Make Vampires Great Again!

When I think of vampires, I think of the all-time greatest DRACULA!

But times have changed, and, let's face it, we want the vampire to have more fun than just stealing a woman from another man and carrying her down to his crypt.

Sure, he was something to fear... but the women found him irresistible.

Back when I was growing up, it was Johnathan Frid in Dark Shadows, who caught my interest and held it, and I became hooked on anything vampire--which was not easy to find back in the 60's or 70's. 

Who knew the roll would be revisited in 2011/12 and Barnabas Collins played by Johnny Depp--yum!

At any rate, my interest in vampires never faded, and when I began to write, I had to write about vampires.

Over the dozen years from my teens into my twenties the vampire took on a slightly different cast. Sure, the vampires are still horrific blood-suckers, but here in a newer version of Dracula, Frank Langella came off as (at least to me), the underdog who only wanted his wife back. I felt it really captured the romance in the story.

And then Gary Oldman was cast in the roll, and I had an even firmer grasp on why I loved the story and why it could be retold as a love story.

Then, of course we should never forget about Ann Rice who wrote Interview with the Vampire(1994) who would forever change how we look at vampires. It wasn't Dracula running around trying to find his re-incarnated wife, but the chronicles of a man turned into a vampire and his life there after. What she did for everyone, writers of books or movies, changed the whole dynamics of the vampire from that point on.

Aside from the vampires that sparkle in Twilight, 

there have been a sea of movies and TV shows with the vampire in the lead rolls. Some are detectives, such as in Moonlight, and in Forever Knight. I can't possibly list all shows and movies, and so wont here.

We've also had the southern vampire, created by Charlaine Harris

which became an HBO series (and didn't adhere very well to the actual books, I might add, but hey, she made her money).

The truth of the matter is vampire stories still sell. Why?

Because women have turned to these paranormal romances for escapism.

Back in the day, there were no such thing as paranormal romances or urban fantasies with vampires thralling the women. It was under the heading Horror. Now books and shows with a woman becoming the vampire hunter.

And we have Buffy to thank for that...

Of course I refer to 1990's TV series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, a very original idea by Joss Whedon. It was smart, hard-hitting action with great story lines, and hooked a whole generation on vampires. (Thank you, Joss!) 

We'd never go back to the traditional vampire who so repulsed us in the beginning of the long, long reign of the vampire.

The concept of vampire's getting lucky with women, or being unlucky and being staked, has matured. I know what sort of books are out there, still trying to peddle off a basic romance plot (boring, because you know the main characters of woman and man--which ever is the vampire--will come together in the end), with at least one vampire in the lead who will either fall in love with the opposite sex, or at least fall into bed with them.

They always have a sexy/suggestive-looking cover with a juicy title and captivating hook.

With that in mind, my publisher felt that a sexy-looking woman on the front cover would help the sell, with some city-scape in the background--because the stories sometimes take place in the city (Chicago), along with a full moon (because Sabrina is bitten by a werewolf in beginning of first story, and I follow that in each book).

Where do my books fall in this area?

Although they may be listed as a paranormal romance, they're far from the normal idea of a romance novel.

I went about writing this series with a touch clairvoyant as the main character, who learns she is the sybil and must eventually give birth to a half-vampire, half-human, but not with any old vampire--and there are plenty of vampire males lining up for the job. Sabrina is "picky" and during the course of the series isn't nuts about getting pregnant, no matter who she settles down with.

However the powers that be (demons), are adamant about her becoming pregnant, and when she doesn't, they go ballistic and begin attacking her at every opportunity, and with everything they've got.

In all there will eventually be 8 books in the series. At this time there are 6 in the Sabrina Strong series. Ascension is the first book, and from the link you can catch the full description and an excerpt from the book, along with some reviews.

partial from editorial review of Ascension from Readers' Favorite

 Bell doesn't just show the surface of the characters, she digs deeper and shows different sides to the characters. Sabrina's relationship with Tremayne is probably the most complicated. He takes an automatic interest in her, so he begins to sway her with glitzy presents and seduction, while also maintaining the fact that he's a super powerful and dangerous vampire. Nicolas is the first vampire she meets and, though he has a definite connection and flirtation with her, he assumes a protective role toward her. Dante is a shapeshifter shaman that acts her partner and bodyguard, who forms a strong connection and friendship with her. Her relationship with Heath is probably the sweetest, because he's laid back and always seems so genuine, an easily likable personality, and he never seems to have an agenda. A thrilling start to a series, Ascension is equal parts vampire romance and equal parts murder mystery; a story that's charming and endearing with a strong-willed heroine that will captivate you.

Now that I've chronicled the vampire fiction/movie/TV in a nutshell, and hope you've enjoyed it, I'd like to ask one last thing of you today before you depart. 

