MY GIRL LINZI GOLD

Today I have something really important to blog about and this is my daughter Linzi.

The day Linzi was born was the most amazing day for me. After hours of pain and a fairly long labour, there was this little tiny creature. 7lb 1oz. The tiniest hands and feet I'd ever seen. She was utterly beautiful in all the ways that mothers feel about their child. I looked at her and thought. Wow, she's so special and she's mine. I made her. I was responsible for her. The enormity of that realisation is still with me.

Linzi grew to be a sweet and charming little girl. She had something. People were always saying it. It was a charisma she was born with and she charmed everyone. As she grew she did a little modelling, some acting - appeared for three months or so on Coronation Street, and because she was a bit of a chatterbox and a character, she also appeared on Kids Say the Funniest Things. After a time though, she wasn't that interested in doing the acting and modelling so we never pursued it.

Then, one day, I heard Phantom of the Opera being played in the house. To be honest this wasn't much of a surprise because I was always playing it myself. And Linzi liked musicals as well, it was something I shared with her. But this music was different, it was coming from upstairs. And I called up to her and said, 'Are you playing the CD up there?' The music stopped and she said, 'No Mummy, I'm singing.'

I called her downstairs and said. 'Do it again.' And she did. She perfectly sang all of Sarah Brightman's lyrics in The Phantom of the Opera - without any music at all. And her voice was music. I'd never heard a child sing like that before. At the time I was running my own drama school with friends, singer songwriter Risa Hall and Actress Joanne Venet. We were gearing up to doing our first show with our students, and I got Linzi to show them what she could do.

I think she was 6 or 7 years old when she performed in front of a few hundred people for the first time. After that followed many shows, many recitals, and much training and hard work as Linzi worked on playing the piano and developing her voice.

Also at the same time she started to display a marvellous talent for art. And so she had two passions, she was either singing or drawing. As the years went by and our circumstances changed, the singing fell a little by the wayside and both of us stopped doing shows. Linzi however didn't stop singing. She was always singing. You could hear opera every time she went into the shower. But her art took over and she went to university to do an Animation and Illustration degree which she has almost completed.

On Boxing Day she came to a party with my fiance, David, and I. I found myself sitting next to Alan Whitehead, former drummer of The Marmalade and during a casual conversation I asked Alan what he was up to these days. He told me that he managed bands. 'Really?' I said and being a very proud mum, I asked him if he would listen to my daughter singing.

Linzi was in another room while this was going on and I called her in, asked her to sing, and because she's actually quite used to me doing this, (I know - I'm an embarrassing mother!) she obliged. Within minutes other people were coming into the room and requesting that she sing this song, or that song. Because she knows a lot of songs and has a very eclectic interest in music she was able to sing a range of classical to pop music. By the end of what turned out to be a 30 minute recital, Alan said that he needed to talk to me.

The truth is I love her voice and think she's wonderful - and ever since that day when she first sang Phantom I knew she was gifted - but I'm her mother and I would think that. I expected Alan to say, yes she's talented and leave it at that. But - he said instead that she was exceptional, unique, and rare - that she was in fact not just talented, but mindblowingly so.

Then he offered to manage her. Since then we have been on a roller coaster ride - and it's not even quite a month since Boxing Day and so much has happened.

Alan put Linzi with an award winning producer by the name of Alan Glass and she has already written a song with Alan, and has 7 more in the pipeline. Her EP of 4 songs is ready to be recorded but we could only manage to pay for the first one at this time.

You see, the music industry is very unlike the publishing industry that I am used to.

The way things are, musicians and artists have to pay for their own recording sessions, tours, all expenses, in fact, come out of their residuals. And, in order to be presented to the labels Linzi needs this EP, a music video, a set of professional photographs and image styling that will show the potential of what she is, and what she and can become.

We have therefore resorted to doing an Indiegogo project to help get these first things in place.

I'm asking everyone that knows me to help support my girl, Linzi Gold, by donating anything they can to the campaign, and if they can't afford to give at this time, then to share the campaign and her YouTube demo. Listen to it and see for yourself. If you like it. Then help in anyway you can.

