Isabelle Drake's Blog, page 5

Pittsburgh, for the Ann Radcliffe Conference

Last month I presented my academic paper, Three Ties the Victim: The Unique Traumatic Terror of the Child Victim in 'Guilty Mom' Horror, at the Ann Radcliffe Academic Conference in Pittsburgh.  

I'm happy to say, the presentation went well--except for a silly mishap, check out the video above. I had a great time, hearing the other presenters and checking out the Horror Writers Association event for the first time. Curious about my paper? You can read the abstract here. 

I hadn't been to Pittsburgh in a while, so I arrived a day early to take a look around. The thing that surprised me the most was how beautiful the hills and roads were.  Each curve of the road led to another cluster of quaint brick buildings and pretty painted wood homes. I grew up in Cincinnati, so I have a special place in my heart for the long, narrow rows style homes and buildings you often see in hilly and mountainous cities. I did a bit of shopping, bought a little antique pin to commemorate the conference, and went to bed early. Check out this video for a quick recap of my events.

4th of July, happy day

 

Need a festive cocktail?

Try The Bomb Pop

First some tips:

Be sure to use a tall glass for this recipe. We used 16-ounce glasses. If you use a smaller glass, it will be more difficult to see the different colored layers since you will need to use smaller portions of the ingredients. Also, the min bomb pop popsicle is more likely to tip over the glass if it is smaller.

While I used blue raspberry vodka for this recipe, you can also use other blue colored liquors like blue curacao or blue raspberry rum.

For a lower alcohol content cocktail, you can use regular lemonade instead of Mike's Hard Lemonade. The flavor will be very similar but the cocktail will be a little less potent.

If you are looking for a kid-friendly version of our Bomb Pop Cocktail, substitute Mike's Hard lemonade with regular lemonade and use blue raspberry kool-aid instead of the blue raspberry vodka!

INGREDIENTS

1 12 ounce bottle of Mike's Hard Lemonade2 ounces Blue Raspberry Vodka2 ounces Grenadine2 Mini Bomb Pop popsicles2 cups of ice

DIRECTIONS

Pour one ounce of grenadine into a tall glass. Try to pour the grenadine into the center of the glass so that it does not get on the sides of the glass.Carefully fill the glass with ice and then pour in ½ bottle of Mike's Hard Lemonade-there should be about 1 inch left at the top of the glass. The grenadine should stay on the bottom of the glass since it is heavier and thicker than Mike's hard lemonade.Carefully layer blue raspberry vodka on top of Mike's Hard Lemonade. You can do so by using a pour spout on the bottle of blue raspberry vodka or you can flip a spoon over and slowly pour the vodka over the rounded portion of the spoon. This will cause the vodka to enter the glass slower and will end up becoming a layer on top of the other ingredients.

GARNISH

Garnish with a mini bomb pop popsicle!

pink nails, when its 🔥 and the bomb pop cocktail

Funny story or not, its what happened.

Hit here for the July newsletter.

Daiquiris are easy...this video is proof

The Daiquiri was supposedly invented in 1898 in the eponymous mining town of Daiquiri on the southeastern tip of Cuba by an American mining engineer named Jennings Cox. It was introduced in the United States a decade later, when a U.S. Navy medical officer brought the recipe from Cuba to Washington, D.C.

This three-ingredient gift has pleased millions of palates over the ensuing years, including household names like Ernest Hemingway and President JFK.

INGREDIENTS

2 ounces light or dark rum3/4 ounce simple syrup or demerara sugar syrup1 ounce fresh lime juice

DIRECTIONS

Place ice in serving glass and chill.Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake for 60 seconds.Pour into chilled glass. 

GARNISH

Garnish with lime twist.

WHY I'M NOT AFRAID OF CHAT GPT, PART 2

 No doubt you’ve heard about ChatGPT and know that it is a generative writing tool that creates written work on demand. It’s AI, and it’s here. As a writing professor, its arrival has given me reason to rethink my assignments and my concepts about academic writing. As a fiction writer, its give me reason to ponder my future as an author. Will we soon be reading fiction created by AI? So, I zipped over to the site to see what “we’d” create.

A while back I posted the story ChatGPT wrote for me, pretending to be me. Below is another.

Here’s what I asked it to do for me: Write a 500 word like Isabelle Drake’s Servant of the Undead.

Here’s what it started to write:

________________________________________

As a servant of the undead, Lily knew that her life was not her own. She had been born into a family of vampire hunters and had been trained from a young age to fight against the creatures of the night.

But when she met Marcus, everything changed. He was a vampire, but he was also kind and compassionate. Lily found herself drawn to him, despite all of her training and all that she had been taught.

Their relationship was forbidden, but they could not resist each other. They would meet in secret, sharing stolen moments of passion and love.

But as their relationship deepened, Lily began to question everything she had been taught. Was it possible that not all vampires were evil? Could she truly love someone who was a creature of the night?

As she struggled with these questions, Lily found herself caught in the middle of a war between the vampires and the hunters. Her family saw her relationship with Marcus as a betrayal, and…

 ________________________________________

While it was still writing, I interrupted to inform: Servant of the Undead is about zombies.

________________________________________

It replied: My apologies for the confusion. Here's a new story:

As a servant of the undead, Mia had a unique role in the world. She was tasked with taking care of the zombies, ensuring that they were fed and kept under control.

It was a lonely job, but Mia was used to it. She had always been drawn to the world of the undead, ever since she was a young girl and had seen her first zombie.

But when a new zombie arrived at the facility, everything changed. He was different from the others, somehow more alive. Mia found herself drawn to him, despite her better judgment.

As she tended to him, she began to learn his story. He had been a musician before he was turned into a zombie, and he still had a love for music. Mia found herself fascinated by him, wanting to know more.

