glitteringpandemonium

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I’ve since seen a lot of memes along the lines of “If you don’t know this hair band, we can’t be friends,” with a photo of David and the boys.

But I had commented to my bestie how stage-ready they looked before that, inspiring one of the elements in my book series. A rock band made entirely of vampires.

While writing Wishful Sinful, I learned Kiefer Sutherland is also a musician. I believe guitar and vocals. He has a very beautiful but sad song about the gates inside the jail slamming shut post-DUI. Soulful.

So David defs gives lead singer.

And Sutherland’s voice is amazing.

Lil graphic I made awhile back in Canva.

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As promised this morning, another scene from my Lost Boys-inspired, M/M/F vampire romance, Wishful Sinful, the first full book in my series, Rock is Undead. Followed by the short story “Hyacinth House,” both already on Amazon, with the book-length Mystery Train in progress.

Here, Dorian (the “David” character) and Jared (“Michael”) are in a Vegas hotel bar and have just ordered Love and Murder cocktails from a barkeep who knows Dorian well, as she is ALSO a vampire. But Jared and his bestie Lenore are, as yet, in the dark about the rock band Velveteen Slumber being entirely undead.

This takes place a bit before the last section I shared. And the bartender has made Dorian’s drink “special recipe,” meaning vampire blood mixed in.

Jared and Dorian were kissing as Jared reached for his glass. Drama ensues!!

Two scenes really, cut off just before they start talking dirty to each other. One F-bomb, and some double entendre. Otherwise, kissing.

1,082 words.

Bits of Parts 6 and 7, from my book Wishful Sinful. Available on Amazon. Enjoy!!!

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Dorian laughed. “Don’t be afraid. Drink.”

“Um,” Anna interrupted.

Jared took a heartier swallow. It was a strong drink, both very bitter and very sweet.

“Um,” Anna repeated. “That one was Dorian’s.”

Dorian’s jaw dropped. “Uh…well…fuck. The evening just got a whole lot more interesting.”

“Why? What does that even mean?”

“You’ll know soon enough.”

“Well…should I finish it?”

“I’ll trade you. Take the other one. I’ll finish that one,” Dorian said, sliding a folded bill across the bar toward Anna. He then downed the rest of the spiked drink in a single swallow.

“Sorry!” Anna said.

“Not your fault. You tried to warn him.”

“Freaking noobs. Am I right?”

Jared considered objecting once again, but just as he opened his mouth to speak, he noticed something very strange— a rippling movement in the mirrored wall behind the bar’s inventory of bottles. Was that water dripping down its surface? No, the mirror, itself, had puddled and was melting.

Disoriented, Jared twisted around in his barstool, looking all around. The paint on the walls beaded up as he watched, dripping first in tiny rivulets then streaming down to the dark-finished hardwood floor. Was anyone else seeing this?

Everything became too loud and too close. The tickle of the blonde’s ostrich feather jacket against his forearm raised goose flesh all over his body. He smelled a sickening pastiche of colognes and body washes and deodorants. Conversations happening clear across the room sounded perfectly clear, and the cackling of the bridesmaids echoed painfully in his head.

It all seemed so bright and shiny, too. The violet-lashed blonde looked like something out of an experimental indie film. She smiled at him and opened her mouth. Violet petals spilled forth from her mouth, trailing all over the bar and the floor, then dissolving into thin air. Then, he felt a cool pressure on either side of his face. Something or someone turned his head.

“Hey, bud, look at me.”

Familiarity teased Jared’s senses. He knew that voice.

“Look at me. Only at me.”

Dorian. He was with Dorian. Dorian had said he was safe. Was he still safe?

“You’re going to be fine. You just drank something not meant for you. Something you weren’t ready for. Come on, let’s go up to the room and ride it out.”

“Walls. Melting.”

“Yeah, I know,” Dorian said, helping Jared ease off the barstool, then ducking his head under one of Jared’s arms to prop him up. “Come on, sailor. Off to bed.”

“Stars…twinkling…through the walls…I can taste the sky.”

“Lenore is going to kill me.”

******

The unknown intoxicant hit Jared’s libido as their glass elevator started ascending back up to their floor. He looked down, hypnotized by the colors trailing under their feet as the elevator rose, everything a smeared blur.

“How are you feeling?” Dorian asked him.

In answer, Jared braced Dorian against the glass, one hand on either side of Dorian’s face, and kissed him hard. They continued kissing until the elevator chimed. Jared found the sound so mesmerizing, he turned to see what was happening. The elevator stopped, and the doors opened.

