I am a big Michael Lee fan. His last book My Frankenstein was a real treat and now he has a brand new book out called From Russia with Blood. Very catchy and James Bond-esque, I dig the title and think it’s quite clever so of course I can’t wait to read the book. I’m happy to consider Mike a friend, he’s also a member of my writing group Scriborium, he’s a busy guy and one great writer. Lucky for me, Mike agreed to take some time out of his hectic schedule to do an interview with me. Since I’m a writer myself, I am always fascinated with the process of other writers. How do they do that thing we do? How does it all come together for them? I want to know where their inspiration comes from plus a few more things, and so now I share the answers to all these things with you.

TSD: Where did the idea for From Russia with Blood come from? What was your inspiration?

MLEE: Sometimes you get the idea and struggle to find a title. Other times a title pops into your head and you think “That’s too good to waste. I’ve GOT to jump on that one.” From Russia with Blood was inspired by the title. After I got the title I knew I had to find a story to go with it. After weeks of bouncing it around in my head I had it!

TSD: I love the title for this book. What gave you the idea to name the book after a play on a James Bond movie?

MLEE: I was playing one of my “inspiration” games. When I feel I need to find a new project I look through lists, like say great adventure films, or sometimes I play the mash-up game. This time I was just randomly combining genres. I still have a whole bunch of other ideas in a notebook that didn’t stick. But when I came to combining James Bond and Twilight it was just a natural. The title immediately sprang into my head like a bolt of lightning and then I was off to the races.

TSD: Can you tell our readers what From Russia with Blood is all about?

MLEE: It’s about Ian Redd, a 400 year old vampire and former secret agent for British Intelligence who is living the quiet life in Ohio when he discovers an old enemy from the Cold War is still alive and out to get him. It’s also about Larissa Barton, a seemingly ordinary young woman who suddenly is being chased by assassins and monsters and only this mysterious stranger named Ian can protect her.

TSD: How long did it take you to write From Russia with Blood?

MLEE: The actual writing was very fast. I used a “super synopsis” to plan everything out and built it up from there. Normally a synopsis is just a guideline, I just kept adding and adding to mine until individual chapters began to take shape. It was a good way to jump start the writing process.

TSD: How long do you wait between novels before starting another one?

MLEE: It feels like a long time. That’s because as soon as you’re done with one book you’ve got rewriting and then marketing to tackle! That can make it feel like an eternity.

TSD: How did you get started writing?

MLEE: I’ve always been writing. Well, since the word processor came along and made revisions a lot easier.

TSD: Can you describe what your daily writing routine is? What time of day (or night) is your favorite time to write?

MLEE: I tend to set aside a few hours every day. My work hours are usually pretty flexible so I can craft my schedule around a project if I’m really in the zone. I find I spend more and more time on it the closer it gets to completion.

TSD: Where do your best ideas usually come from? What inspires you?

MLEE: As I mentioned I play a lot of mental games to come up with ideas. That comes from being a long time role playing and board gamer. I love making lists. I love reading history especially recent history. I’ll mash genres together. But ideas aren’t stories. A lot of these ideas just sit in notebooks. What inspires a story is character and/or plot. If the idea leads to a character then I have something. If it leads to an intriguing plot then I have something.

TSD: What genres do you enjoy reading?

MLEE: Anything imaginative. I’m always looking at IO9 for their latest recommendations!

TSD: Which authors have influenced your writing style?

MLEE: George R. R. Martin, Suzanne Collins, and Charlaine Harris are the authors I love to read. I tend to write in a very clean, straightforward style. In that regard I’m influenced by thriller writers like Jack Higgins, Alistair MacLean and of course Ian Flemming.

TSD: What are you working on now? When can we expect Book 2 in the series?

MLEE: I’ve’ already got Book 2 planned out in my head. I hope to have it done by this Spring.

TSD: How much of yourself do you reveal in your writing?

MLEE: I think a writer always reveals himself in his or her writing whether they mean to or not. No two people are going to tell the same story the same way.

TSD: Do you prefer writing novels or screenplays better? Which is more challenging?

