Books: Wolfsbane and Mistletoe

Here are the stories in Wolfsbane and Mistletoe, edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L. P. Kelner

• “Gift Wrap” by Charlaine Harris. She is the author of the Sookie Stackhouse fantasies and the Harper Connelly series.
• “The Haire of the Beast” by Donna Andrews. She writes a mystery series featuring Meg Langslow, a blacksmith or ornamental wrought iron, and a science fiction series with Turing Harper, and Artificial Intelligence Personality.
• “Lucy, at Christmastime” by Simon R. Green. He is the author of more than thirty novel. His series include the Forest Kingdom, Deathstalker, Nightside, the Ghost Finders, and the Secret Histories books with the very secret agent Shaman Bond.
• “The Night Things Changed” by Dana Cameron. She is the author of the Emma Fielding archaeology mysteries, including Ashes and Bones. and has created the world of the Fangborn. Her website is http://www.danacameron.com.
• “The Werewolf Before Christmas” by Kat Richardson. She is the author of the Greywalker paranormal detective novels.
• “Fresh Meat” by Allan Gordon. He is the author of the Fool’s Guild mysteries about a thirteenth-century jester. He writes short stories of mystery, fantasy, and science fiction. He is a criminal defence attorney.
• ” Il Est Né” by Carrie Vaughn. She writes short fantasy and horror stories. She also writes a series of novels about a werewolf named Kitty who has a talk radio show for the “supernaturally disadvantaged.”
• “The Perfect Gift” by Dana Stabenow. She writes science fiction and mystery novels. Her first crime novel was A Cold Day for Murder; her first thriller was Blindfold Game. She has written over twenty-five novels, many in the Kate Shugak series.
• “Christmas Past” by Keri Arthur. She is an author of fantasy fiction.
• “SA” by J. A. Konrath. He is the author of the Lieutenant Jacqueline “Jack” Daniels thriller series. He has edited a collection of hitman stories called These Guns for Hire. He has written the horror novel Afraid. under the name Jack Kilborn. His website is http://www.JAKonrath.com.
• “The Star of David” by Patricia Briggs. She is the author of the Mercy Thompson series and other novel.
• “You’d Better Not Pyout” by Nancy Pickard. She is the author of mystery novels and mystery and fantasy short stories.
• “Rogue Elements” by Karen Chance. Sge is te author of the Cassandra Palmer series and its spinoff, Midnight’s Daughter.
• “Milk and Cookies” by Rob Thurman. He is the author of the Cal Leandros novels and the Trick of the Light novels and the thriller Chimera. He can be found at http://www.robthurman.net.
• “Keeping Watch Over His Flock” by Toni L. P. Kelner. She is the author of nine novels and many short stories.

Books: Death’s Excellent Vacation

These are the stories in Death’s Excellent Vacation, edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L. P. Kelner.

• “Two Blondes” by Charlaine Harris. She writes mystery, science fiction, and romance.
• “The Boys Go Fishing” by Sarah Smith. She is the author of Chasing Shakespeares, The Other Side of Dark, and three historical mysteries: The Vanished Child, The Knowledge of Water, and A Citizen of the Country.
• “One for the Money” by Jeaniene Frost. She writes the Night Huntress series.
• “Meanwhile, Far Across the Caspian Sea” by Daniel Stashower. He writes both nonfiction and mystery novels & short stories.
• “The Innsmouth Nook” by A. Lee Martinez. He has written six novels.
• “Safe and Sound” by Jeff Abbott. He has written twelve suspense novels, including Trust Me, Panic, Fear, and Collision.
• “Seeing is Believing” by L. A. Banks. She has written 35 novels and a dozen novellas in multiple genres, under various pseudonyms.
• “The Perils of Effrijim” by Katie McAlister. She has written more than thirty novels.
• “Thin Walls” by Christopher Golden. He is co-author of Baltimore, or, The Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire and The Map of Moments. His novels include The Myth Hunters and The Boys are Back in Town.
• “The Heart is Always Right” by Lilith Saintcrow. She is the author of series about Dante Valentine, Jill Kismet, and Strange Angels.
• “The Demon in the Dunes” by Chris Grabenstein. He writes John Ceepak/Jersey Short mysteries and thrillers such as Hell for the Holidays.
• “Home from America” by Sharan Newman. She is a medieval historian who writes the Catherine LeVendeur historical mysteries, the Guinevere trilogy, nonfiction books, and The Real History of the End of the World.
• “Pirate Dave’s Haunted Amusement Park” by Toni L. P. Kelner. She writes short stories, including “Sleeping with the Plush,” and also the “Where Are They Now?” mysteries,

Books: The Black Hand

The Black Hand by Will Thomas is another adventure of a private inquiry agent and his assistant.