Even positive comments on the YouTube channel can help her cause with a record label. Hits = success in this business. If she goes viral then she's on her way. Listen here:  LINZI GOLD - S.I.L.V.E.R

And if you can donate - or share - then here is the campaign link. LINZI GOLD - EP

Thank you for taking the trouble to read this blog, and for any help you can give. I wouldn't be doing all this if I didn't believe, 100%, that she really does have a chance out there and deserves to be given it.

An Interesting Encounter

Anyone who knows me well will know that I am not a fannish type of person and I'm very unlikely to squee no matter who I meet. I don't care very much for celebs who have made their career on being in programmes such as Big Brother for example. What I do admire, however, is real talent and people who've worked for their status. I have favourite artists such as Anne Sudworth, Vincent Chong, Russell Morgan, and of course Rick Fairlamb who did such a wonderful job on my new vampire gene book covers. I naturally admire good writing. Among my favourite authors are Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Sheridan Le Fanu, Tanith Lee, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, Kelley Armstrong, John Ajvide Lindqvist and Graham Masterton.

Yesterday I was signing at Arndale Centre Waterstones in Manchester with David J Howe promoting our latest books when I had an interesting encounter. Okay I had been told that Noel Fielding star and creator of The Mighty Boosh would also be there but I didn't expect quite the crowd that turned out. His talent is undeniable and he is enjoying the fruits of his labour for his surrealist comedy and art.

I caught my first glimpse of Noel when he came down from the Green Room around 12 noon and immediately went out into the crowd of adoring fans (400 or more) and greeted them with a very friendly and approachable manner. There was much screaming and excitement that rippled through the crowd and this was totally infectious. Then Noel went into the window of Waterstones and proceeded to do an art demonstration by painting a picture directly on the window. Inside and outside there were crowds of teenagers screaming and cheering - and what a lovely bunch they were too!

I couldn't see very much at that stage because I was in the middle of the store at my table and David and I were technically working. But I did go over and introduce myself and Noel immediately shook my hand and kissed me on the cheek. Which was nice!

After the demonstration, Noel went back upstairs and I managed to catch a few moments with him. It was there that I learnt he also had the lovely Dave Brown with him who also works on The Mighty Boosh and is a photographer, choreographer and comedian in his own right. I was a bit of twit yesterday because I didn't get a pic of Dave but used his fabulous photographic skills to take the pics of me with Noel on my camera. But in defense of myself I was a little flustered as I felt really cheeky going to ask them to sign the book during their short break. I'd obviously sneaked off to the green room to say hello and I really wasn't sure how I would be greeted. I needn't have worried of course as they both welcomed me with loads of hugs and kisses as well!

Okay exaggeration - 2 from Dave - 6 from Noel. Maybe it was me who was doing most of the hugging too!

As the afternoon progressed Noel and Dave began signing their new book which is called The Scribblings of a Madcap Shambleton. You can buy a copy HERE. It's a beautiful book with a padded cover, full colour prints of art work and photographs and of course - scribblings done by Noel - designed and most of the photography by Dave. Currently Waterstones are selling it with a £4 discount - you would normally pay £19.99 for it and it is worth it too! Noel and Dave's fans were queueing for autographs for hours and were incredibly upbeat and fun to be around. I was talking to a lovely group of girls as they waited and even spotted people I knew among the crowd. Each fan was given autographs and photo opportunities and lots of time as Noel and Dave patiently greeted them.

As I said earlier - I'm not easily impressed by 'celebrity' but what I am impressed with is talented celebs who understand the nature of fandom and treat their fans with respect and kindness. This is what I saw yesterday - and a whole lot of fun was involved in it all too. Noel and Dave enjoyed talking to people.

As I was leaving I went over to say goodbye to them. Noel was talking on a fan's phone to yet another fan - brownie points again I'd say! I said goodbye, Noel had requested a copy of Zombies and I arranged for one each for him and Dave to be left for them in the Green Room. (Hope they like it!)


Once again I got another kiss and hug from them both. When I turned, some of the lovely girls I'd been talking too were waving to me from the crowd. (Now wishing I'd asked their names - but hopefully I'll see them again).

I came away very happy yesterday. We'd had a brilliant selling day and we'd met some really nice people - everyone was lovely.

