A Christmas Journey (with Vampires, a cat, a train ride and a fight)

A Christmas Tradition – One of my favorite Christmas stories.

Vampire Maman

People don’t know who or what we are. We’ve kept it that way for centuries, as stories and myths over ride any sense of reality in the minds of men.

In December of 1875 tragedy came into our lives. My best friend Isabelle fell under the spell of rogue Vampires and almost killed my brother Max’s best friend, who was the son of my parent’s closest regular human friends. You see, for those of you who are new here, we’re Vampires. As part of the Modern Vampire movement, we go by the rule that nobody is ever turned into a Vampire without consent.

Anyway, scandal was the only word for it. Theodore Kings, my brother’s 26 year old friend was not only the smartest and most handsome regular human any of us had ever met, he was…

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** A Gift for Yourself **

Céad Míle Fáilte

Come, walk with me a while

Let’s share some time

If you favor me a smile

Just maybe I’ll offer you a rhyme.

It’s quiet, peaceful here

Let’s sit and take a rest

Forget the rush, think Christmas cheer

Savor this time, the evening’s best.

Forget the chaotic scenes back there.

A moment, I’ll brush the snow from your hair,

Let’s wander farther. The spirit’s in the air

And the happiness in knowing that you care.

Just a moment away from the Christmas crush

A moment stolen from the hurry and the rush

Give yourself that gift.  You don’t have to wait.

Do it now….., just in case Santa’s late.

*******

*****

***

**

*

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Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

These look absolutely wonderful!

anotherfoodieblogger

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

I made cookies!! Yes indeed, I really did. Most of you who know me are aware that me and flour and baking don’t really get along so well. And they actually came out pretty spectacular if I don’t say so myself. (Oh but my family told me too, along with my book club members at our cookie exchange, and the kind folks at my seasonal post office job!)

I first tried this recipe back in November, but the cookies didn’t come out so great texture- and shape-wise because of my high altitude. So I did a bunch of research, prepared a double batch, and set to experiment on cookie dough shape, oven temps, and timing.

The original recipe comes from my foodie friend Jodi over at The Creative Life In Between. I’ll share her original instructions, along with my high-altitude adjustments for those of you who share…

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Beautiful Science Fiction Pin-Up Poster (How to get yours)

Vampire Maman

Get this beautiful poster of Strange Adventures in a Deviant Universe with artwork by Jason Kemp as a THANK you for reading, enjoying, and sharing what you think.

The 13 x 20 inch posters are printed on beautiful paper – ready to frame or in to your wall.

Strange Adventures in a Deviant Universe – WPAD Science Fiction.

1. Read the book.
2. Tell me what your favorite story (stories, or poem) is in the comments HERE. The one exclusion is HOLLOW HEADS because it has already been posted on this blog in an earlier form. If you can’t leave a comment (because you don’t have a WordPress account etc. email me at juliettevampiremom@gmail dot com)
3. Please leave an honest review where you purchased the book.  I hope you post a nice review, but be honest.
4. I’ll let you know where you can SAFELY and privately leave your mailing address.
5. See fine…

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In Defense of Bloggers: How to Get Readers for Your Blog

Useful article for all bloggers and writers (and a fun read.) Thank you Nichole!

where the heart is

Stellar Content vs. Great Marketing: Which is more important?

Have you ever read a popular novel by a well-known author that had sold hundreds of thousands of copies, only to discover that it was complete crap? I have. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo comes to mind. (You can hate me if you want. There’s only so much I can take of a guy having coffee before I need an actual plot.)

I’ve also read fabulous novels that I loved, but they got much less attention and sold far fewer books. For example, my good friend, Rebecca Coleman, has written several novels, all of them better than that Stieg Larsson yawn-fest. My favorite is called Heaven Should Fall. It’s beautifully written, well-paced. The plot is compelling and the characters are dynamic, vivid, and well-researched. There’s not one scene in which a character broods in a coffee shop. (Seriously, you…

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Is Anybody There?

This is wonderful. A mood. A picture. A thought. A spirit. A door.

MY ENDURING BONES

It’s almost Christmas- it’s time for Ghost stories and thoughts to chill your bones.

I thought I’d start off with a small scare.

It’s about doors- ones that we can only hope will stay

shut.

Photo A.M. Moscoso

Photo A.M. Moscoso

Photo A.M. Moscoso

Photo A.M. Moscoso

Photo A.M. Moscoso

The Empty Hall in the ” Raven ” by Poe

The Ripper’s last victim.

Nightmares.

