In the village of Balleywalegh, Ireland, something is amiss. A hundred years before, the men of the village had driven out a vampire, and the manor house has since sat empty. Until now. And the new inhabitant has the same name as did the vampire driven out a hundred years before. Could it be?
The villagers believe that the vampire has returned except for Seamus. But Seamus isn’t from the village; he doesn’t even know what had happened all those years ago. Not until his wife is so upset when she notices that someone is now living in the uninhabited manor that she drops a pot of luscious smelling stew on the ground.
But Seamus refuses to believe such nonsense. After all, it’s 1929, and no one believes such foolishness anymore. Then his daughter, Brigid, comes home for a little while, and many of the young people fall sick, just like they did when bitten by the vampire all those years before.
This story examines legends, how people are so easily deceived, and love. Yes, love. When I first started reading, I was sure that I was in for a topnotch vampire tale with lots of blood. But as I discovered, not all topnotch vampire tales have lots of blood. And this one didn’t.
The suspense, not knowing what is going on, is there. Could it be something diabolical? As a reader, I feared something bad was in store for my favorite characters. All of this in only 120 pages.
This story by Tony-Paul de Vissage does not disappoint.
I was sent a copy of this story in exchange for an honest review. If you are a fan of vampire stories and would like your own copy to read and enjoy, I’ve provided an Amazon link below.
Amazon Link: Forever, My Vampire
Favorite Sentences:
Immediately he was on his feet, shaking tatties and carrots off his boot while skirting the steaming mass of parsnips, onions, and parsley staining the kitchen floor.
Did that second smile hide a secret meaning, some dark threat?
Seamus loved his wife dearly but was well aware she had a stubborn streak a mile wide.
Could it be he’d been the owner for that same length of time—over one hundred years?
New Words Learned:
acushla – the Irish word for darling
amanuensis – one employed to write from dictation or to copy manuscript
fustian – a strong cotton and linen fabric
slippery elm – The interesting health benefits of slippery elm include its ability to reduce inflammation, soothe indigestion, heal the skin, eliminate infections, reduce blood pressure, increase blood flow, boost eye health, protect from ulcers, detoxify the body, aid in oral health, and improve respiratory health.
https://www.organicfacts.net/slippery-elm.html
About the Author:
A writer of French Huguenot extraction, Tony-Paul de Vissage’s first movie memory is of being six years old, viewing the old Universal horror flick, Dracula’s Daughter on television, and being scared sleepless–and that may explain a lifelong interest in vampires.
This was further inspired when the author was kidnapped by a band of transplanted Romanian vampires sightseeing in the South. Having never seen a human who wasn’t frightened of them, they offered to pay the youngster’s way through college if he would become an author and write about vampires in a positive manner. He agreed, was returned to his parents (who were also grateful for the tuition offer since it let them off the hook) and continued to keep in touch with his supernatural mentors.
Though the author didn’t begin writing horror—or any other genre—until after graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from a well-known Southern University (and a second in Graphic Art), that one particular interest—and the promise made to his mentors—survived a liberal arts’ education and the scorn of friends and family. Marriage, parenthood, divorce, and a variety of occupations ranging from stage work to doctor’s assistant took precedent over writing for several years, as did moving from one United States coast to another.
Eventually that first story—a short story about the hapless vampire Clan Andriescu—was published. A voracious reader whose personal library has been shipped more than 3,000 miles, Tony-Paul has read hundreds of vampire tales and viewed more than as many movies.
