The Publication of "The Inquisitor's Handmaiden"!

There is some great relief in meeting goals, of course right now I can only say that I’m on a high. It won’t last because they never do but I’m sure going to enjoy it for as long as I’ve been working it at it. Of course I’m talking about my story “The Inquisitor’s Handmaiden” because I can’t stop talking about it :p (The big negative at this point is what on earth my mother will think when she reads it :p, also now that it’s out there for purchase and I’ve been admiring my kindle copy before my print one gets here, I’ve found that there’s a few clunky sentences that I wish I could fix, and one of them is the very first! Uggh!) It’s also the hope for the future that this has come to pass, finally, even though I’m not getting a ruddy cent for this one.

When one tries so hard for so long... I think many can relate to this. I’ve been actively seeking publication since I’ve been out of high school and that’s fourteen years, which I can hardly believe it’s been that long. The arts, you have to love them, because the long spells of fruitless work can almost be more than one can bear. And this is the first what I call true publishing for me. I wrote for a small local newspaper at a few different times so I have those articles and I made money for them, though I hardly count them most of the time. They didn’t have my vision or passion. There were the poetry anthologies but no matter the quality of my work I understand now they were veiled vanity presses that only cared about making themselves money. The only thing I vaguely count is a contest I placed in, 12 years ago, I won $250 and the story appeared in a small booklet that all winners received, but I’m sure the only reason I made that was because there were extremely few entrants. But now after all this time I have something to count! Hoping that this is only the first little step, that all these years of toil will being paying off. So I can actually find the worth I have and show everyone that I can do something with meaning, the very thing I was meant to do. Praying hard that my novel will get all I want for it, as I’m just about about to start chapter 20 and have a lot of edits behind me. Of course if it doesn’t, it will hurt, but the dream won’t die and I’ll press on.

So are you curious about this story yet? My very first one to be published for many to see and enjoy? I hope so.  After going on about my struggle (at least this one) to this point, there ought to be some little reward. Charity Black is "The Inquisitor's Handmaiden" (a representation of her is at the very head of this blog page, right under my "Into the Blind Darkness" header) and only part of her tale is told in the story that appears in the Spring issue of Dark Gothic Resurrected. I will link to the print and kindle purchase forms for anyone interested who doesn't yet know the details I've been spreading around Facebook.

Charity is an extremely skilled vampire slayer, on a mission to decimate an entire coven in what her master has called a Purging Rite. The reason for her prior success is that she too is a vampire and has trained herself to wield objects infused with holy power. Her vampire master Archer Warstad is a sadistic glutton, the Inquisitor of the blood demon Sanguinos. It is Sanguinos who lurks behind all these vampire assassinations, for he desires the service of all that have been infused with his Dark Life and he will not endure those who rebuke him.

Sounds cool? I hope so. And if you think so please check the story out. You can purchase a print version @ http://www.lulu.com/shop/cinsearae-santiago/dgr-magazine-spring-2012/paperback/product-20036247.html and on kindle @ http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007R5TI18 

Be sure to let me know what you think!