We know I loves me some BPAL. Here's some great news from Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab creator Elizabeth Barrial:
Beth and Dell will be signing their book, "Vampires Don't Sleep Alone"*, at Dark Delicacies this Sunday, July 11, at 2pm. V. M. K. Fewings* and Maggie MacKeever* will also be signing their books that afternoon!
As some of you may know, I co-authored a book with Del Howison last winter, "Vampires Don't Sleep Alone"*. This is a bit about the book that I posted elsewhere on the forum earlier this evening...
Last year, Del and I were hired to write a guide to dating vampires. The idea of vampire romance has been intriguing to people since Bram Stoker popularized the genre and added a tangible complex sexuality to the lore. Nowadays, you're the odd man out if you don't have vampire fantasies.
Essentially, the premise of the book assumes that vampires are real and that they have recently come out of the crypt, so to speak. It explores the potential challenges found in actually dating vampires. I wrote the deadpan pseudoscience and false history, Del added warmth, contemporary advice, and wit. The project went through many iterations. It was initially supposed to be geared towards teen readers, and then the concept morphed to appeal to a more mature audience. It became both more serious and more tongue-in-cheek as it fleshed out. I'm really, really happy with the way that we tweaked the vampire mythos.
In the end, after months of research, innumerable conversations, eleventybillion rewrites, and much love and tears, the book went to the editor... and here we are.
At the signing event you can be amongst the first to grab one of 10 new scents inspired by "Vampires Don't Sleep Alone"*. You can also get an imp of another scent, Bocal de Sang, if you purchase the book (and any further purchases of the book at Dark Delicacies).
The scents are on the next page, so jump if you wanna read about 'em...
There
have been quite a few scholars and historians among the vampire
population, and over the centuries, repositories of their collective
knowledge have been established all over the globe, the most notable
libraries being in Vienna, Baghdad, Madrid, Kiev, Venice, Kyoto, Santo
Domingo, Damascus, Thebes, and Detroit, though their specific locations
remain shrouded in secrecy. Even in the twenty-first century, there is
still very little trust between Homo sapiens and Homo striga, and
vampires generally feel safer keeping their information among their own
kind, so it is almost impossible for non-vampires to access the
historical records. From time to time, however, information does leak
out, and the following is partially based on Valentina Luzio's
dissertation on intercultural vampire stereotypes, but it has also been
pieced together through information we have gleaned through
conversations with our vampire associates.
Over the centuries,
vampires have classified their own kind, and in the past, these
classifications became the root of a rough caste system that some
vampires still adhere to today. For the most part, though, the terms
are now used as loose slang, similar to the way that humans have coined
phrases to describe those who share related predilections, tastes, and
behaviors. The terms of vampire classification that we have come across
are Cicuta, Interfector, Tombeur, Silenti, Transeo, Philologi,
Misericordia, Vespillo, and Sanctus.
The Cicuta,
also called the Rictus, are least likely to be accepted by human
society, and are, sadly, also the least likely to be accepted by other
vampires in general. Some vampires have a peculiar adverse reaction to
the transference of the vampiric pathogen whereby their physical
appearance is drastically altered: They lose their hair, their features
become elongated, their eyes protrude, and a permanent and irreversible
inflammation of their joints causes stiff movement and a clawlike
rigidity in the hands and feet. Cicuta minds function as any other
vampire's, but their appearance is so startlingly different that they
find it almost impossible to find any acceptance whatsoever among
humans or vampires. Usually these afflicted vampires choose to live in
isolation, either on secluded estates or literally underground.
Occasionally, small groups of Cicutas can be found cohabitating,
finding comfort and companionship with those that share their
condition. The Cicuta were parodied somewhat in F. W. Murnau's 1922
film Nosferatu.
CICUTA
Dry, dusty rose petals, candle smoke, frankincense, and saffron.
There
are two types of vampires that humans, and often other vampires, need
to be wary of: the Interfectors and the Tombeur. The Interfectors are
ruthless killers, ultimate hunters who view humans as livestock. They
are brutal, but not necessarily cruel, and rarely toy with their prey.
Universally, Interfectors perceive their transition into the vampiric
state to be an initiation into a higher state of being, not
transcendent or spiritual in nature, but rather a promotion to the top
of the food chain.
The Interfectors' cousins in savagery, the
Tombeur, are much more complex in their hunting habits and their
perceptions. Like the Interfectors, they perceive their vampirism to be
an initiation into a higher state of being and relegate humans to base
foodstuffs. Unlike the Interfectors, however, the Tombeur are not
straightforward predators, and there is a secondary purpose to their
hunt: sexual gratification. They take full advantage of their saliva's
hypnotic and psychotropic effects on humans, the mystique that
surrounds vampires, the seemingly unnatural attraction some humans have
toward vampires, and the potency of the Tombeurs' own sexual drive to
lure humans into complex carnal relationships that culminate in
feeding. They are consummate seducers, and some Tombeur feed,
completely and terminally, on their conquests, while others create
henchmen that are little more than sex slaves. Neither fate is
something we would recommend to any of our readers.
