Literary Perfumes

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A while back I read an article about the connection between literature and perfume, which also included suggestions for ideal perfumes for book lovers. As someone who has a slight perfume obsession (reigning favourite: Vanilla Extreme by Comptoir Sud Pacifique), I was intrigued. I especially liked the idea behind the Imaginary Authors perfume company, whose scents are based on the fictional exploits of made-up authors. But if perfume can be designed for fictional authors, why not design a few for Love Lies Bleeding’s characters?

Since main character Mara works with herbs and plants, she’s essentially steeped in their scents without needing to wear perfume. But if I were to create a perfume for her, it would have strong notes of sweet woodruff (which smells like vanilla and hay), clover, and lavender flowers, with hints of smoky peat and black tea.

For human Lee, I envision something fresh and “green.” His scent would be based on cedar, with some kind of complementary citrus (yuzu, or maybe tangerine), and the subtlest undertones of honey and lavender leaves.

Lastly, I think a scent heavy on whisky and tobacco notes, with something spicy like ginger or cloves, would suit vampire nemesis Dominic. It would be the kind of scent that’s overwhelming in the wrong hands, but Dominic probably wouldn’t wear it anyway, as it’s one of those luxuries he doesn’t think vampires should indulge in.

What do you think– would you wear any of these scents? What perfume would you design for your favourite character or author? Share in the comments…

Want to find out more about Mara, Lee, and Dominic? Get my books!

Love Lies Bleeding: Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books
FREE Blood Magic: Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books
FREE Tooth & Claw: Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books

 

If you prefer a good paperback to an ebook, use this link to order Love Lies Bleeding from Bookshop – a portion of each sale goes directly to independent bookstores, as well as to myself. Thank you for supporting indie! ♥

 

Cheers,

Aspasía S. Bissas

[This was originally posted on my official site AspasiaSBissas.com. Follow me there...]

 

 

Greetings From the Hell Mouth

When I say greetings from the hell mouth, I don't mean so much a physical location as a state of mind. But rather than get into that I'll just point you in the direction of this shirt, available from Shirt Punch until midnight tonight. I'm not affiliated with this company, but I do buy a lot of shirts from them and am a fan, so they get the Blood Lines seal of approval. Of course I've already ordered my Sunnydale shirt, as well as these past vamp-themed designs:

All designs are also available in hoodies, buttons, posters and a slew of other products. By the way, you can expect to start seeing regular(ish) posts on Blood Lines once more. Huzzah!

Vampire (B)ads

Because vampires get bored too...





And one for the hunters out there:



For the record I have yet to try any of these products, although in principle I'm not opposed. If you're going to get drunk (or wear jeans) anyway, might as well stick with the theme--even if the ads are unbelievably cheesy. By the way, you can get your own martini glass like the one at the top of the page here.

He's a doll

Literally...
I'm not generally one for these kinds of collectibles (the exception being my Kill Bill Go-Go, which is just too awesome not to have) but this Damon doll looks pretty good. Not quite as smouldering as the real thing but it does come with a sun-protection ring and an intense stare. Tempting...

To find out more and pre-order your very own, click here.

Cold Blooded Vampire Ice Cube Tray

"Build it and they will come." Never a truer word spoken when it comes to the people who make the reams of vampire merchandise available to purchase. Apparently they operate under the philosophy that slapping a pair of fangs on something or using vaguely goth-esque packaging will, as the Brits say, have the punters lining up. In principle I'm not opposed to fun merchandise (hell, I'd kill for a Wolfram & Hart t-shirt or a neon Fangtasia sign) but these ice cube trays leave me cold (har har). First of all, how many of these things are you going to need to make enough drinks for you and your vamp-loving friends (one tray makes two sets of fangs)? Secondly, the result is not 'cool ice fangs' so much as Dracula's dentures in a glass of cleaning solution. Meh. But hey, if you're into them, that's all that really matters.

Cold Blooded Vampire Ice Cube Tray, $US7.99. Available here.

Vampire Leia Giclee

Reproduced from ILM's 2008 Hallowe'en party invitation, you can now purchase your very own limited edition 10 x 14" giclee of "Leia Vamp." Cool collectible or just another way to line George Lucas's already overstuffed pockets? You decide, but either way you can get your own here.

Fangtasia Neon Sign

When we moved into our current house, the previous owner had left behind a neon Labatt Blue sign. Why, oh why, couldn't it have been a Fangtasia sign like this one? Or even one of these babies:
Guess I'll just have to go and buy one (unless anyone is willing to trade theirs for a Labatt sign? Fine Canadian beer...) Both are available at the HBO store, $89.99 apiece.

True Blood Meets Rolling Stone

Best magazine cover ever.

Vampire in a Box!

Who says vampires can't have a sense of humour? Obviously not Miriam Zellnik, who put together this nifty little kit. To help with your bloodsucking cred, it comes with:

Instant Blood Capsules: Haven't tried them out (nor will I), but they supposedly taste like raspberry (am I the only one a little disappointed?) Also, unlike the official photo above, I only got two capsules in my box.

Medallion: Tacky jewellery isn't just for Transylvanian Counts anymore! The environment weeps as somewhere a barrel of oil is sacrificed to make these things, but you can always use yours to dress up a Dracula costume next Halloween. Besides, true vampires care not for the natural world.

Fangs (upper and lower): Not exactly comfy to wear or remotely real looking, but a hell of a lot of fun if you're a goof. Luckily, I am.

Booklet "Vampire--Secrets of Immortality": Definitely the best part of the kit, it includes such gems as Secrets to Immortality (hint: keep up to date on pop culture); Fun Vampire Bites of Information (have you had your vampirism vaccine?); and Hey Baby, What's Your Vampire Name?

Text Bites

If Dracula can't see his reflection in a mirror, how come his hair is always so neatly combed? --Steven Wright.

Beauty tip: If your widow's peak is thinning, use jet black shoe polish to fill in bald spots.

Vampire in a Box by Miriam Zellnik. From Running Press.

[Edited to update link. Follow me on my official site: AspasiaSBissas.com] 

Dracula: The Un-Dead Goes Platinum

Just when I was starting to think that my cynicism over Dracula: the Un-Dead was misplaced, and that Dacre Stoker (who claims he'd rather go fly fishing and read Tom Clancy than have anything to do with vampires) isn't really just cashing in on his family name to produce an unnecessary sequel (and revision) to his great-grand-uncle's classic--along comes this:

That's right, it's a Dracula: The Un-Dead Platinum Visa card. According to Stoker junior's sales pitch in the official Dracula: The Un-Dead newsletter:

If the Dracula bloodline is in your DNA like it's in mine, you’ll want to carry this exclusive, limited edition Visa Card.

This amazing--did I mention it's a limited edition?--card is yours for no annual fee and low, low interest. And I'll bet you can use it to stock up on all sorts of Dracula: The Un-Dead official merchandise. Oh yeah, and there's a book in there somewhere.

Right.

Cynicism: comfortably back in place.

I'm not sure about anyone else but I'm getting pretty tired of people who are neither writers nor vampire fans writing books about vampires. To paraphrase Jorge Luis Borges, don't write unless you can improve the silence.

[Edited to strike out dead link. Follow me on my official site: AspasiaSBissas.com]