29/03/2013 - Easter Break & Monthly Newsletter

Hello all! I'm very sorry, but in my country, it's Easter Break this weekend, so I'm going away, and I won't be home until the 2nd of April. I'm really sorry, but this unfortunately means that I won't be posting anymore until then. I apologise if you are a regular visitor, so please accept my apology. When I get back, I will try and write as much as possible.

Also, the weekly book review by Geri Craig will not be happening this weekend as scheduled. It will start the week after, on the 7th of April.

I am also thinking of releasing a monthly newsletter. It will only be about a page or two, because it will consist of the top 5 posts per month, as well as one of Geri Craig's book reviews.

If there is something you would like to see in the newsletter or on the blog, let me know. Also, if you have any comments/letters/rants about the blog or news or anything else, please submit a 150 word (no more!) to me via e-mail. I will post three in the newsletter. Also, to receive the newsletter, you will need to email me and let me know. Your email will go into a spreadsheet so you can stop receiving the newsletter any time. I will not spam you with mail - you should only receive a newsletter from me once a month, unless things change.

Comment below your thoughts about a newsletter.

Write soon!
Ashleigh Neame

28/03/2013 - A Cut Scene From 'The First Vampire'

King Manuzi watched with narrowed eyes as his witch wife was led onto the wooden platform. The guard accompanying her had roped her hands behind her back. Manuzi's face showed and expression of distaste, but not for the reasons the kingdom thought. Manuzi knew the kingdom thought he was ashamed of his wife's magic, but the truth was he had given his wife those powers in the first place, and he knew that tying her hands behind her back would make no difference - magic came from the head, not the hands. The hands were only one of the ways magic could be channelled. 

To be honest, magic wasn't even the reason Queen Liluri was to die today. Unbeknownst to the kingdom, Liluri had given birth to twin girls only a few days ago - children that Manuzi knew he could never have. While he was away on palace business, Liluri had been having an affair with Thaddeus, one of Manuzi's best warriors, and most trusted guards.

Manuzi spotted the guard in question standing in the crowd, watching Liluri with intense eyes. Manuzi looked over at Liluri and saw her eyes fill with joy as she met the guard's eyes. Although his expression stay stony, Manuzi was smirking on the inside. Liluri and the guard thought they were the only ones who knew the truth, but they were wrong. Since Liluri became imprisoned, Manuzi had been drinking a special concoction that made him immune to magic for a short period of time. He knew his wife better than either of them cared to admit, and he knew that she would attempt to cast a spell to keep her daughters safe.

"It's such a shame," the man sitting next to Manuzi said. "I thought your wife was from far better stock."

King Typhon, oh how Manuzi wished they weren't brothers. King Typhon was his father's son with his first wife, making him Manuzi's elder half-brother. Typhon and his wife, Queen Echidna, had come over from their cosy palace on the Central Island to 'support Manuzi' through this tough time.

"I thought so too," Echidna agreed.

Manuzi thought how ironic Typhon and Echidna's comments were, when Echidna was holding one of Liluri's spawn in her arms. When Liluri had cast the spell, she made the entire country - all five islands! - think that the girls belonged to different mothers. King Typhon and Queen Echidna had ended up with the younger twin and named her Selene. Everyone thought Echidna had given birth to Selene. Manuzi had no idea where the other twin had ended up.

"Liluri's mother died when she was young," Manuzi lied to his brother. "I suspect for the same reason Liluri must die today."

"Possibly," Typhon said. "But let us not speak ill of the dead. We shall focus on the monumentous task at hand - getting through today."


If you enjoyed this cut scene and would like to read the published short story, simply search for 'The First Vampire' wherever eBooks are sold.

27/03/2013 - Why 'The Second Venefica' is NOT Cliché

Well, I'm back again, and this time, I'm writing about why I love my third novel, The Second Venefica.

Ok, so I was reading this story on Wattpad on Monday night, called "Why I would love to slap some of the writers on Wattpad", written by Wattpadder loveforever27. The chapter 'Sighs Dramatically' is all about cliché stories that people seem to love reading.

Was Twilight a cliché? Yep. It was all about the new girl at school managing to grab the attention of the schools most eligible bachelor, and eventually winding up married to him as part of their Happily-Ever-After.

