#PrideMonth A Bisexual Vampire, a Gay Witch and the Vampire Hunters in Manchester, England

 👉I am currently querying a novel called Hunting the Hunted with agents and publishers:

🖤Frederick James Mitchell is a dangerous man. At almost 300 years old, the vampire has led a life of debauchery and murderous excess, with no remorse or judgement for his actions. That is, until vampire hunters catch up with him. They have tracked him down to the hidden tunnels beneath Manchester, and they will make him pay for his crimes against humanity. He is saved by the appearance of a mysterious, young, female vampire, who sets about seducing him as they chase the hunters. Frederick’s existence is turned upside down when he meets attractive young witch, Jeremy, who takes the vampire for all he has got, and still wants more. 

👀This is a highly charged vampire adventure, where the hunters and the hunted are tangled in a web of confusion. Nobody is innocent in this game, and there will always be death and destruction when the vampire opens his heart to a witch. 

Download your FREE copy of It’s Complicated (A Redcliffe Short Story) and meet the werewolves of Cornwall, England.  Click here. 

New Vampire Hunter Novel set in Manchester, England

👉I am currently querying a novel called Hunting the Hunted with agents and publishers

🖤Frederick James Mitchell is a dangerous man. At almost 300 years old, the vampire has led a life of debauchery and murderous excess, with no remorse or judgement for his actions. That is, until vampire hunters catch up with him. They have tracked him down to the hidden tunnels beneath Manchester, and they will make him pay for his crimes against humanity. He is saved by the appearance of a mysterious, young, female vampire, who sets about seducing him as they chase the hunters. Frederick’s existence is turned upside down when he meets attractive young witch, Jeremy, who takes the vampire for all he has got, and still wants more.

👀This is a highly charged vampire adventure, where the hunters and the hunted are tangled in a web of confusion. Nobody is innocent in this game, and there will always be death and destruction when the vampire opens his heart to a witch.

Download your FREE copy of It’s Complicated (A Redcliffe Short Story) and meet the werewolves of Cornwall, England.  Click here. 

What Shall I Write Today?

I am late posting on the blog this week, and there are a few reasons for it. The main one is that I simply didn’t know what to write. I could very easily try and promote one of my novels or my Redcliffe series, but I’m bored of that. This is my space to be creative, and truthfully, I have lots of ideas for writing. I just need to sit down and get started, rather than distract myself with other duties. So that is what I’m doing today, in between those other duties.

Just as I was trying to decide on a subject for today’s blog post, I opened a drawer and found a couple of very old notebooks. Indeed, I had forgotten about one of them, and the other I had been searching for and couldn’t locate. It was in the same drawer I had already searched, but hidden underneath another notebook, and this one is very battered and well worn. But it is full of ideas. I had this notebook before my children were born, and I would jot down little snippets of writing inspiration to be used in the future. Well, now it’s the future, so maybe I should use them!

Here is a note that confused me: A view over Cardiff from a modern hotel window or the roof of a tall, historic building. It is early morning just before dawn, and the city is quiet, with electric lights reflecting off the river. It is romantic at this time, before the start of a busy working day in the human world. Now, I haven’t visited Cardiff before, but I have visited lots of beautiful places in Wales, and maybe this inspiration came from Manchester and I just changed the city. Who knows? But it is there, and perhaps I will incorporate it into a novel. There are hints of it in my upcoming novel Hunting the Hunted (currently with agents). I wonder what other gems I will find in this battered old notebook? The possibilities are endless!

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I Write for Manchester #ASMSG

I am in shock. Not my Manchester. Not my city. No, not those poor, innocent, decent families. Yes, it happened. The terrorist finally got in. All it took was one lost soul intent on wreaking devastation. We cannot comprehend a person that commits these atrocities. All we can do is pick up the pieces and move on. Manchester is strong. Manchester is resilient. Manchester never gives up.

Manchester is my Muse. I lived and worked in the city for several years. My husband studied at university. We frequented student pubs and nightclubs, the city centre shops, museums, and even the hospitals. Indeed, I am still a regular outpatient at the Manchester Royal Eye Hospital, which provided lots of writing inspiration during its transition from Gothic, old buildings to a smart new medical hub.

