It’s time for another snippet from one of the soon-to-be-published Candy’s Monsters. I’m hard at work revising this manuscript and preparing to release it in the late spring or early summer. It’s called ‘Bram Stoker’s Summer Sublet.’
Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’ was written in diary entries, letters and occasional news clippings, so I wrote ‘Bram Stoker’s Summer Sublet’ as diary entries, post-it notes, newspaper horoscopes, email, voicemail messages… — you get the picture.
The protagonist is adrift after canceling her wedding. Homeless for a month, she agrees to spend July caring for a dog and a cockatoo in an apartment overlooking Tompkins Square Park in New York City. Perhaps it’s too much TV or listening to a pontificating parrot, but she grows suspicious of the man living in the next apartment and, eventually, comes to the conclusion that he’s a vampire. It’s a big leap, but she’s certain. The evidence is there.
The following is a short excerpt from this work-in-progress.
I followed the pointing finger into a twilight dark room.
There were at least thirty candles, filing the air with the scent of verbena and mint. Electronic relaxation music, droned from hidden speakers. A body lay on the table, wrapped in white gauze — like the princess-mummy in the old Boris Karloff movies. Her eyes were closed and her hair spread out around her in a halo of honey and gold. She looked dead. I mean really dead. I jumped when Catherine opened her eyes — the ancient princess come to life!
“Are you sure you don’t want a nice herbal wrap treatment? I’m sure you could call someone to take care of that dog and you could…”
Catherine was oblivious to my shock at the sound of her voice.
Two MONSTER birthdays today: Happy Day to David and Janice!
-giggles- a herbal wrap? I have to admit I couldn’t imagine how you were going to make this one a comedy but that teaser promises good things 😀
You can’t believe how much fun there is, once you put your mind to it, in the combination of romantic misery and horror.