More Love for The Greyfriar

Check out the new issue of BTSeMag

The Chris McGrath cover still looks good!

http://issuu.com/btsemag/docs/march_emag_2013?mode=window&pageNumber=1

Music and Vampire Empire

A Vampire Empire Playlist

A reader, Carol Stucchi Molinari, recently posted on the Facebook page about a song that made her think of Vampire Empire.
Linkin Park New Divide

So we started thinking...

What songs make you think of Greyfriar and Adele or the world of Vampire Empire? Post some suggestions or links here and we'll collect some and present them in a future post!

You can post in comments below or go to the Facebook page.
Vampire Empire Facebook page

Here's one from us. Jupiter from Holst's The Planets. We used it in the book trailer for The Greyfriar. And we used it in our wedding at Greyfriars Kirk in Edinburgh...so there's a natural connection there.

Maybe it will inspire someone to compose The Greyfriar opera from The Kingmakers!

By the way, here's another awesome music video dedicated to The Greyfriar made by Rosette Doyle

Rosette Doyle's Greyfriar trailer

The Kingmakers: Vampire Empire Bk. 3

The Trailer

Here's a book trailer that Susan created to give you a taste of THE KINGMAKERS as we're very close to the book hitting the shelves. There's also a link to the trailers she did for THE GREYFRIAR and THE RIFT WALKER.

They're cool!

THE KINGMAKERS trailer

THE GREYFRIAR trailer

THE RIFT WALKER trailer

USA Today Interview

We Don't Usually Sit This Close Together

We haven't posted anything new here in a while. But we just did a Skype interview with USA Today which has been posted on their romance book blog. It was a lot of fun and we talk about writing as a couple and the upcoming 3rd volume of Vampire Empire, THE KINGMAKERS

Here is the interview...

The End of the Contest

The contest for Adele's talisman officially closed at Midnight Feb. 6. We will pick a winner today and contact you to find out where to send your prize.

Thank you for everyone who entered. We were gratified by the turn-out!

We'll come up with another giveaway soon!

Goodreads Giveaway

You can win a book! And then another book!

We are giving away an autographed copy of The Rift Walker and The Greyfriar on Goodreads. Go to the link and find out how to enter and win.

The giveaway runs through January 2, 2012.

Go here to find out how to win Vampire Empire on Goodreads!

Here's What We Did in NYC

Vampire Empire State of Mind

We recently visited New York for a few readings/signings of The Greyfriar and The Rift Walker. We had events at a bar in Brooklyn, a restaurant in Times Square, a gallery in SoHo, and a radio station on Wall Street. We were all over the city. It was a busy couple of days, but very exciting. Hopefully we got the word out about Vampire Empire to some people who didn't know about it before.

We love New York. Even without special events, it's fun just to walk around the city. 

Times Square

Enjoying a good book in Madison Square Park

We made several stops at bookstores around NYC to sign stock and then a few stops in NYC landmarks such as The Algonquin Hotel and Keen's Steakhouse.

Barnes&Noble 5th Avenue

Drinks at the Algonquin with Sean Lough

Then it was out to The Way Station in Brooklyn. We haven't spent much time in Brooklyn, and this was a fun neighborhood bar with a steampunk/Dr. Who theme. The crowd was small but enthusiastic. One couple came all the the way from New Jersey (no small feat) in complete steampunk regalia.

So cool!

Reading at The Way Station

 After The Way Station, we jumped the Q train for Times Square where the Science Fiction Writers of America were holding their annual gala at Planet Hollywood. There we ran into Jim Freund, co-ordinator of the NY Review of Science Fiction and host of Hour of the Wolf (WBAI, 99.5 FM). We met some new people, as well as running into some old friends.

Tuesday included more walking around NYC until the our scheduled reading at the SoHo Gallery for Digital Arts, sponsored by the New York Review of Science Fiction. This was a terrific event, organized by Jim Freund, and the guest host was the wonderful Margot Adler. You may know Margot as a long-standing commentator on NPR or as the author of the classic book on modern paganism, Drawing Down the Moon. She was one of the earliest supporters of The Greyfriar, so it was a thrill to finally meet her. She spoke about reading over 180 vampire novels, and put her finger on the exact nature of why vampires continue to resonate in our modern world. Her theme was that vampires of any era reflect the fears of that age. In our time, vampires speak to our struggle to act morally in the world while still being predators. We read a little from The Greyfriar and The Rift Walker. And then Margot interviewed us and fielded questions from the audience. It was great!

