Welcome to the Bloody Valentine Blog Hop!

Welcome to the Bad Side of Love, as you join in with the Bloody Valentine Blog Hop.  On this day of romance, hearts, chocolate and flowers, a stalwart few writers and bloggers have banded together to celebrate the darker shades of the Valentine.  You'll find no tender affection, no happy endings, as you wander through our morbid maze of love gone wrong, for we will be breaking hearts and trashing romance....

Here's a list of the participating bloggers.  Please visit as many as possible and join them in amorous mayhem.

Love, Romanian Style |   plagueofdissent.wordpress.com |  Dean Harrison-Horror Author
A Diamond In The Dark |  A Bloody Kind of Lust | Keith Pyeatts Horror with Heart Blog
The Cult of Me |  Bestiary Parlor: The Musings of a Zoologist |  Sheila Deeths Blog
Yours in Storytelling |  Bertrams Blog | Laughing for a Living
Worldbinding | Pagan Spirits |  Exile on Peachtree Street | A. F. Stewarts Blog

Here's my little contribution to the Bloody Valentine Blog Hop. 

Bring on the romantic misfortune and Down with Love!

First up, to whet your appetite, is a little Twilight parody:

Rod Serling Meets the Sparkly Vampires

Submitted for your approval.  One teenage girl with severe self-esteem issues being stalked by a conflicted love-sick vampire.  Next stop Twilight Zone...

“Oh, why doesn’t Ned like me enough?  Why does he keep pushing me away?  Oh, Ned, Ned, Ned!”  Ella throws herself onto her bed in a melodramatic huff.  “Maybe I should just forget about drooling after hunky vampires and chase after Jack, my dreamy, supportive, best friend werewolf instead?”  She groans spectacularly, as if in pain.  “Oh Ned, oh Jack, Ned, Jack, which one should I chose?”

Thirty thousand sighs later, she’s pacing the room moaning about Ned again.  “Oh Ned, I love you so, can’t you see that?”  The wind flutters the curtains and she turns to the window.  A shadowy figure sits on her sill, a silhouette in the moonlight.

“I do see that you love me, and I can’t resist you anymore.”  Ned enters her bedroom and crosses the floor to sweep her into her arms.

“Oh, Ned,” she gasps breathily.

“Just remember, you wanted this.”  In a flash, Ned strikes, sinking his fangs into her neck and eagerly he drains her blood from her body.  When he’s had his fill he carries her limp form to the bed and lays her down tenderly.

Ella’s eyes flutter open.  Knowing she is dying, her hand reaches out and her lips part, whispering, “Why, Ned, why?”

“Really, Ella, what did you expect?  I’m a vampire, it’s what we do.  Besides,” he said with a blood-smeared grin, “haven’t you heard, you always hurt the one you love.”

Now follow the decaying scent of the dead roses and read a few morbid tidbits from my new book of poems, Reflections of Poetry:

What Stays Behind

The lingering scent,

memories of rose petals,

drift in the silence

of an empty room

full of fading ghosts.

Alone again,

with cracked dreams

and a broken heart

thumping, an echo

of that slamming door.

Sitting in the shadows

with disappointment

and the promises dead.

Any hope out of reach,

lost this time, forever.

Tea and Tears

The hourglass runs its sand

as the tea pours; her hand, it shakes

in grief, for her heart breaks

with pain, her spirit aches, adrift.

She fills her cup, his gift

Their tea set, bought from thrift, by love,

flaws ignored, prized above

the chip on the edge of the spout.

She drinks, the bitter doubt

gone; her candle burns out in haze.

Somewhere a soft flute plays,

to echo soul’s malaise, so grand.

Spanish Melody

A sweet song in the night

of past love, adrift.

A mournful, raw lament

for the defeated heart.

On the wind it ascends

as the coo of a tender dove,

evoking gentle memories

across the mountains.

The harmony swirls regret, ache

through the swaying trees.

Even the iridescent moon weeps

with the forlorn singer.

Faded

A faded red silk ribbon

tied around an aged box

full of tattered love letters.

Regrets from a past youth.

Tucked away, overlooked,

but still there, dusty, waiting.

Someday fingers will unfold

the pages of pale memories.

~

Reflections of Poetry

Go through the looking glass into the world of verse and discover this eclectic collection of poetry. The poems range from musings on Celtic heritage to embracing emotional turmoil. Throw in a little moonlight, the soothing sounds of the sea, and mix well with some sci-fi and fantasy for a lyrical medley of reading enjoyment.

Available at:
Smashwords
Amazon 

And now, if you've made it all the way to the end, you get to read about my contest.  If you'd like to win a free Smashwords ecopy of both my new poetry book, Reflectons of Poetry and my short story collection, Killers and Demons (complete with a story of a very bad Valentine date) just leave a comment telling me which of the poems in this post you liked the best.  The more morbid and outrageous the reason, the better.  I'll pick my favourite as the winner.  Good Luck!