PLEASE SHARE THIS POST!

THANK YOU!

No Fake news Here

After waiting for a nice 5-STAR REVIEWS making it a round number 20 on Ascension, I finally got it. And one on each book in Sabrina Strong series. Read them for yourself. These are Carol Craft's reviews taken from Amazon.com
For Ascension:

Ascension (Sabrina Strong Series Book 1) March 7, 2017

I LOVED this book. The intrigue really had me wondering what was going to happen next. I can't wait to read the next book in the series. If it is half as good as this one is, I am in for a real treat.
I would recommend this series for anyone loving this genre.

For Trill:

Trill (Sabrina Strong Series Book 2) March 9, 2017

Wow!!! I thought the first book in the series was good but I think this one topped it.
You know a good author when you can imagine yourself in the book and this author has it in spades! The characters really come alive for you.
I hope to read lots more from this author and would highly recommend this series to others. I plan on reading everything I can get my hands on, too.

For Nocturne:

 Nocturne (Sabrina Strong Series Book 3) March 10, 2017

Another excellent book with a completely different twist to it but just as intriguing as the first two in this series. Again, the characters come alive and you feel like you are a part of the book.
I would gladly recommend this book!

For Caprice:

Caprice (Sabrina Strong Series Book 4) March 12, 2017

Get your puffs box out and handy because this is somewhat of a tear jerker. Now I can't say which book of this series was best because they were all so good. This author really has a wonderful gift and I am so happy she shares her talent with us.
If you want a book or series to read that will keep your interest up, this is the one.
I love all the characters and their parts in the books. I can't wait to start the next book! I would give anything to be able to write like this just so I could give a better review.

For Crescendo:

Crescendo (Sabrina Strong Series Book 5) March 13, 2017

I have been blown away again! Didn't think it was possible for each book to get better but this one sure did!
As the other books in this series, this one came alive for me even more so than the previous books. I will be waiting with bated breath for the next one in this series. I know it will be grand!
This series is the best I have read in a long time.

 Well, there you have it. thank you Carol!

Just so those of you who are fans know, I'm working on the next one in series, hoping for a summer release!

Have Sale Will Travel

Sale on August 19-25

ALL 5 eBOOKS $0.99 @

The Best Review Ever!

Most of us writers--well, maybe all of us--need stroking, a little kindness of words, someone other than another writer, friend, or relative to say something about our book(s) to give our works their due.

I finally got number 14 review over night and believe me, she says everything I've been saying all along about my books

Sabrina Strong series

is NOT a 

Cookie Cutter Vampire Romance!

here is the review:

"The story unfolds with a woman who is a 'touch' clairvoyant & who's past had opened her eyes to 'supernaturals' in the world. Starting with Vampires - and the world they inhabit - and control, down to the revelation of her role within the supernatural. From a woman struggling with her own relationship issues - to being wanted suddenly by many! I thought this would be just another vamp love story - but I was SO WRONG! This is an amazing series - as I finished this book, I went on line and bought the other 3... immediately! The writing is so strong I can almost 'be' her - and it moves so quickly - yet I have no problem in keeping all the characters in order! This may just well be my fav series for the year!!!"

See it here

for anyone who has not read the books, this is the best review so far to come in. 

And by the way, there's a fifth book out, which Shirl B must not have seen. It is Crescendo

Bill Gannon is dead. 

The good news is the dhampire will be born, but not through who you'd expect. When Vasyl learns what Sabrina has done, it creates a rift between them. 

After donating her plasma in order to save Tremayne, and surviving Nicolas' attempt on her life, a group of black witches abduct her and begin draining her of her powers. She's near death when Dante stops them, and he and Vasyl return her home. Dante has a way to return her powers, but in a way that Vasyl isn't pleased with. 

After introducing Vasyl to her brother, wife and children, she warns him about vampires who will try and hurt them. But these warnings go unheeded when they get invitation for what they think is an all expenses paid weekend in Tremayne Towers. With the vampire war raging all around them, the ultimate confontation with Ilona Tremayne is at hand.

P.S. I would love for a nice review of this book. It hasn't gotten any as of yet, and has been out since April.

March Is Mad, Mad, Mad

Finally have time to breath a little bit.

I've sent my publisher the fifth book in Sabrina Strong series, and I've gotten the proofs back, and I'll get to read it some day. Plan on it tomorrow as it will be raining, and I've got all of next week off from work (NIU has Spring Break). So, m'dears, the fifth book is on its way. Just hang in there!

I noticed I've got over one hundred thousand views on this blog. YAY!

And my husband is getting ready to return to his park job come April 1st. He has officially quit the bus driving job. It just made him crazy. I don't blame him. I want to quit too, but need the money.