MLEE: They’re both very satisfying when you do them right. Both are very challenging. Screenplays are shorter but you have to make every line count. Novels are longer and can be more forgiving but they have many more pages to fill.

TSD: Have you ever optioned any of your works? Do you have anything available for option now or in the future?

MLEE: I have had a screenplay optioned before. Honestly if you’ve never been to LA, you don’t realize how easy it is. The ground is crawling with people who would gladly option your screenplay or novel. You won’t get any money unless they sell the project to a studio, but you can get an option easy. Getting a cash option, now that can be a little trickier.

TSD: Being a script judge and a movie blogger as well as an author, do you know a lot about the process of adapting a literary work into a screenplay?

MLEE: You have to overcome a pretty big paradox when you’re adapting a literary work. You have to make it your own but still stay true to the original material. If you can’t inject a new way of viewing this story then why should they hire you? If you deviate too far from the source material, what’s the point of adapting it in the first place?

TSD: Are the horror/supernatural genres your favorite genres to write? Have you written in other genres? What is your favorite genre to read?

MLEE: I have written other genres and that’s why I can say with confidence that the horror/supernatural/paranormal genre is my favorite. It just fits. I have a series of history books. For years I was pounding my brain trying to turn my love of history into a fantasy or a sci fi or even an historical adventure. I recently applied a paranormal twist to the material and it was like the sky opened.

TSD: So here’s one of my favorite questions. Could you share an excerpt of From Russia with Blood please?

MLEE doesn’t disappoint. Check out the hot excerpt below!

An Excerpt of From Russia with Blood by Michael Lee

Instantly he was right next to her. One hand gripped her shoulder and yanked her backward. His other hand held something that flashed brightly. There was a loud echoing sound.
Pop! Pop! Pop!
Gunfire. He’s got a gun!
Larissa stumbled away from Ian. She saw the speeding auto tear down the center of the road. It swerved toward her as she ran.
There was a dark alley immediately behind her. She sprinted into it. It looked narrow. She didn’t think a car could follow. She hoped it couldn’t.
She was ten steps down the alley when she heard a huge crash behind her. She felt it too and half stumbled for a few steps. Larissa whipped her head around and saw the car with its hood crumpled around the corner of the alley. The headlights were flickering and the horn blared.
She slowed a little bit. The car horn stopped blaring. The driver’s side door opened with a crunch and a large man in a dark suit kicked his way out. He staggered into the mouth of the alley clutching his forehead. Larissa saw blood oozing from a cut on his scalp. Then she saw the gun in his other hand. The man raised it at her.
She stood frozen. Was this it? The moment her dreams had warned her about?
Pop! Pop! Pop!
It was the same sound as before. Sharp and loud like fireworks on the Fourth of July. The man hadn’t fired. He stumbled and then fell awkwardly to the ground. She’d never seen a dead body before but she knew that man was dead. He lay in such a twisted manner there could be no doubt.
A shadow approached the alley.
Larissa tore herself from the spot and ran.
She looked back once and saw a tall figure enter the alley. She was on the verge of recognizing him when she smacked into something large and heavy.
Two burly men had jumped out of the shadows and she had run right into their arms. She screamed with all her might as they lifted her off the ground. She kicked and flailed around.
“Is this her?” asked one man in a rough voice.
“Who cares. Shut her up!” came the answer.
A hand like sandpaper clamped down over her mouth and smothered her screams. She saw the black metal of a gun barrel. It hovered above her forehead. She bit down hard on the hand but it wouldn’t let go, even as her teeth tore through the skin.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw the tall figure streaking down the alley toward them. It was Ian. He was moving faster than any man she’d ever seen. It didn’t seem real. She’d been to the Central Park Zoo once. There she’d seen a snow leopard dash across its enclosure. It moved so fast and so fluid, like lightning. That was what it was like watching Ian move. There was nothing human about it.
Her attackers dropped her. She fell on her butt as Ian collided with the two of them like a train. There was a flurry of blows. One dropped to the ground. He crumpled like the man at the mouth of the alley and Larissa knew he was dead.
She backed away from the fight. Broken glass and other bits of debris scraped and cut her hands and rear end but she barely noticed. She was too busy watching the fight. What little fight there was.
Ian seized the other man. The brute was nearly twice his size but Ian held him tight and forced him to his knees. They were standing over a sodium lamp and by its pale light she saw the fangs gleaming inside Ian’s mouth.

