Author Archive
Welcome to the July 2026 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.
A milestone month — 250 newsletters!
In June, N. N. Light’s Book Heaven featured my duology of humorous, steamy Lovecraftian tales, TENTACLES AND WEDDING BELLS, in their Celebrate Weddings promotional event:
N. N. Light’s Celebrate Weddings
Below is an excerpt from the second, shorter story, “Weird Wedding Guest.” At Lauren’s wedding, bridesmaid Roxanne can’t wait to meet her mysterious e-mail pal, Wilbur, the groom’s reclusive brother. But he’s not at all what she expected, almost literally out of this world.
This month we present an interview with fantasy and romance author Chelsey M. Ortega.
*****
Interview with Chelsey M. Ortega:
What inspired you to become a writer?
I have always wanted to be a writer since 3rd grade. But what made me seriously try was during Covid. My husband lost his job, and I wrote late at night after everyone else was in bed to decompress from our new situation. I finished the first draft in 3 months. It was the first time I’d written a full book, and felt that was a sign to get it published.
What genres do you work in?
Fantasy and romance. I specifically write dark fantasy and paranormal romance. The fantasy elements take center stage, but I always have a strong romantic subplot.
Do you outline, “wing it,” or something in between?
Something in between. I like to call myself a plantser. I do start with an outline, and I use my outline to help me begin writing. But once I dive into the story, the characters come to life, and they often make decisions beyond the outline. I update the outline as my story changes. Often, returning to my outline has helped me when I hit writer’s block.
What have been the major influences on your work (favorite authors or whatever)?
Harry Potter, Twilight, Witches of East End, Beautiful Creatures, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and The Vampire Diaries have all heavily inspired my world building and storytelling. Anything that features witches and/or vampires, I’m going to read and analyze (and also be entertained by).
How has teaching high-school history affected your writing career?
I would argue that many fantasy stories at least highlight, if not have the main plot be, a commentary on past or current human events. And the wars and issues of mankind serve as great influence for the magical politics in a fantasy setting. Various human governments and cultures have heavily influenced the world building for my magical communities. I’ve also been told that my teenage characters are relatable and realistic, so it would appear that spending 6 hours a day with teenagers has helped bring my characters to life.
What would you consider the main differences between adult and YA fiction (aside from the ages of the protagonists)?
Adult fiction can dive deeper into more mature topics. Authors can be more explicit in language, violence, and intimacy. But I do think that what I like to call Upper YA can serve as a bridge between YA and adult. Authors who write characters 16-years-old and older can dip their toes in these more mature themes. I personally think that YA is too broad. 12-year-olds aren’t reading the same type of stories as 17-year-olds. I would love to see YA split into younger (12-15) and older (16-18).
What will readers find on your blog?
Book reviews, guest authors sharing their books, the occasional writing craft post, and historical sites/museums I have visited.
What is your latest or next-forthcoming book?
My most recent release was Bondwitch: Hybrid, which came out on May 11th of this year. And my next book will most likely be The Wolf Whisperer and the Warrior, which is a stand alone in a completely different world from the Bondwitch series.
What are you working on now? Do you plan on more “Bondwitch” novels?
I am working on getting my Master’s in TESOL at the moment. So, my homework takes up most of my writing time. When I do have time to write, I try to complete a page or two of my first draft of Bondwitch: Liberation. So, yes, there will be more Bondwitch novels! There will eventually be 4 novels in the Bondwitch series.
What advice would you give to aspiring authors?
Write what you want to read. I know that’s a cliché statement, but it has been vital to my success. Writing isn’t fun if you don’t like the story or characters. If you’re chasing what the current trend is, it won’t be a trend anymore by the time you’re ready to publish (especially if you’re as slow at writing and editing as I am). Writing shouldn’t be a chore or a job. It should be your escape, safe space, relaxing “me time”. So, write what you like. Write what you know. Write about your passions.
What is the URL of your website? What about other internet presence?
I am most active on my website Chelsey M. Ortega, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
Thanks for interviewing me!
Chelsey
*****
Some Books I’ve Read Lately:
TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADER, by Neil DeGrasse Tyson. This book by the famed astrophysicist is subtitled “Perspectives on Your First Alien Encounter.” He begins the prologue with, “Ever since childhood I’ve wanted to be abducted by Aliens.” The entire book continues in this engaging, conversational style, yet packed with solid facts and well-grounded speculation. From the viewpoint of a properly skeptical scientist who hopes extraterrestrials exist, he explores topics such as the frequency of Earth-like planets in the universe, environments on other worlds, conditions required for life as we know it, and the likelihood that extraterrestrials have visited us. He analyzes the familiar question, “Where is everybody?” If intelligent life exists outside our solar system, why haven’t we met those entities or at least seen evidence of them? Tyson reviews the usual answers, the most likely being that no hyperdrives or navigable wormholes exist to circumvent the light speed limit; we’re separated from our interstellar neighbors, if any, by insurmountable distances. But suppose they do exist and manage to visit us? In the chapters “Alien to Us” and “Alien to Them,” Tyson explores the biological possibilities for life like and unlike terrestrial organisms. “Alien Intelligence,” “Alien Science & Technology,” and “Alien Powers” speculate on those topics and how they might affect aliens’ possible superiority to us and how they would interact with us. “Alien Evidence” and “Alien to Me” discuss UFO believers and the alleged evidence for extraterrestrial visitors. The brief epilogue wonders what the aliens might think of us if they met us. I was glad to find that the book features extensive endnotes and index. This wide-ranging, detailed, highly readable work is recommended for fans of science fiction and popular science.
