8 strangers are sent rather mysterious but plausible letters from ‘acquaintances’ leading them to the remote ‘Soldier Island’. Every one of them has a secret – they have been instrumental in causing the death of another person, or people.
Believing they will be entertained by eccentric Mr Owen this varied group – An elderly spinster, a young former governess, a retired judge, a retired policeman, a doctor, a rather shady ne’erdowell and a young, reckless playboy – arrive at the modern, richly built house, far from the mainland, to be greeted by the butler and housekeeper….
These people have nothing obviously in common. A gramophone record plays out a terrifying and mysterious message stating that everyone is a killer… and before long the bodies start piling up.
You won’t guess ‘whodunit’ – and indeed the police consider it an impossible crime. 10 people on the Island. 10 bodies.
It’s terrifying, the suspense really builds. Christie truly is the Queen of Crime. And this is deservedly the best selling mystery of all time.
Excerpt from The Secret of Blossom Rise – A Ghost Story – A. L. Butcher
It was all a sham. All of it – civilisation, decency, morality – had been tested, and found wanting. His own father had been killed in Ypres and his mother forced to raise five children on a widow’s pension. He’d gained extra money and food poaching – knew how to use a gun. Eyes closed, he saw his mother’s face as he went to war – the fear, the regrets, and the sadness. Such emotions mirrored in his wife’s younger face.
“It’s my duty,” he’d said. “We cannot let the likes of Herr Hitler control Europe. It will be over soon enough.” He’d believed that then.
Leo laughed. But there was no mirth. Four long and terrifying years of war had proven Hitler was not a man who would give up his wicked machinations easily, and Britain would stand against him, alone if she had to. Neither side would capitulate until the enemy was in the streets and at the door.
The world had gone mad with slaughter in the War to End All Wars a generation past – but that had been a lie as well. Politics, death and lies entwined as the casualties grew. Freedom exacted a terrible price. Leo knew that as the bodies had piled up around him in that small French town – now little more than a shell. He’d led what was left of his men into battle, when their captain had been slain and pushed back the enemy, gaining some useful intelligence for his pains. But it had all been futile when the next regiment of panzers rolled in and he and his men found the landmines as they’d tried to retreat. The blood still flowed when he closed his eyes.
Leo dreamt of the faces of the men he’d shot or bayonetted behind the fluctuating German lines. Men like him. Simple men who had been sent to war or signed up unknowing of the horror. Politicians made war, but soldiers died in it far removed from the seat of their government. In this war, civilians lived in fear of the blitz from the sky. Even the clouds were not safe in a world of madness and blood. Was this the end of days? The final judgement for Man’s sins? Leo did not know, and his faith in a good divinity had bled away on the fields of war.
He longed to be far away, on a picnic blanket in the Cotswolds with Mabel. Home with his wife, Audrey, and his daughters, his conscience said. He’d lost much of that conscience in this war.
What was adultery, when man sinned the ultimate sin for his country, for freedom, every single day?
Ostensibly Blossom Rise had been a private sanatorium for those sons of the wealthy who needed tending in a small country hospital, and then when Europe had been ripped by war it had become half a dozen wards used to treat those who had returned from the Great War broken or insane. After the Great War, the unit had fallen into disrepair – forgotten or ignored like so many of the unfortunate soldiers who’d passed through but left still clinging on to half a life. There had been a few in-patients – usually those persons whose families wished for them to be out of sight and mind, but not actually neglected. It was full of ghosts, so some whispered. And he knew the nurses gossiped. Once he’d have dismissed such talk as nonsense, irreligious and foolish, but he’d seen men he’d known to be dead walk the wards. Men from his dreams.
His friend James Cameron, half his face burned away, and one arm nothing but a stump had succumbed to death after a heroic but futile struggle.
Leo had seen James only last night limping the ward in the half-light – a shell of a man ravaged and hollow. But stalking like he’d once done – searching and alert.
