Dark God Descending

Dark God-001by Tony-Paul de Vissage

A lost city in the jungle…a safari of scientists…a stolen artifact… A curse is exacted upon the thieves, with the hero struggling to save his friends before the sacred object is returned to its home.

How many times has this theme been played out in books, movies, and television?  It’s a standard script for a late night SYFY Channel flick.  Also, the theme of my latest vampire novel…up to a point.

There’s a lost city and a sacred object is stolen from the city but there the similarity ends.  The stolen sacred object is the Emperor himself–Semris II, son of the god of Death, a demon godling with too much curiosity about the Outside World.  An intelligent, articulate being, Semris is befriended by the man guarding him.

Tucker Upchurch is a graduate student, accompanying his professor on the safari which will change his life forever.  All he wants are enough credits to graduate and marry his girl.  What he gets is something far better, and far worse. Ordered to stand guard over the imprisoned demon, he immediately questions the morality of kidnapping Semris and once he begins to communicate with his captive, agrees to help him escape.  From that moment on, Tuck’s life will never be the same and he’ll lose everything he holds dear–his girl, his place at the university he attends, his livelihood–while gaining the friendship of a creature who shouldn’t exist.   Semris is also changed by his knowledge of those in the Outside.  He will learn of human love and human sacrifice, and also the depths of human cruelty.

Others are also changed by their association with the escaped demon.  Along the way,  they add two more passengers in their voyage toward freedom–Tuck’s girl, Shannon, and Shannon’s brother, David, a repressed doctor who considers himself without imagination or humour.  David’s transformation is both amusing and heart-warming as he finds himself  a “permanent resident of the Twilight Zone.”

Dark God Descending is the story of a friendship between two men separated by thousands of years, customs, and cultures.  When Tuck, Shannon,  and Semris–and even David–reach the end of their journey, they find that it is only the beginning, for all of them.

I hope my readers will agree.

Excerpt:

Tuck walked over to the cage.

Oh, God, did that last shot kill him? As far as he could tell, Semris hadn’t moved.

When he saw the slow rise and fall of the bare chest, he felt abrupt relief. He also saw the golden amulet, recognizing it as the twin of the one that had started all this unpleasantness in the first place.

The fruit hadn’t been touched, was rapidly darkening, the sweet, overripe smell permeating the cellar, attracting flies. How the Hell did they get in here, anyway? Several big bluebottles were buzzing around inside the cell, hovering over the peaches, a couple crawling along the edges of the plate. One was floating in the water glass, wings fluttering and making little splashes.

Tuck knelt and opened the little flap, reaching inside to remove the glass. As he reached back in for the plate, it happened. so fast he didn’t even realize Semris had moved until he felt the iron grip upon his wrist, saw the fangs drop and the dark head covering his hand.

He screamed as twin razor slashes struck through his wrist…knowing no one could hear, struggled desperately to get away. Frantic, disbelieving thoughts whirling through his mind. Oh, God, this is why he didn’t eat the fruit. He’s a vampire! Sweet Jesus, he’s going to kill me! Help someone, help me! Why should they? I didn’t help him.

The pain went away, his arm numb from wrist to fingertips.

He knelt there on the floor, watching the pale body crouched so near he could have reached out and touched his shoulder…his bare, wingless shoulder.Where did his wings goWhat happened to them? All he could do was watch those shoulders heave with the strength of each deep swallow, feeling his life ebb away, and a vague surprise that it didn’t hurt at all.

Eyes rolling up, Tuck gave a little sigh and collapsed against the bars. He was barely conscious as he saw Semris raise his head and release his arm. In spite of being only slightly aware, he felt a stab of surprise as the quiet voice whispered, “Gracias. Gracias por su sangre.”

He’s thanking me? Thanking me for letting him kill me? With an effort, he made himself withdraw his wounded arm, cradling it against his chest with his other hand. Forcing his eyes open, he stared at his wrist, fighting the wave of blackness floating before his eyes.

There was no bloody ripped-away flesh as he’d imagined, only four deep punctures. Two of the five little veins had been pierced, but the wounds were clean and already clotting. Tuck forced himself to take a deep breath, then let it out, and repeated the procedure. Keep breathing! Don’t pass out. He might decide to have a second helping.

“I took too much. I am sorry. I was too hungry.”

There was such concern in Semris’ voice that Tuck found himself replying, “That’s all right. I-if I’d known, I… Oh, God, what am I saying?” He fell silent, feeling a bout of hysteria galloping toward him.

Something was thrust into his hand. One of the peaches. Semris’ hand, between the bars, holding it out to him. “Aqui. Come. Pronto.”

So he took the peach and bit into it, choking slightly as the rich, sweet juice slid down his throat, but forced himself to keep chewing and swallowing. As the fruit sugar hit his stomach, he began to feel better.

“That was good.” With a sigh, he tossed the peach pit aside.

Through the bars, hands helped him to his feet. He leaned against the door, hanging onto it to keep his balance as dizziness flooded back.

“Again, I am sorry. He looked up, meeting Semris’ eyes, startled at the concern in them. “It has been so long since I have had the living wine.”

