FAQ-When Will There Be Another Vampire Bride Book?

THE TALE OF THE VAMPIRE BRIDE is my personal favorite of all the books I've written. Conceived in a dream, it would take nearly a decade of writing off and on to finally complete the novel about my favorite heroine, Lady Glynis Wright.

The novel challenged me in so many ways from the extensive research I did on Vlad Tepes, Regency era fashions and traditions, the countries of Romania and Hungary, and the history of the city of Budapest (Buda in the story) to writing the novel in first person.

Perhaps I also love it because it is the first full length novel that I wrote that felt like it was ready for publication. I had learned from all my trunked novels and finally found my footing in my writing.

THE TALE OF THE VAMPIRE BRIDE has slowly built its audience as it continues to garner rave reviews. It has undergone a cover change not once, but twice, and has been optioned for a possible TV show.  The sequel to the first book, THE VENGEANCE OF THE VAMPIRE BRIDE, has also garnered solid reviews and is about to be released again in paperback with a whole new look to the cover and interior.

 Out of all my book series, this is the dearest.

Therefore, I am thrilled when people ask the following question:

When will there be another vampire bride book?

I had hoped to have the third novel out in late 2012, but my writing schedule didn't allow for the extensive research and time it takes to write this series. Out of all the series I pen this one demands the most writing time.  The time period, the European setting, and the rich history of the area are an important part of the tapestry of the story and require a lot of research.

I am hoping that the third book, THE LAMENT OF THE VAMPIRE BRIDE, will be released sometime this year.  I already know the major theme of this novel and how it ends, but not all the story details have fallen into place and probably won't until I'm writing.

Is THE LAMENT OF THE VAMPIRE BRIDE the final book?

Yes, and no.

THE LAMENT OF THE VAMPIRE BRIDE concludes a three book arc that centers on Glynis breaking free of the power of Vlad Dracula.  The massive power struggle between Vlad and Glynis that is rooted in the blood bond between them will come to a conclusion in the third book in the series.

That being said I do see the Vampire Bride series as ongoing.  The next book may be a standalone in her adventures, or the first half of a two-parter. I'm not sure yet.

So you're going to keep going past the third book?

Yes, I am. But I'm not going to hold myself to a strict schedule on the series. There are at least two other novels (or novellas) set in Glynis's world that I would like to write. One is about the true love of Vlad Dracula, Erzsebet, and her fall from his grace. The other is about Gavril and Ilinca, the vampire siblings.

If you have other questions about the series, you may want to check out my "Ten Things About..." posts about both THE TALE OF THE VAMPIRE BRIDE and THE VENGEANCE OF THE VAMPIRE BRIDE.  In them I address several issues, such as the fact there is NO LOVE TRIANGLE and that Vlad is not a love interest, but the villain, and why certain things in the story happened.

New Vampire Short Story Collection Announced

I'm pretty hardheaded at times.  I admit it.  I sometimes have to hear a bit of advice multiple times before it actually sinks through my thick skull.  But I finally listened to the fans and the friends who have been urging me to release my short fiction work in a collection.

Originally, I was going to stuff all my short stories into one tome, but I like things to be a bit orderly.  There were a slew of old gothic/romance/horror vampire shorts on my hard drive and they just seemed to land in the short story collection like a redheaded stepchild.  Pretty...but just not quite fitting in with all the brunettes.  So I yanked out all the vampire shorts and put them into another document.  That is when I began to see certain themes in all the stories: love, blood, and revenge.

Last night I excitedly laid out the vampire short stories and worked on a publishing plan for the collection.  (Another collection of my other horror works will come out later this year.)

Basically, the stories are written and just need a final edit.  I have already contacted one of my regular editors to see if she has a slot available for me.  Right now the collection is with the test readers.  These are older stories, so I'm anxious to get their feedback.  I have contacted several cover artists about working on the cover and I believe Detra may be returning for this cover (squeal of delight).  His work was previously seen on the original self-published As The World Dies novels.

 It will start off being a Kindle exclusive when released and later be available in other ebook formats.  Since it is a slim tome, it will be available in paperback format at conventions I attend and probably on my own website.  It would just be too expensive if I tried to sell the paperback version via the regular online retailers.

