The Page 69 Test: "Real Vampires Hate Skinny Jeans"

Sunday, April 8, 2012

"Real Vampires Hate Skinny Jeans"

Gerry Bartlett is a former teacher and now writes full time.

She applied the Page 69 Test to her new novel, Real Vampires Hate Skinny Jeans, and reported the following:

I love doing this test because it really lets me know if I’m getting my message across in the book that’s just been released. Okay, so it’s a little late once it’s in print, but I can use the lesson as I forge ahead on the next installment in the Real Vampires series. Skinny Jeans is number eight in the set about a vampire, Glory St. Clair, who was bloating when she was turned in 1604. Readers have followed her through adventures as she runs her vintage clothing store in Austin, deals with a tumultuous love life, and has some near misses with vampire hunters. I set up in book seven that Glory might not have been the simple actress she had seemed back in the day when she met her sire. Now, in this book, we discover that it is all too true that she was a different paranormal creature before she was left in the mortal world on her own with no memory of her past. Page 69 is a scene with a demon who previously inhabited Glory’s body. She’s letting Glory know that, yes, she saw some interesting things when she was stuck inside the vampire.

“Relax. For a vampire you are way too uptight. Anybody ever tell you that, Glory?” Alesa stopped and looked me over. “I read your thoughts. So Ian told you something about being a super freak. Never human. I know he’s right. You’re a weird combo. When I was inside you, I did a little poking around. You’ve got powers you’ve never even tried to tap, girlfriend.”
This scene does two important things: confirms Glory’s fears that she has a past she never knew about and leads to Glory’s discovery of powers that she will need to help her survive later in the book. Who knew page 69 would turn out to be so important? You see why I love this test? I’m at work now on Real Vampires Know Hips Happen, a March, 2013 release from Berkley Publishing. Yes, Glory is still rocking along.