What to Watch: The Vampire Diaries (GIVEAWAY!)

**The giveaway is closed. Thanks for participating!**

This week’s recommendation for True Blood fans waiting out the hiatus is another vampire series that Liz and I have fallen in love with: The Vampire Diaries. Not only is Ian Somerhalder’s villainous Damon smoking hot, we like watching Nina Dobrev’s Elena navigate her very complicated life as the supernatural competes with personal tragedy and just being a teenager. But enough about us, let’s hear from Vee and Red at fansite Vampire-Diaries.net why you should be watching:

The Vampire Diaries on the CW

A TV show based on a series of novels, featuring an ensemble cast dabbling in sex, blood and violence in a small Southern town. At its heart: a love story between a headstrong heroine and a vampire struggling to reconcile his thirst for blood with his humanity.

Sound familiar? Now throw in the vampire’s equally bloodthirsty-but-unrepetant brother and you have The Vampire Diaries, the CW Network’s newest supernatural drama, based on L.J. Smith’s beloved young adult series, and starring Nina Dobrev, Paul Wesley, and Ian Somerhalder. If you’re in need of a fix as you await True Blood‘s third season (we’re fans too), might we recommend an hour of your Thursday night spent with vampires, fledgling witches, protective ex-boyfriends, a secret society of vampire-hunting town founders, missing campers, conniving cheerleaders, complicated siblings – with the promise of more to come?

And, hi, yes – our vampires are able to walk in the day. So what? It just means they can rip your throat out anywhere, any time, any place. And they do rip (and gnaw, and tear). They may be pretty, but the blood sucking is not. (But maybe it can be – if you know what we mean, and we’re sure you do.)

The Vampire Diaries staked the Twilight comparisons through the heart – quite literally – earlier this season, but it’s not “True Blood Lite” either. Sure, it’s a network show light on the graphic sex and gore, but it packs a mighty emotional punch, and there’s a lot more story to tell. This is just the beginning.

Vampire-Diaries.net has lots more information about the show, the cast, and the books. The Vampire Diaries airs Thursdays at 8/7c on the CW.

Win The Vampire Diaries Novel & Poster

We’re giving away a copy of The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening and The Struggle (the first two novels in The Vampire Diaries series) plus a poster from Comic Con to one (1) lucky winner. Here’s how to enter:

• Leave a comment below and tell us if you’re already watching The Vampire Diaries or are planning to give it a try now;
• Be sure to use a valid email address when you enter so we can contact you if you win;
• Comments must be posted no later than 11:59PM PT on Thursday, November 12, 2009, to be eligible;
• One (1) winner will be drawn at random from eligible entries.

Good luck!