I enjoy getting messages from fans, and even future fans--or their mothers--on facebook, etc. I got such a message today, and the woman said her daughter was named Lorelei Bell ! How crazy is that??? I've never had someone with both names contact me before. I've heard my first name, a few times, but never this. What's the chance?

Anyway, the lady asked what age would I recommend for my vampire novels. Her daughter is nine. Yeah. I said that my novels shouldn't be read by anyone under 16, at least. There's too much sex and violence. I would think that that age (in this day and age), that they've seen and heard it all by then. So, any way, that was a nice surprise. But I also added by the time she hits 16, I should have all 8 books out by then. Her response was it would make a great "sweet sixteen" gift for her. I LIKE that woman's thinking!

And work continues on my mystery novel--although I've been a little busy lately to work on it. But the verve is still there. I've gotta do this other thing for publisher first. Get that next book out. I can't wait to see the cover. He said he had the same artist for 8 books, so, we'll see how this turns out. Great, I'm sure!

And today, since it was perfect out, and out yard was a MESS from winter with a lot of big, medium and small limbs, branches etc. down, we had to get out there and get this spruced up some. We didn't want to over work ourselves. We've got a large yard, and a lot of trees, so, we got the front first and worked toward the back, and we called it quits at one.

Tonight is turn your clocks ahead an hour, by the way. Our trick is, we don't do anything differently. However, we don't turn our bedroom clock ahead or back until morning. That way, if we wake up at our normal time (which for us might be 4:30, it will be 5:30, so we won't feel bad about sleeping in, or whatever. It won't be a shock to the system.

Lastly, I've put the first chapter up on Murder on the Mississippi, for reading, if you'd like to check it out and like it if you do.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Ascension On Sale This Week!

Ascension

Something told Sabrina that the interview with the vampire for Something told Sabrina that the interview with the vampire for this job wasn't going to go so well when she was attacked by a werewolf, and then the vampire sucked the venom out, telling her she'd probably be okay. But then he takes her in his car into the city, and she winds up in his bedroom... and that's only in the first two chapters in this first book in the Sabrina Strong series.

“Lorelei Bell makes the incredible credible – a mark of a great story teller – and what a world she's created: Vampires, Shape Shifters, and Werewolves as they coexisting with the human race, and sometimes it's difficult to tell who is the most inhuman.”

Description:

After the death of her father, Sabrina Strong, a touch clairvoyant, is hired to solve the murder of Letitia, Bjorn Tremayne's life-time mate. She is quickly immersed in romantic trysts and danger. Megalomaniac vampires are planning to take over and rule the the North American Vampire Association for their own greedy desires. 

Excerpt:

I reached to turn on the light. He stopped me with his voice. “No. Leave it off . . . for now.”

I retracted my hand and settled it on top of the covers as I stared up at him.

“You are a temptation to me, Sabrina.” His voice was low, vibrating in my ears in a way that perhaps a cello might. Calm, sedate, and yet with the promise of something wonderfully exciting, and something wicked hidden beneath the beauty of this other worldly creature here in my room. I could hardly believe it was happening. But it was.

His chilly fingers feathered over my brow, moving strands of my hair away from my cheeks. Those same fingers slid down my cheek to the side of my neck, and paused at the pulse there at the jugular. My eyes slipped shut. Was he using his vampire charms on me to seduce me?

He released a breath.

Opening my eyes, I found he studied me in the dark, his hands slipping across the edge of my nightgown at the ties of the neck. I felt him loosen it, and spread the material open, availing my neck and the upper portion of my chest to him. My breath caught in me.

“Are you going to kiss me?”

“Yes.” He leaned in. “Do not move,” he whispered. His breath slipped over my skin as his head dipped down and I somehow not only held still but held my breath.

The face hovered over me . . . long, wavy black hair cascading down . . . I saw his face, stark against the black of his hair as he bit me on the arm . . . I thought he was the most elegant-looking man I had ever seen.

Is a Bad Review Better Than None?

Unfortunately, this review was the very first for my Sabrina Strong book #4, Caprice. Yup. E.Foley ("lizard 1969") hits again. And it's like a train wreck. But I'm not here to whine. Nope. I'm gonna answer this "review" right here.

Maybe people would think me nuts for posting this and answering it here. I mean, do any of you other writers get a bad review and just want to strangle that person for posting it? Or better yet, answer it? See, I can't answer her at the review site (you need to have bought something on Amazon. I haven't, so...)

She gave "Caprice" 2 stars. But I'm peeved because she's into the series, I know, because she has bought each book in turn and put her review up right away. She sort of reminds me of Charley Harper's mother who can't say "Atta boy." No nice thing to say. Ever.

