Author Archive

Welcome to the December 2025 issue of my newsletter, “News from the Crypt,” and please visit Carter’s Crypt, devoted to my horror, fantasy, and paranormal romance work, especially focusing on vampires and shapeshifting beasties. If you have a particular fondness for vampires, check out the chronology of my series in the link labeled “Vanishing Breed Vampire Universe.”

Also, check out the multi-author Alien Romances Blog

To subscribe to this monthly newsletter, please e-mail me at MLCVamp@aol.com, and I will add you to the list.

For other web links of possible interest, please scroll to the end.

Best wishes for all the winter holidays you celebrate!

Below is an excerpt from one of my early vampire novels, CHILD OF TWILIGHT (sequel to DARK CHANGELING), which takes place around the Christmas season. Although there isn’t much overt holiday content, part of the denouement occurs on Christmas Eve. In this scene, twelve-year-old vampire-human hybrid Gillian has run away from her ancient mentor. Out of nowhere, she shows up at the home of the half-human father she’s never known (Dr. Roger Darvell from DARK CHANGELING). You can read these novels in an e-book duology, TWILIGHT’S CHANGELINGS, available here:

Amazon

Draft2Digital

This month’s interview presents mystery and thriller author Henry James Kaye.

*****

Interview with Henry James Kaye:

What inspired you to become a writer?

The honest to God truth is – I received an F on a writing assignment in 8th grade. We were supposed to write a five-page story. I got so involved with my story, so carried away with the assignment, that the story wound up being twenty pages. The teacher gave me an F. She told me that I didn’t follow instructions, so she didn’t even read it. I had so enjoyed writing that story, developing the plot, even putting a red herring in the story (but had no idea it had a name). I was heartbroken. For years after that, I only wrote the bare minimum. Then, about twelve years ago, I don’t recall the exact event, but something happened, and the memories, particularly the feelings, associated with that F resurfaced. My disappointment morphed into anger. Mrs. X (name deliberately withheld) wouldn’t even read my story, well, I decided to prove she made a big mistake. As they say, the rest is history. So, Mrs. X, look at the plaques I’ve won, the awards and compliments bestowed on my work products, the published stories and novels that people have paid money for the opportunity to read. I can tell a good story, but you won’t know because you refused to read mine.

What genres do you work in?

I primarily write Mystery, Thriller, Suspense. However, I’m dabbling in the Cozy world and struggling with it. It’s hard for me to kill people off the page. Just to do something different, break the monotony, I’ve even written a couple of Sci-Fi short stories, but I need a lot more practice before I enter any of them in contests.

Do you outline, “wing it,” or something in between?

If I put a label on it, I suppose it would be ‘something in between’. I start a story with a crime in mind, the reason the bad guy must succeed, the reason the good guy must prevail. I then produce an outline (max of one page) of major scenes along with the obstacles the two primary characters must overcome to achieve their respective goals. From there, I let the characters drive the story, always keeping an eye on word count.

What have been the major influences on your work (favorite authors or whatever)?

I’ve always enjoyed puzzles, figuring out how things work, and understanding why something happens. This has translated into reading a lot of mysteries. I have to admit, when reading, if there’s not much for me to figure out, if I’m not kept guessing, I normally return the book to the shelf and look for something else to read. Consequently, in my writing, I try to keep the reader wondering what’s going to happen next, how he’s going to do that, how he’s going to be stopped, etc. Every chapter needs to have tension. I suppose that’s why I like reading Jeffrey Deaver, Meg Gardiner, Declan James, Lisa Black, Debbie Baldwin, and Bruce Coffin.

How did your previous careers affect your writing (if they did)?

I started my career as a computer programmer. I wrote a lot of code. As part of my transition into supervision at the bank I was required to take a Writing For Business course. The instructor (Jim P) told us to write like we were telling a story, having a conversation, had someone sitting across the table from us. Jim made some of the most boring things sound interesting, and I admired that. Ever since then, I’ve tried to follow Jim’s advice in both my business writing and my fiction. To this day, when I’m struggling with something, I’ll remember Jim’s directive and resume writing as though I were speaking to an audience.

What are the differences (if any) between how you approach the writing of fiction and nonfiction?

To me, there’s no difference. I write as if the reader were sitting across the table from me and I’m telling them a story. Whether I’m describing an assassin placing the crosshairs of his rifle’s scope on the target, or explaining the difference between Tiered and Graduated interest rates, I use words they can relate to, and give them understanding.

Could you please tell us about your Malcolm Gee series? And what kind of research did you do to make your depiction of FBI procedures authentic?

In a nutshell, the Malcolm Gee Mystery Series is set in various Florida small towns and is based on an FBI agent who specializes in hunting serial killers. Unfortunately, Malcolm is tired of the blood, gore, and death that he encounters in his job and is thinking about leaving the Bureau. However, he recognizes he has the ability to visualize how the murders were committed as well as think like the murderer. Both of these help avenge the voiceless victims. His girlfriend refers to his ability as a God given gift, but Malcolm doesn’t believe in God or any higher power. Their on-again, off-again relationship provides comfort and consternation.

I’m fortunate to have a number of close relatives in law enforcement (deputy sheriff, police officer, retired FBI agent, and prison guard). I’m also a member of my community’s Citizens On Patrol academy, and have cultivated numerous connections in local law enforcement, emergency response, and fire departments who are always anxious to meet for lunch and bounce around ideas, share information, and often hands-on experiences in their respective training facilities.

