Preview of ‘Death in the Blood’ by my Guest Tony Paul de Vissage

To Infinity and Beyond! by Tony Paul de Vissage

That may be Buzz Lightyear’s motto but it could also be the vampire’s. In that case, why do so many writers place their stories in either the past or the present? Why not project them into the future? It’s easy, just add another thousand years or to the date of 2013. After all, if someone lives forever, he’s going to end up there eventually.

When I wrote, Death in the Blood, I wanted to make it different. As I later did with The Night Man Cometh, I started the story in the past and took it into the future. Most vampire tales stop when they get to the present even if the vampires continue to exist. Why? If someone’s immortal, then prove it by looking ahead.

Christopher Landless is my latest Undead creation and he follows the lead set by Damien laCroix, Vlad Chemare, the Andriescus, and Karel Novotny. Oh, Kit has a bit more conscience than his nosferatu brethren. He still remembers what it was to be human, but when it gets right down to the nitty and the gritty, he fights to save those like himself and not the Breathers. In spite of that, I believe I’ve managed to make him a character readers will like.

Kit starts out life as a footpad, in modern terms, a mugger, but quickly goes from there to something much, much more when he makes the mistake of trying to rob the wrong person on a dark foggy London night…

His story stretches from 1794 to the year 2580. For a while, Man and Vampire managed to live side-by-side peacefully, then a terrible event occurs making humans decide vampires are too dangerous to be allowed to go free. They’re imprisoned in concentration camps, on islands surrounded by moats of blessed water.

It was a challenge to fall back on the expected way of containing and fighting vampires while transforming them into futuristic forms. Staying true to the original genre while updating it to near-science fiction was a definite test of originality and writing skills. I hope, I believe, I managed it adequately.

Blurb: WHAT IF…

…Mankind admitted vampires exist?

…Vampires followed Man into the stars, inhabiting every planet in the galaxy?

…They solved the “Vampire Problem” by putting the Undead in concentrations camps?

What would happen if someone decided to destroy off the imprisoned nosferatu?

Would the police investigate?

Should they?

Forced to assist Lieutenant Katherine Dalia in the case, vampire Christopher Landless fights desire and thirst to uncover a motive of long-lingering revenge as both vampire and mortal discover old crimes never go unpunished.

EXCERPT:

When the woman appeared in the fog-closed street, he was more than ready to pounce.

She wasn’t scurrying furtively with a clutching of shawl or threadbare cloak as he would expect a trull to be doing, but strode purposefully on the cobbles. Head held high inside its deep hood, her heels were making a rhythmic staccato upon the stones as the hem of her cape sent the fog scattering in little swirls.

No matter. Lady or whore, the gems glittering in her ears and glimpsed at the throat of the velvet cape would soon be his, and bring his creditors to heel. He simply waited until she walked past the alley where he was hiding, then reached out and pulled her backward into the shadows, one hand going over her mouth. He didn’t even draw his pistol.

This is too easy, was his thought. After all, he was nearly a foot taller than she, outweighed her by at least seven stone, and being a man, was much stronger. The wench don’t have a chance.

As she started to struggle, he whispered, “Be still and you won’t be hurt. I just want your jewels.” That usually halted any resistance. Not in this case. Instead of subsiding, her movements increased.

Her scream of rage swept all coherent thought from him.

He never really saw her move, just felt the blow as her hand caught him under the chin. His teeth cracked against each other as he was rocked off his heels and sent flying against the wall. The pistol slung from his hand as his shoulders struck the building. Kit’s head collided with a protruding brick, sending a stream of bright flashes before his eyes. Then his body slid down the wall, landing in a huddle at its base.

The slut struck me! He lay there in dazed disbelief. She…

The alley seemed darker. Where did all the fog come from? It rolled in, boiling and billowing, but… ’Tis black, like dark clouds. He could barely see the woman. Shaking his head, he sought to clear his vision, eyes sensing movement within the fog.

She was running toward him, but slowly, oh so slowly. It was as if Time itself were caught in some kind of dark whirlpool and sent waning. All movement became unnatural…no sound to her footfalls, pale arms raised above her head, hands clenched into fists. The cloak was tangled around them, flapping like…wings.

Kit struggled to sit up, a coil of panic trapped in his guts. He fell back against the wall, all power fled from limbs gone numb. All he could do was lie there…waiting.

She passed through a shadow…emerged changing…head thrown back, eyes glowing, mouth a scarlet rim of enraged snarl encircling gleaming white teeth… Sweet Jesus, protect my soul! He didn’t know if he cried the words or simply thought them and the wonder passed through his mind if the Blessed Savior would bother with a sinner such as he.

Then the teeth were at his throat and the shadows closed in, blood-red and spreading and smothering his mind…

Death in the Blood will be available from Class Act Books on September 15, 2013.

Tony-Paul can be found at:

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