A nurse had tried to usher the bandaged form back to his bed, but James had vanished when she returned with his medication. Disappeared. In some ways it had been a mercy, his friend had been so badly wounded and what life would he have – no face, one arm, partly crippled and more than half-mad? He had not wanted to live like that – a burden for his mother. Later Leo asked himself if James had really been at the hospital or was lying burned and maimed in that awful town. Was he just a memory, a guilty horror?
They’d talked, or at least Leo thought they’d had, in the small hours of the morning when the pain was too much to sleep, and the morphine hadn’t clouded their minds. But it was all so vague, so confused. Reality turned on its head in war, and time in this hospital – fluctuating between pain, medication and sleep was strange.
Synopsis
When a young nurse accepts a job at a former military hospital, she unearths a family secret and finds the spectral occupants a little too familiar.
Werewolf Queen wasn’t on her middle aged bingo card…
In the Midnight Hour
A Midnight Madness Nightcreature Novel Book 3
by Lori Handeland
Genre: Paranormal Women’s Fiction
Just when I thought it was safe to go home…
I’ve been running too long. I’d gotten sloppy. Sloppy gets you captured. But it turns out, the very one I thought I had to hide from, saved me.
I just want to live peacefully. But happy family, er, packreunions don’t seem to be in my future. When my secret is used against me, I’m forced to run again. This time, help comes from the most unexpected source, the greatest werewolf hunter of all time, Edward Mandenauer.
To get what we both want—the end of the sadistic, yet sexy, werewolf Zane—Edward and I join forces. But Zane isn’t working alone. Nor is he who or what he says he is. He’s much, much more…
All I want is the life I believed I’d lost, but at this rate, I’ll end up captured, imprisoned, enslaved . . . or dead.
From the voice of New York Timesbestselling author Lori Handeland, the final installment in the Midnight Madness trilogy takes you deep into her Nightcreature world, complete with the humor, depth of characterization and fast-paced plot lines the author is known for while showcasing her incredible range.
I did what I had to. Try and kill my girl? I will end you faster than you can say have mercy. Sure I broke a cardinal pack rule, which will get me executed by my mate. If they find out. If they find me.
Saved from capture by Zane, the sexiest of sexy werewolves, my rescue comes with a price. Zane wants a favor, one that could cause an all-out pack war. The last thing I need is to make more enemies, but lives are at stake if I don’t make a stand. Not only that, but I have a secret. An impossible secret that is going to turn the entire werewolf world upside down.
From the voice of New York Timesbestselling author Lori Handeland, a new volume in her Nightcreature world, complete with the humor, depth of characterization and fast-paced plot lines she is known for while showcasing the author’s incredible range.
They say a mother will do anything for her child . . . I’m living proof
This nightmare began when I got the call every parent dreads. My daughter, Jenna, was missing from her college campus. Of course, my mind went to the worst place. After all, my late husband was a powerful senator. Was this some political payback?
I call in a favor and soon I’m partnered with an FBI sex trafficking agent. He tells me local girls have been disappearing for some time now, and he finally has a lead. But what we find at that abandoned warehouse is something out of a horror movie.
Werewolves! Two rival packs, their alphas fighting, winner take all––the pack and the trafficked girls. The werewolves must replenish their breeders, recently decimated by a virus that killed only the females.
But Jenna’s been keeping a secret, which only makes two of us. Though I should be angry, I know the lies I’ve told play a huge role in why we’re here. I’ll do anything to make it right. No way is my girl going to become a sacrificial mate for the greater good––even if she is the ‘chosen one.’ So, I do what any mother would do, I take her place, offering myself to Gideon, the winning alpha, as his mate.
Gideon’s goal is to live in harmony with the human world, but there are others who exist for the power, for the violence, and they don’t plan to let peace prevail.
There’s a civil werewolf war brewing and I am right in the middle of it.
From the voice of New York Timesbestselling author Lori Handeland, a new volume in her Nightcreature world, complete with the humor, depth of characterization and fast-paced plot lines she is known for while showcasing the author’s incredible range.