What is your latest or next-forthcoming book?

The second novel in the Malcolm Gee Mystery Series, Victim’s Voice, is under contract with The Wild Rose Press. I expect it’ll hit the market in the Spring of 2026. This one starts when Malcolm, assisting his real estate agent girlfriend at a house showing, finds a severed head in a kitchen cabinet. The chase leads to government corruption and a Colombian cartel.

What are you working on now?

I’m about 20,000 words into book #3 of the Malcolm Gee Mystery Series, working title is Bonnie Isle. This novel starts with a lady being murdered while cataloguing turtle egg nests on Florida’s west coast. Malcolm’s gut tells him her death is connected to other bodies, but he struggles to find the connection. It’s all complicated by someone messing with his girlfriend’s belongings while she’s house-sitting for her mother.
I’m also gathering notes and ideas for a new cozy series featuring a businessman who becomes involved in embezzlement, kidnapping, and burglary schemes.
Simultaneously with novel writing, I enjoy short stories and entering them into competitions. I’m currently working on two that feature Malcolm and Valerie, plus two others for anthologies.

What advice would you give to aspiring authors?

Read. Read. Read. Read other authors. Read other genres. Read novels and short stories. By reading what others have written, you’ll learn techniques, concepts, and find plot ideas. Besides, sometimes it’s good to take a break from your own writing and see what’s happening in the rest of the world, sort of like a vacation.

What is the URL of your website?

Henry James Kaye

*****

Some Books I’ve Read Lately:

KILL THE BEAST, by Serra Swift. Contrary to what the title might bring to mind, this story, set in an invented world where supernatural creatures exist openly, is sort of an anti-“Beauty and the Beast” tale. The overarching quest of Lyssa’s life for the past thirteen years has been to slay the titular Beast, which slaughtered her brother, along with a crowd of other people, at a circus they visited in childhood. Estranged from her widowed father and holding most people at arm’s length, she became a professional hunter of faerie-created monsters – Hounds — as a means of support while she searches for the secret lair of the Beast, where it hibernates except when it emerges for fresh rampages only a few times per year. It’s generally assumed that good and evil faeries exist. Even the “good” ones, however, can be capricious and easily offended. As far as Lyssa is concerned, they’re all evil. The closest she has to a friend, the witch Raghild, who dwells in a between-realms Wood accessible only by magic portals, tries in vain to convince her of a more nuanced perspective. The existence of an ex-lover who’s a Hound-warden – an ally of faeries and occasional defender of Hounds – only hardens Lyssa’s hostility toward all inhuman creatures. Her cherished goal of revenge seems in sight when she’s hired by Alderic to kill the Beast, whose hiding place he claims to know. He also possesses a severed claw from the creature, a weapon that can destroy it. The cover blurb aptly describes Alberic as “a melodramatic dandy with a coin purse bigger than his brain.” His insistence on wearing ridiculously flamboyant outfits is one of his least annoying traits. Yet it soon becomes clear there’s more to him than appears on the surface. For one thing, contrary to her first impression, he can hold his own in a fight. For another, he heals with remarkable speed. She eventually learns he has suffered trauma as horrible as her own. Her attitude toward him evolves from toleration to friendship to something like love. Thus the revelation of the truth he has hidden from her comes as a bitter blow. Their path toward that black moment includes twists and narrow escapes amid the search for the various elements needed to confront the Beast with any hope of winning. Their quest would make an excellent Dungeons and Dragons campaign, but with deeper darkness and more heartrending emotion than most D&D adventures. Although Lyssa is far from likable, one can’t help sympathizing with her. The ultimate solution to the characters’ seemingly insoluble dilemma has an appropriate fairy-tale tone.

ROAD TRIP WITH A VAMPIRE, by Jenna Levine. Third novel in a loosely connected trilogy, after MY ROOMMATE IS A VAMPIRE and MY VAMPIRE PLUS ONE. Although characters from the first two novels show up in this one, ROAD TRIP WITH A VAMPIRE can be enjoyed on its own. While the title and cover illustration suggest a paranormal rom-com, and the book does include occasional moments of humor, it has a serious plot premise and ultimately gets rather grim before the heroine and hero come together at last. That said, the author takes full advantage of the humorous possibilities of forced proximity. Glimpses of heroine Zelda’s past escapades preceding some chapters also provide funny moments. Centuries-old witch Grizelda Watson, who used to delight in spreading exaggerated rumors about her own fearsomeness, now runs a yoga studio. She uses her magic as little as possible, only enough to keep it from building up to a dangerous level. Getting involved with charming vampire Peter Elliott upends her quiet life. At the beginning of the book, her main concern is her staff’s insistence on a goat yoga program, until an old friend asks her to help Peter, who has unaccountably lost his memory. With his journal in his possession, he has a record of where he’s been for the past few months, but the entries are so cryptic they aren’t much help. Zelda agrees to the titular road trip in hopes backtracking his own travels will restore his memories. The novel’s linear present-day narrative is interrupted by occasional flashbacks to scenes leading up to the incident that caused Peter’s amnesia. Thus we learn, in teasing fragments, more about his past than he currently knows. It soon becomes clear that someone threatens the lives of Peter and Zelda, but why? And why do people they encounter who’ve met him before seem so afraid of him? When the truth about his past comes to light, it shatters the closeness developing between them. The bitter break is heart-wrenching, while Peter’s earnest but inept attempt to make up with Zelda is touchingly amusing. We’re left feeling the two of them thoroughly deserve their happy ending.