Thank you very much, Michael!

From Russia with Blood is available now at Amazon. Visit the Facebook page and become a fan! And be sure to visit Michael Lee at Dark Age of Geek to find more places you can sink your fangs into From Russia with Blood!

Michael Lee is a script judge, reader, creative executive, and consultant. He also blogs about stuff on the Wrap.com and has 2 ebooks out, My Frankenstein and From Russia with Blood. Michael got the writing bug early and it never left him. He’s been studying storytelling and writing ever since. “I keep studying because this is a craft you never master, there’s always something else to learn.”

Images Courtesy of Michael Lee

Hi TSD Readers! I wanted to give you a quick update on what’s in store for you in the coming months. As you know The Pooka is coming out later this year and I’m hoping my second Persimmon book will have a publication date near Christmas time though that may not happen until the new year. I’ll be taking part in NaNoWriMo 2011 and during those 30 days I plan to complete my foray into Young Adult territory and that project will have a publication date of late spring next year. Coincidentally I will be needing beta readers for my YA project in March 2012 and I will be updating you on that topic in the coming months.

However, the point of this post is to fill you in on my current project which is a short story for the 2011 Scriborium Anthology tentatively titled A Very Scary Christmas which is coming out this Christmas of course. My short story will be included with about 9 other stories from the other Scriborium members and I am so excited about it that I have to share the news with you. The theme of the collection of short stories is a Christmas story with a paranormal or horror twist. The name of my story is “I’ll Be Home for Christmas”.

Here’s the synopsis:

Elspeth Stone hasn’t been home since she left for college after high school at the age of seventeen. Her decision to leave wasn’t supported by her family and she went without their blessing.  The only person she kept in contact with after the falling out with her family is her younger sister Erin. Now, 13 years later, Erin is pleading with Elspeth to come home for Christmas. Despite her resistance to the idea, Elspeth relents only because she hasn’t met her 5 year old niece yet and if she doesn’t come home this Christmas she may never get the chance since the child is ill and may be dying. The thought of going back to her childhood home fills Elspeth with the old fear and dread. Memories of the terror she experienced there, the horrors that went bump in the night and the evil thing that lurked in the shadows waiting for her surfaced from the dark recesses of her mind. As her sense of foreboding mounts, she doesn’t  know if she’s going home to reconnect with her estranged family or to confront the demons of her past.

And that’s how it goes. I might even be persuaded to give you a sneak peek and share a short excerpt here in the weeks to come. It’s going to be an exciting couple months, that’s for sure, and I hope you’ll come along for the ride!

ΩPhoto Credit 1, Photo Credit 2

Hello Truebies! Has the #TBwithdrawal started to sink in yet? #WaitingSucks as usual and we have a loooong way to go before season 5 hits the tube so I thought I’d entertain you with a little True Blood fix and a dash of Alexander Skarsgard.

If you are in the US you have probably already seen this, though I doubt you’ll mind watching this again! For my Canadian readers this is a little treat for you since you may not have had the chance to see it. It’s a micro interview with ASkars himself talking a little bit about Eric and True Blood season 5.

Alexander Skarsgard Talks Eric and True Blood Season 5 via MTV

Source: MTV

Then we move on to a segment with the Swede who is being interviewed by Extra’s Maria Menounos (lucky girl!) about his role in the movie Straw Dogs which is in theaters now. It’s a role that is very different from anything I’ve seen him in and it’s a movie that is controversial in many ways.

Source

Lastly we have a clip from SideReel with a little True Blood news. Seems Skarsgard’s dad the venerable Stellan Skarsgard was invited for a stint on the hit HBO vampire show. Did he accept? Find out in the video below!

Source

ΩPhoto Credit

Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992) – This look is sooo not sexy.

