Dust, Blood or Flames – How do your Vampires die? by Pat Sawtelle

Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Anne Rice’s Interview With The Vampire, and Twilight by Stephanie Meyer, are just a few of the many books that have invited us to explore the life Vampires. Lon Chaney, Bela Lugosi, and Gloria Holden are some of the earliest actors putting fear in the hearts of humans with their vampire fangs as they lurk in the shadows of the movies. Over the course of time, these magical creatures stalked unwitting humans drinking their blood before retreating to the dark places on earth, or coffins, to sleep away the day.

Staking the death walkers ends the life of these creatures. However, this is where authors use a variety of creative methods to remove the scary creatures. Vampire deaths range from bursting into flames, disintegrating into dust/ash, becoming a corpse, melting into a pile of bloody pulp, turning to glass then shattering, or even drifting into tiny particles of fiery light that floats away for a happy ending.

Vampire enthusiasts judge the creative treatments and beliefs of vampire stories based on the constraints of their favorite character in books or movies. Vampires that “glitter” in the daylight caused some very lively discussions as the twist challenged the beliefs of these enthusiasts.

For vampire enthusiasts, I encourage you to read and learn to look for the authors to explain the whys behind their death style creativity. For writers, I remind you to provide legends or logic to support your selected results from staking the evil that walks. Without support, readers can become disenchanted with your story if it conflicts with their preconceived beliefs about vampire deaths.

And yes, Chalice Moon contains support for why my vampires turn to ash! Check it out and see what you think. Fangs for reading!

Lightning Bolts of Zeus Author Interview

Author M. B. Weston interviews D. Alan Lewis, author of the Lightning Bolts of Zeus. A native of Chattanooga he is an Author and editor.

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Superhero Summer Shorts!

During a forgotten time when the world was powered by steam and clockwork, heroes arose to do battle against the forces of evil. Some were outfitted with the latest technology. Others were changed by the mysteries of science and magic, while a few came from the skies. Capes and Clockwork fuses the fantasy and beauty of steampunk with the action and adventure of the superhero genre. Tease your imagination with sixteen stories of good versus evil, monster versus hero, and steam versus muscle!

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The Tales:
Roger Dawkins and the Steam Daemons by Adam Millard
Keely by D. Alan Lewis
Catching Steam by Andrea Judy
Clockwork Demons by Logan L. Masterson
At the Quiet Limit of the World by David J. Fielding
Indestructible by Alexander S. Brown
Ectoplasmic Eradicators Wanted: Professional Inquiries only – A Timothy Flood Adventure by Nikki Nelson-Hicks
Captain Amy and the Steam-Driven Kittens of Doom by Azrael Wolf
Thursday Morrow by Robert J. Krog
Lost Child’s Little Protector by Herika R. Raymer
The Gears Of Justice by Brent Nichols
Aeolus, Chiron, and Medusa by John A. McColley
Blastbucket by Christopher J. Valin
Beneath Familiar Suns by Konstantine Paradias
Deep Diving Death Defying Dwarves of the Deep: A Tale from the Cycle of Ages Saga by Jeremy Hicks
White Lightning by John G. Hartness

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Shorts for Poolside!

A Tall Ship, A Star, And Plunder edited by Robert Krog

Piracy has been around as long as there have been ships plying the seas with anything that might be valuable enough to take by force. Piracy will still be around when merchant vessels are traveling the galaxy with cargoes of potential plunder. Explore the past, present, and future of our favorite scallywags in these 24 amazing tales of bravado, daring, and dastardly deeds committed by the legendary pirates.

Good luck, and may the wind be in your favor, blowing you toward good pickings, and a safe harbor.

https://www.darkoakpress.com/pirates.html

The Tales:
Yo Ho by Melinda LaFevers
Rumble the Dragon by Cindy Vallar
The Princess and the Sea by Sydney Blackburn
Ghost of a Chance by Paula Gail Benson
The Making of a Privateer by Melinda LaFevers
Not I by Jerri Hardesty
Fireflies on the Water by Michael Krog
The Celeste Affair by D. Alan Lewis
The Tale of Tizur the Red by Tom Sheehan
Bottom of the Mug by S. P. Dorning
The Captain’s Woman, the Dagger, and the Serpent by Robert Krog
The Gods Must Clearly Smile by A. Christopher Drown
Corey of Steel by Jerri Hardesty
The Jamaican Dragon by D. G. Driver
Rosa and the Pirate by Laura Nelson
The Ghost of Queen Anne’s Revenge by M. R. Williamson
Of Wing and Song by Kirk Hardesty
One Way by Herika R. Raymer
Puffystuff the Pirate by Jerri Hardesty
Theft of the Royal Jewels by Kathryn Sullivan
Eighty-Six Pitrell Becomes Dread Admiral by Paul Calhoun
Rasputin’s Whimsey by T.A. Riddell
Pirates of Happenstance by HC Playa
Blood is Thicker than Pirate’s Gold by Kent Swarts

Summer in the City

Realms Of Imagination
Edited By Kimberly Richardson

http://darkoakpress.com/realms.html

Lose yourself in fourteen stories of urban fantasy where make believe and myth collide with the modern world. The magical creatures of old didn’t disappear. They now live hidden among us. All we have to do is pay attention to the signs and beware their mirth and mischief!

The Stories:
Clean Up In Aisle Seven by Lori Ratti
Black Mary by Allan Gilbreath
The White Rider by M. B. Weston
Favoritism of the Damned by Collie James
The Restless Dead by Gail Z. Martin
Voodoo Children by John G. Hartness
The Spelled Blade by D. B. Jackson
Cornelius Dex by Kimberly B. Richardson
Hall and Goats by John G. Hartness
A Twist of Fate by Missa Dixon
Stolen Thunder by H. David Blalock
Minnow Slough by Kay Woo
Footloose by John G. Hartness
My Ainsel by James Ferris

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Sabotage, Spies, Dragons, Knights, Magic… and Puzzles

Enjoy The Arfifice Conspiracy and check out the latest addition to our Find-A-Word Puzzle collection. Are you up to the challenge? Find the puzzle on the Dark Oak Press site.

The Artifice Conspiracy

Gadget Lovers Unite!

Cog A turns cog B which moves the primary lever forward one notch. Did this get your heart racing? Then you’re a gadget lover!

This important part of the world’s population keeps the rest of us happy with great mechanisms. Trains, planes, automobiles, ticking clocks, elevators, drink machines, and more, rely on this wonderful technology. A type of technology that lets the maker watch the action, take pleasure in the movement, and then explore new things a leftover lonely cog can do for us.

At Dark Oak Press, we celebrate the Gadget Lovers and have books just for you! That’s right, Steampunk takes your love of cogs and levers, mixes it with stories of magical beings, conspiracies, weapons, and all types of transportation, and gives you hours of enjoyment.

We invite you to explore the books in our Steampunk collection and indulge in your passion. Many of these are anthologies meaning they are a collection of shorter stories by multiple authors. Anthologies allow you to explore different writing styles and stories in small bursts leaving you time to build your next great machine with ideas the stories inspire.

Celebrate life as a Gadget Lover with others who appreciate the importance of even the smallest gear and show the world how important mechanical devices are to life!