Noel and Dave I salute you. You are talented, fun, and most of all you appreciate the fans that made it possible for you to be where you are today. I don't think you'll ever be spoilt by showbiz. You both seem to have your feet firmly on the ground. Well done guys. Great meeting you and I hope we do meet again.

Reflections on 2010.

This is the time of year when I reflect on the trials, tribulations and successes of the past 12 months. It's been a busy one for me. A new novel out and a story collection written, as well as several other stories for other anthologies in the bag for next year.

On the awards front, I was shortlisted down to five, being the only woman in the final line-up, for the British Fantasy Society Best Novel Award and also a finalist for ForeWord Magazines Book of the Year Awards. Both of these were for the second Vampire Gene novel Futile Flame. The third novel, Demon Dance, has just been confirmed as making the Eligibility List for Welsh Book of the Year for the 2011 awards.

Book sales have been at a record high since September and the launch of Demon Dance. I'm told that this is because readers really like to buy into a series. I had originally sold the Vampire Gene as a trilogy, but having finished the third book, I soon realised that there was in fact more stories about the characters that needed to be written. Therefore Book 4, Hateful Hearts, is now underway and my publisher Terry Martin at The House of Murky Depths has asked for first refusal - which is great because I am writing it with some surety that it will be published.

As well as this, my vampire immortals are now blogging - you can check out their views at Immortal Bloggers!

What's on the horizon for next year?

Well firstly, my story collection, Zombies in New York and Other Bloody Jottings, was sold to Telos Publishing  and will be launched in LA at the end of February and at Waterstones, Trafford Centre, in the UK in March.

There will be a longer, wider spread, tour of Waterstones and several independent bookstores around the UK, Kicking off on 3rd March at Bookmark in Spalding with the Vampire Night.

There is now Vampire Gene/Sam Stone merchandise. These items will be made available to purchase at Gallifrey 2011 in LA in February initially, but will then be accessible from this website or at any of the events I'll be attending. So more details to follow in the new year.

Provisionally, Hateful Hearts, will be published in September 2011. We are aiming, once again, for a FantasyCon launch. But this may be available sooner.

Well, that's my year in view and I hope you'll join me next year on my continuing journey to make the Vampire Gene Series the most successful Dark Fantasy Novels of all time.

Happy Solstice everyone!

Thorne Coffin - An appropriate place to stay :)

On our Yeovil trip last weekend we found ourselves staying in a beautiful guest house called 'Thorne Cottage'. David found 'Thorne Cottage' via google as we wanted to stay somewhere convenient for the centre of Yeovil for Waterstones. We didn't know anything about the area, never having been there before, and as with all of these things we booked it hoping it would be okay.

When we arrived, 5.30pm, it was dark, wet and miserable and we found ourselves searching country lanes for the address. As usual the Sat Nav sent us down a lane with no through-road, we came across a barrier, but were able to open it and go through.

We didn't see Thorne Cottage immediately, even though it turned out to be the first on the left through the barrier. As we drove along this dark country lane, we came across a huge manor house called Thorne House.

Eventually we found Thorne Cottage - after ringing the owner, Kath and her husband Bill came out will a torch to direct us in - but already David and I were intriqued by the area.

Thorne Cottage is gorgeous and we were given a warm welcome by the owners. Then shown to our rooms. It turned out we had a wing to ourselves, so David and I had the double room and Frazer was in the single. Within this area we had all the conveniences you could wish for. Our own sitting room with comfy leather chairs and a chaise, tea and Coffee facilities and not one, but two bathrooms. Lovely. Added to this the unexpected bonus of having wifi and sky TV in our rooms. This place was sheer luxury!


The next morning, after a fresh full English breakfast, we went for a walk to look at Thorne House and in daylight we discovered we were in the small village of THORNE COFFIN. You could say this was somewhat appropriate. Thorne Coffin is a very quaint village, with its own parish church - St Andrews - and more spookiness than I've ever seen. I absolutely loved it!

The village of Thorne Coffin itself is made up of large cottages, all varing in size and I've been told used to be occupied by three main families that were farmers some years ago. The surrounding area was then filled by the farm workers. So far this is all I've managed to learn.