INTERFECTOR
Ruthless, unfeeling, and inhumanly violent: tobacco, sharp woods, frankincense, and bunn.
TOMBEUR
Deadly
and seductive: vanilla-infused sandalwood, blood musk, antique
patchouli, vetiver, lavender, bitter almond, amber, and a trickle of
Snake Oil.
The Silenti reject human society completely,
and are, quite literally, the living dead. Either due to trauma,
sociopathic psychological conditions they possessed while human, or
through a desire to embrace this peculiar aesthetic, they adopt many of
the stereotypes and trappings of the vampire-as-undead. Some act as
monstrous killers, akin to the murderous ways of Interfectors, while
others are more peaceable, but no less strange. Most of these vampires
choose to live in crypts, haunting graveyards like proverbial ghouls.
Many vampire death cults have sprung from the philosophies and writings
of Silenti, including the House of Azrael, whose members venerate death
itself as the supreme deity and oblivion as heaven.
SILENTI
Grave beauty: Spanish moss, lilac, wisteria, myrrh, and olibanum.
The
Transeo are vampires that have assimilated into human society, often
reaching positions of power. Among the Transeo there are many
celebrated politicians, scientists, businessmen, philosophers, artists,
writers, and musicians, and, surprisingly, a large number of
influential clergy and militarists. Not every Transeo is an illustrious
public figure; many simply desire the comforts associated with
reentering society. In the past, most Transeo posed as humans as best
they could, concealing their true natures. In the twenty-first century,
more and more Transeo are coming out in the open, and they form the
backbone of most vampire-acceptance movements.
TRANSEO
A
cologne that (almost) blends well into human society: benzoin, orange
blossom, cumin, King mandarin, gaiac wood, juniper berry, Calabrian
bergamot, Ceylon cinnamon, and blood camouflaged by wine.
The
Misericordia, or Tristis, are vampires that are consumed with a longing
to regain their lost humanity, some to the point of being driven mad by
the desire to be human once more. The shock of their transition into
vampirism and the rejection they faced from friends and loved ones was
devastating, and it compromises their ability to find solace and
comfort. Unlike the Transeo, Misericordia cannot merge into human
society, but are relegated by their own grief to the position of
outsiders. Their inherent melancholy and morose temperaments make it
difficult for them to cultivate relationships with either humans or
vampires. Most vampires treat the Misericordia with a fair amount of
derision, and they are sometimes hunted by Interfectors who see the
perspective of the Misericordia as an affront to their way of thinking.
MISERICORDIA
Eons
of grief and unending hunger: magnolia, black currant, castoreum
accord, lavender, labdanum, amber, rose otto, and opoponax.
The
Philologi are scholars and philosophers that have dedicated themselves
to the pursuit of knowledge, utilizing their extended lifespan to
further their research. They are usually reclusive, and some were once
Transeo that have rejected the bustle of human society in favor of
solitude.
PHILOLOGUS
Ancient books, crackled parchment, faded incense, and candle wax.
The
Vespillo are dedicated to assisting newly infected vampires in
understanding and accepting their condition and learning to live with
the challenges that vampires face. Vespillo, like the Transeo, tend to
become members of vampire-acceptance movements, pushing for a wider
understanding of vampires among the human population.
VESPILLO
A
grounded, earthy scent, evocative of the soul's finer qualities:
patchouli, clove, neroli, night-blooming jasmine, sage, and iris.
The
Sanctus are considered by some pious vampires to be the saints of their
kind, and from what we have gleaned, they are very likely the stuff of
myth. These vampires are paragons that possess impossible, phenomenal
powers that defy known physics, including the ability to shift shape,
turn into a gaseous form, and command other vampires through will
alone. The mythological Sanctus are venerated by some, but we have no
evidence whatsoever that they truly exist.
SANCTUS
Diabolically otherworldly: golden osmanthus, lily of the valley, celestial musk, and frankincense.
VILF
Because
isn't that what this book is really about? Vampire smut:
patchouli-infused honey, red musk, red sandalwood, red ginger, pink
pepper, Peru balsam, dark Eastern florals, Himalayan cedar, smoky
vanilla, bitter clove, and leather.
The artwork on all the labels, except for Bocal de Sang, were illustrated by the inimitable Julie Dillon!
If you have purchased the book from another vendor before this announcement, email the kindly folks at Dark Delicacies ([email protected]), and they'll be happy to send you an imp of Bocal de Sang for the cost of shipping ($4.95 for domestic, as they're using USPS Priority -- imps are fragile lil' guys, and first class mail can be hard on them). If you have already ordered the book from Dark Delicacies, the book will come signed, and will automatically ship with an imp of the event exclusive scent.Please direct any questions about the signing event or book sales to [email protected], and any questions about the scents to answers@blackphoenixalchemylab.com.