MY BIG FAT VAMPIRE WEDDING, by Jessica Gadziala. Young vampire Pandora (well, young for her species, almost 125 years old) has a serious problem. To inherit her share of the family fortune, she faces a looming deadline to get married by her birthday, only three months away. Without the money, she has no hope of fulfilling her dream of owning a bookstore. The suitors her parents approve of leave her cold. Her solution – the time-honored romance trope of a marriage in name only, to end in divorce after a year. All she needs is a co-conspirator willing to go through with such a farce in exchange for half of her inheritance. At present, she works in a coffee shop with her best friend, a werewolf. At her friend’s urging, Pandora approaches Victor, a disturbingly attractive regular customer at the shop, the man of her fantasies, in fact. A PhD candidate working on his thesis, he carries a huge burden of student debt and faces the prospect of having to drop out. As crazy as Pandora’s scheme strikes him at first, she manages to persuade him. Convincingly enacting all the courtship, engagement, and wedding rituals won’t be easy, of course, especially since letting humans know vampires exist – not to mention the many other paranormal creatures living secretly among human society — is forbidden. To make matters worse, Pandora learns Victor is writing his dissertation on Victorian vampire literature, making potential missteps a constant hazard. From his first meeting with her eccentric family, when she has to explain the archaic clothing and mannerisms of some of her relatives, confusion, hilarity, and narrow escapes from discovery ensue. Dracula even shows up toward the end, although that’s not exactly his name, and he wishes those silly books and movies would get the facts straight. Meanwhile, Pandora’s brother begins acting strangely with a secret of his own, and a malicious cousin of hers is determined to sabotage the engagement. As readers will expect, the “engaged” couple’s fake attraction becomes real, with the inevitable devastating crash when the truth about Pandora’s nature comes out. The eventual reconciliations (with both Victor and her parents) and denouement are hard-won and believable. With the engaging characters, entertainingly complicated situations, and snappy dialogue, I found the story delightful. One detail early in the book, however, almost shattered my suspension of disbelief so thoroughly I struggled to get re-immersed: When Victor tells Pandora the topic of his PhD project, he says, “I don’t know if it’s been done before.” He DOESN’T KNOW? Apparently, the author doesn’t know an essential step in getting a dissertation topic approved is a review of the existing research on the subject. Even if unaware of that fact, she should have taken the basic step of fact-checking whether academic study of vampire fiction has “been done” before putting that remark in the hero’s mouth. A brief internet search would have revealed hundreds of scholarly books and articles on vampire literature. Sheesh.

A HONEYMOON OF GRAVE CONSEQUENCE, by Stephanie Burgis. Sequel to A MARRIAGE OF UNDEAD INCONVENIENCE, in which heroine Margaret reluctantly married vampire Lord Riven, who promised to ensure she always had a supply of excellent tea. Now the two share a strong bond of companionship as well as erotic passion. Interestingly, though, Margaret doesn’t yet admit to herself she’s in love with her mate. At this point, her “obscure scholarly piece on the physical aspects of vampire intimacy” has resulted in a degree of popular notoriety unfamiliar and unwelcome to an introverted researcher. Her previous articles, after all, had been noticed only in academic journals. What she intended as a serious work of scholarship was publicized as delightfully salacious by ignorant journalists. A honeymoon at an isolated inn in the Black Forest sounds to her like an excellent escape from the demands of society. She expects time to work in peace, even after discovering their host is a ghost. She hopes to possibly find the mysterious “Seed of the Forest,” a rumored magical object comparable in power to the Rose of Normandy destroyed in the previous novel. Unfortunately, all the other inhabitants are also supernatural creatures, who resent and fear the intrusion of a mortal into their refuge. Margaret’s attempt to bond with a female corpse-eating undead who loathes her own existence goes particularly badly. Margaret comes to realize she needs to surmount her social ineptitude and interact with the inn’s residents on a personal rather than an academic level. A threat to their collective safety draws them together, while she convinces them of her desire and ability to help. In order to save her new allies and rescue her husband, she has to endure a dreaded session of small talk in addition to more conventional hazards. As in A MARRIAGE OF UNDEAD INCONVENIENCE, the villain of the tale turns out to be human rather than paranormal. Awkward moments and witty repartee alternate with suspense and desperate danger to make this novel as engaging as the first. Along the way, Margaret realizes she truly loves her vampire husband. Considering the friendships she forms with the ultimately welcoming inn’s diverse tribe of supernatural denizens, I think this book merits the label of “cozy fantasy” in spite of the dire threat the characters confront.

For my recommendations of “must read” classic and modern vampire fiction, explore the Realm of the Vampires:
Realm of the Vampires

*****

Excerpt from CHILD OF TWILIGHT:

At once Roger knew who the pale, thin girl with gleaming eyes—the eyes of a wild creature poised for flight—had to be. “Come in, Gillian.” Before she could think of disobeying, he grasped her arm, drew her inside, and bolted the door.

He felt a quiver in the cold flesh under his hand. She boldly met his stare, though. “Good evening, Dr. Darvell. Or should I call you Father?” The tone of the question verged on insolence.