Living wine…what a beautiful way to describe it. Tuck still felt a little groggy, wondered if he was now under the vampire thrall. He decided to find out. “Am I your minion now?”

“Why would you think that?” Semris sounded genuinely puzzled.

“Well, you’ve taken my blood. Generally, when a vampire–”

Vampiro! Donde?” Semris looked around quickly, arms crossing over his throat in a protective gesture.

You.” Tuck answered, feeling he’d made a mistake. “Aren’t you a vampire?”

“Of course not!” The answer was disdainful that Tuck might mistake him for such a vile creature. “I am a Dark Lord. Un demonio.” The pale chin lifted proudly. “Los vampiros are creatures accursed.”

Tuck thought that over. “And you’re not.”

“No.” Semris shook his head, the dark hair swinging. “I am not.”

Tuck realized he must be feeling better, to be able to marvel at the absurdity of this conversation.

Dark God Descending will be available from Class Act Books on November 15, 2012.
Author website:  http://www.tony-paul.com

Twitter: @tpvissage

Facebook: www.facebook.com/tonypaul.devissage

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/505918625

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5117438.Tony_Paul_de_Vissage

About Tony-Paul de Vissage

One of Tony-Paul de Vissage’s first movie memory is of being six years old, viewing the old Universal horror flick, Dracula’s Daughter, on television, and being scared sleepless–and that may explain a lifelong interest in vampires. 

                                      

This was further inspired when the author ran across a band of transplanted Transylvanian vampires who were sightseeing in the South.  Thinking nosferatu were getting a bad press and in need of some favorable publicity, he decided to do what he could to change that attitude through his writing. Though it may be argued his efforts have probably done the opposite, no vamp has complained…yet

By |2019-03-25T18:04:51-05:00December 11th, 2012|vampire|0 Comments

The Vampire Hunter's Daughter COMPLETE COLLECTION

VampHuntBy Jennifer Malone Wright

Genre:YA paranormal

ISBN: 978-0615650081

ASIN: B008ASVXR8

Number of pages: 217 paperback

Word Count: 78,734

Amazon      B&N

The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter: Part 1 available for free at Amazon   B&N

BLOGGER’S NOTE: As you know, I rarely present YA because I don’t think most readers of this blog are interested, but this series is an exception. It is, in my opinion, of better quality then another highly acclaimed (and filmed) series that shall go unnamed. If you have a YA in your life who is interested in paranormal, steer them this way. – Victoria

This special edition of The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter contains parts I-VI, the complete collection. Fourteen-year-old Chloe witnesses her mother’s murder at the hands of a vampire. Before the vampire can kidnap her, there is an unexpected rescue by a group of vampire hunters.

Overwhelmed by the feeling of safety, Chloe passes out and they whisk her away to their small community. When Chloe wakes, she comes face to face with the only other living relative, besides her mother, whom she has ever met: her grandfather. Chloe’s mother kept her hidden from the family; now, Chloe tries to unveil the family secrets.

Through her grandfather, she learns her mother was a vampire hunter. In fact, her entire family is descended from the powerful bloodlines of vampire hunters. Chloe agrees to join the family she has never known for one reason only: Chloe vows to kill the vampire responsible for her mother’s murder. With vengeance in her soul, Chloe is even more determined to follow through on her vow when she discovers the true identity of her enemy and how he is connected to her.

Experience the world of vampires hunter’s, vampires and mythology with Chloe in this exciting series.

EXCERPT.

I took the first book off the stack and examined the cover. It was titled Vampires throughout History. The cover was leather and so old it was stiff and cracked in spots. The pages showed signs of age too, yellowing and stiff to the touch. There was no table of contents, so it looked like I was going to have to scan the entire book for what I was wanting. I flipped the pages carefully, so as not to tear any of them.

After an hour of scanning and about half way through the book, I found something referring to vampire children.

~~~

Although extremely rare, the natural-born offspring of vampires exist throughout the world. These rare beings are called the dhampir. Dhampir are usually the product of a vampire and mortal. The most common of these unions is a male vampire impregnating a mortal woman. Vampires, both male and female, are seductive in nature and some mortals came willingly to these unions. However, the majority of dhampir born were produced through an act of rape.

Solitary by nature, it is uncommon for a vampire to settle with any one mate for long. The children of vampires, the dhampir, more often than not exhibit all the characteristics of their vampire parent. The strength, speed and agility are the usual hereditary traits that the children develop. They are not always born with these traits but develop them as they grow into adulthood.

The dhampir are day walkers. Some of these children are sensitive to the sunlight but will not perish in the direct rays. Most have no sensitivity at all. Drinking the fresh blood of mortals is also not usually required of the dhampir; however, some have a liking for it. Very few actually need it to survive.

Most dhampir are rejected by the vampire species because of their mortality and weaknesses. Mortals often reject the dhampir, as well, due to their vampirism, so they frequently remain outcast.

Dhampir are known for becoming vampire killers. Their closeness to the vampires and their vampire characteristics make them powerful vampire hunters. The unique ability to track and kill vampires is specific to only the dhampir and the mythological race of vampire hunters.

Historically, dhampir became vampire hunters as a trade. Towns and villages became plagued by vampires who were terrorizing their homes and killing their people. The dhampir accepted contracts in exchange for monetary payment and used their likeness to their vampire counterparts to exterminate the vampires.

