So let's pick up from where we left off...

Right here is where we meet Uncle Joey, in a sense. Each of the characters I introduce is complex, but I will only give you the information you need when the time is right. With some, you may think you've been told all up front, while others may be vague or mysterious. So as we begin with this chapter, we open with this guy patiently waiting for that 'nuisance of a vampire' to show up and announce his demands on how he expects Tink should be punished for what she did in the clearing.

As he waits, he reminisces back to the most magical time of his life. And what a long life he's led so far. This vampire is the leader for a reason and not just because of his age. What you will learn in this chapter right off the bat is who he 'is' in terms of a relation to someone and maybe why this has been kept a secret. He reflects back to a major deception which led him to that special relation, again, a magical time that much later, you will start to question his real purpose or part in that magical moment. And when 'later' comes, there will be so many questions surrounding him and the 'lagoon'.

Oh, the lagoon...do we even go there yet? I'm actually sitting here thinking, wondering, whether or not to embark on that subject. So here are a few breadcrumbs. The lagoon is black, ominous, holds secrets you can't even imagine at this point in time, and did I mention that you cannot just drive out to see it? That's right, it does exist, but where is it located? And how does one get to it? Who knows about this lagoon? Who has seen it or better yet, has anyone been in it? Or perhaps just wadded through even the first few inches of it? What is in it? If anything. Yep, I know. I ended up helping you with questions instead of providing answers. I could write a book solely based on that lagoon, hahaha! So are you wondering right now why the name of the book isn't something like 'The Lagoon'? Yeah, that and so much more has paraded through my mind, but it all falls into place, just like that gazillion piece puzzle you always wanted to give up on due to frustration, but just can't walk away from until each piece is placed exactly where it belongs.

So we first hear of this mysterious body of water in this chapter. But as important as it is, this chapter is far from over. During his reminiscing moments, he remembers a man, someone who was blamed for something and slaughtered because of it. Now at this point, you may wonder, why would he care? Or why is a vampire, who has obviously killed many in the span of his lifetime, being made out to, what, feel bad about the death of some random person he never really knew? Normally, we would call this guilt, but is he guilt-ridden? Or is he reflecting on a deceptive masterpiece that he was a part of? If his conscious has kicked in and he feels guilty, why after so many years is it still eating away at him? But if the latter, the next question would be, are there others besides him that know of this deception and have lied over the years with him? Would he need to worry about someone else - talking? Or if he wasn't alone in this, is he the only one still standing? Or maybe it was all his own doing, you know, flying solo, Maybe he was reckless, acting alone, as vampires often do, without consequence. 

So all of this, and yet the chapter has just begun. As Josef ends one memory, he jumps right into another, Tommy. He briefly remembers how he met him, a few other things, and just then, Tink walks into the room. Soon after, that vampire showed up with two of his people by his side. And so the debate over 'the proper punishment' begins.

Spoiler alert as you're not really reading the book at this time; this chapter ends with one up for the bad guys.

Until then, dream on...

Missed a week, sorry...but here we go.

So to review a bit, Tink & Tommy have finally met. Tink rescued her ninjas that were being held, questioned, and would have been ultimately killed by that 'bad-boy' vampire. She also helped free Tommy's brother. Accomplishing what she and her other ninjas came to do, they left. Now they were on their way back to her uncle's house where they were to stay during this visit.

So Tink does a bit reminiscing here to when she was younger, recalling certain, specific events of her childhood. But as the girls enter the uncle's house, Tink finds out something shocking using one of her many supernatural skills. She shares this with her 'side-kick' Ji, and they leave without anyone knowing they were there. Tink performs some of her cool magic as she needs to help her friend unlock memories that were intentionally locked away without her knowledge. They are not in the States even 24 hours, but it seems that new unexpected questions are presenting themselves as the girls are stunned to find out what those hidden memories are. Tink has two uncles that she grew up knowing well, and this is the first time she is realizing that they have been withholding things from her. Does this make them untrustworthy or does she just need to be cautious until she is able to find out why they have been lying to her? You decide...

So she and her friend didn't go back to the house for a while, well, not until the uncles started texting her, demanding she return. So eventually, the girls do return to the house, only to find out that the crazy vampire she left back in the woods has contacted her uncle. This uncle happens to be the Vampire King or King of the Underworld, he has interchangeable titles, but in the end, he rules the underworld and is highly respected, and respectfully feared.  So there is a heated discussion -let's call it- and Tink finds out that because of her actions in the clearing, this is far from over. This bad-boy vampire now has demands, and he is coming over to collect. So the fun is about to begin, well, not so fun for all involved I guess.  

During their heated argument, Tink mentions that man in the clearing here, you know, the one who was screaming in agony when the story began. The uncles seem surprised, maybe somewhat alarmed, as they heard nothing of some man in the woods that day, someone who clearly wasn't a part of any clan as he wasn't a vampire. So we still don't know much about him, but at some point, we will find out what happened to him.

I am jumping over certain things intentionally, but will give you the overall accounts of what is happening.

As we move on to chapter four, the 'narrative baton' is now passed over to her Uncle Joey. In this chapter, he shares a very significant reveal, and how it came to be.

Stay tuned, and until next time, dream on,,,

Wow! A few days late with this one, sorry:)  This is a busy time of year.

So we left off talking mostly about Tink last time. She narrated the first chapter, but now passes the 'baton' over to Tommy for chapter two.

As this chapter begins, you will instantly, normally in the first sentence or paragraph, recognize who is narrating. What I have done is back-track a bit, after the first few chapters, you will see what I mean. So Tommy and one of his brothers are leaving Tink's uncle's house. This is an interesting take on the upcoming scene as it actually happens, time-wise, before the beginning of chapter one. You will see how & why these two men ended up in that clearing, which is where the story begins. During this scene, there is a mention of Tommy's tattoos. It seems to belong out there in left field, but keep this little tidbit in mind for later. This is also where Tommy introduces us to his family members.

Let's fast-forward to the clearing and Tink showing up with her ninjas. Tommy is clearly not prepared for her sudden arrival, since he has searched for her over centuries with no luck whatsoever. And suddenly, here she is. So there is this two steps back and three steps forward as you witness this scene from his point of view, his mind, his take on it all. The story then flows from there, as he and his family leave the clearing.

So thus far, what is happening mostly is the character and scene set-up. As this story is new and just beginning, we need to learn a little about who these people are, hints or some information as to how they may be connected, the relationship between some characters, the good, the bad, etc. You get a feel for the scenery, where they actually are, but no insight as to what will happen next. There are a few more important characters to meet, some location descriptions, and backstory into the past. The backstory continues intermittently throughout the book so you can understand along the way why something is or how someone came to be or feel a certain way. There will be decisions made that are difficult early on, some will start withholding information, some secrets may be revealed, and lies will be told--you know, for the greater good of course. And still, there are those 'bookmarks', so far two were mentioned, that will come around when the time is right. The first one mentioned in the last blog will be discussed by chapter four, but you will get a better explanation in the middle of the book. But the most recent one, well, that one is going to tease you and make you wonder and maybe even attempt to guess what it means, but this is one spoiler I will not give up here. I will mention it during our blog journey, but I will not give anything away. I always proof my blog before I post, just in case I inadvertently gave something away that I should not have. So no chance of that happening, not on my watch, lol.

Chapter three is passed back to Tink. In this first book, she narrates 19 of the 26 chapters. So we will pick up as she and her ninjas are now driving away from this wooded area, back to her uncles house where they are staying during their visit here in the States.

​Until next time, dream on...