Here's her first line:

"I hate being the first one to rate this and it not being more than two stars."

No. I quite think you wanted to be the very first one to plunge the dagger (or stake?) into it, my dear.

"The story was convoluted; was confusing with too many POVs; was too long and filled with errors (needed editing for length, clarity and grammar); and was without a satisfying ending."

Well that was a mouthful. She could have ended the tirade right there, but I'm afraid it gets worse.

Let's get down to it it. Too many POV's? Has she never read other authors who write with more than three or four POVs? I mean, I've read Mary Higgins Clark, Tammi Hoag, and others who use as many as five or six POVs. I changed my writing style from strictly first person to first person and third in order to bring the story together. I felt the story needed more depth at this point. I wanted to get into the heads of all my main characters in this book, to let the reader know what each and every one of them were doing. Also, because if I didn't, the story would have been about 100 pages. Personally, I like a long read. I love the adventure, and if the MC is fun to read, I definitely want to be entertained by her and her friends. I've read long books like JK Rowling's Goblet of Fire, which is 735 pages long. I loved it. Or Kim Harrison's novels which go on for at least 400 pages. The length of Caprice was as long as I needed it to be. Sure. Editing would have been nice. I have no editor to correct things for me. I'm what you'd call a "starving artist". Prey for wolves to pounce upon when they see weak writing, or problems in grammar. Whatever.

What about "A satisfying ending" ? We'll get to that part later on in this post.

Here's the middle part...

As the Sibyl, Sabrina now has a bounty on her head and all sorts of supernatural creatures want to mate with her. So far, it's Vasyl, Dante, Tremayne, Bill, Hobart (although we see very little of him in this book), and a new Ware named Chris (who sounds like a hottie). And I'm sure I'm missing something.

It's pretty clear that NO ONE IS WHO THEY SEEM and I walked away from the book feeling sad for our Sibyl who is pretty much alone. Vasyl may love her, but I don't think he gets her. Dante's dead/undead, Tremayne is essentially a rapist/opportunist, Bill, who I thought was evil the whole time, may not really be and in the end can never be with her. [attempting to avoid spoilers here] And poor Chris keeps sniffing around, but he's far back in line.

Obviously, she's into the series. She's worried about "our sibyl", ("sad", even) who keeps on getting men in her life who either use or leave her one way or another. And, ha-ha-ha! I've done my job. Bill is someone I painted to be evil--I kept him as a person who seemed shady, and in the periphery on purpose. Getting into his head, and watching what he is doing, understanding the reason he's doing it, all coming together. I have my reasons, like all authors do, to write this the way I did. 

"And if it's the last in the series (which is not clear), we're left hanging with questions: Will she fulfill the prophecy? Will her eggs really work for the Nephilim? What's going on with Tremayne (will he live or die, and if he lives, will he regain control of his business and NAVA)? WHO WILL SABRINA END UP WITH?"

A-hah! Yes, my dear, that is the big question! Who will Sabrina end up with? Well, I'll answer your first question first. The series has at least 4 more books coming (8 in total to date). The next book (#5) will answer nearly all the rest of those question you have. (See? I know you really are hooked on this series, even though you have a bunch of problems with my grammar and spelling-which is why you gave this such a poor rating, isn't it? Not that the story was so awful, or you couldn't give a rat's ass what happened to Sabrina.) Who Sabrina ends up with... The answer is in #8. And I'm not telling.

E.Foley's last bit really needled me. She had to poke fun at the fact that I made a mistake with some large bills (as in $$) in a briefcase. I thought I had changed that, but apparently I didn't. Oops. Forgot. Thanks for letting me know. I hope my publisher can go in and change that.

Her last question about the title "And what's with the title? The title did not jibe with the story." Really? Do you know what Caprice really means? 
CAPRICE: A sudden, impulsive change in thinking or acting; 2 a capricious quality.

It's exactly what it did. It goes off tangent. Making crazy turns, and you didn't get it (like Vasyl doesn't get Sabrina). But that's okay.

Because I knew that the book was going to go off like a whirling dervish--I didn't want to call it that, of course. I took the chance in calling it Caprice, and since I was going with musical titles, this fit perfectly. Yes. There's a reason for the things I do. It's not up to me to explain, nor will I apologize for your confusion. That's really par for the course.

Oh. And as to the satisfying ending (spoiler here), Sabrina does kill the bad guy, and has a chat with her neighbor who was Bill's grandmother, about his death. That's a satisfying ending, I do believe. What did you want? Her to walk off into the sunset with Vasyl? Or someone else?
Well, that's my answer to this bad review. 