The name of the collection at this time is BLOOD & LOVE and Other Vampire Tales.

I will keep you posted as I move closer to publication.

The Amazingly Beautiful Cover Artwork for The Tale of the Vampire Bride

Detra has done it again.

Absolutely amazing!

Pretty When She Dies: A Vampire Novel-Read it online for FREE!!

Pretty When She Dies: A Vampire Novel is now online for your reading pleasure. Most of you are well acquainted with my zombie novels, but may not be too sure about this whole vampire thing. I don't blame you.

A lot of people have grown weary of the sparkly vampires, the romantic hero vampires, the angsty vampires, and the vampires who are just human with fangs. The TV series True Blood has done a very good job of combining the angsty, romantic vampire hero with the blood-thirsty monster of old. I think that is why it has been so popular.

Pretty When She Dies: A Vampire Novel is a modern vampire tale where the vampires are NOT nice. It has plenty of blood and gore to satiate the horror fan while incorporating humor, solid characters, and dangerously sexy moments to round out the tale.

If you're nervous about reading my vampire novel, here is your chance to read it for FREE. If you like it, awesome, if not, I understand. But if you do like it, please write a review on Amazon.com, tell your friends, and/or buy a paperback copy.

And if you like Pretty When She Dies: A Vampire Tale, you may want to read my upcoming novel from the Library of Horror Press, The Tale of the Vampire Bride.

Read Pretty When She Dies: A Vampire Tale for free HERE.

And thanks for your continuing support.

Classic Monsters versus Sparkly Sexy Monsters!!!

I am haunted by a question that an interviewer recently asked me.

"Why do people keep writing about the same old monsters and don't make any new ones?"

My answer is that the monsters born of our fears are already here. We've shaped them out of the mist to take terrible, but recognizable forms that we can fear, yet understand. Even the newer monsters, added into the mix, are now iconic (Freddy, Jason and Michael, I'm thinking of you) and often imitated.

The vampire represents our hidden sexual urges and fear.

The werewolf represents our fear of our own primal impulses.

The unstoppable killing machine represents our fear of our modern society.

Etc..etc...

I don't mind the old monsters. I rather enjoy them in their classic incarnations.

Christopher Lee's sexy, alluring and terrible Count Dracula comes to mind. He cut a swathe of destruction through the ranks of pretty virgins and he didn't let a little thing like a stake keep him down.

Or poor Larry Talbot, the tragic werewolf, whose impulses nearly destroy those he loves.

Hell, Godzilla smashing Tokyo into smithereens is always charming in his own reptilian way.

I don't think the problem is the old monsters, its the new "twists" that are making them feel annoyingly unfamiliar and aggravating.

Imagine the dark, menacing Christopher Lee's Dracula swooping in through a window, grabbing the virgin, and suddenly declaring his undying love for her. Instead of chomping down on her delicate neck so her blood splashes the room red, he lavishes kisses on her and has pretty erotic sex with her. Then the sun rises and instead of turning into dust, he sparkles.

or...

Larry Talbot turns into a fearsome werewolf and instead of his lady love running from him in terror, she gets turned on and sex quickly follows.

Thank God that Godzilla, for now, seems safe.

Let's be honest...the monsters that so terrified us have been dumbed down, defanged, and made into nicer, less terrifying version of themselves.

Vampires have suffered the worst fate. I feel for the fanged ones. I could go on forever about how the once terrifying vampires have suddenly become the posters boys for angsty, hot men who just need a good woman.

And that is why my vampires are throwbacks to the classics. They don't sparkle, they don't run around in the sunlight, they don't yearn for someone to save them, they are NOT human, and all the old restrictions (holy water, sunlight, stakes, etc) do apply. In my mind, once you take away the classic trappings of vampire lore (the fangs, the limitations, the dangerous nature), you don't really have a vampire anymore.