Lori Handeland is a five-time nominee and two-time winner of the prestigious RITA™ Award from Romance Writers of America, as well as the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over sixty novels spanning the genres of paranormal romance, urban fantasy, contemporary romance, historical romance, historical fantasy and women’s fiction. Her novel Just Once received a coveted, starred review from Library Journal and was optioned as a feature film by Catalyst Global Media.
Lori set her sight on being an author at the age of ten. She remembers sitting at a typewriter before she knew how to type, pecking out a story about a family who went into space. As an only child her summers were spent with that typewriter, television, and, above all, books. As a young adult, she got sidetracked by the need to make a living. She worked as a waitress and later enrolled in college to become a teacher.
Lori lives in Southern Wisconsin with her husband of over thirty-five years. In between writing and reading, she enjoys long walks with their rescue mutt, Arnold, and visits from her two grown sons, awesome daughter-in-law and perfectly adorable grandchildren.
Genre: Dark Paranormal Romance, Wonderland Retelling
Mad as hatters, here they all are. To home and from, Rose is very far.
What would you do to claw your way back to the only home you’ve ever known? How far would you go to win?
To save herself, Rose must work with a dangerous, mysterious ally Night, who might just be her greatest threat.
When the rebels attack the small Hearts village, blacksmith Rose is thrown down the forbidden well and down it, she finds the Three Sisters of horror stories and folklore. With half the village down the well, the Sisters open the doors to the Hatterthon–a deadly game of murder and survival. If Rose ever wants to make it out alive, she must be more brutal than any other player and stick with Night–the mysterious player she’s allied with, threatens all she knows with his dangerous smiles and even deadlier eyes. In the Hatterthon, everyone is a little mad… And the only way out is to win. By any means necessary.
HEARTS is a Wonderland retelling, hold the Alice! Set in a medieval Wonderland, this series welcomes old favourites with a dark twist to a beloved story.
Genre: Dark Paranormal Romance, Red Riding Hood Retelling
A Dark Retelling of Little Red Riding Hood.
The villagers call her Red. It’s the colour of her lips, her cloak, and the blood that stains her when she returns from the woods. The villagers call her Red for many reasons, but most of all, they’re too afraid to call her what she really is. Witch.But when a wolf stalks the village, Red might be the only one who can save them from the beast…the beast who has his sights set on her already. Red races against the three days until the full moon to uncover the wolf’s identity, find out what he wants from her, and save herself. To hell with the village, Red just wants to save herself. That’s what good witches do.
A dark re-telling of the old tale, where Red Riding Hood isn’t so little, and mightn’t be so good after all.
“A. BLACKBIRD” is a sister penname to “Q. BLACKBIRD”
With “A”, you’ll find all the Blackbird “SOFTER STORIES” – those with less graphic scenes, put simply. Cleaner tales that still explore dark themes, and more YA friendly reads.
With “Q” – the main penname – you’ll find those darker themed tales written in gritty, dark detail. Those books don’t pull their punches!
To keep these stories and content separate for the readers, “A” and “Q” BLACKBIRD are not connected on the book pages, but if both themes are to your liking, check out Q BLACKBIRD’s best-selling series, DARK FAE BLACK WORLD!! *all the content warnings apply*
“Will this ever end? It seems like there is nothing but rain, rain and war,” the smaller figure said, turning her face to his, and searching, for answers no one really knew.
“It must end, one way or the other, Mabel. The world cannot endure this unrelenting horror. We will win this awful conflict or be destroyed. As for the rain – it will end, and the sun will rise,” her companion said, but the eyes which stared at the sky were not filled with hope. The man was in his mid-thirties, but his haggard face looked ten years older, such was the burden of loss he carried, and the responsibility of other men’s lives. War aged a man. She looked younger and had once been wide-eyed and innocent, but the world had seen that innocence stripped away, like skin beneath a knife.