We went into the grounds of Thorne House - which is privately owned - and looked around to ask permission to properly examine the exterior of the house and the beautifully maintained lawns. Unfortunately we couldn't get permission but we did manage to take some beautiful pictures of the house nontheless. I think they'd make a fortune if they opened it up to the public, but apparantly it is owned by a corporation. I've since been searching for the history of the house but have so far drawn a blank. If any of you do have information on this stunning stately home, then please let me know.

Needless to say I will be writing a story about Thorne Cottage and Thorne House. Actually I feel a novella coming ...

Separated At Birth?

Vampires AREN'T Dead Yet!

There's been a spate of articles in the press directed at killing off (pun intended) vampires in literature but I'm here to tell you that vampires aren't dead yet.

Vampire literature has been popular since the 19th Century. We have excellent literary writers in our history such as Sheridan Le Fanu, Bram Stoker and Lord Byron (to name but a few) writing stories that featured the undead.

Modern literary and terrifying vampire writers such as Simon Clark, author of Vampyrrhic and Vampyrric Rites have created vampires with a mythology of their own. These are brutal and frightening monsters that show no human emotion or feeling whatsoever. You only have to look at the writing of Tanith Lee in her novels Vivia and Sabella in order to appreciate that there is some very good and very diffrent stuff out there. And let's not forget Chelsea Quinn Yarbro who was there long before Anne Rice.

The mistake people are making right now is assuming that vampires equal teen paranormal romance, which is so far removed from 'literature' that it is a completely different genre.

When I was at university doing my MA in Creative Writing I wrote my first novel, Killing Kiss, as my dissertation. At first the head of faculty wasn't sure whether the book would be acceptible (he hadn't read it but had a prejudice against genre writing). Thanks to my tutor, literary author Janette Jenkins, who fought my corner with me, I was able to put the novel forward, because we were able to prove it was indeed 'literary fiction'.

Unfortunately though the prejudice still rears its ugly head.

In the early days when I first started mixing with other horror and fantasy writers I was repeatedly asked if my book was horror/romance. Even folks in the genre were making that equation 'vampires=romance' in their heads. It gets a little wearing when you're on the third book of a trilogy that takes in horror, fantasy, time travel, science fiction, paganism, vampires, witches and spiritualism, and there are still people making the same assumptions ... and I wonder if they have even read my work!

It is perhaps ignorant and uniformed to make judgements about a writer without first reading their work. A little like reviewing a film you haven't seen, or going off just the trailer to determine what it's all about. And so I repeat again, literary horror/fantasy is nothing like paranormal/romance. They are different genres entirely. Literary fiction is well written, intelligent, often multi-layered, and the prose will be well-formed and deliberate in its purpose, perhaps even poetic, to create specific imagery in the mind of the reader.

From what I have read, paranormal romance tends to be about boy meets girl, they fall in love and the human one usually ends up being a vampire/werewolf or whatever. Basically the plot is the same, while locations, names and characters all change. There is so much out there at the moment that I cannot keep up. And to be honest I don't want to as it doesn't appeal to me. I see other reviewers saying the same thing, that the books are all the same and don't change or add anything to the myths and legends along the way.

I have nothing against paranormal/romance - reading tastes vary, and each to his own anyway - but I don't want my books to be categorised in this genre. Especially when I've spent several years working very hard on developing my own unique writing style, and trying to do something original which appeals to me.

Going back to my original point though, Vampires have been around a long time in fiction. Just because there are some poor examples, and there is a flooding on the market of not very good vampire books, it doesn't mean that all of this fiction is therefore dross. There have been some excellent books written by Christopher Pike, whose Last Vampire Series has been hugely successful, is beautifully written and thoughtfully crafted. We can look at Laurell K Hamilton's Anita Blake Series (and I know that some of you may criticise a few of the later books as deteriorating into pornography - and I agree, they did) but the first five books make Ms Meyer's plots look like the scribbles of an illiterate 12 year old. There is also Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse series. The first book does get off to a shaky start, but then Harris took the characters, created fabulous storylines which are truly multi-layered, and she ran with it. I have to say TrueBlood is one of my favourite TV programmes of the moment. My friend Raven Dane has written a terrific vampire series called Legacy of the Dark Kind, and I can tell you, there's not a sniff of romance in it. And not forgetting of course Stephen King, whose Salem's Lot almost defined the vampire story for anyone who read it in the seventies.