This week I grieve for those who died. I didn’t know them personally, but it doesn’t matter. I know the MEN arena (that is the name I know it by). I have been to concerts there in the past. I may consider taking my own children to concerts in the future, although right now it is the last thing I would do. Earlier that day, on Monday, I sent out a manuscript to a publisher for consideration. The novel is called Hunting the Hunted. It is about a vampire in Manchester city centre, and what happens when the hunters come for him. There are more Manchester vampire hunter stories in progress. My Muse has spoken. Manchester has spoken. My Manchester.

Did you enjoy this article? Join my tribe today, and I will send you a fabulous FREE book to get you started… (be warned, my vampires do not sparkle, and my wolves will bite!) 

Hunting the Hunted - An Excerpt from my #NaNoWriMo WIP

Sometimes I forget that not everybody knows my characters the same way that I do. My Redcliffe series has given me a whole new group of fictional friends that live in a part of my psyche where their lives are real, at least in some alternate universe. It is the same for my characters from other novels, including The Vampire of Blackpool (still seeking a publisher), and my latest work in progress, Hunting the Hunted. To that end I have decided to share an excerpt from my current novel, so that you see a little of the madness I was working with during #NaNoWriMo. Enjoy!

We watched our hunters race along the pavement, disappearing from view as the uniformed police officers followed them. The police were fast. They sent their armed officers after the hunters, and the others quickly closed off the street and worked to ensure their precious human civilians were safe. I leaped up onto the roof of the high building, and Lottie followed. We strode across the base of the sloping roof, and I reached out telepathically to locate my prey. I sensed William almost immediately. He was running down a narrow alley between a hotel and an office building, with his sister close behind. The police were still following them. And they had reached a dead end. I leaped across the wide expanse of road, high enough that the humans below would not see me, and I landed on a high balcony just in time to see my hunters being arrested. William was shouting at them not to grab his injured shoulder, and Samantha was shouting something about them being private investigators. It didn’t help. They were bundled roughly into the back of the waiting police van, having first been relieved of their weapons by the law enforcers. I stood in the shadows and observed the spectacle.
“There you are,” Lottie said as she swooped down to land beside me, “You are fast, for an old vampire!”

I’m a #NaNoWinner, Hooray! #NaNoWriMo

I did it! I survived #NaNoWriMo2015, and I conquered it! This has been a very challenging month for me. Not only did I have the ongoing chaos of domestic family life, I was dealing with emotional and mental health difficulties as a caregiver. By that I mean that I do not have a mental health disorder, but I am close to people that do, and I take on the role as cheerleader, counsellor, and supporter for these people, because I love them, and I want them to be happy.

There was one major trauma during #NaNoWriMo for me this year, and it was the death of my beloved Nanna. I was very fortunate to have her in my life for over 33 years, and I am thankful and happy to hold such precious memories of growing up with her, and with my remaining grandparents. My Nan was my cheerleader. She was incredibly proud of my writing achievements, and she would keep our distant family members well informed of my projects and novels in progress. Therefore, I had no choice but to persevere with #NaNoWriMo this year, even as I was wracked with grief and sadness at her loss. This new novel, Hunting the Hunted, will be dedicated to my Nanna Hargreaves. It is the least I could do.

Congratulations on your successes, fellow Wrimos. Whether you hit 50k or not, you wrote something, and I am proud to call you my writing buddies. Well done folks!

I’m a #CampNaNoWriMo Winner!

I am so happy! My Muse has returned, and I have reached my target and won #CampNaNoWriMo for the first time. I attempted it in previous years and was unsuccessful, so this feels like a real achievement. #CampNaNoWriMo differs from #NaNoWriMo because you choose the word count, and everything is more relaxed. I decided to aim for 25,000 words on my new novel, and I got there in 23 days, hooray! And now I will continue writing, because the words are flowing again. Here is a synopsis of my new novel, Hunting the Hunted:

Frederick James Mitchell is a very old, very bored, vampire. He haunts the hidden tunnels beneath the city of Manchester, and hides out in his luxury penthouse apartment when he is playing human. One day he discovers a vampire hunter watching him. He lures her underground to fight, but his control is lost when she brings backup in the form of  battle hardened twins William and Samantha. By a curious twist of fate, Frederick is saved by the intervention of an enchanting young female vampire. His lust for life awakened, he sets about seeking revenge from his attackers, taking pleasure wherever and whenever he chooses.