#AtoZChallenge - Natural Instinct

All creatures are ruled by Natural instinct. Humans are driven by ego and emotion. We have created a world that is dominated by the desire for money, and the notion that this brings power and respect. We continually fight among ourselves, we love with passion and pride, we hate and struggle and survive. All of these emotions come naturally to us. They cannot be seen as physical entities. They simply manifest in our behaviour and our attitude. The same is true for supernatural creatures. Only their natural instinct can sometimes be far more deadly and dangerous.

Think about it. The werewolves are both human and animal. They exhibit all of the characteristics from two species. They have strong urges to hunt, to fight, to kill, to procreate. They feel deep emotion, they love and hate fiercely and in equal measure. The whole mix of natural instinct is a potent and powerful combination. And then there are the vampires. More than anything, they are driven by a natural instinct to hunt for blood. It controls them. It consumes them. Theirs is an eternal battle to appear human, to suppress these dangerous desires, and to avoid killing anything that moves, so that they may feed and satiate their never-ending thirst. Their senses are powerfully sharp and sensitive. They feel everything far more deeply than humans. Is it any wonder they get grumpy?

And how about other creatures? Witches, for example. Witches are essentially human. Their bodies are prone to illness and can be damaged by intent or accident. They have the same intellect, the same emotions, the same natural instinct. But they also have magic on their side. They have power animals, mystical creatures that guide them, support them, and sometimes fight against them. Witches learn to tread the line between human and animal. In the Redcliffe novels, Jessica Stone has a lot to learn once she discovers her hidden magic and power. She battles with her desires and urges, believing them to be wrong, when all she wants to do is follow her instincts and act on what feels natural. She was raised in a human world, with human morals and ideals. Maybe they are not right for her. It is for Jessica to decide.

If you are interested in seeing other participants for the #AtoZChallenge, check them out on the official website. We have everything from book stuff, to cooking, to photography, to travel, and a whole lot more. Happy April!

*Lover's kiss image found on Pinterest

#AtoZChallenge - The Blood is the Life!

Many of you will recognise this famous quote from Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Actually, when I read it or hear it, I very often think of the hilarious spoof movie, Dracula: Dead and Loving It. I can’t help it, I like the lighter side of the supernatural world. But that is a topic for another day. Today I want to talk about Blood. The blood is what drives a vampire to do what they do. They are motivated by the need to drink blood. They do not want or desire anything else. Blood is, for a vampire, the centre of their world.

When I think about bleeding, or I see something gory in a picture or on television, I am very often repulsed by it. And yet, for some unknown reason, I have always been fascinated by vampires. I know that vampires are supposed to be bad. I certainly do not subscribe to the recent Hollywood craze for sparkling vampires (you know the movies I refer to!). My Redcliffe vampires most certainly do not sparkle. They feed, a lot. They do not always kill, but the thought is always there. Jack Mason could very easily take the life of the woman he loves. Jessica has allowed him to feed on her several times, and the last one, in my upcoming novel Eye of the Tiger (A Redcliffe Novel), almost went very horrifically wrong.

Photo credit Pinterest

Blood is a drug for a vampire. They thrive on it. They see the world more clearly when they feed. Blood and sex are very closely intertwined. It is that knife-edge between pleasure and pain, the fact that a person could so easily let it all go and indulge their deep, dark fantasies. Vampires act on this fantasy, this desire, when they feed on a human. And sometimes, if they get carried away, the human dies. That is a fact of life, and death. Blood is the link between the living and the dead. We humans seem to have a mixed response when we talk about blood. We know that we need it if we are to survive. Yet we shy away from it. We do not want to look at it, or talk about it, or deal with it. We take it forgranted. Vampires do not. They appreciate that the blood is the life…

If you are interested in seeing other participants for the #AtoZChallenge, check them out on the official website. We have everything from book stuff, to cooking, to photography, to travel, and a whole lot more. Happy April!

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