He pulled her close, glancing around in case any onlookers should see them, but everyone was preoccupied in staying dray and their own business. “The world has gone mad, and politics with it, but we have each other. Even in the rain, you are beautiful.”
The woman held herself in his embrace for just a moment, then pulled away, “Not here, Leo. We must keep it professional.”
Reluctantly he nodded and said louder, “I am healing well enough. The doctor tells me the limp will be permanent and I’ll never be strong again, but I’ll keep my leg and live to fight another day. Men like me are needed, and there’s few enough of us these days. I can serve my country in other ways.”
`With that, he looked at something distant – perhaps a foreign land. “Living another day is all we have these awful days. Each one is precious, for tomorrow the Nazis may be at our door. And I can’t say I am keen to return to the field of war.
I love you, Mabel, for what love in war is worth. Now be a good girl and fetch my case. I’ll meet you inside, we are early anyway.” He handed her the umbrella and hiding in the shelter of the doorway lit a cigarette and looked out towards the wards filled with the damaged, the insane and the dying. Ghosts of men, some said, and it was true. Leo felt hollow, incomplete. Something other than blood and flesh had been lost in that foreign theatre of war. In the horror he’d asked God to help him, to stop this awful mess, but all he’d heard was the scream of his comrades, the thunder of bombs and silence from the Man Upstairs. Once a Catholic – he’d cursed God’s holy name when another of his men tumbled lifelessly beside him. How could a loving God allow such slaughter? Leo knew his faith was gone, shot away piece by piece, and his soul with it.
Thinking of all the friends he’d lost, all the wickedness of man, made real in a war that had shaken the world to its iron core the man called Leo limped towards the bunker, his second home now his wounds were healing. Strategy was needed, and Leo had been behind the lines, laying mines and infiltrating where he could. He was, so he’d learned, the last survivor of his unit.
“She’ll be the death of me if those bombs don’t get us first.” Mabel was the only thing of beauty he’d seen in far too long. Too many years living on the edge of a knife where fear was one’s constant companion and loss one’s daily brethren changed a person, and not for the better. Especially a man like Leo Campbell, who could not admit to his fear, and was honoured for his perseverance and bravery under fire and his cunning.
It was all a sham. All of it – civilisation, decency, morality had all been tested and found wanting.
The Secret of Blossom Rise – A Ghost Story
When a young nurse accepts a job at a former military hospital, she unearths a family secret and finds the spectral occupants a little too familiar.
Audiobook Narrators: Erin Mallon and Teddy Hamilton
Tropes/Themes: Small Town, One Night Stand, Reunion Romance, Secret Baby, Strangers to Lovers
Description:
Ana DaSilva is looking for a palate cleanser. A one night stand. A reboot.
Instead, she got fireworks, sparks, chemistry, and the perfect guy. No one wants to meet Mr. Right when he should just be Mr. Rebound, but Mr. Right is so, so right.
But then he went from Mr. Right to Mr. Never, because when she learns she’s pregnant three days after that wonderful night with Dennis, she realizes her sleazy drug dealing ex not only left her with the legal mess she knew about, he gave her a life-long present.
One that means ignoring Dennis’ texts and phone calls, no matter how much she wants to answer.
Dennis Luview wants to escape his pain. Coming back to his hometown of Luview, Maine – the cheesy tourist trap where every day was Valentine’s Day – means facing a past he left behind twenty-four years ago. Yes, his family is loving, and sure, he has roots that go bone-deep in the small town community where people step up for each other.
But the naive eighteen-year-old who left to serve his country is now a retired Special Ops vet with a heavy entourage of ghosts and PTSD. No woman deserves all the baggage he’s lugging around.
Including Ana, who clearly wants nothing to do with him, no matter how intense their one haunting encounter really was.
Which is why six months after that hot night, he’s stunned to find her in his hometown, at a bridal shower, her ripe, pregnant belly swelling under a gorgeous yellow sundress.
