Last week I talked about building a new character for my Snow Blood Series. His name is Mathias, a character from my heart. For those of you who know me, no explanation is needed. For those who don't, this book is dedicated to Aramis, my winged Friesian angel, who will forever live in my heart.

I wanted to share a few excerpts from Snow Blood Season 4 for your comments! 

I hope you enjoy these excerpts and that they piques your interest if you haven't read this installment. But, consider this, why has Mathias appeared? Why is he protecting Seth? What new evil could want to harm Seth, Snow Blood, and his family?

Snow Blood Season 4 Excerpts:
She was finally mine, in body and soulless soul, bound together through eternity. Nova pressed against me. Snowflakes fell across her salt and pepper coat and glistened like small diamonds on her fur. Shadows of prey lurked in the surrounding darkness as we padded home through the forest. I would have wanted the true death if she had failed to return my love.
 
Too caught up in the afterglow of our mating, I missed the tell-tale signs Nova instantly sensed.
           
Something watches us… follows us. Her telepathic message jarred me into alertness. We both circled each other, she-wolf to husky, eyes outward, looking for the intruder. I felt the presence of something… not dangerous. Searching the trees with my keen vampire vision, I glimpsed the shadowy outline of a… horse? I sprang in its direction with Nova on my heels only to discover nothing…

...AND LATER

I turned and ran faster to catch Kane with Scrawny behind me.

The three of us pulled up short about a quarter of a mile west of the estate. I recognized the field where Brogio confronted Artemis and Zeus. Zeus’ presence there had burned the field. No grass would ever grow there again. The field had become a landmark of sorts to mark our war with the gods. That all seemed long ago, when in reality it had only been a little more than six months.

I gawked at the winged horse standing in the middle of the field. He was a magnificent black horse with long, flowing mane and tail. His hoofs were covered in black feathers, and his black wings spanned what appeared to be ten or more feet each when he spread them out to his side when he saw us.

Kane strode up to the creature. “You are a relative of Pegasus, no doubt?”

Scrawny and I sniffed the ground and approached cautiously.

You may speak to me telepathically so that all can participate. The horse tossed his head in Scrawny’s and my direction.

Who or what are you?

I am Mathias, friend to Seth. 

Kane’s insatiable curiosity got the better of him. Your breed carried knights into battle, didn't it? What is your origin?

Mathias stomped his right foot. I am Friesian. I am guardian for Seth. I told you, I am his friend. He is in trouble. He needs you now.

Kane pressed for more information. What has happened?

Mathias flung his head irritated by Kane’s questions. In helping you with the aspecting ritual to connect with Hades to locate where Hecate had taken the vampire dog, Seth is in trouble with the other white witches in his coven. They strictly forbid the use of dark magic, and Seth has broken that rule. They threaten to take Seth’s abilities from him. They are passing judgment on Seth at his home now. Follow me.

Mathias spread his magnificent wings and took flight. Because vampires have the ability to move from one point to the next with lightning speed, we covered the eighteen miles from the estate to Seth’s cottage outside the north end of Wolfville in a matter of minutes. Scrawny and I scampered after Kane, dodging trees, shrubs and even prey that we startled as we whisked by them. Mathias landed just as we arrived next to a cluster of trees in front of the cottage with the vibrant blue door. Smoke curled from the brick chimney, and angry voices tried to shout each other down from inside. “I tell you, if I hadn’t shown Kane the aspecting spell, his friend would have been destroyed! What choice did I have to save an innocent! I…”

“Not acceptable!” A strident voice interrupted Seth’s plea. “You deserve to be stripped of your abilities.”

“Yes!” Several voices added their agreement.

“Wait,” a soft-spoken voice melted through the din of dissatisfaction. “Seth was trying to help save a life. Isn’t that what we do? Granted, he showed another how to aspect Hades, but he didn’t do the ritual himself.”

Another husky, unpleasant voice attacked. “Shush, Glenna! You’re being too soft. We have ethical behavior that guides the use of our magic.”

Kane waited no longer. He pushed open the door and made his presence known in the sitting room of the cottage. Scrawny followed, but I could not cross the threshold since I had never been invited in before. I stood outside and waited. Kane and Scrawny found themselves in the midst of a large circle of some twenty witches of all ages – young, old and in-between.   In the circle with them stood a tall blonde man with the most angelic face I had ever seen. The word good sprang to mind when I looked into his pure pale blue eyes. Dressed in a white shirt, slacks and shoes, his fair hair spread out around his wide shoulders.

“Ah, Kane, this isn’t a good time,” Seth said. But before the beautiful man could finish, the tallest of the witches took one look at Kane and shrieked. “Demon! Vampire!” With a wave of her hand, she threw Kane and Scrawny against the wall next to the fireplace.

