Archive for December, 2025
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:
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?
*****
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-
*****
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“Beast” wishes until next time—
Margaret L. Carter