But seriously, when does it happen in real life? Not that I've seen! (If it's happened to you, comment below).

Anyway, further down in the post, the writer mentions one of the most cliché storylines ever - Good girl meets Bad boy and hates him, and then they lowly fall in love.

Right, so this storyline got me thinking about The Second Venefica (which is still being written - follow me on Wattpad to read a new chapter every week).

In my story, (I hope I'm not giving too much away here!), the heroine, Lily, cannot fall in love with the villian, Thaddeus. The reason? She already fell in love with him! There's a whole backstory about Queen Liluri and Thaddeus' love, and if you've read my other posts about this story, you would know that Queen Liluri was Lily's past life.

So really, in thinking about it, my book is similar, but doesn't follow that storyline. Genius! I was so worried about it being cliché.

Ok, so TSV sort of follows another Wattpad cliché storyline - the one with the heroine having non-existent parents.

To be honest, TSV doesn't have that, at least, not entirely. At one point or another, Lily is always in the care of one parent, i.e. she's always living with either her mum or dad (except in the beginning when she lives with her boyfriend, but keeps in close contact with her mum).

When the book is set in the Western Island of Paradise, Lily lives with her mum. When it's set in the Central Island, she lives with her dad. If she ever goes to the Northern Island though, she'll be in the care of her great-great-great grandmother who is an ex-witch, and a vampire. If Lily goes to the Eastern or Southern Islands, I'm not sure who she'll be in the care of, but I'll figure that out later.

My point is, through most of the book, Lily is under the care of at least one family member. So really, The Second Venefica hints at being cliché, but is not entirely cliché.

Thank god for that, huh?

To read the funny ass ranting of loveforever27, visit http://www.wattpad.com/1671338-why-i-would-like-to-slap-some-of-the-writers-on

27/03/2103 - What and Where Should I Publish First?

What kind of writing should I publish first?

This is a difficult question to answer, sort of. Firstly, let me explain what I mean by the question: there are many different types of writing. There’s the traditional novel, the short story, poetry, articles, and the list goes on. Then there’s genre to worry about; anything from teen romances to historical thrillers is a genre. Non-fiction is a genre. Spiritual fantasy is a genre. Basically, there’s an abundance of things you can choose to write.

When I started publishing my writing online, I went with Smashwords.com, and the first piece of writing I published was a short story I wrote for my year 11 English coursework called Inferno (A Short story). I just wanted to get my name out there and see how people reacted to my writing style. Straight after that I published Fighting the Demon, Book 1: Ariyus (which is a part of a discontinued series I began but lost all the plans to) and Conflicted (a short story I wrote for my year 12 English exam). I kid you not, on each and every one of those books, people have rated it one star, either because they don’t read the foreword, or because it is TOO SHORT.

I honestly kid you not, I clearly stated that they were short stories, yet people ignored my warnings and rated my books one-star, saying it’s too short. Well to them I have to say: If you didn’t want to read a short story, you shouldn’t have downloaded my book. Simple as that.

But back on topic, I think a novel would be too much to publish all at once, especially if you’re just testing the waters as such, seeing how your work gets received and what not. As long as you’re prepared to get one-star reviews for your story being short, I’d suggest you stick with a short story for your first piece of published writing. Also, short stories tend to make it into magazines, newspapers and online journals more than novels do.

But as for poetry, I’m afraid I’ll have to get back to you on that. I cannot write poetry to save my life, so I’m going to have to consult with someone who can, who has also self-published some poetry. Sorry about that.

Should I publish on Wattpad first? Or should I forgo Wattpad and go straight to eBook publishers?

This is entirely up to you. In theory, the great thing about Wattpad is that you can ‘test the waters’, so to speak, and see if people like your writing. But in actual practice, it’s very hard to get noticed on Wattpad. I’ve been trying for nearly two years, and not one of my books has had a huge amount of reads. In fact, my book with the most reads is about 16,000, and it’s only that because I put a huge amount of effort tweeting, posting on Facebook, posting on tumbler, and posting on Google+. It’s really up to you whether you post on Wattpad or not. I’m still undecided as to whether I’ll keep posting on Wattpad myself. Yes, you can get feedback as you write, but most of the time that feedback is just OMG I love this!! or OMG I hate this!! Very rarely do you get good, constructive feedback. If you decide to forgo Wattpad, make your first story free – people are more likely to download and review your book that way – and try Smashwords.com out first. Don’t go to major publishing houses like Kobo and Kindle until you feel confident enough with your manuscript.

