In the lead-up to Mardi Gras, we spoke with Daniel de Lorne about writing gay characters, representation, and why romance matters…
Daniel de Lorne – Why Romance?
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Tag Archives: Romantic horror
Christmas Earworms: Good King Wenceslas
by Daniel de Lorne
My favourite Christmas carol is Good King Wenceslas. When I was about 10, my cousin and I used to play a lot of Christmas duets on the piano. They were probably simple arrangements, but for me they were filled with a fun type of stress. She played the second part and I had the melody. Good King Wenceslas was my favourite of the lot, especially the part where it goes “Brightly shone the moon that night.” There was something rousing about those notes and I learned the whole lot off by heart.
That year I’d decided we’d have carols on Christmas Day when my family and my cousin’s family would come together to open presents. I’d spent weeks (or maybe it was only days) typing out the words to the carols and arranging them in a booklet, printing seven and colouring in specially designed covers. They were a work of art.
The day arrived and we played about 12 Christmas carols for the family going through a whole lot of the classics – Silent Night, Deck the Halls, Angels We Have Heard on High and of course Good King Wenceslas. All five verses. I’m sure the adults were wondering when it would all end, but they kept that to themselves and we had fun bashing out the tunes.
Years later when I was in Prague I quietly sang Good King Wenceslas while wandering through Wenceslas Square. I don’t think I’d even considered he was a real person before then at age 22.
I was trying to find a cartoon version of Good King Wenceslas that I remember from my childhood but couldn’t find it within the billions of videos on YouTube so here’s an Irish version that’s a lot more sprightly.
From the author of the romantic horror debut Beckoning Blood comes the gripping sequel that mixes blood, sex, and magic.
No-one gets to choose who they spend eternity with.
Aurelia d’Arjou has vampires for brothers, but it is as a witch that she comes into her own power, keeping balance and control, using her strength to mitigate the death and pain that her brothers bring. When she is forced to take on the centuries long task of keeping the world safe from the brutal demon that wore her father’s skin, duty dominates her life. But rare happiness comes in the form of a beguiling, flame-haired oracle who makes the perfect companion…but for one thing.
Hame doesn’t want to be an oracle, but when a demon destroys the closest thing to a father he has, he has little choice but to aid Aurelia with his visions. Unable to love her as she would wish, their centuries-old friendship comes under attack when a handsome Welsh witch enters his life – and his heart.
As treachery and betrayal push Hame to choose between his closest friend and his lover, it becomes clear that when it comes to war, love doesn’t always conquer all, and happy endings are never guaranteed.
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Happy Hallowe’en from Escape Publishing!
Looking for things that go bump (ahem) in the night? Check out our paranormal titles!
Ready for the next level and some romantic horror? May we humbly suggest these titles?
Romances Celebrating Pride
Google Play is currently running a promotion on LGBTQI romances that include some fantastic Escape titles. If you’d like to celebrate Mardi Gras with some queer romance, may we humbly suggest the following?
A gripping, blood-drenched saga about twin brothers, the men they love, and the enduring truth that true love never dies — no matter how many times you kill it.
From Goodreads: “If you love your fiction dark, bloody, and breathtaking, you will love this book.”
From Daniel:
Bonds of Blood isn’t just your average series of gay love stories. Gritty, blood-thirsty and passionate, it brings into the light the love that has until now been hidden in the shadows. I love writing in this genre, adding my own voice for the mostly female readers of gay romance to discover.
From the author of the romantic horror debut Beckoning Blood comes the gripping sequel that mixes blood, sex, and magic.
From Goodreads: “graphic in its presentation; impassioned in its friendship; burning with the immortality of love.”
Falling for her best friend was never going to make life easy.
From Goodreads: “a quick, light, airy read that I would recommend to any rock star readers”
An all-access pass to Sex, Love, and Rock ‘N Roll. Because what happens on tour doesn’t always stay on tour…
From Goodreads: “an intimate exploration of the M/M dynamic but … this story is also about the journeys we take on the path to finding ourselves”
Hallowe’en Mini-Series: When I First Fell in Love with Vampires
by Daniel De Lorne
I can’t quite pinpoint when I first became aware of vampires. I’ve been plumbing the depths of my memory but there doesn’t seem to be a specific moment.
