Virtual Book Tour and Giveaway: Day Unto Night by TammyJo Eckhart

Welcome to my stop on the virtual book tour for Day Unto Night by TammyJo Eckhart. This book tour was organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. On my stop, I have an excerpt from the book as well as a guest post from the author regarding vampires! There's also the tour wide giveaway for a chance to win a $25 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card. Be sure to visit the other stops on the tour for more content. Enjoy!

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Title: Day Unto Night

Author: TammyJo Eckhart

Publisher: Liminal Books

Publication Date: October 19th 2021

Print Length: 358 pages

Genre: Paranormal Horror

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A Sumerian child named Ningai survives the murder of her entire family and cries out to her people’s gods, who answer her prayer in an unexpected way. Now, as the first of the Akhkharu, the living dead, Ningai embarks on a journey across the millennia to rebuild what she lost. The best of her offspring must maintain some shred of goodness to prove worthy to their Child-Mother while fighting the deadly impulses of their kind. Join their journeys across time in a series of interconnected stories from the earliest cities to a brutal future where humans are mere pawns in the hands of near gods. Like all of us, Ningai and the best of her children will stop at nothing to protect her family. Can they succeed before they lose what’s left of their humanity, or will all of humanity become enslaved to the Akhkharu forever?

Goodreads * Amazon

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EXCERPT:

Jack sat up on the roof of what had once been the Library of Congress, looking out toward the ocean, which he could not see, even with his improved eyesight. A century ago, he may have been dismo, thinking about the waves, his board, and the feeling of it all, but now he couldn’t even clearly remember what “dismo” meant. Only a deep, tiny twinge flickered through his heart when he reached up to caress his buzzed blond hair that resembled his master’s own haircut. He’d changed his hairstyle within a few decades of his transformation into wardum, not because Cornelius had commanded it, as he doubted the Akhkharu even noticed his hair, but because he’d caught the looks and comments other vampires and their servants had been giving him as he’d circulated within the dark venues of the Night Kingdom.

No, there wasn’t much left of surfer dude Jack anymore.

He’d been replaced with someone more focused on the almighty texts that they protected and censored below. Jack glanced down and saw the flicker of light, so he stood, then bounded down the roof and the side of the building to meet his contact below.

No, Jack wasn’t just some vampire’s obedient slave, at least not in these moments.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

TammyJo Eckhart, PhD, is the published author of science fiction, fantasy, contemporary, horror, and historical fiction. Her non-fiction works covering subjects ranging from history to alternative sexuality to relationship advice and the challenges of trauma recovery. She holds a PhD in Ancient History with doctoral minors in Gender & Sexuality and Folklore. Her blog, The Chocolate Cult, has been the go-to guide for chocolate lovers since 2009. She loves visiting conventions as well as organizations to read, sell books, or share her experiences and insights on various topics in the form of lectures or workshops.

Website * Amazon * Facebook *

Goodreads * Instagram * Pinterest * Twitter

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GUEST POST:

The Logic of Becoming a Vampire
By TammyJo Eckhart ©2021

I started watching horror television and movies and reading horror fiction at a young age. Vampires drew my attention. I never felt connected to the victims. That didn’t mean I also felt connected to the vampire; sometimes I just wanted to be the hunter. It entirely depends on who created them, whether writer, director, or actor: what mythos they were using or had constructed, and how they told their story.

In most cases, I would not want to become a vampire simply because they are often tied to deals with the devil, the loss of one’s soul, or some incarnation of evil. I don’t see myself as that sort of person. Most vampires that make a mark in popular culture are male and reinforce patriarchy; even the female ones are often submissive to a master masculine vampire. No, thanks, that’s pretty much the regular mortal world, so why would I want that for eternity?

If the vampire isn’t that thoroughly negative, she’s usually incapable of honest emotions or is overcome by bloodlust. In the past few decades, it’s become increasingly common for vampires to go from fiends to angst-ridden eternal adolescents, sometimes caring so much that they can hardly function anymore or are just one slip away from becoming that horrific monster again. I don’t want any more therapy, not even with centuries of extra time. I like to be in control of myself and of others.

That last point is one reason why I’m open to becoming a vampire. I know that I’m good at being in charge and that I can be trusted as the dominant entity in a relationship. I’m not afraid to gather information, weigh all possible outcomes, make the call, and enforce my decision. If I had power that went beyond just my personality, imagine what I could accomplish.

Being willing to be in charge and having the power to be in charge aren’t the only reasons I’d want to be a vampire. I’m a historian. I would love to have the sheer time and potential to build up the resources, economic and material, to dive into history, to experience it and then analyze it as no other historian could. There is a chance that seeing the repeated cycles of human societies might be sad and enraging, but I think one could also celebrate the slow steady progress that was being made.

Is there a vampire type out there that could satisfy what I’m looking for and make it worth my becoming one of them? I created it in the Allamudi family of vampires in Day Unto Night. The viewpoint Allamudi, Cornelius, is on a journey to become the type of creature I’d want to be if I were a vampire, and he does get there.

The reasons I’m attracted to undead life as an Allamudi are multifold. They’re chosen because they’re smart and value knowledge. I’d like to think I’m smart, and I certainly value knowledge. They must be willing to collect, evaluate, use, and reassess information as a historian. Allamudi are also valued for their interests and skills. Other vampires and mortals give them information and objects all the time; they even acquire the means to store them, and all of that is important. All of the mental manipulations that a vampire can do are available to Allamudi, but they don’t necessarily need to use them when they’re seen as holders of the past.

But they need not be limited to the past. They can be scientists, generals, queens, or any role that requires the accumulation of information and the use of it. They can also acquire knowledge of all types: practical, speculative, sensual, or metaphysical. If it requires any thinking, there is an Allamudi out there who loves to study and use it. All of that is appealing to me because it allows me to have a wide range of interests, just as I do in my mortal life.

Allamudi can also have personal and deeply passionate relationships. Sure, they can be based purely on what they can gain, just as with any type of vampire, or human being, for that matter. There’s no reason why the connection can’t be deeper. That creates a complex character that I know I could be comfortable with being for eternity.

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GIVEAWAY:

TammyJo Eckhart will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter. Good luck!

(All the Ups and Downs is not responsible for this giveaway, its entries, or the prize. Goddess Fish Promotions assumes all responsibility for this giveaway.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway