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It was always my intention as of late, with Sinner Sharpe to delve into the horror he's facing--not physical horror--at least not yet, but the mental horror. He's seeing horrific visions, he's losing large gaps of time, he's being attacked on his ship (an already enclosed space) for weeks.

The post appeared first on .

If you haven’t opened your email by now (and ?) then you don’t know that , the final book in has been released!

Yes, it’s all finally out! Albeit on fewer retailer websites than the other books.

But it’s out!

You can find all links to the E-Book versions wherever books are sold, or, you know, alternatively, right here:

Do enjoy!

In other news:

If you’ve been following my ramblings on Twitter, I’ve spoken at length about how I’m having the time of my life writing .

It’s shaping up to be much darker than I expected (which I love), and sharing a bit about writing in general with has only reinforced, contrary to what agents were telling me when I first shopped around The Dark World back in 2014, that there is a market for vampire/vampire lovers/the dark/the gothic. Which I knew, instinctively back then because, hell, I loved vampires. I knew others did too.

And my small circle of talented writers who also write about vampires only reinforces that with every post they share or I share about our work.

Now I’m off to write more of my swashbuckling (in a rather bad state at the moment) Black man.

I wish I could share more about the story without spoiling any of it, but alas, I guess I’ve learned it’s better to read everything fresh the first time and let the story take you where it must…when it’s finally out.

Also, I do intend to shop this one to agents and I do intend to work on my writing more consistently and more seriously. It should have never taken me about fourteen years or so to write a six-book series. And a six-book series should have never been my first foray into publishing. It was too much for a new author.

Ah well, you live and you learn.

Take care of yourselves!

S.C. Parris

is the author of The Dark World series and horror short story, A Night of Frivolity. She can be found playing Dead By Daylight on Twitch when not writing her next project. She runs horror website, Monster Thoughts, and the podcast when she remembers to.

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It’s been a wild ride since the start of with back in 2013/2014.

Naturally, a lot has changed since the first book (just read through the blog to see how much), and although this journey has been beset with trials, drawbacks, and more, I’m proud to say the series is finally finished. I feel free. Elated.

Ready to move forward.

Which, if you’ve been reading recent posts, I have been.

I’m so glad to fully focus on now while a new group of readers discover The Dark World and sink their teeth into the series.

About the Genre:

I don’t think I’ve ever made it clear what the genre is in the Dark World and as such that’s led to fewer sales (I believe) than there could have been so with that said, here’s where the Dark World series falls:

Epic Dark Fantasy

Epic �� It’s a large scope of a series with traveling across and atop mountains, through Mermaid-infested lakes, flying atop Dragons…etc. There are days and days of travel to get to where these Creatures are going.

Dark �� There are horrific moments interspersed throughout the series, and the main characters we follow are an assortment of historical monsters we’ve grown to fear in film and television: vampires and werewolves.

Fantasy �� Goes without saying. There’s magic, swords, crossbows, arrows, politics, Dragons, Giants, Elves, Merpeople, Gnomes, Satyrs, Witches, and Wizards…etc.

Read Before You Buy:

As said on Twitter recently, all of The Dark World series are now available to be read (1 to 3 chapters, relatively) right here on this website. Just go to the Dark World’s and click the books you want to read before you buy.

More about Dracula:

And finally, a bit about the final book in the series: .

A lot of people have asked me if the title was chosen on purpose in order to get readers, or if this was a retelling of Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

Naturally, it’s neither. And I’m glad the book is finally out so everyone can see for themselves.

The words “The Dark World Book VI�� are beneath the title so it’s clear that this is, in fact, the sixth book in a series.

This book took, on-and-off, about four years to write as life seriously got in the way of writing (and I discovered I flourish under deadlines, which I did not have for DRACULA).

I’ve grown immeasurably since and I believe that reflects in DRACULA. The characters, as they should in any series, have grown, face new challenges/decisions, and are stepping into their power. The truth of the Vampires and their own special abilities comes to light and this may just be the thing they need to stop the Phoenixes�� magical fyre from destroying them for good.

But, of course, there is always someone else, unfortunately, that wants power for themselves��

DRACULA is out now on Amazon in paperback.

(I’m sure more avenues to purchase from will open up soon in the coming days. I’ll edit this blog post as that happens.)

Thank you, always, for your support if you’ve purchased, gifted, or read my books in any capacity over the years.

With Blood and Love,

S.C. Parris

is the author of The Dark World series and horror short story, A Night of Frivolity. She can be found playing Dead By Daylight on Twitch when not writing her next project. She runs horror website, Monster Thoughts, and the podcast when she remembers to.

Just a quick update from me to you!

I have a newsletter in case you want to be kept up to date on everything going on! If you don’t feel like signing up for that and just want my blog posts (which won’t be everything in the newsletter), feel free to subscribe to my blog posts!

Now, onto the news:A mock cover I whipped up in Canva while inspiration was low.

If you don’t know, I’ve been hard at work on my latest project, , which you can read snippets of and progress posts about first on my newsletter.

I’m incredibly excited about it.

I’ve started using of all things to work on it! Never thought I’d touch a writing software but what can I say, years of toiling over The Dark World series has changed my mind. With every subsequent book, I’d find myself having to rifle through previous books to remember things.

If I’d had used Scrivner or something like it, I would’ve probably finished the series much faster.

Ah well! I’m 29 now �� I was…younger then.

I’m at the very beginning with it despite having it on the back burner for some odd years (just check back through this blog for posts referencing it). And it is absolutely transforming into something I’m super proud of.

With age, a bit more attention to detail, and only honing my writing skills, I’m really excited to see how this shapes up!

What’s Coming in 2022��

No idea.

No seriously, though I don’t have a publication date for , I’m sure it’s releasing next year.

Be sure to be on the lookout for that and the cover reveal! Which I’ll be revealing in my newsletter before the blog (and the website).

I can’t wait to finally release it and close a chapter in my life and move forward to new things!

One thing I can say about trying so many different things these past two years in terms of writing (Patreon, anyone?) is that I’m definitely not a short story writer, nor do I have any more aspirations of writing in other genres. I’m an epic dark fantasy writer. That’s perfectly fine with me. Trying to do too many things at once (as I was attempting to do with Patreon) diluted my process of writing, I feel. I take a while to develop characters, my flow while writing, and all my plot points. Churning our chapters weekly or what have you, kills that desire to write something I’d honestly publish just for the sake of…appeasing a few paying subscribers.

Like I said in a Twitter post a year or so ago, I’d rather my subscribers (and whoever supports me) buy my books instead rather than pay me monthly for some half-assed writing chock to the brim with typos, errors, and–worst of all–lack of care. Not that I don’t care about everything I write, but I definitely learned that I prefer long-form prose that can really stretch into something…coherent (plot-wise.)

Disclaimer: I am not saying there’s anything wrong with short stories or novellas. It’s just not for me.

With that said, I’m off to enjoy my New Year’s and actually relax this weekend before the real work begins (Graduate School anyone?). I hope you do the same!

What have you learned about yourself recently?

With Blood and Love,

S.C. Parris

S.C. Parris

is the author of The Dark World series and horror short story, A Night of Frivolity. She can be found playing Dead By Daylight on Twitch when not writing her next project. She runs horror website, Monster Thoughts, and the podcast when she remembers to.

When I first wrote THE DARK WORLD at sixteen and fashioned the “impossible�� woman that was Alexandria Stone into my book’s reality, the idea of Dracula having a lineage whose special blood must be honed and protected made sense.

A lot of the story of THE DARK WORLD is based, yes, on blood.

That’s why, with Alexandria Stone (yes, she’s the Philosopher’s Stone of my book), I wanted her power to be something not forceful, per se but still influential.

She is purposely the anthesis to power. Both women’s power is influential by design, one heady and alluring and inescapable, the other protectful, not forcing another to DO anything, per se, but still controlling of the other Dark Creatures�� animalistic or vampiric nature. One urges it on, the other can take it away or give it back.

I also wanted to explore being a woman and what that meant for me growing up and writing this series for the past��14 years. Eleanor Black is how others have said they have seen me (mysterious, alluring, sexual, erotic, not controlled by anxiety but appearing in control OF it), and Alexandria Stone is, in a sense, how I see or saw myself (anxious, angry, scared of life and new things, scared [once upon a time] of forging new romantic relationships due to past ones). Both are women who know themselves insofar they are either enacting great personal change or simply forced to experience it, but it’s in how they manage the ‘unknown�� (suspiciously, right at the time I began to do the same for myself), that speaks to their characters. One fights for the relationship she believes will give her greater power, the other finds a relationship borne of mutual trust, respect, and admiration.