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What do you think will happen next? Can you weave the plot from Season 3 into this?

Til Next Time,
​Carol

Do characters spring from the lives of authors? In my case, yes. When I started writing Snow Blood Book 4, for my Snow Blood Series, I drew upon my love of horses and specifically the Friesian breed. 

When I began outlining the plot for Book 4, a new character  presented himself. My brain was filled with him, so I thought I would take you inside my writer's mind as his character unfolded. He came to me by way of my son-in-law who posted him on my personal Facebook page. So, thank you, Donald. 

After seeing his picture and its significance, I wanted to share my journey with him so far. It wasn't a coincidence, you see. Most of you know I own, ride and compete with my Friesian Okido I.T.. The horse in the photo above is a Friesian, a winged one at that. At first, I thought he should be named after my own horse. But he quickly corrected me and shared that his name was Mathias. Some of you are probably shaking your heads right now and calling me crazy. Probably. But I firmly believe in a hypothesis that William Faulkner set forth about his own writing. He said, "It begins with a character, usually, and once he stands up on his feet and begins to move, all I can do is trot along behind him with paper and pencil trying to keep up long enough to put down what he says and does."

So it has been with all my characters - from Luke to Snow Blood, Ashlundt and Sara to Brogio and Selene or Tim and Corky to Kane and Scrawny.They take on a life of their own.

Because I introduced a new character in Snow Blood Season 3 called Seth, it only seems fitting that Mathias join Seth in Season 4. What you won't know in Season 3 is that Seth is much more than he appears to be. Once his true nature is revealed in Season 4, Mathias will become Seth's natural companion. Or, at least, that is what Mathias revealed to me in the beginning.

He's a winged horse, like Pegasus, but unlike the mythological horse, Mathias' nature and origin will be unclear at first. As the story progresses, readers will come to know much about him. He is a teacher, like all horses. He is a companion and adviser, like horses. He is dedicated and willing to work hard. You don't think so?  My horses have taught me patience, persistence, strength and how and when to use it. They've taught me to live in the moment, to seize the day, and to be demanding when necessary always followed by kindness. They have further developed my sense of responsibility. Mathias will show us all how to be more honest with our friends. I know that I can never fake it with my own horse. He always knows what's going on with me. Oh, one more important thing. Horses have taught me how to be gentle and to move slowly around them so as not to startle them. A nice thing to do for people as well, don't you think? 

Mathias embodies all these teaching abilities and more. He certainly taught me how to wrap him into the storyline. I simply followed him around for awhile to get his entire story. 

So those are my thoughts this morning. You probably wouldn't want to live inside my head, because that kind of stuff is always going on! But, if you love to write, you'll probably get it all. If you love to read, you'll probably get it too.

Til Next Time,
​Carol

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The lush woods swirled with mist that took on a green tinge. The mist thickened and the hair around my neck tingled. Out of the mist ahead, three blurred, smoky images of a single woman moved in unison. The images simultaneously cast out their arms, as if inciting a spell. I turned to Nova, who appeared frozen in time. I moved like a sleepwalker in a dream to her side, touching her face with my nose. She felt like stone! I turned and snarled at the images, but the heavy weight of the mist held me back. 

The three forms moved slowly toward me. Once in front of me, they solidified into one woman. She wore a black sleeveless gown that seemed to ripple as if the cloth was ink spilling off her and black robes with ornate silver designs.

The designs were just like the runes or alchemy symbols Kane had once showed me in one of his books. Her black hair was pulled into an Ancient Greek-style, high-set ponytail. She carried two old-fashioned reed torches, and a polecat. She put down the black-footed, ferret-like creature, and it weaved in and out of her flowing robes and hissed continuously at us.

A deathly pale marred the woman’s beauty. Her presence engulfed the woods around us with a strong condensation of the mist. A green aura shimmered, surrounding her. I could feel magic swirling around me.
​
I glanced at Nova and whined in fear. The object of my desire had been turned to stone. I bared my fangs, saliva dripping from them, and lunged at this mythical sorceress. But nothing happened. My body couldn’t move. I felt blocked, almost paralyzed when I tried to step forward.

“Do not fear, Snow Blood. I only wanted to meet you.” Her voice was deep and raspy. The green mist swirled up and down her body, and her dark black eyes shone like coal in her pale face.

I looked back to Nova and whined.

“Your companion will be fine when I leave. I am invisible to all but you at this moment.”

I turned to the woman, not knowing her motive, and sniffed the air around her. She smelled like cold, death and moist earth.

“My friend Persephone described your strength and beauty, but her words didn’t do you justice.”

Her sweet words disarmed me. I shook my head, trying to clear it of her voice seeping in and out of my mind, like the mist surrounding her. I knew that she had to be like the gods—charming, deceitful, greedy and evil. So, you are Hecate?

