Life as a Teenage Vampire
by Amanda Meuwissen
GENRE: YA Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy
Emery Mavus just wants to survive his senior year of high school. Becoming a vampire complicates things. So does a bizarre mentor, a group of vampire hunters, and an unexpected, new attraction for his openly gay best friend, Connor. An occasional uncontrollable hunger for blood might be the least of his worries.
It was a trick. Emery had made it all up, knowing that the details would lead Connor to vampires. These were just Halloween fangs. Connor wasn’t really hypnotized into submission; he was just stunned, believing his own crazy imagination. He’d longed for years to have Emery this close, after all, crowding him into a corner, lips descending. He’d just imagined them descending a little closer to his mouth, though his neck wouldn’t be so bad…
…if not for the sharp sting, the breaking of the skin and rush of blood sucked out of him so fast he felt dizzy, and then—wow.
It didn’t hurt at all. It felt like Emery was tucked into his shoulder intimately, fully aware of the pleasant buzzing he caused in Connor’s gut every time they touched. Connor had dreamed of this, imagined it just like this, and felt lulled by Emery’s body being so close, and the way he shivered feeling those lips on his skin. He almost thought he heard Emery’s soothing voice whispering affirmations he’d always wanted to hear.
“Em…” Connor breathed out, barely audible.
The room was dimming, but he felt cozy where he was. His arms were limp and heavy as he lifted them to pull Emery closer, feeling the soft fabric of the sweater against his somewhat numb right palm. He pulled tighter, twisting flesh and plastic fingers alike in the fabric, pulling…with the faint sense that he should be pushing instead.
“Em…” he choked out like a whimper, like he was crying. Why was he crying? This was everything he’d ever wanted…
…if not for the sharp sting, the breaking of the skin and rush of blood sucked out of him so fast he felt dizzy, and then—wow.
It didn’t hurt at all. It felt like Emery was tucked into his shoulder intimately, fully aware of the pleasant buzzing he caused in Connor’s gut every time they touched. Connor had dreamed of this, imagined it just like this, and felt lulled by Emery’s body being so close, and the way he shivered feeling those lips on his skin. He almost thought he heard Emery’s soothing voice whispering affirmations he’d always wanted to hear.
“Em…” Connor breathed out, barely audible.
The room was dimming, but he felt cozy where he was. His arms were limp and heavy as he lifted them to pull Emery closer, feeling the soft fabric of the sweater against his somewhat numb right palm. He pulled tighter, twisting flesh and plastic fingers alike in the fabric, pulling…with the faint sense that he should be pushing instead.
“Em…” he choked out like a whimper, like he was crying. Why was he crying? This was everything he’d ever wanted…
Amanda has a Bachelor of Arts in a personally designed major from St. Olaf College in Creative Writing, and has been posting content online for many years, including maintaining the blog for the digital marketing company Outsell. She spent a summer writing screenplay script coverages for a company in L.A., and is an avid consumer of fiction through film, prose, and video games. Amanda lives in Minneapolis, MN, with her husband, John, and their cats, Helga and Sasha (no connection to the incubus of the same name).
Author web links:
https://www.amazon.com/Life-Teenage-Vampire-Amanda-Meuwissen/dp/1943619328/ http://www.amandameuwissen.com/
http://crimsondomingo.tumblr.com/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6831429.Amanda_Meuwissen
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAmandaMeuwissen/
https://twitter.com/MissSuperCube
Author web links:
https://www.amazon.com/Life-Teenage-Vampire-Amanda-Meuwissen/dp/1943619328/ http://www.amandameuwissen.com/
http://crimsondomingo.tumblr.com/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6831429.Amanda_Meuwissen
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAmandaMeuwissen/
https://twitter.com/MissSuperCube
What is the most interesting thing that's ever happened to you?
Fans of my work know that while my stories are filled with detailed plot and character growth, there is always a love story at the heart of it. In some ways, I am forever retelling my own love story, which through every chapter, every book, every new set of characters, rekindles my love for my husband.
