Mia Darien's Blog, page 2

Flash Fic Series: “Blackout” (Part 3)

Part 3! You can read Part One Here, and then Part Two Here!

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Life was the same as ever here at Fang Central.

Well, maybe not so much… The power outage was new. Not that us vamps had too much trouble seeing our way around, but there was a ton of blood gonna go bad if our generator wasn’t up to spec. I hoped Jade kept on top of that, ’cause I was partial to dinner, you know how it is. Not that it would actually do anything for us to drink “bad” blood, but it was gonna taste like shit and I wasn’t cool about that.

The only real problem about a power outage was that it apparently brought out the magma age child in Abby. The two thousand year old vampire trapped in the body of a ten year old, who usually just sulked in the basement reading Tarot, was suddenly almost…giddy. And she was playing pranks on the rest of us.

It was freakin’ disturbing.

Sitting on the couch in the Coven House’s main sitting room, I was pulling long nails (like for building houses) out of my foot. See, vampire pranks aren’t like those for anyone else. A few puncture wounds won’t kill us as long as they don’t get the heart or brain, so feet are free game and once the suckers are out, it heals fast.

But it hurts like a mother… Well, you get the idea.

“I swear to whatever god might be listening, Albine, that when I get these freakin’ things outta my foot, you are in so much trouble!” I shouted with vampiric volume, making sure she’d hear me.

Her giggle drifted through the rooms like something out of a nightmare.

She didn’t even yell at me for using her ancient name. That was a bad sign.

The front door opened, slamming so hard against the wall that the glass in it shattered and a gust of arctic wind blew through. I turned to look but whatever had done it was out of sight and I heard Abby again, but this time it was a girlish shriek of surprise.

An inner drive that I still didn’t understand completely drove me from the couch. Two nails were still in my foot and running drove them all the way in. I ignored it and rushed for where the cry had come from and saw Abby staring at…something in the room with her.

It was vaguely humanoid in shape, with a faint blue glow obscuring most any other details I could make out.

“Demon,” Abby squeaked.

I wasn’t used to seeing her afraid. Two millennia made her radiate power like you wouldn’t believe, but sometimes…she was still a little kid.

Shayna must have gotten the generator going because the lights came back on. The demon covered its “face” with its “hands” for a moment. I held out mine to Miss Creepy and she bolted forward to take it. I pulled her behind me.

Footsteps rang up the stairs, spilling my boss and a colleague into the room. Upon smelling Donovan (little fun fang trick), I knew this was his fault.

Turning towards us, the demon apparently recognized Donovan and it became a whirlwind of frigid air that bowled us over as it rushed past (over) us and down the stairs again. “Donovan, damn it, pick up your toys!” I snapped as we got to our feet and pursued.

Blood Moon is Live!

This is the go-live post for book three.

Flash Fic Series: “Blackout” (Part 2)

Here is the next part of my “micro series.” Read Part One Here!

Dakota

It was my great, damned luck that I would be in the only room in the whole freakin’ town that had locks run on electricity. In fact, the locks were a combination of an old-fashioned key and electricity. Because it was a prison, and it was built for all sorts of non-human inhabitants.

Being the kind-natured woman that I am (stop laughing), I was helping the cops out and escorting my most recent capture into the cell for them. He was a pretty weak-ass sorcerer, cryokinetic (water and ice), but he was also a slippery crackpot and that’s why the cops asked me to find him and bring his sorry butt in. He had an uncanny talent for hiding, and that had nothing to do with his supernatural abilities.

The reason I knew my luck was so lousy was because when the power went out, the cell went into lockdown and there was no opening it. I was stuck in the damn room with the guy I’d just hauled in. Not that I was worried. There were anti-magic wards and his crimes weren’t violent, just white collar stuff, but big money enough that he still came on my radar.

No, I wasn’t worried. I was annoyed as hell.

Backup generators whirred from the basement and faint emergency lighting came on, but I doubted I’d be able to get the door open until things went back to normal or someone specifically came and got me. I looked at the guy standing on the other side of the room. My preternatural abilities could see through the dark, but I doubted his could. He looked afraid.

Good. It would make him behave.

“Don’t think about trying anything cute, got it?” I didn’t need to say it, but I just felt like it. Needed to take my annoyance out on someone, after all, right?

He swallowed audibly and sat on the floor.

I sat down too, and…my phone rang.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I muttered. The power was out, I was trapped, but my phone still bloody worked so people could still call and bother me? That just ain’t right. “What?” I demanded upon answering.

