Under the Desert Moon by Emma Meade.
For all of you vampire lovers out there, I have another vampire to introduce you to.
Nothing ever happens in Copperfield, Arizona, a rundown desert mining town. The miners left long ago.
That’s why Erin wishes she were anywhere but here. At least her job at The Oracle, the town cinema, gets her out of the house and she gets to see the movies for free.
One night changes everything, shaking up Erin’s world. Nick, her twin brother, bursts into her bedroom to tell her something exciting. A movie crew is in town to film a horror film. This gets Erin’s blood pumping. She hopes for a good ghost story.
Erin and Nick rush down to the local diner to get a look-see at the cast and crew. Her gaze is drawn to a young man sitting in the back. He has a certain something that calls to her. She thinks he looks familiar but can’t recall from where.
His name is James Linkin(I like the name) and he plays the lead in the movie, a vampire. Even better than a ghost story, Erin thinks.
Erin doesn’t realize she is staring at James, until their eyes meet. He holds her gaze and she feels shaky and aroused. Where did that come from? And his eyes, she’d never seen eyes like his before. As an aspiring photographer, she’d love to get a picture of them and add it to her portfolio.
It’s inevitable that Erin and James would meet. She hires on to the production as a roaming photographer, taking pictures of the film from behind the scenes, kind of a diary of the making of it. What surprises both of them is the strong magnetism that pulls them towards each other. But Erin senses the bad boy in James. She is perceptive and knows James is hiding something.
That feeling of familiarity she had the first time she saw James was real. She knows where she remembers him from, a rerun of an old sitcom she used to watch with her mom when she was a kid. He had a different name then, but it was him, she was sure of it! But how could that be?
Can you see what’s coming? Even if you’ve guessed that James is a vampire, that is only the beginning of the story!
I had a lot of fun reading Under the Desert Moon.
James was bored and decided to try to make a comeback in the movie business, as someone else of course. He shouldn’t have chosen a small town to do it. There is anonymity in a large town. It’s not long before people start to figure out what he is. He couldn’t resist temptation and was discovered many times in the act of drinking someones blood. His ability to erase memories was iffy, and sometimes it didn’t work at all. This lead to some amusing scenes that I really had fun with! He isn’t very good at hiding what he is. Perhaps he stays in character too much, and that’s why he lands in so much trouble.
Erin now knows what he is but is conflicted in her feelings for him, he drinks blood after all! And how could she know if he erased her memories? How do you trust a vampire? And more importantly, how do you love one?
I kept getting this feeling that the story had a dark, noir feel to it. Then I realized why. I once watched this movie called Shadow of the Vampire. It too was about a vampire playing the role of a vampire in a movie. Although the vampire in this movie wasn’t young and handsome, it’s what was nagging me while I read Under the Desert Moon. I just kept picturing the story in black and white. It added a chill to the story.
The story is engaging from the beginning and there are several characters that are important. Their parts in the story helped me to connect with them. Some are funny, some are hopeless, and some I would like to kick to the curb, you know the ones, they like to make themselves look better by belittling you. This made it more real for me.
Under the Desert Moon is a really good story. It’s not only about vampires. I enjoyed Emma’s writing style and I’ll be watching for more of her books.
Loved this!
Emma’s writing style and the way she made her vampire vulnerable, almost human with his flaws, got her this rating! And of course, the great story!
I have a treat for ya’ll today! Emma’s here for an interview.
It is so exciting to have you here Emma. We are always chatting back and forth and now I have you right where I want you. In the authors seat! So why don’t you begin by telling us about yourself.
Thanks, Laura. Glad to be here. I’ve been a follower of your blog for a while and enjoy it.
I loved the noir feel I got while reading Under the Desert Moon. This book would be a great movie filmed in black and white! Where did your idea for the story come from and what genre would you classify it as?
Wow. I never considered it noir but I think it would look great shot in black and white, or perhaps just the scenes where James and the movie crew are shooting Kiss of the Vampire. I can keep dreaming!
It started off simply enough. I had an image in my head of a small town girl staring out her bedroom window, looking onto a desert landscape and admiring the beauty of the moon. But this girl also felt trapped and wanted desperately to escape to the bigger world. That girl became Erin and the story evolved from her. The genre would be paranormal I guess.
How did you choose the names for your characters?
I didn’t put much thought into it. I think James is a strong, masculine name. Almost every James I’ve met in real life has been a real lad, a bit cheeky and a little arrogant, but always up for a laugh. I’m not sure where I got Erin from. I just like the name. Noah Phoenix is a tribute to River Phoenix, an actor who had huge potential but died way too soon.
What is the most challenging thing about writing for you?
Um, the actual writing part. Sometimes every single word is a struggle and then every once in a while, I’ll get a burst of inspiration and write 5,000 words in one sitting.
What do you think makes for a good story?
The characters. Build strong, vibrant characters and I think you’ll draw readers.
When people read the book, they will see the significance of your title. Where did the title for your book come from?
Again, just the image of a young girl staring out her bedroom window into a desert wilderness. I think the moon has always been symbolic of the paranormal and features heavily in gothic fiction, so it had to appear in the title.
What kind of books do you like to read and what are you reading now?
Paranormal mostly, but I just finished The Mystery of Mercy Close by Irish writer, Marian Keyes, a blend of comedy and drama. I love her books.
What are you working on now and can you tell us something about it?
I’m working on a paranormal book called Night Whispers. I self-published a short story collection, Night Sighs last year and fell totally in love with the characters, so I decided to write a full length novel based on the vampires, Alex and Tristan.
Five Fun Shorts!
1) What is your favorite supernatural being?
Vampire, of course 🙂
2) Do you believe in vampires?
No. Do you think I’m crazy?
3) Would you like to meet a vampire?
Sure, if they were Spike, Stefan, Damon or Eric Northman!
4) If you were a vampire, would you be:
a) sparkly
b) reluctant
c) down and dirty
Down and dirty, all the way. Good question ha ha.
5) Who would you pick as your mate, if you were a vampire? Can’t say your husband or boyfriend!
Hmm. Elijah from The Vampire Diaries. But then again, I’ve been in love with Edward Cullen for the past 4 years too. Tough one, Laura. Tough one.
I loved having you here Emma. Now we all know you much better. Can’t wait for the next time. Thanks so much.
Cheers, Laura. You can be sure I’ll be back here soon.
And so you can see what I mean about why this book kept feeling noir to me. For some reason this is how I felt while reading the book. It really made me feel a connection.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyBt5DDFcQY]
About Emma Meade
Author of Nights Sighs and Under the Desert Moon.
Emma Meade writes paranormal fiction.
She lives in rainy Ireland and loves all things supernatural including: vampires, slayers, witches, ghosts, aliens & shadow men (or at least the youngest of the shadow men), and regular people who live extraordinary lives (think Slayerettes and you’re on the right track). One of her favourite authors is L.J. Smith and Stephen King’s The Stand is one of her most loved books. Books, dvds & tv show boxsets take up lots of space in her home and she collects all the Point Horror books she can get her hands on.
She is not ashamed to admit that Dirty Dancing and Twilight make her top ten movie list but wishes to point out that The Last of the Mohicans, Reality Bites, Dead Poets Society, Stand by Me and The Goonies are in there too.
Writing supernatural short stories, watching marathon re-runs of Buffy and attempting to complete novels are some of her favourite ways of escaping reality.
You can find Emma here:
http://emmameade.com
Http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4229395.Emma_Meade
http://www.twitter.com/emmameade83
To purchase her books just click on the images below.
