6 April Updates

Here is this week’s sneak preview – a short story provionally entitled Vampire: Beneficence, to be published as the first story in the new Short Stories Volume III along with The Jesus Monster. The punctuation may seem a little strange without the paragraphs before this excerpt but it is correct.

Vampires: Beneficence

On a warm evening at the end of the 2010 summer, I was stalking the Vicar of St James Church in Clerkenwell. I am what is commonly called a vampire, d’you see …?
“Let me get one thing straight, though. We have been around forever. Homo Sapiens wouldn’t be Home Sapiens without us. We are the more evolved manifestation of the species. I know all this because I was once a writer, and have spent many lifetimes researching the subject. I have even visited the far-past … but that is another story …
“I was lurking in the shadows beneath the trees in Clerkenwell Close at about 10 pm when the present Vicar stepped out of the Church, and locked the doors. It was a fine evening, inky black in the shadows, cool, midnight blue in the sky apart from an exquisite halo around the full moon. The Vicar, quite understandably, stood there for a few moments, enjoying the sounds and smells of a summer evening. I too listened to a moment to the whispering of the trees in the gentle waft of air that flickered around my face. I cannot smell earthly smells as well as the Vicar but the resinous smell of the pine behind me was divine.
“The tall, elegant man in a dark suit at the top of the stone steps, descended and walked towards me. I stepped out of the shadows.
‘You! I … I wasn’t expecting you …’ he exclaimed, stopped in his tracks.
‘I wanted to talk to you. Let’s go somewhere quiet.’
‘Yes. It’s not safe here. We can sit in my car.’
‘You have a car? Hm! How times change!’
‘I have been told you are warming to our idea?’ I asked cautiously, once he had closed the door of his gleaming white car.
‘Yes. I have thought about it a lot. I would need something from you, though … for it to work, in my view.’
‘What is that?’
‘A large supply …of manna. Can you get it? If you can … regularly … enough for the Church’s use, I would be on-board.’
“I smiled at the nautical term. I delight in such linguistic niceties. ‘Perhaps. Perhaps, yes! When would you want the first … delivery?’
‘Before Sunday? Early Sunday morning would be best. Fresh!’
‘Very well. Sunday it is.’ I noticed a photograph of an attractive, natural red-haired girl stuck to the dashboard. ‘Yours?’ He nodded.
‘Sad’ I thought.

Other Updates
As mentioned I am finally publishing The Jesus Monster for sale as part of Short Stories Volume III. I will also include the first chapters of Ordo Lupus and the Temple Gate, and Too Bright the Sun, for free for those that want to try them. The Jesus Monster will be slightly edited from the original – first published live on Twitter as I wrote, in April 2011 (I think). I will be incorporating some changes based on feedback from readers. Pubishing live on Twitter as you write is fun, but it does tend to make the story more linear than one would like.

Elsewhere
The MotoGp season is here at last! I can’t wait for the race tomorrow. I have been watching every practice. I really hope that Valentino Rossi can deliver; win at least one race. It would be such a shame for a career such as his to be curtailed by the sad death of his friend Simoncelli, which I am sure must have affected him. Besides, there is still the all-time record of wins by Agostini to chase. His is probably past his best now, but only Rossi has a chance of doing this.

Cyborg II
I also saw Cyborg II on TV. Not a great film although better than I expected for a cheap sequel. As I did expect, Jack Palance completely stole the picture. And you could only see his mouth! In negative! That’s real acting for you. Angelina Jolie was okay and looked very young. Still had amazing lips. She also looked suprisingly alluring – before her enhancement. Makes you wonder why she did it …