Because he and the story that led us from friends to lovers to happily married is the most interesting thing that has ever happened to me.
Out meet-cute wasn’t anything special. In fact, I don’t know if I could tell you the exact moment I met him. We lived in the same dorm Freshman year of college, and had a few classes together as Asian Studies majors. But sadly, I had a boyfriend at the time.
Sophomore year, when we were both single, during a trip to China and Japan when nearly every girl fell in love with him—no joke, two different girls asked him out the same night—I realized I wanted more.
It wasn’t until we got back that I found out he was dating one of my friends. One of our OTHER friends (everyone fell for him, I swear) had a hard time accepting that, and was more vocal about it, so the last thing I wanted was to speak about my heartbreak and claim the spotlight. I pined in silence.
Until he broke up with that friend, and Junior year we were both single again and flirted mercilessly for months. It all came to a head at our annual anime convention, a perfect night of being a little tipsy, and having time alone, dancing. I literally said the words, “You know, I could totally see us dating,” and right on cue two of our friends appeared to interrupt.
He was headed back to Japan for a semester abroad anyway, so we didn’t think it smart to start something then. The unresolved sexual tension was unbearable.
The end of the semester and summer passed before we saw each other again, both anxious, never quite getting the right moment to be alone, until a week of misery had passed. It was September 12th (by about ten minutes, since he waited to come upstairs until after midnight so our anniversary wouldn’t be September 11th).
He called me out into the common room, my makeup off, in PJs, and with chili pepper lights hanging from the ceiling in otherwise dim lighting, he asked me out. A friend of mine had snuck out during our talk to use the bathroom, and just as we kissed, we heard her flush the toilet through the wall, and just lost it. It’s still one of my favorite memories.
After barely two months of dating, I knew I wanted to marry him. After seven months, he asked. That was ten years ago now, and every day I love him more. It really is practically a work of fiction.
Fans of my work know that while my stories are filled with detailed plot and character growth, there is always a love story at the heart of it. In some ways, I am forever retelling my own love story, which through every chapter, every book, every new set of characters, rekindles my love for my husband.
Because he and the story that led us from friends to lovers to happily married is the most interesting thing that has ever happened to me.
Out meet-cute wasn’t anything special. In fact, I don’t know if I could tell you the exact moment I met him. We lived in the same dorm Freshman year of college, and had a few classes together as Asian Studies majors. But sadly, I had a boyfriend at the time.
Sophomore year, when we were both single, during a trip to China and Japan when nearly every girl fell in love with him—no joke, two different girls asked him out the same night—I realized I wanted more.
It wasn’t until we got back that I found out he was dating one of my friends. One of our OTHER friends (everyone fell for him, I swear) had a hard time accepting that, and was more vocal about it, so the last thing I wanted was to speak about my heartbreak and claim the spotlight. I pined in silence.
Until he broke up with that friend, and Junior year we were both single again and flirted mercilessly for months. It all came to a head at our annual anime convention, a perfect night of being a little tipsy, and having time alone, dancing. I literally said the words, “You know, I could totally see us dating,” and right on cue two of our friends appeared to interrupt.
He was headed back to Japan for a semester abroad anyway, so we didn’t think it smart to start something then. The unresolved sexual tension was unbearable.
The end of the semester and summer passed before we saw each other again, both anxious, never quite getting the right moment to be alone, until a week of misery had passed. It was September 12th (by about ten minutes, since he waited to come upstairs until after midnight so our anniversary wouldn’t be September 11th).
He called me out into the common room, my makeup off, in PJs, and with chili pepper lights hanging from the ceiling in otherwise dim lighting, he asked me out. A friend of mine had snuck out during our talk to use the bathroom, and just as we kissed, we heard her flush the toilet through the wall, and just lost it. It’s still one of my favorite memories.
After barely two months of dating, I knew I wanted to marry him. After seven months, he asked. That was ten years ago now, and every day I love him more. It really is practically a work of fiction.
