Exit Stage Left VBT

Blurb:

Megan O'Day seems to be navigating the unpredictable relationship with Geoffrey Drake, her centuries-old vampire guardian angel, rather well. But then his past suddenly rips him from her, forcing her to face the unknown future alone in the gripping sequel to The Stage.

Still bound to Geoffrey through the power of the Link despite his unexplained absence, Megan's mind is flooded with his haunted memories. While she relives the darkest moments of his previous life, she discovers his attachment to a woman who bears a striking resemblance to her.

As she questions Geoffrey's love for her, she strikes up a dangerous alliance with Geoffrey's brother, Alexander, who is also a vampire. She hopes that he will help her find a way to rescue Geoffrey: instead, he seems to be awakening new emotions and desires within her.

As the past and present collide, Megan struggles to fend off Alexander's dark seduction. Is Geoffrey truly beyond the reach of her love forever? If not, what must be sacrificed to bring them back together again?

Excerpt:

An image of Dawn’s mangled, bloody body filled my thoughts, and I stopped sorting through my art supplies. It had happened just before Christmas. There was poor Dawn, distraught over her break-up with Ian, wearing my jack, and waiting in Geoffrey’s car in the alley behind The Stage.

         

They thought Dawn was me.

         

They- The Inner Circle, Geoffrey’s first coven-wanted him back.

         

Marco, his sire, was the head honcho there, and in its prime the coven had been quite large with a very strong presence in the community. As the years passed, its prominence had faded, but Marco still clung to his power. Geoffrey said that the older Marco got the more manipulative, abusive, and obsessive he became. It didn’t make sense. Marco had exiled him, and now he wanted his prized son back, even though Geoffrey’s twin, Alexander, was part of the Inner Circle. To top it off, they wanted me dead. Why? Because I came between Marco and Geoffrey? Was it because of the Link?

Shh, my love, said Geoffrey’s sweet, cool voice though the Link.

         

But I couldn’t keep my thoughts from whirling. Nerdy Chase Montgomery, my neighbor, was Geoffrey’s Guardian- a scholar of immortals, more or less. He was assigned to watch over Geoffrey, but he had trouble staying close to him. So he had followed me instead, filling my apartment with micro-cameras and audio pickups. When Geoffrey finally confronted Chase, I got a look inside his apartment-and at his computer screens. Nearly every inch of my apartment was under surveillance.

         

How fast everything had happened! Only four months ago, I started working at Ashleigh’s bar, The Stage, which was now the hottest club in Seattle. Geoffrey and his family which made up his band, The Darkness, were the house band there, and he and his family lived what they jokingly called an “alternative lifestyle”- even for vampires. Believing our human lives were too short as it is, they found other sources for their drug of choice, blood.

         

By the way, did I say reality bites? Yeah it does. I guess that comes with the territory when the one you love is a vampire. 

Have you ever had an imaginary friend?

Oh my, who as a child, doesn’t have one? Yes, I had a stuffed Pepe’ Le Pew skunk that I was best friends with. I took it everywhere & got into a lot of mischief with that little guy. I would take him on adventures hiking thru the 2 ½ acres worth of woods that was on my childhood home property. Through little streams, over boulders, jumping off of old growth tree stumps and eating huckleberries just to name a few fun times we had together.

Do you have any phobias?

Phobias…hmmm. Well, I don’t particularly like spiders, but it’s not really a phobia. I love heights, enjoy riding in elevators as well as carnival rides, and don’t really fear any type of animal…yet. So not really.

Do you listen to music when you're writing?

Who doesn’t listen to music when creating worlds & characters? Yes I very much do. Depending on what type of scene I’m envisioning, will determine what selection of playlist music will be blasting in my ears. If I want to murder someone…Icelandic dark metal rock will fit the bill. Romantic scene…oldies but goodies from the 70’s or 80’s. I absolutely LOVE Muse. I discovered them due to my best friend and another author that I admire greatly as this author used Muse as her muse as well. Plus the band is on the soundtrack of some of my favorite Vampire movies. When The Stage Book 1 was released, so was the playlist that inspired it, printed on the first few pages of the book plus on my website.

Do you ever read your stories out loud?

This is a double edged sword for me. In the beginning, my wife had purchased a Dragon dictation program for me, which meant I had to speak aloud while training the system to interpret my voice and pronunciation, which turned out to be a disaster for me. I don’t like hearing my voice read my story. Yet there are times that remain where I do read it aloud…to make sure it flows, though I no longer use Dragon.

Tell us about your main character and who inspired him/her.

Megan O’Day…where to begin? Hmmm. Well…this again will be a first to tell the story of. Megan O’Day…is an actual character that at one point in my life that I performed as. About three decades ago, I was a highly active part of the local LGBTQ community and would perform in skits, on stage, lip synching to pop songs and my favorite artists was Ann & Nancy Wilson of Heart, who originated here in the Pacific Northwest Seattle area. Megan O’Day was my stage name. However, shortly after I began performing she became her own persona and hence she was born as part of my stories, a strong survivor. I added other elements to her for the story line. She is a domestic violence survivor and very resilient and resourceful. All of which are elements from myself. Though my background is different from hers a bit…that part will remain with myself until I feel the time is right to share that story. Megan is the smart-ass young adult I wish I could’ve been…I was a bit too shy for that. Though we both share waitressing job experience and I draw on that a lot to Megan’s background, so that she could grow stronger, as I did. I wasn’t one to chit chat with people and by working as a waitress…it’s the fine art of small talk that one needs to survive in the industry. So I guess you could say that I myself was the inspiration for Megan O’Day…modern day heroine!

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Author Bio and Links:

Catherine Russell was born in Tacoma, Washington and raised in a small town just south, South Hill, Puyallup. At the time South Hill was a heavily wooded area and far off the beaten path. Growing up she had the forests as her fantasy world along with the wild animals. She lived with her parents and an older sister. There are a few similarities from her own childhood that have carried over in to her first novel, “The Stage”. As a child, she did have a small dog named Toto, whom she would quite frequently roam the woods with. Her childhood home still stands, and is still nestled in the woods even though South Hill has undergone an extreme makeover since she lived there. She enjoyed hours of day dreaming and playing in the woods, which in turn fed her fantasy world of make believe.

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The Stage Chronicles    |    Barking Rain Press

Amazon Buy Links for The Stage Chronicles:
Book 2 Exit Stage Left    |    Book 1 The Stage

Links for The Stage Chronicles:
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