To Love a Vampire

By Stephen M. DeBock

Writer William Pine has stood the vampire genre on its head. The heroine of his latest novel sleeps at night, sunbathes in daylight, and drinks... wine.

At a book signing, William meets Kathryn, a beauty who professes to be his fictional heroine personified. As he pursues her story, she reveals that she's fled the vampire who t

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gypsy Shadow Publishing
• Release date: Oct 14, 2022
• ISBN: 9781619506916

Stephen M. DeBock

Stephen M. DeBock's first writing award came at age 17, when a 25-word essay, written in blank verse, earned him a fishing trip to Alaska. Entering the Marine Corps a month later, he was assigned to Washington, DC, where he served in the Presidential Honor Guard. An article on his experiences appeared in American Heritage Magazine.Following his discharge, Steve worked days, went to college nights, and spent weekends earning a private pilot's license. His writing has been published twice in AOPA Pilot Magazine.A career teacher, Steve was honored by the State of New Jersey for his work in consumer/media education and had a curriculum he devised published in a manual distributed to school libraries throughout the state.For three years, Steve and his wife Joy lived aboard a 42-foot trawler yacht. An article on their final summer cruise appeared in Living Aboard Magazine. (A photo of their home afloat is on his Facebook Author Page.)Steve is a member of the International Thriller Writers Organization and the Central Pennsylvania Writers Organization. He and his wife live in Hershey.

Book preview

Contents

Copyright Page

Dedication

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

About the Author

To Love A Vampire

by

Stephen M. DeBock

All rights reserved

Copyright © April14, 2022,Stephen M. DeBock

Cover Art Copyright © 2022, Charlotte Holley

Gypsy Shadow Publishing, LLC.

Lockhart, TX

www.gypsyshadow.com

Names, characters and incidents depicted in this book are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of the author or the publisher.

No part of this book may be reproduced or shared by any electronic or mechanical means, including but not limited to printing, file sharing, and email, without prior written permission from Gypsy Shadow Publishing, LLC.

ISBN: 978-1-61950-691-6

Published in the United States of America

First eBook Edition: October 14, 2022

Dedication

For Rob and Dave Poyda: The Evil Twins

Chapter One

Everyone who aspires to be a writer is urged not to quit his or her day job. Even though I was finally beginning to collect regular royalties, I saw no reason not to hold on to my full-time position as administrator of our regional blood bank. My colleagues found it comically ironic, in that my novels also involved blood, albeit none donated voluntarily.

My first novel began life as a short story, in which I turned the sexy vampire theme on its head to become the sexy werewolf. Further, I did away with the whole slave of the full moon cliché by making her—yes, her—able to morph at will. The completed story made me want to expand it to explore my heroine’s back story and propel her into becoming a one-woman star chamber. Sales were slow at first, but they did pick up enough to make me want to write another novel, this time about a vampire, and once I began I decided to throw out all the vampire clichés as well.

Vampire Dawn featured a heroine who wasn’t affected by sunlight, crosses, or silver, and ate and drank normal food in addition to the blood that sustained her. She was wholesomely beautiful, turned by a vampire lover who soon tired of her and moved on. Dawn’s fangs resembled those of a pit viper, in that they swung down from the roof of her mouth on a fleshy hinge. I thought it was a clever alternative to needle-sharp canines.

Largely due to the adage that a prophet goes unrecognized in his own land, my novels were largely ignored at home. The library had a special shelf for local authors, and no one bothered to stop there in their hunt for the latest by Stephen King, David Baldacci, or James Patterson. I begged the librarian to place my books in the mainstream horror section, and when she finally did, my audience began to grow as my work nationwide gained a following.

When Vampire Dawn became nominated for a Bram Stoker Award, the librarian engaged me for a reading and book signing. I expected only a few stalwarts to show up, mostly friends from work, but I was surprised to see a roomful of strangers as well, smiling encouragement as the head librarian brought me to the podium.

I’d memorized the passages I was going to read, the better to establish eye contact with my audience. I’d learned in my undergrad speech class that eye contact serves two purposes: first, it gives the audience the impression that you are speaking to them rather than reading at them; second, it tends to assure that no one will try to sneak out while your face is buried in the book.

As I presented my reading, I couldn’t help but notice a woman sitting in the back row. Whereas the other listeners were sitting back, relaxed, their expressions ranging from passive to friendly, this woman sat rigid, her eyes fixed on mine, her expression intent. It became hard to maintain my scan of the group, because I constantly felt drawn to her.

She looked to be about thirtyish, with long, dark red hair that, along with her facial features, reminded me of former cinema sirens Maureen O’Hara, Rita Hayworth, and Rhonda Fleming, rolled into one exquisite package.

After I finished my presentation to polite applause, I opened the floor to questions. They consisted of the expected: When did you decide to become a writer? Do you write in early morning or late at night? Where do you get your ideas? As the others seemed to run out of questions, the redheaded woman in the back row raised her hand.

Do you find you have an emotional connection to your heroine? Her