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Redshirt Yourself and Get ConSensual Free!

23 June 2012 Comments Off

In celebration of Consensual’s release Real Soon Now, I have a competition.

Write a short – 2 paragraphs max – description of how you’d like to be redshirted in the Con vampire universe. Anything entered before midnight US Eastern Standard Time on Saturday 30th June will be eligible. The five suggestions that amuse me the most will be used in the next con Vampire book, and their creators will receive a free copy of ConSensual.

The legal-ish stuff: sorry, but you can’t re-use anything unless you file the serial numbers off well enough that it’s not obvious where it started. No re-using any of my characters, either. If you’re one of the lucky soon-to-be-deceased, I reserve the right to mangle your name and description beyond recognition or not as the whim takes me. I offer no guarantees on whether your death will be central or minor. No getting nasty and suing, either (yeah, I know, but I’ve got to at least say it). Oh, yes, and the lucky (?) winners are totally my discretion.

You don’t need to narrate your demise, just give me a scenario and who you are, like “Kate Paulk, wannabe author found in three separate stalls in the Ladies room, and under the sink, wearing only a big smile”. (Oops. That should have had an ick alert. Sorry).

Naturally a big thank you goes to Amanda and the rest of the folks at NRP for letting me do this.

And now, a celebration snippet from ConSensual, more or less random and hopefully not spoilery.

==== SNIPPET! ====

He had courage, I’ll give him that. It takes balls to turn your back on a much older vampire when you’re not exactly sure how friendly said older vampire might be.

B-movies notwithstanding, vampires don’t usually have a preference for nubile virgins — which is just as well, given that there’s a shortage of that particular subset of humanity these days — or for the hug and bite, especially when we’re fighting our own kind. If it’s a fight, biting from behind is better, because that gives the bitee no way to return the favor. It’s a tactical thing.

Drake moved past the cluster of smokers feeding their nicotine addictions to a quieter, darker space in the driveway. This close, I could taste the man’s anger. It was a slow, cold boil, and it wasn’t directed at me.

“He’s after you.” Drake spoke as though every word offended him. “You irritated him.”

The question was whether this was a warning delivered on the elder’s behalf, or whether Drake had chosen to defy his creator. The latter meant the elder hadn’t taken control, but not necessarily that he couldn’t. I wasn’t prepared to bet either way, not with Drake as the supposed subordinate in the matter.

“Good.” It’s not exactly wise, challenging a vampire of unknown age and strength. I was past caring. This bastard had done more than just irritate me. “Maybe next time he’ll teach his babies better table manners.”

Editor’s note: Cross-posted from www.madgeniusclub.com