Who Is Mistral Dawn?

Mistral Dawn is a thirty-something gal who has lived on both coasts of the US but somehow never in the middle. She currently resides in the Southeast US with her kitty cats (please spay or neuter! :-)) where she works as a hospital drudge and attends graduate school. Taken By The Huntsman is her first effort at writing fiction and if it is well received she has ideas for several more novels and short-stories in this series. Please feel free to visit her on FaceBook or drop her a line at mistralkdawn@gmail.com

Sunday, October 23, 2016

#RRBC #Spotlight #Tour: #Vigilante Annie Scarlotte By Robert Kimbrell!



What If We Had No Choice But To Suck?

The other day I chose to let my imagination go for a bit, because lately I have been feeling rather creative. And many of you know, that feeling of creativity can be very liberating-even addicting.

I began to wonder what our world would be like if we were all vampires. Imagine this: an apocalyptic scenario. You are citizen of a vampire clan of maybe two to three hundred. Scarce resources have pushed all of you to the underground permanently. You must hide from the violent evildoers above ground. Yes, you could chose to fight (at night), but you have the need to preserve the few remaining lives left in your line of bloodsuckers.

When dynamics become strained, as with any group of beings, conflict ensues, complicating everyone’s daily existence. Amid the hunger and deprivation and the feeling of imprisonment, there is one choice left. To survive, each member must become a surrogate. Used to being the bloodsucker, each individual must now become a source of blood for another. The point is this: (The impetus to set up the story being only relevant for setting up the questions.) How would sharing among each other change their lives? How would interactions change? How would their world change by tasting each others blood?

I’d like to think the intimate act would bring them all gradually closer. Constantly depending on another for life. Touching…feeling…giving…taking. A new respect would be born. In essence, “Yes, here. Bite me, suck from me, let me give you life. And I know you will give me life someday.”

"Yes. Thank you, my friend."

It would be hard to hate, hard to have a divisive attitude or even pick a fight with someone whom you would feed from in the future. You would see and come to appreciate the person you see on the outside, and be reminded each time that they are all the same as you on the inside.



Book Blurb:

Because Annie has no recollection of her birth parents, her life is full of unknowns. Still, she seems relatively content with her simple existence in Washington, DC. Marcus, her new Italian boyfriend, adds much desired spice to her life despite secrecy about his position at SecureVest. But when Annie becomes mysteriously ill, it is the catalyst for a life far from simple.

Seemingly by luck, Annie discovers that she is maturing into a dhampir (a vampire/human hybrid), and to survive she must feed on fresh human blood. With Marcus fully aware of Annie's predicament, they concoct a scheme: find the evil living among us and act where justice does not.

Vigilante Annie is born.

Amazon Link:




Author Bio:
An only child, (in the seventies, mind you), little Robert could be seen running in the backyard playing superhero, with a bed sheet serving as his cape. He also spent many hours drawing or writing in his mid-sized Ohio town. Having also battled depression earlier in life, Robert now sees how his low points have brought him to a more creative, stronger sense of being. Now he is where he wants to be, and is telling the stories he is meant to tell. His other interests include reading, motorcycle touring, fitness and classic movies.

Twitter: @VAAuthor






26 comments:

  1. I find this to be a fascinating premise for your novel, Robert. So, the dark side of vampires is really not very different from the dark side of humans? I hope you have a fabulous "SPOTLIGHT" AUTHOR week, Robert! Thanks for hosting, Mistral!

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    1. Thank you for stopping by, John! :-)

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    2. Great question. I'd say you are right John, in that the dark side, at least of my vampire characters, is not very different as that of humans. As one delves deeper into the story of Annie, you find that tho she has a "dark" side, she attempts to use it for good. But there is a conflict when that doing good involves taking another life. Not sure if this gets to the heart of your question... Surely we could get into a deep and entertaining moral discussion!
      Rob

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  2. Sharing of blood, like becoming blood brothers/sisters, does seem to be a bond that would unite people, rather than divide them.

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  3. We all bleed red - even vampires. According to Anne Rice at least, vampires can't feed from the dead. I guess as vampires are by definition UNdead, then it WOULD be possible to cross-feed on each other, especially as this is way that a human is turned into a vampire by feeding on their sire's blood...
    I think you're right anyway Robert! ;-)

    Am about a third way through Annie's Anthology - enjoying it so far! :-D

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    1. LOL. Thanks Jan. As you likely know, in the anthology I have yet to deal with the "undead" issue. The type of vampire world Annie has been introduced to is different in some ways than the ones we think of because there are different lines (if you will) of vampires. The nexy book will delve more into this and answer many MANY questions.
      Rob

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  4. Hi Robert, good to know you. The first thing I did after reading the blurb of your book is to put it on my Kindle! Is this a vampire book? I must let you know know that I am not a fan of vampires, but as a member of #RRBC, I now try everything. :) Have a wonderful tour. Thank you Mistral for hosting him.

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    1. Joy-yes, I would say it is about a woman (33 years old)who is thrown into being part vampire. However, being part vampire is the "tool" I opted to use for the story of Annie to have more meaning than anything merely bloody and horrific. I wanted the story to deal with issues such a fate, killing, rape, human trafficking, terrorism and so much more. The risk I take by doing this I suppose is that I can potentially water down the narrative, but then again I wanted to build a world that would be around for the long-haul. The story can also be very bluntly told; that all being said, I hope you find my take refreshing because it does deal with things that touch the world around us in a deeper way. Thanks for your support!
      Rob

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  5. Looking forward to reading your series! I love seeing everyone's different takes on the vampire idea. Have a great tour!

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  6. Congratulations on this honor, Robert. Well deserved, sir.

    Thanks for hosting, Mistral.

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  7. Congratulations, Robert! I'm just catching up with your tour now. This is a fascinating post, and I'm looking forward to following your blog tour!
    Thanks for the warm welcome, Mistral. :)

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    1. Thanks for checking in, Natalie. :-)

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    2. Thanks Natalie, everyone is busy writing and still find time to stop by the blogs. Awesome Club!
      Rob

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  8. Great post, Robert. Congrats on the awesome seat of "SPOTLIGHT" Author!! Wishing you an awesome week!! Thank you so much, Mistral, for hosting Rob!! ~Mar

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    1. I think this is you, Marlena-thank you so mmuch for your support too!
      Rob

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  9. Congratulations on holding the "SPOTLIGHT", Robert. This is a great way to get the word out to the masses. Your storyline is fascinating.

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    1. Gwen you have a great attitude. Thanks for being around a lot and for your support.
      Rob

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  10. So sorry to be late to this party. Congratulations, Robert! Enjoy your Spotlight!

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    1. Jan, no worries, you are awesome. Seems i've been late since this SPOTLIGHT Week began!
      Rob

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  11. Good luck on your tour, Robert. I have read tons of vampire books and hope to be able to get v to yours.

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    1. I'm sure you have tons of books in your list to read Micki. But if/when you are ready to read mine, I can forward you a copy if you'd like. Thanks!
      Rob

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