I entered VKC in the BookLife prize. While I don’t really expect to win, I wanted to see what an objective editor thought of it. As it turns out, my favorite cat did pretty well. Here are assessments from the Critic's Report by The BookLife Prize:
PLOT: Told from Patch the Cat’s point of view, his story of becoming a feline vampire against his will starts out fun and only gets more entertaining through the course of twists and turns such as his jointly running for public office with his new undead “associate,” Meg, and being put on trial for murder.
ORIGINALITY: Chronicles scores a double hit by both weaving the satirical upturning of vampire tropes on their heads as integral parts of the narrative, and the aforementioned unexpected plot twists resulting from that weaving. The fact that vampires may not live forever and never recover from their injuries, for example, is a primary factor motivating Meg – and Patch – to run for office so that vampires can get the help and benefits they deserve as tax-paying citizens.
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: Patch and Meg both fill into their new roles with amusing vigor while not sacrificing their respective feline nature and humanity.
As before, I’m offering a free Kindle ebook in exchange for a review—note that there are free Kindle readers available for PCs and Macs. Just email me with your name and I’ll send a link to down load the file.
Here’s the first page:
Just after dark, death grabbed me by the tail. The moon was full, and the earthy scent of fall flavored a cool September breeze. My mind was on a svelte little Siamese who was coming into heat as I trotted over a mound of fresh dirt, not an uncommon thing in a graveyard―and a hand shot out of the ground and grabbed my rear extremity.
I twisted and went for the hand with my claws, but another hand burst out and seized the scruff of my neck―I went limp, just like when I was a kitten and my mom picked me up. The hands snapped my body straight, and then a woman’s face poked out of the earth. She sat up, holding me in front of her. I figured I was about to kiss my furry butt goodbye, and I was right.
Sort of.
The woman looked to be twenty-something. Dirty blond hair―with dirt, that is. Her bulging eyes were scary, but I forgot all about them when she put her mouth on my throat and bit. She got her teeth into my skin and I felt a warm rush of blood on my neck. She sucked and slurped. Strength and will drained out of me along with the sweet sauce of life.
I didn’t even have enough energy for regrets at my passing. Not that I had any―except maybe for the time I peed on my associate’s bed when she switched cat food without checking with me first. A petty thing to do to Amy, I admit.
Soon I was pretty spacey, just floating. The woman stopped her noshing and laid me on the (snip)
For what it’s worth.
Ray
© 2017 Ray Rhamey
My books. You can read sample chapters and learn more about the books here.
Writing Craft Mastering the Craft of Compelling Storytelling
Fantasy (satire) The Vampire Kitty-cat Chronicles
Mystery (coming of age) The Summer Boy
Science Fiction Hiding Magic
Science Fiction Gundown Free ebooks.