Us with Margot Adler

Susan chatting with Chris Claremont!

Margot speaking

Probably arguing

Jim Freund

Then finally, Wednesday night (or Thursday morning), we were guests on Jim Freund's Hour of the Wolf radio show. We could have taped an interview, but we wanted to do it live. And originally, it was supposed to be 1:30 - 3:00 am. But it ended up being 12 midnight - 3:00 am. Three hours of live radio! Turns out it was very easy. Jim was an amazing pro and it was over before we knew it. You can listen to part of the show here.

Clay ready for broadcast magic!

Then it was over and off to the airport.

It was a wonderful trip. And we must say thank you to our friends, June and Sean Lough, who got us where we need to be on time and made the entire trip so much fun.

Sean & June

New York to be annexed into Vampire Empire

Kick Off Your Halloween Season in NYC with THE RIFT WALKER.

Oct. 3, 8:00 pm:  Reading at The Way Station. 683 Washington Ave., Brooklyn. This is a bar with a steampunk/Dr. Who vibe in a bustling Brooklyn neighborhood north of Prospect Park. We will be reading from The Greyfriar and The Rift Walker.

Oct. 3, 8:00 - 11:00 pm:  SFWA Reception, Planet Hollywood at Times Square. We hope to attend this free event (admission is limited) if we can make it after The Way Station reading.

Oct. 4, 7:00 pm:  New York Review of Science Fiction Readings Series, SoHo Gallery for Digital Art, 138 Sullivan Street. Guest Host: Margot Adler (NPR commentator, author of Drawing Down the Moon).

Oct. 6, 1:30 - 3:00 am:  The Hour of the Wolf, (WBAI 99.5FM), host Jim Freund. Live radio interview and call-in show.


We are very excited for a couple of busy days in New York promoting VAMPIRE EMPIRE and meeting readers and writers.

DragonCon 2011, part 1

The Happiest Place on Earth...if you like weird stuff...


DragonCon is a convention dedicated to popular culture held in Atlanta, GA every year over Labor Day weekend. While steamy Atlanta in early September isn't always that pleasant as a destination, no other convention can beat DragonCon's content. Not ComicCon. Not WorldCon. Not nobody. If you like science fiction/fantasy books, movies, television, and games, you owe yourself at least one trip to DragonCon. We've been many times before, and this year was the best time we ever had.

We arrived early this year because last year's registration process was an absolute nightmare. This year was a dream by comparison. We were excited by Susan's fortune cookie on our first night in town.

Your hard work is about to pay off.

We stayed in the Westin, which hosted the Alt. History track, but wasn't in the Hyatt/Marriott/Hilton interconnected hive of activity. It was nice to be out of the beaten path, but also bummed to be cut off from the heart of the con.

Susan on Plotting panel

We participated in a number of panels on several tracks -- Writing, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Dark Fantasy, Alternate History, Young Adult. They were all great, and we loved meeting our fellow panelists as well as fans afterward.

There were two central themes to this DragonCon for us. One was hanging out at the Pyr Books booth, participating in autographings, meeting fans, selling books (both ours and others), and working with the Pyr editorial/marketing folks: Lou Anders. Rene Sears. Jill Maxick. Lynn Pasquale. Gabrielle Harbowy, and other Pyr authors: Jon Sprunk. Andrew Mayer. Ari Marmell. Erin Hoffman. Sam Sykes. James Enge (we didn't get a photo of James!). We've said it several times, but being a part of Pyr is like being a part of a family. We truly love all those guys, and respect their work.  Creatively, it's like being in the legendary Marvel Comics bullpen in the 1960s. All these fiercely creative and smart people working hard to build their own titles, as well as the Pyr brand. It's really amazing, and amazingly fun.

Jill Maxick, Lou Anders, Lynn Pasquale
Pyr braintrust

Lou Anders, Rene Sears
Mirror Mirror takeover?

