A to Z Blog Challenge -- B is for Blood Donor

Welcome to Day 2 of this year's A to Z Blog Challenge.

As a vampire author, I've spent a great deal of time thinking about blood.

For my vampire characters, blood takes on a whole new significance. Certainly, all living creatures need blood in order to operate our biomachines. Yet unless we've sprung a leak, blood doesn't get our attention in quite the same way as the other two driving forces -- hunger for food, and our sexual drive.

Of course, for a vampire, blood takes the place of both food and sex, as blood is their one and only form of sustenance, while it's the vampire's bite that turns a person into a new vampire. I found that as I wrote from the vampire's perspective, my admiration for blood as the essence of life led to my becoming a blood donor.   

B is for Blood Donor

My day job participates in a program called Partners For Life through Canadian Blood Services.

As a donor in this program, I was delighted to represent my corporation at a luncheon this past February, along with Jim, one of my co-workers (in fact, the person who signed our office up for Partners For Life.)

A woman addressed the crowd, telling us about the the 86 units of blood she had received when she'd faced a significant health crisis.

It was very moving to hear her story. I was so impressed with her willingness to share such a very distressing time in her life. She even stood with each team as we received our certificate for participating in the Partners For Life Program.

But what stayed with me was Cindy's personal challenge to sign up 86 new donors, inspired by the 86 units of blood she'd received when her life depended on them.

As of today, with just 4 new donors Cindy will have reached her goal.

For the A to Z Blog Challenge, I'd like to ask all vampire fans out there to consider donating blood in honor of your favorite vampire character.

I became a donor because of my 6th century Welsh warrior-turned-vampire, Peredur.

Who will inspire you?

I'm blogging at The Popculturedivas

Join me at The Popculturedivas for Re-launch -- New Cover, New Title -- Vampires, Saints and Lovers.

I'm guest blogging at Roxanne's Realm

Join me at Roxanne's Realm where I share the inspiration for my two main characters from SAINT SANGUINUS, Welsh warrior Peredur and his beloved, Tanwen the chieftain's daughter.


Be careful what you wish for


Both characters should have heeded that advice.


Roxanne has included an excerpt from Tanwen's point of view, as well.

Six Sentence Sunday - 6

Writers are encouraged to post six sentences from a work-in-progress or published piece. Sign into the Linky at Six Sentence Sunday, and visit other SSS participants.


This snippet from SAINT SANGUINUS takes place when Cavan, the son of the village wise woman was a boy of thirteen.


Here he watches as a spell launched against his rival--Peredur, future warrior for their 6th century Welsh village--shoots off in an unexpected direction.

~~~~~~~~

The sword master took his time and methodically drew a bloody pattern in his young student’s skin. When Tanwen finally arrived with her brother, dismay marred her features. I don’t know why that angered me, but it did.

It almost distracted me from the show Peredur performed so beautifully, his fellow students flinching in unison with every turn of the knife blade.

Peredur knelt there for a moment once it was over, breathless and shaking as the sword master rose and turned away.

Eventually Peredur pushed himself up, turned and quickly wiped his face as Owen walked toward the bench--this I hadn’t predicted at all.

Six Sentence Sunday - 5

Writers are encouraged to post six sentences from a work-in-progress or published piece. Sign into the Linky at Six Sentence Sunday, and visit other SSS participants.

This snippet from SAINT SANGUINUS takes place when 6th century Welsh warrior Peredur was a boy of eight.

This takes place just after the men of Yn Wyddfrid return with his father's body, following a battle.

~~~~~~~~

I clutched tight to my little sister, rocking her as she matched Mam’s cries.

I couldn’t shed tears because I refused to believe. My heart seemed frozen, my sobs not yet formed even though my eyes saw and my ears heard.

After a very long time, some women from the village arrived to join their cries with Mam’s. One young girl walked up the hill to our hut, gazing down at me with sorrow, her face wet with tears. She wordlessly reached for my little sister, who stretched her arms out for the girl and her more practiced way of holding a wee sister.

Six Sentence Sunday - 4

Writers are encouraged to post six sentences from a work-in-progress or published piece. Sign into the Linky at Six Sentence Sunday, and visit other SSS participants.

This snippet from SAINT SANGUINUS takes place when 6th century Welsh warrior Peredur was a boy of thirteen.

