Bitten by the Muse: How a Flash Fic Prompt Sparked a Vampire Romance 🦇✨

September brought a few surprises — some expected, some not — but the biggest was this:

I accidentally started writing a vampire romantasy novel.

It all began during the Write Here, Write Now “Rekindle Your Writing Spark!” challenge. One of the prompts — “You know what to do” — led me to write a flash fiction piece starring a morally grey vampire and the woman he just turned. It was dark, sensual, and a little violent... and I haven’t stopped thinking about it since.

Somehow, this prompt collided with my ongoing obsession with Atsushi Sakurai (🖤) and my long-standing love for Anne Rice, and suddenly my brain was screaming:

“Why haven’t you written vampires before?!”

Even my husband was surprised.

At first, I envisioned it as a supernatural thriller with romantic undertones — a sort of “Dexter but with vampire lovers” vibe. But the more I developed the idea, the more I realised this story needed to be a romantasy — romance first, with rich gothic lore and emotionally devastating immortals (you know the kind 💅).

So, I made a decision:
No serialisation. No half-measures.
I’m treating this project — tentatively titled Kiss Me After the Kill — as my next full-length novel.

It’s still early days, but I’m feeling inspired and oddly at peace. Maybe it’s because I’m finally writing what feels most me — fantasy romance, infused with sensual darkness and personal catharsis. And yes, plenty of blood.

I also gave my website a spooky-season makeover (the banner even matches my hair!), and I’m planning to release my spicy snow-elf short, A Winter’s Kiss, in December — more on that soon.

If you want the full scoop — including the flash fic that started it all, how I’m adapting my writing process for my ADHD brain, and a peek behind the scenes of my current projects — the full post is now live on my main blog!

👉 Read the full post here
("Bitten by the Muse: How a Flash Fic Prompt Sparked a Vampire Romance" — includes exclusive writing updates, creative musings, and all the fanged vibes.)

Make sure you’re subscribed to my newsletter too — the next issue is going out soon with:

💌 An exclusive preview of Kiss Me After the Kill
🖥️ Digital goodies (wallpapers, quotes, trackers)
🩸 And more gothic romantasy chaos!

'Til next time, stay creative — and a little bit unhinged.

T.T.F.N. (Too Theatrical for Normalcy)

Cursed Memory: Part 1 by River Ash

 

It's Day Six of the Write Here, Write Now LoveFest, and we've got River Ash and her Urban Fantasy Cursed Memory.

Cursed Memory: Part 1 by River Ash

Cursed to die. Fighting to survive. Forced to relive the same agonizing fate for all eternity…

I remember the club. The pounding of the beat pulsing in my veins, the way my body moved with the music.

Then — nothing.

My memories are locked away in the dark corners of my mind, replaced by an insatiable hunger nothing can fill.

Until I found him.

I felt his presence before I saw him. My blood calls for this mysterious man whose darkness matches my own. Being near him sets my body on

fire, making me ache for every touch… every taste.

It’s as if my soul recognizes him, loosening my trapped memories. Each time a new one breaks free, I wonder if he holds the key to what I’ve lost,

what I can’t remember. But everything comes with a price. I’m beginning to fear the cost of remembering all that I’ve done might be more than I can bear. What if the monster of this story… is me?

https://www.amzn.com/Cursed-Memory-Part.../dp/B0BRLYBC4Z

https://www.facebook.com/groups/657850426058810/?ref=share

COVER REVEAL: Fangs & Fins, by Amy McNulty

Happy Wednesday, everyone! I'm here today with the cover reveal for Fangs & Fins, by Amy McNulty, which is book one in Amy's new Blood, Bloom, & Water series.

Title: Fangs & Fins 
Series: Blood, Bloom, & Water Book One 
Author: Amy McNulty 
Publisher: Snowy Wings Publishing 
Publication Date: 05/01/2018 

A dapper vampire. A sullen merman. Two heirs to a great conflict—and each needs to claim a beloved to become his kindred’s champion. 

High school senior Ember Goodwin never had a sister, but after her mom’s remarriage, she now has two. The eldest is no stranger to her—Ivy is a witty girl in her grade who’s almost never spoken to the shy bookworm before—but she’s surprised to find the popular girl quite amiable. Their burgeoning friendship is tested, however, when Dean Horne, a pale, besuited charmer, shows interest in them both and plans to reveal his appetite for blood to the one who’ll stand by his side.  