26/03/2013 - Self-Publishing: Where to Start?

I want to self-publish. Where do I start?

Great question. When I first looked into publishing, Wattpad recommended Lulu, but I found out that I had to pay to publish with them, and I had no money to do that. I also came across X-Libris, but again, I had to pay to publish, and I couldn’t afford the $1200 fee. I nearly gave up hope, until I came across Smashwords.com. They offer a free eBook publishing service. Ok, it wasn’t exactly what I was looking for, but it was better than nothing. Not to mention it distributed my books for me, as well as having a plethora of information on how to get my book ready for public view. A whole year later, however, I have stopped distribution to Kobo. I find their eBook publishing service MUCH better, as it gives me the option to download a .epub file which I can then hand out to people who win contests (if I run them) or who have helped with the publication of the book.

I’ve been hearing about something called Createspace. What is it?

It was really only by chance that I came across Createspace. I was reading a Wattpad story by Wattpadder Explode, who had published her first book, ‘Royal Blood and One Commitment’, using Createspace. I saw, I investigated, and thus my first book was published.

Createspace is a part of Amazon, and they publish anyone’s books, using print-on-demand technology. Like Smashwords.com, they have quite a lot of information to help you get started. There are forums, articles, and helpful hints throughout the site, so you are easily able to publish your book. They even have a cover creator, so if you suck at designing book covers, they can help you out.

It’s so hard! Should I just give up and wait for a traditional publisher to accept my manuscript?

No. Absolutely not. If you are serious about pursuing a career as an author, don’t ever give up. Did you know the first book is always the hardest to publish? It was like that for me. I kept screwing up my formatting for the interior, and my cover was a mess. It seemed like everything I did just made the situation worse, so I enlisted the help of my friend Nick, who was way better at formatting than I was. He managed to fix my manuscript and show me what I was doing wrong so the next time I published a book, I could do it myself. Honestly, once the first one is published, it gets a hell of a lot easier.

26/03/2013 - Interview with Ashleigh Neame

By Wattpadder AoiSoraHime

INTERVIEW WITH ASHLEIGH NEAME

Where were you born and where do you call home?

I was born in Auckland, New Zealand, and I still call it home, having lived there for all my life.

What is the name of your most recent book and if you had to sum it up in 30 or less words, what would you say?

The book I am working on at the moment is ‘The Second Venefica’, and if to sum it up, I would have to say it is a story about magic, finding your true self, and getting a second chance at life to fix your past mistakes.

If you gave one of your characters an opportunity to speak for themselves, what would they say?

If I gave my character Queen Liluri (from The First Vampire) the chance to speak freely, I’m sure she would tell us why she decided to cheat on her husband, why she fell in love with Lord Thaddeus, why she made him immortal, and what it’s like to be reincarnated as Lillian Ra’awa (from The Second Venefica).

Do you have plans for a new book? Is this book part of a series?

The book I am working on now is my new book. It’s the first in a series, titled Venefica. There are 5 books in the series at the moment, all of which need to be written.

What books have influenced your writing?

My favourite book series is Rachel Caine’s Morganville Vampires, because her stories are so relatable, and despite their town being overrun by vampires, they don’t hide away like scaredy cats. They fight, and they survive. I really want my characters to be strong ones that leave lasting impressions, like Ms Caine’s ones do.

Is there an Author that you would really like to meet?

Rachel Caine, for sure. She came to my country a while ago but I never got to meet her because I was at school.

What book would you like to read again?

At the moment, my interest is divided by two books – A Respectable Girl by Fleur Beale, and Isle of Tears by Deborah Challinor. The reason for that is because at university, I have to read some good books about New Zealand, or by NZ authors for my Reading New Zealand class.

Is there a particular movie that you preferred over the book version?