Things that wait for us

patiently

in the dark

behind closed doors.

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Connections, Net Neutrality, and the Thoughts of an Old Vampire Blogger.

Vampire Maman

As most of you already know I don’t say certain things were meant to be. I don’t believe that bad things, or even most good things happen for a reason. What reason is there for a child to get cancer? What reason is there for someone to lose a limb, or a job, or a home to fire, or the freedom of speech? Bad things can make us stronger, or wiser, or closer to those we love, but that does not make them good, or reasonable.

I do believe in a certain amount of what I’ll call, for no other words, magic.

Let me tell you a story about something amazing. It is a story of magic. It is a story of creativity. It is a story of a group of people meeting by chance over the Internet and doing wonderful, amazing, magical things together – through love of storytelling…

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Vampire Diary: Love Bites, Love Bleeds – A Victorian Christmas.

Vampire Maman

Dear Diary,

I missed the entire 18th, 19th and 20th centuries.

I missed the Industrial Revolution. I missed the American Revolution. I missed the advent of electricity, flight, recorded sound, the telegraph, moving pictures, smooth jazz, photography, the Wild West, Art Deco, and most of all I missed the Victorian era. Yes, it seems that there was a period in which a great small sour looking Queen named Victoria ruled the world, told people not to make love, and then had many children herself. I do not understand that logic, but rulers are not often driven by logic.

Before I came into this modern world I now call home, I was living in a period now which is now called Baroque. I thought we would never change. I could not have been better. I loved the clothing. I loved the music. Life was good, especially if one was a Vampire…

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The War on Christmas

Wine and Cheese (Doodles)

#Breaking: As part of Operation Kringle, President Trump today ordered the deployment of the newly renamed 1st North Pole Battalion to an undisclosed mid-west location to monitor and protect the Koch Tree Farm, the nation’s largest supplier of Spruce and Fir trees.

President Trump today, speaking from a dais festooned with holly and ivy, declared the latest deployment the first step in the War on Christmas.

“Today, we will make America Merry Again!,” the president declared. “No one celebrates Christmas as bigly as The United States of America, no one, ok? It’s tremendous. So much Christmas-ing. You’re going to be sick of Christmas-ing there’ll be so much of it.”

The President was flanked by his advisors, all donned in gay apparel. One notable exception was vice-president Pence who was seeking conversion therapy from apparel he donned “too gay”.

“After eight years under the imposter Kwanza president, with his anti-American diversity…

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In My Bones

MY ENDURING BONES

I’m going to confess something here.

One would think that I would gorge myself on spooky movies and books and music during the month of October.

But I don’t- I do a lot of writing and I actually get into my photography more and I do decorate but for the most part I indulge in ghost stories in all the formats that the modern world offers and my writing even takes on a darker edge during the Christmas Season.

It may have something to do with the fact that when my family gets together we used to end up telling ghost stories, or weird stories about the human oddities we all seemed to run into during the Spring and Summer.

I heard my first stories about demonic possession at a Christmas Party when I was about 8 years old and when I got back to school after Christmas break I went…

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As Bright as a Star in an Ancient Sky

Vampire Maman

The voice on the phone whispered, “are you coming over today?”

Why Tellias always whispers on the phone I will never know.

“I’m on my way,” I said. “I’m stuck on Hazel in the never-ending construction, but I’m on my way.”

“Good,” he said in a papery thin voice. “I have a lot to tell you.” Then he hung up.

A 2054 year old Vampire can have a lot to say, so I picked up a case of Poet’s Blood at Dave’s Bottle Shop.

When I arrived at the Queen Ann style farmhouse Tellias and Eleora were waiting for me on the front porch. Tellias was wearing tuxedo pants, a slate blue workshirt with the name Jose stitched on the pocket, and yellow flip flops. His pale blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail. Elena was wearing  white Go Go boots, a red mini skirt, a black fake fur…

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Campsite.

This is great!

musing

I open my eyes, and put my hand up to shield the bright sunshine. Fuck, what did I do last night? Each time I blink the drum in my head gets louder.

My surroundings were unrecognizable. In the distance I hear rushing water. Walking toward it, and trying to remember where I heard it before.

An opening in the trees is in sight. I come to the edge of a river back, looking over a waterfall. The mist feels good in the blazing sun.

A campsite with a tent is set up on the other side of the river. A bridge is a little ways up river, and I head toward it.  When I reach the campsite, a man and woman are sitting at a fold out picnic table. I look closely, and the man is me. But who the hell is the girl?

I watch the couple disappear into…

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