“Always a pleasure to talk to you too, Dakota.” It was Sadie. My kinda-sorta boss, and my kinda-sorta friend. Though I’d be drawn and quartered before admitting that out loud to her.

“I’m kind of busy. What do you want?”

“Feel like taking out some of that not-so-repressed anger?”

“Always.”

“Want to find a demon in the dark?”

I snorted. It was almost a laugh. Well, it was a laugh from me, but not everyone who heard it would recognize it as such. “I would love to, but you know what? I’m kind of trapped in this fancy cell your boyfriend helped cook up here at the station.”

There was a long pause. “Arrested?”

Pulling the phone from my ear, I glared at it. “No,” I snapped when I put it back. “I was bringing in a capture. No one to worry about.” I looked at him. “Just here until they get me out, but I’m curious how y’all managed to screw that one up. What did wonder boy do?”

I heard her voice a little away from the receiver, like she was talking to someone else in the room. “She’d like to know what you did wrong.”

“When the power went out, Bill stumbled and scuffed one of my runes of power,” I could hear his reply, though it was quieter from the distance. “I couldn’t see it in time to remake it and the damn thing got out. I need to know where it is so I can go there and reharness it. It can’t go to any other realm, or even back home, without me.”

“I guess you’d better find it then,” I drawled. “How dangerous is it?” Sadie relayed the question.

“It’s not as violent as some, but there could be trouble. Best get it home soon. This breed is attracted to magical power. It’s gonna love Adelheid, sitting over the leylines like it is.”

Something triggered in my brain and I found myself reluctantly pressed to help. “Will it be attracted to creatures of power?”

Again, the question was relayed and then came the answer. “Yes.” I snorted, again darkly amused. “Then you better get your ass to the Coven House, son, ’cause they got the mother of all demon bug zappers in their basement.”

Bustin’ the Fourth Wall

This is what happens when you let your characters run wild…

Sadie: Mia is letting us have control of a blog post for today. We get to talk about whatever we want.

Dakota: She’s a bigger idiot than I thought.

Madison: Dakota, play nice. Just because you’re in a bad mood doesn’t mean you have to be nasty to everyone else.

Sadie: She’s in a bad mood? I hadn’t been able to tell the difference.

Dakota: *growls deep in her throat, snapping her teeth*

Sadie: Down, kitty!

Vance: Do I have to separate the two of you?

Madison: Vance! Where the hell did you come from?

Vance: My parents, or so they claim. I haven’t seen any proof yet.

Dakota: Are you here to do anything useful, or just be obnoxious?

Vance: Dakota, I hardly noticed you doing anything useful. You were just growling at my girlfriend. I don’t take too kindly to that really. Oh, that’s a mature expression you’re making. You’re older than all of us, put together, including the vampire. When are you going to learn to behave?

Sadie: I’m guessing not ever.

Dakota: I could kill both of you so easily.

Vance: You’d be arrested.

Dakota: You’d never catch me. I’m the best hunter around. Even Mia admitted it.

Sadie: I know who could find you.

Dakota: You wouldn’t…

Madison: You know she would.

Dakota: *growls again, but a little quieter this time* Damn Mia and her book, butting into my life. I refuse to forgive her just because some things worked out well in the end.

Madison: You do have a way with animals, Sadie.

Sadie: I live with you, don’t I?

Madison: Hey! I clean up after myself every shedding season. I don’t want to hear it out of you, bloodsucker.

Sadie: Love you too, Madison.

Dakota: Aren’t we supposed to be doing something constructive with this blog post?

Madison: Look who is suddenly the voice of maturity!

Dakota: Well, my age was brought up. I figured I had to do something with it, now that I’m the old-as-dirt one.

Sadie: Oh, I’d never say you were older than dirt. Whatever is older than dirt. That’s you.

Dakota: *hisses* I really could kill you and find a way to hide the body. Maybe I’d just turn into a big cat and eat the remains.

Sadie: Now there’s a thought that’s gonna fester.

Vance: Don’t worry. She’d never do it. Vampires taste like death.

Sadie: Damn this blog and its PG rating! I’d really like to reply to that properly.

Vance: That’s why I said it.

Dakota: Would you like us to leave you two alone?

Sadie: Honestly…?

Dakota: Oh, God. I’m out of here.

Sadie: If only I’d known it would be that easy to get rid of her…

Madison: You love us and you know it. Even her. You don’t know what you’d do without us.