CALL THE MIDWIFE (aka THE MIDWIFE), SHADOWS OF THE WORKHOUSE, and FAREWELL TO THE EAST END, by Jennifer Worth. I bought these three volumes in the trade paperback editions with TV-tie-in covers. As most viewers of the absorbing, long-running series CALL THE MIDWIFE probably know, the program is based on Worth’s memoirs. Her work resembles James Herriot’s ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL and its sequels in that the narrated incidents really happened, but names and minor identifying details are fictionalized. In addition to Worth’s reminiscences about her personal experiences as a midwife and visiting nurse at Nonnatus House, the books provide rich background information about London’s East End, the dockside workers, and the culture of the Poplar district. The second volume delves deeply into the history of the workhouse system, which lasted further into the twentieth century than I’d ever suspected. Heartrending narratives in SHADOWS OF THE WORKHOUSE focus mainly on the lives of several survivors of that system whom Worth knew in their later years. By the close of FAREWELL TO THE EAST END, slum clearance programs of the 1960s broke up the generation-spanning communities of the Poplar residents. The conclusion of that book culminates in the profound effects of National Health on medical services in the area, resulting in the closure of Nonnatus House, as depicted in the just-completed season of the TV series. Fans of the series will find the trilogy fascinating but mustn’t expect to see much of the filmed drama reflected in the books. Only the early seasons of the show are based on events in the memoirs. After Jenny’s departure, the program expands and extends the story, adding many invented characters, developing the existing ones in new directions, and relating the lives of the nuns, nurses, and patients to actual events of the 1950s and 60s. In addition to the historical background provided in the books, each one includes a helpful glossary of medical terms used in the text of that volume.
THE REFORMATORY, by Tananarive Due. As with THE BUFFALO HUNTER HUNTER, I put off reading this highly acclaimed horror novel because its length and disturbing content seemed so daunting. Like THE BUFFALO HUNTER HUNTER, however, Due’s historical novel turned out to be well worth the effort. And at least it’s not complicated by a nonlinear time structure like the other book. Set in a small Florida town in 1950, Due’s story portrays the culture of the Jim Crow South in harrowing detail. Robbie Stephens, age twelve, lives alone with his older sister, Gloria, their widowed father having fled to Chicago to avoid prosecution for a crime he didn’t commit. They’re nominally under the care of an elderly neighbor, Miz Lottie, with Gloria running their parentless household to the best of her ability. Robbie has the gift of seeing haints (ghosts), although he yearns in vain for an encounter with the spirit of their late mother. When a teenager from a prominent white family tries to force unwanted attentions on Gloria, Robbie fights to defend her. He’s arrested for kicking the older boy, even though the “victim” admits he started it. The length of Robbie’s unjust sentence to the reformatory of the title doesn’t sound unbearable until it becomes clear that any alleged misconduct could result in extension of his imprisonment. In theory, the institution looks like a genuine “school.” The boys take classes. They perform hours of daily compulsory work, some jobs rougher than others. There’s a band, which Robbie joins, the only bright spot in his incarceration. In practice, he faces bullying from other boys as well as some of the staff. The institution is segregated, with a stark contrast between the amenities on the briefly glimpsed white side and the living conditions of Black inmates. The odious director – essentially, the warden – hides ugly, dark secrets. Many boys have died there over the years, so it’s no surprise that their ghosts haunt the buildings and grounds. The Author’s Note reveals that she named Robbie Stephens in tribute to her great-uncle Robert Stephens, who died as a boy in a similar reform school in the 1930s. The novel’s protagonist isn’t meant to be the same person, though, and the events are fictional. Gloria has to navigate restrictive, convoluted regulations just to see Robbie during the narrow window allotted for visitors. Meanwhile, she searches for a way to free him or at least mitigate his sentence. A civil rights lawyer who has relocated from the north tries to help. Unfortunately, since he’s not only a liberal Yankee but a Jew, local authorities offer as little cooperation as they can get away with. Robbie makes a couple of friends, Redbone and Blue. The latter has a sometimes malicious sense of humor as well as a shocking secret of his own. The warden, learning of Robbie’s ghost communication ability, pressures him into agreeing to trap the earthbound spirits, which the warden means to destroy. Although not at all a sympathetic character, he doesn’t commit evil for its own sake; he has comprehensible motives rooted in childhood trauma. Blue insists Robbie should help the ghosts move on to their afterlives instead. Torn between those conflicting demands, Robbie becomes trapped in increasingly risky situations. The true horror of the story doesn’t center on the ghosts, most of whom are fairly harmless. The horror arises from the injustice and brutality of the system in general and the reformatory in particular. When Gloria concludes she can’t get justice through official channels, she decides to take extralegal steps. Among other support, she gets vital help from Miz Lottie, who proves herself much more than the feeble old lady she seems. The attempt to liberate Robbie converges with the supernatural plot and the warden’s fate in a suspenseful, action-packed conclusion. Love, loss, courage, and sacrifice make the story poignant as well as horrifying.
For my recommendations of “must read” classic and modern vampire fiction, explore the Realm of the Vampires:
Realm of the Vampires
*****
Excerpt from “Weird Wedding Guest”:
Roxanne pushed her wire-rimmed glasses up on her nose and peered at the decorative platform she was hiding behind. It looked like a six-foot-high mound of iridescent bubbles. Rainbow colors shimmered over its surface, and violet sparks like miniature lightning bolts coruscated through it. Fascinated, she ran a hand over it. Its cool, smooth surface rippled under her palm.
She jerked her hand away. She must have imagined that movement. The thing felt alive. Impossible.
Like this display, the whole celebration had struck her as beautiful but strange. She’d never even heard of the Temple of Dagon before her friend Lauren had drafted her as a bridesmaid. In the ceremony the priest of Dagon, wearing a robe adorned with a three-lobed eye, and the minister from Lauren’s parents’ church, who’d co-officiated with him, had made an odd-looking pair. Too bad her new husband Blake’s twin brother couldn’t make it to the wedding. Wilbur was housebound because of some condition neither he nor Blake had explained. Roxanne had exchanged e-mails for months with Wilbur, who seemed like a fun guy as well as intelligent. Blake had “introduced” them online, although until recently she hadn’t known their exact relationship. Wilbur would have made a more pleasant companion than Chad, she was sure of that.
Speaking of the pest, he marched into the room at that moment, calling her name. Just because they’d been paired in the ceremony and she’d resigned herself to the ritual of one dance together, he seemed to think she owed him the rest of the evening. She’d spent it evading his attention. Not that he was bad-looking, with the wavy, chestnut hair, chocolate-brown eyes, and broad shoulders, but hunkiness wasn’t everything. She sighed and scrunched lower behind the sculpture.
“Roxanne?” Instead of giving up when he didn’t get an answer, he circled the room until he stood at the proper angle to catch sight of her. “There you are. I thought I saw you run in here.”
“Forgot my purse.” She straightened up with it clutched in one hand.
“Come on, how about joining me for a drink before we head home?”
“No thanks, I’m kind of tired.” As she’d informed him at least twice already.
He captured her free hand. When she snatched it away, his smile froze. “What’s with you? I thought some sparks flew when we danced.”
“Sorry, not happening.” She turned away from him.
He clutched her arm to spin her around. Startled, she let him. “Bet I can change your mind.” Cupping the back of her head, he lowered his lips to hers.
The second she tasted the beer on his breath, she snapped out of her shock and recoiled from the kiss. “Let go of me.”
His grip tightened. “Quit teasing.”
“Can’t you tell the difference between teasing and ‘no’?” She struggled but couldn’t tug her arm free.
Something long and sinuous lashed out, wrapped around Chad’s wrist, and squeezed. He yelped, and his fingers went slack.
What is that? Roxanne gaped at the thing that encircled Chad’s arm. A whip? No, it looked more like a tentacle.
Glancing over her shoulder, she realized the appendage was attached to the sculpture. Somebody had to be operating it by remote control, but who and why?
A voice boomed, “Unhand the lady.” It reverberated in the pit of her stomach like organ music.
So the display was wired for sound too? What was the point of that? Chad obviously didn’t pause to think about such questions. He inched away, his mouth hanging open. A purple bolt of electricity arced from the tentacle to his skin. He yelped and jerked his arm loose.
“Go!” the voice ordered. He turned and ran out.
Roxanne straightened her glasses and scanned the sculpture. Its surface undulated, and lights flickered under the gleaming surface. “Uh—thanks. Where are you hiding, anyway?”
No longer thunderous but a mellow bass, the voice said, “I am not hiding. I am right here. Are you uninjured?” Three stalks extruded from the display. Stalks with multilobed eyes.
She scrambled backwards and bumped into the corner of the bar. One foot slid from under her. Two tentacles stretched out, one encircling her waist and the other winding around her right forearm. Her vision grayed, and she stifled a screech—stifled it because whatever this thing was, she still didn’t want Chad hearing her and rushing to the rescue.