Speaking of reviews... Good news! Tonight, I suddenly found that all of the reviews that Amazon took away from Ascension, are back. Wow. Thank you whoever! I now have 10 reviews--as it should be on my first book! Yay! There are now 4 5-star reviews on it, now. 

Why a Book Review May be deleted from Amazon

Well, the weather is trying to get warmer, but we keep going backward, here.
I'm working on different things at once. That's how I am. I'm supposed to be writing a story for a sesquicentennial book about my home town. I really need to do this this weekend. I don't know where my pictures are of the old uptown, but they're probably in a closet.

But for today, I give you Shelly Arkon's explanation on what may have happened to her excellent review on Amazon for my book Ascension [Vampire Ascending]. She goes into detail on Amazon's reasons for rubbing out your review, so you might want to pay particular attention to it. She has given permission for me to share this here with you. So, go ahead and take a look, if you have not already.

Thanks for dropping in!

New Book Cover Release & Announcement

Yeah. So, when my publisher sent me a couple of book covers, the first one I looked at was super, and except for the blonde hair, the cover had "That Look". So, I asked if the cover artist, Melody Simmons, could at least make the hair brown, Miika worked on it.

In the meantime I put up the original and got a lot of "likes" on facebook. When I put the final one up, I heard from people I rarely or have never heard from on facebook! It seemed unanimous. People really, really liked this cover!

Here it is. You be the judge.

cover artist Melody Simmons

Oh, you do? Great!

Now, two things. 
ONE:
I'm going to do a GIVEAWAY for an autographed paperback copy. 

Wait, hang on. This is going to happen beginning mid-March. I'm aiming for 15- 22. So, details later here--believe me, I'm going to make you work for it. (evil laugh)

TWO:
If you want to host me/the book with this lovely cover, and haven't told me as yet (I do have a couple of you who have offered, and I thank you kindly), let me know here, or email me or at facebook. Okay? 

That's my news for now.

Oh, and the ebook is available now, too. Soon, the paperback will be up as well with the wonderful cover. But, like I said, I will be doing a giveaway for one paperback copy with my autograph (to US addresses only).

Oh, and if you have purchased this book, or will do so, be a sweetie and do a review about it, (if you have not done so). 

Thanks for stopping by!

Work on the cover design

Edits have been made and sent to publisher.

Now we get into the covers.

My publisher sent me some design ideas this morning, making the point that he could sell these sort of books with covers that have images of people on them much better than the "abstract" styles.

The old covers done by my ex-publisher were more abstract. My first two definitely were more abstract and had little to do with the content.

These were good, but let's face it, the abstract is a bit strange, and for some, it might not really get them curious enough to bite. In fact, it might have been a turn-off for some, and although men have read my books, the series is more aimed toward women.

I do believe the cover gets people's attention. While these were fine, in the beginning, I have to admit, I wanted something better. Something a bit more sexy, but not tending toward "paranormal romance", because that's not what I write. These are urban fantasies.

We want something looking more like, well... 

This:

Cover Ideas for Sabrina Strong Series

Something that makes a potential reader look at the character on the cover--has an image of her in their head as they read, and maybe find clues to the story line. Like these with the character on the front cover.

Of course these are merely ideas to bounce around between me and my new publisher. I didn't get that chance before--have input as to what goes on the cover.

So, we're at the stage where we are talking about what could sell the series, trying to find an image that we could use for the series. 

The above covers, are not the ones chosen, of course. These are ideas to bounce around. I told Miika I liked the whole concept of Sabrina (who is brunette), should be on the cover, the moon and the city somewhere isn't a bad idea either. I threw in a few ideas for future book covers, as well.

So, this is where we're at on getting the book(s) out there.

I've a feeling I'll be doing a cover reveal soon. Stay tuned!

Mission: The Lady

About 45 minutes ago, I arrived in the middle of nowhere... somewhere in Kansas. I swear, I can't see why people live here, but that's just me. My name is Dan. That's all you need to know for now. I've steel blue eyes that put people off. Women think I look like someone who wouldn't think twice about taking them into a back alley somewhere and do something untoward to them. But I'm not really that type. Men think I'm that type too, and that I'm dangerous. They've no idea how dangerous. After three tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, I decided enough was enough. I wanted to do something different. Besides, it's a bitch being a werewolf and trying to hide it during the full of the moon. Sure, it helped me in certain skirmishes in Iraq and Afghanistan, but really, it was almost unfair.

So, here I am. I arrived in this Hummer in a place that is about as desolate as some of the places I've been to half a world away.

I've just had an interview with three guys before I was sent down. They were also werewolves. I've never met them before. We've been hired by the same people. Um, at least that's all they know about me. Vampires usually like to hire us for muscle, and because we're so loyal to our jobs.

