Margaret L. Carter, Revisited
I turned to paranormal romance. But how explicit the sexuality is differs depending on the demands of the plot. Also, sometimes Ellora's Cave extends an invitation to write for a particular line or a theme anthology, and in that case I'll deliberately try to devise a story that will fit, such as the novella I'm writing for their shapeshifter anthology scheduled for fall of 2005. That story, "Fox Fire," is inspired by the Japanese kitsune legends. The most difficult thing for me about writing erotic romance (not pure erotica, which doesn't require a monogamous happy ending the way romance does) is finding fresh ways to describe physical acts that are all pretty similar, when you get down to basics, and which drift all too easily into familiar cliches. Also difficult for me is remembering to convey a good balance between the physical sensuality and the all-important emotional connection, which is the main point of the story, after all.
Did I miss any fiction books?
Amber Quill also published FROM THE DARK PLACES, a horror novel about a young widow who learns that she and her four-year-old daughter have latent psychic powers. Lovecraftian entities from another dimensional plane, and the cultists who worship them, are stalking the heroine and her daughter. The evil forces want to prevent the birth of the heroine's second daughter, fated to become a powerful fighter on the side of good. This novel grew out of brainstorming sessions with a friend in Monterey back in the late 1970s. She wasn't interested in writing fiction herself, so she "gave" me the plot and characters. Over many years and several drafts, I made extensive changes, including the insertion of Lovecraftian elements. I was thrilled when Amber Quill accepted it, because I think it's one of my best books ever, almost as much a "book of the heart" as DARK CHANGELING. From Ellora's Cave, I have a "Quickie" (which is their line of short e-books) entitled NEW FLAME," whose heroine accidentally conjures a flame creature that feeds on sexual energy, called a zmeu -- an actual entity from Eastern European folklore.
Then there is your non-fiction works, want to tell us why you find researching and writing about vampire fiction an interesting subject? How does being an "expert" influence your own writing?
I started working on literary criticism about vampire fiction as a result of my ardent devotion to reading it. My first lit-crit book,
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