Ari Marmell, Andrew Mayer

Erin Hoffman, Jon Sprunk

Sam Sykes, Lou Anders (stylin')

The other significant theme was our event with James Marsters. Regular readers of our blog will know that James Marsters (best known as Spike in Buffy the Vampire Slayer) will be voicing the audio version of The Greyfriar, and the entire Vampire Empire trilogy. On Sunday night, we appeared with James at a ticketed event where he read the first chapter of The Greyfriar. Then we all participated in a Q & A. The questions were excellent, focused on the writing process and the world of Vampire Empire. James was a genuinely nice man, and also completely invested in the project. He was totally conversant on characters and plot. Sitting there hearing him read those words we have lived with for so long was a surreal experience. He was fantastic.

Clay (too serious), James Marsters (so good), Susan (in coma of joy)

Oh, okay, there was a third theme. Enjoying the party. Our editor, Lou Anders, loves to hang out and drink beer and talk books. He also loves to surround himself with his writers, and other writers. He likes writers, and that's a great thing for an editor. We spent every night dining and drinking and watching the incredible show that is DragonCon After Dark. The cavernous lobby of the Marriott Marquis is like another world.

We'll write and show more of that world in another post soon.

When it's over, you're exhausted and ready for a little reality. But after a day or two, you start thinking about DragonCon next year.

Autographed Vampire Empire!

Want The Greyfriar or The Rift Walker signed by us, but can't get to one of our appearances?

Buy THE GREYFRIAR or THE RIFT WALKER through Quail Ridge Books and Music (in beautiful Raleigh, NC) and you can get them autographed and even personalized, at NO EXTRA CHARGE. Quail Ridge Books offers gift wrapping and shipping.

This is NOT a limited offer. You can do it now. You can do it for Halloween. You can do it for Christmas. You can do it for Arbor Day next year.

1. You order.
2. We autograph.
3. They ship.
4. It's easy.


Call QRB toll-free at 1-800-672-6789.
Or use the links on the right hand column...




We love anybody who sells books, but We Support Independent Bookstores!

We will be appearing at Quail Ridge Books on September 15th.

The Voice of Greyfriar

James Marsters to narrate the audio version of The Greyfriar: Vampire Empire

Buzzy Multimedia announced that the narrator of The Greyfriar audio book, and the Vampire Empire series, will be the great James Marsters, best known for playing Spike in the wildly popular tv series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel!

Here's the press release.

Needless to say, we are VERY excited. Marsters is a skilled stage and screen actor, and a wonderful voice talent. He has done a fantastic job narrating Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden series, and we can't wait to see what he does with The Greyfriar and the next two books in the series too. We are gratified that he would choose our books to reunite himself with vampire fiction.

Hmm. Throw a cowl on this guy, and he is The Greyfriar. But don't worry, this doesn't mean Greyfriar will start playing poker for kittens.

Relationships and words

Being a couple is tricky.

The question we get asked most is "How does a couple write together?"

You could easily ask "How do two individuals do ANYthing as a couple?" It's not an easy question. And it's not an easy thing to do. But we do it anyway.

We recently wrote a blog for the Romance Writers of America chapter in Birmingham, AL that talks about writing together, being a couple, and creating characters who are couples.

Here's the link if you want to read it.

Library Journal sez: The Greyfriar is good steampunk

The Greyfriar and Mark Hodder's Spring Heeled Jack get buzz.

It's always wonderful to get good reviews. And it's really heartening to have a respected source like Library Journal include us in their list of steampunk books for librarians to use in creating a collection for this booming subgenre.

Griffith, Clay & Susan. The Greyfriar. Pyr. (Vampire Empire, Bk. 1). 2010. ISBN 9781616142476. 301p. pap. $16. FANTASY
It was only a matter of time before a steampunk vampire novel was published. Thankfully, the first one is well written and entertaining. The story starts in 1870, when vampires conquer the north and send human elites to the south; it picks up again in 2020, when Princess Adele of the Equatorian Empire becomes lost in vampire territory. Alone with the mysterious Greyfriar, Adele becomes the driving factor behind a final war between humans and vampires. It is a testament to the writing skill of the Griffiths that they were able to take something so overdone as vampires and make it feel fresh. Fans of Cherie Priest will gobble up this book and its forthcoming sequels.

