What I Did My First Day in Twitter Jail

Twitter Jail??? Wait, what?!!

So today I ended up in “Twitter Jail.” For those that don’t know what that is or think it’s a myth like the Guardians and Demons from my stories, it’s not. It’s very much real.

I can’t say for sure what landed me in this vast desolate wasteland of no follow, but it isn’t pleasant… Charlton Heston yelling Damn you to Hell comes to mind.

The Twitter algorithm (something probably better suited to the Matrix) has fated me to three days without following or unfollowing, which by the way is what I think started this whole silly mess in the first place. I was close to following 5,000 handles and suddenly Twitter said I could follow no more (Picture Gandolf, “You Shall Not Pass.”) Why? I don’t know. I had to troll through my following feed, one painful handle at a time, and find those that I was following, but that were not following me back. (The tactic of Follow/Unfollow is such a hideous practice!) I had to unfollow them to make room for those that were actually following me, so that I could follow them back. Well, doing this “cleanup” as I was thinking of it, landed me in jail. So, lesson learned!

The one bright side of Twitter Jail is it forced to me re-evaluate where my efforts were focused and allowed me to finish reading and review a few books I was behind on. Speaking of reviews, I wanted to take a break from all the “please buy my book” slogans of Shameless Self-Promo Saturday to write about Lara Ann Dominick’s debut novel Oil and Water. What an Exciting Spin on the Vampire Lore!

Oil and Water is the gripping story of two women coming from vastly different backgrounds. Elsie is a struggling millennial living at home re-reading old YA vampire novels and longing for them to hold the same meaning they once did. Opal is a powerful, calculating vampire with no empathy, nor connection to humanity. With underlying themes of consent, mental illness, and toxic relationships, it’s more than just a paranormal romance story.

Dominick is a natural storyteller and keeps you guessing as the story unfolds, building mystery and intrigue as you peel back this onion of a story one layer at a time. There is action, romance, drama, and paranormal suspense. I enjoyed the spin on the typical vampire lore and the deeper dive into the mental anguish one would go through if they found themselves in the company of the undead. There were plenty of plot twists and for those that want to see a strong female lead embark on a hero’s journey, this book is for you.

There were some beautiful passages in this book, things that really struck me, like below.

“I relaxed into the water and opened my eyes, the light in the room filtering through the glass creating a world of perfect green-blue. It was like swimming in the ocean and seeing the light color the world around you. It was the perfect serenity that came with knowing how tiny you were compared to the sea and knowing that it was okay to just be small.”

There were engrossing moments of terror that brought you right into the mindset of the vampire, such as this one.

“You know what you’re looking at right now and it’s not your friend. Be smart enough to not follow the Devil into Hell, because that is who I am and that is where I’m headed…” (CHILLS…)

There are many books about vampires, even ones with female leads, but I don’t know that there are many that touch upon the mental anguish that would have to go along with becoming undead. Most vampire characters go from fully human and all that entails, to cold-hearted hunters that feel nothing for humanity. Dominick is brilliant in making you watch the reconciliation between a vampire’s past and present existence.

This is a story with a strong female lead bent on a path of vengeance and redemption. Hold onto your hat, you’re about to go on a rollercoaster through Hell and love every minute of it.