Running With Quills: Jayne Reads: NIGHT LIFE

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Jayne Reads: NIGHT LIFE

Jayne, here, again. Yes, I know this is usually Elizabeth Guest's slot but since she can't make it today, I'm blogging for her. It dawned on me that this would be the perfect opportunity to finish off my mini-series of blogs on books written by my sister Quills. So, today, I give you:

NIGHT LIFE by Elizabeth Guest

The Story: Egyptologist Christine Day is drawn to the Royal Palace hotel/casino in Las Vegas by its breathtaking authenticity. Turns out there's a reason why the casino is so realistic, right down to the hieroglyphs on the walls: The owner, Adrian King, is an ancient Egyptian king who has awakened in the modern era to find himself on the brink of becoming an "Eater of Blood and Breaker of Bones" -- the Egyptian version of a vampire.

Why I Read the Book: The vampire story is hugely popular but has, in my opinion, become predictable and derivative. I was looking for a different take and NIGHT LIFE is definitely it.

What I Got from the Book: A very romantic rather than bloody/gory version of the vampire story. Adrian King is not a foul-mouthed, hardassed hero who has to use the "F" word in every third sentence. This guy was once a sophisticated Egyptian king and he still has the style and the elegant manners!

One of the Author's Unique Talents: Elizabeth Guest delivers a fascinating twist on the vampire story by drawing on the mythology of Ancient Egypt. Her research is solid which makes it all the more intriguing.

What the Author Had to Say About Her Own Book:

"People frequently ask what inspired me to write a paranormal vampire romance. In one word: Seti. I created the ancient pharaoh Merneptah Seti first. As I wrote about him, I fell in love with the character. I knew I had to find the right kind of contemporary story in which to bring this man to life. I've also had a lifelong fascination with ancient pharaonic Egypt. NIGHT LIFE, NIGHT HUNGER, and future books in the Pharaohs Rising series are a dream come true for me!" ...E.G.

Last Word: Romantic

Until next time,
Jayne

21 Comments:

Ranurgis said...: This is the only vampire story I've ever liked and I like it a lot.

I tried to read a few before, but they always put me off. For some reason, I'm a real wimp about blood and gore. After seeing a documentary on the man who supposedly inspired the vampire lore, I felt even more averse to putting them on my leisure reading list.

I also like Pharaonic Egypt and can hardly wait for EG's next book to come out. Thanks, Elizabeth, for writing this more grounded, researched type of "vampire" story.; 8:49 PM
Carrie from Wisconsin said...: I haven't read the book yet because I haven't got to that part of my list yet, but I have to agree with Jayne about the sophistication in writing.

I find that I tend toward authors that don't use the f-bomb or other cuss words of that nature. I'm not really sure why. I don't mind an occasional f-bomb, if the situation in the book calls for it, but it really has to be properly placed.

I guess I just prefer a more sophisticated way of writing a character's response to a given situation.

I think that's why I like period novels, medieval and most sci-fi/fantasy novels because the words either haven't been invented or never thought of. It may seem a small thing, but to me it's a huge bonus if a book doesn't have modern cuss words in it.

To all writers that do not use cuss words or only use them infrequently:
Thank you, thank you, thank you!; 12:09 AM
Darla said...: I loved it...when is Night Hunger coming out?; 6:49 AM
Elizabeth Guest said...: Thank you, Jayne, for the wonderful blog about NIGHT LIFE! (And thank you for blogging in my place.)

I believe that the ancient Egyptians were an elegant and a highly sensual people, so my new series is elegant, but also very sexy and sensual. :-)

Happy Wednesday!
~EG; 8:18 AM
Elizabeth Guest said...: ranurgis, I'm thrilled to hear you enjoyed NIGHT LIFE. It is a unique twist on the vampire story.

I wanted my version to be about the triumph of good over evil, of redemption through love and sacrifice, especially the love between a man and a woman that can endure beyond life and death.

By the way, the term "Eater of Blood and Breaker of Bones" comes right out of the ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead, so the idea of vampires existed long before Dracula, Vlad the Impaler, etc.

~EG; 8:31 AM
Elizabeth Guest said...: carrie from wisconsin: Language, including profanity, has to be apropriate for the "world" an author has created. I knew from the start that my ancient Egyptians would not use 21st century profanity. It just didn't feel right to me in a series that blends the ancient & elegant with the modern.

~EG; 8:38 AM
Elizabeth Guest said...: Darla said: I loved it...when is Night Hunger coming out?

Thank you, Darla. It is always a thrill to hear that someone has loved reading a book that I loved writing. :-)

NIGHT HUNGER is tentatively coming out in July 2008. But that date is NOT carved in stone. I will announce the release date here at RWQ as soon as it's definite.

