Telos has signed up a new collection of original horror and dark fantasy fiction from the acclaimed and award-winning author Sam Stone. Sam made an enormous impact with her trilogy of Vampire novels, collectively known as the Vampire Gene series (which are available from Murky Depths), and are confident that this debut collection is going to blow people away. There is even film interest already in some of the tales - and that's before the book has even been published. Not bad, don’t you think?

Zombies In New York And Other Bloody Jottings promises to be an eclectic and unpredictable read. Something is sapping the energy of the usually robust dancers of the Moulin Rouge … Jack the Ripper's crimes are investigated by a vampire … zombies roam the streets of New York … Clowns die in mysteriously humorous ways ... Welcome to the poetic and horrific world of Sam Stone, where a vampire becomes obsessed with a centuries-old werewolf, and Angels are stalking the undead. Walk through the haunting world of the Toymaker and be hypnotised by the Siren's Song. Fourteen stories of horror and passion and six mythological and erotic poems from the pen of the new Queen of Vampire fiction.

'I wanted to do a collection to experiment with genres and styles,' says Sam. 'As well as my interest in horror fiction, I also love crime fiction, particularly psychological thrillers, and writing a collection of short stories gave me the opportunity to broaden my horizons in terms of the content, style and even voice that I used.'

Sam is known for her vampire series, The Vampire Gene, and the collection contains several stories which link in with that. 'When I was writing Futile Flame, the second in the trilogy, my femme fatale, the vampire Lucrezia Borgia, was such an intriguing character that at the time I wanted to write much more about her history. There is a period of time within that book of approximately 200 years, where we don't really know what she got up to. So the stories began as my exploration of those missing years. I have Lucrezia taking on the nom de plume of Lucy Collins, and working as a blood specialist - an ideal job for a vampire! - and with the police of all ages, solving crimes and getting involved in mysteries.'

The collection also contains some of Sam's horror poetry. 'They're more erotic and mythological than horror, and the ones that I wanted to include in the collection, are those I'm most proud of as they each tell a little story of their own. I tried to encapsulate feelings, character, themes and a plot into a concise piece of writing in each case. I hope that readers enjoy them.'

The collection covers all bases from zombies to vampires, sirens to angels and just about everything in between. 'I was trying to be diverse,' smiles Sam. 'There's even a ghost story in there, as well as, of course, creepy clowns! But in every case I tried to bring a new and unique slant to the writing. I was aiming at being eclectic and I hope I've achieved that. There are several that I am really proud of, and some which I hope will truly shock readers!'

For information on Zombies In New York And Other Bloody Jottings click here
For information on the Vampire Gene series click here