Roger tried to barricade his emotions as he replied, “Since that relationship doesn’t exist in your subculture, I don’t think it would be appropriate.” The girl flinched, a reaction she quickly suppressed. Roger felt a stab of guilt.

Britt said icily, “Well, I hope you aren’t planning to make her keep calling you by your title!”

Gillian cast another apprehensive look at Britt.

“This is my associate, Dr. Britt Loren,” said Roger, maintaining his grip on the unexpected guest. “She knows about you. Now, isn’t Volnar here?” He knew better but hated to concede the fact.

“You want to talk in front of an ephemeral?” Gillian still looked prepared to dash off into the night at the faintest provocation.

Roger struggled to control his impatience with her. “I trust Dr. Loren implicitly. You may discuss anything in her presence.”

“But not standing in the middle of the kitchen,” Britt interrupted. Roger felt her pity for the child. “Can’t you make her comfortable before you start grilling her?” She lowered her voice as she turned to Gillian. “I’ll bet you ran away from Dr. Volnar, didn’t you?” Roger sensed Britt fighting the desire to touch the girl. A young vampire who knew almost nothing about ephemerals wouldn’t readily accept comfort from one.

Gillian nodded, keeping her eyes on Roger. “Are you going to send me back?”

“Not right this minute,” said Roger. He led her to the living room.

At the sight of Eloise, Gillian tensed again. “Relax,” Roger said. “My brother, Claude, and his wife, Eloise Kern.”

Surprise displaced Gillian’s fear. “You’re married to an ephemeral?” She scanned Eloise more closely. “And she’s pregnant!”

Roger strove to hide his amusement at Gillian’s shock. Claude didn’t even try. “Well, mon enfant, you must be my niece. Why does that disturb you so much? You’re a product of a similar union yourself.”

“I never asked to be!” She glared at Roger, then at Britt and Eloise. “Do you expect me to talk about myself in front of your pets?” Eloise radiated a rueful humor that echoed Britt’s.

Roger squelched his impulse to slap Gillian. “Understand, young lady—Dr. Loren and Dr. Kern are not pets. They are our lovers, friends, and equals. You will grant them the same respect you give us.”

Gillian visibly wilted. “Yes, sir.” She evaded his eyes and turned to Claude, who showed no threatening anger. “What should I call you—Uncle Claude?”

He switched off the television. “No, that title belongs to the mother’s brother. The father’s has no official status. You may as well keep things simple and address us all by our first names.”

“Very well, I suppose that’s best,” Roger said.

“If that’s settled,” said Britt with an impatient frown at Roger, “can you stop badgering her for the moment? Sit down, Gillian.”

Eloise made room on one of the love seats for Gillian, who gazed at Eloise across the foot of space separating them as if the human female were some sort of exotic beast. As if involuntarily, Eloise’s hand stretched out toward Gillian. The girl edged farther away. Projecting disappointment, Eloise backed off.

Britt said, “How long have you been running?”

“Two days and two nights. I left Dr. Volnar in Atlanta.” And she looked it. Melting snow plastered her wet hair to her head. Under the damp, mud-splashed jacket, which she had unzipped, her blouse hung in shreds. Her tennis shoes were soaked through.

“How did you get here?” Roger asked. “Did you have money?”

“Not enough.” She was beginning to relax now. “I took the bus part of the way and hitchhiked part.” A shadow of remembered fear flickered in her eyes. “It was harder than I expected. I slept in the woods today—or yesterday, I suppose.”

Britt got up from the other love seat. “Poor kid, you must be exhausted. And starving.”

“Dr. Volnar has always told me not to exaggerate,” said Gillian. “I am extremely hungry, yes.”

She made no attempt to keep from broadcasting her hunger. Roger’s stomach cramped in sympathy. Britt was already kneeling beside the couch, pushing up the sleeve of her caftan.

Roger’s hand closed on her shoulder. “Britt, no!” In response to Britt’s outraged glare, he elaborated, “She’s too young for human blood. Aren’t you, Gillian?”

Gillian nodded. “I have never tasted it. Dr. Volnar says I shouldn’t need it for another two years or more.”

“And that’s starting young,” said Claude. He perched on the arm of the couch next to Eloise, who leaned toward Gillian as if she, too, would open her veins if it were allowed.

Britt stood up, moving toward the kitchen. “Then how about a nice bloody chunk of raw dead cow?”

A flash of injured pride shot through Gillian’s exhaustion. “I’m much too old for that. I’ve had my adult teeth for over a year.” She bared them, displaying deceptively human-looking incisors and canines.

“Yes, I see,” said Britt gravely. “Do you eat vanilla ice cream? Have mine, while I whip up something more substantial.”

Since she was thoroughly familiar with the contents of Roger’s kitchen, he let her proceed with the job alone while he pulled up a straight-backed chair to Gillian’s side. He tried to study her profile unobtrusively. Did she resemble him in any way? All he could see in her so far were Juliette’s sharp features and Irish Setter red curls. “Now perhaps you’ll tell me why you ran away from your advisor.”

After taking a spoonful of ice cream, Gillian said, “He ordered me to bond with him—to exchange blood.”

“You knew that would happen eventually,” said Claude. “Aren’t you rather young for it, though?”

She licked chocolate sauce from the spoon and scooped up another bite. “Yes. I started—seeing—seeing auras, feeling emotions. It came upon me suddenly, in a theater—” She broke off, as if the memory choked her.