~~~

Holy crap, that was a lot to process. The more I read the passages, the more I understood that my being a hunter was more than my heritage; it was my history and my future. Everything about my bloodlines had hunters involved.

VampHunt2Author Jennifer Malone Wright resides in the beautiful mountains of northern Idaho with her husband and five children. Between the craziness of taking care of her children, whose ages range from fourteen all the way down to six months, and being a homemaker, Jennifer has little time left for herself. The time she does have left, usually leading far into the night, is spent working on freelance work or her beloved fiction.

When she grew up, Jennifer always had her nose in a book. She has been writing stories and poems since grade school. This love of the written word and her strong interest in the paranormal is what has led to her first novel “The Birth of Jaiden.”

In addition to being a mother and homemaker, Jennifer is also a very proud military wife. Moving around the country for the last ten years has made her a bit of a nomad and she finds it difficult to be in one place for too long.

Jennifer is also the author of The Birth of Jaiden, a paranormal novel filled with action, suspense, and even a love story.

Website: www.jenniferwrightauthor.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thevampirehuntersdaughter

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Jennichad217

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4824985.Jennifer_Malone_Wright

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Jennifer-Malone-Wright/e/B00508KU4I/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

WIN A $25 AMAZON GIFT CARD… a Rafflecopter giveaway

By |2019-03-25T18:04:51-05:00December 10th, 2012|vampire, YA|0 Comments

Exclusive with Amazon.com

Update to my announcement a couple of weeks ago that we are going with Amazon.com exclusively. For those of you who want to read My Familiar Stranger on devices other than Kindle… here’s the solution.

NO Kindle? NO Problem.

You can download a FREE reading app for smart phones, computers, or tablets at Amazon. com.

CLICK HERE FOR THE LINK.

The Witch's Dream

Actually had a dream last night about a dream sequence for the book The Witch’s Dream. This is the sort of synchronicitous event that keeps me excited because it’s the gentle nudge that says, “Yes. You’re on the right path. Don’t chase rabbits or venture off into the shadows of the forest. Just stay on the road until you’re there.”

Am vowing to split my writing time between Seasons 2013 and The Witch’s Dream so that I meet the Seasons of the Witch deadline and still make progress on delightful-to-write fiction. I figure if I post it publicly, then I have to do it. Right?

By |2019-03-25T18:04:54-05:00April 20th, 2012|paranormal romance|2 Comments

highlight book title to see on Amazon

PARANORMAL WOMEN’S FANTASY

Not Too Late 1. Midlife Magic

Not Too Late 2. Midlife Blues

Not Too Late. 3. Midlife Mojo

Not Too Late 4. Midlife at Midnight

Not Too Late 5. Midlife at Midsummer

Not Too Late 6. Trials of Tregeagle

Not Too Late 7.  Hallow Hill at Halloween – Part One 

Not Too Late 8. Hallow Hill at Halloween – Part Two

KNIGHTS OF BLACK SWAN PARANORMAL ROMANCE

Knights of Black Swan 1. My Familiar Stranger

Knights of Black Swan 2. The Witch’s Dream

Knights of Black Swan 3. A Summoner’s Tale

Knights of Black Swan 4. Moonlight

Knights of Black Swan 5. Gathering Storm

Knights of Black Swan 6. A Tale of Two Kingdoms

Knights of Black Swan 7. Solomon’s Sieve

Knights of Black Swan 8. Vampire Hunter

***Be sure to pause the series and read  Exiled 1. CARNAL before going on to Journey Man.

Knights of Black Swan 9. Journey Man

Knights of Black Swan 10. Falcon

Knights of Black Swan 11. Jax

Knights of Black Swan 12. Trespass

Knights of Black Swan 13. Irish War Cry

Knights of Black Swan 14.  Deliverance

Knights of Black Swan 15. Black Dog

Knights of Black Swan 16. The Music Demon

Order of the Black Swan Novels

Black Swan Novel Prince of Demons

WITCHES & WARLOCKS

Witches of Wimberley 1-3

Warlock Coven 1.QUEST

THE HYBRIDS

Exiled 1. CARNAL

Exiled 2. CRAVE

Exiled 3. CHARMING

THE WEREWOLVES

New Scotia Pack 1, Shield Wolf

New Scotia Pack 2. Wolf Lover

New Scotia Pack 3. Fire Wolf

Hotblooded 1. Stalk

CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

SSMC Austin, TX, Book 1. Two Princes

SSMC Austin, TX, Book 2. The Biker’s Brother

SSMC Austin, TX, Book 3. Nomad

SSMC Austin, TX, Book 4. Devil’s Marker

SSMC Austin, TX, Book 5. Roadhouse

CDMC Lafayette, LA Book 1. Batiste