Elrod's picked 15 of her favorite short works for this multi-genre collection spanning 15 years of publication.Also included is a never before published VAMPIRE FILES story, featuring her urban fantasy vampire PI, Jack Fleming!Each story has been polished afresh for this anthology, with pages of new material added.More information -- and previews of the stories! -- may be found at her website vampwriter-dot-com.Titles:1. A Night at the (Horse) Opera (Vampire Files, Fleming)2. The Breath of Bast (Vampire Files), Ecsott)3. Bossman (Original mystery, no vamps)4. Slaughter (Vampire Files, Fleming & Gordy)5. The Devil's Mark (Original historical vampire)6. You'll Catch Your Death (Vampire Files)7. Izzy's Shoe-In (Historical mystery introducing Izzy DeLeon, fearless girl reporter)8. The Quick Way Down (Vampire Files, Fleming and Gordy)9. The Scottish Ploy (Original romance/mystery)10. Grave-Robbed (Vampire Files, Fleming)11. The Company You Keep (Vampire Files, Gabriel Kroun)12. Death in Dover (Jonathan Barrett before he got vamped, historical mystery)13. Drawing Dead (ALL NEW VAMPIRE FILES, Fleming)14. King of Shreds and Patches (Hamlet from a different point of view, mystery)15. Fugitive (Science fiction/space opera)16. BONUS STORY! The Wind Breathes Cold (Quincey Morris: Vampire)

    A man finds his remote cabin being terrorized by a woman who only says the same three words over and over... Billions of miles from Earth, a computer must make a difficult decision about a spaceship's last surviving crew-member... As she struggles to look after her dying daughter, a mother notices strange noises in the house... In the ruins of a planet ravaged by alien invasion, a young girl must decide whether to fight, or to simply try to stay alive... After moving into a new house with her parents, young Cally Taylor realizes that perhaps one of the previous occupants never left... On a remote mountain road, a woman comes face to face with a dead, frozen woman in a wrecked car... The Vampire of Downing Street and Other Ghost Stories contains the new stories The Vampire of Downing Street, The Decision, Pets, Frozen Charlotte, When Ghosts Dream and Let Me In, as well as a revised version of Tenderling.

    The 'Vampires' series begins in Tudor England and continues through each novella until present time. EXTRACT FROM VAMPIRE - IN THE BEGINNING 'Tom’s mother Martha was sprawled across the large kitchen table, her clothes ripped, and in places, torn completely away; her ageing breasts fell from her laced bodice, flaccid and drooping to the sides of her lifeless body. Her legs were at a strange angle, and her skirts bunched up into a ball at her waist. I could see, even from where I was standing, that she was dead! Martha’s eyes were open, staring into nothingness and devoid of life, but it was her throat that caught my attention, it gaped open, and it looked like, what I imagined, the huge black cavern of hell to look like.'

    and the possible answers behind it. The Woods will never be the same again... Steph Young has appeared on National radio shows including "Coast to Coast Am," "Midnight in the Desert," "Where did the road go?" "The Unexplained," & "Darkness Radio." Steph Young is an independent researcher, addicted to researching all Supernatural, Paranormal, Esoteric and enigmatic Mysteries. Each book seems to lead to further questions and searches for answers, as the Mysteries inevitably deepen & develop into ever more complex riddles in the spectrum of the Unknown.... Creepy true tales of strange disappearances in the woods, unexplained vanishings & mysterious Deaths. Creepy Mysteries of the Unexplained. Unexplained Disappearances & Missing people; True Stories. ....Things can get strange when you're alone in the woods....and something in the woods is taking People; something unknown that we cannot define; something that others have had the misfortune to encounter. People snatched soundlessly, never to be seen again. Or returned; dead. A strange and highly unusual predator. Highly intelligent. Very successful. And able to overpower someone in an instant.... This is a puzzle. An often deadly one. People are disappearing in the Woods. Screams heard in the distance; or, just ominous silence... The primal fear of something dangerous lurking, coming closer…..For some people, this can turn into a deadly reality. For those left behind, there is only confusion, fear, panic…..The Woods will never be the same again....

    A cynical, wise-cracking vampire charged with protecting the Balance between vampires and humans, he is part cop, part spy, and part commando—a James Bond with fangs. Lawson mixes shrewd cunning with unmatched lethality to get his job done. He tries his best to dismantle conspiracies, dispatch bad guys, and live long enough to get home.This time, Lawson has been given an easy assignment, a "dead drop." That is until an old enemy returns.

    Also included are stories of ghost animals, haunted houses, vengeful spirits, guardian angels and much, much more. Many of the stories you are about to read will warm your heart, while others will leave you in a cold sweat. Sit back and relax. Make sure you are locked in safe and sound as you settle in for a scary read. Oh, and if you hear a strange noise in the hallway, don't worry, it's probably just the house settling. Well, maybe not.

    Night's #1 bestselling "Vampire Love Story" series, including: VAMPIRE LOVE STORY Josiah Reign is a lover and a fighter. Out for a simple jog, he happens upon a young woman who needs help. So Josiah does what he does best. He takes on her attackers...all five of them, in fact. Little does Josiah know that this one act of goodwill will introduce him to a very strange world, a world of dreams...and nightmares. For this woman, Lena, is not who she seems, and her friends are the stuff of legends. Worse yet, Josiah finds himself falling for not one, but two of these deadly creatures of the night. And as Josiah suffers a devastating loss that rocks his world, he will fight for what he believes in. He will fight for his one true love. And fighting is what Josiah does best. THE WEREWOLF WHISPERER For Josiah Reign, life as he knows it has been forever changed. In two shorts months he went from unbeliever to the savior of the Mani people (a vampire race that has been living underground for 10,000 years). Now Josiah must learn to control his powerful new body, all while understanding his destiny...and falling deeper in love. Soon Josiah realizes that to understand his calling, he must save a young werewolf...a werewolf with incredible powers of his own. Along the way, alliances are forged and old enemies rise again. And when tragedy strikes, Josiah must make the ultimate choice...and face an evil far greater than anything he'd ever imagined. FOREVER AND ALWAYS Josiah heads for Europe to master his gifts. Along the way, he realizes that others just might know what he's up to. He fights off enemies from all sides. Ultimately, Goshi, the blue gnome, trains Josiah and he returns back to the states. When Josiah comes back to the states, things are not what they once were. He needs to fight for his love Lena, more than he ever has before. Two unsuspecting enemies surface and now Josiah needs to protect what is rightfully his. VAMPIRES VS. WEREWOLVES Josiah Reign is building his own Mani army to take on Krull for a future battle of epic proportions. Old and new loves reveal themselves as Josiah comes to terms with his destiny. Struggling to keep old friendships alive, Josiah finds himself in an underground, immortal, mixed martial arts fight club fighting for his life and the lives of others. Will Josiah build his army in time? Who did Lena choose? When all is said and done, who will be by Lena's side in the end? Will it be Josiah, or someone else? ONE LOVE This has never been more true than now, as Josiah ramps up his vampire and werewolf army with tactical strategies and combat techniques that will prepare him to face the evil Krull in the prophetic battle that will make or break the very survival of the Mani people. Lena, the love of Josiah's life, is pregnant and about to deliver twins who have a special destiny of their own. Josiah is awed by fatherhood, especially when one of his sons reveals a supernatural gift more powerful than Josiah ever imagined. DIVINE BLOOD Though peace and harmony have reigned for years on the island of Helena, the new governor of the island of Attica poses a threat to everything and everyone that Josiah holds dear. It's getting harder to call up an army and Josiah goes solo and dusts off his fighting skills to protect his family. He also examines his beliefs and questions the Triat's control over who lives and who dies. But who is a friend and who is a foe? After one of his sons is snatched, the clock is ticking toward the decisions that could change the dynamic of the Mani royal family forever. SONS OF JOSIAH With Jason held captive by the evil Brock, Josiah has to make a tough choice about whether to turn his other son, Joshua, into a vampire.

     With the help of her friend and colleague, Tom, Kiera is soon caught up in a dark world of strange and inexplicable mysteries, each with a deadly twist. Three novella length mysteries in one book, set before ‘Kiera Hudson Series One and Two’.

    All by women.When you were little, you had a nanny. A nanny only you could see.There are clumps of dark hair in the swimming pool. Curling around your toes, slowly tugging you down."The Love Simulator" shows your perfect life with 'The One'... which turns out to be your worst nightmare.DAUGHTERS OF DARKNESS brings you 46 tales of terror from the depths of the female mind. Pull up a chair and listen to the horrors of murderous femme fatales, fiercely protective mothers, and daughters who realize their childhood isn't quite what it seemed.Hundreds of backers on Kickstarter brought this anthology to life, through a successful campaign that raised several thousand dollars. Our authors have won awards, written bestsellers, and gained international popularity on the 13 million subscriber forum NoSleep.Daughters of Darkness is guaranteed give you nightmares you'll never forget. Read... if you dare!

