A Vampire a Day: Sunglasses After Dark by Nancy Collins

When I read this book, Sonja Blue was not yet the heroine of a series of books. I thought I was reading a one-off and was sad because I LOVED Sonja. I loved Sunglasses After Dark. They've redone the covers now that it's a series, and they're wonderfully retro, but the one I first read had the cover pictured.

Sonja's a vampire who hunts other vampires. That's not a particularly new idea (Blade, Vampire Hunter D), but I got a kick out of Sonja's particular brand of kick-ass. She stood out from all those katana-wielding, tramp-stamped hunter chicks  you see nowadays. Sonja is ... complicated.

Nancy Collins sounds like an interesting person too. I hope I run into her some time at SDCC.

A Vampire a Day: Gil's All-Fright Diner by A. Lee Martinez

A werewolf, a vampire and a ghost ruin a Goth girl’s plan to open a portal for the old gods to usher in a new world of darkness.

This is a very, very funny horror story that uses all the tropes of urban fantasy and spins them in a redneck kind of way. The vibe is one part ZOMBIELAND and one part FROM DUSK TIL DAWN with a big dash of DUCK DYNASTY/HERE COMES HONEY BOO BOO thrown in. In other words, although the characters include vampires and werewolves and ghosts and zombies (and zombie cows), the backdrop is pure regional.

It’s a really loopy and off the wall and extremely entertaining as a book. Martinez really does urban fantasy well and he and Christopher Moore seem to have this branch of the genre all to themselves.

The characters are all fully realized and recognizable human beings, even when they’re undead or ghosts or weres or just hapless minions of the manipulative Tammy/Lilith.

A new book in a series that just keeps getting better and better

If you're not yet a fan of Stacy Clafin's "The Transformed" series, then why not?  The best-selling author has just released #11, Obscured. She's also hosting a giveaway on the Free Kindle Giveaway site. So if you haven't started the series, get reading. If you're already hooked--the wait for the new book is over!

A Vampire a Day: The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

A curious young woman investigates her diplomat father’s past and stumbles across the true history of “Drakulya.”

I loved this book. My review of it read, in part:This book has close kinship with the wonderfully evocative period mystery IN THE NAME OF THE ROSE.  The story is atmospheric and densely fragrant, with details that anchor us in time and space even as the story spins its magic across the centuries.  The characters are rich and dimensional, drawing us into the outlandish tale one step at a time.  

The book garnered all kinds of praise for its literary excellence and no one seemed to mind that it was really a vampire novel. 

Most Stylish Vampire Ever: David Bowie

I was never much of a rock concert goer, but I saw David Bowie in concert when he was touring in support of his Let's Dance album. It was a great show and I can't even remember who the opening acts were.

My mother LOVED David Bowie. She got cable TV around the time that MTV started and the video featuring David Bowie and Mick Jagger singing "Dancing in the Streets" was one of her favorite videos. Bowie looks incredibly young, elegant, and sexy in it and it's bouncy and fun.

Bowie didn't do a lot of acting but when he appeared in a movie--whether Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence or Labyrinth or Zoolander--he made an impact. And in Tony Scott's stylish vampire movie The Hunger, he and Catherine Deneuve were probably the sexiest vampires ever.

Bowie celebrated his 69th birthday on the 8th and died yesterday. RIP David.

A Vampire a Day: Those Who Hunt the Night by Barbara Hambley

When I moved to the Pacific Northwest last year and was paying my movers $20 a box, I culled my book collection ruthlessly. I have a Kindle and I like the convenience of an eReader but there are some books that I just want in my actual library. Those Who Hunt the Night made the cut, along with its sequel, Traveling with the Dead.  The book was published in 1988 and now appears to be out of print in paperback, although you can find used copies in hardback. The books have been reissued in a digital omnibus collection, which is convenient.
James Asher, the hero of the novels, was once a spy for Queen Victoria. In the first book, he's approached by a Spanish vampire named Don Simon who wants his help finding out who's killing London's vampires. And let's just say, Don Simon does NOT take "no" for an answer.
I am a huge fan of Hambley's "Benjamin January" mysteries (that's how I first came to the writer) and I was delighted by the James Asher books. Hambley is not a spring chicken and last year was tough for her, but she's still writing and I am so glad for that.

One Night Only--new fiction for Nikki Finke's Hollywood Dementia

I have a new story up at Nikki Finke's Hollywood Dementia. Illustration by the talented Thomas Warming.