Author: Juliette Kings

I'm a mom, artist and writer, living in California. Westcoastreview.wordpress.com and Vampiremaman.com

Having Guests for Dinner? Thanksgiving Day Movies with a Bite!

Juliette Kings's avatarVampire Maman

Who are you having for dinner this Thanksgiving? That’s right WHO are YOU having for DINNER? Make your list and after the Macy’s Parade and Football and Turkey comes MOVIES!

Even Vampires like those feel good holiday movies! The traditional Thanksgiving movies around here have been Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (plenty of evil characters in that one so we can all cheer for Truly) and of course Sound of Music, My Fair Ladyand just about anything we can all sing along to and know by heart. I also love Local Hero, which is just about my favorite movie. Then there is that long list of favorite romantic comedies that we can watch over and over again. But sometimes it just gets old. I mean, we’ve seen these movies 1,000 times.

And it is THANKSGIVING. So since we’re having guests for dinner, why not watch movies about having guests…

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Me, My Muse, And Roleplay

cosistories's avatarcosistories

Author’s Note: Diana at Mythos of the Mirror has a new prompt: Meet The Muse! The rules are simple. Post a conversation with your muse on your blog and then leave a link to your post in the comment section of Diana’s post here. There is no word limit. Just keep it family friendly and have fun!

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Isellta walks over to the bartender and asks for a hot toddy. He pauses. “What exactly is a hot toddy?” 

The bartender guffaws and said—–

“What are you doing?” my muse asked me.

“I’m writing. Go away.”

He stepped over to my side and peered at my computer screen through his wire-rimmed glasses. “You’re on Discord.” He made it sound like I was on the fast boat to Hell.

“Yeah? So? I’m writing.”

The bartender guffaws and—–

He narrowed his eyes at me. “You’re roleplaying with your characters.”

“Still counts as…

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How I Met My Husband

findingjeanne's avatarithappenedwhileiwaswaiting

The wild decade following high school I spent moving from job to job and hanging onto a relationship that was not healthy. When that relationship ended, I had a strong desire to establish security in my life through stable employment.

I took a job with a bank, worked hard, and met all new friends. I managed my life confident that I did not want to become enmeshed in another relationship that was controlling. For a few years, I worked, went clubbing, dated, and toyed with the idea of marriage and children.

I don’t know if the idea is so ingrained in the minds of females that we are supposed to be in relationships and care for the partner and offspring, or if it is really something that I wanted for myself. I guess that during all of this dating, I was actually looking for a life partner. Eventually I reached…

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Juliette’s Book Club: Exceptional Liars

Juliette Kings's avatarVampire Maman

Exceptional Liars
by Marla Todd

Excerpt from “To Elizabeth With Love.”

This book was written as a love letter to my wife Elizabeth Hobbs Atkinson. She was brutally tortured and killed by a man who had once been my friend. Her body was never found, but her legacy of love will still be here.

From the day Liz vanished I prayed for her return and for hope. The day she was pronounced legally dead I lost all hope and thought I too would die. Only my faith in God and the love Liz and I shared kept me from going off into a black abyss of hopelessness and grief.

My comfort comes from my faith and my knowledge  that Liz is in a better place.

~ Gregory Atkinson

“Son of a bitch.”  I put down my glass of wine and threw the book across the room.

I’m surprised the bastard hasn’t been struck…

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Ruby in the Mist

Happy Halloween!

Mandy White's avatarDysFictional

Published in 2012 in Creepies: Twisted Tales From Beneath the Bed by WPaD. Available worldwide in paperback and ebook. ~*~

I know it sounds cliché, but it was Halloween night when my neighbor Roy told me his story about the girl in the mist. We were sitting at my kitchen table having a few cold beers, talking about things that go bump in the night and other topics appropriate for that particular eve. We eventually reached the subject of local folklore. Our little town had ghost stories aplenty.

Honeymoon Bay was formed in the late 1800s by pioneers, mostly loggers and later mill workers as the town grew and industry gained a foothold. During the mid-twentieth century, a sawmill dominated the tiny village. The reason I included this somewhat dry bit of trivia is that it has relevance to the story that follows.

At one time, the main road through…

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While Angels Sleep – A Visit to the Historic Sacramento Cemetery

Juliette Kings's avatarVampire Maman

There is a quiet beauty about historic cemeteries that I can’t always put into words. So many lives ask to be remembered and stories beg to be told, or maybe not. Earlier this week (10/27/20) my daughter Clara and my friend Amelia joined me in a visit to the historic Sacramento Historic City Cemetery. We’ve had no rain so many of the usual flowers and grassy areas are dry and brown, but it does little to take away from the beauty of the place.

