13 Wicked Days of Christmas With Marta Acosta
December 20, 2009 in Author Interviews, Contests
Marta, it’s great to finally have you over to Writings of a Wicked Book Addict. Thanks for dropping by.
Marta: Thanks for having me, Natasha!
WLP: Can you tell us, what your favorite Christmas related smell is?
Marta: That’s an easy one. It’s fresh pine branches. I like green, clean scents. I’ve just made an executive decision to keep a pine tree in my house all-year long. Don’t look at me that way – I’ll trade out dry ones for newly cut ones.
WLP: What is the worst gift you’ve personally given someone?
Marta: I gave my husband a saxophone, because I thought he wanted to learn to play. He went to one lesson and then put it in the closet. Eventually, he let me give it away to a high school’s music program so someone could actually use it.
WLP: What about the worst gift you’ve received?
Marta: My parents gave me a very life-like, life-size doll when I was six. The blue glass eyes would open and shut. It scared the willies out of me, and I thought it was going to come alive at night and kill me. It was a gift that kept on giving – specifically, it kept on giving me nightmares for years.
WLP: Best gift received?
Marta: It wasn’t a Christmas gift, but The Husband let me get another rescue dog for my birthday last year. Her name is Betty Von Snoggle, and she is all kinds of fabulous. She brings dead things in the house and drops them at our feet. When people come to our door, she lets loose a crazed howl that I call “The Howl of Death.” Also, she’s very loving and wiggly.
WLP: What kinds of food to you serve for Christmas?
Marta: Well, my mother always made tamales for Christmas, but my sister-in-law made prime rib when she had all of us over. I’m usually in charge of the appetizers, and I do a lot of antipasto. But I’m cooking the family dinner this Christmas and will have to find some way to reconcile everyone’s tastes. My parents are old-school – green-beans casserole, Jello mold old-school – but I’m more of a free-range, organic blah-blah-blah type, and we’ve also got vegetarians in the family.
WLP: Do you have any holiday traditions?
Marta: The husband and I usually have a holiday party with lots of food and fizzy wine. I love to buy and make gifts for friends, and I like packages with lots of shiny ribbons. I used to make my own Christmas cards. They could be a little peculiar, though, and I stopped going to all the trouble of making them when I realized that no one was putting them up.
WLP: Favorite Christmas Movie or Favorite Christmas Song?
Marta: My favorite classic movie is “The Bishop’s Wife” with Cary Grant, David Niven, and Loretta Young. My favorite quasi-classic movie is “A Christmas Story,” with Darren McGavin and Peter Billingsley. It’s one of those movies I can watch over and over again. Among new movies, it would have to be “Just Friends,” when Ryan Reynolds’ visit home goes disastrously wrong, and “Elf,” which is very sweet.
My favorite song would be the Andre Champagne jingle. It’s just a bunch of chimes. I sing it to annoy people.
WLP: On to the books, you have a new releases in 2010. Can you tell us about it?
Marta: Casa Dracula Book Four will come out in October. I haven’t figured out a title yet, but I’m thinking of Dead Man’s Dance at Casa Dracula. My heroine, Milagro, is living in the city, seeing the dangerous and secretive Ian Durcharme, and still longing after her ex-fiancé, Oswald.
Milagro’s furious when Ian imports thralls to act as his servants. She thinks that there must be a better way to live with her condition, and she goes to London to meet with the leader of a progressive vampire movement. He’s a lot like her and they start a relationship. But someone uses violence against him to scare Milagro.
Then the story devolves into a lot of mayhem, which includes Milagro’s return to Oswald’s ranch, which she calls Casa Dracula, unknown enemies, and Milagro being forced to make life-changing decisions.
WLP: Can you give us any hints about the next Casa Dracula novel, since it’s going to be so long before we get our Milagro fix.
Marta: I will tell you that Milagro gets to have the ending that readers have been asking for. I don’t know if there will be other Casa Dracula novels, so I threw everything in the pot. We’ll also get answers to some other mysteries.
WLP: What has been your favorite book of 2009?
Marta: It’s tragic, but most of my reading has been non-fiction and news. It’s like homework and I complain a lot as I toil through boring essays about politics.
WLP: Not only do you run your own website & blog, but you also have Vampire Wire. What do you love about vampires?
Marta: The cool thing about vampires is that the mythology is so flexible. It can be used for thrillers, gothic tales, comedies, romance, etc. Vampirism can be an analogy for alienation, or transition into adulthood, or whatever. I’m not strict on adherence to any specific rules, since vampire myths have occurred in many places and cultures.
