Thursday, January 20, 2011

The Dark Dynasties: Meet the Empusae

Wow, is it Thursday already?  This is shaping up to be one of those weeks that time forgot.  I was up last night designing a bookmark for Dark Awakening...I really like the way it turned out!  Just needs a little tweaking this morning.  I guess I'm going to be adding"Making my own bookmarks with Photoshop" to my list of "Skills I had no idea I would need to be a writer but had to learn anyway".  I hope they look as nice when they come from the print place as they do on my screen.  Anyway, here's another installment of Meet the Dark Dynasties...this is the description of the Empusae, the only all-female dynasty.  I think one of the lovely things about romance today is the thread of female empowerment that comes through in so many of them.  What better way to celebrate that than by creating a vampiric sisterhood?
The only dynasty that is entirely female, the Empusae are the smallest of the dynasties that have chosen to base their power in America.  Greek in origin, and possessed of vast libraries of ancient tomes dealing with the creatures of the night, the line that counts the goddess Hecate as its founder are deeply respected, if no longer dominant.  Empusa, their leader, has made sure that the women of the Empusae reveal little of the knowledge they guard, and the bonds of the dynasty’s sisterhood are strong.  There is an ancient magic about the Empusae, leading many to believe that there is far more to what they are capable of besides their traditional ability to vanish into smoke.  However, with the reclusive Empusa’s tight grip on her kind, it seems almost certain that eventually, the Empusae will dwindle until they vanish completely, taking all their secrets with them.

Cool, huh?  Have a great Thursday, everyone! 

4 comments:

  1. Wow!! Empusa's sound like probably Amazonion(Zena) in appearance. I'm am women hear me roar and watch me vanish in a puff of smoke. But don't p--ss them off or they'll be singing soprano from the end of their blades if they're lucky or screaming for mercy when they're drained dry.
    One question, do these Vampiric women take human lovers? Or just immortals? Can they reproduce? Inquiring minds want to know.

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  2. Hi Donna! Oh yeah, the Empusae are not to be messed with, though they're a little more mystical than violent...usually! They do take human lovers. In fact, it's common for my vampires, male and female, to have a "stable" of human lovers from whom they drink (and who they have sexytime with). Cuts down on plagues of mysterious bitings in the areas where they're concentrated, and they'd rather not draw the attention of authorities. They can't reproduce, either. Not by any natural means, anyway:-)

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  3. "They can't reproduce, either. Not by any natural means, anyway:-)"

    Well, isn't that an interesting fact right there! Brings all kinds of questions to mind. How fun that you're getting to play on Photoshop. I love using it for my photos and I know there is so very much more that can be done that I don't know about. I took a class once, long time ago, when I got my first digital SLR. Mostly use it for cropping and adjusting lighting. My neighbor is awesome at it and anytime I want/need something I just knock on his door. I'd love to learn to do more. What version of software do you have? I only have Elements right now and I'm still trying to figure it out.

    I am loving getting the inside scoop on the Dynasties. Did you design the symbols yourself? I bet you did! You're kinda artsy too, aren't you?

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  4. Hi Lisa! Yup, it was meant to bring a few questions to mind:-) You'll see! That's cool that you actually know how to use Photoshop. I, um...don't. It's very learn-as-I-go. I have the free trial of Elements right now...will probably purchase once that's up, but I wanted to make sure I could use it. A class on it...that sounds like a very good idea!

    I'm flattered that you think I could design such pretty tattoos myself! Sadly, no. I knew what I wanted, basically, but I can't draw. At all. So I hired an artist to work with me (something I never dreamed I would need to do in my life!), and he was amazing.

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