Books: Many Bloody Returns

This is a collection of short stories edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L. P. Kelner. The quality is good. Contributors include Jim Butcher. I got this copy from the public library by reserving it so it’s sent from its home library to mine.

I prefer the humourous to the horrific. These are the stories and a version of their author introductions:

• Dracula Night. Charlaine Harris writes the Sookie Stackhouse novels. She also writes about Harper Connelly, a lightning-struck locator of corpses. Her Website is http://www.charlaineharris.com.
• The Mournful Cry of Owls. Christopher Golden has written The Myth Hunters, Wildwood Road, and Of Saints and Shadows, as well as the Body of Evidence teen thrillers. He is a coauthor, with Thomas E Sniegoski, of the dark fantasy series The Menagerie, the young readers fantasy series OutCast, and the comic book miniseries Talent. He collaborated with Hellboy creator Mike Mignola to write Baltimore, or, the Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire. His website is http://www.christophergolden.com.
• I Was a Teenage Vampire. Bill Crider is the author of fifty published novels and many short stories. These include Too  Late to Die, Dead on the Island, A Murder Among the OWLS, and, with his wife, Judy Crider, the short story “Chocolate Moose.” See http://www.billcrider.com.
• Twilight. Kelley Armstrong is the author of the paranormal suspense series Women of the Otherworld. Her website is http://www.KellyArmstrong.com.
• It’s My Birthday, Too. Jim Butcher is the author of the Dresden Files novels about Harry Dresden, wizard, and of the Codex Alera series. Look for him at http://www.jim-butcher.com.
• Grave-Robbed. P.N. Elrod is the author of twenty novels and as many short stories. She is best known for The Vampire Files series, about undead detective Jack Fleming. She has co-written three novels with Nigel Bennett. She can be found at http://www.vampwriter. com.
• The First Day of the Rest of Your Life. Rachel Caine is known for the Weather Warden series and her new young adult series, The Morganville Vampires. She has written many other books and short stories. Her website is http://www.rachelcaine.com.
• The Witch and the Wicked. Jeanne C. Stein is the author of the Anna Strong series, starting with The Becoming and Blood Drive. Her website is http://www.jeannestein.com.
• Blood Wrapped. Tanya Huff has written over 25 books, including the Vicky Nelson Blood series, adapted for television as Bloof Ties. This short story is from the world of the Smoke (and Blood) books. See http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/h/tanya-huff/.
• The Wish. Carolyn Haines has written more than fifty novels. The latest in her Mississippi Delta series is Ham Bones. She also writes single novels, such as Hallowed Bones and Penumbra. Her website is http://www.carolynhaines.com.
• Fire and Ice and Linguini for Two. Tate Hallaway has written other novels for the characters in this story: Tall, Dark, and Dead and Dead Sexy. See http://www.mninter.net/~sprounds/Tate_main.html.
• Vampire Hours. Elaine Viets is the author of two mystery series. The Dead-End Job series includes Mystery with Reservations. Her Josie Marcus Mystery Shopper series includes Accessory to Murder. Her website is http://www.elaineviets.com.
• How Stella Got Her Grave Back. Toni L. P. Kelner is the author of the Laura Fleming Southern mystery series and the Where Are They Now series about a freelance entertainment writer. See http://www.tonilpkelner.com/.

 

Blood of Tyrants by Naomi Novik

This is my current book: Naomi Novik’s Blood of Tyrants. It’s the seventh book in her recreation of the Napoleonic Wars with dragons, after Crucible of Gold. Some have compared her to author Patrick Kelly, but with dragons as well.

Mind you, I don’t picture the dragon Temeraire as having blue eyes. I think they’re black, like the rest of him.

Home Improvement: Undead Edition

Home Improvement: Undead Edition

The short stories in Home Improvement: Undead Edition are about supernatural creatures who take on the problems of renovating. Charlaine Harris and Toni Kelner are the editors. This is their fourth collection.

The editors have produced other collections throwing together random concepts to see what the authors could do with them:

• Many Bloody Returns, about “vampires and birthdays;”
• Wolfsbane and Mistletoe, about “werewolves and the holidays;” and
• Death’s Excellent Vacation, about “creatures out of their normal habitat.”

The stories entertained me so I’ll be ordering the others from the library.

The stories are these:

• If I had a Hammer by Charlaine Harris
• Wizard Home Security by Victor Gischler
• Gray by Patricia Briggs
• Squatters’ Rights by Rochelle Krich
• Blood on the Wall by Heather Graham
• The Mansion of Imperatives by James Grady
• The Strength Inside by Melissa Marr
• Woolsley’s Kitchen Nightmare by E. E. Knight
• Through this House by Seanan McGuire
• The Path  by S. J. Rozan
• Rick the Brave by Stacia Kane
• Full-Scale Demolition by Suzanne McLeod
• It’s All in the Rendering by Simon R. Green
• In Brightest Day by Toni L. P. Kelner