A public confrontation turns into a very private reunion, and as Dennis pursues Ana she opens up, but is he crazy to want her — and what turns out to be another man’s baby — to settle down and find stability and love?
Or is he deluding himself that he’s remotely worth the happiness an instant family could offer, after his terrible past?
If you’re looking for a secret(ish) baby, one-night stand, strangers-to-lovers romance set in a town where every day is Valentine’s Day, with a veteran with PTSD who volunteers at an animal-rescue sanctuary and a therapist who keeps picking the wrong men (until now), then settle in with a cup of coffee to read the final book in the Love You, Maine series that features the Luview family.
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Julia Kent writes romantic comedy with an edge. Since 2013, she has sold more than 2 million books, with 4 New York Times bestsellers and more than 21 appearances on the USA Today bestseller list. Her books have been translated into French, German, and Italian, with more titles releasing in the future.
From billionaires to BBWs to new adult rock stars, Julia finds a sensual, goofy joy in every contemporary romance she writes. Unlike Shannon from Shopping for a Billionaire, she did not meet her husband after dropping her phone in a men’s room toilet (and he isn’t a billionaire she met in a romantic comedy).
She lives in New England with her husband and three children where she is the only person in the household with the gene required to change empty toilet paper rolls.
She loves to hear from her readers by email at julia@jkentauthor.com, on Twitter @jkentauthor, on Facebook at @jkentauthor, and on Instagram @jkentauthor. Visit her at http://jkentauthor.com
“If I thought you’d say yes, Ana, I’d ask you to come back to my hotel room and finish what we’re starting here.”
“What makes you think I’d say no?”
The way he laughed, a gentle huff through his nose, made a piece of her heart melt a little more.
“Most women would say yes or no to that. Instead, you open the question wide and give it nuance.”
“What’s wrong with nuance?”
“Never said there was anything wrong with it.”
“From what I’ve seen, you are a crystal-clear man, Dennis. Why don’t you try the direct approach?”
Inching closer, his inhale like the rush of a conch against her ear, Dennis smiled, his grin broadening, genuine happiness filling his features in a way that made her feel pride.
Pride that she could elicit that from him.
“Come to bed with me, Ana. I love the feel of you in my arms on the dance floor. Your kiss tastes so good, I want to taste all of you. My room or yours?”
Pure energy shot through her, most of it between her legs, coalescing into a throb. Fire lit up her skin, his caress as he cupped her jaw and kissed her again so anchoring.
And so damn hot.
Few moments in life call for complete abandon, but for Ana DaSilva, this was one of them.
The year is 1888, and the place is Whitechapel, in the very heart of London. But the heart is bleeding. A mysterious killer is stalking women of the streets – his true name is unknown, but his legend will go down in history. This is a short tale of Jack the Ripper.
There are a number of prominent characters, but the primary one is Werbel. He is a young rabbit, roughly 11, who lives on a farm. Early in his story, he learns basic farm skills as well as sword fighting from his father. As the tale progresses, he’s captured and trained by a ruthless lizard. Ultimately, Werbel becomes a fierce warrior.
Synopsis:
The story begins with the Highfallows, a charming family of rabbits whose livelihood is farming. An army of lizards sweeps in and shatters their peace. Those left behind must figure out how to rescue lost loved ones. When Meadowvale elders realize the problem extends far beyond just themselves, the story’s scale increases exponentially. Clashing cultures, the struggle for unity, wrestling with despair, festering regret, battle, forgotten magic, and beyond: it’s all there.
While each character’s tale has its own wisdom to impart, the full story of Meadowvale will capture the hearts and minds of readers young and old.
Brief Excerpt 250 words:
“Skoar! Wait!” Jeremy called after him, but the man sprinted into the void as voices reverberated back. The whistling of the arrows was soon replaced by shifting feet and shouting lizards.