Of course, on the flip side, sometimes people go too far trying to restore them. I love the 30 Days of Nights franchise, but at the same time, as I watch it, I cannot help but think they've gone too far. The vampires are so feral, their need to feed so great, I think those vampires would bring an apocalypse down on mankind within weeks. Instead of rampaging zombies, you'd have the vampires.

I don't think our problem is that we're glutted with the old monsters, I think our problem is that we corrupted them. Instead of serving their purpose as a reflection of our darker desires and our fears, they are now something we can tame.

The only monster to escape this curse so far, is the zombie. I'll talk about the shambling dead in my next post.

Vampires! Vampires! And More Vampires! And True Blood!

It seems the world has gone vampire crazy. They are everywhere right now from movies to TV to books. I've seen them on t-shirts, bags, and magazines. Vampires are all around us and looking pretty healthy for being undead.

I recently talked about two recent vampire genre movies, Let The Right One In and Twilight . The first movie was flawless, amazing, and officially one of my all-time favorite movies. As for Edward and the Fangless Gang, it was fun, but nothing earth-shattering (except for Dr. Carlisle Cullen...yummmmmmmmmmy!!).

True Blood, the TV series, has been a guilty pleasure of mine for weeks now. I have read all but the latest Sookie Stackhouse books and I enjoy them tremendously. Charlaine Harris has not gone down the same road with Sookie that Laurell K. Hamilton did with Anita Blake where she has a harem of men (thank God!) and I enjoy that aspect of the books. Sookie is delicious, but her love life is not easy. I have to admit, despite the plot lines in the books, I'm still a big Bill fan.

But there has always been a few things that bugged me about the books. One thing was the severe lack of black people in Louisiana. That has been remedied in the TV series in spades and I'm relieved for it. It gives it that Louisiana feel that sometimes lacks in the books. There is a distinct vibe in Louisiana the second you hit the border and the show does a pretty good job capturing it. Also, the books are VERY chaste compared to the show. I was so relieved when they actually swore on the show and had sex scenes. Again, it felt more "real" in my perception. I love the casting, love the acting (the accents still suck though) and I am solidly on board for Season Two.

Frankly, Season One on DVD cannot come soon enough!!

But the one thing I do love most about True Blood and Let The Right One In is that these vampires are DANGEROUS. They will fuck you up. They will kill you or make you wish you were dead. They are not pretty humans with fangs. They are something different. Something to be afraid of.

When I wrote Pretty When She Dies, I wanted to get back to that danger. I wanted to get back to that feral, dark power. My vampires are sexy and alluring, but they will rip your throat out. They will rip you apart. They can act very human, but they are still killers at heart and not "safe" at all. Even with each other, there is an element of danger. Vampire sex and romance do have their place in Pretty When She Dies, but at its heart its a tale of terror.

I checked on Amazon.com today and it looks like the novel is going live there soon. I've had a few fans ask if its cool if they get it from Amazon.com and my answer is "of course!" I totally understand how its easier to buy from there if you're buying lots of other things from Amazon.com. I'm dying to hear your feedback, so please drop me a line after you get the book and read it.

I want to give a shout out to a cool blog I check out for really kick ass reviews on everything vampire. He usually has some really good insights into vampire movies (of all kinds) and I've added a few films to my "to view" list based off his recommendations. Check out

Taliesin Meets the Vampire

Meanwhile, I'm taking a break this week from writing (or at least trying to) and then its back to work.

Thanks again for all your support!

Twilight Hits Some High Sparkly Notes and Some Low Ones

Well, I saw Twilight this afternoon with my friend Heather. I think anyone seeing us would know we were at the Alamo Drafthouse to see Twilight. I was in my top hat and carrying my bat purse and Heather's bright pink hair makes her stand out. Add to it we're both Goth and there ya go.

So we settled into our seats and I ordered up an artichoke heart pizza and a diet Dr. Pepper as we waited for the movie to start. We chatted a bit and I told her how amazing Let The Right One In was. The food arrived and the previews started and we settled in.

Heather is a DIEHARD fan of the book and she had goosebumps as soon as the movie started. I thought the casting was wonderful and though the "ethnic" choices made to fill out the cast of humans was surprising, it was a nice relief from the novel. It made the Twilight world a better reflection of America, I thought.

