To Wing or Not to Wing by Danielle DeVor
With so many vampire books and films these days, it takes a
little maneuvering to be unique. You can’t just rely on the old Dracula tropes
anymore. Well, you can, but most people seem to want more. Don’t get me wrong,
I love Dracula, but there is much more to vampires than that.
So, when I started writing Tail of the Devil, and its
sequel, The Devil’s Liege, I kept all of that in mind. There were so many
questions. One that came up was, did I want my vampires to be able to hover
with no perceptible body changes, or did I want them to be able to really fly?
Well, since I always thought it would be cool to fly, it was
a natural progression to have my vampires fly and have wings. Then, I had to
think about what the wings did when they weren’t in use.
Cumbersome was the word that came to mind.
So, then I decided that my vampires would have retractable wings just like many
vampires had retractable fangs.
Problem solved.
But, vampires having wings wasn’t a new idea by any stretch.
It has basis in folklore from around the world. I think the first instance was
ancient Sumeria. But, keep in mind that there are as many types of vampires are
there are flowers. So, just because one type of vampire has wings, that doesn’t
mean that every type of vampire has to or should.
Read folklore. Find the things that aren’t used as often in
literature, and use them well. And, if you decide to give your vampires wings,
make sure you fully think things through… like clothes. LOL
The Devil’s Liege
The Mathias Saga
Book 2
Danielle DeVor
Genre: YA Fantasy
Publisher: Eirelander Publishing
Date of Publication: September 25, 2014
ASIN: B00NYB4CZG
Number of pages: 162
Word Count: 52, 534
Cover Artist: Buffi BeCraft
Book Description:
Being a vampire isn't all it's cracked up to be- in fact, it kind of sucks.
After surviving his duel with Lilith, Mathias thought that he could relax. That is until he discovers that, Nossy, the new king, has been kidnapped.
When the investigating vampires seem to have no clue how to rescue Nosferatu, Mathias must step in. Everything is peachy until Mathias is named the next new king in order to stop the man behind Nossy’s kidnapping from taking over the throne.
Suddenly, his life is not his own again, and Mathias must make a choice: risk his life to find his friend, or sit back and watch disaster unfold.
Excerpt:
“Thias.”
The voice was
near to his ear and seemed breathy. Sleep was his friend. He hunkered down
further into his pillow. The darkness was a comfort to him. Safe.
“Thias.” It was
closer this time—right next to his ear. He didn’t want for this to be real,
prayed that it wouldn’t be.
Snick. Snick.
Mathias jerked
awake. His heart hammered in his chest. He looked around the room. Everything
was where it was supposed to be. It was still too fancy for Mathias with the
polished wood, the gold brocade curtains and the velvet chair next to the
window with his stack of books beside it. Nothing was wrong. There was no
insane woman about to cut him with a pair of rusty shears. With his eyes the
way they were now, with his vampire’s ability to see in the dark, he didn’t
need to reach over and turn on the light. He could see everything perfectly. It
must have been a dream. At least, Mathias hoped that’s what it was.
There was no one
was in his room but himself. “Fuck.”
He closed his
eyes for a minute and sighed. Ever since he’d killed Nic, the sorcerer who had
caused him to become a vampire, Mathias had been dreaming about her and the
past. It honestly was something he wished he could forget.
Lilith, the
former Queen, had tried to kill him just so he couldn’t tell the vampire world
about the horrible things she’d done to him in a past life. She’d cultivated
this kind and generous persona that wasn’t really like her at all. It wasn’t
Mathias’ fault that Vlad had chosen to cross him over into a vampire. Being a
vampire hadn’t been his choice. Hell, he would have rather had his parents
back, but he guessed fate was just one of those things.
He wiped the
sweat from his forehead with his hand. Along with the dreams, he’d been
breaking out in cold clammy sweats. Why the dreams were happening now, he
didn’t know. It would have made more sense for them to happen after Nossy had
killed Lilith, his mother, but maybe his brain was still being stupid. It
wouldn’t surprise him.
He got up,
walked across the room to the window, and pushed the plush red brocade curtain
out of the way. Staying with Vlad again was weird. The room was just too fancy.
He preferred Nossy’s clutter. It felt more homey somehow. But, with Nossy being
king, it was easier for Mathias to stay with Vlad. He understood that. He just
wished things were less complicated.
Outside, the
frost on the ground was so thick that it made the grass look almost white. That
was Siberia. Winter came early here.
Snow had been hitting the ground in intervals since October, with it now being
November, well, the frost was a little bit of an improvement. That meant it
wasn’t as cold today.
He wrapped his
wings around himself and sat down in the chair next to the window. It was still
weird to have wings. They were longer than he was in order to support him in
the air. They weren’t unlike the wings of a fruit bat, sort of. The glass
reflected what Mathias still viewed as his new face. His brown hair was still
long, his blue eyes were still jaded, but he was big now.
Part of him
still expected to see that fifteen-year-old kid in the mirror. Needless to say,
the last year had been one hell of an experience. He looked at the bookcase
opposite his chair, but nothing sparked his interest enough. Still, no sense in
trying to go back to sleep now. The dreams would just start again. Mathias just
wanted to rest, but his mind had other ideas.
He leaned over
the side of the chair and picked up the book he’d left on the floor. It wasn’t
a fun read, but necessary. It was an old tome about ancient fighting
techniques. Mathias thought that if he could learn about how the old techniques
were taught, then maybe, he could rectify everything he remembered from the
past with that things were like now. He sighed. His plan wasn’t working very
well if his dreams were any indication. He didn’t want to remember more of her.
It was getting to the point that when he saw a woman with long black hair, he’d
have to suppress a shudder. Not normal at all.
He let the book
fall into his lap and stared out the window again. The frigid scenery was
something better to focus on.
I’m tired of
being alive.
About the Author:
Named one of the Examiner's 2014 Women in Horror: 93 Horror Authors You Need to Read Right Now, Danielle DeVor has been spinning the spider webs, or rather, the keyboard for more frights and oddities. She spent her early years fantasizing about vampires and watching "Salem's Lot" way too many times. When not writing and reading about weird things, you will find her hanging out at the nearest coffee shop, enjoying a mocha frappuccino.
Visit her at www.danielledevor.wordpress.com
Review Blog: http://ddevor.weebly.com
Twitter: @sammyig
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2 comments:
Thanks so much for hosting!
Hello, Danielle!! I love your books
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