After Dark in the Ellora's Cave Jewels of the Nile Cavemen Anthology Vol II.(see yesterday's post for yesterday's winner.)
After Dark has been by far the most challenging piece I've ever written. I can remember calling my critique partner, asking her to listen to me ramble, so that she could summarize what I said. Working on the DNA of breeding vampires was like doing long division in my head. (and math is not my thing) By the time I'd get one aspect figured out, it would create a whole other set of complications. For instance, if these vampires breed, what would happen when they feed? Part of the intrigue with a vampire is the changing of a human into vampire. In romance fiction we take liberties with werewolves, time travel, vampires, and such. I know I want to put my own spin on my paranormal. But at the same time if a writer deviates too far from the expected, they risk ruining the character. A vampire needs to bite and feed. A werewolf needs to shift-It's what we, as readers, love about werewolves.
After Dark is a nightclub, only it's also the vampires' feeding grounds. My vampire hero is Native American in this story.
Blurb: Kayla March has never reached orgasm...not even with a vibrator. However, she has the feeling that could all change when she meets Alandro Blackwood at the club After Dark.
Few vampires can breed. Alandro carries the unique recessive gene. His blood match, believed to have been killed by a vampire slayer, has been found. Unless her dormant vampire gene had already been awakened by a breeder, why would she go to After Dark, the feeding grounds? He'd soon find out.
Winner today will receive the Ellora's Cave 2008 playing card deck.
My question today -- What's the one thing you're most neurotic about? My list I'm sad to say, is endless. My husband is a good chap, because while I'm controlling just about everything in the house, he's happy to let me do it. I do understand that I have a problem letting go of certain things, and I'll ask him if he's okay with my decisions. He says he likes being married to me and so yep, it's all good. However, when someone asks him if he's read my books, his reply is also "no, because he likes being married to me." Then he'll look at me and say Sorry, baby, I don't read that stuff. Sheesh, if he only knew what he was missing. :)
22 comments:
An Excerpt From: AFTER DARK
Copyright © KYANN WATERS, 2008
All Rights Reserved, Ellora's Cave Publishing, Inc.
“Haven’t you ever wanted to walk into a bar, pick out the hottest guy in the place, take him home and fuck his brains out?” Kayla March sat across from her best friend Nita at the local brewhouse, Coffee Grounds. She sipped a latte with an extra shot. Caffeine equated to energy and she needed a jolt.
“Absolutely not,” Nita said.
“Well, I have and tonight I intend to make it happen.”
Yesterday, the final divorce papers arrived in the mail. Kayla was single again after seven years of marriage.
“I’m glad my grandma isn’t around to see this day. She loved Tom.” Kayla fingered the bloodstone ankh pendant around her neck. She’d found it in her grandmother’s belongings next to a picture of her deceased mother. An ankh symbolized eternal life. Knowing that, wearing the pendant gave her comfort. She hadn’t taken it off since.
“She’s the reason you married him,” Nita said. “I loved your grandma, too. She was a sweet lady, but she controlled your life.”
“She wanted what she thought was best for me.” Kayla sighed, and then shrugged away the gloominess. When Grandma died Kayla had lost the only family she had left. “Maybe that’s why I stayed with Tom for so long. I knew the marriage was a mistake five minutes after the ceremony.” It hadn’t taken Kayla long to realize Tom saw marriage as a shortcut to financial independence with Grandma’s money. More than that, Grandma had ensured that even after her death, Tom controlled the money because Grandma had declared him executor of her will.
Oh, he’d been proud to have her on his arm in public, but once the door closed she existed in a private hell of indifference. Tom had never been abusive, but inflicted deep wounds nonetheless. And, although they’d had sex occasionally early in the marriage he’d never given her an orgasm. No one had given her an orgasm. Apparently, that was her fault as well. Determination swelled within to prove she wasn’t frigid, she wasn’t a cold-hearted bitch, and she was indeed sexy, intelligent and desirable.
Kayla wanted to experience passion, hot as hell, and without consequence. And she told Nita so. “Does that make me a slut?” She twirled a lock of her shoulder-length hair around her finger.
Nita snorted. “No, but maybe slightly desperate.”
“Desperate I can live with.” She pulled a napkin from the dispenser. “I heard about this new club called After Dark. I want to check it out. I have this feeling about the place.” She touched the pendant again. Whenever she thought of the club, the bloodstone in the center of the ankh warmed her skin. It had to be a sign.
Loved the excerpt. Hope everyone had a great weekend. Can you believe July is almost gone?
Hi Kyann!
Do you think it was harder too to do this with having to write a short story for the anthology? With all this you did in creating this, it would be neat if you could set more stories there :) I love these Anthologies! I got some catching up to do, including getting this one and a few before it.