Okay, I'm chuckling to myself. See, I'm a mole. I've already been hired by Mr. T--uh, that's Mr. Tremayne. Actually through a third party, but makes no difference. My job is to somehow thwart whatever they've got planned for the little lady who is to arrive here tonight. The man I'm about to meet, Mr. Paduraru, is double crossing Mr. T. This is what I've been briefed by another of Mr. T's men who originally brought me in. I got put on the list as the "door man". Tough job, guarding a door, but you'd be surprised.

So, I'm here at this old Atlas F Missile site, which means a lot of stairs. See what I mean?

I'm told to take these stairs down to the first level. Looks like the contractor did a bang up job turning this place into a condo. I mean, who would have thought of making a condo out of an old, underground missile site? Of course, it would take someone like Mr. T with a lot of dough to afford this.

The stairway ends at a set of 6,000-pound blast doors. These were designed to keep occupants safe during a nuclear attack. The doors curve inward to offset the vacuum effect of a blast... at least that's the thought behind it.

Hard to believe these doors are still functional, considering that a number of blast doors from other sites have since buckled under their own weight. As large as these suckers are, it only takes a gentle shove to push them open.

Well, here I am. I'm taken inside one of the apartments. I'm to be given my "orders" from a man called Paduraru. He's the one, I've been told, is playing double cross on his boss, Mr. T.

Vampires. Really. I can take them and I can leave them, but Mr. T is signing my check for this job, as far as I'm concerned. And his bank roll exceeds Paduraru's considerably.

When I was briefed about this position, I was told the woman I'm to help protect is "special". I'm not certain in what way, but she's highly regarded in the vampire circles. Her name's Sabrina Strong. When I dug a little more, I found out that a lot of Supes were both intrigued by her apparent abilities, and in awe of her.

But, like I said, I'm paid the big bucks to do my job, and I'll do it to the best of my ability. I'm to ignore much of what Mr. Paduraru tells me to do. Especially if it's to harm Ms. Strong in any way.

I'm standing in a main room of the condo. I'm not certain where Mr. T. is, but he's somewhere in this silo/condo. I was also briefed that Mr. T. is dying of silver poisoning. If this Strong woman doesn't get to the proper place in this huge facility, he will most definitely die. So, I'm all for getting the little Lady to where she needs to go.

Finally, a dark-haired man, about 5'10" enters the room. I know right away he's a vampire. He greets me, and identifies himself as Nicolas Paduraru. He's your typical vampire, with the look of a predator and too much arrogance and confidence for my taste.

He explains my job is to stand outside the first door and greet Ms. Strong, and ring him when she gets here. Fine. A boring job, but hey, twenty-five thousand from Mr. T, and another ten grand from Mr. Paduraru, here. That's the beauty of being a double agent. If you survive, you get paid double. Uh, if you can get paid up-front, at least half (which I did), you come out alive and smiling from ear to ear all the way to the bank. 'Course, I've got some debts to pay, so I'm not going to be rich afterwards by no means.

Paduraru explains in his suave, thick accent--I've pegged him as a several hundred years old from some western European country, like Romania--tells me that under no circumstances is Sabrina to get beyond the third door. That's the other door heading another direction from the one I came through to enter this condo.

Really.

I, of course, assure him I won't let her get past me to go beyond this condo. I've got five hours before she is due to figure out how I'm to bushwhack this bastard, and not set off any alarms to the goons above. Those three looked like something they pulled out of a hole in New York City. The worst kind of werewolves are from New York, but then, the ones from Louisiana have a few quirks  in their personalities that you just don't want to experience, if you get my drift. That's where someone like me can, and will, take them out.

Paduraru takes me on a tour of the place. Shows me the water closet, in case I have need.

Swanky, no?
And this is the door I'm to guard.

Well, I've got a few hours to figure out a plan. The men up top searched me, so, I've been relieved of any and all of my weapons. So, that means it will be my bruit strength, and werewolf senses to get the job done.

I wonder what Ms. Strong looks like. From what I learned, she's quite fetching.


Coming soon....

Vasyl- from Vampire Caprice & Explanation of how I went about writing this book

Hello, my pretties. How are you all this fine day? We had snow yesterday. Yes, we did. Big huge flakes fell for about 3 or so hours. That was interesting, and depressing at the same time.

Oh, well. On to business.

Today I thought I would bring you a section of the book dealing with Vasyl, Sabrina's protector/husband/vampire. But before I get into this, I thought I would explain how I decided how I would write all these other character's POV in Vampire Caprice. I realized while writing it that if I didn't go mind-dipping into each of my main characters, this book would be extremely short... and basically boring. Well, except for all the sex scenes--tee-hee.

