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VampiresandtheVapors @vampiresandthevapors.com · 16h

A quote from last week's Vampires and the Vapors Newsletter. Sign up here: link.vampiresandthevapors.com/widget/form/...

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VampiresandtheVapors @vampiresandthevapors.com · 28/09/2026

Question: Are there actually more books being written with older heroines that we don't hear about because nobody announces it in their marketing like they do every other trope?

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VampiresandtheVapors @vampiresandthevapors.com · 25/09/2026

I started a newsletter. Written by Fran Stoker, who is self-publishing a novel where Mina finally gets to be interesting. Weekly diary entries, self-pub news translated into plain english, book recs, and a bit where you get to join in. mrsdraculasdispatch.beehiiv.com/sub…

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VampiresandtheVapors @vampiresandthevapors.com · 22/09/2026

Friendly Sunday reminder that The Redbower Vignettes — short stories from the supernatural town of Redbower — are free when you join the newsletter at vampiresandthevapors.com. Vampires, witches, werewolves, and a Historian who talks to her cat. Come on in. 🖤

Raven standing on a vintage book next to candles

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VampiresandtheVapors @vampiresandthevapors.com · 22/09/2026

I'm on a mission to reduce the global suicide rate to zero. I know that sounds huge and slightly unhinged for a vampire novelist from New Zealand. But if my books, my newsletter, and my writing about Depression can make even one person feel less alone — that's where it starts. Nobody should ever fee

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VampiresandtheVapors @vampiresandthevapors.com · 21/09/2026

Sunday question for the readers: do you prefer your vampires terrifying or tortured? In Redbower, they're both. At the same time. Whether they want to be or not. 🖤

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VampiresandtheVapors @vampiresandthevapors.com · 21/09/2026

A new week. A blank page. Both are a choice about what you put into them. This week I'm choosing to write something that scares me a little. That's usually the sign I'm on the right track. What are you choosing this week? Tell me below. And if you want to follow along with the journey — my newsl

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VampiresandtheVapors @vampiresandthevapors.com · 21/09/2026

Legitimately spent 20 minutes today deciding whether a character would say "I don't care" or "Why would I care." This is the work. This is what being an author looks like from the inside. Glamorous it is not. Worth it? Absolutely.

Feather quill lying on a vintage book with dripping wax and a lit candle

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VampiresandtheVapors @vampiresandthevapors.com · 21/09/2026

Dottie Hitchcock has been recording the stories of the supernatural races for longer than most people have been alive. She talks to her black cat, Seamus, about everything. She misses the days of rotary phones because slamming one down was so much more satisfying than hanging up a mobile. I love her

Black cat standing on a vintage book looking out a window

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VampiresandtheVapors @vampiresandthevapors.com · 20/09/2026

Saturday morning reminder: we do need to make a plan for the hard times — but we need to make it when we're well. Because when we're not well, we can barely make a cup of tea, let alone decisions. Write your plan when you're okay. Trust your past self when you're not. 🖤

Vases of flowers on a window sill with journals and candles

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VampiresandtheVapors @vampiresandthevapors.com · 20/09/2026

One creative habit that changed everything for me: Write before you edit. Read before you analyze. The critical mind is useful — but it needs to stay out of the room while the raw work is happening. Let the page fill up first. Judge it later. This applies whether you're a writer or a reader who w

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VampiresandtheVapors @vampiresandthevapors.com · 20/09/2026

VAMPIRES DO NOT SPARKLE. I said what I said. Dracula will always be Bela Lugosi for me, with Gary Oldman as a very close second. The vampires in my books are monsters. Dramatic, beautiful, terrifying monsters. And I have loved them since I was a kid watching old Hammer films on Sunday nights. Some o

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VampiresandtheVapors @vampiresandthevapors.com · 20/09/2026

The thing about Lily is that she says out loud what Serena can only think privately. Every woman needs a Lily. The friend who tells you to cut yourself some slack with the same energy she uses to throw a cushion at your head. Serena only trusts Lily with the things she'd never say to anyone else. Th

Vampire woman in the dark looking at sheer curtains

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VampiresandtheVapors @vampiresandthevapors.com · 19/09/2026

The work continues. Every project has a moment where it shifts from being something you're building into something that feels like it's alive. I think we're getting close to that point. I can't share everything yet — but newsletter subscribers will be the first to know when I do. If you want to b

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VampiresandtheVapors @vampiresandthevapors.com · 19/09/2026

Friday thought: I wrote my debut novel as a form of survival. Not metaphorically. Literally. I had to find a reason to keep going and writing was the thing I found. Without a word of a lie, I can say that writing saved my life. That's not a hook. That's just what happened.

