Sunday, July 29, 2012

Unholy Embrace a ovel by Neil Benson - a female vampire kills two werewolves

A mortal man watches his beautiful female vampire lover kill two werewolves.


. I heard a shrill howl that made my neck hairs stand. Nessa pushed me behind her and turned to face the alleyway. A dark, hairy body raced at her, emitting a growling sound I had heard only in horror movies.

Nessa ducked, put her hands under the creature, and flipped it headfirst into a dark blue delivery truck. A second, dark hairy body emerged from the alleyway, growling as it displayed three-inch incisors glistening with saliva. When the second creature tried to bite Nessa, she grabbed its throat and snapped its head backward. She snarled, sank her fangs into the creature's neck, and ripped through an artery, killing it instantly.


The first creature rose and started to charge Nessa when I moved to tackle it.


“No,” Nessa yelled, putting herself between the creature and me. It swiped a hairy paw at her head, but she ducked, spun about, and grabbed its throat from behind. With a squeeze of her hands, I heard bones cracking. When she let go the creature, it fell to the ground.


Nessa looked around us for several minutes, sniffing the air with her eyes closed.


“Any more of them?” I asked. “Whatever they are.”


“I don’t smell or hear anything for several blocks,” she replied. “You just had your first opportunity to see werewolves in action.” Nessa glanced at the creatures she had killed.


“They weren't in action for long.” I examined the paws of the nearest werewolf. Five inch-long claws, tapering from one inch around at the base to a razor-sharp tip, were lethal weapons.




Unholy Embrace  is a swift paced, action-packed novel about the relationship between a mortal man and his immortal female vampire lover as they fight werewolves, vampires, and other creatures in their effort to kill a soul eating demon.

If this sounds interesting, and I hope it does, please follow the link and read the reviews on Amazon.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Meeting with a Vampire in Bucharest - a Fictional true story

We were disappointed that we spent 10 days in the Carpathian Mountains of Romania without meeting a single vampire. Disappointment changed to joy when my host, Gustave, informed me that he had arranged for a meeting with a five hundred year-old vampire in Bucharest. Driving through the Transfagarasan Pass on our way to Budapest was an exciting moment, one that I will never forget.

We stayed at the Kempinski Hotel Corvinus, probably Budapest's finest hotel. After a delicious dinner of cooked cabbage rolls, a traditional Romanian meal, I slept for several hours before a midnight meeting with the vampire, who I will call Mr. Radescu. For obvious reasons, I cannot mention his name or given any information that would identify him.

We went to his luxury apartment in the downtown city center, near the financial district Mr. Radescu, a ruggedly handsome and urbane vampire, is about 6'4" tall and somewhat slender. He wore a fine English tailored suit and spoke without any trace of an accent. His apartment was furnished in the Art Deco style, which he said reminded him of a time when he enjoyed his existence very much. Mr. Radescu offered us some fine Romanian wine, but because of the lateness of the hour, I declined to accept any.

Gustave and I sat on a sofa opposite Mr. Radescu who seemed comfortable on an odd-looking chair. He was charming, as well as gracious, and answered almost all the questions we asked. He told us how a vampire attacked him over five hundred years ago and of the years that followed. He was quite apologetic for the injuries and deaths he caused since that time, and told us that he stopped taking blood from humans early in the 18th century. He spent the next 200 years taking blood from farm animals, which did not provide all the required blood contents and left him perpetually weak. Mr. Radescu was delighted when whole blood became available. He was able to regain his strength and had not had any human blood up until fifteen years ago.

He chuckled when he told us about the impact of Ann Rice's novels throughout Europe and the flourishing of the vampire subculture among the youth of Romania. One night he ventured into one of the underground nightclubs, and was suprised when a young woman approached him and offered him some of her blood. When he declined, she was offended and walked away. By the end of the evening he had learned more about the culture, and when another young lady offered him some of her blood, they went back to his apartment where he took a modest amount of blood from her wrist.

Since then, he has been able to sustain most of his need for blood by going to clubs where young men and women offer him as much as he wants. Mr. Radescu was quite amused by the sudden romanticization of the vampire and had seen most of the recent movies. His thoughts and observations about the current times were quite illuminating. All in all, it was a wonderful chance to meet an extraordinarily interesting vampire. Before we left, he made it clear that Vlad Tepes was not a vampire despite all the books that had been written. Tepes had committed horrible atrocities, and he defended Romania from infidels seeking to conquer it. Mr. Radescu invited us to drop by again if we were ever in Bucharest. It was the highlight of my trip, and one of the great experiences of my life.


Sunday, July 22, 2012

Review of the Vampire Novel Unholy Embrace by Trish Martin of Horror News



REVIEWED BY "TRISH MARTIN" http://www.horrornews.net/


Unholy Embrace by Neil Benson is the story of a romantic and dangerous love affair between a beautiful, ages-old vampire and a mortal man. This story is enchanting and sexy with an edge of excitement. Not only do we read about vampires but of werewolves and demons. The New York night life and seedy underbelly do well to create a dangerous atmosphere. I enjoyed reading about the main character’s blossoming relationship but also the horrific demons and monsters that lurk about in the night. Nessa Harcanu is the sexy vampire born in 1597 in a small town near Budapest.

Though Nessa is voluptuous and sultry, she posses a power beyond mortal imagination. She becomes involved with a mortal man named Frank Thornton who is an attractive architect that is skeptical about the existence of vampires and demons. Also joining the story are members of the Meyer family of which Nessa becomes close with early on in her life as a vampire; they come to serve her and assist her with her needs throughout the ages. We also come across a weaker vampire named Narice whom, after her master is killed by Nessa, begins following Nessa waiting to exact her revenge. There are a few other characters we run across in the story who serve as a backdrop in the evolvement of the two main characters. The interaction with these other characters gives us insight to the character’s lives and personalities.

Nessa’s tale of how she became a vampire and her life up until present day is one of intrigue and even sadness. Frank listens to Nessa’s story and becomes even more enchanted with her and begins to understand her a little better. Their relationship is really one of master and subservient, Nessa the master and Frank the subservient. Even with the uneven balance of power the relationship between the two becomes stronger and the need to protect one another grows. The appearance of a demon creates more drama and trouble for the two and they realize in order to save humanity they must defeat this demon in any way possible.

I would classify this story as less horror and more romantic suspense but it is still a wonderful and exciting tale. As I delved deeper into the book I found it hard to put down. It is definitely an easy read and isn’t cluttered with unnecessary plot and lag time. There were times of some light eroticism mixed in with story to give it an edge above the teeny-bopper vampire love stories. Also we examine great power within Nessa making her almost super-heroine like in her conquests. Frank’s mind is torn between his deep love of Nessa and his wish for normalcy in his life. My only complaint as far as this novel was concerned was that I felt that the ending was a tad rushed; I felt that maybe the writer was a little unsure of how to resolve the conflict without creating more trouble for the characters.

Neil Benson has a rare talent for creating a story where you can identify and truly care about what happens to the characters. Giving life to character’s like Nessa and Frank enables the reader to walk in the footsteps of the characters, getting more in-depth in the story and almost being able to see the world through their eyes. I would also have to give Neil Benson props on creating a dueling perspective between the characters; by doing this we can see the story from the perspective of both Nessa and Frank. I would highly recommend this book to all vampire lovers out there and especially those who enjoy romantic flights of fancy.
 
 http://www.amazon.com/Unholy-Embrace-ebook/dp/B003O2SE0O/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1342997833&sr=8-2 

Monday, July 16, 2012

Attacked by a Psychic Vampire - a fictional true story by Neil Benson



I was sitting on a stool in my neighborhood pub drinking a pint of my favorite brew, when a black-haired, swarthy man of middle height approached me. I looked at him while he stared at me. I turned away, hoping he would disappear into the men's room. Unfortunately, I could feel his eyes boring into my back, and I knew he wouldn't go away.

I turned to him and asked, "Is there something you want?"

He continued staring at me without showing any indication he had heard what I had said.

"Okay, stare away," I said, and glared at him. After a while, the intensity of his gaze became disconcerting.

"You are the person that wrote the article stating that psychic vampirism is nonsense?" he asked in a strange foreign accent.

"I wrote a post on my blog to that effect," I replied.

"Same thing," he said. "You think psychic vampirism is a joke?"

"I don't know if it's a joke, but it's certainly not real." His intense gaze continued to bother me.

"Perhaps you need to learn a lesson in humility," he said tersely.

"Life has humbled me many times, but I don't see you as tonight's teacher."

"Perhaps a demonstration is in order," he said opening his eyes wider.

Suddenly, I began to feel dizzy and leaned forward. I wasn't sure what was happening, but I knew I needed to steady myself. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and visualized a peaceful blue sky. I slowed my breathing until I felt relaxed and the dizziness had disappeared. Time to face this character down.

I raised my head and he maneuvered his so that his eyes were in contact with mine. I continued my slow rhythmic breathing and returned his stare. This time it had no effect on me.

He squinted and his forehead furrowed as if he were trying to intensify his stare. Beads of perspiration broke out on his forehead and above his upper lip.

Feeling more confident, I smiled at him.

"Grrrhh," he said as he leaned forward, bringing his face closer to mine.

"Enough of this B.S. I said."  I put the palm of my hand against his chest and shoved him backward.

He had difficulty maintaining his balance and bumped into a large, muscular blonde-haired man. The Nordic-looking fellow pushed him away. The swarthy stranger opened his mouth without saying anything. He righted himself, but when he looked at me all of his confidence was gone, and his eyes were confused.

By this time he had attracted the attention of Mike the bartender. "Hey, buddy. We don't need any trouble around here. If you wanna drink, fine. If not, get out," Mike said.

The swarthy man shook his head, turned, and walked out the door.

"Neil, who the hell was that guy?" asked Mike.

"A wannabe psychic vampire," I said, and laughed.

"A what?" Mike raised his eyebrows.

"Never mind," I said, and picked up my mug to finish my beer.

As Mike walked away, I called out, "Another beer please." 

 


Unholy Embrace  is a swift paced, action-packed novel about the relationship between a mortal man and his immortal female vampire lover as they fight werewolves, vampires, and other creatures in their effort to kill a soul eating demon.

If this sounds interesting, and I hope it does, please follow the link and read the reviews on Amazon.