Guest Blog: Blood Slave by Kathleen Collins

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Vampires in Cinema 

I love vampires. I always have. That’s probably why I write about them. Tonight I went to retro movie night with my kids. Before the show (Monty Python and the Holy Grail, in case you were wondering) they were showing previews for the next several retro nights. And playing at the end of October is one of my favorite vampire movies of all time, The Lost Boys.

There’s just something about that movie that sucks me in every time it’s on. I still remember the first time I watched it and my surprise at the ending. Below are my top ten favorite vampire films in no particular order.

1. Bram Stoker’s Dracula – This one makes the list purely due to Gary Oldham’s performance
2. The Lost Boys as we’ve already discussed
3. Blade Trinity – I like them all but the third one is my favorite. Ryan Reynolds and Jessica Biel make that movie for me.
4. Buffy the Vampire Slayer – This movie makes me laugh every time.
5. Underworld – The original one only. I’ve seen the others but could take them or leave them. The original one though I can watch again and again. The whole werewolf vs vampire thing has gone on for a long time, but this movie does it so well.
6. The original Fright Night – a campy classic that I could watch over and over again.
7. Van Helsing – Okay, so there is some overacting and some crappy accents but come on it’s Hugh Jackman. And the weapons are awesome.
8. Shadow of the Vampire – this is a fictional telling of the making of the classic film Nosferatu. I love this movie. It is wonderfully creepy and the acting is brilliant.
9. And speaking of…Nosferatu has to make the list. – if you haven’t seen this classic, you definitely should
10.  From Dusk till Dawn – Quentin Tarantino does vampires. What else do you need to know?

Two bonus movies which are kid appropriate: 

11. Hotel Transylvania – My whole family loves this animated film. It’s hilarious. And as a bonus the sequel comes out this month
12. The Monster Squad – This eighties film covers not just Dracula, but several other classic horror movie monsters as well all being taken on by a group of kids. This one can be a little scary if you have sensitive kids, but mine love it.
So which favorites of yours did I miss? Are there any on my list that you just hate?

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Kathleen Collins lives and works in Missouri. By day, she labors in the local prosecutor's office. At night she writes while surrounded by her husband, two boys and two loveable mutts. She is constantly thinking of her next project and loves to connect with her readers. You can fine her most often on Facebook or on her website.

Find Kathleen and her books

Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

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Blood Slave
Realm Walker #3
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Can she find a killer in a town where the basest desires are allowed to run free?

There are zombies in the Dead Zone and Juliana Norris is sent to take care of the problem. And for there to be zombies, there had to be bodies. When vampires are found to be the culprits, Juliana is sent undercover in the red light district of Kansas City. Lying to her mate, Thomas Kendrick, isn’t something she wants to do, but she’s in another vampire’s territory and Thomas would not be pleased. Besides, she’s more than capable of doing the job and she needs to prove it to everyone. Most of all herself.

Charles Morgan is in control of the Kansas City area, making a rich living off his various enterprises. Juliana goes undercover at the strip club Lust and gets sucked into his dark, decadent world. More victims turn up and the Agency is positive they’ve got their man, but Juliana is not so sure. When the Agency refuses to listen, she reluctantly turns to Thomas for help. He intervenes but finds Juliana unaware of the danger she is in and discovers she may just be too deep for him to save.

Excerpt #1:

The zombie Pomeranian yipped at Nathaniel in between growling and tugging at the leg of his jeans. Juliana pulled her foot back to kick the creature away from her friend and made ready to bring her sword down on it as soon as it was clear.

“Don’t,” Nathaniel protested as he held up a still-clawed hand. “You might hurt it.”

Her brows arched up into her hairline. “That would be the general idea.” The thing growled again and she looked down at it where it was doing its utmost to gnaw a hole through Nathaniel’s jeans. And she wasn’t entirely sure it would stop when it got to skin. I realize you have a particu-lar kinship with all things canine, but it’s gnawing on your leg.”

“Just my jeans.” Now back in fully human form, he bent and disengaged the dog from the denim.

“Easy there, boy. Good dog.” When the Pomeranian continued to express its displeasure with the situation in general and Nathaniel in particular, he lifted the beast above his head, looked at it nose to nose and growled back. Evidently recognizing an alpha even in its altered state, the dog curled in on itself and whimpered before darting its tongue out to lick Nathaniel’s nose. Juliana grimaced. Zombie breath couldn’t be pretty.

“See, he doesn’t mean any harm,” her friend said as he tucked the abomination under one arm. Their scruffy brown hair made them look surprisingly similar.

She blinked at him in disbelief before taking another look at the creature in question. When she bent closer, it growled and she straightened with a huff. “She.”

“What?”

“She. Name tag says Fifi. Last time I checked that was a girl’s name.”

Nathaniel snorted in derision. “Fifi. What a prissy name.”

“Hate to break it to you, partner, but that is a prissy dog. And it smells like mold.”