Sadie: I suppose that’s true. Just don’t tell her that. And keep your voice down. She could be anywhere. She could be that fly buzzing around our heads right now…

Dakota: *calls from other side of door* Or I could be eavesdropping right outside the door!

Sadie: Oh, hell. So much for being constructive…

Humanity in the Non-Human

Writing preternatural characters is FUN.

Really, it’s as simple as that. Writing for someone that is paranormal in some way is like opening up a gigantic writer’s playground of character traits and things you can do with them, both in their character arcs and in story arcs, and even in world building. The possibilities really can be endless, and for a creative writer, that’s just a whole lot of fun.

For me, though, the joy comes in finding the humanity in the non-human. Because with this great wealth of lore and literary toys comes the risk of taking your characters so far away from being human that your reader can’t find anything in them to relate to. That doesn’t mean everyone needs to humanize them as much as I do in the Blood Rights Series, but it is the price for all the fun stuff.

In my series, the premise and the world built is that a federal law has been passed that makes all preternatural creatures legal. They are out in the open–although not always in the sunlight, of course–and trying to fit in to a society that until now only thought they were nightmares and myths.

Now they are fighting to be allowed to be who they are, free and clear, but also having to “fit in” with the human world. It forces each non-human, or “human plus,” character to deal with their humanity on levels that they might not have had to before.

But if one half is finding the man in the monster, I also get to examine the monster in the man: the human anti-preternatural hate groups that rise up against the country’s newest citizens, and often back the paranormal into a corner of having to defend themselves by more human means or else be branded as monsters and risk losing what they’ve won.

Why do I like writing preternatural characters? Because it’s fun, and it’s an excellent way to study the human condition through non-human eyes.

And maybe because I like making werewolves go to the office nine-to-five and vampires do laundry. I’m kind of a mean like that.

Flash Fic Series: “Blackout” (Part 1)

Welcome to my four-part “micro series.” This is set in the Blood Rights town of Adelheid, roughly after book three–but there shouldn’t be any major spoilers that aren’t already in book descriptions!

Watch for part two!

Sadie

There was a strong summer storm sweeping over southern Connecticut, and every weatherman in our area was freaking out with happiness that it was coming directly for Adelheid. Not because they had something against the town, but just because they like when strong weather comes their way. It kind of validates their jobs, you know?

Adelheid was, generally speaking, business as usual despite the inclement weather, because we were made of heartier stuff than some thunderstorm. Most of us were preternatural, true, but also a lot of us were born and raised from good old New England stock.

Said business as usual included mine. The Stanton Agency was open and meeting its appointments, even if Madison and I were staring out the window at the storm clouds we could make out against the night sky. After all, what with the sun allergy and liquid diet, I can’t ever see a storm in daylight again. I didn’t just see the storm but felt it too. And it wasn’t a vamp thing. I’d always felt storms in a physical way. Ever since I was a little (human) girl.

“Think it’s gonna be as bad as they say, Sadie?” Madison asked. Although holding the simple title of ‘receptionist,’ my business would shrivel and die without her. As roommate and best friend, I wouldn’t survive too well without her either.

“It’s never like they say,” I pointed out. Thunder rumbled loudly overhead, like it was talking to me. “It’s always far better, or far worse.” I saw flashes of lightning in the distance, but not really all that distant. Just not right on top of us either.

Yet, at least.

From an office down the hall, I heard the telltale pop and hiss of our resident demon summoner hard at work.

Just another day at the office.

The lights flickered.

Madison and I both paused, pursing our lips and looking at the light fixtures set into the ceiling. We waited.

Flicker.

Flicker.

Then nothing more for a few minutes, the lights stayed on and Madison let out a breath she’d been holding. I wasn’t holding mine ’cause I didn’t need to breathe if I wasn’t talking.

The power went out.

“Shit.”

The front office was drenched in sudden and total darkness. Even the moon outside was hazy from the cloud cover and didn’t give much light. As a vampire, I could see pretty well once I adjusted to the change, but I knew that no one else in the office would be doing as good.

Unfortunately, there was one aspect of that issue that I didn’t expect.

A stream of incoherent curses came from the office that Donovan (our summoner) and Bill (the associated lawyer) were in, along with a crash, a shriek, a roar, cursing in a language I didn’t know, doors opening, doors slamming shut, and a gust of wind with something (or someone) in it that even my preternatural sight couldn’t make out.