I don’t think so. Books tend to have more detail, and often pull you in more. I’ve never seen a movie I couldn’t walk away from, except for the Back to the Future trilogy, but that doesn’t have a book version.

What book are you currently reading?

Two at the moment – Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling, and James Potter and the Hall of Elders Crossing by G. Norman Lippert.

Are there any Authors that have grasped your interest recently and why?

Andrea Ashworth – for my Reading New Zealand class at uni, we had to read an excerpt from her book Once in a House Fire. It’s surprisingly good, and I really want to get that book out from the library.

Who designed the cover of your book?

AoiSoraHime, of course!

Do you have any advice for other writers?

Don’t stop writing. Even if you get writers block, pick a thing (like sky, or water, for example) and just write nonstop for three to five minutes about that thing. It gets your creative juices flowing, and something in the garbled mess you’ve written might help you come up with a new idea for your story – thus creating an escape from writer’s block prison.

Your thoughts on receiving book reviews - the good and the bad.

I like to receive reviews – they help me improve as a writer. What I don’t like to see however, is comments like ‘This sucks!’ – ok, it sucked for you, but why? I also don’t like to see reviews like ‘Too short!’ when it is clearly stated that it is a SHORT story, as has happened on a couple of my short stories that I self-published.

List 3 books you just recently read and would recommend?

1. A Discovery of Witches – Deborah Harkness.

2. The Life and Times of Eliza Rose – Mary Hooper.

3. And Only to Deceive – Tasha Alexander.

If your book was made into a TV series or Movie, what actors would you like to see playing your characters?

For Lillian Ra’awa, I would like to see Alexandra Chando play her. I think she’s an amazing actress and fits with my idea of what the second Venefica should look like. Also, later in the series when a third Venefica comes into play, I think Nina Dobrev would be amazing. As for the villain, Lord Thaddeus, I’m not sure. Probably someone like Ian Somerhalder, who is really good at portraying a dark, evil personality. Or maybe Johnny Depp. He’s really good at bringing a written character to life on screen.

25/03/2013 - My Second Novel: Rebel With A Cause

Hello! Kia ora! Hola! Dia duit!

I'm back with another post! Woohoo! This one is about my second novel, Rebel With A Cause, which I like much more than my first novel (remember how much I hated it?), and am actually semi-proud of.

The official 'Rebel With A Cause' cover, designed by Wattpadder @philophobic_

As promised, here's the links to buy it:

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/265676

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Rebel-Cause-Ashleigh-Neame/dp/1480104647/ref=la_B007DK3NE0_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1364101673&sr=1-2

Kobo: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Rebel-With-A-Cause/book-izx2UBMJWkO-rIus1vyi-Q/page1.html?s=vYH8B-edr0yZVA6QXKc6ew&r=5

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rebel-with-a-cause-ashleigh-neame/1114045112

Diesel: http://www.diesel-ebooks.com/item/SW00000265676/Neame-Ashleigh-Rebel-With-A-Cause/1.html

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/rebel-with-a-cause/id588909490?mt=11

Whitcoulls: http://www.whitcoulls.co.nz/product-reviews/rebel-with-a-cause/39764450/

Lulu: http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/AshleighNeame

25/03/2013 - A Very Elaborate Way of Saying Something

Hey! Welcome to another blog post.

Now, as you can probably tell, this blog is turning out nothing like the title...oops. Guess I'll have to think of a better name and URL. Any ideas? Comment below!

Now, onto the post. This is actually something I did in my Creative Writing lecture this afternoon. Let me know if you like it!

There is a class of which was cancelled,
Which is to be today.
No such message was received,
About the change of date.
To go or not to go is the question,
As such an internal debate.
Should I or should I not do,
What doth do my mate?
I shall not do what most will do,
Which is to go, take place.
Thee shall go, to go home
To thee happiest space.

Can anyone guess what I'm talking about? Comment below!

Ciao for now,
Ashleigh.

25/03/2013 - How Do I Get Published?

How do I get published?

