Launching April 30th on Amazon Kindle – the first part of my new 6-part serial story, Stake Sauce! ARC 1: THE SECRET INGREDIENT IS LOVE. NO, REALLY. Features Punk-Rock Vampires, Complex Polyamory Webs, Portland Remaining Weird, Intense Feels, Pain, Catharsis, Healing, and Puns. (And As Usual, Everybody Is LGBT, Often Disabled, And Never Exploited For Shock/Suffering/’Inspirational’ Value!)
The story continues on Patreon! Supporters will get one Stake Sauce chapter a month, no waiting for the complete 6 Acts – which drops in October! As soon as Death Masquerade starts in 3 months, the same applies there! (This Patreon also contains a Veritable Crapton of bonus content, like monthly exclusive short stories, sneak peeks, aesthetics, and art! Patrons can also request writing/bonus stories!)
ARC 1: THE SECRET INGREDIENT IS LOVE. NO, REALLY.
IN WHICH: A cute punk-rock vampire and a disabled firefighter-turned-mall-cop with a dark past join forces to battle the forces of evil. Jude used to leap out of helicopters to rescue/protect people from terrifying infernos. Now, by day, he protects the local mall from rowdy teenagers who ride their skateboards inside. By night, he protects the the parking lot, and the rest of Portland, from undead, bloodsucking creatures of the darkness. Or would if he could find them. But he’s just about ready to give it up (living with PTSD and pain from the traumatic event that cost him a leg, a friend, and a lot more is hard enough), when something crashes into his life. And his window. It’s one of these creatures of the darkness – and he’s a lot less scary than expected. More cuddly, with dark fuzzy wings, and neon-bright hair. His name is Pixie, and he refuses to bite anyone. Assault/murder/draining fluids isn’t punk, even if being a vampire really kind of is. He’s very hungry by now, and the much bigger, meaner, deadlier vamps kick him around on the nightly. Jude would love to find and fight some actual undead bullies. And Pixie could use some help staying… ‘alive.’ Time to make a deal. Together they fight crime. And maybe even heal. Of course, life still sucks when you’re a vampire who refuses to suck blood. Fortunately, there’s a really interesting new barbecue restaurant in the mall, with an intriguing new recipe. (We hear that the secret ingredient is… love. No, really.)
And Coming soon, Stake Sauce’s companion series, Death Masquerade!
150 years ago and several thousand miles away, the story began. And continues. These will both run at the same time, and as usual, Everything Is Connected. (Hi, Chameleon Moon fans!)
DEATH MASQUERADE ARC 1: THE SWEET NIGHT GODDESS (working title)
We pick up in 19th-century Venice, Italy, where we follow Letizia, spell-slinging, rooftop-leaping witch/seer/bounty hunter specializing in vanquishing hordes of the night, and her fabulous opera-star paramour, whose name burns in the brightest lights as she lights up the stage. MonaLisa holds records for most sold-out shows in a consecutive season, and longest full stage name. Her smile will melt your heart… and reveal some very pointy pearly whites. (Letizia knows. She’s cool with it. More than cool.) When the no-nonsense Investigatore Giovanni is called in to address the ominous spike in Venice’s deadly murders, the last thing he wants to hear is that the culprit didn’t have a pulse. These ritualistic killings, all in front of or near cathedrals suggest occult serial attacks, not a monster-of-the-week… but he has to admit, things are getting pretty strange, and he could use a guide on this journey through the city’s underworld. Letizia is that tarot-reading, deadpan-snarking, fiendishly effective guide, and she thinks it’s pretty obvious who/what’s behind these grisly scenes. And it’s not like she’s never dealt with fangs before. She’s got the situation under control… Until another body shows up right outside MonaLisa’s opera house – dedicated to the “Sweet Night Goddess.” Looks like the opera-world darling has an overzealous fan. Or maybe someone knows her secret. Giovanni has a lead. Letizia has an Incentive. MonaLisa has a show to put on, no matter who ends up dead on her doorstep, or who’d like to see her rising star go down in flames. And like in all good masquerades, nothing is as it seems. This story also contains Sweet Priest Nerds, Nonbinary Fire Witches Who Kick Butt, Plague Doctor Masks for Aesthetics and Practicality, More Polyamory… and Bears.
Feel free to request an advance review copy of Stake Sauce, Act 1 (and the first bonus story)! Available in .mobi, .ePub, .pdf and plain .doc forms!
And a huge thank you to the amazing Kraken Collective! These series wouldn’t exist without this wonderful publishing group, and my love is… undying.