And this for our Pyr Books friend:

Hodder, Mark. The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack (Burton & Swinburne in). Pyr. 2010. ISBN 9781616142407. 373p. pap. $16. SF
This is big, meaty steampunk, set in the mid- to late 1800s, featuring historical figures (e.g., Richard Burton, Charles Darwin, and Florence Nightingale) in new roles, lots of steam-driven science (including my favorite: velocipedes), and crazy mutated creatures. Hodder's fast-paced and lively writing will keep readers of all levels engaged. There is coarse language, but this would work well in a YA collection, too. That Hodder brings the story full circle at the end is an impressive feat. Winner of the Philip K. Dick Award for distinguished original science fiction paperback; a sequel, The Curious Case of the Clockwork Man, has also been published.

The read the entire list.

Comic-Con International!

We are appearing on a panel.

Vampires and Others

Saturday, 5/23/11

1:45 - 2:45

Room 6A

Charlaine Harris (Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood)

Patricia Briggs (Mercy Thompson)

Nancy Holder (Crusade)

Linda Thomas-Sundstrom (The Golden Vampire)

S.G. Browne (Fated)

Clay and Susan Griffith (Vampire Empire)

Autographing to follow.

We are stoked! I just hope we remember we're there to speak, not just get autographs from our fellow panelists...

Listen! Can you hear vampires?

A Big Announcement. But not THAT one...

Yesterday we said we'd have a big announcement on May 10th. And we will.

But THIS big announcement came along today. And it's big. In fact, HUGE.

We have an agreement for the Vampire Empire trilogy to be turned into audio books. Buzzy Multimedia won the rights, and we are very excited. Buzzy already produces the audio version of Jim Butcher and Patricia Briggs, among others. We are proud to join the company that creates the audio books for two of the greatest names in Urban Fantasy.

We don't have any information on release dates or narrator yet. But go to Buzzy Multimedia's website and discuss. Also, check out their variety of cool sci-fi/fantasy products.

Honor or Love

Following your duty or your heart?

The Royal Wedding got us thinking about Adele, and how her life as a princess isn't such a fairy tale. With a world on the brink of war, she is torn between duty (marrying a stranger to win an alliance) and true love (running away with the man she cares deeply about).

Does she give up her kingdom or her lover?

We're running a little poll, both here and at our Facebook page.

How would you handle this dilemma? What should Adele do?

Schattenprinz

Our first foreign cover!

Here's the cover of the German edition of The Greyfriar. Well, it's the same cover with the same great art by Chris McGrath. But we have a new title: Schattenprinz (Shadow Prince). That's a pretty cool title! The German-language edition should go on sale late 2011.

Heyne Verlag: our German publisher.

The Greyfriar has already been sold to publishers in Korea, Italy, and Poland. And hopefully there will be more foreign translations to come.

Greyfriar, You're Wanted on the Set.

Who Would You Want to Play Greyfriar in a Vampire Empire movie?

We have another question up on Facebook. Go there and display your casting couch panache. Or post your idea here!










https://www.facebook.com/vampireempire

Are you a Flay?

Which Vampire Empire character resonates with you most?

We've got a little survey going on our Facebook page

www.facebook.com/vampireempire

Go there and give us your answer. Or respond here if you wish!

The Internet is like a party with different groups of your friends

Sometimes they stay in different rooms and don't mix.

The interesting thing about the internet (other than hilarious pictures of talking cats) is all the ways to connect with people. And just like the real world, you make different friends in different places.

For instance, some people follow Vampire Empire through this blog. Others use Goodreads. And even others found us on Facebook. Plus various other ways. We have different numbers of friends or followers or fans on each of those sites. There's likely some cross-over where the same reader comes to this blog, likes the Facebook page, and is a friend on Goodreads, but there are also plenty who don't move between the sites.

There's no great profound revelation here. We were just thinking about making contact with our readers in better ways. We're making plans for cool stuff in conjunction with The Rift Walker coming out in September, and we want to make sure we're reaching everyone with an interest in Vampire Empire.

We hope to launch a new website before the new book comes out, and to continue to update this blog with book info, and general thoughts about writing and pop culture. We would tell anyone who wants more immediate updates and info to go to our Facebook page and hit the Like button:

www.facebook.com/vampireempire

We want our friends in the kitchen to talk to our friends hanging out by stereo. Mingle.