Roger felt an unwilling surge of sympathy. He recalled with painful vividness how terrifying his own first experience of psychic perception had been. Would knowing about it in advance make the transition much less traumatic?

Claude said in an even, soothing tone, “Most unfortunate for you, especially since you shouldn’t have begun this early. But didn’t you realize that bonding with your advisor would ease the discomfort? How else can he teach you to shield against that flood of impressions?”

“Maybe it works that way for real vampires,” she said. The bitterness in her voice surprised Roger. “I have human genes. Suppose I can’t stand the touch of his mind? Suppose I’m not strong enough?”

“Where the—” An unexpected spasm of anger momentarily silenced Roger. He forced himself to speak calmly. “Where the blazes did you get an idea like that? From Volnar?”

“Of course not. Some of the other elders—I couldn’t help overhearing them, sometimes. The ones who don’t believe I ought to exist. They think I’m contaminating the gene pool. They are waiting for my—defects—to show. And Dr. Volnar’s mind is very ancient and powerful.”

-end of excerpt-

*****

The long-time distributor of THE VAMPIRE’S CRYPT has closed its website. If you would like to read any issue of this fanzine, which contains fiction, interviews, and a detailed book review column, visit the Dropbox page below. Find information about the contents of each issue on this page of my website:

Vampire’s Crypt

All issues are now posted on Dropbox, where you should be able to download them at this link:
All Vampire’s Crypt Issues on Dropbox

A complete list of my available works, arranged roughly by genre, with purchase links:

Complete Works

For anyone who would like to read previous issues of this newsletter, they’re posted on my website here (starting from January 2018):

Newsletters

This is my Facebook author page. Please visit!
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Here’s my page in Barnes and Noble’s Nook store:
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Here’s the list of my Kindle books on Amazon. (The final page, however, includes some Ellora’s Cave anthologies in which I don’t have stories):
Carter Kindle Books

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The Fiction Database displays a comprehensive list of my books (although with a handful of fairy tales by a different Margaret Carter near the end):

Fiction Database

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Goodreads

Please “Like” my author Facebook page (cited above) to see reminders when each monthly newsletter is uploaded. I’ve also noticed that I’m more likely to be shown posts from liked or friended sources in my Facebook feed when I’ve “Liked” some of their individual posts, so you might want to do that, too. Thanks!

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Writers Exchange E-Publishing: Writers Exchange
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You can contact me at: MLCVamp@aol.com

“Beast” wishes until next time—
Margaret L. Carter

Welcome to the November 2025 issue of my newsletter, “News from the Crypt,” and please visit Carter’s Crypt, devoted to my horror, fantasy, and paranormal romance work, especially focusing on vampires and shapeshifting beasties. If you have a particular fondness for vampires, check out the chronology of my series in the link labeled “Vanishing Breed Vampire Universe.”

Also, check out the multi-author Alien Romances Blog

To subscribe to this monthly newsletter, please e-mail me at MLCVamp@aol.com, and I will add you to the list.

For other web links of possible interest, please scroll to the end.

Happy American Thanksgiving!

My werewolf novel SHADOW OF THE BEAST was featured in N. N. Light’s Trick or Treat Bonanza promotion:

Trick or Treat Book Bonanza

There’s a short two-part excerpt from the novel below. The viewpoint character of the second half is Jenny, the heroine. The viewpoint character of the first half is her long-lost father.

This month’s author guest, Dan Rice, writes fantasy, science fiction, and horror.

*****

Interview with Dan Rice:

What inspired you to become a writer?

When I was 11 or 12, I read Dune by Frank Herbert for the first time. My mind was blown by how he could create such an immersive world in such a slender volume. After finishing that, I decided to give writing a try for myself.
Go back in time a bit further to third grade or so, and I attended The Young Writers’ Conference at the behest of my teacher. I wasn’t thrilled. I had to write a book and present it at the conference. I penned a memoir about building a robot with my father at a science conference. It even had detailed schematics. My fellow attendees, many of whom wrote tales about unicorns or fairies, looked at me like I was an alien.

What genres do you work in?

I mostly write YA fantasy, sci-fi, and horror.

Do you outline, “wing it,” or something in between?

I’ve always been a planner.
For Phantom Algebra, I knew upfront that I wanted the manuscript to be about 75,000 words, and I had a deadline. I created my most detailed outline ever and followed it assiduously while writing the rough draft. It worked precisely how I had hoped. I wrote the draft faster than ever, completing it in about three months. It was within 2,000 words of 75,000, and, to my considerable surprise, the story and prose were clean, making for an easier editing job.
What have been the major influences on your work (favorite authors or whatever)?
Two authors who have influenced me quite a bit are Fonda Lee and Rachel Hartman. Books by both authors helped me craft conflicted characters, particularly Allison Lee, the protagonist of the eponymous series, The Allison Lee Chronicles.
In Lee’s EXO duology, the hero is caught between his loyalty to his friends, his fidelity to his alien overseers, and his desire for freedom. Lee does a fantastic job characterizing his conflicted loyalties. I learned a lot reading these books.
Hartman presents a character adrift in a world where no one will accept her in Seraphina. The protagonist is a human dragon hybrid caught between two worlds, with the denizens of both unaccepting of her. Again, fantastic characterization.