I thought RPatt was lovely as Edward. Kristen Stewart was the perfect Bella. In fact, I thought all the vampire "kids" were wonderfully cast. I adored Jasper's persistent look of terror. It made Heather and I laugh.

So what was my big goosebumps, screaming like a little girl moment?

Dr. Carlisle Cullen.


Holy shit! When he walked into the ER, Heather and I screamed like teenagers at a Beatles concert. But we weren't the only ones. The entire audience gasped, cheered, and swooned. I literally got chills. Oh my gawd. Peter Facinelli is gorgeous as it is, but he was simply BEAUTIFUL as the "father" to Edward. Every time he was on the screen, we were swooning fools.

Sadly, the movie brought on the guffaws quite a bit. RPatt played his part beautifully. His pathos was intense. But it was like he was in a drama and everyone else was in an after school special. His dramatic reveal of his diamond skin brought on great laughter in the theater and I felt rather bad about that. He played it wonderfully, but it just came across as cheesy. The special effects mostly sucked, which killed his mystery. The hunters moved better than he did, but even they started to look like they were puppets on strings. A lot of the audience laughed at scenes I really wanted to get into and care about, but something would just stand out awkwardly and send everyone into laughter.

The worst of these scenes was when Carlisle told Edward to suck the venom out of Bella. Edward, obviously terrified of doing this and draining her dry, agonized in this moment. And his expression sent the audience into rollicking laughter.

So how did I feel about Twilight the movie? It was fun to see with a friend. There were definitely parts I really enjoyed. Other parts that had me wincing. I loved the casting across the board. The movie made me even consider reading the rest of the three books.

But it also suffered from really horrible special effects and really awkward editing.

I hope the next time around they have a better budget and Edward won't look like a puppet on strings when he performs his vampiric moves.

Oh, yeah. LOVED THE VAMPIRE BASEBALL.

Let The Right One In was far superior as a film, as a vampire tale, and as a beautiful, heart-wrenching love story. I would recommend Let The Right One in to anyone who loves vampires. Twilight is a movie to see with friends if you liked the book. Otherwise, wait for the DVD.

A Vampire Movie That Made Me CRY!!

I cannot fully express how much I loved this movie!

It was absolutely amazing!! I walked out of the theater completely inspired and deeply touched.

It is a hauntingly beautiful movie in every way. Beautifully acted and wonderfully shot, it is a gruesome and yet touching story. It is hard to even put it into words how incredible this movie is.

I highly recommend this movie to anyone who loves the vampire genre.

I think this may be my favorite vampire film of all time. It was just that damn good!

I Love My Vampires!

The Pretty When She Dies proof copy has arrived. I can't stop looking at it. The cover looks so awesome! It's very striking and intense.

I'll announce a release date on here very soon.

I'm so excited!

Sweet Dreams of Zombies and Vampires

Book Signing v 2.0

Saturday went quite well at the book signing. I actually signed books! That were already bought and brought in for me to sign, but, hey, I actually got to sign my lil' name! Everyone was cool about the shipment not arriving on time and the store has asked me back on October 11, 2008. That is the day the Zombie Ball happens at Elysium down on Red River and 7th in Austin, Texas. The store will be supporting the ball by doing a little pre-party and I will be there with my zombie novel.

I Feel Famous!!

The book shipment came in Monday. I dropped the pre-ordered books off at Secret Oktober. I also left five copies for whoever wants to snatch up a copy locally. While I was hanging out talking to my friend (who is the owner), she got a phone call from someone asking if the book was in stock. They wanted to pick one up. She was grinning like crazy when speaking to the customer and pitched the October 11th book signing. I was glowing!

The As The World Dies t-shirt RAWKS
My husband wore it this weekend and got a ton of compliments. It's really awesome. So go ahead and order one if you want one. They're really cool. I'm going to see if a local Austin t-shirt vendor can make the shirts for me locally, so we'll have them at the conventions next year.

