I suspect there’s going to be a lot of pessimists this year.
Happy New Year, everyone! Change is in the air– let’s hope it sweeps 2020 into oblivion…
Cheers,
Aspasía S. Bissas
Author
I suspect there’s going to be a lot of pessimists this year.
Happy New Year, everyone! Change is in the air– let’s hope it sweeps 2020 into oblivion…
Cheers,
Aspasía S. Bissas
It’s been a while since we last put something together, but Peter Wyn Mosey and I are back with a new poetry collaboration. Here’s my piece:
There are whispers that crash
like screams;
You used to understand that
before you disappeared
into someone else’s tattered dreams.
And there are screams that come out
as silence;
I had to learn that
when your absence started feeling like violence.
There’s too much of you left
to let me break free;
Woven, twisted,
tangled through my thoughts;
I’m echoes held together by memory.
Read Peter’s response piece here and let him know what you think (make sure to follow his blog too!)
Cheers,
Aspasía S. Bissas
Note to the reader: the following text is transcribed from a document found in the crawlspace of an old row house in Montreal, Quebec. The owner of the building sent it to a local historical association, who are now sharing it in hopes that someone might have more information.
Interview with "Mara," a young woman who claims to be a vampire By J.S., editor at large April 5, 1918. J.S.: Could you please state your name for the record? M: You can call me Mara. J.S.: Is that your real name? M: Real enough. It's the only one I have left. J.S.: Could you tell me what you said when we met earlier tonight? M (does not reply) J.S.: When we met, I asked what a young lady was doing out alone in the middle of the night. How did you respond? M (smiles): I told you that I am a vampire. J.S.: A vampire--like Mr. Stoker's Count Dracula? M: As far as I know, he is fictional. I am not. J.S.: What would you say to those who don't believe in such creatures as vampires? M: Your lack of belief doesn't make me any less real. J.S.: How long do you claim to have been a vampire? M: Most of my life. J.S.: How long is that? M: Isn't it impolite to ask a lady her age? J.S.: Do you drink blood? M: Of course. J.S.: Where do you get it? M: Wherever I can find it. J.S.: From animals? M: No. J.S.: Do you have a reflection? M (gets up and walks to the lavatory. She stares into the mirror over the sink): It would seem so. J.S.: Can you turn into a bat? M (does not reply) J.S.: How many other vampires are there? M: More than your kind would care to consider. J.S.: My kind? You mean mankind? Human beings? M: Yes. J.S.: Do you pay attention to human events? What do you think of the Great War? M: I wish I could be there, in the thick of it. J.S.: Do you mean as a nurse? M (laughs) J.S.: Why do you want to be at the front? Isn't it dangerous? M: The danger is why. It's all death and chaos. People die, people go missing--no one gives it a second thought. Vampires do well in times of war. J.S.: If that is the case, why aren't you there? M: Someone else is there. He's looking for me. I do not wish to be found. J.S.: Who is there? M: You should worry about the illness instead of my acquaintances. J.S.: The illness? Are you referring to the Spanish Flu? There are rumours of epidemic. M: The rumours are correct--the influenza is spreading rapidly. I can smell it in the air. J.S.: You can smell it? That must be handy. M: It helps us to choose. J.S.: What do you mean by 'choose'? M: Most of us prefer blood from healthy specimens. J.S.: And the rest? M: We find those who don't have long. Some consider it a kindness. J.S.: Why are you telling me this? M (does not reply) J.S.: I don't have the Flu. M: No, you have something deeper. In your bones. J.S.: Oh, really? What does that smell like? M: Like sour chalk and dry rot. J.S.: Rot is right. You expect me to believe such nonsense? M: What about that ache that never seems to go away? It's been getting worse, hasn't it? J.S. (reluctant to respond) J.S.: I have an appointment to see a doctor. M: He won't be able to help you. J.S.: How do you know? M: They rarely can. J.S.: Then what can anyone do for me? M: I could prescribe you herbs, but they won't help, either. J.S.: A vampire and an apothecary? That is quite the combination. M: I learned my trade young and found that it pays to keep humans healthy. J.S.: Is that it, then? All you can offer are ineffectual balms? M: I can also offer you a kindness. J.S.: You mean death. M: Some prefer it to suffering. J.S.: What if I refuse? M: It's your choice. You have time to decide, but not much. J.S.: Where are you going? M: I have other business to attend to. I'll return in a fortnight. Tell me then what you've decided. J.S.: Will it hurt? M: I can make it so it doesn't. M leaves and I finish recording our exchange. I don't know why, perhaps for posterity. I am unsure how to proceed.
Love Lies Bleeding: Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books
Blood Magic: Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books
Tooth & Claw: Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books
If you prefer a good paperback to an ebook, order Love Lies Bleeding from Bookshop – a portion of each sale goes directly to independent bookstores, as well as to myself. Thank you for supporting indie! ♥
Cheers,
Aspasía S. Bissas
Click to read my FREE short story Umbra’s Wake. The shadows have teeth…
Cheers,
Aspasía S. Bissas
Finding time for writing has been difficult these days, as I’m packing and preparing to move (and still looking for a new place too– yikes). But I did manage this quick collaboration with Peter Wyn Mosey. What do you think?
Moving, always moving, from place to place.
Accumulating more but never keeping it,
never keeping anything of value.
She kept looking for something,
something true,
something worth staying for.
Something she would never find.
Moving to escape the lonely places,
but they always followed.
Read Peter’s response piece here. Don’t forget to like or leave a comment while you’re there 🙂
Cheers,
Aspasía S. Bissas