Yes. She reached out to touch me, and I shrank back. “Do not retreat from me… I…”

SNOW BLOOD! WHERE ARE YOU? Brogio’s voice pushed Hecate’s thoughts from my mind.
​
The witch again held out her right hand. “I know you are being summoned. So, meet me here tomorrow night when the moon rises over the trees. I have the gift of prophecy, and I will tell you your future, and that of those you love.”

Backing away, I again shook my head, trying to knock her voice from it. As I retreated, finally able to move, Hecate glowed even brighter and dissolved slowly in the mist. “Remember… tomorrow night… your future awaits you.” Her voice and the smell of sulfur faded away gradually with her image. It left an uncomfortable ringing in my ears.

I stared at the empty space she had left and shook off the remnants of her spell from my coat.
 
If you’d like to read more of this third book in the Snow Blood Vampire Mystery Thriller Series, go here. Haven’t started the series, then click here.

Til Next Time,
Carol
 
 
 

I turned, and he stared down into my eyes. I felt drawn into his dark brown orbs that smoldered and shifted to blood red.

I hadn’t heard his footfalls or the crunch of snow behind me. His presence both startled and overwhelmed me. I moved back two steps to take in the sheer beauty and strength of Kane da Medici, the first blood son of Brogio, the original vampire.

His six-foot-five frame towered over my small stature. Dark brown hair fell around his broad shoulders. He wore black slacks, a white silk shirt open at the collar, and a black brocade jacket. A black belt and boots finished off his stylish appearance. His love of beautiful clothes was obvious on this night he had agreed to meet me in the woods outside his Tuscany wine estate.
You think I’m crazy to meet a timeless vampire in the woods at night? Nothing could be farther from the truth. First, he would never purposely hurt a human being. I know. I wrote him that way. Second, he wanted to meet his creator face to face.

He smirked. “You are smaller and older than I thought you’d be.”

I brushed a snowflake from my silver white hair and flashed him a smile. “And, you are more handsome than any image of you could convey.”

He laughed and shrugged. He bowed and pointed to a fallen tree where we might sit together. He tried to hide the boyish charm that I had built into him. I had no idea just how charming he had become over the years and the nine books I’d written about him.

“So, Carol, what do you want to know?” He hunched over, placed an elbow on a knee, and placed his knuckle under his chin. He gave me a sidelong glance and smirked. “What could I possibly tell you that you don’t already know?”

I leaned toward him. “I want to know if your love for Zandra and Moon has surpassed your lust for never-ending knowledge.”

He sat up in surprise and peered into my own brown eyes. “Isn’t it obvious? I willingly offered my true death to Lucifer in exchange for all those I love. Zandra and Moon being at the top of that list.”

I sighed. “Then you truly have evolved as a character, haven’t you?”

“Call it what you will.”

I placed my hand on his arm, and he turned to me.

 “You have been through so much. You, Moon, Zandra, and her brothers have had to fight off evil humans, shifters, the undead, the original succubus, demons, and even Satan himself. If I could grant you one wish, what would it be?”

He placed his hand over mine and stared into the darkness of the woods. “I’d wish you grant us all peace. Peace to just be together… and yes, for me to explore my unquenchable thirst for knowledge.”

I shrugged. “But you know the worst storm you’ve faced is coming in Moon Blood Book 5, don’t you?”

He snatched his hand away from mine. “Why do you have to put us through such difficult situations? You’re worst than the gods and the monsters that pursue us.”

I sighed again. “Because all of you are so very creative. You find ways to escape the worst situations, and I love watching all of you evolve into something so noble. Yes, you are supposed to be monsters, but I have never known creatures like you who have so much unconditional love for each other. Not one of you would hesitate to die for the others. It makes you all inspirational.”

He stood and began to pace, a habit he now mimicked from Brogio, his sire. “But that comes from Moon. It has all along. First from Snow Blood, and now from his daughter and my progeny, my beloved hybrid wolf. Both the kindred dog and his daughter have shown all of us the way.”

I smiled and turned to him. “And, it is my hope that those who read your stories will learn how to love unconditionally as you have.” I turned to go.

Kane placed his hand on my arm to stay me. “Won’t you tell me what evil awaits us next?”

I reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck and whispered, “Moon Blood and I will reveal all in the next and last book. I know patience isn’t in your wheelhouse but try… and trust that you truly are the heroes of this series.”
​
He hugged me back, sighed, turned, and disappeared through the trees.
 
Read the adventures of the first blood son series. Catch up with Moon Blood Books 1-4 and look for Book 5 sometime in 2019. Want to start at the beginning with the Snow Blood Series? Why not.

Til Next Time,
​Carol
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