Only Skoar’s softly glowing silhouette could be seen sprinting, leaping toward the center of the huge cavern. His light shone brighter, and Jeremy saw a swarm of lizards circling around him. The cavern went completely dark for a second before Jeremy had to throw an arm in front of his face to block the glare that emanated from that mass. He could not distinguish Skoar from the light that glowed around him, but he could clearly see the lizards that were flung through the air to crash some ways off.
Another moment of darkness collapsed throughout the cavern, and another blast of light sent more lizards flying off. Jeremy’s eyes adjusted, and he was able to see a furious rabbit face burning in the murky distance.
One more wave of darkness fell, and it was followed by silence. Even Skoar’s subtle glow had been completely doused. The only audible sounds were pounding hearts. Then, darts of light sprouted from the center and struck torches scattered about the cavern. They sizzled to life, and the full space came into view. It was larger than anyone first thought. It resembled something like an underground town.
Why should readers buy this book (50 words max)?
With Meadowvale, Rudolph does an elegant job not only of visiting familiar themes like good and evil but also unique realms where rabbits and lizards clash and, in rare cases, coexist. The end result is that you are taken to a whole different world that feels unexpectedly welcoming.
It’s taken Viking hunter Sven Knutson six frustrating months to find her. To track down the angel responsible for compromising the Forgotten Brotherhood and waking the drakon. She may be clever. Resourceful. But no one ever gets away from Sven. Ever.
All Rivka longed for as an angel was a chance to serve on Earth and help humans. Instead, it all went impossibly, horribly wrong, and she still doesn’t understand how or even why. All she knows is that she’s on the run—not only from Heaven’s dangerous elite guard, but also from the Brotherhood, who want answers.
She might just have to trust the immortal Viking whose icy blue eyes make her feel almost wickedly human. Because someone wants Rivka dead and the Brotherhood eliminated. Someone powerful enough to take on the most dangerous assassins who have ever lived. Someone who could unleash the fury of both Heaven and Hell…and Rivka is the key.
Each book in the Forgotten Brotherhood series is STANDALONE: * Fury Unleashed * Arctic Bite * Burning Ash * Bjorn Cursed * Ancient Desire * Hunter Avenged
Once upon a time N.J. had the idea that she would like to quit her job at the bookstore, sell everything she owned, leave her hometown, and write romance novels in a place where no one knew her. And she did. Two years later, she went back to the bookstore and her hometown and settled in for another seven years.
One day she gave notice at her job on a Friday morning. On Sunday afternoon, she received a tentative acceptance for her first romance novel and life would never be the same.
N.J. Walters is a New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author who has always been a voracious reader, and now she spends her days writing novels of her own. Vampires, werewolves, dragons, time-travelers, seductive handymen, and next-door neighbors with smoldering good looks–all vie for her attention. It’s a tough life, but someone’s got to live it.
Bio: Alice Quinn lives in York, England. After watching a fire demon kill her mother, she moved in with her aunt, half-brother Julian, and super-hot alpha werewolf, Ethan Jefferies. Before the death of her mother, Sophie Quinn, Alice was your average human, working in a deli and dreaming of a better life. Things have changed, if supernatural creatures aren’t trying to kill her, they’re determined to control her—in the name of keeping her safe.
Tell us a little about yourself.
My name is Alice Quin, and I am a Vampwitch— half witch and half vampire. Vampwitch—it sounds cool, unless, of course, you’re the one who is the Vampwitch. Life is complicated when you are half of something. An anomaly that shouldn’t exist.
Up until Mum died at the hands of a fire demon, named Arison, I thought I was a regular human. But then I didn’t know monsters of the supernatural kind really existed either. Now I’m stuck with a dad, Nathaniel Quinn, who I wish had stayed dead, not undead, a half-brother, and master vampire, Julian Quinn, who thinks he knows what is best for me, and an aunt, Mum’s sister Dorothy, I disappoint on a regular basis.
My best friend, Polly Palmer, is the only one of us celebrating my new supernatural powers. But then she thinks I can go around zapping people like superwoman and fly through the sky on a broomstick. Superwoman had it a lot easier, I can tell you.