Pretty When She Dies-A Vampire Novel

Well, what can I say? I do tend to be a ditz at times. I thought I had done all the revisions on the novel, but could not find the first nine chapters when I sat down to do them. So I thought that maybe I had already done them and forgotten. Uh. Yeah. That would make life easy. I botched it and didn't do those nine chapters. I am not going to put my copy editor through that kind of hell. So I'm reading through the chapters and fixing them up.

This is the novel I wrote in two and a half weeks. Because I was writing as fast as my little fingers could go, I have a lot of run on sentences. To be specific, I linked two sentences with an "and" that didn't need to be linked. If that makes sense.

Anyway, fixing that issue.

We're still trying to get this one out ASAP.

I hope to get the first chapter or two up on Scribd so you can take a sneak beak.

I've Been Interviewed!
CL. Fiere, the editor-in-chief of TREI Literary Magazine, contacted me recently about an interview for the October issue of the online magazine. I was thrilled to answer her questions and my interview is now up! Please check it out!

The entire magazine is fabulous and you'll have plenty to read and enjoy. I'm so glad to be part of such a wonderful issue.

And this zombie girl from TREI Literary Magazine will eat you if you don't check it out.

How's that to give you nightmares?

Dr. Pus Loves Me...or at Least My Book
To finish this off, I must give you the fabulous news that Dr. Pus' Library of the Living Dead podcast will feature the ENTIRE novel of As The World Dies: The First Days complete with voice actors, sound effects, music and Dr. Pus' own narration. Of course, this won't be dumped into one podcast, but spread out over time. I'm so excited!

Finally...
I'm making headway with As The World Dies: Fighting to Survive. I'm even dreaming about Jenni and Katie and lots and lots of zombies. That is a good thing, of course. It keeps me inspired.

I have to admit the best part of the book signing was when one woman said to me, "When is the next one coming out? I'm on pins and needles!"

It's coming. I promise. It's coming!

And One More Thing...
Here is a mock up of the cover for Pretty When She Dies. Rose Munoz of Excentric Visions Photography has been kind enough to let me use her awesome photograph on the cover!

I'm so excited!

Good Solid Endings

Last week was a rough one. I won't go into details, because there actually aren't any. It was just one of those weeks that seems unusually hard for no real particular reason, but it messes up your sleep, your eating, and your brain power.

This week will be better. Or else!

But the weekend brought some good times going out and about with my husband as we shopped for our new HDTV, hung out with friends, and just spent quality time together. I got a dragon henna tattoo down at Secret Oktober in South Austin. Wendy specializes in henna tattoos and goth dreadfalls and she was doing a special event at the store. I love her work on the dreadfalls and I'm already jonesing for a new pair. They were amazing! She also does makeup for the opera here in Austin and has done some really cool special effects makeup as well. You can check out her site here.

Along with our HDTV, we picked up a copy of the Special Edition of The Mist. It is my all time favorite Stephen King short story and I've been dying to see this movie for ages. We missed it in the theater, so we decided it would be our first movie to watch on our HDTV. My husband fixed up our new theater system and we snuggled up on our leather sofa to watch the movie.

I loved it.

I totally loved everything about it. It looked so much how I had imagined it from Stephen King's descriptions it was unbelievable. The casting was spot on and it was a truly kick ass horror film. The CGI was a little disappointing at times, but I could easily overlook it because the design of the monsters was just so terrifying. The one scene I could not imagine on film was done so well it evoked the same feeling of awe that I felt when I read the short story.

As for the ending...

What a freaking perfect ending. It was brutal in its perfection and just awesome. In fact, I cried. It was just that well done. Amazing.

What was even better...the husband and I checked out the black and white version the next day. On the Special Edition DVD you can watch the color version or the black and white. I honestly prefer the black and white. It wiped out my disappointment in the CGI completely. In fact, in black and white, the monsters scared me even more! The blood somehow seemed more brutal. It was great. Watch the black and white version if you can. It's spectacular.

After the movie, Corey and I talked about the ending and how Darabont had taken one step further than King had in the actual short story. It has been the gripe of many people I know that Stephen King can't end a story to save his life. In fact, one friend is still mad at him for the ending of The Dark Tower.

