The enigmatic, ethereally handsome, aristocratic Gabriel Augustine, professor of Nineteenth Century English Literature at St. Giles College in Oxford, England, is a man with many secrets. And it is not his vampiric nature that is his most deeply held secret. Though few know he is vampire, not human, none know the horror that has haunted him throughout his long existence. He has spent centuries attempting to atone for his greatest sin.
Claire Seymour needs to forget her past. She is ready to embark on any journey that will move her away from the pain that has been her constant companion since discovering her fiancé with her best friend. Four weeks at the University of Oxford in a class on her favorite author, Jane Austen, seems like a good place to start.
Neither is ready for the other.
Readers of my blog, Random Musings of a Fledgling Writer, know I’ve been working on this novel for the past several months. It is currently in the rewrite stage. My hope is to share some short excerpts with you in the coming weeks. While these excerpts will be of the PG variety, this novel cannot be confused with any young adult novels written about vampires in love. THE VAMPIRE GABRIEL will be of a slightly more graphic nature.
While I was writing the first draft I had a mental image of Gabriel in mind that was a composite of several of my favorite British actors. One day, my good friend Ann, with whom I had been sharing my Gabriel story, sent me an email with a picture attachment. The email read: This is who I picture when I imagine Gabriel. I clicked on the attachment and there was Gabriel! Just as I had envisioned him. And most surprisingly of all, for this uber-anglophile, was that he was a British actor I had never come across. Where had you been Richard Armitage, that I missed you? So I give you my vision of Gabriel: [picture from RichardArmitageNet.com]