With all this talk of Colin Farrell, True Blood and Eric, it’s easy to forget that there are some not so sexy vampires out there. Honestly, vampires didn’t start out as the glimmering, sparkly swoon worthy creatures we know, love and fantasize about today. It wasn’t until Gary Oldman got all spiffed up for us in Bram Stoker’s Dracula in 1992 that vampires started to get hot. And then of course Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt as vampires from Anne Rice’s smash hit Interview with the Vampire in 1994 made sure we would never think of vampires with harsh widow’s peaks and black capes as the norm again. Nope, suddenly vampires were hot.

Yet vampires weren’t always so sexy and attractive. In fact, in the beginning, despite all the Freudian references, there was nothing sexy about them at all. Even today not all vampires in movies are sexy. It just goes to show you that we still like our vampires mean, ugly and scary. These are the kind of monsters that nightmares are made of, and there is absolutely nothing sexy about them. Here’s a look at 5 of the un-sexiest vampires in film.

5. Nosferatu

Despite being the godfather of vampires on film, there is nothing dreamy about Nosferatu at all. It’s quite the opposite. If the way he does that Nosferatu skulk casting shadows on the walls isn’t enough to creep you out, then his exaggerated ears, long talons and decidedly rat like face and front teeth certainly will. Doesn’t he look a teensy bit like an undead Peter Pettigrew from Harry Potter?

4. Bram Stoker’s Count Dracula

Good old Vlad the Impaler had some serious glamour. He was pretty suave with the ladies too. Yet underneath his glamourous sex appeal was a beastly and ghastly creature. He could be pretty on the outside when he wanted to be, but just below the surface of his appeal lurked the many faces of death. His numerous incarnations of the dreaded blood drinker that stalked the night definitely do not rank very high on the sexy meter.

3. Marlow from 30 Days of Night

There is absolutely no relation to sexy here. This vampire inspires nothing but absolute mind numbing terror. He doesn’t even register on the sex-o-meter. He is the type of monster that evokes nightmares instead of fantasies. Absolutely ruthless, this vampire makes no bones about how he looks at humans. We are nothing but dinner, inferior, inconsequential annoyances. With a visage, demeanor and attitude like that, there is absolutely nothing attractive about this blood drinker.

2. Vampires from Daybreakers

Russell Edgington would have been proud to call these vampires cohorts in the belief that humans are food. The vampires of Daybreakers will give you a heart attack instead of a fluttering heartbeat. Humans are an endangered species in this flick and the vampires are more interested in foraging for food than finding romance. The starving vampires morph into Subsiders, rapacious and hostile creatures resembling giant bat-like monstrosities whose natures remind me of zombies. In fact, you could say it is the decided lack of sexy that has led to the danger in the vampiric food supply. No willing necks to bite! ;D Now here’s a culture that could definitely use way more than a drop of True Blood in more ways than one. There is definitely no sexy here so we might as well take our sexy scale elsewhere, since these vampires are definitely not sexy, especially when they are starving.

1. Vampires from Priest

Rabid, alienesque demons, these unsightly Korean comic book based vampires are all business. You are more likely to shut your eyes and say your prayers than dream about them buying your house in a lustful and obsessive attempt to own you. Annihilation, extermination and domination is printed in bold letters on their calling cards and an encounter with one of these bad boys is likely to only end up one of two ways, dead or as a familiar subservient to them. Unless Paul Bettany happens to be in the vicinity. These vampires are definitely not the kind to write home about and there is no sexy scale in sight when it comes to these UV sensitive demons.

Are there any other vampires that inspire shivers of horror instead of squeals of delight that aren’t on this list? Who did I miss? Who do you think should be on this list?