Ending a story can sometimes be the most difficult part of the process other than starting. An ending should be something that is satisfactory to the reader/viewer and fit naturally into the framework of the story and the world that has been developed. A good ending doesn't mean you have to wrap up all the threads and clearly resolve everything that happened in the plot to be a good ending. It just has to work with the story that is being told. The Thing has an amazing ending. The two men facing each other as the base burns to the ground and the snow swirls around them as they wait to see if either one of them is infected is just awesome. Event Horizon is another film that had a pitch perfect ending that leaves you wondering, but fits all that has come before.

The ending to the film version of The Mist is another ending that fits perfectly with the events leading up to it. After the horrors seen by the survivors, the choice they make is understandable. It is not a Hollywood happy ending and it was great.

But, I also love happy endings. I love it when a story reaches a good solid ending that has been slowly blossoming over the course of the story. I just accidentally watched the series finale of Moonlight online. As I watched the episode, I had no idea that this was THE LAST EPISODE (since CBS sux and canceled the show). I thought it was wrapping up next week for some reason. At the end of the episode, our hero and heroine seem to finally decide a vampire and mortal cannot be together and its heart wrenching. In fact, I felt quite surly at the thought of the last episode would be about them being estranged. And then, low and behold, the writers were not jerks. And our beloved vampire turned around and won his lady's heart. And I almost stood up at my desk and cheered. When the door to the apartment closed on their passionate kiss and I was grinning. The two characters had been building up to that moment all season long.

I quickly checked to see if there was a previews for the season finale next week, then realized I was wrong. I had just watched the season finale. I felt an enormous sense of relief immediately. Despite cancellation, the show had a solid ending that I could embrace and be happy about.

Frankly, a few years back I almost gave up on network serials because I was tired of the freshman shows ending on a cliffhanger that would never be resolved. Invasion, Surface, and Jericho's cancellations really pissed me off. At least Jericho was able to come back and wrap things up, but over the years many serials have been left hanging when the ax descended. I still can't figure out why the networks don't let them know about their cancellation in time for them to wrap things up for the viewers.

My whole point of this post (and there is one) is that a good ending is what a viewer/reader deserves. It is up to the writer to find that pitch perfect ending that suits the story. Whether its a gut wrenching ending like in The Mist or the perfect kiss between a vampire and a mortal like in Moonlight, an ending should satisfy.

I have a few short stories I've never been able to finish. I think I realize why now. I haven't found that perfect ending yet.

I think its time to start digging for some.

The Vampires Arise

The last few years I have been all tied up with the zombie hordes. They've been damn annoying, too. I absolutely despise zombies and they have a really good way of wrecking a good dream when they show up and start eating everyone. I hate it when that happens. But I've been writing about the cannibalistic dead pretty heavily for awhile now and if I don't write I get "stopped up" and the zombies run amok in my dreams until I wrestle them down onto paper.

In other words, my mind doesn't let me rest until the story is done.

But my first, true love, is the vampire. The bloodsucking undead have terrified and fascinated me for years. I absolutely feared them and nothing my mother or anyone else said could convince me that they were not real. I'm not even sure where I first heard about Dracula, but I begged my Mom relentlessly to let me see the old black and white film when it showed on TV. I think I was around six. She finally gave in. The next morning she found me curled up on my sleeping bag outside her bedroom door with a towel wrapped around my neck.

In fact, for years, it was part of my nightly ritual to tuck my covers up around my neck securely. Now I was just a kid, so I really didn't think about the fact that Dracula or any of his minions could just pull down the covers and have a nice hearty drink.

Of course, what I fear is what I am drawn to it seems. I would watch Hammer films as a kid with a pillow over my face, peeking around the edges, and then screaming at the slightest hint of blood. I finally read a vampire novel when I was a teenager. It was like nothing I had ever read before. It was Anne Rice's The Vampire Lestat . I had a healthy diet of Agatha Christie, Victoria Holt, science fiction and classic literature novels before I borrowed that book. I read it in one night and it literally made me sick to my stomach. I just remember I felt like I was drowning in darkness and I felt queasy. Funny how life works out...considering I'm Goth and a horror novelist!