~EG; 8:43 AM
Stella said...: Okay, my Egypt-expert friend, I need the pronunciation for Tutankahamen (that's right, can't even spell it). I've always said, Tootankaman:) What is it really?

Elizabeth Guest writes her sexy vampire stories in a manner that makes sure the books cannot be put down.

Thanks for giving us another inside look, Jayne.

Stella; 3:18 PM
Elizabeth Guest said...: Stella, There are actually several spellings with slightly different pronunciations: Tutankhamen and Tutankhamun.

We can't go wrong by calling the famous pharaoh "King Tut." :-)

~EG
P.S. Maybe agtigress can help us out here. She's the real expert.; 3:33 PM
karende said...: I mostly don’t care for vampire stories, with the exception of those written by Anne Rice and Laurell K Hamilton. I expect I won’t be able to read this, I’ll have to wait until I find an unabridged recording - then I expect to enjoy it, because it definitely doesn’t sound like the run of the mill carbon copies.

The one exception to vampire stories are the old Lon Chaney/Bela Lugosi movies. Those were terrific!

karibear; 7:04 PM
Lori Foster said...: I love the blood and gore vampires too, and the unique Carpathians that Chris Feehan writes, but EG, this sounds FASCINATING!
Jayne, thanks for the glimpse into her new series. I can't wait!
Romantic and sexy vampires sound right up my alley!

Hugs,

Lori; 4:57 AM
Elizabeth Guest said...: So many different stories; so many different "takes" on the vampire legend, but underneath always about danger and seduction.

Thanks again, Jayne, for writing about NIGHT LIFE. Thank you everyone for your comments. (Lori, I, too, find Christine Feehan's Carpathians unique and romantic.)

~EG; 6:53 AM
AgTigress said...: Just saw my name invoked. :-)
Pronunciation of ancient Egyptian names varies a good deal, not least because the variant pronunciations in different modern languages, chiefly English, French and German, all have some currency. Also, as in modern Arabic, the vowels are mostly a matter of guesswork.
It's fine to pronounce Tutankhamun in the traditional, popular way (caps and italics show the stress) - 'Tootan-KA-men'. Most Egyptologists say 'Tootan-ka-MOON'. The name of the god Amun, which is incorporated, is likely to have been stressed, I think.
However, I am not an Egyptologist myself, though I hang out with them quite a bit.
:-D; 9:28 AM
DFender said...: Thanks, Jayne!
Loving all things ancient, including Egypt, I loved the newest paranormal twist from EG. Can't wait for the next!
Deb; 10:08 AM
Elizabeth Guest said...: agtigress~thank you! You may not officially be an Egyptologist, but you certainly qualify as an expert in my book.

In comparison, I'm simply a well-read rank amateur. :-)
~EG; 12:56 PM
Elizabeth Guest said...: Deb said: I loved the newest paranormal twist from EG. Can't wait for the next!

Thank you for the vote of confidence, Deb, especially on a cold, rainy day when the words are flowing quite as quickly as I wish they would. :-)

Have a great weekend all!
~EG; 12:59 PM
Elizabeth Guest said...: AREN'T flowing...

Apparently my internal spellchecker is a tad off, too. :-)

~EG; 1:01 PM
Ranurgis said...: I'm glad that "Night Hunger" will be coming out soon.

Does that mean that you have finished it and are working on the next one?

As Carrie stated, I too am definitely someone who prefers her writing without the "common" words. I'll still read some authors with that type of language that I've liked for some time, but I'm not picking up any new ones. I guess I'm just old-fashioned, straight-laced, whatever, and that's just one reason why I like Jayne's books too.; 1:38 PM
Elizabeth Guest said...: ranurgis~Thank you for asking. I will begin writing the third book in the Pharaohs Rising series next month. Tentative title--very tentative: NIGHT FIRE.

Happy weekend!
~EG; 8:11 AM
Stella said...: atigress--I should have thought to ask you at once:) My brother pronounced the name correctly but I argued (I should know better) that it sounded odd.

Stella; 7:08 PM
TeenAuthor said...: I fulfilled a lifelong dream by visiting the Pyramids of Giza on my 15th Birthday, and I've always been interested in Egypt ever since I was a kid. Normally Egypt paranormal stories involve mummies, however THIS is something I just have to check out, Egyptian Vampires + Las Vegas, home of glitter (which I have also visited and greatly enjoyed despite being too young to play the wheel) = Awesome!; 9:29 PM

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Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Jayne Reads: NIGHT LIFE

21 Comments: