Pain. There are many emotions and feelings that encompass that one word. Likewise, those similar emotions and feelings can encompass the fateful act of suicide as well. They can artfully entwine each other, deadly and tragic, inauspicious and ominous, or, simply stand alone--no rhyme or reason to either one.

The Gratista Vampire Clans objective here is not to scare anyone with such topics, but to have the reader realize such acts, feelings, and thoughts do exist, and are not to be ignored. In a world that is glossy-coated, superficial, heartless and self-centered, there are still humans out there that feel and bleed, wanting to reach out to someone they can connect with, and have trouble adjusting to this egocentric world that would rather look the other way than come to someones aid.

Look past yourself and really SEE the world. There is much, much more to it than the world you create around yourselves.

REVIEW

I was patiently waiting for the next collection of works from this group, and once more, I'm happy to say I was NOT disappointed. The themes in this anthology might be considered 'touchy' by the more stiffer and mundane-minded, but once you read this, you'll see that it's not what you think.

"Pain" is received on many different levels and can be taken in so many ways. Sometimes, one's pain is another's pleasure. There's a wonderful medley of stories here, some hilarious, some quite sad, and some even mildly erotic. I was quite intrigued with Mr. Mullen's "The Gomorra Incident", as well as Mr. Glascow's "Vinigrettes of Pain" in which he offers excerpts from stories he's written--which I hope one day to actually read in their entirety! "Contemplating The End" by Spider was a hoot--the ending will throw you for a loop! And my jaw dropped when I read "Hotline", again by Mr. Glascow. (What a twist on the whole 'suicide helpline' thing!!!) Ms. Poff's "Vampires Hurricane Ball" was a spicy treat. Camille, Dominic, Spider, and Phylis give their haunting offerings of poetry, and once again, Ms. Santiago wows the reader with her gothic photography, and I am very much in love with the cover as well. another image that really caught my eye within the book was of a large stone staircase and what looked like the ruins of a piece of a 19th century mansion or something! And although Mr. Boye's story, "Bastion's Pride" was a more conventional piece this time around, it was still dark enough to fit into the category of 'pain of loss' VERY well.

I give this group another round of applause.

Reviewed by: Shaun Collins
thepurpleraven.blogspot.com

EXCERPT

From: "Vampires Hurricane Ball" by Christy Poff

Victorya Geisler woke, realizing something very strange and dangerous had happened since she’d come to a house, needing to use the phone. She gazed around her seeing what appeared to be a root cellar"something she thought strange considering the area’s high water tables. Unable to move, she looked down to see she’d been placed in a Victorian corset"only this one had been made of metal.
Her mind numb from whatever put her to sleep, she’d yet to comprehend the fact that she’d been placed in an aged restraint holding her to the wall as well as metal straps over her neck, wrists and ankles. Attached to the wall, she had absolutely no chance to move. What the hell…

She also noticed she’d been dressed in a short, black, strapless dress, her curiosity piqued while her fear level rose by the moment. Trying to move, she felt one of the straps cut into her skin and the sticky feel of blood trickling from the wound. Though she wanted to yell for help, the piece of tape over her mouth prevented it.
Victorya had willingly walked into a trap and, with the current situation thanks to the coming hurricane, she knew if she disappeared no one would ever know. Chalked up as storm related, her fate became more terrifying the more lucid she became.

The door to her prison opened, candlelight from the other side of it silhouetting a man’s body. Behind came the sounds of agonizing pain, Victorya realizing she would join the others.

“I see you’re awake,” a man’s voice said, a hint of a British accent catching her attention.

She watched as he lit several candles in wall-mounted sconces, noticing her captor to be a very handsome blond haired man who looked to be in his late thirties.

“Forgive me for your current situation, but it’s the only way.”
He slowly approached her, Victorya allowed to see only one side of his face. She watched his every move, never realizing her heartbeat had begun to run crazy, because all she wanted she knew she would probably not get.

“I can feel your heartbeat racing while your blood runs cold with terror,” he calmly commented. “It’ll be a pleasure taking your life.”
Unnerved by what he said, Victorya began fighting the metal holding her to the wall. She felt more pain as the straps cut into her wrists and ankles while the corset’s rough edges stung her body through the lightweight dress she wore.

Turning his full gaze to her, her captor’s eyes sent her over the edge. Red"blood red"eyes held her in his power while her own terror caused her to cower from him.

“That’s it,” he said running a fingertip along her neck"more precisely, the main vein.

She trembled, though his touch sent a strange heat through her. It hit her that her body not only wanted to run from him but craved his touch as well. *My God, what’s happening?*

“To answer your question, you are my guest and because of that, you will satisfy my needs. I can see you feel the strange sensations between us, but it will do us no good to explore them. I am what I am and cannot afford anyone knowing. Therefore, when I’m done with you…”

He placed his hand on her neck, closing his eyes while he felt her blood beneath his fingertips. Under his spell, she froze, unable to think a sane thought.

Slowly he pulled the tape from her mouth, Victorya immediately screaming.