make sense of the situation: are the schoolgirl vampires part of the London Underground or do they act alone? Dawn and Natalia, who has vamp radar, along with a spirit Friend, disguise themselves and go to investigate at the school, Queenshill, where they discover a hidden passage behind the wardrobe cabinet in the house matron’s office. Finding a couple of unusual rooms, they resolve to return later with Costin/Jonah to see if he senses a Master in the area.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Jones, the house matron at Queenshill, removes the vamp girls temporarily to a hotel as a safety precaution, as the vampires have no more knowledge of the “attackers” than the team does of them, and they are not sure where the next strike may come from. Responsible for protecting the Underground vampires from outside forces, the “custodes” aid in the relocation, but the newest addition to the shadowy security detail infuses one of the girls with visions/memories about Mrs. Jones, seriously impacting future events. And so the cat and mouse game begins…

As before, Green provides psychological underpinnings and emotional resonance to the narrative so that it becomes much more than just a novel filled with action sequences. Coming to grips with how her actions have affected the lives of others, Dawn must also learn to control the darkness growing inside her, an aspect she attributes to the few moments she was a vampire. As the series progresses, we learn more about both the hunters and the vampires in this rich, dark world. In this segment, Green explores the villains in more depth, eliciting some sympathy for the girls who are, ultimately, young women looking for attention from those they love and for a sense of community.

The author lightens the mood somewhat by portraying Dawn occasionally still bemused by the fact that the paranormal world she plays a significant role in even exists, adding a realistic touch. Though the next book will wrap up the London trilogy arc, this reviewer looks forward to not only that installment, but many more in a universe that still feels full of promising stories to tell.

Book Stats:

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Ace Trade (August 4, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0441017207
• ISBN-13: 978-0441017201

To purchase a print copy of The Path of Razors from Amazon click here.

To purchase a print copy of The Path of Razors from Barnes & Noble click here.
To purchase an eBook copy of The Path of Razors from Barnes & Noble click here.

Books in the Vampire Babylon series in the order they should be read:
Night Rising
Midnight Reign
Break of Dawn
A Drop of Red
The Path of Razors

(3 votes, average: 3.67 out of 5)

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Book four of the addictive Vampire Babylon series finds Dawn Madison and company in London, searching for another Underground, picking up one year after the events of book three. At that time, Dawn allowed Benedickte, the former Hollywood master, to turn her into a vampire in order to give her enough strength to destroy him, thereby returning her humanity, also resulting in her mother, Eva, becoming human again, and having to turn Costin/Jonah into a vampire to save his life. Since then, Dawn and each of the characters have been dealing with the ramifications and consequences of those events. Eva, though not living with the team at their headquarters, chooses to follow them to London, a situation Dawn sometimes finds difficult and uncomfortable to deal with.

Costin informs the group that he plans to interview a young woman who contacted him, claiming she knew of a burial area because she is able to hear the dead. Kiko, the team psychic, feels threatened by the presence of Natalia, but with her help, the team unearths the body of a girl, obviously a vampire victim, which ultimately points them toward the discovery of the schoolgirl vampires responsible. Before the team gets to that point, however, the reader learns a bit about the new Underground via the stylistic approach of juxtaposed chapters, as in the previous books.

Using teenage girl vampires residing in a boarding school as the villains in the novel provides opportunities for social commentary as well as truly scary scenes, more frightening than the Hollywood Underground vampires by far. Their maker chooses girls who will not be immediately or easily missed by their families, preying upon their desire to feel loved and appreciated, elements missing in their human lives: “They seemed to be the only ones who hadn’t been called home by their distant parents, who traveled for business or took holidays overseas or went about their everyday human lives while never knowing what their daughters had become” (78 ).

Green continues to delve into Dawn’s psyche, emotions, and motivations, primarily through her interaction with her soul-traveler lover, Costin, and his alter-ego/host, Jonah. Shifting team dynamics also add depth to the story, as does the ultimate question of what Dawn’s role as “key” actually signifies. As before, the author skillfully portrays the heroes and the monsters as three-dimensional characters one cares about.