I can't believe that people get taken in by the media hype - the media created Twilight mania in the first place, and blew it out of all proportion with a frenzy of obsession that's driven most teenage girls to distraction as they either love or detest the series. All to sell more books and DVDs (and T-Shirts, magazines and other merchandise ... and I wonder who owns the companies producing all these things ... would they be the same companies which produce the films, and which publish the books ... and which also publish the newspapers and magazines which hype and promote so much). Now the Media, in typical fashion, want to take it back and smash every good vampire book on this trail of destruction. This cycle of 'promote to the skies and then destroy' is a familiar one in UK media. It sometimes seems that we build people up, only to then knock them back down again in as harsh and critical manner as we can.

The media have done the same thing with Global Warming over the years, and Swine Flu, and Mad Cow Disease, and Bird Flu - just think about the panic that's been stirred, only to be followed by articles from the professionals saying it isn't true at all.

Well I'm saying categorically: Vampires are NOT dead. They won't die so far as there are good, strong, talented writers out there to keep the vampires' fangs sharp and their tastes brutal.

And if you, like me, don't care for the sugary romance stories - then fine! DON'T BUY THEM.

But please stop dissing vampires  It isn't their fault. Poor misguided creatures. But we can show the publishing industry and the media how very discerning we are, and support the good writers out there. Because - Let's be honest - we need your support before we all disappear under a deluge of romanticised, sparkly, friendly, vegetarian creatures of the night.

New Ways to Purchase Killing Kiss

I'm please to announce that there are now new ways to purchase Killing Kiss (Book 1 of The Vampire Gene).

If you're a fan of IPhone & IPad like me then click on these links to upload the book now:

The iPhone App is here: http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/killing-kiss/id376359959?mt=8

The iPad App is here: http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/the-killing-kiss/id376802292?mt=8

Or if you prefer using Kindle you can purchase the ebook on this link: Killing Kiss Kindle

'Real' Vampires Versus The Neurotic Wimps

A comparison and definition of the genres

I was recently quoted in the Independent with Neil Gaiman and Graham Marks, voicing our opinions on the glut of Paranormal Romance and Teen Vampire stories that are taking the bite, and the fright, out of a genre that I love very much. I'd like to elaborate on the problem as I see it.

There seems to be much confusion between Vampires in Horror/Fantasy novels and those in Paranormal Romance when actually they are completely different genres.

Horror, quite simply, contains content that is frightening and/or horrific. It can contain supernatural elements or it can feature a serial killer. What makes a piece of writing effective as horror is the psychological element. Often it plays on the mind of the reader. A classic example of this is Richard Laymon's novel Endless Night. There is no supernatural element in this story at all; it's about a group of men working together to break into houses to kill people. They do unspeakable, vile and horrific things to their victims. It is an utterly terrifying and realistic story, mostly because it could actually happen!

Fantasy is usually writing that features 'other worlds', or as in the case of Urban Fantasy, the world depicted is recognisable as our own, but there are supernatural beings living in it. Fantasy stories are usually epic. The characters can have a journey or a quest to follow. There may be magicians, warriors, vampires, demons, fairies or angels. To find out more about this I recommend Rhetorics of Fantasy by Farah Mendlesohn. (The book explores in detail the four main categories that fantasy novels fall into: The Portal-Quest, The Immersive, The Intrusion, The Liminal; in a fascinating and informative analysis of the genre.)

Often though, Horror and Fantasy become merged together, which is certainly what I do in my books. For example Futile Flame begins in the guise of a traditional gothic novel but has a deliberate fantasy twist at the end that is the start of the Portal-Quest Fantasy that takes place in Demon Dance.

Paranormal Romance, on the other hand, tends to be foremost a romantic story but which has a paranormal or supernatural element, such as a vampire, werewolf, ghost and so on. Usually the story is one of boy meets girl. One of them is human, the other is a vampire, werewolf or ghost. There will be angst, a little lust (sometimes a lot of lust) and then boy and girl will be united at the end. The formula never really changes beyond that and other than names and places, these stories tend to be very alike and generally unoriginal.