But seriously, if I stayed in Sabrina's 1st person voice the whole while, readers would not get the broad spectrum of the whole story--which wound up being each of these character's story. I had to figure out how I was going to do their voices. No. Not in first person, otherwise people would wonder who's head I was in. I wanted something different and, possibly experimental, but I've seen other writers write like this too. I went with 3rd person on each character, and dipped into their pasts (see below).

In this scene Vasyl discovers that Sabrina has been taken away by Tremayne, who has been able to keep him busy elsewhere while setting Sabrina up. So, I bring you a portion of that scene today. I hope you enjoy it! I'll try and get another one up soon from another character, and keep on bringing them up to and after I've gotten the book out. I am still working on a third read-through of the book, and hope to have this thing ready to go to Amazon in another week or so. It's a very long book, and I want to make sure it's solid before it goes to be published.

Also, from time to time I'll have individual snippets from the book at facebook group "Fans of Sabrina Strong Series, if you want to join me there and join the group, you only need to ask.

Vasyl

Sabrina's house came into view and he slowed, made a circle around the house about fifty feet above. Nothing seemed out of place, except, for Sabrina's missing presence—and her Jeep. Certainly she couldn't be staying over-night at her brother's house.

His indecision kept him hovering. The eastern horizon glowed orange-red and hastened his descent to the house and finally landed on the roof. He had no choice but to enter the domain and stay there for the duration of the day. He knew where the extra key was hidden, and entered. Inside he found the abode silent. The lack of a human heartbeat confirmed it: Sabrina was gone.

But the scent of Sabrina and two others still lingered. Sacrebleu! I should have known! One was a vampire, this he knew by the scent. His whole being sank in spirit, and dread filled him. This very scent had been on Sabrina from time to time. Bjorn Tremayne. The master who had hired her for his own dealings, and had nearly got Sabrina killed on a number of occasions. Vasyl had never met Tremayne, but he knew that scent anywhere. Tremayne had never been to her house, until now.

The other visitor was more difficult to determine. But he was neither vampire nor demon. He, she, or it didn't smell like a vampire or demon, or human for that matter. Perhaps he was something other, but he was not simply human.

Another more troubling scent was that of Ba'al demon. It was as strong. Possibly one, or all of them, had dealt with a Ba'al at some point during the night. Was the demon the danger? Surely, when it came to Tremayne, Sabrina never seemed overly frightened of the master, although she should be.

Vasyl prowled through the house, his dread and anger building. He stopped at the threshold of Sabrina's bedroom where the sliding oak door stood open. The bed still made. But scattered upon it were articles of clothing. Some were still folded, and others in a hap-hazard disarray upon the bed, as though gone through. Drawers were left slightly open.

Curious, he opened her closet. A number of hangers were bare.

It wasn't difficult to put together the scenario. “So, she left with Tremayne! The swine!”

Clenching his fist, Vasyl turned away. He could curse the magnate up and down until he was blue, but that would do him no good. He now understood what had happened. Tremayne had taken Sabrina while Vasyl had been detained by his minions all night. Vasyl believed it wasn't so much against her will since she had packed a bag. But Tremayne must have used extremely devious and persuasive measures. Who knew how bent he could get if he wanted something badly enough? He knew the master vampire had tried to woo Sabrina on a number of occasions. She had confided in him once about those times she had spent with him.

Vasyl wasn't sure what Tremayne's plans were with Sabrina, the sibyl, but he didn't like the idea she was with him. She was vulnerable to him, since he'd had her blood. The blood bond was strong, but it was only vampire-to-human. Vasyl's blood bond with her was stronger, since he had shared his blood with her twice, now. He was certain she had never drank any of Tremayne's blood.

Could he have tricked her into doing so? No. She was not a stupid woman.

He reached out again to find her. Sabrina's spirit was too weak to locate. She must have been miles and miles away. Too far away for him to get to her in a night's trip. And certainly not now with the sun rising.

Vasyl swore under his breath, ran fingers through his long hair, and strode into the kitchen. He stopped. The sun's rays were gleaming through the gaps of the kitchen curtains, glancing in off the table, and a few appliances.

To keep himself safe from harmful rays, he stayed tight to the wall, and angled to the refrigerator. Opening it, he looked for the one thing he knew would be inside. One black bottle of Organic Red. Vasyl did not always have need of bottled blood, but Sabrina always made sure she had some on hand, just in case, which was wise of her, but unnecessary. He had long ago made adjustments in feeding from animals, instead of humans, in order to look for the sibyl and not desire her blood. He'd had it, purposely, only once. Once was enough. The nectar of it was incredibly sweet, and it had given him a slight high, like a glass of very good wine for a human. A lesser vampire, should he drink even a small amount, would find it difficult to stop drinking the richness of her ichor-like blood. To spill her blood would be sacrilege to him.