****AVERT YOUR EYES AND COME BACK LATER IF YOU HAVEN’T WATCHED THIS LATEST EPISODE OF TRUE BLOOD BECAUSE THIS REVIEW IS CHOCK FULL OF SPOILERS!!!! BUT MAKE SURE TO COME BACK AFTER YOU’VE WATCHED IT AND TELL US YOUR TRUE BLOOD THOUGHTS!!!!****

Just when you thought everyone was safe in BT Marnie strikes again. A spirit herself now, she’s decided to try possession out for herself and poor Lafayette is once again at the mercy of a spirit except this time this spirit isn’t a nice one. Will Marnie be more powerful in death than she was in life? Jesus better watch his back because I’ll bet you any money Marnie’s wanting to get even with that brujo. Alcide and Debbie are through and Sam evens the score with Marcus. Andy meets another one of the fae folk, Jason’s finding it impossible to not drink Jessica’s blood, Eric’s pissed with Pam but he and Bill are seeing eye to eye for once. And Sookie? Well, let’s just say if her lovers aren’t cursing her name they’re willing to die for her. It was all about breaking the ties that bind tonight for a lot of our BT residents and the severing of these bonds will cause pain that cuts like a knife.

We pick up this 2nd last episode of True Blood with the four amigos on a mission to blow the Moon Goddess Emporium and Martonia to smithereens. Meanwhile, Martonia is neither impressed nor afraid of Bill, Eric, Pam and Jessica. Sookie, Tara, Lafayette and Holly are now also prisoners inside the shop (Martonia’s pretty good at that Harry Potter Apparating spell isn’t she?) which means Martonia now has the upper hand. Her Wiccan group aren’t happy to be trapped, and even though Martonia says they can leave whenever they want, we all know that isn’t the deal. When Casey attempts to get the heck out of Dodge she gets a knife to the chest compliments of Martonia.

Suddenly Marnie spits up Antonia and the only one who can see this happen is Lafayette who gives his pals a play by play. Tara’s blown away by her cousin’s new medium skills but they sure do come in handy. Antonia and Marnie no longer see eye to eye. Marnie’s agenda is no longer in alignment with Antonia’s. Antonia is upset that Marnie killed Casey and accuses Marnie of being taken over by the dark side. Antonia cancels their partnership and tries to take off but good ol’ Marnie won’t give up the ghost that easily. She has no intention of letting her new found power vanish back into the ether so she does what any witch worth her salt would do. She casts a binding spell that binds Antonia to her preventing the spirit from leaving her. Antonia might have started this vendetta but Marnie is sure going to finish it and then some.

Just as Bill and his gang are about to blow up the place, Jason rushes out to stop them. He fills them in on the fact that Sookie is in there and the general response is, “F***ing Sookie!” This gets Jason riled up and he goes toe to toe with both Eric and Bill reminding them that they wouldn’t be alive if it weren’t for Sookie so they better not blow up the place. He even calls Eric a chump which is hilarious and makes Bill feel guilty about drinking Sookie’s blood as if she were his own “personal soda fountain”. Bill decides to abort the mission and Eric agrees wholeheartedly which drives Pam crazy because she isn’t enamored of Sookie like her maker and Bill are. Jason also tells them about the magic barrier before trying to awkwardly try and smooth things over with Jess when suddenly Martonia’s vampire zombies attack Eric and Bill. I have to say that I’m pretty impressed with Jason right now, and the way that Pam described Sookie was absolutely hysterically funny and so vintage Pam.

Sam and Alcide are trying to get the Shreveport pack member they were beating to tell them where Marcus is without much success. Alcide defends his huge defection and Luna shows up raging mad and demanding to know where Marcus is with her daughter. Sam tries to calm her down and tells her he’s at the garage looking for Marcus because her ex murdered Tommy. Alcide has burned all his bridges with the Shreveport pack. I know that Alcide is a bit of a goody goody which is something that will make him and Sookie a great couple, but his grand defection from the pack is still shocking to me. Granted he hasn’t been part of his new pack for long but he really seems to be championing Sam. What will he do without a pack? And will this give him a bad name in the lycan crowd? I wonder what the repercussions will be?

Marcus is trying to convince Debbie to leave Alcide and come with him and Emma. He’s dangling every kind of golden carrot he can think of to entice her but Debbie won’t leave Alcide. Marcus even offers to give her the one thing Alcide won’t — children. Even with that tempting offer on the table Debbie won’t go with him. Why was she with Marcus then? To get even with Alcide for being unfaithful. Marcus doesn’t believe that’s the only reason though and continues to try to persuade her. Poor messed up Debbie. She’s getting an offer of what she wants most from a man she doesn’t love while the man she loves is in love with someone else. What would you do?

