Vampire Professor Bertena Varney on Vampires for Kids

Today, Bertena Varney, The Vampire Professor, will talk about where to find child-appropriate vampire media.

~~~VAMPIRES FOR CHILDREN~~~

Imagine going in to a store and asking for vampire items for kids. Whether it is a preschool or easy reader book or a cartoon DVD, adults will give you a strange look when you have an arm full of vampire items for children.

The comment that comes up the most is. “I didn’t know that there were vampires for kids. Isn’t it too scary and violent? I would never let my child have stuff that has vampires in it.”

I just laugh at this because most of the vampire related items for children are items that most parents don’t even realize that their own children are watching.

The questions that I place to these parents are, “Has your child ever watched Sesame Street or Scooby Doo?” Well, then your child has been exposed to the creepy monster known as the vampire.

I recently bought a book titled, Dick and Jane and Vampires for my nephew for Christmas. I opened the book to the very picture that showed the kids running away from the vampire screaming. Wow – that wouldn’t win anyone over. As I flipped through the book I noticed most of the pictures looked like that, until you read the accompanying text. The children were learning that not everything they see is as it appears. But to a parent just opening the book, it was not proving my point at all. It actually looked scary.

And what was my point? My point was that not all things are what they appear to be. There is a vampire for children that is age appropriate and facilitates learning. However, many adults just think about sharing their interest with their children with age appropriate material. Being a former public school teacher I stress, appropriate age related material here.

At the end of this blog, you the reader will find a small list of child appropriate shows and books for children.

~~Children’s Books for ages 6-12~~

· A Practical Guide to Vampires by Lisa Trumbauer

· A Vampire Halloween by John Bianchi

· A Vampire is Coming to Dinner by Pamela Jane and Pedro Rodriquez

· A Vampire Named Fred by Bill Crider

· Alex Van Helsing by Jason Henderson

· Attack of the Vampire Weenie by Brian Lubar

· Baby Vampire Gulp! By Lucie Papaneau et al

· Bunnicula Series by James Howe

· Camp Vampire by Jeff Gilbert

· Dick, Jane and Vampires by Laura Marchesni

· Dracula by Keith Faulkner and Jonathan Lambert

· Fang of the Vampire by Tommy Donvaband

· Help! A Vampire is Coming by Abby Klein

· Horrid Henry and the Vampire Zombie by Francesca Simon

· How to be a Vampire by R.L. Stein

· Josie Griffin is Not a Vampire by Heather Swain

· Little Vampire by Joann Sfar

· My Sister the Vampire by Sienna Mercer

· Nancy Drew Vampire Slayer by Stefan Petrucha

· Notes from a Totally Lame Vampire by Andrew Pniter

· Prince of Dorkness by Tim Collins

· Priscilla the Great Vampire by Sybil Nelson

· Return of the Vampire by Geronimo Stilton

· Scream Street Series by Tommy Donvaband

· Sleepover Club Vampire by Fionna Cummins

· Teddy Gyros: Kid Vampire Slayer by Michael Sortino

· The History of Vampires by Sylvia Branzei

· The Little Vampire Series by Angela Sommer-Bodenburg

· The Little Vampires by Rebecca Hicks

· The Shadow Garden series by Malla Duncan

· The Sleepless Little Vampire by Richard Egielski

· The Story of Frankenstein Dracula and Wolfman – no author listed

· The Thief of Always by Clive Barker

· The Vampire’s Curse by Dan Greenburg

· The Vampire’s Vacation by Ron Roy

· The Vampires Went Thataway by Nancy Lamb

· The Young Vampire Adventures by Star Donovan

· V is for Vampire by Adele Griffin

· Vampirates by Justin Somper

· Vampire Bass by Tom Watson

· Vampire Boy’s Goodnight by Lisa Brown

· Vampire Brat by Angie Sage

· Vampire Breathe by R.L. Stine

· Vampire Don’t Wear Polka Dots by Debbie Dadey

· Vampire Hunt by Dan Jolley

· Vampire Island by Adele Griffin

· Vampire Snacks by Larry Derryberry

· Vampires by Charlotte Guillain

· Vampires by Jim Pipe

· Vampires by S.L. Hamilton

· Vampires by Stephen Krensky

· Vampires Do Hunt Marshmallow Bunnies by Marcia Thorton Jones

· Vinny the Vampire by Jordan Pierce

Bertena Varney

The Lure of the Vampire - 2nd Edition has been picked up Hydra Publications and provides more television, cartoons, movies and books that are appropriate for children.

It will also discuss other aspects of the vampire in pop culture including movies, television, books, comics, video games and more.

