AtoZ2020 - L is for Lair- Vampire Drabbles - #AtoZChallenge

AtoZChallenge 2020 - Vampire Drabbles

Hello everyone, welcome to my blog for day 12 of the AtoZChallenge. I hope we are all having fun. This year I am writing 100 word vampire stories.

L is for Lair

"No! You don't want to come over," Gareth said. "We'll eat out."

"Darling, don't be silly, of course I am visiting your lair while I am in town," his maker replied, totally ignoring him.

Before he could respond the call ended.

"Bollocks," he said, looking around at his home.

There was a Play Station, an X-box, a wall full of Funko Pops and the state-of-the-art TV, all perfect for a man in his twenties. The problem was, Gareth was in his hundred and twenties, and Monica was going to go on and on about the standards of a traditional lair.

Thank you so much for visiting - drop your comments and links below - I try and visit back everyone I can.

Q. Do your parents disapprove of bits of your home, or do you have to hide anything when they come over?

This year I am also taking part as my alter ego Virginia Waytes - all about the characters and setting for my new paranormal romance podcast and eBooks, Sexy Stories - The Manor. Check out today's post: L is for Lucy & episode 2 of the podcast is live for listening.

 AtoZChallenge Master List

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AtoZ2020 - K is for Killer - Vampire Drabbles - #AtoZChallenge

AtoZChallenge 2020 - Vampire Drabbles

Hello all, I hope you are all well today. This year my theme for the AtoZ is 100 word stories based around vampires. Today's entry for K is a little darker than some of my others, so be warned, it's a little gory. Best wishes to all. 💖

K is for Killer

Peter carelessly dropped the human, licking his lips as the delicious blood slipped down his throat. Looking at the floor, he laughed as the pathetic thing tried to crawl away.

"You're already dead," he said, sucking the blood from his fingers.

Feeding was messy, but so fun. There was nothing quite like sinking fangs into a screaming victim. The fear, the divine nectar.

"No…"

He was shocked when it spoke. He had all but forgotten about it already.

"…you are."

He frowned as his prey brandished a tiny button. There was a click and a beep, followed by blinding heat.

Thank you so much for visiting - drop your comments and links below - I try and visit back everyone I can.

Q. Are you squeamish about blood, or do you not understand how anyone could be, or somewhere in between?

This year I am also taking part as my alter ego Virginia Waytes - all about the characters and setting for my new paranormal romance podcast and eBooks, Sexy Stories - The Manor. Check out today's post: K is for Kelpie

 AtoZChallenge Master List

Click here to see all the other wonderful bloggers taking part.

AtoZ2020 - J is for Juvenile - Vampire Drabbles - #AtoZChallenge

AtoZChallenge 2020 - Vampire Drabbles

Greetings all, and welcome to J day. I hope you are all safe and enjoying the AtoZ so far. This year I am writing vampire drabbles for every day - those are 100 word stories. Enjoy 💖.

J is for Juvenile

Angelina walked slowly up the stairs. The sun had gone down an hour ago, but she always wanted to look her best. Damian always told her she could put on sweatpants and men would still fall at her feet, but she liked to look elegant. Vampires had a reputation after all. Her brother had probably already run off looking like a complete nerd.

She pushed open the door into the main house. On instinct she moved with vampire speed. Water splashed behind her as a bucket tumbled down and rolled across the floor.

"Juvenile tricks," she snarled.

Damian would pay.

Thank you so much for visiting - drop your comments and links below - I try and visit back everyone I can.

Q. Do you have anyone that like to play juvenile tricks on everyone? Have they ever got their comeuppance?

This year I am also taking part as my alter ego Virginia Waytes - all about the characters and setting for my new paranormal romance podcast and eBooks, Sexy Stories - The Manor. Check out today's post: J is for Joshua

 AtoZChallenge Master List

Click here to see all the other wonderful bloggers taking part.

AtoZ2020 - I is for Immortality - Vampire Drabbles - #AtoZChallenge

AtoZChallenge 2020 - Vampire Drabbles

Greetings and welcome to my blog for the AtoZChallenge. This year I have chosen to write drabbles, 100 word stories, all inspired by vampire related word. Today we have one of the iconic ones for the letter I. Enjoy 💖.

I is for Immortality

"I have seen thousands of nights, each as dark and as lonely as the next. I long for the touch of another. The brief, fleeting moments in the endlessness of eternity where I know I am not alone. The simple act of human togetherness, the closeness of another being to awaken my soul. This is what I live for, why I go on."

She gave him a long, even stare.

"And that get you laid does it?" she asked and walked away.

That wasn't how this was supposed to go. He'd been asleep too long, this new century was confusing.

Thank you so much for visiting - drop your comments and links below - I try and visit back everyone I can.

Q. What is the corniest pick-up line you can think of?

This year I am also taking part as my alter ego Virginia Waytes - all about the characters and setting for my new paranormal romance podcast and eBooks, Sexy Stories - The Manor. Check out today's post: I is for Immortal

 AtoZChallenge Master List

Click here to see all the other wonderful bloggers taking part.