General ghosts and ghouls, a fascination with the supernatural and a love/fear relationship withhorror movies started early, encouraged by my older cousin.
Though, if I’m honest, I enjoyed Count Duckula more than Count Dracula.
Yet, there must have been some fascination with the blood-sucking fiends because I went trick-or-treating as a vampire on more than one occasion (at least once with my sister dressed as a butterfly).
But though I can’t remember the genesis of my preoccupation, I remember when my intrigue with Anne RIce’s particular brand of vampire began.
I was 17 and at Perth airport, waiting to board a plane to Italy. I was going on a school trip and I’d packed some books to read, however, I needed more.
That’s when I saw Anne Rice’s The Vampire Armand.
Now, Interview with the Vampire had been made into a movie years before but perhaps I was too young or too unobservant to notice it, so it wasn’t until The Vampire Armand hit the shelves in 1999 that I got my first taste of The Vampire Chronicles.
I bought the book, stuffed it into my luggage and set off for Italy.
The trip lasted a month, taking us all over the country, from Rome and Naples, to Florence and Perugia, then up to Milan and finally Venice. That’s when I sank my teeth into The Vampire Armand.
If you’re not familiar with the book, it’s about the cherubic red-headed vampire Armand, created in the 16th century by the two-thousand-year-old vampire, Marius.
Enraptured by Armand’s beauty and piousness, he ‘adopts’ the boy and eventually, to ‘save’ his life, turns him into a vampire.
The cover had a lot to do with me picking up this book. It’s not sexually overt but the face on the cover has full, pouting lips, red, tendril hair…and a hummingbird.
It was 2000. I was confused, obviously.
But reading the book, I became enamoured with the richness of Anne Rice’s world-building. She is a master at research and it showed as she delved into Armand’s life in the Orthodox church, through to the Doge years of Venice and then all the way up to modern times.
Here were vampires that weren’t soulless blood suckers but were more human than monster.
Obviously being in Venice while reading the book helped cement the world for me but as soon as I returned to Australia, I devoured as many of Anne Rice’s books as I could, starting with Interview with the Vampire.
The next few years I eagerly awaited each new instalment, unable to slow down and read them leisurely but instead gorging on them as fast as possible.
It was a compulsion that took me well into university where I even wrote my Honours thesis on — you guessed it — Armand.
While I don’t profess to be anywhere near as good as Anne Rice, one of the greatest compliments I’ve received about my own books is that they remind readers of her style and the construction of her vampires.
I enjoy writing visually rich stories about soulful monsters of the night, who – in all honesty – you wouldn’t mind nibbling on your neck.
So while I don’t remember my early love of vampires, it’s of no real consequence. With age came a greater appreciation of what vampires could do and be and it’s served me well.
I hope that if you read my books, you’ll pick up on that – and maybe even join us on the dark side too.
Happy Halloween.
Daniel de Lorne writes dark tales of ruin, romance and redemption. He is the author of the gruesome gay romantic horror novels, Beckoning Blood and Burning Blood. When he’s not creating imaginary worlds and creatures, he and his husband explore as much of this world as they can. You can find out more about him at http://www.danieldelorne.com.
A gripping, blood-drenched saga about twin brothers, the men they love, and the enduring truth that true love never dies — no matter how many times you kill it.
Thierry d’Arjou has but one escape from the daily misery of his work at a medieval abattoir — Etienne de Balthas. But keeping their love a secret triggers a bloody chain of events that condemns Thierry to a monstrous immortality. Thierry quickly learns that to survive his timeless exile, he must hide his sensitive heart from the man who both eases and ensures his loneliness…his twin brother.
Shaped by the fists of a brutal father, Olivier d’Arjou cares for only two things: his own pleasure and his twin. But their sadistic path through centuries is littered with old rivals and new foes, and Olivier must fight for what is rightfully his – Thierry, made immortal just for him.
May Titles Bloom Into Life
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Six Feet Under meets Stephanie Plum in Amy Andrews’ fresh, funny, sexy urban-family noir about a country singer who almost made it, a private investigator who’s seen too much and a mother who will cross all barriers to save her child.
Revisit Swallow’s Fall in this beautiful short novel from Jennie Jones about an ex-military man, a single mother and the impossibility of dreams coming true.