Still trying to fulfill his mission to oust the spirit from Marnie’s body, Jesus easily convinces Marnie to let him help Casey who he says still has a pulse. Relieved she didn’t kill the girl, Martonia readily agrees and Jesus gets Lala to help him carry Casey’s body into the privacy of the bathroom. Clever Jesus has tricked Martonia. Casey is really dead and he needs a body for Antonia’s spirit. Martonia even unwittingly assists Jesus in her own downfall by allowing him to gather the things he needs for the spell he’ll cast to banish Antonia. Martonia doesn’t even suspect Jesus. Holly and Sookie then try to talk some sense into Marnie, but good luck with that is all I have to say. They should have gotten Jesus to try it because he would have had better luck. It always amazes me how easy deception can be if one has a pretty face and tons of charm. Marnie has probably always been flattered that Jesus looked up to her and thought he was handsome too. Jesus knows this and uses it to undermine Martonia showing that even though she seems all powerful now her weakness and insecurities still got the better of her.

Marnie’s basically getting back at everyone who ever wronged her. She’s power tripping and trying to claim self defense again to justify what she’s doing. She’s finally getting the respect she’s always wanted and likes everyone being afraid of her for a change. Sookie tries to appeal to Marnie by empathizing with her and we get another brief lesson in life according to Sookie. Good tactic Sookie but it’s not going to work out. The power has gone to Marnie’s head.

As a peeved Andy walks home in the dark he’s having a Gollum-esque moment and talking to himself. Out of no where a bright and shining light appears and poof! There’s a strange woman telling him to stay away. Before Andy can say V she blasts him with a bolt of light that knocks him on his rear. Now we all know it’s a faery but Andy doesn’t.What in the world does a faery want with Andy I wonder? Back at the garage Luna gets a call from Emma and when they check the call display Alcide recognizes his number which means Debbie is in big trouble.

Bill goads Martonia into coming out to negotiate. Knowing Sookie’s value as a pawn Martonia takes our favorite faery outside with her. Martonia orders her last vampire zombie to attack Bill and he throws the female fanger into the barrier. The poor vampire gets zapped and bursts and Martonia proudly reveals that her barrier zaps vampires like bugs because she has managed to harness the power of the sun in her protective shield. Bill and Eric demand Sookie’s release and Martonia readily agrees as long as there is a trade. She wants Bill and Eric to kill themselves. They agree and while Sookie cries Pam decides to take matters into her own hands and shoots a missile at the barrier despite Eric’s adamant command not to. It’s a move Pam is sadly going to regret but she loves Eric so much she is willing to risk his wrath. Eric should consider himself lucky to have someone so fiercely loyal to him.

Alcide arrives at home with Sam and Luna in tow. Luna’s relieved to find Emma, Sam is glad he’s found Marcus and Alcide is fuming mad. While Luna stays downstairs with Emma, Alcide and Sam head upstairs for a showdown. They enter the bedroom to find Debbie on the bed in her skivvies and Marcus standing there. Debbie loudly claims that nothing happened but we all know Alcide is seeing red and hearing steam come out of his ears instead of her voice. Sam holds a gun on Marcus but in the end they decide to duke it out mano a mano with no shifting for either of them. Marcus might be a badass but he’s never seen Sam angry and you better look out if Sam is on the warpath, and Sam is far down that path riding high on his righteous duty to avenge his brother’s death. Marcus doesn’t stand a chance.

Martonia and Sookie go back inside Moon Goddess and Martonia is still unaware that Jesus is planning to take her down. Jesus keeps preparing for the spell and warns Lala about the dark magic he’s about to use. Lafayette worries Jesus’ demon face might make an appearance and Jesus can’t guarantee that it won’t. Poor Lafayette. He just can’t get away from that face that scares the heck out of him. Jesus gives Lala the bloody dagger from Casey’s chest and dips a finger in the wound. He then proceeds to wipe some on his own chest, say an incantation and then suck the blood right off his finger. Revolting, yes, but we all know that blood is the magic ingredient that seals the deal for a potent spell.

