Presenting the cover for Sex, Blood, Rock 'N' Roll, and Vampyr (Book 1 of the Bloodline Trilogy) by K. M. McFarland About the book: When West Side’s front man and lead singer, Quinn Forrester, mysteriously vanished in 1989 never to be heard from again, the band’s lead guitarist, Jeff West, suspected foul play. With no evidence, Jeff was never able to convince the authorities. What Jeff doesn’t know is that Quinn was turned into a vampire that night. Vampires don’t age as mortals do. Years later, Quinn stepped back into the public eye when he and his daughter, Nadia, formed a nightclub act called After Dark, so Quinn reinvented himself as his son. Twenty-five years after the young singer’s unexplained disappearance, the opening of an art gallery brings Jeff West to New Orleans. A beautiful artist, Quinn’s lookalike son, a vampire tour, and a series of events send Jeff on the path to finally discovering the shocking truth about Quinn. Sneaky Peek: Nadia’s mind began to race. Here we go. I should have known he was going to ask. Jeff believes my father’s disappearance was foul play, and he’s not going to let up until he finds out the truth. Keep it together, Nadia. There’s no way Jeff is going to find out that my brother is really my father, my father is a vampire, and I’m a vampire too. Keep your cool. “Yes, earlier this evening,” she said. Not a lie, she told herself. I just talked to him at Vampyr. “Where is he living now?” She shrugged her shoulders and said, “Well, he moves around all the time. He never stays in one place too long.” “Where was he tonight when you talked to him?” asked Jeff, confused. “Um. You know, I didn’t ask, and he didn’t say. I mean, what’s the point? I can’t keep up with him. Just hearing his voice and knowing he’s okay is about all we can ask for.” The tour guide showed up just in time to save Nadia from having to answer any more of Jeff’s grilling questions. She noticed his attire and thought, what the fuck? He blended in with the night dressed in all black with black boots, but that was about all he had in common with a real vampire. His face was powdered white with dark red lipstick, guyliner, and red and black eyeshadow smeared around his eyes under disheveled chin length black hair parted in the middle. She wondered if he was trying to look like a mortal’s image of a vampire or just doing his best Alice Cooper impersonation. His exaggerated fangs appeared to be held in with dental putty. The yellow contact lens just looked weird. The long black cape he was wearing made him look like the poster boy for a costume shop. She covered her mouth with her hand and chuckled. The tour guide gathered everyone together to introduce himself and give the itinerary for the evening. “My darlings, may I have your attention, please. I’m Sebastien, and I’ll be your tour guide tonight. Now I know you’re all looking at me and wondering if I’m a vampire. Well, let me say this, if I were, I wouldn’t tell anyone. If I were a vampire, I could be as old as this building that goes back to 1806, but you could never tell by looking at me because vampires don’t age.” “If he’s a vampire, I’m a mermaid,” mumbled Nadia under her breath. Riley heard her and covered her mouth stifling a giggle. Their first stop was the old Ursuline Convent on Chartres Street; the oldest building in the Mississippi River Valley. The building no longer functions as a convent, and it is currently the home of the Archdiocesan archives. Sebastien went on to relay one of New Orleans’ most frightening vampire legends; the story of the Ursuline nuns and the casket girls. “In 1728, the casket girls were sent by the King of France to marry the French settlers and populate the swamp called La Nouvelle Orléans. “The gentlemen in La Nouvelle Orléans, at that time, were pirates, scoundrels, murderers, and thieves; prisoners who had been exiled and promised if they reformed in Louisiana, they could return to France. “Some say the girls were prostitutes, and some say they were orphans. When the fille à la cassette arrived in La Nouvelle Orléans, they each brought with them one chest shaped like a coffin containing their trousseau. The girls were brought to the Ursuline convent to live among the nuns until they were married. Deckhands followed them carrying their cassettes, and they were stored in the attic until the girls found a husband. “After the arrival of the fille à la cassette, no one could explain why the mortality rate increased substantially, especially infant mortality. Later, when the girls got ready to marry, nobody could explain why the caskets were found empty. “Fear of what the girls may have smuggled into La Nouvelle Orléans brought the Archdiocese to the convent to investigate. As a result of the investigation, the convent attic was sealed off, and the attic shutters were sealed shut with eight thousand nails; all blessed by the pope in Rome. “Many believe the girls smuggled vampires into La Nouvelle Orléans in the caskets, and they remain sealed in the attic to this day. Sometimes the shutters fly open late at night, and mist can be seen escaping when the vampires come out to feed.” Nadia let out a laugh. Sebastien narrowed his eyes at her. “Do you think this is funny?” Nadia shrugged and said, “Do you think giving vampires a bad name is funny?” The book will be released on January 3, 2017 Pre-order your copy now Cover Design: Julie Nicholls
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