-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:
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:
For anyone who would like to read previous issues of this newsletter, they’re posted on my website here (starting from January 2018):
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Facebook
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Barnes and Noble
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Carter Kindle Books
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Amazon
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):
My Goodreads page:
Goodreads
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My Publishers:
Writers Exchange E-Publishing: Writers Exchange
Harlequin: Harlequin
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You can contact me at: MLCVamp@aol.com
“Beast” wishes until next time—
Margaret L. Carter
Welcome to the June 2026 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.
Author Celaine Charles (interviewed in last month’s newsletter) recently interviewed me on her blog:
She included a teaser from my dark paranormal romance SEALING THE DARK PORTAL. You’ll find the synopsis of the novel and an excerpt from the first chapter here:
In the excerpt below, heroine Rina’s shapeshifter-cat guardian, who up to now she thinks is an ordinary stray cat, protects her from an arcane attacker.
This month features an interview with mystery and romance author Wendy Kendall.
*****
Interview with Wendy Kendall:
What inspired you to become a writer?
At 8 years old I first knew I wanted to be a writer. I loved stories I could read, and some of my favorite times included the many times my dad read to me. As I grew up my love of reading continued, and my storytelling creativity increased. Adulthood brought on other dreams and challenges, yet I always retained the passion for writing. One day at a bookstore I bought yet another of Laura Childs’ mystery books. This one became different for me. As I picked it up and looked with longing at the fun cover, I was not only ready to read it. I suddenly thought, I can write a mystery. That’s when I started working on Kat Out of the Bag – my first book published in my In Purse-Suit Mysteries.
What genres do you work in?
I’m a Mystery writer, currently 4 published, and also a Romance writer, currently 2 published. My book 7 that I’m currently writing is another Mystery.
Do you outline, “wing it,” or something in between?
I’m a hybrid. Intense plotting and outlining before I start writing is very important to me. Especially with mysteries, it’s important to know details and of course suspects’ motives, means, and opportunities. Then I start writing the story, and often as I’m writing I find that things in the story change. Often the characters’ thoughts and personalities suggest different ways, so then the hybrid surfaces and I wing it. That’s when I take the story where it wants to go.
What have been the major influences on your work (favorite authors or whatever)?
My beginning inspiration and favorite author Laura Childs is one major influence. I was thrilled to meet her when she agreed to be a guest on one of my podcasts. I never thought I could be happier until Laura Childs endorsed my first published book – Kat Out of the Bag. She wrote for the cover page —
“Captivating characters, and a tight, tricky plot, Kat Out of the Bag is a curl up under a blanket, grab a cup of tea cozy mystery that you’ll be reading and enjoying, into the wee hours of the morning.”
I also owe so much of my writing skills to an amazing woman, author, and teacher at Pacific Northwest Writers Association – Pam Binder. She’s taught me so much about writing and about enjoying all the fun of every mile of the writing journey.
What kinds of research do you do for your mysteries?
I’m so glad you asked! I had the great pleasure of the adventure with a local Seattle area K-9 patrol ride-along. What an exciting evening and overnight. I learned so much and actually participated in some aspects of the officers’ shift. At the time I’d plotted my mystery with Jason Holmes as the police officer. I’d never thought of having a K-9 as his partner, until my ride-along. That’s when my hybrid writing style took over and suddenly Jason’s partner became Hobbs, an incredible four-legged character.
My amateur sleuth, Katherine Watson is a purse designer. I love a fashionable mystery and Katherine’s eye for details is so helpful catching clues. As I researched purse designing, a hobby I enthusiastically enjoy, I discovered there are 2 Purse Museums in the world, and one is in Little Rock, Arkansas. I bought plane tickets right away, so excited to visit, research, and learn all about it. Esse Purse Museum is an incredible museum, showing the history of women through the decades through the purses they carried. The collection at the museum is extensive and amazing. Since then, I’ve donated some purses from my own collection. I interviewed the enthusiastic staff and also the talented and creative owner. Once again, my hybrid writing style took over and suddenly Katherine managed, along with her designer business, a similar purse museum showing women’s history.
Esse Purse Museum also endorsed my book on the cover page —
“Inside every handbag are artifacts – pieces of personality, glimpses of the past and often the deepest secrets. Vintage purses have a story to tell and for Wendy Kendall’s mystery, these stories unveil more than just purse-sonal history; they’re the clues to catch a killer.”
Those are just a couple of examples of the extensive research I do for each of my books.
Please tell us about your workshops and the available resources.
I enjoy sharing my experience with other writers, giving workshops and presentations spanning multiple years at conferences including Pacific Northwest Writers Association, Bouchercon, Killer Nashville, Greater Los Angeles Writers Society, Write in the Harbor, Write on the Sound, Chanticleer, AWP.