Recipe: Fridge/Store Cupboard Raid Stew

💖Looking for the AtoZ post for today? Please scroll down to the previous post. 💖

Recipe: Fridge/Store Cupboard Raid Stew

So my husband made a plea not to make something with beans in it (we have been going through the cupboard using up all our cans of various beans and his stomach is finally rebelling 😂), so I thought, stew. This is another recipe that can be made from just about anything, so I am sharing it.

You could make this recipe vegetarian by using a meat substitute like tofu and quorn, or mushrooms, swapping out the Worcester sauce for soy sauce, and using robust veggie stock cubes.

Ingredients

• 1-2 chicken breasts in chunks (can be any meat, just needs to be bite-sized)
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 540g/19oz can new potatoes (fresh would be fine, new or old, just bite sized again)
• frozen peas - however many you have or fancy (or fresh or canned - whatever is in the freezer/cupboard)
• veggies - peeled and cut in to bite sized pieces - I used a large carrot and half a courgette (zuchinni) because that's what I had  (could be suede or parsnip or sweet pot or turnip or anything to hand as long as it's robust) 
• 1 can cream of tomato soup (440ml/14oz) (if you don't have this, ketchup, a little tomato paste and some water made up to the right amount will work)
• dash of Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tsp mild chilli powder (optional)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 beef stock cubes
• 400 ml boiling water
• 1.5 tbsp corn flour (starch)

Instructions (Instant Pot)

1. Turn on the pot and put the oil in the bottom.
2. Use the saute option on normal.
3. When the oil is heated, add the meat and brown.
4. Mix the stock cubes with the water and use a little of this to deglaze the bottom of the pot to make sure nothing is sticking to it.
5. Add the rest of the stock cube mixture.
6. Add all the potatoes and veggies and stir.
7. Add the cream of tomato soup and stir in.
8. Add the dash of Worcestershire sauce and the spice and seasonings and mix.
9. Put the lid on making sure the value is set to sealing.
10. Cancel the saute.
11. Use the pressure (may be called manual on some models) option and set for 15 mins.
12. When the timer goes off, leave to natural pressure release for 10 minutes.
13. Release the remaining pressure and open the pot.
14. Make a slurry using equal parts cold water to corn flour.
15. Turn on saute again and add the slurry to the pot, stirring all the time until the broth thickens. If it does not thicken enough make more slurry, half a tbsp at a time and add it until the desired thickness is achieved.
16. Serve in bowls with crusty bread.

Instructions (Stove/Oven)

1. Preheat the oven to 160C/140C fan/Gas 3 (320F/285F for fan)
2. Using a stove proof casserole dish with a lid, heat the oil and brown the meat.
3. Add the stock cubes to the boiling water and add them into the casserole.
4. Add the potatoes and other veggies and stir in.
5. Add the cream of tomato soup and stir in.
6. Add the Worcestershire sauce, the spice and the seasonings and mix.
7. Put on the lid and place in the oven (if you do not have a lid, wrap the top of the dish tightly with foil to seal it).
8. Cook for 2 to 2.5 hrs until the meat is really tender.
9. Make a slurry using equal parts cold water to corn flour.
10. Put the casserole back on the hob and add the slurry to the pot, stirring all the time until the broth thickens. If it does not thicken enough make more slurry, half a tbsp at a time and add it until the desired thickness is achieved.
11. Serve in bowls with crusty bread.

This was delicious and not too heavy, so good for bright days as well as murky ones. We actually used turkey in our stew the other night because I had some that needed using up. It fell to pieces because it was thinly sliced turkey steaks, but it was lovely none-the-less.

Banner BG Photo by Selina Thomas on Unsplash

AtoZ2020 - H is for Hunter - Vampire Drabbles - #AtoZChallenge

AtoZChallenge 2020 - Vampire Drabbles

We are chugging along nicely with the AtoZ now, aren't we? Here we are at the letter H. My theme for this year is vampire drabbles, so every day in April, apart from Sundays, I will be posting an 100 word story with a vampire theme. I hope you enjoy them.

H is for Hunter

Dawn was breaking as he watched the two teenagers pull the door of the derelict house closed behind them. It was ridiculously easy to slip through the window into the dark interior. He stepped lightly, making no sound as he followed their voices down to the cellar.

They were carefree, laughing.

At the bottom of the stairs was a door. He stilled beside it, listening while they moved around inside.

Carefully, silently, he slid the crossbow from his back as the scent of dead things tickled his nose. He had killed their maker, now he would dispatch the undead spawn.

Thank you so much for visiting - drop your comments and links below - I try and visit back everyone I can.

Q. Do you think you could kill a vampire if you had to (suspending disbelief for a moment)? I'm really not sure I could - I have enough trouble with bugs, but I suppose if it was desperate, needs must.

This year I am also taking part as my alter ego Virginia Waytes - all about the characters and setting for my new paranormal romance podcast and eBooks, Sexy Stories - The Manor. Check out today's post: H is for Home

 AtoZChallenge Master List

Click here to see all the other wonderful bloggers taking part.

