Did You Know Teutons Have Vampirical Tendencies? 🤔

Sep 07, 2022 3:01 pm

Guess who's back in South Carolina after a whirlwind trip to see Rammstein in Philadelphia?

This girl!

I'll admit that it ain't easy driving all night on Tuesday and again on Wednesday just so my husband could get back to work (on night shift) the following Thursday. And I'll also admit that I-85 in Virginia isn't the most appropriate highway to travel when your alertness has begun to ebb. 😴

Especially if your husband is snoring in the passenger seat.

That being said, we made it home safely, and the Rammstein show was spectacular! Had a fairly decent view of the stage despite our sky-high seats. Since I didn't take any photos myself, I snagged this one from the Rammstein Facebook page to give you a taste of the experience. Hier kommt die Sonne! 🤘

As for the Wawa, you'd better believe that I gorged upon an Italian hoagie and a turkey hoagie around 2 am on Wednesday and Thursday morning. Thank goodness Wawa keeps its deli open 24 hours! 👍

Writing Updates

GREAT news—I managed to format Gift of Air and send it off to the races just in time for Lunar Rising's deadline! Actually, last Wednesday morning I was sitting in one of my parents' recliners, deprived of sleep and grumbling (cussing?) about figuring out the formatting in Microsoft Word while a teeny gray cat attacked my socked feet & stuffed his fuzzy head beneath my laptop.

Have I learned my lesson about why I shouldn't finish things at the last second?

Nah. 😉

Now I'm sure if you're taking the time to actually read this newsletter, you're probably wondering what's going on with the title. Teutons have vampirical tendencies? What? They're regular human witches, right? Aren't their magical gifts related to the elements? Why would they bother drinking blood?

Augustin could explain that to you, but since he's not here today, I'll leave it to Ilsa from Gift of Air. Check out the snippet in the next section to find out why Teutons occasionally give in to the urge to bite someone's neck.

Did I mention that I've got cover art for Gift of Air? If I'm feeling generous, I might show off the entire thing in next week's newsletter. For now, I merely tease. 💗

Gift of Air Snippet

“If you keep sitting there staring at my neck, I may change my mind about this.” Horst kept his face pointed forward, but his left eye watched me steel myself and draw close to him.

“Sorry. I . . . I’ll just take a couple sips. To read your intentions,” I whispered, holding his gaze for a lingering moment. He nodded at me, and I reached for his hair, to keep his head steady. It felt sleek and silky, its waves offering a fair handhold. This is insane, I thought, but I just have to get it over with. Forcing back the last of my reluctance, I squeezed my eyes shut and bit into his skin, where his carotid artery throbbed lightly beneath the flesh.

The texture almost prompted me to recoil, but then his blood surged into my mouth, hot, sticky, and repulsive. Before I could break away, images flooded my mind, accompanied by a rush of opinions not my own.

A weakened pregnant woman moaning as a robed figure stood over her, demonstrating how to manipulate her emotions using the heart-bond. Anger tightening a knot in my stomach, Cord’s withering statement: “How many Teuton girls has that wretch tortured to death, I wonder?” My tender, generous mother, teaching me to expect the best from people, to focus on the good in the world. My deep respect for her, my grandmother, my friends’ sisters, their wives. Cord casting a telegram onto my desk, his firm declaration: “This girl needs help. And you’re the only bachelor left among us. You need to talk to her.”

I released Horst’s neck and put a hand to my lips, cringing at the crimson that stained my palm. The last image his blood showed me was how I appeared coming down the stairs, my eyes reflecting the pastel blue of my dress, my aura shimmering with the magic of air. And I felt how his interest had peaked, his years of bachelorhood crumbling into unimportance. The man was thirty-six years old, his experience far outreaching mine. But I had charmed him already.

The aftertaste of his blood was not especially pleasant, and I swallowed a few times. Horst, meanwhile, had clapped a hand against his neck, his eyebrows scrunched in concentration. He took slow, steady breaths, his right hand gripping his discarded tie. “Horst, are you okay?” I finally thought to ask, concern pricking my heart. Had I bled him for too long?

“I’m fine,” he answered, his tone feebler than usual. “But I have to say . . . I’d rather not do that again anytime soon. I had to keep a tight hold on my instincts. I wanted to push you away.”

He removed his hand from his neck, and to my astonishment, I saw that mere nubs indicated where my teeth had pierced him. No trace of blood tarnished his skin. He took a deep breath, the muscles of his torso visible beneath his shirt as he did so. Then he reached up to button his collar and turned his head halfway toward me. “Did you find what you sought?”

Horst sounded nervous. I sat back to give his arms space as he tied his tie, its silvery gray sheen catching stray sunrays that filtered into our hideout. Nothing about what I had seen in this man’s blood should make him nervous. He was a man who tried to do right, who worked each day to improve himself.

“You respect your mother very much.” I slid closer to him as he finished with his tie. “You were devastated by what you saw that priest doing to the bound woman. And you came here to meet me because Cord said I needed help.”

Horst chuckled, his left hand fidgeting in his lap. “When he told me the Innsbruck priests had their eyes on you, I knew I couldn’t wait. I never really planned on marrying anyone, but . . . now that I’ve met you, it makes me sick to think of what could happen if you remain unbound.”

I cleared my throat, the taste of blood still polluting my mouth. My expression must have given Horst a hint, for he looked directly at me and asked, “Would you like a mint? Blood tastes pretty bad, I know, and we didn’t bring any water with us.”

***

You know you've found a unique Teuton man when he offers you a mint after you've seen the truth in his blood. 😂

Find out more by pre-ordering Lunar Rising today! You can get your copy by clicking on the graphic below or on the button underneath that.

✨ Pre-order Now! ✨

Fun Photo

Have I mentioned that I occasionally browse fantasy art on the internet in search of inspiration for my stories & characters? Augustin shared a whimsical piece two weeks ago that reminded him of Swanie, and today I'm sharing a photo that could easily represent Ilsa lounging in her grandmother's rose garden.

You can follow the photographer on Facebook. She's incredibly talented!

https://www.facebook.com/MillicentFeyaPhotography

***

I hope those two books tide you over until next week, when I'll have a much larger batch to share with you! Meanwhile, methinks I have a full-length novel to write. Did I mention Gift of Air is officially a prequel now? 🤩

You know that moment when you go to a job interview for a position that would give your career a boost? And you walk into the conference room and see that one of the people waiting for you is that guy who bullied you in high school?

His expression reveals no hints of recognition.

Why was he blessed with an attractive façade when he's a bonafide jerk?

So you sit down, determined to crush this interview and squash all the conflicting emotions simmering deep within. Who cares about that hot hunk of a bully posturing among his peers? You need this job!

Then a fairy shows up completely out of nowhere.

Wait, what?!

This is only the first chapter. 🙃

Pretty sure I have some writing to do. ✍️

Talk to you soon,

C.L. Carhart

Pre-order Lunar Rising for 99¢: https://books2read.com/lunarrisingset

Get Arcane Gateway for FREE: https://books2read.com/hnwaag

Download Veiled Magic, a bonus story: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/jp1vp51i52

Check out C.L. Carhart's other books: https://books2read.com/clcarhart

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