From the author of the romantic horror debut Beckoning Blood comes the gripping sequel that mixes blood, sex, and magic.
Finally, all the Housewives are together at last – with four bonus stories…
Secrets Revealed! Bonus four epilogues, exclusive to this digital bind-up!
You’ve never met housewives as hot as these…They’re wealthy and glamorous. The elite of society. But appearances can be deceiving.
#AllHallowsRead – Romantic Horror with Daniel De Lorne
by Daniel De Lorne
What better time of year than Halloween to indulge your fearful fascination with monsters of a toothy variety. So lock the door, grab a crucifix, eat some garlic-flavoured popcorn and settle in to watch some of my favourite vampire movies.
If you’re a fan of Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles and you want to see Brad Pitt as a vampire, then check out this classic. It chronicles the vampire Louis’ life as an immortal from New Orleans to old Paris as he tries to find meaning in his bloody existence. Tom Cruise plays Lestat de Lioncourt, the loveable Brat Prince, and Kirsten Dunst cuts a sad figure as the vicious child-vampire.
Favourite moment: Lestat’s return from the dead and subsequent burning. Nasty.
Note: Avoid the movie version of Queen of the Damned.
2. Only Lovers Left Alive
Tom Hiddleston? Tilda Swinton? What’s not to love? This slow-paced but infinitely rich film takes a looks at a slice of the lives of old vampires Adam and Eve. Adam lives in Detroit, enjoying life as a reclusive musical genius. But he’s troubled, and his wife Eve comes to cheer him up. There is further disturbance when Eve’s younger sister arrives. Lots of black humour in here and it’s more of a meditation on life than a bloodfest, but well worth a look.
Favourite moment: “You drank Ian!”
3. Underworld 
Dark, violent and action-packed, Underworld shows us a world where vampires and werewolves fight an underground war. The mythology behind it all is a lot of fun, Kate Beckinsale makes a mean fighter, and Bill Nighy rocks it as one of the vampires’ undead rulers. The other films in the franchise leave a little to be desired but the first film is good viewing.
Favourite moment: The final battle scene, particularly Selene’s skills with a sword.
4. What We Do In The Shadows
This one will have you laughing more than hiding behind the covers. It’s a New Zealand “documentary” about four vampires who share a house in Wellington. It’s a great romp for any fan of the vampire genre. Werewolves and zombies also get a look in, as does the New Zealand Police Force.
Favourite moment: “We’re werewolves, not swear-wolves.”
5. Dracula Untold
A new vampire epic telling the story of how Vlad the Impaler became Dracula. Lots of special effects and battles, but surprisingly a decent storyline. Mixing in some horror, a bit of a love story, lush genre conventions and a strong hero with a really nice body.
Favourite moment: A giant weapon made of real-live bats
And finally, if you’re looking for some gritty and sexy vampires between the (book) covers, check out my novel, Beckoning Blood. It’s about twin vampires, Olivier and Thierry, the men they love and the terror and damage they wreak through the centuries. No sparkly vampires here. You’re in for a devilish treat.
Happy Halloween!
A gripping, blood-drenched saga about twin brothers, the men they love, and the enduring truth that true love never dies — no matter how many times you kill it.
Thierry d’Arjou has but one escape from the daily misery of his work at a medieval abattoir — Etienne de Balthas. But keeping their love a secret triggers a bloody chain of events that condemns Thierry to a monstrous immortality. Thierry quickly learns that to survive his timeless exile, he must hide his sensitive heart from the man who both eases and ensures his loneliness…his twin brother.
Shaped by the fists of a brutal father, Olivier d’Arjou cares for only two things: his own pleasure and his twin. But their sadistic path through centuries is littered with old rivals and new foes, and Olivier must fight for what is rightfully his – Thierry, made immortal just for him.
For a chance to win a copy of Daniel’s book, leave a comment sharing your favourite vampire (or incarnation of a vampire) in any media. Bonus points if you include a photo/fanart/drawing/etching.
Remember to include your email so we can notify you if you are the winner!
#AllHallowsRead – all this week!
We’re supporting All Hallow’s Read this year, with four scary books, each scary in a different way. Visit the blog each day this week for thrills and chills – and your chance to win a copy of the featured book!
For more information on All Hallow’s Read, you can check out their website here.
The Escapades 