     Joe DeRouen’s Good Fortune teaches us a valuable lesson about why you should be very careful when you hold someone’s fate in your hands. It may come back to haunt you, just as it does for Grimsley Harkness, who dares to wish for more than he deserves. Celia Kennedy’s Nothing Scares Me takes readers on a test of endurance. Lost in the Florida Everglades, Ardith Deblois, wife, mother and intrepid adventurer, fights for her life. Enveloped within the humid swamplands is a perilous maze full of obstacles and adversaries. Which is the greater impediment, the humans that hunt her or the deadly animals and poisonous plants she hides amongst? Can she fight through fatigue and dehydration to save herself? Nothing Scares Me. True or not? Zeece Lugo’s Five Stories Up finds us on October 31st, 1966, and night is falling over the city. Below, the groups of little ghosts and goblins stream in and out of the front stoops and basement bodegas, running, laughing, white blankets flapping in the wind, their candy treasures tightly held in hand. But above, in the dark rooftop of Sonia's building, something pale and evil watches her, and beckons... Angie Martin's "Sold" follows a paranormal team as they investigate the home of a serial killer for their live Halloween night televised show. In Heather Osborne's Will You Remember Me? past and present collide when ghosts from witch trials of long ago come to life. It's up to Sierra to lay things to rest. In Leonie Rogers' Roast Pumpkin, Anna discovers that going trick-or-treating in her new home town is more of an out-of-this-world experience than she'd ever imagined. CJ Rutherford's 'Treaters' tells the story of Jaz. Who would believe the world would end on Halloween night? Can Jaz, a retired U.S. Marine, battle loss, grief, demons, and loneliness, to survive the end of the world? In Jada Ryker’s Dead Eye, Alex takes Marisa to an unusual Halloween party in an isolated Kentucky community… with a murderer ready with deadly tricks, rather than treats. In Jalpa Williby’s Beauty and the Beast, Kelsey’s entire family perishes in a fire on a dreadful Halloween night. Overcome by grief and guilt, she decides to end her pain once and for all. Will the mysterious stranger be her savior, or will he ultimately cause her tragic demise?

    Before the vampire can kidnap her, there is an unexpected rescue by a group of vampire hunters. Overwhelmed by the feeling of safety, Chloe passes out and they whisk her away to their small community.When Chloe wakes, she comes face to face with the only other living relative, besides her mother, whom she has ever met: her grandfather. Chloe’s mother kept her hidden from the family; now, Chloe tries to unveil the family secrets.Through her grandfather, she learns her mother was a vampire hunter. In fact, her entire family is descended from the powerful bloodlines of vampire hunters. Chloe agrees to join the family she has never known for one reason only: Chloe vows to kill the vampire responsible for her mother’s murder.With vengeance in her soul, Chloe is even more determined to follow through on her vow when she discovers the true identity of her enemy and how he is connected to her.The Vampire Hunter's Daughter is the first in a series of short stories by Jennifer Malone Wright.

    Now armed and dangerous, she sets out to hunt down the very thing that destroyed her life.That is, until she disappears.Spinoza is a private investigator who specializes in finding the missing. He's good at what he does. Damn good. But he's also a recovering alcoholic and a royal mess. Hired to find Veronica, Spinoza won't let his personal demons — or demons of any kind — get in the way of finding the truth about the missing girl.Now following a bizarre set of clues that leads him into stranger and stranger territory, Spinoza is about to come face-to-face with something legendary...and something hungry for blood.(Please Note: The Vampire With the Dragon Tattoo is approximately 90 manuscript pages, or 22,000 words.)

    I hope you enjoy it.

    Why? Because as the only openly vampire police officer in the world, even after disclosure, he's been put on one of the very few supernatural divisions anywhere. Meaning it's his job.It also doesn't hurt that the demon whose area he works in has been targeted as well, seemingly by the same group.If he and his new partner can't figure the case out in time, things might well end up going very badly, indeed.

    But are these disturbing revelations of his life merely the addled fabrications of a cancer-ridden mind, or is there any truth to his frightening claim that a dark and menacing figure has been roaming the land all these many years. About 6,500 words.