The man who got onboard tightened the cuffs of his rolled-up dress shirt and cleared his throat. He had an expensive-looking dove-gray suit coat folded over one arm. Glancing at his watch, then at the illuminated numbers above the doors, he pointedly cleared his throat again. His flamingo-pink tie hung loose about his neck, and his open collar bore telltale plum-tinted lipstick smears.

Jared walked up behind him and sniffed the back of his neck, where his close-cropped salt-and-pepper hair ended in a perfectly-even line. The bare skin above the collar of his shirt looked so velvety smooth and delicious. A subtle compass rose tattoo peeked out from under his shirt, the North arrow and its “N” cresting the line of his collar. He had a skin tone like honey and smelled like sunshine. What would he taste like?

Dorian laughed. “Woah there, boy. Come back here.” He snagged one of the belt loops in Jared’s jeans and pulled him back into his arms, pressing a soft kiss into Jared’s neck from behind.

“Oh, are you going up? I must’ve pressed the wrong button. I thought you were going down,” the businessman queried.

Dorian grinned and said, “We hadn’t gotten that far, I’m afraid. Not yet, anyway.”

The businessman turned and glared. He firmly pressed the button for the next floor. “I’m getting off,” he muttered.

“I just bet you are,” Dorian replied, much to Jared’s giddy amusement.

The beleaguered gentleman shook his head and stomped off once the doors opened. Somehow, the man’s huffy exit made the whole encounter even more hilarious. Jared howled with laughter, bending nearly double, held upright by Dorian’s arms around his waist.

Jared’s high spirits proved infectious. Dorian laughed right along with him. “God, you make me feel young.”

“Yeah, but it’s not like you’re old. That guy looked older than you.”

“Appearances can be deceiving. But I did notice you staring at him. Maybe I’m not the sole exception to your perceived heterosexuality.”

“I just really wanted to lick his neck.”

Dorian chuckled. “Like this?” He ran the pointed tip of his tongue up the line of one of the tendons in Jared’s neck.

Jared shivered with need. The fine hairs at the nape of his neck stood on end.

“Or like this?” Dorian used the flat of his tongue this time, soft and warm, and lapped at the side of Jared’s neck.

Tipping his head back in pleasure, Jared moaned softly. “Do that again. Everywhere.”

This time, Dorian’s laughter had a dark, husky ring to it. “Believe me, I plan to. Immediately. Here’s our floor.”

“Hey,” Jared asked, “what was in that drink, anyway?”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

“I think it might be wearing off.”

“Ha! You say that now. It’s only just started. It comes in waves. Come on, handsome. Shower? Or bed? Both? Either?”

“Too many words. Not enough naked.”

Dorian hauled him out of the elevator, laughing. “Alright.”

“Is there confetti falling through the air right now?” Jared asked, stumbling forward in the direction of their suite, gazing up at the ceiling in a daze. “I see confetti. God, it’s so pretty! I wanna dance in it. Let’s go dancing. We could see if the rest of the guys are still at the Candy Box?”

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Older selfie, from the night of a New Year’s Eve Vampire Masquerade Ball. Got deluxe fangs around Halloween at a Spirit store in preparation, since the event was advertised early. Please ignore the lipstick smudge on the one fang. 🤣

I woke up a little early today, just before my alarm, with enough time to ponder the dreams I remembered. Fed the cat post-alarm, then dove right into Morning Pages without distraction, THEN meditated.

I think yesterday, my mindset all day was too oppositional, too much trying to control the outcome. Though I am also getting over the tail end of a head cold, so we’ll let me off the hook.

One of my dreams may have involved characters from the novel Lost Souls, by the author formerly known as Poppy Z. Brite. If you love queer vampires, you might enjoy it. Very dark and gritty but also VERY poetically written.

If you imagine The Lost Boys as readers, I think they’d approve. The Lost Souls vamps are definitely David’s kind of vicious.

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Something I made in Canva one night, for my humble blog, for tax (since Wordpress is more stringent on copyright).

Any other writers of any sort familiar with the book The Artist’s Way? I haven’t worked through the whole thing in YEARS, but a yogi/meditation practitioner I follow mentioned the idea of Morning Pages, as an isolated practice, in conjunction with morning meditation.

Three pages of stream-of-consciousness writing first thing upon waking or as close to it as you can, without making it capital-W creative writing. Just thoughts.