The problem with the genre at the moment is that, with the popularity of the Twilight series, publishers have seen an equation in their minds which reads: Teenage Romance Novel + Supernatural Creatures = Money. The authorial and publishing intent behind all these books is to present a romantic story which, they hope, will capture the romantic notions of teenage girls. The intent is not to scare, or to create unease, or to provoke a horrified reaction ... any and all of which would perhaps be elements that true horror novels would set out to achieve. Speaking for myself, my first novel, Killing Kiss, was written to explore the loneliness of a vampire who has lived for 400 years; illuminating his life through sequences where the reader can experience the events he has lived through, and with that perhaps understand and sympathise with my leading man, even though he is a monster.

Let's Give Vampires Back Their Fangs!

As I said in The Independent piece, vampires shouldn't be vegetarian (which is an oxymoron). They are blood sucking monsters. They may feel a little guilty when they kill, but mostly they don't care. As Graham Marks said, Vampires should be scary and sexy. The thing we've loved about them all these years is the danger they represent as well as the seductive element. There is nothing more terrifying than a strange man entering your bedroom and then biting you on the neck - there's nothing sexier either.

I believe that we shouldn't stop writing Vampire fiction. What should happen is that publishers should be actively looking for good vampire fiction - not the trashy formulaic romance stuff that's basically taken the heart and horror out of our vampires.

For this reason, to show the difference between the wimps and the fanged fiends, here's a sneak preview of Demon Dance. This is something I've never done before prior to publication, but I want to show you how my vampire Lilly gives into her monstrous nature with no regrets. I have slightly tweaked this to ensure that it stands alone here, but I hope you enjoy what you read ... and maybe are slightly chilled too.


DEMON DANCE

Chapter 4
Present – The Trinity Klub

The club is heaving. I push my way through the bodies, brushing against auras. The proximity of so many humans almost makes my stomach retch. I hate crowds. I am by nature a loner these days. And the gyrating sexual energy that flows through the crowd repulses me. The consolation prize is the blood. It floods the air along with the hot scent of perspiration.

I took only a little blood from my last victim and so I’m still hungry. As I look around the club I don’t see anything I fancy eating. Harry has found a pale, slender redhead. She looks like Nicola Roberts from the pop group Girls Aloud, complete with Plaster of Paris make-up. She’s wearing hot pants and a cropped top that barely covers her tiny breasts. I use the blanket of the crowd on the dance floor as an excuse to brush the damp bare flesh on her waist with my hand. I lift my fingers to my lips and taste her sweet perspiration. Colours burst into the air before my vampiric gaze, lines of heritage. The lines stretch up and out and stop several feet above her head. I’ve seen this before. She is a long way from her home and there is no nearby connection to her lineage.

It is good news for Harry because there is no trace of our bloodline in her gene code. I meet Harry’s eyes and nod. He moves in rapidly meeting her eyes. Within minutes he’s pulled the girl close and their hips bump together as they dance. Before long he leads her away from the crowd. Unconcerned I watch them leave, assured she is safe for any kind of fun he wishes to have with her.

Across the room a group of boys part to reveal a gorgeous blond. Even from this distance I can see the green twinkle of his eyes, see the seductive dimples in his cheeks and chin. I turn away rapidly. He reminds me too much of all that I have lost. Everywhere I go in Stockholm there are constant reminders of my one time lover. How can I still hold a torch for him, after all this time?

‘Hey beautiful.’

He’s in his late thirties. Cute. Dark hair and nothing like Gabriele or any other male from my gene pool. But none of that makes a difference; what does is the fact that he has his hand on my waist and he’s stroking me. He’s skilled. His fingers weave hypnotic patterns over my skin. I am frozen to the spot. A bitter chill pierces me.

Strike one; I don’t like to be touched.

‘Want to get some air?’ he asks.

I let him take my hand and lead me outside onto the balcony. It’s a cold night and we are alone except for a tall, stocky, bouncer taking a cigarette break. We look out over the city. Multi-coloured lights litter the streets. I am mesmerised by the beauty of the cold air, of my breath huffing out like steam. It is one of those silly delights that my vampiric sense really enjoys.

‘I’m Stephan,’ he tells me as he places a joint in his mouth and flicks his lighter expertly.

He takes a long pull into his lungs and then offers it to me.

‘I don’t smoke,’ I answer but I don’t bother giving him the lecture that smoking will kill him eventually. He’ll be dead long before then anyway.