I’ve posted about this cemetery in the past. At the end of the post I’ll share links of those posts and posts about other cemeteries and graveyards I’ve shared, and a map of where you can find the historic Sacramento Cemetery.

Click on any of the images below to get a larger expanded view.

~ Juliette aka Vampire Maman

Cemetery/Graveyard Links on Vampiremaman.com

The Quiet Beauty…

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New Reality

Mandy White's avatarDysFictional

In a world where ratings are all that matters, casting the ideal leading man is the key to success.

Sweat beaded on Saul’s forehead. Being summoned to a meeting with the executives seldom meant good news. After thirty-seven years in the business, one would think he’d be used to it, but he’d never managed to shake the sense of impending doom he felt before every meeting. His fingers closed around the small cylindrical container in his pocket and resisted the urge. Xanax would dull the panic, but he needed to remain sharp when meeting with those piranhas.

* * *

Zorn reminded him of a bullfrog on Botox. His closed mouth, thin-lipped smile stretched impossibly wide across a face much too smooth for a man his size. He overflowed his chair like Jabba the Hutt crammed into an Armani suit. Saul half expected a long tongue to zip out of…

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I’m All Ears

As a sister, a daughter, and a mom I love this story.

Mandy White's avatarDysFictional

It started out the way so many of these things do: A slice of potato, a needle and a cigarette lighter. Piercing my ears against my parents’ wishes was the ultimate act of rebellion, in my thirteen-year-old mind.

My sister was all for it, in the beginning. Sadie was a saint. She always had my back. Sadie was more than just my identical twin. She was my best friend and my savior, always willing to run interference to hide my rebellious antics. Like the pierced ears. Sadie chose to remain unpierced, and stood in for me when I hid to avoid my parents until my ears healed and I could remove the earrings around them. And when my amateur piercing job went bad and my ears turned scarlet with infection, Sadie was there for me.

It was the same with the tattoo. And the nose ring. And then the numerous…

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Hollywood Forever

Juliette Kings's avatarVampire Maman

Hollywood Forever Cemetery,
Los Angeles, CA

Hollywood Forever is in the shadow of the famous Hollywood sign, and neighbor to Paramount Studio. It is a beautiful place filled with interesting graves, famous graves, beautiful stained glass, and a lot of surprises. The surprises include a colony of cats and peacocks.

Unfortunately today was HOT, and a movie was being filmed, plus there were several funerals so we didn’t get to tour the entire grounds. What we saw was super interesting. Due to the pandemic it was also lacking in tourists today.

I managed a few photos to share. Enjoy.

~ Juliette aka Vampire Maman

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Short Story Sunday: Two Stories – “Maybe” and “The Offer”

Juliette Kings's avatarVampire Maman

A new story for 2020

Maybe

My phone dinged with another text message. I really needed to mute the sound.

Jay: I am so sorry about Ryan.

Me: Thank you.

Jay: I saw your photo. Your still hot.

Me: You still can’t spell.

Another old boyfriend I’d have to block. They came out of the woodwork like rats, only they were middle aged men, all divorced, widowed, never married, and looking for any excuse to get laid.

The messages ranged from sappy memories of times that never meant much to me, dick pics, apologies, propositions, apologies for past bad behavior, and whiney threads of what could have been. I blocked them all.

Mike: If you need anything call me.

Me: Who is this?

Mike: Mike Johnson

Me: What are you doing now?

Mike: Thinking about you.

Me: I mean, are you working? Retired? Married? Single?

Mike: Semi retired. Semi single…

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Short Film Festival

Juliette Kings's avatarVampire Maman

We’ve all been home and watched everything on Netflix. Sometimes you just need something short. Sometimes you need something that isn’t a long series, or serious, or even a full movie. Have fun. Stay safe. Wash your hands. Don’t do anything stupid (like starting fires.) Be creative. Be calm. Get some sleep.

Yes, I love short films. Enjoy. ~ Juliette aka Vampire Maman

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WRITE. I made a thing. I made an art thing.

Juliette Kings's avatarVampire Maman

WRITE

11 x 14 Mixed Media on Canvas

~ Juliette aka Vampire Maman
with a little bit of help from Marla Todd and inspiration from Milton 510 Bowen and my friends at WPaD (Writers, Poets, and Deviants)

Coming soon to a wall near me and a blog post near you. This is part of my “Jane Eyre” series. Mixed medium art during the pandemic inspired by the classics.

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