Tag: Cedarcrest Sanctum

“A Fifth of November” – Vampire Verisimilitude

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November is an interesting month for me.

My birthday is the fifth, so I turn twenty-seven today — or I would if I were still alive.

(Before you ask, yes…my dad taught me the “Remember, Remember, the Fifth of November” rhyme.)

VampireCupcakesSpeaking of being alive, the concept of “life” has become fluid for me. I was told vampires simulate life (breath and heartbeat) so we can better lure in our victims, but I also consider the source (Ian was an ass). Although I can always feel it coming, I’m still not used to the sudden lurch of my heart stopping at sunrise.

November was also the month I was “turned,” a word that sounds better to me than “murdered.” I get that now; I’m still here even though I’m physically different. Another immortal once told me I was lucky in one respect: being turned at so early an age may have cheated me of a full life, but it afforded me the luxury of pretending to be alive as my actual self a while longer.

Continue reading ““A Fifth of November” – Vampire Verisimilitude” →

Happy Halloween: Beggar’s Night

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It’s almost here: Halloween.

No bait-and-switch angst today, just a fun idea. A throwback, if you like.

(“Can’t we have a little of the angst?” “No. Shh! I’ve been a stick in the mud in previous years; I’m done with all that.”)

We’re all-ages here at Cedarcrest, young and old, with many an All Hallow’s Eve tale to tell.

Once upon a time, some of you called it “Beggar’s Night.”

FromTheDeskOfJanissSignatureFor those celebrating, I’ve heard all kinds of stories about you little gremlins and your so-called harmless pranking. One of you titled yourselves “The Goblins of the Season.” Moving furniture off of porches, throwing rotten tomatoes or fruit, eggs and toilet paper. Little hellions all! Parents ignored this as long as it was kept to certain level; there were lines you knew not to cross.

The best part sounded like keeping your secrets each year, with each other or from each other.

Continue reading “Happy Halloween: Beggar’s Night” →

Join Janiss on Twitter

To all residents and staff:

Hi! It’s just Janiss, your friendly facility executive administrator (say that three times fast). I guess I could shorten that to FFEA. Anyway…

JanissAvatarTwitterHandleOn occasion, many of you have cornered me (not an easy thing to do) in the private wing to or from the blood lab, quizzing me about my “lifestyle.” Believe me when I tell you: I have less experience with being an immortal than a lot of college graduates have working fast food. Still, I get that you’re curious, so here’s what were going to do!

At Timothy’s request, I have created a Twitter account @janissconnelly for you to ask questions. Yes, this is also an effort to get all of YOU using social media (all except dear sweet Vivian, our resident social network queen). I talk about stargazing, hard rock music (feel free to ignore those), and paranormal romance books (yes, I freely admit to this).

If you have a specific question about how I get along as a vampire, follow me and I’ll follow back so you can send a DIRECT message. I have ONE request: let’s try to keep the vampire talk related to ME off the internet? Yes, even if no one believes it.

See you all online!

Janiss Connelly
Executive Administrator
Cedarcrest Sanctum

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The Matriarch Tetralogy

Kevin here, author of The Matriarch series.

Both The Matriarch and its sequel The Matriarch: Guardians continue to find new fans, and that’s thanks to readers like you who subscribe to sites like this.

If you look carefully at CedarcrestSanctum.com, you’ll notice a few changes. One is a more compact menu as well as local sunset and sunrise information; Janiss uses these to keep track of the length of her nights. Also of note is the line beneath the moniker “Sixty residents. Forty staff. One immortal” has been replaced with a familiar looking weapon:

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That bar is a hot link to a page featuring The Decapitator, a unique weapon in the world of The Matriarch. I had one constructed as a conversation and inspiration piece, but the ability to order one for yourself is coming soon.

Under “Library Assets” in the lower right corner, you’ll also notice two new books with blank covers. The reason for this is simple: The Matriarch series will become a tetralogy, four books in all when finished. The names of these new books and the stories they will tell are already in the planning; the first draft of the third book should be done by the end of November and hopefully released the following Spring.

Finally, a request: if you have enjoyed one or both Matriarch books, I implore you to leave a rating, a few words, and recommend this series to a friend.

