This week I'm featuring Beck Sherman's Revamp! You can pick it up on Amazon for only $.99!
The same questions asked of my last two guests, Rebecca Hamilton and Wynne Channing, were asked of Beck Sherman, so here we go! A look into the vampire world of Revamp:
How are the vampires in your world different from others?
I guess you could say that you wouldn’t go to bed with a vampire from Revamp. Unless you wanted to wake up (not wake up?) without a head, your blood a Jackson Pollock on the wall.
They bite, they plunge, they tear, they rip, they drink, they are to be feared.
The hermits are the worst offenders. Vampires that “missed a step” while changing from human to undead. My heroine, Emma, refers to them as “special needs” vampires, but limb-less, thought-less, your blood is the only thing that drives them. And what they’re lacking in body parts and smarts, they make up for in insatiable thirst. That’s how they’ll get you.
Do the vampires in your world possess any of the traditional vampire traits? No reflection? Burning in the sun? Being immortal? Aversion to crosses, holy water and/or garlic? Turning into a bat? Killed by a wooden stake? Fangs? Other?
I wanted to model the main Revamp vampires after the archetypical vampire. When I say that, everyone probably automatically thinks of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, though, funny enough, Dracula and his fanged consorts could go out in daylight without bursting into flames. However, Revamp vampires must avoid the sun, are immortal, have a distaste for crosses and holy water, a piercing of the heart kills them, whether by stake or hollow-point bullets or something more creative. Revamp vampires are also shrouded in a bit of mystery. The reader learns with the characters what these monsters are capable of, and just when you think you got them pegged, they surprise you.
Why did you choose to write about vampires?
Well, I had a dream. A vampire floating in cobwebs of mist. And when I woke up, there was a bit of blood on my lip. I had bitten it while asleep. I got a tissue and wiped the blood away and that’s when I knew. Then and there I knew that the world just had to meet Emma and Cooper. Kidding. The whole “I dreamed about this book” really did take off with authors, though, didn’t it? As an avid horror fan, vampires have always intrigued me. In my opinion, vampires are the #1 monster, and then serial killers, the real monsters, which is what my second book is about.
Do you remember the first vampire story you read in a book or watched on a movie or television show?
The Lost Boys was my portal into the world of vampires. After I saw that movie, I needed to get my hands on anything and everything vampire. Of course, back then there wasn’t as much out there starring the undead. You had to really dig for it. But maybe that made it more worth it in the end, when you found something really good. Like Salem’s Lot by Stephen King or They Thirst by Robert McCammon.
What makes vampire stories appealing in today’s pop culture?
People are fascinated by death and the mystery surrounding it. In the same way, they’re fascinated by life. To have this being that’s kind-of dead but lives forever, and, in essence, is cheating death, there’s mass appeal there. Throw in a bit of eternal love with a pale, angsty bad boy vamp and women swoon. Revamp isn’t that type of vampire book, though.
If someone were to see one of your vampires on the street, what would their reaction be? Fear? Attraction? No unique reaction from that of seeing a human?
If you see a Revamp vampire on the street, you’d better have a weapon or human reinforcement. If not, you better run. Run fast. And don’t look back. Because it’s likely, and highly unfortunate, that that one vampire has just turned into fifty.
And Now My review of Revamp!
Revamp was a great read.
Beck Sherman has well-developed characters, an action-packed story with great plot pacing and it's also well-written.
Now, the length might scare you a bit, but let me tell you that it shouldn't. The story is artfully broken up with flashbacks from some of the main characters. Each flashback could potentially be a stand-alone, well-written short story.
By breaking up the story with these flashbacks, Beck Sherman has successfully written a long book that keeps you interested til the very end. The insight into the lives of each character and how they had to deal with the what was going on around them was brilliant.
Oh, and the horror element is so awesome. This isn't just horror this is HORROR. This book is not for the faint of heart.
There are few things that make me cringe, and some of those things are in this book. Beck has set up a few triggers throughout Revamp that will appeal to your deepest fears.
There are some true horror scenes in this book and it's definitely not "soft" horror either. If you love horror, pick this book up now!!!!
Here are some Links to Beck Sherman and Revamp!
Goodreads Author Page | Amazon Authors Page
Amazon (US) | Amazon (UK)
Goodreads | Lulu
For even more info on Beck and other great authors, visit The Fiction Bookshelf!
Goodreads | Lulu
For even more info on Beck and other great authors, visit The Fiction Bookshelf!
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