Jairec looked at her, meeting her gaze. God, she had eyes that made him forget to breathe—clear green and trusting. “I’ll treasure her forever.”
###
Author’s Note:
A few of San Francisco landmarks are the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz Island, and Chinatown. There are cable cars and steep rolling hills with a mix of Victorian as well as modern architecture. The city is surrounded on three sides with water and it is common for fog to roll in like a filmy white blanket, especially during the summer months.
San Francisco’s Chinatown is the oldest in the United States. The town draws in more tourists than the Golden Gate Bridge.
The Moon Festival is held in late August or early September. The festival is like a Chinese Thanksgiving with the spirit of gratitude. There is plenty of food and of course, the popular moon cake I mentioned in the story. The holiday is also about the bounty of the summer harvest, the legend of the moon, the immortal gods and the elixir of life.
The Chinese vampire is called the chiang-shih. As legend states they may appear to look human. There are others that are a green color with long gray hair. This is why I used the contrast for the creatures in this tale. The evil vampires looking more like the hideous creature of nightmares. If only all monsters could be so obvious.
The Chinese believe a person has two souls. The superior soul can leave a sleeping body, appear as the body’s double and walk the earth. However if the two souls remain separated for long there can be dire consequences.
A chiang-shih is created if the body has suffered a violent death, improper burial or by an incantation. The transformation is thought to take place prior to burial.
People would protect themselves from the chiang-shih by using salt and of course, like most vampire legends, they used garlic to ward off the living dead. A chiang-shih could be chased away by loud noise and it was believed they could be killed with thunder. If the chiang-shih matured to the white-haired stage and could fly, the creature could only be killed by a bullet or thunder. The body could also be cremated.
About the Author:
Karen Michelle Nutt resides in California with her husband, three fascinating children, and houseful of demanding pets. Jack, her Chihuahua/Yorkshire terrier is her writing buddy and sits long hours with her at the computer.
Her Book, Lost in the Mist of Time, was nominated for New Books Review Spotlight Best Fantasy Book of the Year Award 2006. A Twist of Fate was a nominee for Best Time Travel P.E.A.R.L. Award for 2008. Creighton Manor won Honorable Mention P.E.A.R.L. Award 2009.
Her new passion is creating book covers for Western Trail Blazers and Rebecca J. Vickery Publishing. In her spare time, she reviews books for PNR-Paranormal Romance Reviews.
Whether your reading fancy is paranormal, historical or time travel, all her stories capture the rich array of emotions that accompany the most fabulous human phenomena—falling in love.
Visit the author at: http://www.kmnbooks.com
Stop by her blog for Monday interviews, chats and contests at:
http://kmnbooks.blogspot.com
Time Travel and Otherworldly Romances
Also by Karen Michelle Nutt:
Time Travels
Lost in the Mist of Time
At the Stroke of Midnight
Creighton Manor
A Twist of Fate
Storm Riders
Otherworldly Romance
Destiny's Prerogative
Moon Shifter
The Curse of Tempest Gate
Magic of the Loch
Twilight’s Eternal Embrace
Short Stories and Anthologies
Love’s Eternal Embrace
Wanted
Heart of a Warrior
Black Donald’s Coin
Shattered Illusions
The Second Time Around Anthology,
“The Spirit of Love”
A Western Saga “Storm Riders”
A Historical Collection “The Devil’s Wolf”
2012 Fall/ Paranormal Collection “Shattered Illusions”
A Twist of Time Anthology “An Echo in Time”
Warriors for the Light series (Fallen Angels
Eli: Warriors for the Light
Lucca: Warriors for the Light
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