There are plenty of great works out there that inspired me while writing Bitter Things.  Here's a list of some of them with links to more information about them.

I hope you enjoy them, too!

 

 

Books, short stories and authors:

 

The following list is a short collection of some of the authors that have inspired me during the writing process: 

 

Deborah LeBlanc - a wonderful writer of Louisiana-based horror.  Funny, smart, sexy.  Easy and fun to read.  Really fantastic! 

 

 

Susie Bright
Octavia Butler

 

Stephen Laws
Brian Lumley
Simon Clark

Anne Rice
Laurell K. Hamilton

Alan Ryan
Charlaine Harris

Dan Simmons

Robert Jordan

Montague Summers

Stephen King
Michael Laimo

Cecilia Tan
F. Paul Wilson

 

 

Music and movies:

 

Bitter Things  (the band) – unbeknownst to me, there is a band called Bitter Things. For no other reason than we share the name, I thought I’d link you up with them here.

 

The World is a Vampire (Smashing Pumpkins).  One of my favorite songs from one of my favorite albums.  At least until it got overplayed. 

 

Moon Over Bourbon Street, by Sting.  Clearly inspired by Interview with the Vampire, Sting recorded this song on his debut solo album, Dream of the Blue Turtles.  Here's a link to a video version of it on YouTube.

 
Bloodletting (The Vampire Song), by Concrete Blonde is just a cool, dark song by a band I really liked. Also inspired by Interview, I think. Here's the link to the band's website.
 

Inteview with the Vampire (film) - even before the first frame of this film was shot, there was a lot of controversy surrounding the casting of Tom Cruise in the part of the vampire Lestat. Personally, I think he was terrific. 

            And for the record, Mr. Cruise, if you want to make a film out of Bitter Things, you can play whatever part you’d like – even Michelle Papas. Just in case you were wondering.
            For the same film, Guns n Roses recorded a remake of the Rolling Stones’ Sympathy for the Devil, which I loved. I thought it was a great way to end the film!

 

Lost Boys - excellent film, combining humor, horror and obscure elements to vampire lore.

 

Buffy, the Vampire-Slayer – everyone knows the series and its spin-offs, but the film was a lot of fun, too!  Here's a link to the fan site.

 

Nosferatu - in this landmark film directed by F. W. Murnau (German, 1922, silent), Max Schreck portrays the first appearance of Dracula ever on film. However, due to copyright issues, he was called Count Orlock. This is still one of the creepiest horror films I’ve ever seen, maybe because it’s B&W, silent and grainy. 

 

Shadow of the Vampire - Willem Dafoe portrays Max Schreck during the filming of the 1922 classic, Nosferatu. One of the greatest things about this film is you don’t know if Schreck is the first great method actor, or if he really is a vampire… It makes you want to find out about the real events surrounding the filming. Very cool!

 

Dracula (1931) - Béla Lugosi became the standard against which all future actors playing Dracula would be measured. A slew of vampire films came out shortly after this, and the best of them from around this time was probably Dracula's Daughter.  Bram Stoker's Dracula was a fun, sexy remake, which added a love story that wasn't in the book.

 

The Underworld Series showcases Kate Beckinsale, in a form-fitting Matrix-like garb, dispatching werewolves (and fellow vampires) with stoic determination that hints at dominatrix skills. Even without her considerable pull in the third film of the series, Rise of the Lycans was a fine film, with elements of Stanley Kubrick’s Spartacus.

 

Van Helsing, directed by Stephen Sommers, Kate Beckinsale battles vampires once again, this time as a human – but still in form-fitting garb.

 

True Blood, the HBO series based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries by New York Times bestselling author Charlaine Harris has all the elements you want in a vampire tale – horror, erotica, suspense, great characters – all while updating the lore and giving it a modern, Southern twist.

 
Additional links:

Lisa Phillips:  www.Lisa-Phillips.com 

Dlisted: www.dlisted.com

Dark Roasted Blend: http://www.darkroastedblend.com/

Melodramatic.com:  www.melodramatic.com

Comics Curmudgeon: http://joshreads.com/
MeiLin Miranda, Serial Fantasy Stories: www.meilinmiranda.com/

Tales of MU And Other Stories: www.talesofmu.com/story
Obscure Store and Reading Room:  obscurestore.typepad.com
Vampire Corp: vampirecorp.com 
Vampire Library: www.vampirelibrary.com

 

 

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