I also teach classes at a central organization dedicated for writers, Hugo House in Seattle.
I’m also a blogger, syndicated columnist, and podcaster.
Please visit my website at wendywritesbooks.com to learn more about me.
What is your latest or next-forthcoming book?
My most recent published mystery is Don’t Shoot the Messenger Bag just published this year. It’s the perfect accessory to murder. It’s been an exciting release. Where fashion sense meets criminal intent.
Katherine Watson’s romantic New Year’s Eve with Officer Jason Holmes ends with a police alert. Katherine’s son finds his College Professor dead. Put under police surveillance, Katherine must clear her son’s name. Then a woman’s body is discovered. Who’s next?
Department orders sideline Jason and his K-9 partner Hobbs. Tailed by her cat Purrada, Katherine hunts clues. Moonjava, Katherine’s hippie Mother, offers meditations, advice, humor, good vibes, and protest marches as needed.
An attempt is made on Katherine’s life. Can she solve this mystery? Will she be alive for the Valentine’s Gala at her Purse Museum, with the opening of the 1960’s exhibit she created with Moonjava? Or has she reached the end of the line?
What are you working on now?
I’m fully immersed in writing the exciting next mystery sequel to publish next year. It’s another killer! Keep an eye on my website for fun updates, as well as following me on social media.
Website – WendyWritesBooks.com
Facebook – WendyKendallMysteries
X – @wendywrites1
Instagram – wendyekendall
What advice would you give to aspiring authors?
Attend your first Writers’ Conference. Mine was for the Pacific Northwest Writers’ Association. This event opened my eyes to the fantastic world of writing and gave me the hope that I could do it too.
I learned so much and met people with great advice and enthusiasm that rubbed off. I found a way to move forward. I even got to pitch story ideas to agents and editors. It was a very motivating time and has led me to where I am now with my writing. I sincerely believe that I could not have created all I have without the decision to attend that very first Writing Conference. I have found members of the writing community incredibly generous in giving back to new and aspiring writers, and it all started there for me.
What is the URL of your website? What about other internet presence?
Author Website
Facebook
Twitter – @wendywrites1
Instagram – wendyekendall
*****
Some Books I’ve Read Lately:
STAY FOR A SPELL, by Amy Coombe. A cozy fantasy under the “high fantasy” umbrella, set in a secondary world inhabited by multiple humanoid species. The plot is based on a fairy-tale template, but with a twist. Seven princes in turn kiss a princess under a curse, trying to break it. Princess Tandy, however, sees the curse as a nice vacation from her tedious royal duties. Moreover, marrying whatever prince whose kiss neutralizes the spell is the last thing she’d want. Tandy’s parents and their heir, her older sister, run the country. Tandy performs ceremonial functions throughout the realm and dances with dignitaries at interminable balls. Not that she hates every aspect of the princess role, but in general she prefers reading, for which she never has enough time. On the way to a routine ribbon-cutting ceremony in a small town, she pauses to dash into Beulah Bonecrusher’s Emporium of Books. On a brief return visit the next day, the old lady who owns it hands the princess a key, which she unthinkingly takes, even though everybody in that society recognizes the magical risks of accepting mysterious objects from strange people. Immediately after hearing the wish, “May this key unlock your heart’s desire,” Tandy loses consciousness. When she wakes up, the old woman has peacefully died, and Tandy can’t leave the bookstore. At first, she doesn’t really mind her predicament. The building includes a small living space plus a walled garden, which counts as part of the store. Her highly efficient secretary runs errands such as carrying messages to the king and queen. Townspeople provide Tandy with provisions to supplement the turnips currently supplied by the garden. She plunges eagerly into the monumental chore of straightening out the bookstore’s inventory. She hires an emo teenage dracone girl as an assistant. Tiny, pixie-like, blue-light creatures flutter around the place and help with book searches. In this magic-abundant world, almost everybody can work minor spells, an ability that makes Tandy’s new job a bit easier. Annoyingly, an enigmatic, charismatic pirate drops by entirely too often – a pirate under a curse that entails a disabling phobia of bodies of water, the larger the more disturbing. He pilfers small items (leaving random things in exchange), tries to flirt with Tandy, and borrows books that might hold the secret to escaping his plight. The princes who show up one by one to try their luck with kisses, also annoying but less provocative than the pirate, turn out to be not so bad, even those Tandy originally considered insufferable. To observe the outcome of the curse, they temporarily move into the local inn, which changes its name with each successive royal resident. There’s lots of humor, yet at its core lies a serious problem for Tandy. To break the spell, she must discover her heart’s desire, but she has no clue what it is. She definitely doesn’t want to marry either of the eligible princes or even spend the rest of her life managing a bookshop. Naturally, the story ends as we’d expect. Tandy makes friends and reenergizes the shabby, disorganized store; both curses get broken; the princess and the pirate acknowledge their feelings for each other; Tandy gains self-knowledge, stands up to her parents’ scripted plans for her, and returns to the wider world as a stronger, more mature person. The fun consists of discovering how the author achieves this consummation. STAY FOR A SPELL is her first novel, and it displays at least one annoying tic an editor should have addressed: Almost every character “snorts” entirely too often, regardless of whether that behavior does or doesn’t suit the person and the situation. Otherwise, I found the book delightful in every way.