For more information about Bertena please visit her two websites at http://searchforthelure.webs.com and www.bertenavarney.com

Follow her on twitter @tenavarney or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/bertena.varney

Bertena Varney- Writer, Professor, and Lecturer

Vampire Articles are here - http://exm.nr/dV0j6p

Buy my book Lure of the Vampire here - http://amzn.to/jj1iPr

Buy Lillian: A Vampire's Story here - http://amzn.to/tAotpF

Check out my website here - www.bertenavarney.com

Sign up for my newsletter here- http://eepurl.com/exZYQ

Twitter - @tenavarney Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/bertena.varney

Winners of Halloween Giveaway.

Congrats to Teawench and Mark!  Mark wins Bertena Varney's ebook of The Lure of the Vampire and Teawench wins an ebook of My Fearful Symmetry, a t-shirt and some Halloween goodies!

Vampire Sociologist Bertena Varney /Halloween Giveaway

Happy Halloween!

I'm thrilled to welcome back Bertena Varney!  She will discuss a little of her experience as an author and Vampire Sociologist.  She's written a fascinating book on the legends, literature and culture of the vampire that includes helpful links to websites and reading lists.  I was excited when she asked me to contribute an article for the book, a portion of which you can read at my website

In addition, Bertena and I are co-hosting a Halloween giveaway!  There are two different prizes you can win.  Bertena will be giving away an ebook version of her book The Lure of the Vampire.  I'm also giving away a prize bundle of an ebook of My Fearful Symmetry, an "I Love New York Vampires" t-shirt with the Twilight of the Gods cover on it, a MFS pen and some other Halloween goodies.  To enter for Bertena's book, simply leave a comment that answers her question at the end of the post.  To enter for my prizes: You get one entry for commenting on Bertena's post and following this blog (mention in your comment) and another if you like my page on Facebook (Please leave a comment there as well to let me know you're entering.)  Become a member of my website and get yet another entry. 
Deadline to enter: November 1st, 2011 at 11:59 PM EST.  Winners will be chosen by random drawing and posted on November 2nd.  Please leave an email so you may be contacted. 

Good Luck!

*Ebook prizes are in the published PDF format that may be downloaded onto any computer or reader.

The Perception of Vampires in Society

by

Bertena Varney

While writing my book lure of the vampire, I received many questions and comments that I found shocking. 

First people assumed that if I was writing a vampire book then it had to be paranormal romance. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy some paranormal romance, but am more into the historical or mystery vampire fiction. Plus I am not a fiction writer. I love to read it, but I am not that creative.

When I mention that I write non fiction I get the question-- so you think you are a vampire? Uh no!


When I try the academic approach I get weird looks as well. People who haven't experienced a liberal arts program in soft science can't understand how this can be taught in college. They can't fathom that history isn't just American history but history, mythology and folklore of other cultures. Sociologically many people think that one can only teach sociology as it relates to business. In my classes I use a text titled Real World Sociology where we examine sociology on the real world- comic movies games books and monsters. It's a lot of fun, and the kids love it. They said that they couldn't imagine studying sociology could be so much fun.


They then ask what can you do with this study, and I tell them what I do... Teach, lecture tours, on line classes, write and review vampire books, movies and more.

I tell my students, like I tell everyone who has questioned what I do, if you could study, write, lecture and share what you love with people, wouldn't you?

This is the Halloween season, and my favorite time of year.  So here is my challenge... Read my book or any other reference book and find three types of vampires that you may not be familiar with and learn more about them. Look at how you have encountered vampires in pop culture in your everyday life.


Open your mind to all of the possibilities of vampires that you may not have encountered. Remember that there is a vampire for everyone.

So after doing this which is your favorite vampire? Traditional like Dracula? Romantic like Henry Fitzroy and Mick St. John? Brooding like Angel? Insane like Spike ? New age like Edward, Damon and Stefan?
So comment below and enter to win a free ebook from me!

You can follow Bertena at this links:

Facebook

http://searchforthelure.webs.com/

http://thesearchforthelureofvampires.blogspot.com/

http://mysticalevents.webs.com/

Excerpt from My Fearful Symmetry

I reached for the golden door to the ashram, only to crumple to my knees again swooning and dizzy. With the last of my strength, I inched my way on my belly across the open courtyard to my room. The sky above turned from black to purple to lavender. In another thirty minutes, the rays of the sun would cook my tattered flesh into Bolognese. It seemed like a good idea. I collapsed against the paving stones. Deep inside of me a voice called my name—only it wasn’t my name.


Shardul!


I lifted my aching head. The sacred spring lay between my room and me. The Goddess stood sentinel above the pool. Hers arms beckoned. The waters hastened healing. I pulled myself over and eased in, letting the water bathe my broken skin. It stung and burned, but at least I knew that I was still alive.


Kali’s black face looked down. Her long tongue stuck out as if to taunt me.