The explosion dies down and the barrier is still intact. Bill checks to make sure Jessica is alright and she’s scolding him for so easily deciding to give up his life for Sookie. She warns him to never even think about it again when Jason moans in pain. He’s laid flat on his back his face badly burned by the explosion and blinded by it. Jessica just does what comes natural to a vampire and opens up her wrist to give him her magic boo boo healing blood. Jason’s lucky to have his very own fountain of healing but this will complicate matters even more between him and Jess.

While Andy was passed out on the ground the new faery girl was busy reading his mind. Her name is Maurella and she apologizes for blasting him explaining that she only blasted him because he smelled like a vampire hence he is one. She then proceeds to seduce Andy who is easily bewitched by her. Before they get together though she extracts a promise from Andy to protect her. She wants him to swear by the light and he does so eagerly even though he is perplexed about the light that appears in the tip of her pointer finger. They touch fingers to seal Andy’s oath and they start having sex just like that.

Now, knowing what we do about faeries I find all this highly suspicious. And even though there are most likely warning bells going off in Andy’s head right about now, he’s too enthralled by this beautiful creature appearing like magic and wanting him to care. I am surprised though that the E.T. finger didn’t phase him a little more. You should have read the fine print before you swore an oath to a stranger, Andy. If it looks too good to be true it probably is and all this ish that’s happening in the woods right now fits that saying perfectly. I have a feeling that Andy’s going to regret this one. Nice set up for next season though, yeah?

The fight is on at Alcide’s place and Sam and Marcus are throwing each other around the crowded bedroom. Alcide is keeping Debbie out of the fray and wouldn’t you know it but she’s trying to defend Marcus which isn’t winning her any points with Alcide. Sam wins the fight, proving his dominance by pressing his knee on Marcus’ throat and proclaiming that he must live with being a loser. Sam gets up and predictably turns his back on the defeated supe. Marcus’ eyes glow with a wolfy fury and he grabs for the gun intending to shoot Sam in the back. Alcide to the rescue once more. He tackles Marcus who shoots off a bullet and misses and Sam can thank Alcide for saving his life and doing the dirty work of killing Marcus.

Alcide hits Marcus in the throat and holds him down by his juglar looking like he’s barely holding onto his human form and not shifting into a wolf. Alcide manages to get a hold of himself but Marcus dies on the bedroom floor. He looks horrified just like everyone else in the room is and before Debbie can start pleading too much, Alcide severs the tie that binds them. It’s heartbreaking but Debbie must have seen it coming. I also think for Alcide this was an out for him. He saw his chance to leave Debbie and he took it. He knows what’s in his heart for Sookie and it was now or never for him to make a clean break, and this way he doesn’t have to admit to Debbie the truth of his feelings for another woman. This way it’s all on Debbie. That being said, I do think ending it with her caused him a good amount of pain. Poor Debbie. I wonder how long it will be before she blames Sookie?

Antonia divines the future in the pool of Casey’s blood that’s on the floor. What she sees frightens her. Seeing her own death prompts her to try and get the group to join hands once more and form a circle. She urges them to defend themselves against the vampires intent on slaughtering them by casting a protection spell. Yeah right, Marnie! No one is eager to join hands.

As Lafayette watches anxious and worried and a little scared, Jesus continues working his dark place magic to cast Antonia out of Marnie. He cuts symbols into his forearm then instructs Lala to tie Marnie’s pilfered scarf around his wrists. It represents the bond between Marnie and Antonia Jesus explains to his lover. Then he tells Lafayette to rub the mixture of herbs he’s put together into the bleeding markings. Yes, there is some powerful juju in the air.

Miraculously Martonia manages to convince everyone to join hands. Even Sookie joins the circle. Why they keep trusting Martonia I’ll never know. Protection spell my a**! Martonia is now able to weave a spell that controls the vampires outside like marionettes. Against their wills Eric, Pam, Bill and Jess start making their way towards the sun barrier. No matter how hard they try they are unable to resist. Jason is trying to pull the vampires away from the barrier but he can’t and is instead getting dragged towards the barrier too. He cries out in his mind for Sookie to stop this and luckily she hears him. With a blast of her faerie powers she busts the circle, stopping Martonia’s control spell.

