I’m a #CampNaNoWinner2016!

July has been a very busy, and very challenging month for the pagan housewife. I have run around being Mother, Wife, Author, Blogger and Business Professional, frantically trying to balance everything that is important in my life at the moment. One thing I was determined to see through was my participation in the July writing challenge that is CampNaNoWriMo. And I did it! I completed my challenge, and wrote 30,030 words to finish the first draft of a novel I began writing back in 2013.

With a working title of The Vampire Hunter, and a very rough first draft completed, this novel is a long way off publication just yet. But the point is, I did it. I wrote another novel, and added another manuscript to my portfolio that I can work through at my leisure. It felt so good to be writing my stories again, after spending the past month or so focusing solely on blogs and non-fiction projects. The Vampire Hunter definitely needs a new name, and I will take some time to ponder on that later. For now, here is an excerpt, for your eyes only!

It was a tough fight tonight. Jennifer had expected nothing less, but still, she might actually need some hospital treatment when this was over. Her left arm was bleeding heavily, hanging at her side, her chest heaving with exertion. She didn’t feel pain yet thanks to the adrenaline coursing through her body, but she vaguely recognised that this was going to hurt later. Oh well, it was nothing she couldn’t handle. It was just another night in the life of a vampire hunter.

           

“Jennifer!” Jason yelled from across the room, “Incoming!”

           

Her head snapped up as she realised she had been about to collapse. With a burst of energy, she blocked the punches of the vampire bassist, sending him tumbling to the floor amid the debris of the pub they had destroyed. The creature hissed and snarled, leaping to his feet and refusing to back down.

           

“You will die for this, hunter!” the monster screeched.

           

Jennifer pulled her body upright with huge effort and remembered that she still held a sword in her right hand.

           

“Maybe,” she agreed grimly, “But not tonight.”

           

She thrust the blade into the vampire’s chest before he realised what she was doing. He had been toying with the hunters, and now his own arrogance would be his undoing. Jennifer remained unemotional as the silver blade penetrated through a ripped, blood-soaked t-shirt and sliced into cold, icy flesh. It broke the bone and ended in the creature’s heart, such as it was. The vampire stopped moving, lifting its head to stare at her in shock. Everything slowed down to this moment. The creature screamed and tried to dislodge the sword, but it was too late. His body imploded, falling limp and collapsing in a heap of ashes on the floor at Jennifer’s feet. She barely glanced at it before moving to her next target.

Join my tribe today, and I will send you a fabulous FREE book to get you started… (be warned, my vampires do not sparkle, and my wolves will bite!) 

There’s a Vampire Hunter in Town! New British Paranormal Action #HDH #ReadMe

Hello and welcome to the Hump Day Hook. Today I share an excerpt from my work in progress that has come to a standstill due to a bout of writers’ block. I refuse to give up on it, however, and so here is a snippet for your perusal.

            “Dr Worthington,” the man said politely as he stood before her.

            She looked up at him without smiling.  He wore blue jeans and a red checked shirt.  His blue eyes sparkled with power, and his short blond hair was carefully styled.  She knew immediately that he was much older than the mid-twenties age range that he embodied.

            “Yes,” she said, “Who are you?”

            “My name is Kian,” the vampire replied, “Mr Vance is expecting you.  Please, follow me.”

            He turned and walked back the way he came.  Jennifer looked around the room but everyone seemed preoccupied, perhaps a little too studiously.  Narrowing her eyes, she stood up and followed the vampire, her fingers flexing at her sides as she resisted drawing her guns too soon.  The humans were most likely enchanted not to notice the vampires.  It would cause chaos if Jennifer suddenly began wielding a gun and fighting with a powerful undead creature right in front of them.  She found herself walking into a long corridor at the back of the building, and she noted the exit leading out onto the car park.  Kian led her up a wide flight of stairs and stopped outside a brown painted door on the landing above the pub.  This was it.  He knocked once and then opened the door carefully.  Jennifer had to follow.  Drawing her guns, she squared her shoulders, let out a breath, and stepped into the room, keeping her back to the wall and the exit in sight.

 If you enjoyed this one, why not pop over to our dedicated Hump Day Hook blog and peruse some new and exciting authors. We write about romance, love, science fiction, fantasy, erotica and everything in-between, so you are sure to find something that delights the senses. You can also find us on Facebook. Happy Humping! 

 
*Vampire Hunter image courtesy of Pinterest

A New Writing Challenge #15kinMay

I am still battling with the manuscript for my vampire hunter novel, although a quick glance back through my recent chapters suggests it might not be as bad as I thought. I have decided to use a very loose approach to writing this story, and am simply sitting down whenever I have time, and writing a chapter here and there. I have no idea what comes next, and I still don't know how this story will end, but it will end and I will succeed!

It helps me to read the blogs of fellow writers for advice and support. One of these is Alison Wells, author of Housewife with a Half-Life. She recently wrote a very inspiring post about how we are always intent on hurrying and speeding towards culmination of our projects. Society has evolved in such a way that we continually feel the need to better ourselves, to be successful, and to prove our worth in some physical (and usually fiscal) way. At my time in life this is more difficult to achieve, since I am currently in the young parent stage. I have a toddler for whom I am the main carer while my husband works outside the home, and I am pregnant with our second child. Naturally, there are many distractions on my time and attention.

As it turns out, Alison mentioned the #15kinMay writing challenge currently trending on Twitter. The idea for this one is that we set ourselves a target to write 15,000 words in May, and we can tweet our progress each day and support each other as we go. I admit, I haven't really participated on-line just yet, but I have decided to use it as another tool for motivation. Surely I can manage to write 15,000 words between now and the end of the month? Well, truthfully my challenge is under-way  so I probably only need to write another 10,000 words which is easily achievable.

What are you working on at the moment? Do you have writers block or struggle with your WIP? Share your news and let us support each other.

Did you enjoy this article? Join my tribe today, and I will send you a fabulous FREE book to get you started… (be warned, my vampires do not sparkle, and my wolves will bite!) 

The Vampire Hunter #HDH

Hello and welcome to the Hump Day Hook. I have decided to share an excerpt from my current work in progress, a novel with a very vague title at the moment. In fact, the whole story is quite vague. For some strange reason my Muse has deserted me, but I am determined not to give up on this one! Here is a sample from the beginning of the novel, and the protagonist of this story is Dr Jennifer Worthington, The Vampire Hunter.

           Her history professor, Dr Kate Morrigan, had tried to warn Jennifer.  She had managed to accidentally disturb the young couple many times before their fateful first kiss.  Of course, she failed in her attempts.  Jennifer had pursued Matthew with a vigour that frightened her.  She had never chased a boy before.  Then again, she had never met a boy like Matthew.  He was romantic, passionate, and he seemed to know a lot about the Tudor family that she was so fascinated by.  Sometimes he spoke as though he knew them personally, telling stories of life at court as though they were memories.  When Jennifer finally found out that he was a vampire, it all fell into place.  He had known the Tudors.  He was ancient.  Matthew Ancory was a very old man in a very young body, and he had tried to turn Jennifer into a vampire to be with him.  Fortunately for her, Dr Morrigan had intervened at the right time, armed with a crossbow and wooden stakes.  The vampire had escaped, but Jennifer’s life changed forever. 

If you enjoyed this one, why not pop over to our dedicated Hump Day Hook blog and peruse some new and exciting authors. We write about romance, love, science fiction, fantasy, erotica and everything in-between, so you are sure to find something that delights the senses. You can also find us on Facebook. Happy Humping! 

*Vampire hunter image courtesy of Pinterest