Staked: A Vampire’s Tale by Kim Catanzarite #HauntedHalloweenSpooktacular

Kim Catanzarite’s Favorite Halloween Drink
 

This drink is as deep red as (pretend) blood. The colder the better!
Vampire’s Kiss
3 ounces Cranberry Juice2 ounces Raspberry Vodka2 ounces Black Raspberry Liqueur
Instructions:
 1) Chill the glasses (don’t skip this step!). 
2) Pour ingredients into a shaker with ice, and shake until very cold. 
3) Strain into the chilled glasses. 
4) If you have plastic fangs, throw one into each glass for effect. 
They will bob at the top, and look really cool. Enjoy! 


Staked: A Vampire’s TaleAngel of Death SeriesBook OneKim Catanzarite
Genre: Fantasy-Supernatural-SpeculativePublisher: Forster PublishingDate of Publication: Oct. 3, 2023ISBN: 978-1-7359522-6-0 ASIN: B0CF6BS4HZNumber of pages: 207Word Count: 57,000
Cover Artist: Damonza
Tagline: Can an angel also be a monster? 
Book Description: 
Gregorie Babin has existed in a gently lulling darkness for so long he’s not even sure he’s human anymore. Surrounded by four walls, without light or space in which to move, he has become what he envisions as a mollusk inside a shell. Is he alive or dead, or perhaps in some kind of purgatory or Hell? The answer lies in a past he no longer remembers. It is only when random forces break him out of this perpetual darkness that he can begin to know the devastating truth—and what it means for his future.
Written with the author’s signature talent for “psychological conflict . . . and emotional tension” (The Book Commentary), this is a speculative journey of a young man’s desperate desire to get back home to the ones he loves. Prepare to be captivated by a tale that tests the boundaries of your imagination and leaves you questioning the darkness that lies within us all.
Amazon

He smelled something.  

Offensive and yet desirable.

The terrible hunger returned,roiling through the whole of him like the brawny ocean crests that had thrusthim onto the beach. The hunger demanded he move. He floundered on his side fora moment before righting himself and beginning a frantic, disjointed crawl: onefoot dragging behind him, an elbow giving out. Every hinge in his bodyresisted, and the movement required complete concentration. All the while thisunignorable “wanting” spun through him like a bear desperate to hunt anddevour.

The scent grew potent as heneared the wood.

His ceaseless craving forcedhim to scrabble across a path of wooden planks that bridged over the dunes. Aspigot at the top of this footbridge awaited, causing him to hesitate. Was itthirst that propelled him? Perhaps dehydration had driven him to near madness?

Since he was on all fours, hereached the fausset easily. Why it would be built out here and so near theground, he didn’t know. The handle twisted after a brief struggle that hurt thebones of his palm. He set his open mouth below it and let the water flow,glugging and choking as he filled his body with liquid. Still, he experienced nosatisfaction.

The wind changed directionand that same scent tempted him. He scuttled from the path and entered into thedark of the wood, mindless of the ground’s debris, the stabbing sticks andthorns penetrating the skin on his hands and knees. Moving forward like a dogled by its sniffing nose, he charged through, searching for the source of thestrange, beguiling stench.

The hunt led him to a smallhorse—or no, not un cheval—stubby horns grew from the animal’s graceful head. Adeer, lying on its side, its legs twisted beneath and blood coming from its—hepounced, the animal shuddering as his hands connected with its warm trunk andhis mouth attached to its supple neck. His teeth penetrated the hide, thoughnot without effort, and then a warm, metallic taste filled his mouth and thatwas all that mattered.

He fell back in ecstasy ashis stomach softened and veins thrummed, his heart quivering with new life.He’d never consumed anything so soothing, so satisfying. His limbs warmed, thenourishment spreading, and his insides filled to bursting.

He rested on the groundbeside the animal while it relaxed into its last breath.

Go with grace, he said in hismind.

About the Author 
Kim Catanzarite grew up in northern New Jersey reading Anne Rice novels and watching The Lost Boys. She tapped into her creative writing obsession while attending Skidmore College and has never looked back. Kim is the award-winning author of the Jovian Universe sci-fi series. She is a freelance writer and editor for publishers and independent authors, and she teaches for Writer’s Digest University. Her Self-Publishing 101 blog discusses the ins and outs of indie life as well as all things writing craft. Kim lives on the East Coast with her husband and daughter.
For more information, visit www.AuthorKimCatanzarite.com
Blog: https://www.authorkimcatanzarite.com/blog
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/author_kim_catanzarite/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KimCatanzariteAuthor
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/kim-catanzarite
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20928395.Kim_Catanzarite
 



a Rafflecopter giveaway