In celebration of the release of BLOODGIFTED, on Amazon next week (end of September), I decided that my next few posts will concentrate on the beautiful Sydney locations highlighted in my book - the old Gothic buildings which dot the centre of the city, our stunning harbour setting, the river walks alongside the giant fig trees (and their resident fruit bats), and of course, the magnificent neo-gothic mansion which served as my inspiration for the home of Lucien Lebrettan, Prime Elder of the Vampiric Brethren.
Sydneysiders will immediately recognise these places, and for those who
have not visited yet, consider this a foretaste.
As a tasty accompaniment, I'll include excerpts from my book which describe these places, and which will hopefully, create an appetite to find out more.
I'm calling these, Tasty Teasers. And since this is my blog, it's the best place to both promote my new book as well as showcase my city to the world.
So, without more ado, here's -
Tasty Teaser #1 is where our heroine, Laura, is sent to St Andrews Cathedral to meet Alec Munro - Princeps or Chief Elder - of the Brethren.
Extract
I pushed open the heavy glass doors and stepped into the
cool, dark recess. The scent of old polished wood rose from the rows of pews
stretching the length of the nave. To my left, a well-worn stone-paved path led
past them and through the length of the interior, while a shallow ramp on my
right disappeared into a semi-concealed alcove ringed with high-backed wooden
chairs.
Which way? If in
doubt, follow the yellow-brick road, I thought. Turning left I followed the
stone-path down the aisle. What on earth
am I doing here? I asked myself. Meeting
a vampire, came the daft answer.
‘He will find you,’ my aunt had said. Right now, I didn’t
know if I wanted to be found! The truth is, I was nervous and even a little
afraid searching for an unnatural creature in a gothic building.
How appropriate. All I need is for the cathedral organ to
start playing creepy music!
At least I wasn’t totally alone. Here and there a few people
milled around, even though most were outside grabbing that last minute
Christmas bargain as shopping hours had been extended. It was only about nine p.m.
In the balcony at the end of the nave a choir was rehearsing The Messiah. I’m sure they’d hear me
scream if this Alec Munro proved less benign than the impression my aunt gave.
Why didn’t I bring Matt? I should have simply ignored her warning and dragged
him along anyway.
I followed the stone-path to the back entrance, around the
massive sandstone baptismal font and up the other side. Every now and then the
Choir Master stopped the singers mid-note for a correction before continuing
their rehearsal. Three Christmas trees, bedecked with massive gold bows, had
been positioned on either side of the communion table, while an impressive
green wreath hung from the edge of the elevated pulpit.
I realized that the stone path I’d followed led to the small
chair-lined alcove I’d originally noticed on entering. It was separated from
the aisle by an ornately carved wooden partition, and there, leaning
nonchalantly against the narrow opening, arms crossed over his chest stood a
tall, broad-shouldered, impossibly good-looking man with hair the colour of a
raven’s wing.
My feet stopped mid-stride as my eyes drank in this
strikingly imposing figure who so dominated the space around him, that I
wondered how I could not have seen him earlier? Nor the way his piercing
lavender eyes gazed back at me, demanding my attention.
I sucked in a breath, not just for the affect he had on me,
but that he was the visual confirmation of my aunt’s words even if he didn’t
fit my image of a vampire. But then I really didn’t know what to expect – black
cape, nasty protruding fangs, glowing red eyes and as pale as death perhaps? The
man before me belied those preconceptions, and no vampire I saw in the movies
ever looked that good in cream silk business shirt and slate grey trousers, which
hung seductively low on his lean hips. His sleeves were rolled up at the elbows
and the top button of his shirt left undone allowing his tie to hang loose.
I swallowed. Was this the blood-sucking creature whose bite
left those marks on my aunt’s wrist? No wonder she’d said I wouldn’t mind!
He smiled and softly called my name. ‘Laura.’
If you'd like to see a pic of Alec and Laura, click onto "Home."
If you'd like to see a pic of Alec and Laura, click onto "Home."
Did this whet your appetite?
Next week - Lucien Lebrettan's mansion (Location of the Ritual Laura must undergo).
Next week - Lucien Lebrettan's mansion (Location of the Ritual Laura must undergo).