Vasyl paused to consider why Tremayne would have taken her. He was a master who had lost his crown—so he was told. Tremayne was now considered a rogue. What would a rogue want with the sibyl?

Better yet, what would Tremayne want with Sabrina?

It didn't take him more than a few seconds to come up with the reason. He wanted to mate with her. His mating would fulfill the age-old prophecy.

“Two masters who are polar opposites in appearance, and beliefs, will seek the sibyl. She who holds the ring, and who has Knowledge. Two powers shall struggle to take over the new continent. The last sibyl holds the key. The descendant of the Watchers hold the seed, in the abduction there shall be salvation. Redemption shall overrule revenge. And a new race shall be born.”

“Sacrebleu!” In other words Tremayne knew of this prophecy too. Who would not look at these lines of the prophecy and not presume the two who were opposites were he and Tremayne? If he was successful, Tremayne might be reinstated as a master by the Powers That Be.

Vasyl let go a frustrated roar that filled the house. He picked up a lamp and threw it. It crashed on the floor. Tremayne was despicable!

He looked at the lamp he'd destroyed. He would buy her a new one. “Damn him to hell and back!”

Fourth book will be out soon!

Bill Gannon - Known Nephilim, Chasing Sabrina across the Midwest!

Hello, my pretties. I do hope all the mothers out there had a great Mother's Day.

As promised I've got another titillating piece from the up-coming Vampire Caprice.

I wanted to share a few pictures with you of the area that this book takes place. I had to snag a few from the Pikes Peak area to give you an idea of what it looks like, if you missed any of the other posts I did, here is a link to the last one "The Vampire Lair", and from this one you can hop over to the first one.

Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs

Rockie Mountains, Colorado

Today I'm giving you a little of Bill Gannon's POV from the book. He's on the road, following Sabrina via GPS, he has sneakily put a tracker in her purse in order to follow her. He's quite desperate, you see, it's his life-long goal to seek the sibyl. Only she's not cooperating at all.
Well, here is the sneak peek into Bill's inner turmoil...

Bill

from Vampire Caprice

Bill awoke with a start. Sitting up in bed, he gulped in air. He ran his long fingers through strands of wavy brown hair that had fallen over his eyes. The sheets were soaked, and his shirt was off. When had I undressed?

More disturbing, his wings were unsheathed. An escape reflex. It had happened often when he was a child, after a nightmare. But never as an adult. Why now?

Shaking himself from the dream, and an inexplicable fear, it took a moment for Bill to recognize the motel room, and a few more seconds to remember exactly where he was. The lights from outside slanted in like a beam, where the curtains didn't quite meet in the center, and along the edges.

It took a full minute to remember what state he was in—Nebraska. Meanwhile, the dream still lingered with intensity, making it feel too real.

Yes, of course. The dream. It had come unbidden again.

“Celeste,” he murmured, still running his fingers through his damp hair, like it would help clear his mind of the dream that wanted to re-run again and again through his mind.

Why am I dreaming of her? Of that night...

He knew why, if he were honest with himself.

He shook his head wanting to rid himself of that particular memory. He felt like a dog with a flea in a spot he could not scratch.

Something softly touched him on the arm. He jumped, and glanced to his right. It was a secondary feather from his right wing.

He swore under his breath. Then chuckled lightly. Get hold of yourself, Bill. Reaching back, his fingers gently stroked his primary and secondary feathers. He found them slick with perspiration. He would have to let them dry before re-sheathing them. There might be a few that needed tending to as well. He may have bent them during a fitful sleep.

He scrubbed his face with his hands, feeling the stubble of his beard, and let out a frustrated hiss. Throwing off the sheets, he reached over and turned on the lamp near his bed. Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, he sought his slippers. They weren't there, of course. He hadn't opened his suitcase.

Dismissing the need for slippers, he padded his way into the bathroom. He had the distinct feeling someone was watching him, as soon as his bare feet hit the cold tile floor. His skin crawled with a sense of some unseen entity was there with him—something supernatural, something powerful. He flipped on the light switch and looked into the mirror, not at himself, but around the edges of the mirror. He flipped the light off . Then back on. Hadn't there been the slightest shadow of something there in the mirror? There were beings that could not be seen in this world, but hovered just beyond a thin membrane that could sometimes be breached. A mirror was their favorite conductive route into this world. They could harness it's two-way powers, if they were of a mind.

He switched the light off, exited the room, and shut the door. Hairs on his arms stood on end. He would not be able to retract his wings the way he was feeling right now.

He hoped the unseen being would move on.

Is it looking for her? This one question left his nerves on edge.

Fourth book in Sabrina Strong series
May 2014