‘I watched you inside the club. Your boyfriend went off with a redhead.’

‘He’s not my boyfriend.’

‘Ah. Good. Because I think you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.’

I raise a cynical brow. The fluency of his words tells me how often Stephan has used them. I sniff the air around him as he inhales the weed again. He smells of sex. Cigarettes. Weed. And something else. Cocaine. Then I see the particles of white powder, briefly reflected in the moonlight, around his nostrils. I turn to walk away. He’s too boring to bother with.

‘I want you,’ he says catching hold of my arm.

I glance down at his hand. ‘Let go,’ I say calmly.

‘I always have what I want.’

‘You’re not my type. Sorry.’ He tightens his grip.

Stephan chuckles. It is a dark sound and it implies hidden knowledge. I turn just in time to see the bouncer heading my way.

‘You’ve got to be kidding me …’

The bouncer grabs my arms and they pull me towards another door at the other end of the balcony. I don’t resist, even though I could shake them off easily if I wanted to. But there are too many people around and I’m curious to see how far this will go. I let them pull me into the other room. The glass door is closed behind us and I find myself in a small office which contains a desk and a futon covered in luxurious cushions in various shades of red silk. I look around. Other than the balcony, two doors lead off from the room. One, I suspect leads back into the club; the other is probably a bathroom.

‘Leave us,’ Stephan says and the bouncer departs.

‘Is this how you get all your dates?’ I laugh. ‘You could just try wining and dining a girl; it might well have saved your life.’

He chuckles. ‘Saved my life? Young lady, I don’t think you realise who you are dealing with. I own this club.’

I run my finger along his desk as I recall the rumours I’d heard about the Trinity Klub and the mafia who owned it. Stephan’s name and face float behind my eyes as I recall a scandal in the newspaper recently. The report flashes before my eyes. The curse of a photographic memory.

Young woman throws herself from club owner’s balcony … Investigation inconclusive.

‘Mmmm. Yes. I do. But do you know who you are dealing with?’ I meet his eyes.

He steps back when he sees the venom in my expression. He blinks. Swallows. Then smiles. Never smile at a crocodile … I smile back.

‘Come here,’ he orders.

‘What if I scream?’

‘This room is sound-proofed,’ his smile widens.

‘Your biggest mistake of course was touching me,’ I say stepping towards him. ‘I really don’t like to be touched. Especially when I haven’t given my permission.’

‘You better get used to it bitch. I’m going to touch all I want in the next few hours.’ He reaches for me and I let him grab me; his fingers bite into my arms.
‘You’re going to do everything I ask. Okay?’

I laugh in his face. Then flick my tongue out over his cheek, testing him. His heritage lines stretch out, far away from Stockholm and no hint of my DNA. Very, very safe. It seems Stephan is of Russian decent. He pulls me close. He’s taken my tasting as a sign that I like him after all. Foolish mortal.

My fangs burst free of my gums as I rear and strike in one fluid movement. I bury my teeth in his face and rip back, taking a strip of his cheek with me. There is a sickening tear as his face shreds. Stephan screams. His hand flies to his face and he stares in shock at the blood covering his fingers. As he tries to push the flapping skin back in place. If he survives our encounter his looks will be ruined. But he won’t need to worry about that.

‘What the fuck …?’ He staggers towards his desk, shocked and dazed.

I see the alarm button just in time. I grab him, snatching his hand away from the desk and crush his fingers in mine. I squeeze. Bones cracked in my grasp, his knuckles pop like bubble wrap. He screams again. I sigh. It’s getting boring again.

‘Where you going honey? I thought you wanted to fuck? Oops. My bad. You wanted to rape, didn’t you? Is that how you get it up, Stephan? You have to have the rough and tumble first?’

I throw him back on the futon and reach for the zipper on his trousers.

‘Well let’s see what you have in there then. I’m feeling hungry.’

Stephan screams like a girl. His hands beat at me, but his blows have no more impact than that of an insect. I laugh when he pulls back his uninjured arm, fist clenched. His blow lands on my cheek. The fingers in his hand snap like twigs and his knuckles crumble. Both of his hands are now destroyed and with it the fight goes out of him. I bet this is the first time he has ever been bested by anyone, never mind a female. I slash away his pale cream trousers; his blood has ruined them anyway. Stephan cries and sobs as I expose his stomach.