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VampiresandtheVapors @vampiresandthevapors.com · 19/09/2026

Author life, week 47: my characters have opinions about the plot and they are not shy about sharing them. I am simply the one with the laptop. They are the ones running the show. This is not how I expected novel writing to go but here we are.

Vintage home office with crystal lamps and candles

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VampiresandtheVapors @vampiresandthevapors.com · 19/09/2026

Eilidh slipped through the window "with the quiet elegance that only a centuries-old vampire could achieve." Sebastian had left it unlatched. She had thoughts about that. Specifically: "Honestly Sebastian, I would have thought you'd be more safety conscious than that." Reader, he was not. *(From The

Vampire woman screaming and showing her fangs

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VampiresandtheVapors @vampiresandthevapors.com · 18/09/2026

Quick question for you: When you finish a book that really gets under your skin — do you sit with it in silence, or do you immediately reach for the next one? I've been thinking about this a lot lately. There's something powerful about the pause after a great story. Tell me below — and if you wan

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VampiresandtheVapors @vampiresandthevapors.com · 18/09/2026

Hot take: Depression doesn't have to be something you recover from. For many of us, a full recovery simply isn't possible. What IS possible is learning to manage it — on your terms, not the terms the medical profession hands you. It's your Depression. You get to decide how you live with it. (This is

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VampiresandtheVapors @vampiresandthevapors.com · 18/09/2026

A wellness thing I actually do: I stay away from people who damage my calm. Not dramatically. Not with a speech. I just quietly stop making myself available. It took me decades to learn that I was allowed to do that. You are allowed to do that.

Vintage hand mirror surrounded by crystals and gems

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VampiresandtheVapors @vampiresandthevapors.com · 18/09/2026

There are rumors that there are selkies and mermaids in the Redbower river. Nobody's actually seen them, mind you. But nobody's gone looking very hard either. Possibly because the last person who went looking very hard near the river after dark didn't come back. I'm sure it's fine.

Bridge at night, across the water, lit up by the distant town

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VampiresandtheVapors @vampiresandthevapors.com · 17/09/2026

I have a black cat named Seamus who appears in my books. In real life I have Felin the Fierce and Angus of the Clan McTate. Yes, those are their actual names. No, I will not be taking questions.

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VampiresandtheVapors @vampiresandthevapors.com · 17/09/2026

This is what the middle of a project looks like. Notes everywhere. Half-formed ideas fighting for space. A story that keeps shifting just when you think you've got it pinned down. It's messy. It's honest. And it's exactly where the best work tends to come from. I share the full process — the good

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VampiresandtheVapors @vampiresandthevapors.com · 17/09/2026

The best thing Depression ever gave me was the writing. I wouldn't wish it on anyone, but I am genuinely grateful for what it forced me to create. Using Depression to create something beautiful is a way of life for me. That's not a motivational poster. That's just what I do to survive. What do you c

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VampiresandtheVapors @vampiresandthevapors.com · 17/09/2026

Serena Maxwell is 48 years old, has a Master's degree in Psychology, has been trying to become a mother for years, and is about to have her entire world turned upside down. She is calm, she is elegant, she is private — and she is absolutely furious underneath all of it. She's one of my favourite peo

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VampiresandtheVapors @vampiresandthevapors.com · 16/09/2026

Writing tip from someone who learned the hard way: if you don't know what to write, write down what you feel. That's how I started. I wasn't ready to write about the hardest parts of my life so I wrote a vampire novel instead. Funnily enough, it all ended up in there anyway.

