R E created the title as she wrote most of the book between Thanksgiving and Christmas. “The title seemed appropriate for the season,” R E said. “Then I started adding in elements to correlate with the old Jimmy Stewart classic.”
“While working in a medical laboratory, I started wondering what would happen if a night-shift phlebotomist was turned into a vampire,” R E said. “It’s A Wonderful Undead Life was inspired as a result of those daydreams.”
The concept of the story is an attention grabber. “It’s her first Christmas season alone after her husband leaves her and her mother dies in a car accident,” R E explained. “Already depressed, Cailey Kantor receives some bad financial news. After getting drunk, she wanders out to the little footbridge spanning the Amber River where she prays for help. Where she’s imagining an angel like Clarence in It’s A Wonderful Life, she’s accosted by a vampire instead. Hoping to start a war between enemy vampire factions, he forces blood stolen from his enemy, Gabe Blautsauger down her throat. It’s enough to start Cailey’s transformation but not enough to finish her turning. Left stunted between the vampire and human worlds, Cailey will die a painful death if Gabe doesn’t rescue her in time.”
It’s A Wonderful Undead Life takes place in Amber Heights, Missouri, a small town nestled in the Ozark region of the state. The town was built along the banks of the Amber River. Roots from the nearby groves of Sassafras trees leaked tannins into the water causing its rich, golden-brown tea color. “Amber Heights is built on a square where the courthouse fills the center,” R E said. “Across the street, encircling the lovely gray stone rotunda, each corner is anchored by a church with shops in-between. Pedestrian paths crisscross the area leading from residential neighborhoods to town and other commercial or medical buildings. The area also boasts a Nature Center with hiking trails along the river and the bluffs surrounding it. There is a waterfall and several picturesque bridges. For humans living in Amber Heights, it is a typical small town where the pace is slow and friendly. Unfortunately, for the vampires also trying to live quietly in their midst, they have run into some problems.”
In It’s A Wonderful Undead Life you’ll meet Cailey Kantor along with her best friend, Morgan Maguire, who are night shift phlebotomists. Newly single, Cailey has purchased a tiny bungalow near the Amber river that has a pedestrian path running between the neighborhood and the Turner/Stoke Medical building where she works.
The hero, Nosferatu Gabriel Blautsauger, is the eldest son of Patriarch Andris Blautsauger. Knowing he’s breaking vampire law, he allows his sister, Dr. Michaela Blautsauger to pester him into giving her a blood sample for testing. Now it’s been stolen and used to stunt a human. He must find and finish her turning in time or she will die. Together Gabe and Cailey must stop war from breaking out between the Nosferatu and the aggressive Toltec factions of vampires.
You’ll also meet Gabe’s brother, Rafe and his sisters, Michaela and Metta. “The Patriarch, Andris Blautsauger is off on his honeymoon with their new stepmother, Colleen,” R E said. The town has a new Council Leader, Cassiopeia Acantha and she has a reputation for being tough. Cailey works with her childhood friend, Morgan Maguire. They are pretty much inseparable. After being attacked and forced to drink vampire blood, Cailey is forced to deceive her friend to keep her safe. Vincent Sabriento, Nosferatu is a traitor working for the Toltecs and the one that attacks Cailey, and Mateo Osvaldo, Toltec leader, hates Andris Blautsauger. Mateo is determined to destroy everything Andris holds dear.
R E explained the key elements of her story. “I believe vampire/romance books have several key elements. There should be a touch of humor, a few moments of ick, and a bit of danger leading up to the happily ever after. Like the old Calgon bath salt commercial, I want my stories to take the reader away for a time. They are fiction and for escapism and entertainment purposes only.”
And there’s more! R E added, “When I first started It’s A Wonderful Undead Life I’d no idea it would turn into The Blautsaugers of Amber Heights series.”
You can find more about R E and her books here:
Web Site: https://www.remullins.com
Blog Site: https://www.remullinsblogspot.com
The Wild Rose Press: https://catalog.thewildrosepress.com/search?controller=search&orderby=position&orderway=desc&search_query=re+mullins&submit_search=
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Its-Wonderful-Undead-Life-Mullins/dp/1612175848
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/its-a-wonderful-undead-life-r-e-mullins/1113910035?ean=2940015802757
Let’s get a closer look at It’s A Wonderful Undead Life.
It's been a rough couple of years for Cailey Kantor. Facing her first Christmas alone and bad financial news, she prays for an angel to fix her problems. Instead, a sadistic, sociopathic vampire, with the goal of starting a vampire war, attacks her and forces her to drink blood stolen from the Nosferatu Gabriel Blautsauger. Gabe must complete Cailey's turning or she will die. In doing so he risks losing his yet unfound soulmate. But something about the lovely mortal speaks to his heart. Once her transformation is complete, he and Cailey find themselves embroiled in a battle that could cost them all they hold dear. Faced with lies, abduction, and betrayal Cailey wonders if the vampire she is falling fangs over heart for is in it for love or if she's just a means to stop a war.
1 comment:
Great fun title. Sounds like a lot of thought went into creating the characters and their backstories. Certainly grabbed my interest.
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