I clung with what strength remained to the pool’s stone edge. “Is this what you mean about the tyranny of the flesh?” But she didn’t answer. She remained silent and oblivious as death. “Bitch…” I lost my grasp on the lip of the pool and slipped below the surface, still gazing into her unseeing eyes.


I thrashed, but couldn’t pull myself to the surface. My body sank like a stone. Water filled my throat and nostrils. Consciousness dissipated into an explosion of dots, like colored pixels. My Mum’s voice floated in my head.


Hush a bye, don’t you cry


Go to sleep my little baby


When you wake, you shall have


All the pretty little horses…

The wavering image above me dissolved into golden skin and waves of dark hair. The Mother reached out two arms and pulled me from the water. The avatar’s supple, golden form suggested Parvati, consort of Lord Shiva. An aura of pulsating color surrounded her. I sputtered and coughed the liquid out of my lungs, collapsing into my benefactor’s arms. My head rested against a bosom soft and rounded, not hard and bony.


She lifted me as if I were a child, bearing me away to my room, and rolled me belly-down onto my bed. My head lay on its side. The hand stroking the wet hair away from my face felt warm. Lips full and red with blood kissed mine. Was this real, or was I hallucinating?


The Goddess anointed and bandaged my wounds. She pressed her own wrist to my lips restore me. Blood never tasted so sweet. Warm tears bathed my face as she kissed my mouth again, a sweep of silken hair brushing over my arm. As she drew back, my eyes focused, and her image became clear.


A pained hiss passed my cracked lips. “Sandhya?”

Prize winners and new Halloween Giveaway!

The winners for Jamie Magee's giveaway were Winnie and Nikki.  Nikki, we need your email!  Tomorrow, Bertena Varney will be talking about The Lure of the Vampire, her book on vampire legends, books and culture.  I contributed an article to this book, and we're going to co-host a giveaway.  She will be giving an e-copy of her book away, and I'll be giving an e-copy of My Fearful Symmetry.

Bertena Varney's The Lure of the Vampire /ebook Giveaway

A very big welcome to Bertena Varney! 

Bertena has written a fascinating non-fiction book about the iconic figure of the vampire.  I was thrilled when she asked me to contribute an essay to the work.  You'll get to read an excerpt of it later in this post.  Bertena is giving a PDF ebook away to one lucky commenter.  Entry details are at the end of this post. 

Hi everyone. Lure of the Vampire is my first book and has been an interesting project in the making. It began as my final master's paper and grew into a study of vampires from mythology, history, literature, movies, recreation, and much more.

I found that there was not a lot of research in one place that dealt with all aspects of vampires.. or at least not one that covered all aspects from beginning to current lifestylers. So, I thought that this would be the perfect opportunity to create a quick reference guide for vampire fans, writers, and students.

I began the book with essays that came from my paper and then added more research facts, lists and websites. I then looked to several friends of mine who were vampire authors but each from a different genre. For example Elizabeth Loraine writes young adult literature, David Blue MacDowell wrote the Annotated Carmilla, etc. These are just a few, but the vampire author who I felt that the reader would enjoy to read as much as the author would enjoy writing it. So, I chose Denise Verrico to submit an essay dealing with the mythology of vampires.. a subject that she loves so much.

Here is the excerpt:

Since our early history, people have understood that if a human being lost a great deal of blood he or she would die. It’s not surprising that similar myths of blood-drinking monsters arose all over the globe. Usually these stories were connected with sudden or early death of a person. Almost every culture has some sort of vampire myth. Some of them are very colorful. In some legends they are portrayed as seductive men or women, while in others they are bloated corpses. In Malaysian stories they can sparkle ala Twilight. The ancient Assyrians believed in ekimmu, emaciated creatures that drank the blood of people about to die. Chinese vampires or jiangshi hop to get around and feed on a person’s “life force.” Russian vampires were said to be witches who rebelled against the church, while the ancient Greeks believed in the lamiae, female demons that drained the life force of males.

However, it is the folkloric tradition of Eastern Europe that has inspired many of the legends we associate with vampires. In Slavic culture, belief in spirits both good and evil abounded. Demons in either human or animal form were said to feed on the blood of livestock and human beings. Vampires were purported to be the resurrected dead, pale of complexion with long fingernails and elongated teeth that sometimes had only one nostril. They preyed upon their own families and haunted their villages. These were bloated, mindless creatures, more similar to today’s movie zombies than the dashing gentlemen of popular culture.


Differing stories surrounded the creation of vampires. The idea of a vampire simply biting a victim and that person becoming a vampire or some sort of blood exchange taking place between a vampire and the chosen human is a more modern development. In some of the older myths, it is said that if one was destined for vampirism if illegitimate or the seventh son of a seventh son. Death in childbirth or a cat or dog jumping over a corpse could also result in a vampire. Heresy, committing suicide, or engaging in immoral behavior was also said to cause vampirism.