I enjoy paranormal/urban fantasy stories where a character is thrown into a crazy, dangerous situation and can’t go to the cops or use ordinary resources. I especially like it when these characters use humor to cope with the insanity.
WLP: Since you are all things Vampire, who is your favorite Vamp of all time?
Marta: My favorite vamp is Spike from “Buffy, the Vampire Slayer.” He was snarky, bitter, sexy, and kind of a loser in many ways. But when it came to the end of the world, Spike stepped up and was the hero. He was constantly battling against himself, battling others, and somewhere deep inside was the sentimental human who had written bad poetry. I love that about him.
WLP: Yesterday, author Jennifer Rardin got the chance to ask YOU a question…Jen’s question for you is:
Hi, Marta! Here’s what I want to know…if Santa were to leave a vampire under your tree, what would you do with him?
Marta: The last thing I need is a present that’s going to cost me time, money, and trouble. So I’d ask Santa if he kept the receipt for the vampire, and if I could exchange him for something useful, like one of those toasters with wide slots for bagels or a panini maker. However, if the vampire enjoying housecleaning and yard work, I’d keep him.
WLP: Tomorrow, we have author Jenna Maclaine here. Ask Jenna ANYTHING and she has to answer!
Marta: Okay, Jenna, if you had witchy powers, which power would you secretly misuse to make life a little easier?
Happy Holidays Marta, thanks for dropping by!
Marta: Thanks for asking me to be here and asking such fun questions!
CONTEST ALERT!!
Marta is offering up book one of the Casa Dracula series to one lucky reader. All you have to do is:
+1 Comment on this blog about anything relating to this interview
+1 For being a Follower of this blog
+1 for tweeting about this interview/contest
Visit Marta on her Website
Hi Marta! Great interview, sounds like you have some great holiday fun-fizzy wine-yum.
Any word on your YA progress, I am still curious about the mysterious tree.
I follow
tweeted http://twitter.com/EllzReadz/status/6862720547
I’m not entering since I already have a full set of Casa books, but wow! Thanks for the tidbit on the upcoming one. I can’t wait to read it.
Excellent interview, too. Your Betty sounds totally delightful.
Natasha loved all the Xmas themed qeustions. Marta love your fav Christmas movie. I can so identify with the bit where the younger brother is dressed in his snow coat and can’t move his arms. Happy holdiays everyone.
Hm! A Vampire House Cleaner as a gift from Santa! Oh the possibilities! Mine would have to were some sort of cute LEATHER uniform!
Also a blog follower!
Happy Holidays!
Also, what kind of dog is Betty Von Snoggle? She sounds like a hoot!
I love Spike too so much. He was always great whenever he was in an episode of Buffy.
+ Im a follower
usignolc(at)yahooDOTcom
Marta, great interview.
I keep seeing the Casa Dracula series around and I’ve had it on several reading lists for some time now. Please enter me!
I am a follower
Excellent interview. I loved her answer to what she would do if Santa left a vampire under her tree.
http://twitter.com/eheinlen/statuses/6865572932
LOL A vamp doing yard work cool!
Follower and tweeter @greatmasteryoda
Thank you.
How wonderful is that Martas best present is her rescue dog, that is a wonderful present.
+1 for Cmmenting
+1 for following your blog
+1 for tweeting about contest (@Coistycat)
Thank you for running this contest
Good Luck all who enter. xx
Had a few problens with google, thought i was following your blog but wasn’t, i am however now definetly following your blog. xx
Great Interview!!! Plus, I love to see the love for Spike. He is also my favorite vamp. He can be the Big Bad, and a vamp that likes Passions all rolled into one.
+1 for commenting
+1 for being a follower
I also must share in the love for Spike. And I would love to win a Casa Dracula book. I’ve been wanting to read this series and just haven’t gotten started yet.
+1 commented
+1 follower
mandan513(at)hotmail(dot)com
*squeal* I love Spike, he has to be the sexiest onscreen vamp evah!!! Great interview WLP.
Great interview and loved the answers!! I need someone like that under my tree!!
I am already a follower!!
Hi
Thank you for the fun interview with Marta. I didn’t know she ran Vampire Wire. That’s one of my fav blogs. I was wondering when Marta will be coming back to Twitter? Her last tweet was back in August. Or is that account inactive because she switched to another one?
I liked her answer about the vampire under the tree. It would have to be night help though.
Merry Christmas,
RKCharron
PS – Tweeted
+1 I’m a big fan of A Christmas Story too. That family so reminds me of mine.