Ok, I could go on for days about this topic. There are a gazillion ways to choose from. Obviously there is traditional publishing (trad-publishing), but then there’s self-publishing. What’s the difference? Trad-publishing is you submitting a manuscript to a publisher, and if you’re lucky, getting published by a professional publishing house. Self-Publishing is a little different. Self-publishing means you choose how, when, what you publish.

I think I want to traditionally publish my books.

Ok then, great. But be prepared for a ton of rejections. Did you know the Harry Potter series got turned down by 12 publishers before someone took a chance on J.K. Rowling? 12 publishers rejected the HP phenomenon! Imagine how silly they must feel now.

But some publishers don’t want to take risks with new talent anymore. Unless your submission is polished, concise, and recommended by a literary agent, major publishing houses don’t want to hear from you. This unfortunately means most publishing houses are automatic write-offs, unless you’re willing to pay for a good literary agent.

Here’s a tip from Wattpadder Deaks25: “Don't expect to be published, in fact expect NOT to be published as it's a very strict business.”

24/03/2013 - Want To Write For The Blog?

Yes, yes, you can write for this blog!

As you may know, I'm running a blog series about 'Self-Publishing vs. Traditional Publishing: Which Is Best?' Unfortunately, I've only ever gone the self-published way, so my information is pretty much limited to just that.

I then came up with the idea of asking traditionally published writers to write an article about their experiences with publishing.

But now, I'm taking it one step further.

I am now looking for people who have published a book, who are willing to write an article about their experience with publishing. If you would like to do this, please comment below or email me at author.ashleighneame@hotmail.co.nz (copy and paste the email address).

Suggested Topics:
- Getting a manuscript ready for submission
- Finishing a manuscript
- The best way to publish a book (in your opinion)
- Your experience publishing your book
- The search for the right publisher
- Getting accepted/rejected

Those are only suggested topics - if you have an idea for an article, email me or comment below and I will review the topic.

Each article MUST be 800 to 2,500 words.

I hope those of you who are published authors will consider writing an article, because I want  this blog to help other writers who dream of being published (or dream of completing a novel).

24/03/2013 - My story is well-liked on Wattpad – will it be well-liked in the real world?

My story is well-liked on Wattpad – will it be well-liked in the real world?

Now, I’m no expert, but I do know this – the answer is usually no. Being well-liked on Wattpad doesn’t mean anything in the real world. There are millions of readers out there who don’t read on Wattpad, and they don’t care if your story was good on there or not. They just care if they like it. It doesn’t matter how many reads, comments or votes you have on Wattpad – no one outside of Wattpad cares. Of course, if you have a dedicated fan base on Wattpad and publish a book, chances are your fans will buy it – but only a for a few dollars.

Another thing to remember is that Wattpad allows users to choose their own genres, and those genres might not always be right. For instance, take Parogar, a Wattpad user whose book was so well received on Wattpad, he decided to send it to publishers – only for it to be rejected both times. His sci-fi/fantasy climbed to #1 a few times and managed to stay there, but the stories his were competing against? “11 page ‘novels’ about boy band wizards, with alternating first person perspective every 5 damned paragraphs, vampires that go to school to learn magic, etc…”

Poor Parogar. His example just goes to show that well-liked Wattpad novels aren't always good (not to say his isn't – he actually traditionally published his story - you should definitely check out his writing!). They’re usually clichéd, and from what I've seen, they’re usually either werewolf ‘soulmate’ novels (which I’m guilty of enjoying sometimes), or typical One Direction stories, about a girl who goes to a 1D concert and the whole band falls in love with her, (or something like that)…

So to sum up: Even if your story is popular on Wattpad, don’t assume it is publishable material. Get someone really picky to read it, and get them to point out what they like/don’t like about your story. That’s the first thing to do if you’re considering publishing.


Visit Parogar's Wattpad page: http://www.wattpad.com/user/Parogar

Visit his Ragz Author Page: http://www.ragz-books.com/authors/kevin-weinberg.html

23/03/2013 - My First Novel: The Joke's on YOU!

So in my first blog post, I promised to share the links to my books so people could buy/read them. This post is all about my first novel, The Joke's on YOU!

Now, please bear in mind, I was 16 when I began this novel, and 17 when I self-published it. I admit, it could be better, and I wish I'd left it unpublished, but it's out there now, and even if I unpublished it, I doubt I could get it entirely removed from the internet. So out there it stays.

