| Author: | Konrad Winters | ISBN: | 9781311430694 |
| Publisher: | Konrad Winters | Publication: | April 30, 2014 |
| Imprint: | Smashwords Edition | Language: | English |
| Author: | Konrad Winters |
| ISBN: | 9781311430694 |
| Publisher: | Konrad Winters |
| Publication: | April 30, 2014 |
| Imprint: | Smashwords Edition |
| Language: | English |
Here's an excerpt from the book:
A heavy fog enveloped much of a park in the most ancient part of Krakow. It rolled along hugging the ground and refusing to diffuse in the grey light before dawn. Two figures burst from the quiet of the park and, trailing swirls of fog behind them, jumped across the street that bordered the park in a blur of motion. The first figure, a woman, skidded to a stop, a long handled sword held tightly in her hand. She swung the sword into a fighting stance, her nerves taunt, and her eyes searching for her attacker. From behind her came a tiny snap and a knife blade narrowly missed her as it flew past her ear to ricochet off a lamppost. She flew at incredible speed across the plaza, her attacker, a gaunt, spindly looking man, was right behind her, matching her moves, step for step. She jumped straight up to the top of a building, the rooftop nearly thirty feet above her as the gangly man lunged for her holding a razor sharp knife in each hand. He would have severed her head had she not anticipated his attack.
She paused a moment, watching below as the fog shrouded his form. He melted into the mist. She knew if she waiting any longer he would attack her there, high above the plaza and in the open where she was vulnerable. She slipped down the roof towards the gutter and swung across to bounce on the awning of the little café. She landed onto the stone pavers with a subtle thump then she slipped slowly into the fog hoping it would conceal her like it did for the vampire chasing her.
She crouched down behind a low stonewall holding her long handled sword, much like the swords that Japanese samurai carried long ago. She scanned the plaza for her pursuer, her eyes and ears straining for any sound or footsteps. Sensing her more than seeing her the vampire stood up quickly and jumped high into the air, much higher than any human could jump. The arc of his jump brought him close to the woman as she ran across the plaza. He planted a foot behind her and swung his body, pivoting with all his force to send his foot into her back. The strength of his blow knocked the wind out of her. Her body rocketed into the street and oncoming traffic. Nearly unconscious, she leaped up to narrowly miss several cars but she couldn’t avoid the large truck behind them. It swerved and skidded across the street as she leaped and twisted to avoid the cars. She slammed into the body of the truck. The blow was so strong that it knocked her unconscious. She flew across the street and through the wrought iron bars of an enormous old gate at the entrance of the city park. The iron bars tore at her body and ripped her clothing to shreds. In the park, beyond the gate, she fell at the foot of a fountain crumpled and dying. Her blood-spattered clothing in tatters, her dhampir body, even with its amazing rejuvenating abilities lay broken and bleeding. The wounds she sustained from the bars of the gate would take months to heal and she knew her attacker would be there any moment to finish the kill. She slowly tried to regain consciousness but the wounds were too much. Naomi lifted her head to face her death.
The Dhampir (an ancient Romanian word for a Vampire Halfling) is a kinder and gentler version of the traditional vampire character, yet still capable of extraordinary feats of strength and agility. The Dhampir is less the monster found in classic literature and more human, of which all of them are, mostly. This conceptual change emphasizes the human qualities of the vampire myth with all the frailties and foibles that are associated with being human. Yes, it's a book about vampires, but I wanted to set the vampire myth on its ear, in a manner of speaking and to explore the romance and adventure from a human perspective.
My rating would be PG-13 for violence and language.
Here's an excerpt from the book:
A heavy fog enveloped much of a park in the most ancient part of Krakow. It rolled along hugging the ground and refusing to diffuse in the grey light before dawn. Two figures burst from the quiet of the park and, trailing swirls of fog behind them, jumped across the street that bordered the park in a blur of motion. The first figure, a woman, skidded to a stop, a long handled sword held tightly in her hand. She swung the sword into a fighting stance, her nerves taunt, and her eyes searching for her attacker. From behind her came a tiny snap and a knife blade narrowly missed her as it flew past her ear to ricochet off a lamppost. She flew at incredible speed across the plaza, her attacker, a gaunt, spindly looking man, was right behind her, matching her moves, step for step. She jumped straight up to the top of a building, the rooftop nearly thirty feet above her as the gangly man lunged for her holding a razor sharp knife in each hand. He would have severed her head had she not anticipated his attack.
She paused a moment, watching below as the fog shrouded his form. He melted into the mist. She knew if she waiting any longer he would attack her there, high above the plaza and in the open where she was vulnerable. She slipped down the roof towards the gutter and swung across to bounce on the awning of the little café. She landed onto the stone pavers with a subtle thump then she slipped slowly into the fog hoping it would conceal her like it did for the vampire chasing her.
She crouched down behind a low stonewall holding her long handled sword, much like the swords that Japanese samurai carried long ago. She scanned the plaza for her pursuer, her eyes and ears straining for any sound or footsteps. Sensing her more than seeing her the vampire stood up quickly and jumped high into the air, much higher than any human could jump. The arc of his jump brought him close to the woman as she ran across the plaza. He planted a foot behind her and swung his body, pivoting with all his force to send his foot into her back. The strength of his blow knocked the wind out of her. Her body rocketed into the street and oncoming traffic. Nearly unconscious, she leaped up to narrowly miss several cars but she couldn’t avoid the large truck behind them. It swerved and skidded across the street as she leaped and twisted to avoid the cars. She slammed into the body of the truck. The blow was so strong that it knocked her unconscious. She flew across the street and through the wrought iron bars of an enormous old gate at the entrance of the city park. The iron bars tore at her body and ripped her clothing to shreds. In the park, beyond the gate, she fell at the foot of a fountain crumpled and dying. Her blood-spattered clothing in tatters, her dhampir body, even with its amazing rejuvenating abilities lay broken and bleeding. The wounds she sustained from the bars of the gate would take months to heal and she knew her attacker would be there any moment to finish the kill. She slowly tried to regain consciousness but the wounds were too much. Naomi lifted her head to face her death.
The Dhampir (an ancient Romanian word for a Vampire Halfling) is a kinder and gentler version of the traditional vampire character, yet still capable of extraordinary feats of strength and agility. The Dhampir is less the monster found in classic literature and more human, of which all of them are, mostly. This conceptual change emphasizes the human qualities of the vampire myth with all the frailties and foibles that are associated with being human. Yes, it's a book about vampires, but I wanted to set the vampire myth on its ear, in a manner of speaking and to explore the romance and adventure from a human perspective.
My rating would be PG-13 for violence and language.