As Alexandria reaches her Vampire Age and succumbs to the ‘curse�� or ‘birthright�� depending on who you side within the story, the nature of her power starts to affect both herself and the Dark Creatures around her.

Here’s a bit about the character in my series that pulls everyone else together (or pushes them apart):

She’s 20-something at the start of the series. I believe I share her real age in Book 2, but it fails me now. As mentioned before, she has remarkable power lying dormant in her blood—she is known in later books as “the blood stiller.�� She is, as is everyone else in the series, attractive in her own way. Has panic attacks. Is in a state of perpetual shock throughout most of the series.

And there you have it! A bit about Alexandria Stone!

I should have her shirts available for purchase soon!

If you like what you’re reading here, be sure to purchase a copy of  or continue the series with any other book today.

With Blood and Love,

S.C. Parris

S.C. Parris

is the author of The Dark World series and horror short story, A Night of Frivolity. She can be found playing Dead By Daylight on Twitch when not writing her next project. She runs horror website, Monster Thoughts, and the podcast when she remembers to.

Enigmatic, intelligent, Eleanor Black is a Member of the Vampire Order as well, but not for long��

When she stumbles upon Dracula’s secrets, she desires to take them for herself.

And she does.

Yet there is one Vampire she has her sights set on, and she won’t rest until he joins her in greater power.

As said on the t about her, Eleanor Black is the Dark Creature that is an enigma to readers. All we know of her is through the characters she interacts with.

She is intelligent, beautiful, sexy, and she knows how to use all these things to get what she wants.

And all she wants when power is gained, is Xavier Delacroix.

You can read more about her in !

And be sure to sign up for the newsletter to get all this news first!

S.C. Parris

is the author of The Dark World series and horror short story, A Night of Frivolity. She can be found playing Dead By Daylight on Twitch when not writing her next project. She runs horror website, Monster Thoughts, and the podcast when she remembers to.

I got the finished art for Christian Delacroix from the lovely during stream on Friday!

If you missed the Newsletter that went out earlier today, check out the abridged version below!

He is known as Jack the Ripper by the greater London (human) public because of is proclivity to leave his victims where he kills them.

He is not as beloved as his brother and as such other Vampires look down on his actions as they often bring unwanted attention to Vampire kind.

Seeks to prove himself to his brother and all Vampires at large.

Allows his bloodlust to consume him.

Of course, there’s a lot more I can share but that would keep you from reading the books wouldn’t it?
In case you forgot, they’re available for your browsing pleasure.

And look, he has shirts, stickers, and posters in the shop!

Be sure to sign up for my newsletter to get detailed snippets and information of this series and the next!

Until next time!

With Blood and Love,

S.C. Parris

A taste of the new fantasy world I’m conjuring!

Some explanation before we jump into it:

I started writing this series several years ago, after getting inspired by Glen Cook’s THE BLACK COMPANY series. I wanted to write about a swashbuckling mercenary who has the job of a lifetime, I just couldn’t get the stakes right.

If you were a  of mine, then you know all about Sinner Sharpe and how it went from strictly a pirate fantasy adventure to a vampire-infested pirate…horror adventure.

You see, I was stuck on it for years �� unable to get past Chapter 1. Literally the other night/morning, I buckled down and went back to it now that I’m free of ’s grip on me (until editing starts��), and this is just a bit of what I came up with:

“What brings you men to Battle Port Bay?��

Not a one opened their mouth to respond, but I did not relinquish my stare.

And it was clear no one would speak. About several minutes passed before anyone made an utterance, and it was a big-eyed bastard right next to me that did so. Son of a bitch coughed.

Ignoring the bits of phlegm and spit that flew onto my hand, I let a stirring of harsh words settle in my throat before I spoke. “I’m looking for men for a little job. The pay is handsome enough but you won’t be promised your lives.�� This clearly got their attention for the slew of ‘em started to squirm interestedly in their seats.

“What’s this job?�� one fresh-faced individual barked over his cup.

I stared at him for a long moment, trying to decide if he was just that stupid or if he truly had no idea what to ask when a man offered a job.

