2015 was a year.
My kids were almost perfect. Really, I’m not being one of those snotty perfect moms who make you want to puke and then stab them in the neck for being so snotty and perfect. My kids are great people. Much better than I’ll ever be or ever was. It was due to good genetics and a lot of long conversations about being a good person. It was a lot of work. OK some of it was not genetics considering how many crazy people are in our respective families. Yes, these people are NUTS. We’re still trying to figure out if it is environment or genetics.
I keep saying (my mantra) that you have to TALK to your kids, LISTEN to them, and talk WITH them. You have to build that trust. You have to do it early – but it is never too late. That is what parenting is all about. Really, believe me on this one.
A confused Vampire of my acquaintance became much more popular than me in 2015. Yes, that would be Vlad. Yes, the Vampire Diary guy. I have to admit that he is cute. He is really cute. He is also sort of a jerk, former Vampire King that he is. That said you will be hearing more about his adjustment to modern life in 2016. Heaven help us all.
The cats were always around helping me out in 2015. The one pictured above is Oscar. He managed to get his face slashed open in February. You can see the scar in this photo of him admiring my artwork.
In 2015 I didn’t write as many posts. I did write a few swell posts but ended up reposting old but worthy things from previous years.
Fortunately other people were writing and the WPaD group came out with the fabulous and exceptionally good Creepies 2. You should download your copy today if you haven’t already done it.
2015 was a strange year for me. A lot was going on outside of the computer screen. My thoughts were someplace else. I’m sorry. I truly am, not just for you, my dear readers, but for me as well.
I appreciate all of the nice words you sent when my beautiful happy dog Jasmine passed over the Rainbow Bridge in October. Hugs.
But I did put down some brilliant okay words here and there. A few of my favorite more serious posts were:
- Little Hagrid
- When Boys Get Sappy
- Sweet Sixteen in the Land of Ghosts
- Why Parents Drink
- It’s Morning. Do you know where your soul is?
- A Vampire Muses on Passion, Mr. Gray, Food and Marriage
- Fun and Fancy in the Dark Ages
What is in the future of Vampire Maman you might ask? According to everything remotely pertaining to blog statistics the most popular posts are about love letters and romance. So I will follow the will of my readers (and random visitors) and post more on my one true area of expertise.
A lot of people come to this blog looking for Werewolves. Well, um, yes, you might find a few here. I’ll have to think about that one. The Werewolf posts get a load of traffic. Remember never to confuse a Werewolf with a Hot Dog. Or a dog faced boy for that matter.
2015 brought too few posts about the Elders – the Ancient Vampires Tellias and Eleora. There were also too few posts about my brother Max. I promise you that I’ll keep you up on all of their adventures and/or misadventures.
I’ve also thought of doing an advice column. Slate didn’t hire me to replace the last Dear Prudence so I’m going to have to dole out advice right here. If you need questions answered see me first. Seriously. I have answers. I’m a Vampire, of course I have all the answers.
And naturally I will continue the Short Story Sunday feature. This includes more Austin and Elizabeth adventures.
A few of my favorite short stories of 2016 were:
- Prisoner of Love
- The Changeling
- Nowhere in Time
- Baker Beach
- Male Bonding
- Rat Girl
- The Bat
- Fallen
- Father Paul
- A Change of Heart
I also had a few wonderful new guest posts from friends:
What other madness happened in 2015?
ROLLER SKATING. That was outside of this blog, in an alternate universe, but I posted about it anyway. We went to the National Championships in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Yes, we drove there and back from Sacramento and had quite the road trip. This is the story – click here. While there I also had the good fortune to meet, live and in person, the talented blogger and photographer Timothy Price.
THANK YOU to everyone who gave us so much support this year on the journey to the National Championships. THANK YOU.
Aside from ROMANCE the other most popular subject on this blog is going to rock concerts with my teens. YES we went to the Van’s Warped Tour in Mountain View, California this summer. It was too much fun. We saw all sorts of great bands. Yes, I am the coolest mom in the world.
And don’t forget the chalk art in Fremont Park (Sacramento) this year! Chalk it up again!
I guess it was a very good year.