AtoZ2020 - G is for Grave - Vampire Drabbles - #AtoZChallenge

AtoZChallenge 2020 - Vampire Drabbles

Greetings one and all, and welcome to G day! Of course with a theme like vampire drabbles how could I not go with the word 'grave'? It called to me. This one is a little bit of a different take, however, I hope you enjoy it. #LGBTQ+

G is for Grave

Charlie placed the rose on the old grave.

"Goodbye, Cornelius … finally," she said before turning to the woman who had made this possible.

After 200 years of misery, it has taken a modern outlook, an extraordinary scientific brain and some supernaturally inventive, less-than-scientific surgical techniques, but Charlie was finally who she was supposed to be outside and in. No more body dysmorphia, no more torment.

"Are you alright?" Rosa asked.

"I am wonderful," she replied. "You have given me new life, now I will give you yours."

Rosa would make a wonderful vampire and together they would enjoy eternity.

Thank you so much for visiting - drop your comments and links below - I try and visit back everyone I can.

Q. If there was one thing you could change about your physical self, big or small, what would it be? Or are you happy just as you are?

This year I am also taking part as my alter ego Virginia Waytes - all about the characters and setting for my new paranormal romance podcast and eBooks, Sexy Stories - The Manor. Check out today's post: G is for Gerry

 AtoZChallenge Master List

Click here to see all the other wonderful bloggers taking part.

AtoZ2020 - F is for Fang- Vampire Drabbles - #AtoZChallenge

AtoZChallenge 2020 - Vampire Drabbles

Welcome to F on the AtoZChallenge. Best wishes to all, I hope you are well, or at least getting better. 💖 This year my theme is vampire drabbles - 100 words stories using vampire themed words as the inspiration. Of course I had to go with 'fang' for F - since they are iconic.

F is for Fang

Bran lifted an eyebrow as the upstart in front of him bared half-inch long fangs.

So stupid, so young.

Among vampires it never paid to go on appearances. Bran dressed like one of the new, had the face of a teenager, but he was neither. He made sure to give the idiot his best look of distain.

"Remove yourself," he said simply.

For the first time his challenger appeared unsure.

Brad sighed, opening his mouth and letting his fangs descend fully, all three inches of them. He rarely showed their full length, but it made his point. The upstart fled.

Thank you so much for visiting - drop your comments and links below - I try and visit back everyone I can.

Q. Have you ever been mistaken for someone much younger? It used to happen all the time to my husband - he has a baby face.

This year I am also taking part as my alter ego Virginia Waytes - all about the characters and setting for my new paranormal romance podcast and eBooks, Sexy Stories - The Manor. Check out today's post: F is for Family & even more exciting - the first episode of the podcast is live! All the details are in today's post.

 AtoZChallenge Master List

Click here to see all the other wonderful bloggers taking part.

AtoZ2020 - E is for Energy - Vampire Drabbles - #AtoZChallenge

AtoZChallenge 2020 - Vampire Drabbles

Greetings fellow bloggers and welcome to the AtoZChallenge and letter E. My theme this year is vampire drabbles. Enjoy💖!

E is for Energy

Eloise ran her finger down the side of Ray's face as he smiled at her, but it didn't reach his eyes. He was looking so tired. Her ancient heart skipped as she realised it would not be long.

It happened to them all sooner or later. Every human she took to her bed became weak and sick, as she thrived. Sometimes it took days, sometimes years, but it never failed.

Of course, she knew it was her that was sucking their lifeforce from them, but she could not stop. Did not know how.

Soon she would leave to save him.

Thank you so much for visiting - drop your comments and links below - I try and visit back everyone I can.

Q. Do you know anyone who is an energy vampire - not a literal one, but those who suck all the energy and joy out of a situation with their presence?

This year I am also taking part as my alter ego Virginia Waytes - all about the characters and setting for my new paranormal romance podcast and eBooks, Sexy Stories - The Manor. Check out today's post: E is for Ember

 AtoZChallenge Master List

Click here to see all the other wonderful bloggers taking part.

AtoZ2020 - D is for Disease - Vampire Drabbles - #AtoZChallenge

AtoZChallenge 2020 - Vampire Drabbles

Good morrow gentle folk and welcome to my blog for day 4 of the AtoZChallenge. I hope you are all safe and well. For those on their first visit - this year my theme is vampire drabbles, which are stories of exactly 100 words. Best wishes to all. 💖

D is for Disease

I laughed in their faces when they tried to tell me I had a disease. If only they knew.

I remain in their clutches because it amuses me. I let them see only what I wish them to see. That their little logical minds cannot begin to comprehend the truth is no shock and utterly entertaining.

One day soon I will show them the error of their scientific method. I will rend and destroy as their learning fails them, and I shall enjoy every moment. They think me caged, but blood cannot be wounded, and demonic taint has no vaccine.

Thank you so much for visiting - drop your comments and links below - I try and visit back everyone I can.

Q. What vampire trait do you think would be most useful in escaping from humans?

This year I am also taking part as my alter ego Virginia Waytes - all about the characters and setting for my new paranormal romance podcast and eBooks, Sexy Stories - The Manor. Check out today's post: D is for Drage/Dragon

 AtoZChallenge Master List

Click here to see all the other wonderful bloggers taking part.