Please tell us about your Allison Lee Chronicles series. And what tips would you offer about integrating mythological and fantasy creatures into a contemporary setting?

Allison’s dreams of becoming a photojournalist are dashed when she is blinded in a brutal attack. Her vision is miraculously restored after undergoing an experimental medical procedure. There is a side effect—she can now see incorporeal dragons following some people around. She will discover that her destiny and the fate of humanity are tied to this unseen world.
When integrating fantasy creatures into a contemporary setting, ensure consistency. Unless you keep meticulous notes that are easy to dig through, this can be harder than you think, especially if the overarching story spans several books. You’ll be amazed at the inconsistencies you will discover while editing.

What sparked the plot of PHANTOM ALGEBRA? What is it like to write in a shared world?

Since the story is in a shared world, I wanted to differentiate my tale from others in the series. I gave Zuri, the protagonist, a traumatic past and an obsession with becoming a mixed martial arts champion. I think a past traumatic past is a solid horror trope, and her obsession with mixed martial arts separates her from other characters I’ve encountered in the genre.
I was very concerned that writing in a shared world would be problematic due to the numerous rules and potential continuity issues. That didn’t turn out to be the case. Zuri’s traumatic past and interest in martial arts helped prevent this.

What kinds of topics will readers find on your blog?

On my blog, you’ll mostly find my musings on speculative fiction, updates on my writing, bookish guest posts from authors obscure to well-known, and occasionally, a random topic that piqued my curiosity. Recently, I’ve started sharing my thoughts on the banned books I have read. I was inspired to do so after listening to Ta-Nehisi Coates speak about his book Between the World and Me on NPR. Some of the books that have been banned are truly astounding. I was shocked to learn A Wrinkle in Time—to my mind, an innocent YA adventure—had been banned.
Also, on my website, the curious can find free stories for their reading pleasure.

What is your latest or next-forthcoming book?

My latest book is Phantom Algebra. Recently, I turned in the fourth and final volume of The Allison Lee Chronicles to my publisher.
My other project is Solarflame, an epic fantasy that is Robert Jordon’s Eye of the World meets Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern. Solarflame is currently in the hands of the editors at Cloaked Press. It is the first entry in either a duology or a trilogy.

What are you working on now?

I’m starting a YA horror/thriller that is a collab with my 10-year-old son. He told me he wanted a book featuring vampire dragons. It’s still early days, but I envision the yarn as a cross between Swarm and The Last Kids on Earth. I plan to sub this book to agents once I have a polished manuscript. To that end, I’m already researching and reading comp titles, and thinking about potential hooks for the query letter.

What advice would you give to aspiring authors?

Edit more than you think you need to. There are always words to cut, typos to correct, and plot holes to fill. If you can’t find any, you’re not looking hard enough.

What is the URL of your website? What about other internet presence?

Author Website
Bluesky
Instagram
Amazon

*****

Some Books I’ve Read Lately:

THE BEWITCHING, by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. This horror novel centers on Mexican folklore of “witches who drank the blood of innocents on moonless nights.” Judging from the gradual revelation of their nature herein, the perpetrators of the “bewitching,” while born human, aren’t quite human any longer. This cleverly structured story unfolds in three alternating timelines. The 1998 protagonist, Minerva, has moved from Mexico City to Massachusetts for graduate study at a small liberal arts college, Stonebridge. Fascinated by supernatural horror fiction, she has chosen for her dissertation a relatively obscure author named Beatrice Tremblay, a correspondent of H. P. Lovecraft. (Tremblay’s name, by the way, is only one of several sly allusions to contemporary horror personalities.) A strange incident in Tremblay’s life, the disappearance of her roommate when the two young women attended Stonebridge, intrigues Minerva as much as the author’s work does. Minerva feels certain Tremblay’s one novel, THE VANISHING, is based on that event. Desperate to get access to Tremblay’s private papers, Minerva becomes acquainted with an elderly, wealthy friend of Tremblay through the autocratic old woman’s bad-boy grandson. Minerva’s great-grandmother Alba, who used to tell her, “Back then, when I was a young woman, there were still witches,” is the protagonist of the 1908 story. Teenage Alba has an almost squicky crush on her twenty-something uncle from Mexico City, whose charming manners and supercilious attitude toward her family’s rural home make him seem irresistibly sophisticated to her. Amid family conflict, mysterious attacks occur, leading to superstitious fear of a witch stalking the ranch. The uncle-niece relationship turns out as bad as you might expect, although probably not in the expected way. The 1934 narrative, the only one told in first person, comprises Beatrice Tremblay’s memoir of the events surrounding her roommate Ginny’s disappearance. In each section, the plot gradually unfolds from the mundane through the increasingly ominous to openly supernatural horror. While I sympathized with Minerva’s introverted personality and her anxiety about her stalled dissertation but often wanted to shake some sense into Alba, I felt deeply invested in all three protagonists. Although “witches” play a role in each timeline, I wondered how the author could possibly weave the separate stories into a coherent whole. She manages that feat in an astonishing conclusion that nevertheless feels inevitable.

