"This time, it was a restaurant where we met. She had reserved a private dining room in one of the more expensive steakhouses on the main road through town. There was a fire crackling brightly in a limestone hearth against one wall and an elaborately decorated Christmas tree in one corner. It all seemed too shiny to me when I walked in with Jackson a step behind. Somehow, it seemed wrong to meet with an ancient vampire in a room so cheerfully arranged for Christmas visitors.
As it turned out, she was not alone. There were four male vampires in the room with her. Based on their casual body language, I didn’t believe they were Teddy’s bodyguards. Two had joined her at the large dining table, their faces eerily similar to each other. Both looked primordial with deep violet shadows under their eyes and grim creases around their gray lips. It looked as if Teddy was about to have lunch with two corpses."
Copyright © 2011 by Stephanie J. Wright
There are so many reasons that I love this picture. It reminds me of Sarah and Messenger, of course... But it also represents a kind of freedom and courage that makes life worth living.
Some of the things that Sarah has experienced come directly from the pages of my life. One of them is her fear of riding. Yes, I get scared being up on a horse. But I love being around them and really want to ride. I want to do what the girl in this picture is doing. In three days, I will be trying it again.
When somebody gives up fear in one part of their life, sometimes it can move them to be more fearless in other pursuits. That is my hope. When I get up on that horse and urge it forward, I hope to find some extra strength within myself that I forgot was there. I also hope that it gives new life to my writing.
I've already begun to feel something change. In the last few days, as I've been working on Redemption there have been moments when I started to doubt the quality of what I'd written. But instead of throwing up my hands and walking away from the computer, I threw aside my misgivings and wrote from the heart. Hopefully, what you will read in The Vampire's Redemption will reflect a new courage. A new kind of hope.
The Vampire's Warden was my first true effort at writing a book. Even though I've been dreaming up stories about girls and horses since I was ten, it took until I was forty to actually make it happen. I know it also reads like a first book. My husband and I have discussed the possibility of me rewriting Warden. The problem is that I'm far too eager to explain who I am and what I've been through. Warden is where it started. It may not win any awards, but it was a good start.
With Redemption, I want to drag my readers into the story and "wow" them. I want them to feel what Sarah feels and see what she sees. I want them to know that my writing is improving and that I'm trying to reach into the very soul of this story in order to tell it. I intend to do my very best.
I hope everybody had a wonderful holiday and a very happy New Year!
I just wanted to jump on and tell you all how grateful I am that you've been reading my books and how much I appreciate each one of you. For those of you who are lucky enough to have your family close, make sure to give everybody an extra hug and kiss. Hold your loved ones close and don't take anything for granted during these busy holidays. There are so many members of our military who are not able to be with their families during this special time of year.
Let's all count our blessings. Thank you again for reading my stuff and Happy Holidays to everyone!
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