This volume ends with a cliffhanger, a departure from the first story arc of the series. Though each of the previous installments left some open-ended questions and situations, the over-arching plot of each was somewhat resolved. The new approach works, perhaps serving to make the reader even more impatient for the next book. This reviewer eagerly awaits the next episode in this riveting saga.

Book Stats:

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Ace Trade (March 3, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0441016812
• ISBN-13: 978-0441016815

To purchase a print copy of A Drop of Red from Amazon click here.

To purchase a print copy of A Drop of Red from Barnes & Noble click here.
To purchase an eBook copy of A Drop of Red from Barnes & Noble click here.

Books in the Vampire Babylon series in the order they should be read:
Night Rising
Midnight Reign
Break of Dawn
A Drop of Red
The Path of Razors

(2 votes, average: 3 out of 5)

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Book Three of the thrilling Vampire Babylon series begins the day after the previous installment ends, with Dawn and Kiko, her psychic colleague, adjusting to the death and consequential new incarnation of their friend, Breisi. In addition, both hunters plan to rescue Frank, once again, from wherever Eva, his former wife turned vampire, has taken him. Jonah, the mysterious head man at Limpet and Associates, has the whole organization on lockdown for their own protection. Dawn, not appreciating the thwarting of her plans – the rescue of her father and revenge upon her mother – chafes at the enforced idleness. During a discussion of how much they really do not know or understand about their boss, Kiko takes Dawn into a room of the house that holds historical artifacts, asking her if she would like to “see” what he has seen. The horrific vision compels Dawn to ask Jonah more questions.

During a particularly awkward and unsettling meeting in which Jonah accuses Dawn of doing to him what she so despises having done to herself - invasion of privacy – Jonah then tells Dawn to leave the house and the organization. Upon leaving, Dawn goes to one of the people she thinks she can trust, Matt, but when he lets slip a bit of information that he should not have known, Dawn realizes that Matt is not what he seems, either. Leaving his house, Dawn comes upon Eva, who offers to tell her everything if she will come to her home. Dawn agrees but ends up in a different situation than she expects, impacting the events of the remainder of the narrative.

Continuing her further explorations of the characters, the author illustrates how several of them evolve emotionally and psychologically, humans and vampires. Green realistically portrays Dawn attempting to come to grips with accepting a supernatural world that a few months previously she had no clue about. When Jonah tells her to leave, she responds: “Do you actually think I can ‘go back’ to walking around the streets without knowing what’s under them? Do you think I’ll ever be the same person again?” (122). As she did in the previous book, Midnight Reign, Green depicts the vampire Underground as both a scary, surreal world and one that is oddly human at the same time.

This very satisfying conclusion to the first trilogy story arc in the series delivers on every level, tying up threads while setting the stage for new ones to develop in the next installment. This reviewer will definitely be following Dawn and her continuing exploits.

Book Stats:

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Ace Trade (September 2, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0441016294
• ISBN-13: 978-0441016297

To purchase a print copy of Break of Dawn from Amazon click here.

To purchase a print copy of Break of Dawn from Barnes & Noble click here.
To purchase an eBook copy of Break of Dawn from Barnes & Noble click here.

Books in the Vampire Babylon series in the order they should be read:
Night Rising
Midnight Reign
Break of Dawn
A Drop of Red
The Path of Razors

(3 votes, average: 3.33 out of 5)

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When the second installment of the electrifying Vampire Babylon series begins, Dawn Madison and her co-workers continue the search for Frank, Dawn’s father. Due to a comment from Robby, their previous case, the team now seeks to learn more about the Underground he referred to at the end of book one. The mysterious PI, Matt, continues to intrigue Dawn, though she is unclear about his motivations, primarily because he will not divulge the name of the client who hired him to locate her father. Dawn’s employer and “virtual” lover, The Voice/Jonah, also expects a lot from Dawn on lots of faith and little information. Though she may be unsure of the motives of Jonah and Matt, Dawn never doubts Breisi and Kiko, her fellow hunters. Due to the injuries sustained in Night Rising, Kiko finds himself not operating at full potential, but the two women include him in the fieldwork as often as possible. Since learning of her position as “key” in the fight against vampires, Dawn seeks to come to terms with what that truly means, both for her and the world as she knows it.

