After my mega 70th birthday party I barely had time to get sick and (sort of) recover when it was time to pack up and head to Big Sur for my niece’s wedding.
When your kid gets married, it’s a lot of work. Aside from travel, it’s zero work when your niece gets married, and you get to hang out with family and friends in lovely surroundings. I recommend it. Only problem was, I’d given my respiratory bug to my beloved, and he was under the weather for our entire trip.
Even so, we spent a lot of time at the beach. Big Sur deserves its rep as one of the most spectacular places on the planet. Got to stick my feet in the Pacific, which totally felt like home even after five years in North Carolina.
Now, mind you, all this happened within a month of publishing Vampires of a Certain Age, so I’ve not had time to focus on the book launch as much as I’d like. So it’s great to discover the comments from people who have read the new novel. Here are two examples from Goodreads:
“If only this book was an HBO series. The concept is brilliant. It spans the Middle Ages, with its prejudice against women (and witches) and the ingenious ways women are able to stick together and defend one another, all the way to a 21st century city-scape where vampires do the night watch at a blood bank.”
--Reece
“From Medieval England to the modern Midwest, Vampires of a Certain Age tackles the suppression of women’s rights, details the evolution of the blood bank, and illuminates the lore of vampires, all while telling the very human story of love lost and found. With sparkling prose and engaging characters, Fosse creates the best vampire novel I’ve ever read.”
--Grace Marcus
If you have read the new novel, I would so much appreciate your honest review on Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or wherever you review books. Reader reviews make a huge difference! They are the best way for readers to decide whether a book is worth their money and, more importantly, their time.
And if you have not yet read Vampires of a Certain Age, I hope these reviews will encourage you to do so. What better Halloween entertainment than a novel about the rise of the matriarchal vampire?
Please also consider signing up for National Novel Writing Month, which begins November first. NaNoWriMo is a great way to bypass your Inner Critic. When you’re writing fifty thousand words in a month, it’s almost impossible to criticize your own writing – there simply is no time. And while you’re on the NaNoWriMo site, look up my NaNo group for “Seasoned Women Writing Erotica/Romance.” Hope to see you there!
Speaking of which, after two years writing first drafts of novels for NaNoWriMo, I’ll be a rebel this year and edit a project that is partly completed (Shh! Don’t tell!). The Well-Seasoned Romance will be a book for women writers past midlife detailing the ins and outs of writing and selling your late-life love story. The shell is already written, and I’ll add examples from the new vampire romance to flesh out the book. My great cover designer, Diana Rosinus, is hard at work on a well-seasoned cover. Look for this how-to-write book, along with online classes, in late 2023 or early 2024. Make your New Year’s resolution to write your vivid story and join the fun revolution!
I write all this against the backdrop of horrific events in Ukraine and the Middle East. Even in my eighth decade, after a lifetime of wars and famines in far-off places, it is hard to fathom that our good fortune exists alongside so much devastation. We know from our experience with gun violence in the United States that thoughts and prayers are not enough. I hope you will join me in donating to Doctors Without Borders, and let us seek other ways to help those affected by the ongoing tragedies across the Atlantic.
Toni Morrison wrote that “This is precisely the time when artists go to work—not when everything is fine, but in times of dread. That’s our job!” And in that spirit, let’s all keep the pen moving (or the keys clicking). It is our job, our privilege, and our joy.
With all best wishes for a great November,
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