Guest Post by Author J.D. Brown

                       Paranormal Baby Fever! (Guest post by J.D. Brown)

“An original idea. That can't be too hard. The library must be full of them.”
― Stephen Fry

Edward Cullen gets a lot of beef for being a vegetarian vampire and falling in love with a teenage human girl, even though he is absolutely positively NOT the first vampire in history to do so. But the other night, as I was watching Angel season 3 on Netflix, I learned about something else Edward wrongly receives credit for:  Being the first vampire to produce offspring.

You see, Angel and Darla (two adult vampires from the early 2000s television series, Angel) had a human son named Connor. I know of others too, like the vampires from the Black Dagger Brotherhood by J.R. Ward, which can have children. However, those vampires are alive and not undead. Angel and Darla, on the other hand, are the first undead vampires in popular culture that I’ve seen have a baby. Yet, Meyer gets ridiculed for Renesmee while no one bats an eye over Conner.

If so-called “real” vampire fans are going to claim that vamps can’t have babies and don’t have sex with human girls, they better get their facts straight first!

The Dhampir

According to Balkan Gypsy folklore, some vampires would return from the grave to have intercourse with their widow or with a young woman of their choosing and it could sometimes lead to pregnancy. The baby was called a dhampire. It was usually male, but there is no rule against females also being born. The dhampire was believed to have powers that allowed it to detect and destroy the vampire father, which made the dhampire valuable in Gypsy society. Some believed adult dhampires even went so far as to supplement their income by hiring themselves out as vampire hunters. It is said that the powers of the dhampir could be passed to a male offspring, and ultimately through a family line.

Generally, people are a little more willing to suspend belief when the author has done their homework. Meyer could have said Renesmee was a dhampir and saved herself a little bit of grief.

But that’s beside the point. I have paranormal baby fever because my main character, Ema, is also pregnant with a bouncing baby…er…creature. Will it be human or vampire or nephilim? You’ll have to read the series to find out.

Do you have paranormal baby fever? Who’s your favorite little bundle of fangs?


Dark Liaison (An Ema Marx Novel 2)
By J.D. Brown
Release Date: May 31, 2013
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Tagline: Being a Romani-Vampyre with an ancestor who wants you dead isn’t normal. Neither is this sequel.

Blurb:  Ema Marx wishes her life would go back to normal, but there’s nothing normal about being a Romani-Vampyre with an ancestor who wants you dead. Apollyon is back, wreaking havoc on the lives of everyone she cares about while plotting her demise.
    Ema thought she would find a new best friend in her trainer, Bridget, until the exotic vampire vies for Jesu’s attention. Jesu can date who he wants, right? Ema has more important things to worry about, like honing her powers. When Apollyon’s thugs appear out of the shadows to attack her, Ema knows it’s time to take action. But everyone else has other plans in mind.
    One thing is for certain, being under house arrest in the German vampyre king’s castle was not part of her plan to save the day.


Dark Liaison links:
 
Dark Liaison trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqzDf5qid_w
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dark-liaison-jd-brown/1115464079?ean=2940016764214
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Liaison-Marx-Novel-ebook/dp/B00D3T1ZI6/ref=sr_1_2_bnp_1_kin?ie=UTF8&qid=1371107982&sr=8-2&keywords=dark+liaison
Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/books/Dark-Liaison-An-Ema-Marx/A5GU8i1GAUGcwHk2OjO3jA
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/dark-liaison-ema-marx-novel/id656450962?mt=11


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Dark Heirloom (An Ema Marx Novel 1)
By J.D. Brown
Release Date: March 31, 2012
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Tag Line:  She wasn’t bitten. She’s not undead. So how did Ema Marx become a vampire?

