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-
*****
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
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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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