For now.

The Joke's on YOU! front cover.

Yes, I am all too aware the front cover stinks. I hate, and if I didn't hate the entire book, I would find someone who could make me a much better cover.

But anyway, here's the links to find my book online:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Jokes-YOU-Alcohol-Change-Forever/dp/1470017199/ref=la_B007DK3NE0_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1364101673&sr=1-1

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-jokes-on-you-ashleigh-neame/1111623617

iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-jokes-on-you!/id512512183?mt=11

Kobo: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/The-Jokes-on-YOU/book-s7X3OzemykWzEmnuuXM-2Q/page1.html

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/134947

23/03/2013 - How To Survive Writer's Block

It happens to the best of us – you write and write and write, and then you hit a wall. No matter what, you cannot get around that wall, and your manuscript sits there on your computer, gradually being forgotten as you struggle to find a way to continue the story. This is an unfortunate event called ‘Writer’s Block’.

Sometimes it seems like there’s no way out – it’s just too hard, and your mind can’t find a way around the metaphorical wall inside your brain. Thankfully, there are ways to push through Writer’s Block.

1. Free Writing

What is free writing? Free writing is when you pick a word or an object, and write non-stop about said word or object for 3 to 5 minutes. Just write whatever comes to mind. It doesn’t matter if you think it’s useless or insignificant – just write. When you’re done, go back and read over what you’ve written and circle anything that seems interesting – it could give you an idea to work into your story, and hopefully a way to get out of Writer’s Block Prison.

2. Read Through What You’ve Already Written

The title says it all – read through what you’ve already written. Who knows, maybe there will be something you’ve mentioned but haven’t properly explained. Your character might be able to go back and discover or reveal whatever it is you didn’t explain properly.

3. Go Exploring

Yes, exploring, you read that right. Get out, get away from the computer, and go exploring. Live near a beach? Cool! You can always walk along the beach looking for interesting things to give you your next brilliant idea. Live near a forest or the woods? Awesome! Go for a walk, and keep an eye out for anything out of place. Don’t live near either? That’s cool too! Just go wandering the streets in your neighbourhood, keep your eyes peeled, and gather ideas from the people around you.

4. Take Photos

Get out your camera and start snapping! Seriously, without looking for anything interesting, just get snapping photos of the world around you. Then upload them onto your computer or print them out and see if you can find a pattern or a person that grabs your interest in the photos. Something so insignificant might give you your next big plot point.

23/03/2013 - Finishing Books

It's alway sad finishing a book.

22/03/2013 - A New Blog Series - Self-Publishing vs. Traditional Publishing: Which is Best?

So you’ve written a book. So you want to get it published. But you don’t know where to begin. With people giving opinions left, right and centre, it’s hard to know what’s the truth, what’s all lies, and what you should do next. I know. I’ve been there.

In mid-2011, I began writing my first book, titled The Joke’s on YOU! Back then, I thought it was the best thing ever written. I looked into all sorts of publishing, before deciding on self-publishing. I then did the same with my second novel, Rebel With A Cause. Both books were published in 2012, one at the beginning, one at the end. It was hard work, and I mean really hard work. Constant re-writes, edits, the pressure to get it done… It was hard. Looking back though, I think they should have been kept unpublished, despite some good reviews.

Now, after my experience with publishing, I’ve learned a few things about publishing a book (and writing one, of course). Since so many others have the same questions I did, I decided to share my knowledge of how to publish a book.


This is blog only at the moment, but when finished it will be submitted to a Wattpad Community Book Project that will hopefully help future authors.

22/03/2013 - The Second Venefica on Wattpad

Kia ora!

I am back today to tell you about a new story I have begun posting on Wattpad. It's called The Second Venefica, and the lovely AoiSoraHime designed the Wattpad cover. It's the first in a series, with the whole series being set in the five islands of Paradise.

The Wattpad only cover, lovingly designed by AoiSoraHime.

The Second Venefica is a story about magic, finding out who you really are, and getting a second chance at life to fix mistakes you made in your first life.