+1 I’m a follower
+1 I tweeted at http://twitter.com/jone402/status/6871692060
Oooh… Accidentally stumbling across Vampire Wire is what got me into UF blogs in the first place! I would love to win a copy of this book.
I adore Spike as well, but most often found myself wanting to live in the Hyperion with Angel… Broody gets me like that.
Thanks for the great interview!
I’m a follower.
I don’t know if I would want a vampire under my tree either. I enjoyed the interview very much. Would love to win her book.
I am a follower
seriousreader at live dot com
Hi, everyone, thanks for stopping by and thanks WLP for having me here!
Ellie, the YA book is still with editors. I’m trying to be hopeful.
Carolyn, thanks! I love this new Casa Dracula book. I’ve gotten so dang fond of Milagro’s world.
Doug, my fondness for Christmas movies is irrationally sentimental. Stay warm!
Heather, I’ll have to post a few Spike videos on my Vampire Wire blog this week.
Amanda, good luck! Hope you’ll get the chance to read my books.
KC , love the name of your blog — I’ll check it out!
Angel, many libraries have my books, or ask for them for Christmas.
Caitlin, I thought Joss Whedon said he would consider another show with some of the Buffy characters. I’d love to see Spike again.
Kate L, the vamps charge extra for cleaning your house while wearing lederhosen.
Emily, vamps always seem to be a little high maintenance to me.
Donna, thanks! A dog is always so affectionate — it’s the gift that keeps on giving.
Judy, thanks!
RK, Yep, Vampire Wire is mine. The tweets post automatically from VW, and I’m so overloaded that I haven’t had time to tweet otherwise. I’m now in the process of updating my author website and blog.
Joder, the nuttiness of that family is wonderful.
Julie, how nice that my blog got you interested in UF blogs! There are so many good ones out there.
I HAD to stop by just to thank Marta for all the Sam & Dean love she has on her blog, well and to tell her I don’t mind sharing Spike with her. He’s man enough for both of us, so it’s okay. I think we need TEAM SPIKE t-shirts. So, there you go Marta, no intelligent questions for you; just some drooling over guys.
You would send your vampire bake for a toaster that is crazy i would keep him as a sexy slave.Happy Holidays
1+Comment
1+Follewer
sasluvbooks(at)yahoo.com
I always get excited when an author loves Spike.
I’m a follower and I posted this on the Contests & Giveaways section on my sidebar
http://allthingsurbanfantasy.blogspot.com/
allthingsurbanfantasy[at]gmail[dot]com
awesome post im a follower of your blog ty for stoping in today I agree about spike tho lol
I LOVE “Just Friends”! And not just because Ryan Reynolds is in it….though that does help;-)
Great interview!!
Great interview! I haven’t read any of the Casa series so please count me in on this one! Your books sounds fabulous! The Holiday is one of my favorite Christmas and of course A Christmas Story. Thanks for sharing with us today.
I am a follower
Sigh….I adore Spike in all his badboyness….I look forward to seeing the videos you post on your blog, Marta.
VWinship at aol dot com
LOL – on a housekeeper vamp, although since the work would be at night, the vacuum might be noisy when trying to sleep – unless you’re a night person?
+1 follower
vvb32 at yahoo.com
ps: natasha – i’m loving your wicked week ;-D
Hi Marta~
Great interview! I love The Bishop’s Wife…but how can you go wrong with Cary Grant? Another favorite of mine is White Christmas or Holiday Inn.
I hope that you have a fabulous holiday and that your dinner turns out wonderfully.
+1 follower
latomli (at) yahoo (dot) com
Awesome interview!
I miss Milagro and had been wondering when we were going to get to see more of her =)))
I LOVE Spike too!!! Def one of my faves!!1
I follow you here and I RT’s this post!
Hugs
How nice to see so many comments!
Moonsanity, one of the things I love about the Sam & Dean videos is that the “Supernatural” fans make such great ones. Some series only have bad videos with crappy music, but “Supernatural” vids always have great editing and rocking tunes.
Stacey, good luck with the whole “keeping a vampire as a sexy slave” thing. They’re usually the ones giving the orders.
Abigail, Beverly and Vickie, James Marsters, who played Spike, is pretty fabulous as Cpt. John on “Torchwood.” He wears a pirate jacket and boots! Nuff said.
Chelsea, Ryan Reynolds is a wonderful comic actor, but he also has depth. I think people may underestimate his skill because many don’t like the snideness. I love the snideness.
Virginia, hope you enjoy my books. I forgot all about “The Holiday.” It’s a fave, too.
Velvet, I’m glad to see you’ve really thought about the problems with a vamp housekeeper!