Sing it Frank.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHJ3iZpfBRI
That was fun but I like this one even more:
This one too.
Happy New Year. Feel free to sing and dance the night away.
I hope to entertain you more in 2016. And I know all of my blogging friends out there will continue to entertain me (thanks for the fun and inspiration.)
Oh, yes, and one more thing… Nigel THE GHOST is still around lurking in the shadows. You’ll hear more about him in 2016. I’m sure of it.
~ Juliette aka Vampire Maman
Vampire Maman 
Happy 2016, Juliette. Tell Vlad and Nigel that goes for them, too.
Happy 2016 to you to and all of your crazies! Yes, there will be more adventures to come. xoxo
Juliette, I adore all your posts! But let me ask you, did you do some time traveling recently? Twice you mention the posts are your favorites of 2016, and we aren’t there yet! 😀 Anyways, please keep Vlad and the adventures of cat coming, and of course the elders and that persnickety NIgel. XOXO
Typos. I fixed them. Thank you for pointing that out. I mean 2015. I wrote a little bit about time travelers but I was not among them.
I haven’t gone on any major road trips since school started but I can see a few road trips in my near future.
Yay for road trips! I thought you might want to know about the typos, I figured that was the case. I hope you get some of those road trips in. 🙂
Had a wonderful Christmas holiday, J. Hope yours was the same (or even better). I enjoyed your posts all through the past year and am looking forward to what the future will bring. Keep on keepin’ on ! Happy New Year, vampire ! 🙂
Happy Sweet Sixtten Paul. Thanks for being here. xoxox
More Vlad AND more Nigel? Yes please! A wonderful recap of the year, and I’m looking forward to what you have to offer next year as well!
The love letter post will definitely be making my Best Of too. I still can’t believe I wrote that schlock! 😉
Yes you wrote that schlock! I’m trying to coax Nigel out of the woodwork without too many profanities. He has such a crappy attitude.
I’m looking forward to more new features at the Squirrel Nest as well. I’ve been watching my squirrels from my window as I blog. They’ve made my back deck into the Squirrel Party Zone. Happy New Squirrel.
Thanks for your support. xoxo
You had an eventful and still great 2015. It was fun to meet Vlad and I’ll be excited to read more about him.
But most of all I wanted to thank you: for giving me a lot of interesting and fascinating things to read and enjoy. Sometimes I don’t have that much time to read all of them, and you know, not having kids on my own I’ll be careful in commenting on your “kids posts”. But I keep on ‘likng’ them for you to know I’m interested in what you write and to let you know I was there.
Thank you as well for being a great friend!
And a Happy and Great 2016 to you and your family!! ❤
Hugs
AJ
Thank you for hanging out so much in 2015 with me. We both had a lot of changes last year. I hope 2016 is wonderful and full of amazing things. xoxox Happy 2016.
To you as well. Here’s to another friendship and hugs dominated 2016! Xoxo
If I told you I wrote a pretty good comment and poof it disappeared into the black, would you believe me. Strange things happen around my comments lately. It may be a ghost screwing it up so I get driven nuts by her. Or she may be jealous I am trying to share a thought with someone I like. I will paraphrase what I was in the original note. “I love you 2016 prospectus. I have been working on something similar. Have a rough outline. Things are going to be memorable in 2016 for many major reason. Huge things are happening. A psychic prediction. Also the world is being too obvious. I feel like it will be a creative year. I look forward to spending more time with those who’s blogs I want to take time for, Time is not long enough but I am going to bend it to my will somehow. Also. I wanted to wish you a HAPPY NEW YEAR! And especially thank you for your support of my work. I do believe we have curious interests. I do love your blog and I hope to be able to stand by that statement by stopping by for a cool or hot story as often as I am able. Hoping that will be often. Ciao!
You’re here and I’m hearing you! Happy Sweet Sixteen! I love your prediction for a creative and curious year. Thank you so much for your support. It means a lot. xoxo
I love the touch of Happy Sweet Sixteen! Slow on the uptake but laugh later when I realize what I read or heard. I do stand by my curious and creative. The vision is in the mist but shall flow through at will. Here’s to ghosts and vampires, May We Find the Yet Unrealized Dream. xoxo