“Oh, that’s not good,” I murmured, and this was confirmed when I saw Donovan come stumbling, groping, through his office door.

“Where did it go?” he gasped. Blood trickled down his face from a cut over his eyebrow and I inconveniently remembered that I hadn’t eaten yet today.

“Where did what go?” Madison asked. Fear was clear in her voice.

Donovan frowned. “The demon.”

I felt a chill run through my blood. Which, considering my blood hadn’t run in decades, was kind of impressive. “Say what?” I asked, brilliant in the face of crisis as always. His eyes found my general direction and his expression was grim, and embarrassed. “A demon got loose.”

The Last Word (Advice from an Editor)

When all is said and done, it’s your book. You are the last word on how your book turns out when the whole process is finished, which includes the editing.

This editor recommends going over your book and checking all the edits made once you get it back, to decide which ones to keep and which ones to reject. Because they are all your words. And editing, with fiction especially, can sometimes be subjective.

That being said…

If your editor has made a change to your manuscript, they had a reason for doing so other than just to make changes or because they like the color red. Very carefully consider the change and decide with caution. Consider why you don’t want to keep it and make sure your reason to not keep the alteration isn’t just ego. Because we all have them–editors too! So, think it through before you decide.

After all, if a book goes out that looks like it wasn’t edited, it reflects on us both!

Blood & Thunder is Live!

BLOOD ISN’T ALWAYS BLOOD…

The name is Dakota. No last name. Just that. I’m a bounty hunter, only I hunt all the things that go bump in the night. The things that others are too afraid to hunt.

I live alone. I work alone. That’s how I like it. Other people just mess things up.

Life doesn’t always work the way you want it to, though, does it? Sometimes, things—or people—just get forced on you, and you just have to deal with it.

Well, wise guy, how am I supposed to handle hunting an ex-lover and a freakin’ thousand-year-old vampire—at the same time?

I guess I’m about to find out.

(Author’s Note: This book was originally released as “When Forever Died” by Mia Darien. There have been minor substantive changes in addition to new editing and rebranding.)

~*~ Buy the Book Now! ~*~

Author Interview: BR Kingsolver

Today, I’m happy to welcome a long-time friend and author–BR Kingsolver–to join me in the first author interview on this blog. Hopefully one of many to come, but we’re off to a great start.

V is for Vampire

How do you like your vampires?

Today, they come in so many shapes and sizes that you might as well be ordering off the menu at a drive-thru restaurant. “Would you like some sparkles with that?” They are now heroes, villains, and everything in between. They’ve come a long way from the black and white creatures of Stoker’s immortal tale.

Vampire lore has existed forever and in nearly every corner of the world. Even countries without specific, or “standard,” vampire mythos have something like it. Historical figures such as Vlad Tepes (inspiration/title character for “Dracula”) and Elizabeth Bathory have been notably called “real life” vampires. Whether accurately accused of their bloody crimes or not, the legends persist.

The popularity of vampires today is not really anything new, but the popularity of the vampire hero is, from books to movies to television shows. It gives paranormal writers a far broader range of options.

So, what’s a writer to do?

Far be it from me to say that every paranormal writer is writing a cultural treatise. For most of us, it’s just fun. But there is a lot of lore to choose from and even more freedom to just make things up. (After all, no one has ever had a vampire knock on their door to tell them they got it wrong. At least, not that we know of.)

Do you want your vampires to sleep through the day, or can they survive in the sun? How about that silver allergy? Can they eat human food, or just humans? Can they shapeshift to wolf or bat or mist? Can they fly? How about if their faces change when they ‘go vamp,’ and what about religious items?

There are a lot of choices!

When I began writing the Blood Rights Series, I had read my share of old and new vampire fiction (cut my teeth on Anne Rice and P. N. Elrod, still adore “Dracula”), had seen movies and shows (from the popular “Angel” and “Underworld” to the less known “Demon Under Glass”) as well as literature on different views of vampires through history and around the world. I picked through it to choose what lore to combine into “my” vampires, and what would work with my stories the best.

In my series, I look at what might happen when a vampire has to be just like “everyone else,” obey human laws, and blend in with a society that until recently believed vampires were a myth and now meet with acceptance from some and hatred from others, even anti-preternatural groups like LOHAV: the League of Humans against Vampires.

And when it came to my supernaturals, I chose the best of both worlds: some of my vampires are heroes, some are villains, and some fall in between. That’s how I like my vampires.

Now, the question is: How do you like your vampires?