I tried it again for the first time in a hot minute, “today,” (after midnight here, but meh). And meditated before work. Still a very frazzling day. My nervous system started OUT on overdrive, from square one. But I’ll keep trying. I can’t always hit all my goals and have to juggle priorities. Spoon shortages.

But lemme add, there are some absolutely BRILLIANT works of Lost Boys fan fic on here! I haven’t even scratched the surface of all the bits I’d like to read. Which made me wonder if any of you might enjoy Morning Pages, too, or if you journal? Fan fiction counts as fiction! Takes talent and creativity. Not that I have to tell YOU! 🤣

And to justify all the tags I plan to apply:

My argument on why according to Star, David wanted her to kill Michael, in spite of directions from Max to add him to “the family,” and why this ultimately MAY NOT rule out a Michael/David romantic undercurrent:

Sure, David is distant and manipulative and possessive. Star rides with him, and no one else. Maybe they had a thing at some point, and he just doesn’t touch her much or get in her personal space, because he’s anti-PDA, even around the boys. Or maybe their tryst is mostly past.

But to me, that seems unlikely. Possible, yes, but still. He’s in Michael’s space A LOT, and says his name a zillion times. So, what gives? Was he THAT murderous and vindictive to think his means-to-an-end girlie shouldn’t have Michael— no one should— if he couldn’t score with Michael, himself?

That also seems doubtful. He’s plenty murderous, but I don’t think he believed she’d go through with it. I think he’s possessive of them both, for different reasons maybe.

And he’s definitely the jealous type.

I think he was messing with their budding relationship dynamics for funsies.

Unless she’s grown cold with David, or he’s bored with her but not yet willing to fully let go, and it’s all just one tangled poly mess of frustrated emotions.

Mostly because I wanted a happily ever after for all three of them, my rockstar lead singer variation on David in Wishful Sinful and “Hyacinth House” is poly and bi. And Haven, unlike Star, gets possessive, too, working through her issues with the intensity of newfound love and heat between the two men.

There are struggles for each of them, individually and collectively. I’ll have to share another scene soon. 🖤

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Have any of y’all tried the “Michael Challenge” with The Lost Boys? Sources online disagree how many times his name occurs in dialogue. I found both 114 and 118. Strictly “Michael.” Not “Mike” or “Mikey.”

I counted 104 when I tried. 🤣 But some scenes are really challenging, like when Michael sees/hears the motorcycles outside the house. Lots of layered sound in the way, and overlapping instances of his name.

Initially, I tried to track who said his name each time, but lost count of that. But by the point I tapped out on that, David & the boys were WELL ahead, with brother Sam coming in second, but usually saying “Mike” instead (I counted 30 “Mike’s”).

So if anyone NEEDED further evidence of why this is David and Michael’s story, David can’t seem to keep Michael’s name out of his mouth. 🤣

Okay, back to housecleaning with me. Day off, and MUCH to try and get done.

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Crop of a photo I found on Pexels, art by Ayswarya Aish. Happened upon this one by chance and thought the hair was giving Lenore, from my Rock is Undead series.

Lenore began as a character I evolved for the roleplaying game, Monster of the Week, who was supposed to be Edgar Frog’s daughter, named for the lost love in “The Raven.”

I made her an adult in Wishful Sinful, but kept the fashion sense of a punky adolescent pic I had seen online (camo jacket, fishnets, combat boots, etc).

She’s best friends with my “Michael” character, Jared, and has mermaid hair— which was inspired by a former hair color look my long-distance bestie’s daughter had once had.

I borrow from all over.

Will have to reread and see how much of Lenore’s backstory I’ve filled in thus far. Having made this post, I’m wondering if it wouldn’t be interesting to have her parent(s) vampire hunters, unbeknownst to her. So far, I think she’s only discussed exes and a former roommate.

With the greater time span of the action in my current work in progress, Mystery Train, I’ve been able to delve more deeply into the characters, as they’ve been getting to know more about one another.

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Rock is Undead playlist thus far. Inspired by my ongoing book and story series.

Some explicit lyrics, not all of them flagged. I’ve heard that’s self-reported?

At 69 tracks, so maybe I’ll leave it, unless I wanna swap anything out….

But I did eventually give in and add more to my older vampire playlist, which began its life at 69 tracks. The coordinating werewolf playlist is still at 69, however.

Anyway… here it be!!! Dunno that it captures the passages that are snarky and still sexy, but I was at a loss there. Maybe the YUNGBLUD track and the playful tone of some of the blues/jazz songs work for that.

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My phone’s current lock-screen.