Already the 'man' of the family for five years after his father fell in battle, Peredur finds himself at odds one day with his mother when his plans clash with hers.

~~~~~~~~

I took her blows as bravely as I could, but I was also angry and humiliated.

When she left off hitting me, I turned on her, accusing Mam of treating me like a baby. Then I did something completely unconscionable. I shoved Mam and said, “Don’t ever strike me again, woman!”

The look on her face shredded my heart, but I couldn’t go back on what I’d just said, or I really would be a child unworthy of beginning my training with the sword master. Instead, I stormed out of the hut and ignored the sound of tears in her voice as Mam called after me.

Thursday Thirteen - 234 - 13 Ways Gerard Butler Serves as My Muse

Last weekend on Nov. 13th, the actor who serves as muse for my Peredur character turned 42.

To mark this milestone--as well as my debut release featuring the character inspired by Gerry--here is a series of 13 screencaptures from several of his projects, standing in for my own fictional character, Peredur.

I hope Gerard Butler had a birthday as wonderful as my debut novel release day has been. Thank you, Gerry, for giving me such an incredible character.

SAINT SANGUINUS

An elite brotherhood stands between humans and vampires, preventing one side from annihilating the other. Who are called to this service? Only those warriors who curse God with their dying breath.

Welsh warrior Peredur falls to a spear before he can claim Tanwen for his bride. Raging on the battlefield, Peredur utters the curse that seals his fate and leads him to another life. Using the power of a saint whose bone makes up an amulet, Peredur takes on the trials to become a true member of the brethren.

Yet his need for the chieftain’s daughter Tanwen still burns.

Tanwen resists her father’s command to take a husband. The only one who understands her sorrow is Cavan, the wise woman’s son. When he promises that he can reunite her with her beloved, she agrees to his terms. But does Tanwen truly understand the depth of the price that must be paid?













































































Screencaptures from:
300
Attila
Beowulf and Grendel
The Butterfly
Coriolanus
Dracula 2000
Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life
Law Abiding Citizen
RocknRolla

Thursday Thirteen - 233 - 13 Things About the year 577 in Dark Age Wales

I'm guest blogging over at The Otherworld Diner today - drop by and find out what my main character Peredur's world is like in my debut vampire novel, SAINT SANGUINUS.

CLICK HERE to read my Thursday Thirteen

A note about Scorpius:

I wasn't able to post anything for this week. Scorpius will return in 1 week.

Thursday Thirteen - 170 - 13 Things You'd Find in Peredur's World

Today's Thursday Thirteen is a collection of images that are foremost in my mind as I work on my vampire work in progress. This story follows a Dark Age Welsh warrior who becomes a vampire.


1 - Round hut













2 - Sword




3 - Cloak brooch










4 - Spear

















5 - Pewter ring








6 - Vampires













7 - Caverns











8 - Blood












9 - An angel
















10 - Initiation tree











11 - Spells
















12 - Silver chains















13 - Bone amulet







Ann Pino says I like that round hut.

Adelle Laudan says Great idea. I just might steal it. Sounds like the makings of a great book.

Travis Cody says I'm always curious about the vampire culture a writer chooses to utilize. Would you say your vampires are more in the Ann Rice culture, Bram Stoker culture, or some combined varietal?

Through the Opera Glasses - 22 - Using Collage to Unlock Your Story

My writers' group started doing collage workshops as a way to let our subconscious loose, to let ideas surface. An article in the Romance Writers Report gave Pam Callow the idea to hold a collage session ourselves, and she's done them three times so far.

The article was by Jennifer Crusie - you can read about creating a book collage HERE.

I've got three collages for three of my works in progress, and I gaze at them from time to time when I need to disappear into the world of my story.

I thought I'd share them with you as a glimpse into what I'm thinking about as I write. As someone who went to film school, I'm a highly visual person, and I really need to see what's going on in my head. I need to hear the voices of the characters speak when possible. I just listen to the actor whom I've cast as the character when I need to do that. Luckily, they've all done similar scenes to ones I'm writing, meaning the characters they portray hit similar emotional notes, and when I need to hear my own characters, I often play scenes from their films or TV shows to feed my inner muse.

The first collage I did is for the novel I'm working on right now - my gardener story. Here's the full collage:














Here's a few close-up panels:
















Here's the second collage I made, of my vampire story:














A few close-up panels:













The most recent collage was done at our last writers' meeting a few weeks ago. This is my Scorpius collage, the dark fantasy:













A few close-up panels:















Kim Richardson says Oh, what a wonderful idea!! These are great!

Jeeves says Lovely images!

Kelly Boyce says They look great as always!

Poetry Train Monday - 95 - God Knew Her Pledge

Today's found poem comes from my vampire WIP, featuring a Dark Ages Welsh warrior named Peredur. This poem introduces Tanwen, Peredur's betrothed. She waits for her warrior to return from the fighting against the raiding Irish - only to receive news she does not want to hear.

Ride the Poetry Train - click HERE.















God Knew Her Pledge


Fighter from Peredur’s war band
Stood with Father, talking
In a low voice
The two looked towards her

Tanwen’s pulse stopped

Mother stood near
Tanwen didn’t want her there
Didn’t want to hear words of comfort
Could not bear an embrace

That was not her beloved’s

Horrid shuddering started
Her teeth knocking together
Brother, sisters stared at her
One look in Father's eyes

And she knew

Tanwen turned, walked calmly from them all

Path before her shimmered
Tears balanced on lashes
She knew these dips, rises blind
Feet carried her to crag overlooking the bay

Dampness beaded her hair

Awash in tears, inside and out
Seeped unbroken stream
Thought her heart had broken
If she had a heart left to break

Sea birds glided between coast and surf
Crying out her anguish with their shrieks

Why?
Why love such a proud man?
Peredur never listened
She told him he was all she needed

He kept leaving her to fight

To win a name for himself, he’d said
So Father would agree to a match
Where did that leave her?
Betrothed to a corpse

Sobs punched their way through her chest at last

Curled into herself, clutched tight
With arms that could not stop the mourning
Could hear noises, wondered where they came from
Even as her throat ached from crying

She saw nothing except his green eyes
Felt nothing but the whisper of his breath
This couldn’t be real
He was too powerful

Too swift, too expert a fighter

To go down to a spear
The man was mistaken
Peredur was alive somewhere
He couldn’t be gone

Why did she totter on rocks
Slick with mist? Why did she want the
Pain in her chest to stop squeezing? Why
Wasn’t it Peredur arrived at her father’s door

To finally ask for her hand?

Wiping sleeve 'cross her face
Tanwen emerged from the darkness of shock
Felt a presence behind her
Tanwen paused as she turned

Cavan, son of village wise woman

Pale gray eyes gazed upon her
As though he knew
What lay screaming in her heart
Shaking her head, tears starting anew

“It can’t be! It can’t be true!”

Cavan gestured to boulder behind them
“Come and sit with me awhile.”
Cavan helped her to sit
Tanwen’s face felt pummeled

By so much crying

Where could tears come from
When she felt so numb inside?
Cavan turned object in his hand
Her gaze rested on a ring

The ring Peredur’s father had given him







“Where did you get that?”
“Peddler sold it to mother.
She held it in her hand
She saw it all before her.

Everything that happened."
Tanwen fought the urge to grab it
Cavan held it out, dropped it
Onto her outstretched palm

Metal touched her skin
She thought of the ring slipped
From Peredur’s cold hand
Reality ripped a gasp from her throat

Ring nearly tumbled onto scraggly brush

Cavan wrapped solid hands around hers
Ensuring her grip with his own
Tanwen sagged till forehead touched her wrists
If Cavan were not there she would pass out

Crying started again

She could not listen to it
As though
She were someone else
She would not hold her beloved’s ring

If he still lived

She never spoke her pledge of fidelity
Before the village
She’d said it often in her heart
God knew her pledge to be true

He knew that today she became a widow

- Julia Smith, 2009

Poetry Train Monday - 94 - Judgement and Acceptance

Today's found poem comes from my vampire WIP. You can read an excerpt HERE. I've used the villanelle form, but once again haven't tried to rhyme anything, as that would interfere with the found poem format.

Peredur is a Dark Age Welsh warrior who becomes a vampire. This poem is taken from two scenes where Peredur struggles with his new state of being. I've based Peredur on Scottish actor Gerard Butler.

Ride the Poetry Train - click HERE.
















Judgement and Acceptance


The sun went down. Peredur opened eyes
Filled with dirt. Staggered to his feet - the grave
Is this what had become of him? Hunger

The blood lust took him hard. Had never known
What true need was, when he’d lived as a man
The sun went down. Peredur opened eyes

Smell of man came to him on a faint breeze
"Who’s there?" rang out before Peredur leaped
Is this what had become of him? Hunger

Yet how could he grieve when he could not cry?
Let loose an unnerving howl of anguish
The sun went down. Peredur opened eyes

Beat fists gainst ground. Saw two feet, hem of gown
Scrambled to knees, bent deeply, head to earth
Is this what had become of him? Hunger

I AM SENT BY ALL THAT IS. YOUR ANGEL
A look held both judgement and acceptance
The sun went down. Peredur opened eyes
Is this what had become of him? Hunger

- Julia Smith, 2009