Two Past Twilight

Two Past Twilight is a unique book I wrote that contains two short novellas I wrote in February and November of 2003. The book was published like "Dancing with the Moon" by Trafford Publishing.
The first story in the book is entitled "Ghost Story". The premise is rather simple in a "Twilight Zone" sort of fashion. What if a lost soul of a vampire wandered into a dead town that he once knew and discovered upon entry that everything he knew of himself was being stolen from him? And what if these stolen memories could only be returned with the telling of a story? And what if the story is told from the lips of ghosts and spirits he had left behind?
What if the ghosts themselves had a story of their own that needed telling? And what if this story made this lost soul complete again?

I admit it now Two Past Twilight hasn't made much money. It's one of those books that may somehow get lost in the shuffle. And looking back at it, although I love the stories I have written for this book, this is definitely the work of a writer still searching for his unique voice and style.
The ideas are sound, but the language and mechanics need refinement. I figure the investment however saw returns with the third and fourth books I have released.

The second story, "Wish" is one of my favorites for lots of reasons. One, this story was written on a dare. A friend of mine, Andrea F. dared me to incorpate gymnastics with vampires and encouraged me to write out these ideas I was too afraid to see in print. Second, this story involves a character I had always wanted to bring out- and this character for me, was another way for me to approach the idea of a vampire. The "shadow-man". The visitor or "shadow-man" is in fact a bogey-man and a vampire of a different sort. He doesn't steal blood for his only kicks- he steals children's wishes and makes them his own.

So in "Wish", we meet a young 11 yr. old girl named Alyssa. All Alyssa wants out of life is to be allowed to live without getting picked on so much by her bullies Sarah and Kristen. Alyssa just wants to be like everyone else and get some of the respect she deserves. She believes that if she were a gymnast like some of the other girls in her class, she can get that respect and show everyone in her class that she's more than just some bookwormy girl.
So one night she makes several wishes and who should overhear these wishes but of course the "shadow-man". The crux of the story is the game this creature plays with Alyssa in twisting her dreams and wishes around to his own end. I think though by the end of the story, you'll see that Alyssa catches on pretty quick to how these games are played. I leave the ending up to the reader's imagination. Though I think by now I might right a little sequel and follow up on Alyssa and see how she's doing now.

(Hint-hint) In my latest book, "Chasing Shadows: Tales of East River" Alyssa makes a little appearence at East River Gymnastics. So at least we know she is still a gymnast.

The Vampire, Colette

The next character I have written that comes to mind is Colette. At face vaule she is supposed to be the vampire everyone expects her to be. Vampires as blood-thirsty creatures and predators- hardly the human they were.
Well when I created Colette, I created someone who was going to break all the rules and conventions of what a vampire is and was supposed to be. Colette was a human first and foremost and she had a strong background as a caregiver, a nurse, a mother, and so on. Why on Earth would she give that up? Vampires are simply made- not born. Colette was born a loving person who cares for those she loves. She was made into a predator. But just beacuse she sprouts fangs doesn't mean she has to obey that Hunger if she can fight it.
I would of course stress the word IF. Her story is all about struggle. Her life and immortality is all about the choices she must make.

When it comes to Amy, her "adopted" granddaughter.... she is constantly striving to push aside her vampiric nature- or at least use it to some benefit in protecting the girl. Amy draws out the best qualities in Colette and these best parts collectively make up the persona known as "Grammy".

Colette is a two sided coin like we all are- but her two sides are more blurred or more stark black and white at times... one never knows where one side begins or ends.... but sometimes one sees her as a two-faced being. For Amy... thankfully, there is only "Grammy".

When I wrote Colette, I first approached her in her "Grammy" persona and based much of her being from what I remember of my own grandmother. There aren't many actual similarities save for the common strength and love all grandmothers have for their loved ones. It was her vampiric side I had the most trouble with and bringing her two sides together was and still is the focus of my attention as I try to write Book Two of the Dragon's Tear Chronicle.

If I have a time table for the next published work... I am looking at maybe a few months until maybe I release a collection of short stories I have.... or a manuscript called "Midnight Rhapsody". We'll see.

But for the sequel... much work needs to be done. Colette and I have much to talk about and think about- much concerns little Amy.

D.

From "Amy's" Heart

"Hi! My name is Amy Cavanaugh. I am 13 year's old. I am going to be a ballerina just like my Grammy! People call me bad names, but I don't care beacuse my Grammy loves me so much and I am good girl. I have friends and I can do things and be good."

In a nutshell, this is Amy, my favorite character I have ever written. She wears her heart bravely on her sleeve for all to see. She wants those that need her love and brightness to find it. She doesn't hide her emotions. This is sometimes a very dangerous thing for her... sometimes it is a very painful situation she puts herself in. Thankfully she has a grandmother who watches over her and protects her.
She is mentally challenged, sensitive, loving, caring, shy, timid, but.... she is talented, wise beyond her years, innocent, playful, and the kind of girl who somehow manages to find the good in the bad and the light within the dark. Despite her appearences and passive demeanor, she is a survivor. She manages to somehow look beyond the pain that somehow surfaces in her everyday life and finds the sunrises, the rainbows, the Babbling Brooks, and the colorful trees and flowers....
Amy is a ballerina. Or at least she wants very much to be one. Her leotards and tights are her security and her confidence. Her dance steps and poses and postures are her escape and her weapons against sadness and feelings of helplessness. In her world a mean person may hurt her feelings or cause her pain... but as a dancer... she has beauty no-one can take away or tarnish... as a dancer, she has something no-one else can have... a dream, a fantasy, an expression.... something better. And these things are hers and hers alone.
I think of the title of my first book often... there are double meanings in the words "Dancing with the Moon". Amy is dancing with a vampire named Moon. Amy is dancing around the issues, dangers, and worries... following the light she finds in the midst of darkness... even in the dead of night, there is at least a moon that shines.