DEFANGED, by H. E. Edgmon. A “vampire as naturally evolved species” novel with some unusual twists. Although it’s probably technically a middle-grade book, since it starts on the protagonist’s twelfth birthday, it seems to me more like YA for its writing style and the dark plot elements. Ever since their species came “out of the coffin” in the 1990s, vampires have been regarded with suspicion by the human majority. Promptly upon reaching the age of twelve, their young are eligible for a “Defanging” treatment, administered by an organization called Vampirism Sucks, which obliterates most of their vampiric characteristics. While not legally compulsory, this procedure is strongly encouraged by social pressure. The few families who don’t subject their children to it are viewed as at best eccentric and at worst dangerous rebels – for instance, protagonist Lux Priddy’s best friend, Emma, whose family insists there’s nothing wrong with being a vampire and they don’t need to be “cured.” Moreover, there’s a law under consideration to require all vampire adolescents to undergo the procedure, with a goal of reducing their species to only the middle-aged or older and children under twelve, leading ultimately to extinction. When Lux’s parents take him to the clinic for defanging on his twelfth birthnight, he becomes progressively more conscious that the procedure will violate his essential self. He already feels not quite “normal,” and he’s certain the treatment would make things worse for him, not better. His misgivings erupt into open rejection. He sneaks out of the facility and flees in a desperate search for the rumored secret, underground vampire refuge, Nox Urbus (a misspelled attempt at Latin, by the way, that makes my teeth grind). When he stumbles upon it by a fortunate accident, he finds Nox Urbus not to be the utopia he imagined. It’s reminiscent of the tunnel community in the TV series BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, but much less comfortable both materially and socially. While Lux isn’t exactly welcomed with open arms, he soon manages to fit in with the group of tweens and teenagers. To his surprise, he meets a person who may be a shapeshifter, a subspecies whose very existence he doubted. The leader of the colony, a man known as Dog, has an unexpected connection with Lux’s mother. Secrets of both Lux’s family and Emma’s are revealed. Eventually, it becomes clear that Vampirism Sucks is much darker than the public image it projects. A daring rescue mission climaxes the novel (leaving the details vague to avoid spoilers). For me, the hopeful ending wrapped up in the epilogue feels rather abrupt, but on the whole I found the book satisfying anyway. Lux’s adventures are narrated in present tense, which didn’t bug me as much as it usually does. Either I’m getting used to it (shudder), or maybe in this case it feels like an acceptable device to generate suspense in the compressed timeline of the story. The Vampirism Sucks procedure reminded me of the “conversion therapy” forced on some homosexual youths, although the author’s afterword reveals that the primary intended real-world analogy is the treatment often inflicted on people with autism.

WHAT STALKS THE DEEP, by T. Kingfisher. The third installment in the “sworn soldier” series, set in the late nineteenth century, starring and narrated by Alex Easton. From my viewpoint, the only thing wrong with these novels is that they’re too short! As a former sworn soldier in the army of Gallacia, a mountainous Ruritanian country most of its inhabitants eagerly leave given the opportunity (according to Alex’s frequent sardonic remarks), Alex has a nonbinary identity. Gallacians speak a complicated language, featuring multiple third-person pronouns in addition to he, she, and it, including a unique word for rocks and one applied only to God (which I’d think would prevent a lot of theological controversy about the divine gender). Sworn soldiers go by ka/kan. To avoid longwinded explanations, Alex usually allows people to think of kan as a man. This novel begins with Alex’s voyage to the United States – accompanied by Angus, an older man who served as kan batman in the army, now “combination valet, groom, and voice of reason” (as described in a previous book) — in answer to an urgent plea from kan friend Dr. Denton, a fellow survivor of the horrific destruction of the house of Usher in WHAT MOVES THE DEAD. Alex is bemused by the American custom of frequent handshaking and astonished by how BIG the country is. Their train trip from Boston to West Virginia takes so long they could have traversed Gallacia several times over in the same number of days. Denton’s cousin has vanished in an abandoned coal mine after a couple of very alarming letters and a final, cryptic telegram. Could some unnatural fate have befallen him? Well, of course, as the reader immediately surmises, but Denton, Alex, and their companions grasp at natural explanations first. Descending into the mine, they cope with darkness, pockets of poisonous and/or explosive gases, precarious spaces where cave-ins seem all too likely, blockages from previous such disasters, and narrow, curvy, low-ceilinged passages (where Alex continually assures kanself ka is NOT claustrophobic). According to the author’s afterword, the story was inspired by H. P. Lovecraft’s AT THE MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS. The search party encounters labyrinthine tunnels, a vast cavern with an iridescent floor like translucent pearl, and Kingfisher’s version of shoggoths. Happily, the human characters manage to communicate with the latter more successfully than Alex did with the titular entities in WHAT MOVES THE DEAD, but still not without potentially lethal dangers. The atmospheric setting and scenes of breathless suspense are artfully balanced with interludes of lively dialogue, believable character interaction, and skillful exposition. Denton’s partner, Ingold, displays endless fascination with the weird phenomena in the mine, brightly expounding his observations and hypotheses to the others regardless of terrifying circumstances. As always in Kingfisher’s fiction, the narrative style is irresistibly engaging. I can’t get enough of Alex’s voice, with its frequent notes of wry humor. Examples from early in the book: On avoiding discussion of the Spanish-American war: “I passed our days at sea having gin and tonics and no opinions about Guam.” Alex’s reaction to Ingold’s heavy Bostonian accent: “I had an involuntary urge to snatch up the teapot and find a harbor to dump it in.” On the overwhelming mauve décor of the hotel, including the staff’s uniforms: “I wondered if the bellhops ever stood up against the walls for camouflage.” Well, I could go on for several pages about Kingfisher’s work. If you enjoy sympathetic, intelligent, three-dimensional characters and innovative twists on traditional horror, folklore, and fantasy plots, do give her a try.