It’s easy! If you purchased the Kindle version, open your app, select one of the Matriarch books from your Library, scroll past the last page for the five-star rating option to leave a few words in review. If you have the paperback, log into Amazon and go to http://www.amazon.com/author/kevinaranson, select the correct book, then scroll down to “Customer reviews” and select “Add a review” to rate the book and leave a few words.

Thank you for reading and watch for more news coming soon!

~ Kevin A. Ranson
ThinkingSkull.com

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Crowd Control

To: Janiss Connelly
Re: “Crowd Control”

These are the craftsmen I mentioned to you last month. They have begun discreet work on the items we requested and sent the following images showcasing their progress. I am not an expert, but these look very capable. Once we’ve seen and tested the finished product, we can determine how many we’ll need.

~ Timothy Harker
Operations Administrator
Cedarcrest Sanctum

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Summer Solstice Cook Out

To all residents and staffers,

Today is the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year – not our Executive Administrator’s favorite time; please show her kindness tonight.

A few of the residents have arranged a get-together this evening in the new greenhouse. There will be a cookout, so for those in the mood for outdoor grilling, please respond to this email to make arrangements. (Personal note to Ruth White: yes, I’ll be in attendance this time, and no, you don’t have to keep sending people up to the office to find out “when.”)

Additional reminder: “Phase Three” is nearly complete and we hope to organize a tour of the new facility very soon. More information will be passed along as it becomes available, so check your email often for continued updates.

~ Timothy Harker
Operations Administrator
Cedarcrest Sanctum

Addendum: as requested by many of our residents, the second book in The Matriarch series is now available. As always, residents receive complimentary copies but interested staffers are required to purchase copies of their own ; links to these books have been included for your convenience. Thank you for your understanding.

MatriarchRightfaceebookcover2014small GuardiansRightfaceebookcover2014Small

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Social Media Links (to all residents and staff)

To all residents and staffers,

It has come to my attention that not everyone has been checking the website on a regular basis. I understand that we ask a lot of you and that you are very busy, but it is imperative that regular communication is maintained and that all updates are received.

In an effort to foster better and more timely contact, the decision has been made to utilize existing social media on both Facebook and Twitter. If you have personal accounts with these networks, please add these to receive vital information. In addition, please share these links with all residents and staffers that you may be in contact with to ensure maximum participation.

Matriarch Facebook PageCedarcrest Sanctum on Facebook
Matriarch Twitter PageCedarcrest Sanctum on Twitter

Oh, and Happy Mother’s Day to whom it applies.

~ Timothy Harker
Operations Administrator
Cedarcrest Sanctum

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“Permission Enough” Excerpt

Kevin here…
The countdown to the second book in The Matriarch series is almost ready!

Have you read all of the teaser excerpts yet? There’s a new one: “Permission Enough.” Read them all; the wait is almost over!

TheMatriarchGuardiansTexttLogo460

† Read the first excerpt “Sobriety Check” †
† Read the second excerpt “Old Blood” †
† Read the third excerpt “Permission Enough” †

GuardiansRightfaceebookcover2014She is NOT the last.

“I’m going to find as many of them as I can – the makers and their progeny.”

After a woman in white is encountered along a lonely highway in Jackson County, West Virginia, an unusual number of vampires begin to turn up.

Once their mysterious maker is discovered, Janiss Connelly must confront those she left behind in life before she can stop the sadistic murderer once and for all.

Supernatural horror thriller, mature content.
Due out end of May 2014 (tentative)

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“Old Blood” Excerpt

Hi! Kevin here again, author of The Matriarch series. Remember when I said a few teasers will be going out to prepare for the new book release? Here’s the second one.

Read them, love them, SHARE them!

https://cedarcrestsanctum.com/old-blood-excerpt-from-the-matriarch-guardians/

Thanks for reading!

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“Sobriety Check” Excerpt

We interrupt Timothy’s usual notification with…

Hi! Kevin here, author of The Matriarch series (yes, it’s now officially a series!) As we ramp up to the new novel release date (shh!), a few teasers will be going out; this the first.

Read them, love them, SHARE them!

https://cedarcrestsanctum.com/sobriety-check-excerpt-from-the-matriarch-guardians/

We now return you to Timothy’s usual update, already in progress.

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