Victorian woman writing on paper with a huge feather quill pen

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VampiresandtheVapors @vampiresandthevapors.com · 16/09/2026

Something is coming for newsletter subscribers only. I've been working on something a little different — and the first look goes exclusively to the people already inside. If you're not on the list yet, now's a good time. Link in bio. It's free. It's worth it. #Newsletter #ExclusiveContent #Autho

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VampiresandtheVapors @vampiresandthevapors.com · 16/09/2026

Friendly reminder that Redbower was originally created as an experiment to see if witches, werewolves, vampires and humans could live together peacefully. Spoiler: they're still working on it. The vampires don't like the witches. Or the werewolves. Or really anyone who isn't a vampire. Progress is s

Ancient castle surrounded by purple wisteria

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VampiresandtheVapors @vampiresandthevapors.com · 16/09/2026

Vampires are not romantic misunderstood creatures with floppy hair who just need a good hug. In Redbower, vampires are dramatic, suspicious, remarkably self-absorbed, and have generally forgotten what it's like to be human after centuries of being at the top of the food chain. Honestly, they're a ni

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VampiresandtheVapors @vampiresandthevapors.com · 15/09/2026

Monday thought: I've been living with Depression most of my life. I know my symptoms well and I know my triggers well. And I know that some days, all you can do is take it hour by hour until the day is over and you can go back to bed. That's not failure. That's management. There's a difference. 🖤

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VampiresandtheVapors @vampiresandthevapors.com · 15/09/2026

The best stories don't end when you close the book. They live in the quiet that follows — in the questions left unanswered, in the feelings that outlast the final page. That's the kind of writing I'm chasing. If that resonates with you, my newsletter goes deeper every week — craft, creativity, an

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VampiresandtheVapors @vampiresandthevapors.com · 31/08/2026

Behind the crypt door: I'm usually here taking dictation from my characters and building Redbower one book at a time — bad words, sarcasm, and all. Want a first look? Join V&V Vignettes for weekly stories + your free freebie 🦇 #WritingCommunity #VampireBooks #ParanormalWomensFiction #IndieAuthor

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VampiresandtheVapors @vampiresandthevapors.com · 30/08/2026

Is it any wonder I have a thing for vampires? I've been fascinated by death since I was six years old — turns out immortality makes for pretty compelling fiction. New Redbower stories, free when you subscribe 🦇 #VampireFiction #GothicFiction #ParanormalRomance #Redbower

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VampiresandtheVapors @vampiresandthevapors.com · 29/08/2026

I've lived with depression most of my life. Writing is one of the things that keeps me here — that, and believing the world gets better when "how are you?" is a question people actually mean. Honest words, free stories → V&V Vignettes 🦇 #MentalHealthAwareness #IndieAuthor #DarkFiction #OwnVoices

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VampiresandtheVapors @vampiresandthevapors.com · 28/08/2026

Meet Dottie Hitchcock: Historian to the Supernatural Races, keeper of every story Redbower has ever told — and the only one who can choose who inherits that gift before time runs out. Her story's coming. Get the free Redbower Vignettes while you wait 🦇 #Redbower #VampireLore #UrbanFantasy #Charac

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VampiresandtheVapors @vampiresandthevapors.com · 27/08/2026

COMING SOON: Vampire Mother. Deprived as a human. Denied as a vampire. Serena Maxwell's need to become a mother didn't die when she did — it just got a lot more complicated (and a lot more dangerous). Sign up for updates + your free Redbower story collection 👉 #VampireMother #Redbower #Paranorma

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VampiresandtheVapors @vampiresandthevapors.com · 26/08/2026

I write the darker side of paranormal women's fiction — plus-size, midlife women managing their mental health well. Oh, and vampires. There are always vampires. Free short stories + weekly dispatches from Redbower when you subscribe 🦇 #MidlifeMagic #ParanormalRomance #WomensFiction #VampireBooks

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VampiresandtheVapors @vampiresandthevapors.com · 25/08/2026

Dark, delicious, evil vampires. Monsters. There'll be no sparklers here, thank you very much. If you like your paranormal fiction with real bite, you're in the right place. Join Vampires and the vapors and get a free copy of The Redbower Vignettes 🦇 #ParanormalWomensFiction #VampireFiction

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VampiresandtheVapors @vampiresandthevapors.com · 23/08/2026

