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
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.
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/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/TheNLVampire
1 comments:
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
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