THE SUMMER WAR, by Naomi Novik. A short (127 pages), standalone fantasy by the author of the Scholomance trilogy (a magical school that apparently wants to kill its students) and the Temeraire series (the Napoleonic wars with dragon-riders). The book’s title refers to the perpetual hostility between the protagonist’s homeland and the summerlings, this world’s equivalent of elves. Like most such beings in folklore, they appear to humans incomprehensible, capricious, and often cruel. Their lord blames the lineage of the human king for the death of his sister in the distant past. To his kind, however, who experience time differently from mortals, the tragedy might have happened just yesterday. The summerlings attack only in summer, retreating with the onset of autumn, and they don’t come every year. Twenty years might go by before they remember the war. A tense peace with trade between humans and summerlings currently exists, Celia’s father, Grand Duke Veric, having ended the war before she was born. Even so, only heroes and song-spinners can venture into the Summer Lands and emerge unscathed. “Celia was twelve years old on the day she cursed her brother,” the novel begins. Celia, though descended from a legendary witch-queen, has never shown any signs of sorcerous power before. She and her two brothers are half-siblings, children of the three deceased wives of the Duke. Roric, the middle child, hardly counts for Celia or anyone else. The oldest, Argent, however, has earned a reputation as the best knight in the land, celebrated in story and song. Upon what should be his triumphant return home, though, he announces he isn’t staying. Their father will never accept his homosexual identity. Argent’s attempt to slip away without even pausing to bid farewell to Celia triggers the inadvertent curse. Up to this point, Celia didn’t strike me as very nice, with her disdain for Roric and her overreaction to Argent. But, after all, she’s only twelve, and she soon improves. She’s horrified when her furious outburst condemning Argent to be unloved comes true. Over the next few years, while he rises to the fame of a living legend, he remains alone. Meanwhile, as the estate suffers from their father’s neglect, she and Roric manage it together. Roric’s true ambition, though, is to become a song-spinner. At the age of fifteen, Celia determines to travel into the Summer Lands in search of Argent. Roric plans to go with her in the guise of a wandering song-spinner. But before they can act, Celia finds herself snared in the clutches of the summer lord. The ensuing scenes immerse characters and reader in an atmosphere reminiscent of folklore, ballads, and fairy tales: Life-or-death bargains in which exact words vitally matter. A succession of ritualistic single-combat challenges drawn out over several days. A bard in disguise – Roric, of course – whose clever tales and songs offer his siblings their last, desperate hope. We see all this through Celia’s viewpoint, including a eucatastrophic resolution to both the interminable war and Argent’s plight. I found the blend of naturalistic characterization, political intrigue, and fairy-tale motifs enthralling.

For my recommendations of “must read” classic and modern vampire fiction, explore the Realm of the Vampires:
Realm of the Vampires

*****

Excerpt from SHADOW OF THE BEAST:

With the taste of blood burning like acid in his mouth, Tim lay curled up on his side next to a dumpster behind a 7-Eleven. The cold of the ice-coated blacktop seeped into his naked flesh. Despite the shivers that racked him, he couldn’t summon the strength to move.

*It’s getting worse!*

He used to have some control over where he woke. Lately, though, he clawed his way to consciousness in strange places, perilously far from home. Damn, how was he supposed to sneak back to his apartment naked in the freezing night?

The attacks were getting worse in other ways, too. His body’s memory of raw flesh and hot blood on his tongue used to sicken him. Now it seemed normal. Indeed, he relished the heaviness of newly devoured life in his belly.

Lightning bolts of memory crashed through his skull. Bones crunching between his teeth. The pleasurable ache in his limbs from hours of running. A distant howl answering his own cry.

If only that part were true! He was alone, so alone.

He couldn’t wait much longer. He had to find an escape from this isolation before he deteriorated so far he would disintegrate at the lightest touch.

* * *
*I want to wake up. I will wake up right now.*

Well aware that she was dreaming, she crouched under the open window, poised to spring. A chilly breeze tickled her nose with smells of damp earth and Mrs. Perlman’s crocuses. An unseasonable shift toward sixty-degree days had melted the snow and beguiled the early bulbs out of dormancy.

Her nostrils twitched at the scent of some small creature, probably a squirrel, in the tree outside. With her legs bunched under her, she whined out loud, resisting the urge to leap through the window. Her whiskers and the hair on the back of her neck bristled at vagrant puffs of wind.

*This is a dream. I know who I am. I am Jennifer Cameron, and I can wake up whenever I want to.* She wrenched herself away from the window. As her body began to dissolve like an ice sculpture in the noonday sun, darkness congealed before her eyes.

When consciousness returned, she was lying naked on the bed.

-end of excerpt-

*****

The long-time distributor of THE VAMPIRE’S CRYPT has closed its website. If you would like to read any issue of this fanzine, which contains fiction, interviews, and a detailed book review column, visit the Dropbox page below. Find information about the contents of each issue on this page of my website:

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“Beast” wishes until next time—
Margaret L. Carter

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5-Star Review from N. N. Light’s Book Heaven:
N. N. Light’s Book Heaven