I use bad words when I write because I use them when I speak. If the word fuck offends you, you might want to put my book down and choose another. Go on, I won't be offended. #PWFAuthor #DarkHumor #SnarkyHeroines #NoApologies vampiresandthevapors.com/about

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VampiresandtheVapors @vampiresandthevapors.com · 22/08/2026

Pour yourself something dark, get cozy, and come join us in Redbower. Subscribers to V&V Vignettes get first access to new chapters and a free short story collection to start. #ParanormalWomensFiction #NewsletterSquad #VampireMother #PWFCommunity vampiresandthevapors.com/home

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VampiresandtheVapors @vampiresandthevapors.com · 21/08/2026

Shiny object syndrome is real, but Fern CRM, Plottr and Ellipsus are the tools that actually stuck. Turns out running a vampire-book business doesn't have to be scary — just the books. #IndieAuthor #WritingCommunity #PWFAuthor #AuthorLife vampiresandthevapors.com/post/essen…

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VampiresandtheVapors @vampiresandthevapors.com · 20/08/2026

I'm on a mission to reduce the global suicide rate to zero. Lofty goal, I know. But nobody should ever, ever feel that their best option is to be dead. Nobody. #MentalHealthAwareness #SuicidePrevention #EndTheStigma #PWFCommunity vampiresandthevapors.com/about

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VampiresandtheVapors @vampiresandthevapors.com · 19/08/2026

I write novels from the darker side of paranormal women's fiction: plus-size, midlife women managing their mental health well. Oh, and vampires. There are always vampires. #ParanormalWomensFiction #DarkFiction #PWFBooks #VampireFiction vampiresandthevapors.com/about

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VampiresandtheVapors @vampiresandthevapors.com · 18/08/2026

I was 45 when I finally had to face that motherhood was never going to happen for me. I was left with a choice: find a way to live with it, or give in to the Depression. I chose to live. #MidlifeWomen #MentalHealthAwareness #ChildlessNotByChoice #PWFAuthor vampiresandthevapors.com/about

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VampiresandtheVapors @vampiresandthevapors.com · 17/08/2026

Subscribe to V&V Vignettes, my weekly newsletter, and I'll send you a free copy of The Redbower Vignettes — short stories from the town where the vampires live. 🦇🩸 #ParanormalWomensFiction #VampireBooks #FreeRead #PWFCommunity vampiresandthevapors.com/home

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VampiresandtheVapors @vampiresandthevapors.com · 16/08/2026

People ask what it actually takes to run this whole vampire operation. Short answer: a lot of software, a lot of coffee, and a poorly lit crypt. New blog post up now. #ParanormalWomensFiction #AuthorLife #IndiePublishing #PWFCommunity vampiresandthevapors.com/post/essen…

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VampiresandtheVapors @vampiresandthevapors.com · 15/08/2026

I write with sarcasm because that's how I talk. Vampires, mental health, and swearing — that's the whole brand, honestly. #PWFAuthor #IndieAuthor #SnarkyHeroines #DarkPWF vampiresandthevapors.com/about

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VampiresandtheVapors @vampiresandthevapors.com · 14/08/2026

Coming Sept 2026: VAMPIRE MOTHER. Deprived as a human. Denied as a vampire. Serena didn't ask to lose her body — but she's not giving up on becoming a mother either. 🩸 #ParanormalWomensFiction #VampireMother #PWFBooks #FoundFamily #VampireFiction vampiresandthevapors.com/home

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VampiresandtheVapors @vampiresandthevapors.com · 13/08/2026

I've spent a lot of my life waiting to die. Turns out that belief was just an excuse not to start things. Death can wait — he's got all the time in the world. #PWFCommunity #MidlifeReinvention #DarkAndDelicious #WomensFiction vampiresandthevapors.com/post/death…

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VampiresandtheVapors @vampiresandthevapors.com · 12/08/2026

Meet Dottie Hitchcock: 70-something Historian to the Supernatural Races, eidetic memory, runs on 3 hours' sleep, and quietly running out of time to choose her successor. Redbower's history literally lives in her head. #ParanormalWomensFiction #UrbanFantasy #WorldBuilding #Redbower vampiresan

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