MILLS OF THE GODS, by Tim Powers. A “secret history” fantasy set in Paris in 1925. American magazine illustrator Harry Nolan meets an eccentric young woman named Vivi, who wants to read an article he illustrated about a goddess and a bull deity. His initial reaction is to suggest she wait for the issue to come out. But that’s not possible, because the magazine’s office has been destroyed. After an encounter with peculiar street urchins brandishing guns, Vivi tells Harry about a cult of people called “sauteurs” (“leapers”). They extend their lives through reincarnation, constantly reborn as certain selected children. Vivi, having spent her childhood in an orphanage of such children, escaped and has been fighting off her destined reincarnating entity ever since. How much of her is truly Vivi and how much merely a body inhabited by the man she was in a previous life? His personality sometimes overshadows hers, breaking forth at the most dangerous moments. We eventually learn, however, that no literal reincarnation occurs. Instead, the alleged previous-life people, rather than being reborn in infants such as Vivi, seize their bodies in an act of demon-like possession. At first, naturally, Harry thinks she’s delusional. Inexplicable events convince him of the reality of the supernatural, and they become allies against the sauteurs and their god, Moloch. Devotees of the goddess Cybele oppose Moloch but pursue Vivi for their own agenda. Along the way, Harry and Vivi meet Hemingway, Picasso, Gertrude Stein, and Alice Toklas, among other luminaries of postwar Paris. And magical cats come to their aid at critical junctures. This novel reminds me of Powers’s THE STRESS OF HER REGARD (in which the major Romantic poets’ lives are manipulated by silicon-based vampiric life forms) in its secret history aspects, the fantastic lurking behind and shaping the mundane history we know. Similarly, THE MILLS OF THE GODS, like the earlier (longer and more complex) novel, rises to mythic heights, especially when the human characters get swept up in the climactic confrontation between the two deities. The plot gracefully balances fascinating and terrifying revelations, life-threatening, fast-moving action, and development of a bond between Harry and Vivi. Incidentally, one minor element of the book’s style puzzles and slightly irritates me: Although Harry is the viewpoint character, the narrative voice calls him “Nolan,” as if he thinks of himself by his surname. Otherwise, THE MILLS OF THE GODS impresses me as a totally satisfying adventure of two believably human people caught up in a more-than-human conflict incited by forces beyond ordinary comprehension.
AFTER THE SPIRITS COME, by Beth Ford. A sequel to A CHRISTMAS CAROL, beginning at the home of Fred and his wife on New Year’s Eve following Uncle Ebenezer’s fateful Christmas Eve. Apprehensive of a cynical conclusion in which Scrooge backslides into his old self, ending up exactly where he started in Dickens’s classic, I confess I peeked at the ending for reassurance. So I can tell you not to worry too much, despite the dire things that happen along the way. Realistically, Scrooge’s alleged reformation doesn’t convince people right away. Nephew Fred remains optimistic throughout. Bob Cratchit is hopeful but cautiously so, with his trust growing after Scrooge makes him a partner in the business. Mrs. Cratchit and daughter Martha view the old miser’s changed behavior with suspicion until almost the end. As Scrooge grapples with the details of implementing his new way of life, he faces two major perils. A meddling doctor who becomes convinced he’s not only crazy (a common first reaction from most people, more often than not), but dangerously so, schemes to have Scrooge committed to an asylum. Meanwhile, two of his former victims conspire to avenge their wrongs by ruining him. Scrooge muddles through the early months of his transformation, making costly mistakes in too-naïve generosity, and learns to balance philanthropy with good business sense. In the course of these endeavors, he becomes acquainted with a strongminded, openhearted woman who runs a charitable institution. He also discovers how to enjoy life, even visiting the seaside at Fred’s invitation. There he accidentally encounters his former fiancée, Belle, and attains a bit of closure. Over the months following the magical Christmas, he navigates his new way of life, makes amends to many he has harmed, and wins friends, but always with realistic difficulties and bumps along the road. Thanks to his genuine reclamation, he doesn’t end up hopelessly abandoned when ensnared by his enemies’ plots. A few lapses from the canon established by Dickens annoyed me: Scrooge states he hasn’t been inside a church since boyhood, but the original book explicitly says he went to church on Christmas morning after his supernatural experience. Although his home (which, in the original, isn’t a house as such but a suite of rooms above a warehouse) is portrayed as completely neglected, in Dickens’s story he certainly has a cleaning woman as well as a laundress, both of whom rob him after death in the vision of Christmas Yet to Come. More vital, Martha Cratchit isn’t a housemaid, as Ford portrays her; she works in a shop. (I’ve always imagined either a millinery or a dress shop.). Nevertheless, I recommend this novel to fans of A CHRISTMAS CAROL as one of the best sequels or spinoffs I’ve read.