"I like the moon... he's my magic best friend cus he dances with me no matter where I go. And he has magic to help me dance better and he makes me feel better beacuse he's shiny in the sky and doesn't scare me."

There is a lot of me that comes out in Amy... but at the same token... years later... Amy is very much her own character now. She isn't so much a part of me anymore. She's growing up all on her own, becoming her own personality and her own identity. In a sense she is transcending from the written words and becoming something more than just a few passages in a book. She's becoming an image, a voice, a feeling...
I gave Amy life. But now she has become independent of me and is now giving ME life. Or at least she is showing me what life can be. Such a strange situation it is for me to explain how words on a page come to life... such a strange thing to see a character take on a life of their own. But unlike most horror writers who fear the things they create and refer to them as monsters... i.e. "Looks like I've created myself a real monster..." I can sit back and truly admire this one character and smile. It looks like in Amy, I have created a beautiful, talented, young girl who will one day be a real ballerina just like her Grammy.

Dancing with the Moon

Okay, "Dancing with the Moon"...
I might have to correct myself since the last entry in this blog. I started writing this book on October 31st of 2002- not 2003. It was released in 2003 at about the same time as my grandmother's birthday on May 13th.

"Dancing with the Moon" was my answer to bad vampire movies and God-awful cliches. I was trying to illustrate a point that some genres - like horror and vampires- need to be further expolored and expanded upon. I wanted to write a book with heart and soul. I wanted to show the readers characters that were nothing like the typical stereotypes so often seen.
I didn't want to write a slasher gore fest novel or some romantic thriller. I wanted something different- something that couldn't be defined with mere words; but with emotions and feelings and resonating memories.
The vampire of the story is the grandmother of a young 13 year-old mentally challenged girl in need of family, love, care, and support. The girl's only wish in life is to be a ballerina and dance ballet like her "Grammy". The vampire, "Grammy", would love to make her ward's dreams come true and then some- but along comes this nasty element resurfacing from her past. This element involves a strange relic necklace and a vampire elder who seeks to strip her of this relic and deprive her of her existance.
There is much more to this plot and several storylines develop throughout this book. In truth "Dancing with the Moon" is but one book in a much larger series still trapped in my head.
At some point in this blog/autobiography I will go into more detail about the connections I have with myself and the characters I create.

For now, this vampire needs his beauty sleep. The sun almost rises.

The "Enlightenment" of a Vampire Writer

My love affair with the world of vampires first came about in the summer of 1997 in the town of West Hartford, CT. Technically though I hadn't started writing true vampire fiction until October 31st, 2003. I always knew about vampires and vampire lore and mythology... Bram Stoker, "The Lost Boys", Anne Rice, Stepehen King's "Salem's Lot" and all of that... but the world of vampires didn't really open up until I discovered White Wolf and their line of roleplaying games and their line of fiction.
I didnot and do not take their work as my own,however I do incorporate their moods and attitudes in regards to vampires coming from all walks of life and living in a modern-day Gothic-Punk sort of realm if you will. I latched onto their ideas of vampires clinging to their humanity- having still some semblance of their former selves locked within them.
I did write one manuscript of about 600 pages entitled "Bubblegum Angel" depicting a young 11 year-old orphan named Paige Tucker- based on White Wolf's "World of Darkness". I was actually hoping to see this manuscript published under their line of fiction with their full consent and support. However that never came to be as their fiction line was going in a new direction and they had a different strategy and business mind than what I anticipated. But by April of 2000 I had "Bubblegum Angel" finished in its raw "White Wolf" format where it stands unseen even today. Although I do plan to edit it and see it published entirely as my own original work void of "White Wolf" liscenced terminology or referrences.
My first true work of vampire fiction was "Dancing with the Moon" which is book one of a chronicle of books I plan to write about a vampiric artifact known as the "Dragon's Tear". I started writing this book in responce to a horrible Romanian horror movie I happened to see on Halloween Night 2003 on the Sci-Fi Network.

I'll continue this little chat later... I must see an associate of mine about information regarding the French-Indian War.

D

David Conlin McLeod - December 2004 

Interview with a Vampire Writer

Hello all. My name is David Conlin McLeod. I am a published author of 4 books. "Dancing with the Moon" , "Two Past Twilight", "The Audition", and my recently released "Chasing Shadows: Tales of East River". I am 30 years old and a college freshman transfer student at Eastern Connecticut State University. I am majoring in Elementary Education and History. My main goal in life is to teach, but also to continue to build my writing career and help those who aspire to be a published author.
I have a live journal also.... www.livejournal.com/users/vampire_muse

I suppose I could give a telling of my life story, but I find horror fiction and vampire fiction far more entertaining and interesting than non-fiction.

When the time is right, more will be revealed. For now, enjoy the taste you have been given.... and yes... I do appreciate the vampires.