‘Please … Mercy.’

‘Did you have mercy for that poor little girl you raped and threw from the balcony Stephan?’

I smile, all fangs and Stephan recoils, ‘Wha … t are … you?’

‘I could come out with “I’m your worst nightmare” or some clichéd crap like that. But I reckon that would be lost on an arsehole like you. So I’ll tell you this, that blood-sucking monster you had childhood nightmares about exists. It’s real. I’m the bogeyman. I’m going to eat you, because you’ve been a bad, bad man.’

His cries become incoherent as I get to work on him. I bite, scratch and tear until his guts are smeared all over the futon. The red silk cushions darken and change colour to a deep, black purple. Blood falls onto the cream carpet in an interesting splatter pattern.

‘Your biggest mistake was touching me,’ I say again as I lick at an open wound finally drinking my fill. ‘I really don’t like to be groped. Maybe in death you will learn some manners.’

His eyes bleed tears as his mouth leaks gory saliva. He’s dying; it will be slow and agonising. And as much as I’d like to, I can’t afford the luxury of leaving here unless I finish him. I reach down. Taking his mangled face between my hands I twist his head sharply, snapping his neck. But I’m aware of the valuable lesson he has just learned about life and death. Power is a tenuous possession. You are only strong if there are others weaker than you.

I’m Lilly. I’m Lillith. I’m the oldest woman alive and I’m stronger than anything human or otherwise. I won’t be fucking trifled with.

Blood-soaked, I open the balcony door and walk up to the rail. Gazing out over the bright city I feel a sense of freedom. I leap into the air and soar into the night as Stephan’s blood strengthens my limbs into further invulnerability. No one can touch me; unless I want them to. And I don’t want anyone to.

If you ask me why I kill, my answer is this: Because I can.

DO YOU HAVE ...The Vampire Gene?

Some folks asked me about how to get hold of my books! Here's the information. Order your copies now!

Books 1 and 2, Killing Kiss and Futile Flame, can be purchased from Murky Depths along with pre-orders of Book 3 Demon Dance.

Or Amazon.co.uk at Killing Kiss or Futile Flame

Killing Kiss is also available on Kindle, iPhone, or iPad.

BRITISH FANTASY SOCIETY AWARDS SHORLIST ANNOUNCED.

Woke up this morning to find that the Short list for the British Fantasy Society Awards had been posted.

Futile Flame - Book 2 of The Vampire Gene trilogy is a finalist!

A lot has happened in my life over the last few years; at times it has been such an uphill struggle. Many of you already know the story and I won’t bore you with the details today. I have a lot of regrets though, one of which is that my mother never saw my first book in print. She’d have loved that because she saw the many times that 11 year old Samantha sat quietly in a corner scribbling stories and poems on a tatty notepad. She bought me my first typewriter, where I bashed out an attempt to write a 'Tales of the Unexpected' story for a competition (aged 13) and wrote a rather dreadful (8 chapter) 'novel' which was an appalling knock-off Hammer story. Later I wrote my first proper attempt on it, in the space of a month, after many false starts, marriage and motherhood.

With the marvellous invention of the word processor, my terrible typos became much easier to correct. Thank God, Apple or Microsoft for that!

I have much to be grateful for now, especially for my partner David: my best friend and biggest supporter. Every time I get knocked down he picks me up and dusts me off, handing me my laptop as he says, ‘don’t give up. You can do it, Sam’. Futile Flame would never have been written but for his encouragement. I feel so privileged.

And I say today, even though it's like walking through mud in high heels at times, I’m not going to give up, no matter what. Writing is something that I just can’t stop doing.

I'm completely bowled over with the success of Futile Flame as I appreciate it is a very unusual novel with its quirky mix of Vampire horror and fantasy, merged with the time travel element. But then maybe that is why it is appealing so much to you, my readers. :)

I’m feeling very emotional and extremely humble today, so excuse this rather strange blog.

I want to say a huge thank you to BFS members for supporting the novel. I really, never thought I'd make the short list.

If you voted this time, don't forget to vote again on the final round, whoever you voted for, because the BFS needs your support.

Love
Sam x