Seventeen-year-old Ivy Sheppard is tired of splitting her time between her dad’s and her mom’s, particularly when her dad uproots their lives to move them in with his new wife and step-daughter. Used to rolling with her parents’ whims, she tries to make the best of it and befriend her nerdy new step-sister. Her hectic life grows more unwieldy when she catches the eye of junior Calder Poole, whom she swears she sees swap well-toned legs for a pair of fins during a dip in a lake. Now she’s fending off suitors left and right, all while trying to get to the bottom of the strange happenings in her town. 

The first book in the Blood, Bloom, & Water series sets family against family and friend against friend as an epic, ancient war comes to a head in a supposedly sleepy suburb. 

Goodreads | Amazon

99¢ for pre-order and first week of sale only. Paperback will be available widely

BOOK RELEASE: Of Blood and Sorrow, by Christine Rain

Congratulations to Christine Rains on the release of her urban-fantasy Of Blood and Sorrow. Having beta'd of Blood and Sorrow, I can tell you, it's an amazing, action-packed story, with the perfect blend of paranormal intrigue, and a hot romance along with it.

And, if you want to know more about the super-hot male lead, fledgling vampire Nicolas Reese, remember to check back on Friday March 20th, when I'll be hosting a Character Meet & Greet post!

OF BLOOD AND SORROW

By Christine Rains

Blurb:

Erin Driscol works the perfect job consoling fellow demons by feeding off their grief at Putzkammer & Sons Funeral Home.

When fledgling vampire Nicolas Reese comes to Erin for help, she learns the truth behind the legends and hides him from his sire and the vampire hunters who seek him. But when the Putzkammers begin to die one by one, Erin is caught between her act of kindness and the need to save her adopted family. Only by facing her own personal demons can she stop the slaughter and still rescue Nicolas from his dark fate.

Add it to read on Goodreads.

Available for Purchase at:

Amazon | B&N | Smashwords | Kobo

About the author:

Christine Rains is a writer, blogger, and geek mom. She's married to her best friend and fellow geek living in south-central Indiana. They have one son who is too smart for his parents' own good and loves to pretend he's Batman. Christine has four degrees which help nothing with motherhood, but make her a great Jeopardy player. When she's not reading or writing, she's going on adventures with her son or watching cheesy movies on Syfy Channel. She's a member of Untethered Realms and S.C.I.F.I. (South Central Indiana Fiction Interface). She has several short stories and novellas published. Of Blood and Sorrow series is her first urban fantasy novel.

Please visit her website (http://christinerains.net) and blog ( http://christinerains-writer.blogspot.com)

You can also find Christine on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and Goodreads.

The A-Z of Prenatural Entities

This year I've gone insane, and I'm taking part in the A-Z Blogging Challenge on BOTH of my blogs. Here, I'm doing  my own spin on the A-Z of Prenatural Entities, which will hopefully become the basis of the new story I’m working on, and will be loosely set in that story world. 

Over on my personal blog, The Life and Loves of Clare Dugmore, I'll be talking about the A-Z of things I love; be they TV shows, movies, books, video games, characters or actors.  

On this page, you'll find the planned posting schedule / index of A-Z entries.

If you're interested in taking part in the challenge yourself, information and the sign-up tool can be found here: http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/

Week One

Monday 1st April 2013: A is for (The Order of the) Ancile

Tuesday 2nd April 2013: B is for Banshees

Wednesday 3rd April 2013: C is for Chimera

Thursday 4th April 2013: D is for Deamons

Friday 5th April 2013: E is for Elizabeth Bathory

Saturday 6th April 2013: F is for Fae

Week Two

Monday 8th April 2013: G is for Ghasts

Tuesday 9th April 2013: H is for Hoodoo

Wednesday 10th April 2013: I is for Incubi (and Succubi)

Thursday 11th April 2013: J is for Jinn

Friday 12th April 2013: K is for Kitsune

Saturday 13th April 2013: L is for Lich

Week Three

Monday 15th April 2013: M is for Marie Laveau

Tuesday 16th April 2013: N is for Nypmph

Wednesday 17th April 2013: O is for Oracle

Thursday 18th April 2013: P is for Pixie

Friday 19th April 2013: Q is for

Quentin Merici

Saturday 20^th April 2013: R is for Reverard

Week Four

Monday 22nd April 2013: S is for (Baron) Samedi

Tuesday 23rd April 2013: T is for The Slender Man

Wednesday 24th April 2013: U is for Unicorns

Thursday 25th April 2013: V is for Vampires

Friday 26th April 2013: W is for Werewolves

Saturday 27th 26th April 2013: X is for [to be determined ]

Week Five

Monday 29th April 2013: Y is for Yeti

Tuesday 30th April 2013: Z is for Zombies