There is this group of supernatural beings called MAMS (Magic Against Mixed Species – kind of a dumb unoriginal name if you ask me) that want to kill me. They don’t like the fact that Mum and Dad did the nasty and produced me. Apparently, I weaken the whole supernatural species.
Is your life now as you envisioned it? If not – then why?
Before Mum died, I was between jobs. I’m not sure how I envisioned my life to be before I became a Vampwitch. Something regular, I guess. A dog, a house, doing a spot of painting—I like to paint, not that I get the chance now. Maybe having a bit of fun before I got old. I’ve always wanted to travel. Visit far out places. Take a trip to the Amazon, or travel to the North Pole.
Now, with MAMS out there, and having to cram twenty-five years of supernatural knowledge in less than a few weeks, all I want is to make it to twenty-six.
Do you believe in monsters?
I never used to. Before my Vampwitch status, monsters were bad people who got locked up in prison. Now I know monsters exist because I’m one of them.
Do you believe in magic? How do you feel about it?
Even before Mum died, I believed in magic. Maybe not the kind of magic that supernatural’s have, but yeah, I believed. Earth is a magical place, if we open our eyes, and let it sweep through to our very core it can make us whole, removing our woes for a while.
I’ve always had a fascination with folklore. We seemed to appreciate the earth so much more when we believed in the Fae, creatures like the Selkie and Demi Gods then we do now. My Granddad is the Seelie King, so maybe my fascination with folklore stems from him. Not that we get on. For me, he’s just another relative that has come out the woodwork.
Would you die for those you love?
In a beat. There isn’t a day that goes by that I wish Arison had killed me, not Mum. We might not always get along, but Dorothy, Nathaniel, Julian, Oliver, Seberg, Polly, Ethan, Arthur, and Jack, are my family now. I’m not about to let them die because of me. So, if it comes to it, yes, I will die for those I love.
Who is your greatest enemy?
If you had asked me that question when I first learnt about my supernatural heritage, I would have said MAMS. Now, I’d tell you, my greatest enemy is me.
Tell us about your family?
Before, when Mum was alive, there was just the two of us. Now I’ve an aunt, Dorothy, mum’s sister, a Master Vampire for a dad, and half-brother, oh, and a granddad who doesn’t like me. But you know, I’ve also learnt recently, that family isn’t just about blood ties. Jack, who is a ghost, Arthur, an annoying, biscuit stealing gnome, my best friend Polly, and Ethan, who is an alpha werewolf, they are all my family. We don’t always like each other, but I know they’d do anything for me, and I’d do the same for them. But that’s family for you, life is filled with grey areas when it comes to family.
What is your greatest fear?
Being dead. I’m the first of my kind. No one knows if I’ll survive the transition to full vampire, or if I’ll become some crazy killing monster with no conscience. Then they’ll have to kill me for real, and there’s no more Alice Quinn.
I’m twenty-five, I don’t fancy ripping people’s hearts out and calling it fun. I’m not a violent person. When my brother, Julian asked me if I knew any fighting moves, I showed him my warrior two pose, he didn’t find it funny. But that’s as violent as I like to get, so turning into a monster, brings me out in hives. Not literally.
Do you believe you will be successful in your quest?
I hope so. Since embracing my inner Vampwitch I’ve learnt a few tricks. Of course, there is the fact that I’m unpredictable. Supernatural creatures don’t like that. They think magic gives them the ultimate power. A bit of cunning can out whit magic. Well, that’s what I’m hoping.
If I survive the death threat from MAMS, and don’t turn into a blood craving monster, my next quest is for everyone to stop calling me a Vampwitch and start seeing Alice Quinn again. It’s like I’ve lost my own identity. Everyone keeps saying I’m special, I’m not, I’m just a woman who wants to be able to make her own choices and live as normal a life as possible, without it being a big deal.
Library of Erana 