Pages

Monday, May 18, 2020

They like to pretend they did us a favor... Unrest by Victor Arteaga

My life is quiet and mostly non-violent but one message from my cousin could cause me to lose everything I've sacrificed for my peaceful life.



Description:

Remembrance Day is just an excuse for vampires and humans to throw themselves a parade. They like to pretend they did us werewolves a favor. But I guess it's not all bad. I do get cheap booze, live in an underground lunar city, which some would find cool, and I am employed. Sejanus Industries isn't a benevolent corporate ruler, but they're the devil I made a deal with. My life is quiet and mostly non-violent but one message from my cousin could cause me to lose everything I've sacrificed for my peaceful life.

GUEST POST
The Eternal Conflict Between Werewolves and Vampires

For anyone familiar with the paranormal genre, we know werewolves and vampires might as well be Capulets and Montagues, Lannisters and Starks, Tupac and…well you get the picture. The history of both of their origins could and have been explored in dissertations for thousands of pages. They share many similarities in that they’re both myths and legends to explain things early civilizations didn’t understand. We can find vampire myths dating all the way back to Mesopotamia. Werewolves show up in the Epic of Gilgamesh which was written 2100 BC. These stories are ancient and many of the early legends have a lot of similarities.

So why the beef? 

I think what separated werewolves from vampires was the association of vampires with the ruling class. Dracula was a brooding royal figure who fed on his subjects to keep himself alive. It’s not hard to draw social and political parallels, nor was it done so without reason. Likewise, werewolves were, and still are, largely centered around their ancient folklore. They’ve taken on the characteristics of a wolf pack with an alpha. I’m not keen on that characterization since even the originator of the alpha wolf tried relentlessly to pull his claim back when he realized he was wrong, but I digress. We can easily see this divide in shows like True Blood, with characters like Bill and Eric being wealthy and suave whereas werewolves are depicted as feral criminals. As literature and cinema incorporated more and more versions of vampires and werewolves the cultural divide between the two grew wider. We got to Underworld where werewolves, or lycans, were literal slaves to vampires who lived in castles and mansions with literal royalty. Lycans were led by a populist who wanted to bridge the divide. These themes are universal. We see them all over the place like Star Wars, The Hunger Games, and Animal Farm. Most dystopia is based on the glaring inequality of the lower classes vs the upper classes. So it is with vampires and werewolves. 

In my book Unrest I explore these themes as well, though through a different angle. The divide between the two wasn’t as stark. There was still some simmering animosity, but friendships and relationships between each other were more common. Both species rose to prominence in different levels of political/social power. That is until the Artemis 1 mission to the moon. I don’t want to give too much away, since I wrote a short story about what happened, but suffice it to say, the schism between the two, along with humans caught in between, exploded. They are at odds again but this time with the full force of the popularity contest zeitgeist of the Twenty-First Century. It becomes less about which is superior and more about who can frame the narrative more effectively, and spin news to further their agenda. Sound familiar?

The ubiquity of their myth is what, I think, makes them such a captivating and enduring genre. Stories and motivations can be as simple as two apex predators sparring for dominion over the night, or as a vehicle for a deeper examination of humanity. 

EXCERPT

Abandoned hope thickened the air as people streamed between polished stone pillars that fronted this house of false promises. Equity and justice for all were laughable concepts the powerful wielded to fit their will and whim. The sky drizzled and misted enough to be cold, damp and miserable. Its gray cloud cover blunted the vibrant colors of the sparse, yet immaculate landscaping, and the wet air smothered the flowers’ sweet fragrance. I trekked past the throngs of caged miscreants as a lone wolf would pass through a swarm of rodents. The weight of my misdeeds forced my shoulders low, lined my mouth, and left my gaze fierce and steady. Guilt over leaving the cousin who called me sister slowed my steps. Betrayal of my chosen family left the bitter taste of regret on my tongue. Lady Justice, the sullen patron saint of my temporary home, was painted and carved on every available surface. We were told the cloth around her eyes meant Justice was blind and fair. But I know now she didn’t mask her eyes to symbolize the blindness of her virtue. Justice wasn’t blind. She just couldn’t bear to see the truth.

About the author:
Victor Arteaga is a writer of science fiction, fantasy, and paranormal stories. Though he’s always been an avid reader, his dream to be a writer was jump-started when he got sober in March of 2015. What began as an exercise to keep his sobriety billowed into a deep and unbridled passion to create. His experiences with addiction and being a first-generation American from immigrant parents inject a flavor of unique authenticity to his characters and worlds that he creates. His imagination is given free rein to conjure worlds and experiences on the page which enthralls and captivates readers. 


Author's Giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway

26 comments:

  1. Are any of the characters in your book based off of characteristics or personalities of people that you know?

    ReplyDelete
  2. "Bernie Wallace said...
    Are any of the characters in your book based off of characteristics or personalities of people that you know?"

    Yup, a good deal of the characteristics and quirks for my characters are based off people I know.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Good morning, thank you for hosting!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I appreciate hearing about your book, thanks and for the giveaway also. Thanks so much!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thank you all for being here and for all your kind words. I tried to answer throughout the day, but apparently my computer wasn't working! I am so very sorry.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thank you for the opportunity to win! And thanks so much for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I love the cover. It has awesome graphics and colors.

    abfantom at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  8. My grandson would enjoy this book

    ReplyDelete
  9. I absolutely love vampires and the like, and this book would be devoured in this household..

    ReplyDelete
  10. Vampires are awesome! The cover graphics are great.

    ReplyDelete
  11. The book looks great-thanks for the giveaway!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I really like the book cover and the story sounds great!

    ReplyDelete
  13. The cover is absolutely spot-on with the title.. Beautiful!!

    ReplyDelete
  14. If anyone has been in contact wit Cremona over the last few weeks, please post a comment letting me know she is safe and okay. She signed up for 5 of our tours and has not posted for any of them or replied to my emails. She has never done this, so I am concerned about her. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Really This goes far beyond the commenting! It wrote his thoughts while reading the article amazingly.tellhappystar

    ReplyDelete
  16. Looking great work dear, I really appreciated to you on this quality work. Nice post!! this post may help me for future.kids wall mural

    ReplyDelete