Snapchat had a filter that removes your background and adds anything in your camera roll. Happened to remember I had some pics of The Lost Boys poster. 🤣

Prior to my current haircut, but I think it turned out pretty well. Still working on Mystery Train, the latest in my Lost Boys-inspired series Rock is Undead.

Tonight, I’m also adding to a playlist for the series, that I started last night. Using some covers and some originals of songs from the movie (tho “People Are Strange” was, itself, a cover— that one, I chose the newer, harder version by The Violent). And other things.

Thoughts on anything you’d add that would give a spicy Lost Boys vibe?

If it helps, the series isn’t all serious. Like the movie, there are playful bits, too.

The naming convention for each piece involves semi-obscure songs by The Doors. Adding those, too, or covers of them, where available.

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Close-up of an art print I found on Amazon. When I wishlisted it, there was only one left. Magically, it stayed put until I ordered.

I tried reverse image searching it but thus far haven’t seen it anywhere else. Sold by Dare Studios. Looks like the product info was yoinked off the site. And the artist signature is hard to make out. But I love it to bits.

I told a former coworker I grew up a Michael/Star babe but evolved an interest in David, and likened that to my youthful Luke Skywalker crush transitioning into an appreciation for Han Solo.

I guess I waited til adolescence/adulthood to seek out the bad bois. But I made up for lost time, easy.

Life imitated art, for sure. And now, I write about beautiful disasters, like the David-inspired Dorian Volker.

Check out Wishful Sinful and Hyacinth House on Amazon. See what you think. Both by me, Michelle Engel.

Also, there are David the vampire rubber duckies on there?!?! Like, wha?!?!

Had to add a reference to the rubber duckies in the book series, for funsies.

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Maybe these didn’t need to be labelled “mature?” As individual posts? The books are, but the graphics aren’t. Spicy rockstar vampire romance/haunted bed and breakfast short story sequel, both inspired by The Lost Boys. Pardon the repetition. But y’all get a little spicy with your stuff? I would imagine this is fine? Working on the full-length second book.

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BDAY Fortune telling from a close friend. We will see what the next birth year holds!!!

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….but you must feed.

Imagining an invite from David, on this, my Friday the 13th birthday.

Alas… a shortage of vampires in my life, of late. But I did get a tasty Starbucks breakfast with a free venti refresher. 🤣

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A scene from Wishful Sinful, the first full book in my Rock is Undead series, inspired by some what-if conversations about 1987’s The Lost Boys:

*context* Jared is high on vampire blood, referred to here as sanguinem, short for a longer Latin phrase*

Much to Lenore’s wonderment, they found a twenty-four-hour Chinese restaurant that was willing to deliver to their room, for an extra fee. Eventually, the food arrived, and the aromas of fried dough and five-spice filled the air.

Dorian spread the containers out on the round table in the corner, by the window. Jared, Haven, and Lenore sat down and dove into the cardboard takeout containers with gusto; Haven wielded chopsticks with expert efficiency, while Jared and Lenore stuck with the provided plastic cutlery. Jared moaned with the pleasure known only to those who’ve eaten really good food while unbelievably high.

Dorian laughed. “They’re only noodles, Jared.”

“But they’re so good!” Jared replied around a mouthful of mei fun.

“Hm,” Lenore mused, “maybe I need some sanguinem in my life. You seem to be having one hell of a good night.”

“You need only ask,” Erik offered with a wink. “Any time you wanna put that mouth on me, I’m willing to offer it up.”

“Duly noted,” she snarked, returning to her stir fry.

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Not entirely an original idea… someone else had a screenshot of a similar post from an Instagram account (Pop Base), but the screenshot was blurry. I attempted twice to sift thru Pop Base’s post history and track it down, to share it with a friend, but didn’t see it. So, I made my own. Filter to give more of a moonlight/electric light vibe (also I tried to track down the tumblr post again and failed there, too… but I dig your vibe, whoever you are!!!).

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Just made this one. Hyacinth House, on Amazon, for Kindle. Under 20,000 words. CAUTION: not everyone gets a full HEA, but I am untangling all that in the upcoming Mystery Train. Feels like they’ve all been thru enough. Also inspired by characters from the 1987 film, The Lost Boys.

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No longer blonde, but...

...but I did share the link to my Amazon author page. My fiction inspired by The Lost Boys, and most of my other stuff, apart from shorter pieces traditionally published, is there.

Just added a fresh photo to Amazon's Author Central, so I should look more like myself any day now LOL. That is, until I get the planned dramatic haircut, probably on my birthday.