Saturday, I attend the Fresh Fiction sponsored panel at our local Barnes and Noble. The topic discussed: getting fresh with vampires. No, not that fresh (although Robert Pattinson’s name did come up more than once). Instead, the panel explored the sensuality of the vampire, the appeal of the bad boy and the evolution of the trope that began with vampires as the villains. Fresh Looks, Fresh Thoughts Some of the questions asked included why do vampires appeal? Particularly as romantic leads? Does your first experience with vampires color the rest? For example, if you watched the Lugosi vampire films or Langella, would you have a different perspective from the person who may have read Anne Rice’s angst ridden gothic vampires? Potentially, the answer is yes. In the 80s, vampires were still very much powerful, creatures of the night. It was rare to trust one and rarer still that the vampire would be worthy of the trust. No matter how good their intentions, their blood lust was a biological imperative – they had to have blood. Grief could send them into a tailspin or make them go dormant. Many vampires went to ground or to the sun when they could no…

It’s the holiday season, yes I know that here in the States, Thanksgiving is still three weeks away, but we’re already doing the holiday shuffle. We have two birthday parties, one to attend and one to throw. We’re hosting the family for Turkey Day or in our case, Honeybaked Ham Day. There are school projects and writer’s conferences, a book release and school vacation, not to mention a panel on vampires, a tea, a readers group, NaNoWriMo – okay, I’m getting tired just thinking about it. But beyond all the things to do and the places to go, the holiday season is about downtime too. Down time where we get to watch movies, such as our annual viewing of The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, a holiday classic when decorating the tree. Holiday Top Flicks It’s a time to revisit some of the best holiday and romantic holiday movies perfect for viewing anytime between Thanksgiving and Christmas. My daughter has so many favorites now that we literally have to stack the decks with the films so that everyone gets to watch the ones they want to see before the big C day when we watch the parades, open presents and kick…

You remember high school where you had to read the book the teacher assigned whether it was Silas Marner, The Old Man and the Sea or Cheaper by the Dozen? You remember having to finish reading it no matter how boring the tale or how dry the writing? I admit, I loved the idea behind Great Expectations, but there were passages when I wanted Dickens to just get on with it. In other cases, it was Shakespeare that I dreaded reading – Shakespeare was a playwright, his work was meant to be seen and acted out, not read. But that’s assigned reading, what happens when you’re reading for fun? Reading Books: The Struggle Reading for fun shouldn’t be a struggle, but sometimes, even the best books have their moments. I have occasionally come across books that I thought I would like, but when I got into reading them, I found it hard to sink into the character, the setting or the story. Those books aren’t a struggle to read because if I can’t get invested, I’m just going to set it aside and reach for another book. But what about the books that I am invested in? What happens when…

Happy Halloween! NaNoWriMo begins tomorrow and as a special teaser, enjoy the first five hundred words of my Nano project: The Forgotten. The Forgotten is the sequel to Remembering Ashby and was teased in the free short Forget to Remember. Be sure to check those out and stay tuned to the Daily Dose and Twitter for more Nano updates! The Forgotten She turned her head away from the sounds of death. Her sisters cried out to her with long, horrid sounds of pain and anguish. Xandie closed her mind to it, hardening her heart and putting one foot in front of the other. Blood spattered her face and soaked through the long strands of golden blond hair that fell in disarray around her shoulders. Ahead, still mounted, the enemy gathered to make another fatal charge. They would run them all through, slaughtering them once and for all. In the distance, the horns of the clans signaled their approach, but they would be too late, even at full gallop. Her breaths came in short, staccato bursts through the mouth, refusing to inhale deeply through her nose less the smell of blood, bodies gutted, urine and feces choke her. Read the rest……