Oh so good an excerpt! I can picture this bar too! Thanks for the peek!
I'm one who sees my hubby come home from work, in a bad mood because of something happening, and I always have to say "I'm sorry" Its like I feel that in some ways that its my fault he's not having a good day and I need to apologize for it to him. I have so many reasons why that I basically blame me but there's no control with that. He telling me to stop saying I'm sorry. He changes jobs Monday so I'm so hoping he'll be happy at this one.
Great excerpt. I am neurotic in several ways. I like patterns so when I see things I try to put them in patterns.
Thanks for the excerpt. I'm neurotic about a lot of things, too. My clothes have to be folded a certain way, things on my desk have to be placed where I put them. I have to prepare the night before for the next day. I like to lay out the clothes I'm going to wear and which purse I'm going to use.
Neurotic is my middle name. lol!
Everything from laundry to taking care of our new kitty. I drive my husband crazy.
Mel K.
I can't think of anything that I am neurotic about except maybe my books. LOL I have such a large collection that my husband thinks I am planning on openning a used book store in the future. He can't understand that I just like to have them to reread from time to time. :)
By the way, I would love to win the cards.
I'm the opposite of an obsessive-compulsive in some ways, but when I walk into a bookstore or library, I always start straightening the shelves. I worked in bookstores for six years, so I guess it came to be a habit.
Other than that, I am a compulsive worrier. I get anxious about the stupidest things, rehearse what I'm thinking in my mind time and time again before I say it, and after too much socializing, i want to hide under a table.
Phyllis, I so agree with you!What is it about the husbands...My hubby often talks about used book store too!
I know I'm neurotic about my books...
I guess one of my hang ups would be that I can't stand my books to get creased, marred, or dirtied in any way. I cringe when my sister reads one and it comes back scuffed up...she always says, "I don't know how you can read it and it still looks like its just off the store shelf"...then there is the card pile that has to be squared off and the family will make it askew when I turn my head just for fun...and I hate when people say words wrong or use them incorrectly it just makes me flinch...well those are a few...
What a great excerpt! I am neurotic/
obsessive about order. Things have to be in a straight pile and there is my certain place for everything. I drive my family crazy with my neurotic behavior sometimes! You would think they were used to be by now. Neat, neat, and more neat. That is me!
Thanks, Cindi
jchoppes[at]hotmail[dot]com
You're right, KyAnn. Your husband DOESN'T know what he's missing...LOL! After Dark sounds great!
Rhonda :-)
Love the excerpt!
I don't think I am neurotic about anything.
You know, I have a couple of little things..that yes, drive the hubby crazy...and me too for that matter. =) I like to have all my clothes on the hangers going the same direction. I rotate silverware in the drawer with what comes out of the dishwasher (same with plates). I love every book I read to look as if it has never been touched. Too many things actually...I will depress myself if I go on too far!
~Drea
Michelle, I have let others borrow books before and couldn't believe the condition I got them back in! I mean I read my books and try not to put a spine crease in them! I handle them with great care BG. I now don't loan books out, the last one came back so beat up, with dog eared the pages (folding over the pages to keep where they read instead of using the book marker I put in it) and folding the book back all the way to folding it the opposite to read! And even water damage. I guess I have an obsession compulsive and neurotic about my books. I think we are all cuz we love being bookoholics :)
I like to have my books and DVDs in alphabetical order. I also have to wash to dishes in a certain order..plates and silverware first, then glasses and bowls, then everything else
Great excerpt! I am neurotic about my books. I am not the most organized person in the world except when it comes to my books. I have to have them all in alphabetical order by author or it drives me crazy.
I am most neurotic about my bathrooms...thne need to be and cleaned right and cleaned often...lol...hubby and kid don't get it...
and I am neurotic about time...when things take too long, I just asoon not do it...drives my hubby crazy...
ADELANTE!!!
Zulamra
Glad to see I'm not alone in my craziness. I won't even let anyone do the dishes in my house. I have particular ways to fold clothes, load the dishwasher, but my biggest petpeeve is clearing the table. I cringe when dishes get stacked on top of each other.
And Cathy, I love writing short stories. about 100 pages is my favorite. This EC cavemen is my first anthology so I'm excited to see how it does.
Hi KyAnn, I enjoyed your excerpt for After Dark. I like that your hero is Native American,yummy. I'm nuerotic about my laundry, all the clothes and towels has to be folded a certain way or I will fix it after someone else does it.
Congratulations to Windycindy for winning the card deck. please emal me your snail mail addy at kyannwaters@hotmail.com
thanks everyone
Congrats Windycindy!!
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