It all starts off in The First Vampire, the prequel to the Venefica series. In TFV, Queen Liluri is having an affair with a knight (or warrior, whatever you want to call him), who goes by the name Thaddeus. Together, they have twin daughters - Abigail Ellwood and Selene Delphi. The affair is discovered when Manuzi comes home early from official palace business and learns that his wife is in labour, with children he cannot have.

Instead of keeping quiet and raising the children as his own (thus continuing the royal family line through adoption), Manuzi goes nuts and orders Liluri to be burned at the stake for her treachery.

All alone in a cell deep underground with no one to talk to and her daughters taken from her, Liluri, being a witch, casts a spell to make the kingdom forget she committed adultery. Instead, she makes the kingdom think she was discovered practicing witchcraft - a feared notion in all but the secretly magical royals.

Before she burns at the stake, Liluri uses her power of astral projection to meet Thaddeus in the dead of night. She turns him into a vampire, all so he can guide their daughters when they come into their powers. The story ends with Liluri curled up in her cell, awaiting her death.

Nearly 1000 years pass between TFV and The Second Venefica. In those thousand years, Thaddeus does his job, protecting and guiding his daughters, but then he gets lonely. He forces a witch - a distant descendant of his - to marry him and bear his children. First off, he has another daughter, but desiring a son, he impregnates the witch again, and his wish comes true. When he realises his new family is only around him out of fear, he feels lonely, and the darkness that comes with being a vampire consumes him. He then becomes a soulless, blood-sucking monster.

Enter Lily Ra'awa, an average teenage girl from the Western Island of Paradise. She enjoys the things most teenage girls do - music, sunbathing, hanging with friends. Except Lily loves the environment, and will do whatever she can to protect it, along with the help of her boyfriend, Penn.

One seemingly normal day, however, is monumentous for Lily. Strange things begin happening around her, like her boyfriends car tyres bursting simultaneously, and his window washing liquid spurting out of the engine like a fountain. She also manages to humiliate his stalker, Susan, by making cranberry juice splash all over her blouse.

She thinks the events are all random coincidences, until Penn wanders off, alone, into the woods, and gets attacked by the first vampire. Lily, using the magic that she doesn't know she has, runs to his aid, and attacks the vampire that's hurting her boyfriend.

After the fight, Lily goes to live with her father, who has been absent nearly all her life, and she discovers who she really is. Things really start to unravel then, and then the fun begins.

I post a new chapter of this book every week, so if you want to read this book, click here.

To read the prequel, download the FREE eBook off iTunes, Kobo, Kindle, Smahwords, or Barnes &Noble.

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I hope you enjoyed this post, and don't forget to follow my blog!

21/03/2013 - Introducing Ashleigh

Kia ora everybody! Thanks for visiting my blog!

My name is Ashleigh Neame, and as of 2012 I am a self-published author. After getting nowhere with my book sales, I decided I should probably start a blog. This way, I can engage with my fans more than what I can on my website.

What am I working on right now, you ask? Well, as of 2013, I am studying a Bachelor of Arts at AUT University in Auckland, New Zealand (my hometown, and where I currently live). I am majoring in Creative Writing (hopefully this helps my writing). I might post some stuff I do for Uni on here at a later date.

I am also working on my third book, currently titled 'The Second Venefica', which is the first in the Venefica series. At the moment, I think there will be a total of 5 books in the series (!!!). It's hard work, but I'm persevering.

I self-published my first two books, the first being titled 'The Joke's on YOU!' and the second being 'Rebel With A Cause'. I will post separately about each book so you can find it and possibly buy it.

I have also self-published a few short stories I wrote back in high school, just to see what others thought of my early writings. I have to say, feedback was quite mixed, so I may unpublish those at a later date. Again, I will post about each of those separately so if you are interested, you will be able to find them easy enough.

Aside from my writing, I also have a Zazzle store to supplement my writing. If you like my writing, perhaps go and buy some merchandise to support a struggling author out? Please? Pretty please?

My Website: Ashleigh Neame OFFICIAL Website
On my website, you can find all my published works, books I love/hate, fan-made videos, and more!

Anyway, I think you've learned enough about me for one post...don't forget to visit my website!