Blurb:  “You’re a vampire” is so not what Ema Marx wants to hear when she wakes from a two-day coma in a cryptic yet exquisite castle in northern Finland. Unfortunately, it explains a lot. Like why she’s able to see in the dark and walk through solid objects. What she doesn’t understand is why the other vampires expect her to have all the answers. It’s their fault she turned into one of them…right?
    Jalmari’s hatred for his old-man intensifies when he’s ordered to bring that troublesome girl to their castle. He has a clan to run, there’s no time for babysitting newborn vampires no matter how they were converted to their culture. But when a two-thousand-year-old premonition threatens to take the crown and his life, Jalmari sees no other choice than to take out the catalyst. Ema Marx. Fortunately for Ema, she could also be the clan’s only savior.
    The race to figure out her vampiric origins is on. And maybe she’ll get the hang of the blood-drinking gig along the way…

                                                                          Dark Heirloom links:

Dark Heirloom trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgVI60Z6FpE (Preview) Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dark-heirloom-jd-brown/1111299333?ean=9780615623993
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Heirloom-Marx-Novel-ebook/dp/B007RS8M5I/ref=sr_sp-atf_title_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1365917153&sr=1-1&keywords=dark+heirloom
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/160667
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/dark-heirloom/id528917638?mt=11

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Author Bio:  J.D. Brown writes urban fantasy fiction for MuseItUp Publishing, as well as a monthly “how-to” newsletter column for PDMI Freelance Publishing. She graduated from The International Academy of Design and Technology with a Bachelor Degree in Fine Arts and currently lives in Wisconsin with her two Pomeranians. J.D. loves paranormal characters; from vampires and werewolves, demons and angels, to witches and ghost. She is a self-proclaimed expert in vampire and Greek mythology. Her writings are often a combination of suspense and romance. J.D. enjoys helping her fellow writers and interacting with her fans and leads an active life on the web.
Author links
Website: http://authorjdbrown.com
Facebook Page: http://facebook.com/authorjdbrown
Twitter: @AuthorJDBrown

Book Review: Matilda Fatzzo

                           Today's review is on Matilda Fatzzo: Plus Size Rockstar! by Madonna Giordano

 

Matilda Fatzzo's story, which is geared for the young, female reader, is one of motivation and self-acceptance.

Gone are the days where the average size of a woman is a perfect ten. Today's average size is 16 and it's rising. Even so, there are still thousands of men and women who are trying various diets or starving themselves to loose weight. (Not to mention suffering from Anorexia Nervosa.) That includes Matilda.

Poor Matilda, who is just eleven, is a "true Fatzzo." Yes, she is F-A-T. Even her doctor told her that if she continued eating like she has been, she could die from obesity. Her mom has tried helping Matilda by keeping her on a diet, but what she doesn't know is that Matilda has been sneaking junk food at school for the last five years.

Not wanting to live off of carrot sticks and turkey sandwiches without bread, Matilda sets out to find out how the skinny people stay skinny. The first thing she learns is that no diet will work if you don't stick to it and cheat. She also learns that a little motivation helps. So what's Matilda's motivation? A fantastic dress that her aunt B gave her.

With the help of her aunt B, and her week of suspension from school, Matilda not only finds the perfect Halloween costume, she learns how to eat healthy and loose weight! More importantly, Matilda learns that she can be a Diva no matter what size she is. Oh, and that awesome dress? It looks fantastic on her.

I think a lot of young girls would enjoy reading Matilda's story. I would even recommend it for children struggling with their weight. It just needs a bit more work. There are a few editing mistakes that need to be corrected.

3 of 5 stars

Available on Amazon

Book Description: via Amazon

Halloween is here and Matilda wants to fit in a fabulous costume that is sure to win her best dressed at her upcoming school dance. First, she must figure out a way to lose weight that doesn’t require giving up taste or CARBS! Matilda loves fashion and dreams of the day that she will finally be able to walk into a “regular store” and buy anything…especially skinny jeans! Matilda is a big kid with big hair and even bigger dreams. She introduces children to dieting in a fun way that keeps their interest and brings them along on a fabulous journey that includes a trip to LA, a red carpet event, a school Halloween dance and enough couture and pampering to satisfy the biggest of fashionistas. Don't forget to watch all Matilda has to offer in her very own book trailer at www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qk0jfCKrTY or just follow the link provided on this page.