As I stared into his baby blue eyes, I decided it had to be the latter. Well shit, these men were new to this life after all.

I forced myself to keep my eyes off Dagger as I rethought their significance. Aw hell, it couldn’t hurt to train ‘em—show them the ropes. I eyed the way they sat in their chairs, some ready for a fight, others waiting with bated breath to hear my next words. Didn’t have much to lose in taking them on.

After all, who’s counting a million gold pieces?

The dagger under my spit-covered hand was cold—always a good sign. I pressed a finger against the silver blade and allowed my mind to cool. I could feel it in my bones, then.

Promise.

“I’ve been commissioned to secure a prince in the south,�� I said.

All ears perked up, brows rising with their disbelief. One of ‘em, a fresh cut along a jagged cheek said seriously, “Now that’s dangerous. Royalty’s untouchable cargo, mister. What’ll make it worth our lives to help you secure this prince?��

I didn’t lose my cool as I stared at this individual for a long moment, the words rising to my lips. “Gold. A million pieces.��

I didn’t say anything else as I let these words settle in their ears. It was clear it got their attention, for they all sat up, not a gaze traveling elsewhere. “You shitting me?�� one of them whispered as if to speak any louder would tell him I was indeed shitting him.

Another man raised a hand from across the table as if to still the one who’d just spoken, and with a gruff voice, he said, “How can we trust you? You gotta ship? A name?�� The others sank back into their chairs with his words, realizing that I had given them nothing to warrant coming with me at all.

Backtracking, I began again, “Name’s Sinner Sharpe,�� (this raised no alarm from them at all; I scowled wondering if I hadn’t made a mistake), “ship’s, The Bloody Sinner, and you can trust me by reputation.��

They all sat, some mouths agape, as they processed these words, then one slowly started. “Ah yeah, you’re that crazy guy—the one with all the fancy weapons and some such.�� He blinked rapidly, pulling himself out of his thoughts. “Sinner Sharpe…yeah, I’ve heard of you. You stole Dranna Gethgil’s painting some months ago, heard you scored half a million gold pieces with that job.�� At his words the others nodded some more, seemingly coming around to me and where they’d heard my name.

“Didn’t know you were Othrillian, though,�� one muttered underneath his breath.

“Aye,�� I said, unable to keep the bite out of my voice. “I am Othrillian,�� and I pressed a fist against the worn leather of the vest that covered my bare chest. My dark skin beneath was lined with scars here and there of battles nearly lost. Their eyes traversed them with wonder. “Will that be a problem for anyone here?��

I waited.

Othril people, my people, were not known that much in this part of the world. I left Othril what feels millennia ago to forge a new life for myself. I was not suited to their diplomatic ways. Not suited to the lavish decadence and parties thrown in the King and Queen’s honor every month. I was, however, suited to killing, as I’d learned when the Arkcanians from the west attacked and killed said King and Queen and many of my people. I killed their killers—as many as I could—and left. Nothing for me there.

But here, I reminded myself, as I stared at their wide-eyed inexperienced faces, there was gold.

Finally, one of them said, “Sorry, sir, I just didn’t realize Othrillians still existed.��

I moved a thick black loc from in front of an eye. “Is that what they tell you in your schools?�� I asked, unable to keep the anger out of my voice. I was used to incredulity when I tell people what I am. Never hurts any less when met with it, though.

Some nodded while others continued to stare at me in wonder.

I let a small smile settle on my lips. Still, they knew of me. They’d learn of my not-so-friendly ways later. I didn’t get a chance to say a word before Dagger was at my back, his low words in my ear, “Satisfied, Sin?��

Hardly. Straightening up, I gestured a hand to the man behind me and said, “This here’s Dagger, my right hand. Any questions you have can be directed toward him. As of right now, we have to set sail…so if you’re ready to join say so now and we can begin instead of wasting words. You already know the essentials, anything else you’ll learn on the way.��

I could see there were other questions they wanted to ask, the shadow of how long they’d be away settled in-between their eyes, but no one said a word. It wasn’t ‘till the man with the cut against his cheek stood that anyone followed his lead.

Once they were all standing, I felt Dag smile. “Come along little doggies,�� he said in his best teasingly sing-song voice. With his low voice, it came out sounding immensely disturbed: an old puppeteer holding fresh strings not yet attached to their puppets. This wasn’t lost on any of the men as they traveled around the table and shook off their bemused expressions. None of ‘em were entirely sure what they’d gotten themselves into.

