Christmas with the Vampires (Short Story)

Yule Blessings, my friends! I am feeling very festive this week and looking forward to Christmas Day and some time with family. Did you read my festive horror story, Christmas with the Vampires?

I published it shortly after The Darkness of Love, because bad-boy vampire Marcus Scott insisted that I write another story for him. Since I was busy with babies at that time, I compromised and wrote him a short festive story. Tell me what you think…

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Christmas Romance Book Giveaway

Merry Christmas! Tis the season to be jolly, and it is always the season to read new books. Take your pick from a selection of fabulous FREE festive romance novels, including my slightly darker, Christmas with the Vampires short story, a spin-off from The Darkness of Love. Now, grab your e-reader, get cosy, and happy reading!

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Writers Block Won’t Stop Me

I never believed in writers’ block, and I still don’t. What I do believe is that sometimes we just don’t feel the inspiration to write, unless we sit down and force ourselves to make a start. I have been procrastinating with a short story that I needed to write for an upcoming anthology. It only needed to be about 5000 words, and it needed a holiday romance theme, not too heavy on the sex, and certainly not violent. I really struggled!

 I featured the vampire Meredith Hanson from Vampire of Blackpool, since the anthology is a showcase of authors that will attend Books on the Beach 2019, in Blackpool. She is a very old vampire, and she is in love with a witch. There is bound to be some kind of struggle, surely? Well, eventually I sat down with the intention of starting the story, and within a couple of days, I had a first draft. Now I need to read through and see if it makes sense. Wish me luck!

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Why I Didn’t do #NaNoWriMo

This year I consciously avoided participating in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). It has been something of an obsession for about the past five years. I eagerly awaited November so that I could achieve my 50,000-word target, print out my certificate, and order the t-shirt. It worked well for me, because it helped me to write the first draft of several novels, some of which I have now published. You can read my last NaNoWriMo novel, Heart of the Vampire (A Redcliffe Novel) Book 5 to see an example.

At some point I realised that I no longer needed NaNoWriMo. I have a collection of draft novels awaiting my attention, and I am so busy with freelance work and family life that I really couldn’t fit in the challenge this year. I didn’t want to. If I really needed to take part, I would make the time possible, like I did in previous years. But it simply lost its appeal. I loved the time I spent working on NaNoWriMo projects, and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a starting point, some inspiration and motivation, and the online support groups that come with it. But I am moving on. Farewell, NaNoWriMo. We had a good run together.

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Buy a Book for Christmas #goindie

How is your Christmas shopping coming along? Have you started yet? Or maybe you are preparing to celebrate Thanksgiving, in which case I wish you a happy holiday. You could buy a book for Christmas, and not just the autobiographies from our celebrity TV personalities. There are thousands, nay millions of very talented Indie authors out there in the world (myself included), who are crying out for an audience. Give us a try, and you might be pleasantly surprised.

You can find a new book and a new author for every sub-genre imaginable, whether that be contemporary English Gothic (try Vampire of Blackpool), or older women’s fiction (try Untangling the Webs), or even new books for children (try Festive Rhymes at Christmas Time). Search #goindie and you will find what you are looking for. Happy shopping!

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#ChristmasGiftGuide Get Ready for Black Friday

Ah, Christmas is fast approaching, and today I share a few suggestions for your Christmas shopping. I mean, of course you can buy my books and send them to your friends and family, that goes without saying! But what about gifts for your writer friends, and for yourself? I like a little drink when I am relaxing in the evenings, and I spotted this fabulous Bombay Sapphire Limited Edition Gin Gift Pack with 10% off. Let’s get merry together!

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Dark Nights and Book Delights Giveaway

The nights are dark, the days are cold, and all we want to do is curl up in a comfy seat and read. Well, that’s all I want to do this month, I don’t know about you! If, like me, you fancy reading something dark and spooky to suit the season, check out the Dark Nights and Book Delights giveaway over on Prolific Works. You can find my urban fantasy novel, Return of the Vampire Hunter, available to download for free, along with a wide selection of other books telling tales of other worlds, paranormal adventures, and spooky shenanigans. Happy reading!

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