Welcome to the fourth day of the Mondays with Mephistopheles: 9am - Rhys blog tour. It will run until August 25th and will feature excerpts and new author interviews each day. But first, here is the obligatory blurb about the novel to settle you into this strange world:
Abraham Rogers has an unusual psychotherapy practice: monsters. This first installment is a session with Rhys, the IT vampire who can’t quite connect with the modern world the way he would like.
A few questions for the author:
What do you want from life?
To achieve my goals. I have been moving in that direction and it feels good to stay determined and persevere. I keep making new goals, which will make sure that I am always pursing something. I just want to continue doing what I want to do....
If you were granted three wishes, what would you ask for?
Is an infinite number of wishes on the table? If so, then that. Otherwise, wisdom, patience, and clarity.
What three things would you take to a Desert Island?
To achieve my goals. I have been moving in that direction and it feels good to stay determined and persevere. I keep making new goals, which will make sure that I am always pursing something. I just want to continue doing what I want to do....
If you were granted three wishes, what would you ask for?
Is an infinite number of wishes on the table? If so, then that. Otherwise, wisdom, patience, and clarity.
What three things would you take to a Desert Island?
My Kindle with all of my books (I can fashion a charging station out of a pineapple. Don't believe me? Search YouTube), my wife, and my survival bag.
Here be an excerpt for your enjoyment:
Abe knew that Rhys suffered from Seasonal Affective Disorder, though it was more likely a bout of generalized anxiety tied to some kind of recent drama.
It had taken Abe several sessions to become accustomed to the idiosyncratic behavior of the moody child of the night. As a psychologist he was supposed to remain composed, but the first few sessions bordered on frightening.
Rhys had on more than one occasion threatened him with bloodletting if he continued down a particular course of questioning. This passed as the vampire soon revealed his aversion to the sight of blood and the passion with which he dreaded violence.
“What of social engagements?”
Rhys collected himself before speaking. “In 400 years I have bedded many women, but Eileen was different. She was unfettered by my flights of sorrow. At first she thought it was going to be blood and bondage, but she soon saw that we are just bored with this world.”
“We have not spoken of Eileen in some time, Rhys. Have you done what I suggested?”
“Go out and meet people. Are you quite mad?”
Abe and Rhys came to this point often. “You came to me because you wished to overcome some of your fears, some of the things that were holding you back. You asked me to treat you as any other patient because the alienation and loneliness was at the very center of your concerns.”
Rhys nodded and motioned with his hands. “Do not get flustered. I recall what I said.”
“Very good. So have you?”
“I created a profile on one of this computer dating sites. That is not how a man met a woman in my time.”
Abe smiled. “Things have indeed changed.”
“I get these messages from women wondering if I am a goth or if I am an Anne Rice fan. I find the process disgusting.”
“Disgusting how?”
“I am not a literary character beholden to some novelist somewhere.”
“Do you take offense to the portrayal of your kind in the media? In fiction?”
Rhys leaned back into the couch, his reed-like frame consumed by the cushions. “Not all of them. Stoker did not terribly displease me. I prefer Mrs. Rice’s portrayal of my people, even if we are not as refined and romantic as the masses would hope. These sparkly, brooding types obsessed with teenagers paint us as horny men incapable of satiating our lust for youth. A terrible literary metaphor if I have ever seen one.”
Bio: A psychologist, author, editor, philosopher, martial artist, and skeptic, he has published several novels and currently has many in print, including: The End of the World Playlist, Bitten, The Journey, The Ocean and the Hourglass, The Path of the Fallen, The Portent, and Cerulean Dreams. Follow him on Twitter (@AuthorDanOBrien) or visit his blog http://thedanobrienproject.blogspot.com. He recently started a consultation business. You can find more information about it here: http://www.amalgamconsulting.com/.
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