But there were others who did not approve of their relationship. The other servants of the undead saw Mia's behavior as dangerous, a threat to their way of life. And as tensions rose, Mia was forced to choose between her duty and her heart.

In the end, she knew what she had to do. She would stand by the zombie's side, no matter the cost. Together, they would find a way to live in a world that did not understand them.

Isabelle Drake's ability to create a world full of complex characters shines in "Servant of the Undead". Through her vivid descriptions and powerful storytelling, she brings to life a world where love can be found in the most unexpected of places. Mia's journey shows that sometimes, the greatest love stories are the ones that defy all expectations.

________________________________________

I suppose that last bit is the AI’s attempt to flatter me and make me want to visit again. But…it doesn’t make any sense. Yes, my characters are complex, but there is nothing romantic about the Tribe of the Undead novels. Nobody is finding love, that’s for sure. 

So, I’m not worried. And I’m still vaguely (and ridiculously) insulted by silliness of  the idea that I write horror stories that show “a world where love can be found in the most unexpected of places.”

The Tribe of the Undead is a gothic inspired horror series, available on Amazon and most everywhere else.

Having sex with an ice-covered, smudgy-eyed woman in tattered fishnets and a barely-there mini-skirt is Hayden Thomas’ first mistake. His second: thinking he’s in control of what happens next.The city of Boston is hostage to Snowmaggeddon and rumors about zombies roaming the streets, looking for human flesh, drift among the citizens. 
Hayden Thomas, tabloid newspaper writer, is out to get something fresh about the phantastic creatures. At the Boston Public Library, he uncovers some dubious research suggesting that some zombie tribes use human sexual energy, not flesh, for sustenance. The next thing he knows, he’s tangled up with a brutal woman who is as merciless as she is demanding.
In a city frozen by fear, there is no escaping the punishing depravity of the tribe.


The city of Boston is infected with zombies, roaming the streets and seeking human flesh—not to eat but to use as sexual servants. Mattie, one of the tribe, wants out. She’ll do anything—manipulate, cheat, lie—to get what she needs to break free from the sex cult.
Hayden Thomas, tabloid reporter and wonderkid, knows first hand how cruel and consuming Mattie can be. Book smart, a good writer, and willing to do anything to get the story that will take his career to the next level, he’s made some depraved enemies. 
In a city that thrives on scandal and conspiracy, nothing is coincidence. Beware: once you’re in, you’re in.


The city of Boston has a new infection, the Tribexx fandom. Tribexxers imitate the perverted and cruel lifestyle of the Tribe of the Undead, the mythical sex-cult zombies that capture humans to use as sexual servants. Its all fun and games, they say, because no one actually gets hurt.
Reluctant rich kid, Nidhi Bansal, made some mistakes. Now out of rehab and in a prestigious graduate program, she’s walking the straight and narrow path to a respectable professorship. Hooking up with a tantalizingly dangerous girl who seems to have two things Nidhi wants—sexual adventure and inside information—rapidly goes from difficult to dreadful. Nidhi’s research and relationship drive her deep into Boston’s most deviant crowd, a group of elites who do not want to be disturbed.
In a city that thrives on wealth and power, everything is up for grabs.

The Tribe of the Undead on Amazon.

steamy beach vibes and a festive cocktail video

June will start off with my first event of the summer, the Farmington Author & Book Festival book signing on Saturday, June 3 in Farmington Michigan. This will be my first time attending this festival. I hear its huge, so I'm planning to arrive early...so I don't get lost.

You are are in the metro Detroit area, come find us. The address is 33430 Grand River Avenue, Farmington, Michigan.

Hit here for the June newsletter

Cowboy for Hire ~~~ now available from Audible

Anxious for adventure and the chance to prove she’s not thespoiled socialite her friends and family believe her to be, Victoria Moore buysthe Circle Cat ranch, rolls up her sleeves, and begins the repairs that willturn the ramshackle place into the best dude ranch in Arizona.

One thing she didn’t plan on was a dark, down-on-his-luckcowboy smashing into her barn. But when he does, she turns the problem into anopportunity. Armed with limited experience, but a lot of determination,Victoria sets out to get what she wants from the wandering cowboy.

The last thing Lang Thompson wants is to get tangled up witha woman. Especially one who’s used to getting what she wants when she wants it.He knows what rich girls like her expect, and he isn’t interested in playinggames. But he’s no match for Victoria’s hardworking determination and sexybrand of innocence.

Cowboy for Hire on Audible

Farmington, Michigan book festival and signing

 

Saturday, June 3, I'll be attending the Farmington Author & Book Festival. 

When: 10 am - 7 pm EST

Where: 33430 Grand River Ave. Farmington Michigan

For more details, check out the events Facebook page.

cowboy romance, pet peeves, & beaching 🌴

 

May newsletter out now

For me, May is the end of the academic year and the start ofsummer. I usually spend my summer catching up on projects and starting newones. This summer follows that pattern. My first focus will be assembling thepieces selected for this year's edition of the Washington Square Review, mycollege's literary journal. As the editor, it’s my task to arrange the selectedpieces (stories, essays, and poems) and work with the formatter and coverdesigner to get the issue all put together. In addition to that work, Irecently began hosting episodes of Washington Square On Air, a radioshow/podcast on which I interview authors whose work is published in thejournal. Its a new role for me, and I've found that I really like askingquestions and learning about other authors' writing processes.

My first episode aired a couple weeks ago. I interview anauthor from California.  Check it out ifyou like: Washington Square On Air.

Being on the other side of the desk, working as an editorinstead of an author, has been interesting and eye opening. I'm learning somethings. You can hear about one of them in the video below.

May, hello