My Education with Vampires.

Believe me, I was a normal kid, relatively speaking. My sister and I spent most of our days after school with our grandmother at her house. We would complete our homework and have a southern feast, cooked by our beloved grandmother.

Often, we would relax after a hard day at school by watching old movies on a local channel. I’m dating myself, but there was no cable T.V. The network we enjoyed the most had themed weeks for the movies they would play. Some weeks, it was Francis the Talking Mule, others were Abbott and Costello movies. I loved them all, but when it was “horror” week, I loved watching Lon Chaney Jr. as The Wolfman and Frankenstein. Bela Lugosi as Count Dracula was cinema at it’s best!

Naturally as I grew older, I read the usual Edgar Allen Poe and then Bram Stoker’s Dracula. The way both authors wove their stories amazed and impressed me so much. I spent many years of watching terrifying Vampire movies, ultra cool ones like The Lost Boys, and even a few spoofs I would use to make my sister laugh until she cried. I have another sister and she engaged in our affinity with horror as well.

My oldest sister watched Salem’s Lot with my middle sister. She also took her to see An American Werewolf in London. My journey in writing an entire novel about Vampires was a road I would largely travel alone. I had no idea that writing would become such a huge part of my life at that time. I’ve always enjoyed writing, and I was on break from junior college and working just part-time. I recall one afternoon being struck with an idea for a scene, which turned into a little vignette. Having a background in drama, I felt compelled to provide a back story for the one character I developed in a few minutes.

I wrote the first draft in a three-subject wire-bound notebook. It flowed through me, as though the characters were telling me how to write them. That commanded the setting and all of the fun plot twists.

Once I purged the initial shell of the story, I immediately sought to transcribe it onto a PC, then saving it to a disk. I had several friends read the the rough first draft. It showed promise, so I pressed on. My father liked the path I was taking, after being determined to be the first black petite super model. He had a friend who had a friend who’s son worked for a production company in Los Angeles.

I prepared a copy for him and he followed through. The company was The Steve Tisch Corporation, and what I believe was a staff writer went so far as to create a synopsis for me in addition to a formal review. It was my introduction to learning how to prepare a submission professionally.

The assessment was accurate, although my ego wanted more praise. At the time, computer imaging for film was very new and extremely expensive. My favorite line was this phrase, “The author has the idea. Now is the time to expand.”

I worked on and finished the revised first draft and as the years went by, I completed a second draft and finally a third. Throughout my young adulthood and adulthood, I tried obtaining an agent to market my book and Approaching publishers direct. As with so many aspiring professional authors, I met with no success. It was extremely perplexing to me, having had such positive reviews to meet with such reluctance to help the world see what I had to offer.

Years passed and my life evolved. I became married and had a wonderful child. Being a wife and mother became my most important job, so my book sat dormant for a while. I started having conversations with people that learned of my book to look into digital publishing by myself. I would be in control and the integrity of my story wouldn’t have to be compromised.

I decided to just go for it, and with a little help to support the encouragement, I submitted my book through Amazon Books. Presently, I am managing the success of my book in addition to working a full time job. Let’s not forget the family I mentioned. It is no small task, but I am staying focused in my mission and purpose.

I encourage any reader of this blog to take a chance and read New Breed. Not for selfish reasons. It’s such a nice escape from reality and the characters are sure to please.