It was just where I needed ‘em.

I nodded to the patron behind the bar and she flashed me her prettiest smile before I turned for the door, following in their footsteps. I promised myself when I came back, I’d spend some time with that one.

If you want to see get a larger excerpt of my work in the future, be sure to sign up for my newsletter via so you never miss a future blog post!

Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Until next time,

With Blood and Love,

I’m S.C. Parris

S.C. Parris

is the author of The Dark World series and horror short story, A Night of Frivolity. She can be found playing Dead By Daylight on Twitch when not writing her next project. She runs horror website, Monster Thoughts, and the podcast when she remembers to.

If you completely missed the of me freaking out over the art the lovely    made of one of the main characters in THE DARK WORLD series the other day, you missed almost crying about how wonderful the art came out.

It was so serendipitous to receive the finished artwork while on stream. Because of this, I’m much more inclined to finally go ahead and do a character dossier like I had planned since the beginning of the series but couldn’t because there wasn’t any art for it.

So here it is!

He is about 30 something years old in human years. Forever.

Wears a cold facade of uncaring when we meet him, though he cares very much about his younger brother Christian Delacroix (who we’ll meet next).

He is Dracula’s favorite Vampire.

Bears title “Lord of Vampires�� granted by Dracula, himself.

Leader of the Vampire Order at Dracula’s behest.

Skilled in Vampire battle against Lycans.

Renown in the Vampire World due to his seemingly special blood.

Formerly in love with Eleanor Black.

Parents died due to Lycan attacks when he and Christian were children.

If you want to know a bit more, you can read the first of THE DARK WORLD: BOOK 1 or check the page for the featured Dark Creatures, .

That said, there are also Xavier Delacroix T-Shirts available for sale!

They’re available on my ���ԴǷ�!

Want to get this news before anyone else? Sign up for my newsletter to be the first to get notified!

I can’t wait to share the sketch work of Christian Delacroix when FeySpeaker is done with it!

‘Till next time!

With Blood and Love,

S.C. Parris

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So I’ve been struggling with JUDGMENT if you haven’t been paying attention to my most recent writing-related tweets, and after talking with fellow author Elana Mudgan about our books and fantasy in general, I’m really eager to get started on the fantasy series that I started to write during finishing up THE DARK WORLD series.

THE TALES OF SINNER SHARPE.

If you’ve followed me for a while, you know I’ve been writing a mercenary/pirate story for a long time. Well now, I’ve decided to put JUDGMENT on the side and focus my time on Sinner Sharpe.

A lot of changes are taking place.

For one, he’s no longer a by-the-numbers white man with brown hair (aren’t there enough of those?). I’ve been visualizing him as a dark-skinned, long-haired (thick black locks) muscular man…with fangs. (spoiler!)

I’m eager to continue writing it and expanding on what’s already there.

I can tell you that this tale of his documents the start of his…darker journeys as a mercenary.

He’s traveling on some dark waters to his next target last I left him and there are tales of this place. Disturbing tales of beings called Blood Demons.

I started making the map of the land he’s traveling to and have shared a sneak peek below.

Sneak peek of the map of the land Sinner Sharpe must travel to.

It’s not complete, but it’s a start. I imagine as the story goes on I’ll flesh it out as places and the land comes to me. But it’s a complete difference for me having the map being made while I’m writing. Keeps me on track. I plan to keep Sin and his men on this damaged island for the majority of the book where they’ll face terrible trials attempting to get their kill.

I’m excited to work on the lore of this world seriously and with more depth and continuity than I did with THE DARK WORLD series.

Though this may mean querying will take a bit longer, I’m happy to be writing something I’m actually interested in!

‘Till next time!

With Blood and Love,

S.C. Parris

Read more blog posts by S.C. Parris below!

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Nov 17, 2020

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Nov 17, 2020

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It’s been quite a while since we last talked, but so much has happened since then.

If you’re not a Patron, you probably aren’t aware of the number of short stories I’ve published on my website and on , all of which can be purchased or viewed on my website.

That said, I’m looking forward to finishing up THE DARK WORLD series at last and finally moving forward with new stories!

Nov 17, 2020

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