THE LEGEND OF CHARLIE FISH, by Josh Rountree. An unusual SF novel set against the backdrop of the Galveston hurricane of 1900, the worst natural disaster in U.S. history. It reminds me a bit of Karen Joy Fowler’s SARAH CANARY, in that both are historical novels in which ordinary people more or less accidentally become companions and protectors to not-quite-human people of mysterious origin. Rountree’s story is narrated in alternate chapters by Floyd Betts, a Galveston resident returning from his estranged father’s funeral to his home in a boarding house belonging to a woman about his age, Abigail Elder, and by orphaned twelve-year-old Nellie, wandering homeless with her nine-year-old brother, Hank. A prologue and epilogue told by Nellie in 1932 (year of another memorable hurricane, not quite so catastrophic) frame the main action. Nellie bears the label of “witch” because of psychic powers inherited from her late mother. Her brother carries their father’s pistol like a sort of weaponized security blanket. Together with Floyd, they’ve rescued the humanoid amphibian they call Charlie Fish from two men who’d held him captive. While Charlie can’t speak English, fortunately Nellie’s telepathic gift enables her to communicate with him. For fans of vintage horror movies, he’ll inevitably bring to mind the creature from the Black Lagoon, except that Charlie originates from the ocean, where he longs to return and reunite with his people. Nevertheless, he’s far more “human” in essence than the pair of human antagonists, bent on recapturing the “freak” for their selfish purpose. When the storm crashes over Galveston, Floyd, Abigail, Nellie, Hank, and Charlie unite in intergenerational and cross-species bonds to struggle against both the flood and the malice of the villains. The author maintains genuine suspense as regards who will survive the storm engulfing the city, while we root for the characters he portrays in vividness and depth. The setting, too, is captivating. The author’s afterword elaborates on its historical background, assuring us that while the people are fictional, all details of the hurricane and its aftermath are real.
For my recommendations of “must read” classic and modern vampire fiction, explore the Realm of the Vampires:
Realm of the Vampires
*****
Excerpt from SEALING THE DARK PORTAL:
After lunch she drove across town for groceries. When she pulled into the supermarket parking lot, she happened to glance into the back seat. A pair of golden eyes met hers. She glared at the cat. “How the heck did you sneak in there?” He must have made a quick leap through the open door when her back was turned. “And why? I’ve never heard of a cat who liked car rides. Now what am I supposed to do with you?”
She didn’t want to waste time on a round trip home, yet she couldn’t very well throw him out here. If he lived in her neighborhood, he might not be able to retrace the route to where he belonged. “Do you have any idea how much trouble you are?” She sighed. Having read so much about the risks of leaving animals in cars, she hesitated to lock him in by himself. Even on a day as mild as this one, she’d heard the interior temperature could rise too quickly for a furry animal’s health. “Now I’ll have to put this off. What a pain.”
Instead of driving straight home, she detoured to a convenience store. “There are a few things I’ve got to buy. Try to stay out of trouble.” After parking in the shade and cracking a window, she rushed inside and grabbed some items for dinner and the next day’s breakfast. At the last second, she added two cans of cat food while silently flogging herself for being a pushover.
She zipped through checkout and returned to the car to find the cat curled up on the back seat with no sign of distress. When she got home, he jumped out as soon as she opened the door. He sat on the edge of the driveway watching her lift the bag out of the trunk. “Too bad you can’t help with this,” she said.
Just as she slammed the trunk shut, the ground shuddered. She braced herself on the car and let out a yelp. Her stomach quivered. For a second she imagined she was back in the nightmare.
No. She was still in her front yard on a sunny afternoon in Maryland. She stalked to the front stoop and sagged against the wall next to the door. The earth vibrated again. Halfway between the house and the street, a cloud of smoke appeared. The smell of acetone emanated from it.
Swallowing a lump of fear, she set down the grocery bag and fumbled in her purse for the key, which she jammed into the lock. The cloud, wispy and pale gray at first, thickened, compacted, and darkened. It swirled like a miniature tornado. The funnel shape sprouted pseudopods, four, then six, then seven or eight, absorbing and extruding them at random. A swelling at the top resembled a head only when tusks and crimson eyes materialized on it.
Why doesn’t anybody else notice this? She scrabbled at the doorknob. Her fingers kept slipping. The thing undulated toward her, limbs stretching and retracting, multiple eyes flashing and vanishing. In daylight the creature looked nothing like a dog. Either she was losing her mind, or a monster was attacking her.