In this outing, the reader learns more about the history and the culture of the vampire underground and its inhabitants. As a capable sequel should, Midnight Reign answers some questions raised in book one while at the same time creating new ones. Both primary and secondary characters are explored in more depth, and Dawn demonstrates growth as she learns more about herself and her deep-seated psychological motivations as well as the paranormal world surrounding her.

As in the previous volume, Green skillfully handles the juxtaposition of the two worlds – no easy task, as the reader knows more about what is going on than the main character is privy to. The author peppers the narrative with beautiful imagery: “The room smelled of historically rendered must, just like Limpet’s place: memories pressed into paint and rose-patterned carpet” (189). As this saga continues, the reader becomes immersed in the gripping world Green creates. This reviewer enjoys visiting there and highly recommends this series to all urban fantasy fans.

Book Stats:

• Paperback: 326 pages
• Publisher: Ace Trade; 1 edition (February 5, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0441015603
• ISBN-13: 978-0441015603

To purchase a print copy of Midnight Reign from Amazon click here.

To purchase a print copy of Midnight Reign from Barnes & Noble click here.
To purchase an eBook copy of Midnight Reign from Barnes & Noble click here.

Books in the Vampire Babylon series in the order they should be read:
Night Rising
Midnight Reign
Break of Dawn
A Drop of Red
The Path of Razors

(4 votes, average: 3.5 out of 5)

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This first installment in the Vampire Babylon series starts out of the gate with a bang and maintains its momentum throughout the narrative. Dawn Madison, film stuntwoman, returns to L.A. to aid in the hunt for her missing father. At the time of his disappearance, Frank Madison was working as a private investigator, and his co-workers contact Dawn for her help in tracking him down, aware that she has many years of experience doing so. Dawn’s mother, Eva, was a famous movie star at the time of her death when Dawn was an infant, and over the last several years, her relationship with her father has been rocky.

Her father’s colleagues at Limpet and Associates, Kiko, a psychic and aspiring author, and Breisi, a scientist, tell Dawn that they had all been working on a case tracking down a former child star who was supposed to have died twenty-three years earlier yet had recently mysteriously reappeared. When the three go to visit the young star’s mother, they are attacked outside by red-eyed creatures, and Dawn is forced to accept the existence of vampires. After this encounter, Dawn has an unsettling meeting with the unseen owner of the investigative agency, drawing her further into the world of the paranormal. Especially anxious now to find her father and to solve the other intriguing mystery, Dawn agrees to stay on with the group.

As  Night Rising progresses, the reader learns details about the seductive, scary, unseen world below before Dawn does, a dichotomy skillfully handled by the author. An interesting study in psychological motivations, Dawn feels compelled to prove to all and sundry that she is nothing like her mother every opportunity that she gets. This compulsion often results in no-strings-attached sexual encounters. In spite of the haunting, eerie and creepy scenes, a thread of humor runs throughout the narrative. Maintaining a high suspense quotient for the duration of the story, Green also includes a slam-bang surprise. Resolving some matters yet leaving several unanswered questions provides a perfect set-up for sequels. This reviewer will definitely go along for the ride.

Book Stats:

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Ace Trade (February 6, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0441014674
• ISBN-13: 978-0441014675

To purchase a print copy of Night Rising from Amazon click here.

To purchase a print copy of Night Rising from Barnes & Noble click here.
To purchase an eBook copy of Night Rising from Barnes & Noble click here.

Books in the Vampire Babylon series in the order they should be read:
Night Rising
Midnight Reign
Break of Dawn
A Drop of Red
The Path of Razors

(4 votes, average: 3.5 out of 5)

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