Eric is livid. He’s so mad at Pam. I have never seen him be menacing like this to Pam and as she tries to explain that her actions were out of love for him he rages at her, telling her to get out of his sight before he kills her. Harsh words for a woman who loves you. This time Pam doesn’t hesitate to obey and disappears like her maker ordered. It’s so sad. I always knew Sookie was going to come between Eric and Pam. Eric isn’t thinking rationally, I know he loves Sookie and he’s furious that Pam’s disobedience could have killed her, but this is Pam, Eric. How can you forget that Pam would do anything to save you? Sookie is nothing to her compared to you. It was a simple choice for Pam to defy Eric in this and Eric surely broke Pam’s heart. Is it irrevocable? Maybe. It’s definitely a splintering of the tie that binds them, a moment in their 150 year old relationship that will alter the dynamic between them in some way. Just how bad it will be or just how it will change is yet to be seen.

Martonia is furious at Sookie and accuses her and everyone else of betrayal. Sookie tries to explain she didn’t do it on purpose and Tara even comes to her defense but Martonia is having none of it. She erects a circle of magical flames around Sookie.

Jesus is doing his best to work his brujo magic while Lala urges him to hurry before Sookie burns, and of course Jesus’ demon face manifests itself. Eric and Bill feel Sookie’s fear and Martonia finally feels Jesus’ spell, and it is working. Flames shoot out of the demon’s mouth burning the scarf Lala tied around Jesus’ wrists. Marnie struggles to hold on to Antonia but finally Antonia breaks free of Marnie and with a relieved look, her hands folded together as if in prayer, Antonia’s spirit evaporates. Jesus has saved the day, heroically breaking the link that bound Antonia’s spirit to the necromancer. This does not make Marnie happy. Sookie is also freed as the fire circle is extinguished.

With the shield gone Eric and Bill rush into Moon Goddess. Silly Roy stands infront of Marnie to protect her and Eric makes quick work of him, ripping out his heart and sucking blood out of one of the arteries like a straw right in Marnie’s face. It’s very scary and very Eric. Marnie is defiant to the end proclaiming that not even vampires live forever. Bill takes care of business and shoots Marnie in the chest a few times and once in the head, and with her death Marnie’s vision of her own demise comes to fruition.

Sam comes out of Alcide’s house to a waiting Emma and Luna. Emma asks where her dad is but Sam doesn’t tell her he’s dead. He and Luna just stare at each other. She probably thinks Sam killed him and even though she’s pissed at Marcus I don’t think she’d be thrilled about her new boyfriend killing her ex. Maybe.

Andy finally gets home to find everyone worried and Terry out searching for him. He tells Arlene about what happened to him but she writes it off as him being crazy because of the V. If only she knew the truth, hey Andy?

Bill has Eric glamor the recent events out of everyone’s mind, Sookie watches them and they watch her and it’s all very awkward. Jason thanks Jess for saving his life and admits that he thinks about her all the time. It’s messy and complicated and Jason knows he’s probably going to lose his best friend. Poor Bubba. Sort of. I’m still mad at him for how he treated Jess.

Lafayette and Jesus are at home in bed. Even though Jesus saved the day he lost a friend. And is it just me or does he look worried? Like his tampering with his magic that comes from a dark place might have negative repercussions? Lafayette is just proud of his partner and tries to make him feel better about everything. And just as you think everything is going to be alright who should appear hovering above the bed? Why it’s none other than Marnie’s spirit appearing out of the ether of the dead. Before Lafayette can say hooker, Marnie possesses him.

This does not bode well for anyone in Bon Temps. I can see everything going from bad to worse and to hell in a hand basket. Don’t you? I guess it isn’t over until Marnie says it’s over and something tells me that she’s going to be far more dangerous dead than she ever was alive. The finale can’t come soon enough. What do you think is going to happen?

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