I avoided vampire novels like the plague for awhile, but finally sat down and read Bram Stoker's Dracula and I was smitten. Since I love Victorian Gothic Literature, I read the old classics first and worked my way up to modern times. I was reluctant to pick up Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire, but I finally read it and loved it. Though I read all the books that followed up to the novel about Armand, the first in the series held the most magic for me.

The state of vampire novels today actually makes me quite sad. I do love the urban fantasy of the Sookie Stackhouse and Rachel Morgan novels, but the bloodsuckers never quite feel like "real" vampires. I'm not sure what it is, but something just feels like its missing. Most of the other vampire novels are stuck in the paranormal romance genre and I have a rough time imagining a vampire looking like a Fabio clone. I have tried to read a few of these series because I was desperate for a good vampire read. I threw one book across the room and just gave up.

My own vampire stories are rather diverse. My favorite is about Lady Glynis Wright, an English aristocrat who longs for an indecent life as Lord Byron's lover, only to end up the Bride of a powerful vampire. My great love for Victorian literature definitely influenced that novel and its rich in Gothic imagery. The heroine, though, is just great fun and I adore her. She's a bit wily and always contrary. I recently renamed the and I hope to release it early next year.

The second vampire novel is about a modern day girl in East Texas who starts off the story buried in the forest. That vampire novel is very Texan, and very modern, but keeps to the traditional vampire lore. One of the things that haunts the character named Amaliya throughout the story is that she has no reflection and she has to go to great lengths to hide this from others while dealing with it emotionally. Since there is necromancy, zombies and vampires in this novel, I see it coming out after the zombie trilogy.

I'm not saying that my vampire novels are greater than anything else out there, but I am aware they are different. Maybe I'm just old fashioned, but I like my vampires to be something dangerous and not tame. Creatures that aren't swayed by a beautiful virginal girl's undying love or seeking their long lost soulmate. I adore Glynis because I would be afraid of her if I met her. Despite her courtly manner, she is dangerous. She is a passionate creature that is also a killer. The same with Amaliya. They are both creatures of instinct and great power.

After the zombie trilogy is out, I will be turning my attention to both these novels. The vampire stories I posted on Scribd got my vampire muses stirring around in my head and I have at least one unfinished vampire story that is begging to be finished.

I think posting the vampire stories on Scribd yesterday reminded me that yes I like my zombie tales, but I also write about much more than just the shambling, mindless dead. The beautiful undead with the wickedly sharp teeth and jewel eyes are also lingering in my imagination.

Maybe its just time to look back at what scared me first...and most.

Zombies, Vampires, Genetically Altered Rats and Robots.

I'm a fan of a blog called Paperback Writer. Lynn Viehl is a very prolific writer and I am in awe of the amount of work she puts out every year. I'm not necessarily a fan of her genre, but since I found her blog and found her to be so entertaining, I do plan on picking up her science fiction work. I enjoy reading her advice on the writing process and though I have decided to be an Independent Self-Published Author, her insight on the publishing world is fascinating. Reading about how she does not have control over the titles to her books or the covers made me grateful that I have creative control over what I will be presenting to my readers.

One of the things my husband and I had discussed at the beginning of this endeavor was that we wanted to have free material online for fans to read. We're big believers in the new media and have a lot of respect for Trent Reznor and his recent stand against the big corporations' stranglehold on the creative process. Though I would like to make enough money from my writing to one day be able to stay home and only write, I'm aware of the fact this will take some time and my readership needs to grow. Presenting free works online is a good solid way to bring awareness to my writing and to also give back to the fans who have supported me the last two years with their encouraging words.

While visiting the Lynn's blog, I noticed she had free short stories, writing guides, and short novels for free online at Scribd. I've been slowly reading through these and enjoying them very much. And they are doing their job in that I am now aware that 1) she exists as a writer 2) I enjoy her writing style 3) I want to pick up her books. As I was prowling around Scribd, I realized this was the perfect way to post the works I had wanted to give out free to the public and possibly garner awareness that 1) I am out here 2) I'm a good writer 3) maybe someone will pick up my books.

