I'm doing some snippeting now of Jamaica Blue Magic, the second in the Fall of Veils series (but still a fine place to start), coming soon from Ring of Fire Press. Fall of Veils is an urban fantasy series that will touch on pretty much every subgenre from action to murder mystery, courtroom drama and political thriller, and during which the world is transformed; Kathleen is the prime mover in our writing of this series; I'm supporting and co-authoring. On to Chapter 1 -- it's a long one! ------ Chapter 1. Kansas, [ Continue reading... ]
French Roast Apocalypse: Chapter 19
April 10, 2018 By 1 Comment
We learned a bit more about why the Blackwells are hated... in this chapter, we get to meet another one... ----- Chapter 19. New York City, 1980 “Congratulations, Dyl, you passed your second history exam,” Tina said, leaning against the Muffin House display case. “There actually is a brain in that head of yours.” She smiled and tapped her temple with a thin finger. In her other hand, she held out the purple-dittoed test sheet. A red-ink "85%" was circled at the top. On the table behind her was a stack of books and a binder. For [ Continue reading... ]
French Roast Apocalypse: Chapter 18
April 5, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Another trip back in time, and we see some other characters when they were younger... and learn just how nasty Mr. Blackwell was.... ----- Chapter 18. New York City, 1980 Anna's Muffin Shop was a small shop, with a large display case filled with many different kinds of muffins ranging from corn to chocolate as well as cupcakes and cookies. The walls were painted pink as a background for black silhouette figures that danced across the wall, figures with finger-wave hair and zoot suits. Apparently the shop had started [ Continue reading... ]
French Roast Apocalypse: Chapter 17
April 3, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Dylan's finally waking up to find out that even a Revenant can get badly hurt... ---- Chapter 17. New York City, 2010 When Dylan finally came to from the almost-endless dream, it took a while to understand where he was, what had happened. The only thing he knew for sure was that he'd been wrapped like a mummy – bandaged broken arm, skull fracture, chest wrapped for multiple broken ribs, and serious repair work to put his guts back where they belonged. He spent most of his time unconscious — if you could call that [ Continue reading... ]
French Roast Apocalypse: Chapter 16
March 29, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Dylan was flashing back... ----- Chapter 16.New York City, 1980 The first week was uneventful. Both Anna and Douglas mercilessly drowned him in academics. During the evening he helped at the Muffin House, and they were also in the process of integrating the other members of his therapy group into Anna's halfway house. Between socializing with friends, work, and studies, he barely had time to think about hunting down Keith. His life, despite the odd circumstances, had become strangely mundane. Save for the fact he, at eighteen, [ Continue reading... ]
French Roast Apocalypse: Chapter 15
March 27, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Dylan had gotten REALLY hurt... ----- Chapter 15. New York City, 2010/1980 Dylan wasn’t sure how long he fed; he wasn’t even sure when he came back to himself. The only thing Dylan was sure of was Liam’s mind, guiding his feeding. The Celtic vampire was different than others he had fed from. Liam’s blood had a distinct flavor, but Dylan couldn't quite figure out how to describe it. It was… finer than the others he consumed. Jason’s was similar, but diluted, and both Douglas and Daniel smelled like Jason, so Dylan suspected [ Continue reading... ]
French Roast Apocalypse: Chapter 13
March 20, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Dylan and Angie had been rescued in just the nick of time... ----- Chapter 13. New York City, 2010 "What the hell was that?" At least, that was what Dylan tried to say. But the sounds were barely recognizable as words, accompanied by a splutter of thick crimson-black blood. Dylan struggled to pull himself to his hands and knees, but his body refused to listen. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Angelus rolling the kid to his lap, and Jason quickly running over to them. The unknown boy’s chest and belly were slashed and he [ Continue reading... ]
French Roast Apocalypse: Chapter 12
March 15, 2018 By 2 Comments
Dylan and Angelus were on the hunt... Chapter 12. New York City, 2010 It didn’t take long for the two of them to reach Iphigene’s Walk, a paved walkway that cut though the east end of the lush thickets. It was a beautiful, secluded path that led deep into thirty-seven acres of thick foliage. Using the path, they could, eventually, divert to one of the other trails if necessary. "This could take forever." Angelus said as they trudged down the walkway. "Could be," Dylan said. "Like they say about fishing, there's a reason [ Continue reading... ]
French Roast Apocalypse: Chapter 11
March 13, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Back in the present, Dylan's got a hunt to prepare for... ----- Chapter 11. New York City, 2010 It was easy to lose himself in the past. Too easy. Dylan rubbed his eyes and refocused on the pan he was buttering. Back then, he'd felt responsible for Keith and was willing to give up his humanity for what the vampire did to Bridget and Jackson. It was a struggle for Anna to redirect him. He was stubborn, like many of his own clients these days. Anna never did approve of his hunting. It was always a bone of contention between them. [ Continue reading... ]
French Roast Apocalypse: Chapter 10
March 8, 2018 By Leave a Comment
The problem with being a revenant in this world is that you don't so much remember as you re-live past events... ----- Chapter 10. New York City, 1980 The air was crisp and cool against his cheeks. Dylan turned his face toward the welcoming breeze as it tossed the hair from his eyes and away from his face. He inhaled, tasting the bitter stench of gasoline, grease, garbage and human sweat. It was a new world to him. The smells alone were overwhelming. He had never imagined how acute the sense of a renfield were. If he focused, [ Continue reading... ]
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