According to myth, destruction of a vampire could be accomplished by differing means. In some places, a bullet was shot into the coffin of a suspected vampire or its clothing nailed in place to prevent it from moving. Staking was not to kill the vampire but to immobilize the creature so it can be decapitated. This could be done with everything from a hatpin to the more commonly known wooden stake, and it was usually done in the abdomen not the heart. Burning of a suspected corpse was another method of destruction.

Many of these legends of Eastern Europe, along with the stories surrounding of the real life Vlad Tepes, inspired Bram Stoker to write the most famous vampire tale of all time, Dracula. Vlad Dracul (son of the dragon), or Vlad the Impaler, was a 15th century Wallachian prince. As a boy of eleven, the Ottoman Turks took him hostage along with his brother, Radu the Handsome. It is probable that during his captivity at the Ottoman court Vlad suffered sexual abuse. This may have caused him to develop his deep hatred for his former captors. When his brother converted to Islam and went on to serve the Sultan this served to intensify his hatred. These factors may well have also inspired him to invent a particularly ghoulish way of dealing with his enemies.

Denise's essay is just a taste of what Lure of the Vampire offers. If you love movies, television, or literature then the lists and websites will provide you with so many resources that you can spend days learning more about the vampire in pop culture.

The essays discuss topics such as vampire romance, teens and the use of the vampire as a learning how to be a teen, Dracula movies, Carmilla, and even how vampries are used in religion.

There are ten sections of the book that also provides a very generous bibliography. But, the end of the book deals with the people who consider themselves real life vampires. There are interviews that are very telling and personal accounts of both a vampire magician as well as the New England Council of Vampires.



Lure of the Vampire is a unique and very different book with a unique spin on how it is written. This is just not a project of one but a project of many. It's a book tht helps you choose the vampire that you could love forever.

Lure of the Vampire contains essays from authors: Denise Verrico - David MacDowell Blue - Charles E. Butler - C.J. Ellisson – BittenTwice – Elizabeth Loraine

Interviews with: Vampiric Council of New England, Vlad the Gothic Vampire Magician , Audrey Koogler, Vampire Priestess , and Hugo Pecos, creator of The Federal Vampire and Zombie Agency

About the Author:

Bertena Varney is from Winchester, KY and currently resides in Bowling Green, KY. She attended Morehead State University where she received the following degrees:

- B.A. in Social Science and Education - M.A. in Social Science and Education

- M.A. in Sociology and Criminology - Rank 2 Secondary Education Certification

While in college She used all of her extra essays, projects and independent study classes to study vampires in pop culture….thus the creation of Lure of the Vampire.

She has been employed as a middle and high school as well as college instructor. Here past employers include Morehead State University She has been employed Morehead State University, Eastern Kentucky University and National College and will be lecturing at Bowling Green Community College in the fall.

Currently she is planning her lecture tour schedule. In the past she has presented papers at conference such as Sirens in Vail, Colorado and The Harry Potter Witching Hour in Salem, Mass. Currently she is scheduled for ScareFest, Dance on the Dark Side and A Day of Mystical Blood Lust.

She is also planning to begin a vampirology course based upon her studies of vampires in pop culture.

Paperback Link

Find Bertena on the web:

Facebook- http://on.fb.me/g8C0Zr

Her writing website is http://www.bertenavarney.com/

Her vampire research website http://searchforthelure.webs.com/

Twitter@tenavarney

Goodreads - http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4837666.Bertena_Varney

To sign up for her newsletter go here. http://eepurl.com/exZYQ

Book Trailer- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPMyiYjS6Y0

Kindle Link

Contest Details

To enter, become a follower of this blog (if you already follow here that is fine), and Bertena's website, www.bertenavarney.com, tweet this article and leave a comment here that you did so. Winner will be chosen by random drawing.  The contest will run until Saturday, 8/6/11 at Noon EDT. The winner will be announced here on Saturday and contacted by email, so please make sure your email address is included.  Good Luck!

Info on Bertena's Book:

Lure of the Vampire: A Pop Culture Reference Book of Lists, Websites and Very Personal Essays

By Bertena Varney, M.A.

Paperback: 176 pages

Also available as an ebook

Publisher: Search for the Lure

Published: June 22, 2011

ISBN-10: 0615501567

ISBN-13: 978-0615501567

Lure of the Vampire contains essays from authors: Denise Verrico - David MacDowell Blue - Charles E. Butler - C.J. Ellisson – BittenTwice – Elizabeth Loraine

Interviews with: Vampiric Council of New England, Vlad the Gothic Vampire Magician , Audrey Koogler, Vampire Priestess , and Hugo Pecos, creator of The Federal Vampire and Zombie Agency