Therefore, I have now uploaded three vampire tales, one robot tale, and my latest zombie novella. Anyone interested in my writing can visit my Scribd page here. Some of the stories have had a long shelf life on my hard drive and I'm very glad to finally get them out to the general public.

One of the stories, Vengeance, was actually well received by an editor who actually turned it down for her magazine. It was too violent, but she took the time to tell me she did like the story, especially its ending. Maybe it was too controversial with the idea of a battered wife getting her revenge against her abuser from beyond the grave, but I still love the story and it felt great to get it up onto Scribd.

Another one, Flesh and Circuits, was originally written for a robot anthology. I mucked up the original premise trying to get it to fit the guidelines and the editor rejected it. Though I agreed the horror element did not belong, he made quite a few suggestions for the story that did not feel right to me. In fact, my husband was livid over the proposed edits. "That's not your story," he said to me. I considered changing my story completely to try and satisfy the editor, but realized I liked my story as it was. I had no desire to eliminate one character altogether, change the basic plot or throw out the "happy" ending. This was during a time where I was dying to get my foot in the door in the publishing world and it was a rough choice to make. But in the end, I loved my story as it was and was determined to keep it that way. Now you can read the original version on Scribd.

Another short, The Aspect of her Eyes, came to me one night and I could not stop writing until it was done. It is a darkly romantic piece and I really loved the way it flowed. The narrator of the piece is a servant of a master vampire and he/she (it is never clarified which sex the narrator is) observes the great eternal love the vampire has for his bride. It's a story that was very well received by my friends who love the vampire genre and they encouraged me to try and get it published. When I submitted it to a magazine that specializes in the genre, the editors never answered. I was more than glad to dig it out and put it up on Scribd.

The Memoirs of Moniki the Great was a short that I loved writing, but when I got done I had no idea what to do with it. I couldn't even figure out what market it belonged to. But its a fun yet touching story and I wanted to share it. After posting it today, I feel inclined to do a follow up called Moniki and Monsieur Rat versus the Nazis.

The last story I posted today is actually a novella. It is one of the As the World Dies: Untold Tales. It's recent appearance on the forums was very well received, so I thought I would tidy it up a little and post it for the Scribd readers. Also, anyone who enjoyed the story when it was on the other forums can download a complete copy of it on Scribd.

I have some uncompleted short stores tucked away on my computer that I now feel the inclination to finish. At one point I had tried to write short stories to try and pry the door open to the publishing world. The problem was that my short stories were not what magazines or anthologies were looking for. It's rough to break in when the gatekeepers have predetermined concepts of what they want.

I hope to post a fantasy short called Dragons in her Eyes and a vampire short called The Two Mothers in the next few days. I have a few other short stories and novella ideas bouncing around in my head, so those may be posted in the future as well.

I hope you enjoy my works. Please drop me a line and let me know. I always love hearing from the readers.

Writer's Blockage? Writer's Bitching?

I did post a new mini-chapter yesterday to the forums carrying my new zombie novella. I liked the way the chapter came out and the response from the readers has been good. I did try to write just one more mini-chapter before bed, but discovered that it just wouldn't flow right.

Now the gist of what I want to be in the chapter is there and I think the readers will enjoy it, but it wasn't coalescing in a way that felt strong and solid. It kept coming across as a very dull news report and very passive. Chalking it up to being tired after a long day, I closed down yWriter and went to bed. My best writing time is usually around 7PM after I've come home, unwound from work, and feel energized again. I will tackle the chapter again tonight around that time.

I do wish I had more time to write, but I gotta work with the life I have, don't I? I am still trying to decide which novel I want to write next. I have a lot of ideas floating around in my head and some of them are ready to be born. I'm not certain which one is up next, but it has come down to possibly three options. Ah, sweet torture.

Meanwhile, I have editing to do on my next book in the zombie trilogy and I need to take a long hard look at my Victorian Gothic vampire tale. Do I really want to trim it down to the word count to meet industry standards for a first novel? Hrmmm....

I wonder what it would feel like not to have all these ideas in my head wanting to be on paper?

Nah, I like being an author.

It's all good.