Well, this was a surprise that came in the mail the other day: a contributor copy of the anthology L’Almanach des Vampires (The Almanac of Vampires), released this month by French publishing house Riviere Blanche, a subsidiary of indie publisher Black Coat Press. How much of a surprise was it? I didn’t even know I was a contributor to the book until I received it!
But that’s more than okay. You see, the editor of the book (as well as president of Black Coat Press and Riviere Blanche) is Jean-Marc Lofficier, someone I’ve known for years, in his roles as an editor and as a world-famous authority on Doctor Who, and the short story reprinted in this volume first appeared in Black Coat’s 2008 anthology, Tales of the Shadowmen 4: Lords of Terror. And besides, that’s a rather spiffy-looking, Vampirella-inspired cover painting by Mike Hoffman (The Saga of the Swamp Thing, Tigress Tales), isn’t it?
My story, “Children of the Night,” involves Irma Vep (the femme fatale of the 1915–16 French movie serial Les Vampires) crossing paths with Count Orlock (the Dracula surrogate of F. W. Murnau’s 1922 horror movie, Nosferatu). It’s no romantic tale, however—Orlock is a rat-faced, bloodsucking monster, and Irma, an art thief, is his next intended victim. Who comes out the winner? You’ll only find out by reading the story!
So, if you love vampires and can read French, then visit the L’Almanach des Vampires product page at Riviere Blanche for all the ordering information. Or, if you’d prefer reading “Children of the Night” in its original English, then visit the product page for Tales of the Shadowmen 4: Lords of Terror—it’s available in both print and e-book editions.