The cat sprang on it with his claws extended. As he leaped, his body melted, stretched, and re-formed. It expanded to the size of a pony, while the fur turned sleek instead of fluffy and the claws and fangs enlarged along with the rest of the animal. The plume of his tail lengthened, smoothed out, and lashed like a whip.
Rina stood paralyzed, forgetting the need to escape. A cougar. The cat turned into a cougar. If she wasn’t going crazy, this must be a new nightmare.
Yowling, the tawny mountain lion raked the smoke monster with his claws. The beast’s leg shredded but instantly re-knitted itself. The creature’s talons and jaws ripped at the giant cat, who twisted and dodged fast enough to suffer only glancing scratches instead of lethal wounds. He bit and scratched, tearing holes in the thing’s protean body, but he couldn’t seem to inflict permanent damage. Spitting and hissing, he lunged and retreated over and over. Even in her confusion, Rina could tell he got weaker with every clash.
The smoke monster contracted into a cyclone again. One limb struck out and slammed into the cougar’s flank. The blow knocked him onto the lawn. He lay there stunned.
The cone of darkness whirled toward Rina. Pressure built in her ears. Her head throbbed. Without thinking, overwhelmed by panic, she raised both hands to ward off the thing. “Get away from me!”
Bolts of electricity shot from her fingers. Involuntary sounds welled up in her throat and spewed from her mouth: “Hevatanu, halako, anasoba!” The thing crackled and shriveled. She thrust her hands toward it again, and again sparks radiated from them. The creature emitted a shriek that made her ears ring and vanished.
Panting, Rina leaned on the wall. What just happened? And why aren’t the neighbors running out here? She stared at her shaking hands and flexed her fingers.
A keening meow diverted her attention. Instead of the cougar, the cat lay on the ground in his normal shape. She forced her legs to carry her over to him. His eyes met hers for a second, then closed. She picked up the limp form and staggered inside.
-end of excerpt-
*****
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“Beast” wishes until next time—
Margaret L. Carter
It was a dark and stormy night, not Daphne’s first choice for bridal weather, but on her own she wouldn’t have picked Phil’s nineteenth-century family beach house for their honeymoon, either. He’d described it as a tradition going back generations, though, so she’d readily agreed. After all, he’d yielded to her wishes in most other ways. Fortunately, the sprawling Victorian structure’s shabby-comfortable interior didn’t match its Gothic-sounding name, Porta Tenebrarum – Gate of Shadows – not in the daytime, at least. By night, with lights off at Phil’s romantic insistence, the shadows thickened.
Alone in the dark bedroom, illuminated only by flashes of lightning punctuated by peals of thunder, she skimmed her hands down the front of her satin nightgown. Her skin tingled, heat pooling at her core. Sometimes she felt Phil was a little too considerate, with his touchingly old-fashioned insistence on postponing full consummation until this night to make it “special.” While they’d shared pleasure in every other mode, she’d never seen him naked or enjoyed a complete union of their bodies.
Any minute now, he would join her in the wide, canopied bed, and the frustrating delay would end.
Her heartbeat quickened with anticipation when the door to the hallway creaked open. Phil paused on the threshold, a darker silhouette amid the lightning-cast shadows. Daphne flung her arms wide. “Well, what are you waiting for?”
He strode to her. Between thunderclaps, she heard the rustle of his robe falling to the floor. He slid between the sheets to kiss her lips and the hollow of her neck. When he rolled up her gown, the heat of his bare flesh branded her everywhere their bodies touched. As his mouth and hands wandered over her, spurring her toward the first peak, for a second she felt as if more fingers than ten caressed her. But then the wave crashed over her and annihilated all thought. She twined around him and drew him in.
After they soared to the final heights and subsided to earth, she lay in his arms while his breath slowly calmed along with hers. To her mild disappointment, he got up and switched on the nightstand lamp. She squinted against the sudden glare.
“There’s somebody I want you to meet. I was waiting until – well, after – so you wouldn’t be too shocked.”
“Huh? Shocked at what?” She scrambled into a sitting position, pulling the sheet up to her neck. “Meet somebody? Right now?”
“My twin brother. Just a second.”
Brother? Why hadn’t she heard of him before? A pretty big secret to keep!
Staring at Phil, she blinked in disbelief at a glimpse of delicately quivering tendrils that encircled his hips. Her head spun as he walked to the door, opened it, and called, “Okay, come on.”
A sloshing noise sounded in the hall. A briny ocean scent drifted into the room. Phil returned to the bedside and clasped her hand. “Please don’t freak out. Howard looks more like our father than I do.”
An amorphous shadow momentarily loomed in the doorway before oozing inside. “It’s wonderful to meet you, Daphne. Welcome to the family,” said the gelatinous blob with multiple eyestalks and tentacles.
-end-