Thursday, October 31, 2013

Halloween and masks Guest blog and Giveaway with Charles O'Keefe




Halloween is a great time of year; kids get to dress up and go around looking for treats. Adults (with children) get to bring them around the neighbourhood and relive their own trick or treating memories and of course, there’s Halloween parties and horror films. When I was out trick or treating (which I’ll admit was over 25 years ago) people were trusted a lot more. There used to be someone down the street who made homemade candy apples, my parent’s didn’t even question it, I took it home and ate it. There was no checking candy, no worries about allergies, no having my parents close by. I just filled up a pillowcase of candy and then came back for another if it was a nice night. I lived in (still do) a small town and I guess people just knew their neighbours. I wore the same crappy costumes as anyone else but we always had fun. Enough of my reminiscing, let’s talk about masks.

Masks are used for all sorts of reasons, whether it’s a doctor wearing a surgical one or a bank robber wearing a ski-mask, they are practical and the reason for their uses are obvious. Masks, as we know, can be used for a lot of other occasions though. Here in Newfoundland we have a tradition called mummering and of course masks are often part of costumes used at Halloween parties, conventions or masquerade balls.  For me personally I have always been fascinated with them, some masks are meant to scare, others to amuse, some are just to hide your identity, some are meant for certain occasions, their variety and uses are vast and are important part of our society. I think it’s amazing how someone you know is instantly hidden by a mask, for me you get this uneasy feeling when you don’t know who someone is. I’m not even sure why I feel this way, I just do.

So of course in books my vampires do find occasions to wear masks. In book 2 “Killer on the Road” Cassandra, the main female character, decides to take justice in her own hands. While she doesn’t wish to be caught, she does have a sense of style (and is starting to be a little geeky in her own way). Cassandra decides to wear a Catwoman mask as she likes the character and finds the mask at a comic book store. I loved the masks from the Roman era and as such one of the villains in my book, the Emperor Commodus, also loves to wear this mask:



           Yes I know it wasn’t the emperor who wore it in the movie, that’s the benefit of being a writer, I can have whatever I like in my world. So what masks do you love? What’s your favourite Halloween costume? Have a happy Halloween everyone, get some candy, wear a mask and don’t lose the fun and wonder that this unique day has to offer.



The Newfoundland Vampire
Book II: Killer on the Road
Charles O’Keefe

Genre: Horror / Paranormal / Romance / Vampire

Publisher: Penumbra Publishing
Date of Publication: August 31, 2013

ISBN-10: 1938758293
ISBN-13: 978-1938758294
ASIN: B00EWTYM3G

Number of pages: 193
Word Count: 74,020

Cover Artist: Nils Dannemann


Amazon UK    BN

Book Description:

Joseph O’Reily is still adjusting to the lifestyle and the dangers that come with being a new vampire. He and Cassandra recently fought to the death with Cassandra’s estranged husband John Snow, and now Joseph has experienced his first ménage a trios, as only a vampire can. As if all of this was not complicated enough, he and Cassandra have been tasked with hunting down and killing a rogue vampire, Donald Rathmore.

Another of John Snow’s creations, Donald is an evil misogynistic killer in his own right. Donald has no interest in avenging his creator’s death, but killing Cassandra is at the top of his list.

While Donald continues his murderous spree, Joseph and Cassandra always seem to be one step behind him. The chase is further complicated as they encounter other vampires and learn more about the mysterious nature of the Vampire Council and the coming war between good and evil.

Joseph is only now beginning to trust Cassandra, and this trust will be shaken when he discovers she has even more secrets than he imagined. Her idea of justice and morality is at complete odds with his own. Despite all his powers and growing skill, Joseph is tested physically as a vampire and emotionally by Cassandra. This time the answers and challenges may be too much for the young vampire to handle.


About the Author:

Charles O’Keefe lives in the beautiful province of Newfoundland, Canada, with his wife and two feline ‘children,’ Jude and Esther.

He works in IT support and enjoys many hobbies and activities that include writing, reading, watching fantasy/science-fiction movies and television shows, gaming, poker, walking, Pilates, and of course fantasizing about vampires.

To find out more about Charles, go to Twitter and Facebook or visit his web site. http://www.charlesokeefe.com/




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1 comments:

Charles O'Keefe said...

Hi Roxanne :)

Thanks for putting up my post and doing such a great job with my blog tour. Have a Happy Halloween and I'll talk to you soon!

Charles