Lori, I don’t know why I’ve never seen “White Christmas.” I tried and that’s probably my favorite Christmas song…because Bruce Springsteen’s “Santa is Coming to Town.”
Larissa, thanks for asking! I just handed in my revisions for Casa Dracula Book Four. It’s tentatively titled Haunted Honeymoon at Casa Dracula, and it’s got a very happy ending for Milagro.
Thank you for adopting rescues! I always love hearing happy endings when they find their forever homes.
Great interview. I’ve never heard of a dog bringing dead presents. We have a cat that does that.
I can’t believe you’d turn down a vampire. But since you’d have the receipt just how much do you think he’d cost?
I love “The Bishop’s Wife” and I adore Cary Grant. That movie is so sweet.
I am a follower.
Thanks,
Tracey D
booklover0226 AT gmail DOT com
Hey Ms. Acosta – great interview! But I’m curious as to what became of Nancy’s book that you were talking about previously – did it get knocked from the Plan or postponed or what?
Happy holidays!
(Am a follower and posted of contest on Twitter: http://twitter.com/MuseCalliope)
I enjoyed reading the interview. Marta Acosta is a new author to me but the Casa Dracula series sounds great. Will look to checking it out. Please count me in for the contest.
I am a follower.
tamsyn5@yahoo.com
Boy, pets and kids sure make life interesting don’t they? lol
Deidre
Hi Matra I’m new to all of this so I haven’t read any of your books although I have added them to my TBR list. I also went to your home page. I agree with you about sending back the vampire unless it cleans, I hate cleaning too. However, I’d love to have a wolf or a wolf shifter if they did chores as well. MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Martra, I love Betty Von Snoggle. I have 3 cats, and Garfield is always bringing me mice, moles, birds, etc and leaving them on my patio. I do not like these gifts and have to scoop them up with plastic bag and dispose of them..Yeeeekekkkkkk Loved the interview. This is the first time I have been introduced to you but I will be adding your Casa Dracula series to my fast growing list. I remember Barnabus from TV. loved it.
I am a follower
Hi Marta!
I love your books, how did you come up with the idea?
+1Am a follower
+Tweeted @iheartbkgossip
Daelith, all my dogs have been rescues! Even those who want purebreds can go to breed rescues for some great dogs.
Andrea, my dogs are crazy hunting dogs. They’re a lot of fun but so high-energy that many people give them up.
Lea, I think the prices of vampires would vary drastically. If you want an Angel, it’s gonna cost you. I think Spike comes at a discount because of his bad habits.
Tamsyn, hope you’ll try my books!
Deidre, our first dog was as a pet for my son and we couldn’t have asked for a better companion. (In fact, one of my books is dedicated to Buddy’s memory.)
Tracey, my fave Cary Grant movies are “The Philadelphia Story,” “Holiday,” “The Bishop’s Wife”…oh, maybe all of them are faves. Also “Houseboat,” which is funny and romantic.
Calliope, NANCY is a whole ‘nother story — but a good one and I’ll share news with everyone in 2010…which isn’t so far off. Thanks for asking!
Belinda, my brother tells some crazy stories about friends of his who all decided to get wolves one Christmas. I recall something about a wolf at a picnic and an unfortunate poodle who became his lunch.
Brenda, I make my husband clean up Betty’s gifts. Although she has also “saved” her presents outside in a corner and gotten upset if the other dog goes near them.
I Heart Book Gossip, thanks! The short answer is that a lot of romantic comedies feature social class divisions, and it occurred to me that vampires would be terrible snobs. Everything fell into place from that idea.
Spike is also a favourite of mine.
+1 Follower
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I am a Follower.
I loved your comment about the vampire from Santa !
I didn’t realise vampires were refundable.
Maybe if it was Angel you wouldn’t return him ?
I can relate to the reading of non-fiction and watching news….my husband to be is a big fan of this acitivity. Me, I love fiction.
I follow as well.
+1 I love the idea of having a ‘pet’ vampire to do the housecleaning!
+1 I’m a follower
Thanks for all your comments! I hope you’ll visit me at my Vampire Wire blog, http://www.vampirewire.blogspot.com.
Spav, I miss Spike and always wonder what happened to him after he helped save the world — again.
Carol, Angel was more entertaining in his own series — less glum. But there was always the danger that he’d flip to his Angelus persona.
Doreen, I devour novels when I’m not writing them. I love to sit and read through a story. But I can’t do that when I’m writing. My brain is too scattered.
Esther, I’d be happy for anyone to do housecleaning — elves, trolls, etc. I suspect that werewolves make bigger messes than they clean.
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