Articles by Lydia Manx

Serial

Is this a funeral or the Jerry Springer show?? The mayor is dead, and his floozy dares to come to the funeral. But the grieving widow isn't the only furious one, because the dearly departed wasn't the only one to pass between Louella's bedsheets. It's a miracle anyone remembers to take the coffin to the hearse.

It's been a busy day, what with the funeral and prying questions -- both for the survivors of the dearly departed and for Lynn and her mother. The question is, will it be a quiet night for insomniac Gwendolynn? A strange noise and a phone call aren't about to help...

The insomnia lifts long enough for Lynn to get maybe three hours strangely deep sleep -- that's long enough for a mysterious power outage, a strangely timed phone call and the discovery of her mother -- or more specifically, her mother's body -- lying on the floor in a pool of blood. Maybe this is why Lynn's body doesn't like to let her sleep; obviously, nothing good ever comes of it.

In the aftermath of her mother's death, Lynn is awash in people. People asking questions. People lending a hand. People being more trouble than they're worth. One person stands out, however. A special agent with an unusual affect on people. Something about his eyes makes Lynn suspect he's an insomniac like she is. She's more right than she knows...

Sure, Lynn's mother is dead, but why is the FBI on the scene so quickly? Special Agents Adkison and Thomason are conducting one investigation, while the locals conduct their own. Little about the FBI agents is lost on the perceptive Lynn or the nosy Cinda -- including the fact that the killings might not stop with Lynn's mother.

In the wake of her mother's death, Lynn is staying with her longtime friend and hardcore gossip, Cinda. With the innocence of one born without a sense of tact, Cinda is singlemindedly returning to the drama of the Mayor's death and whether or not any of his mistress's other lovers knew about each other. Lynn is still trying to assemble the big picture, however. One that seems to include special agent Harry Adkison in strange places...

Special Agent Ericka heads to the small town diner to catch a quiet meal. What she doesn't figure on is running into the town's most tactless local there. No invitation? No problem! Cinda plops herself right down to enjoy a power lunch, asking questions in the manner only Cinda can.

Lunch is over. Even a simple trip to the local beauty salon can't be normal now, however. Lynn can't take two steps without tripping over a well-wisher, a gossip or an FBI agent. Not that it's a bad thing when the agent is that strangely attractive Harry Adkison.

The hairstyle Cinda's mom inflicted on her isn't the only strange and horrifying thing that Lynn discovers when she returns to the beauty salon after a cryptic walk with FBI agent Harry Adkison. The walls are falling and soon nobody will escape.

Margie has the scoop on who's most likely to be named the next mayor, but Lynn's a little distracted getting to know the strange -- and slightly menacing -- being who has taken up residence behind Cinda's green eye.

How's this for scary? Bobby Curry, small town police officer, has approached Lynn and Cinda. But it's not ditzy, tactless Cinda in control, it's dangerous, otherworldly Misty staring out of that one green eye. And Misty's in the mood for more than a cup of coffee...

A horrible crime committed against Cinda's mother, rumors of killers lurking down by the river -- it seems nowhere is safe for Gwendolynn anymore.

With a killer at large, Lynn is put in the local inn for safety. But while Cinda and Tina, the Dirty-girl-turned-Donna-Reed owner, bicker over the yummy FBI agent, Lynn has more serious concerns: where did she get those strange bruises on her neck?

Leo Winters and his wife are stretched thin and unpleasant, outside and in. By chance, Lynn overhears Leo buying information in the coffee shop. What kind of facts could a rich old man be digging for in a town where the mysteries all seem to end in death?

Why isn't the FBI pursuing the murder of Lynn's mother anymore? Behind Cinda's tactless doggedness, Misty is asking the questions and it seems at least one of the FBI agents has more than professional interest in the case...

The FBI agent divulges a chilling past with startling similarities to Lynn's -- murder, stalking, strange behavior by people she had known all her life. With that in mind, could the Winters' strange argument have anything to do with Lynn?

It's going to take more than a pancake buffet to win the affections of Harry Adkison, but you can't blame Tina for trying. Meanwhile, a menacing dream torments Lynn's sleep, with strange changes to her body that won't fade away upon waking.

Harry Adkison shows up at Lynn's door, full of compelling mystery as usual, but for all his skill as a hunter, he is about to find himself the prey. Seems like Lynn's sleepy home town is becoming populated with stalkers... of every variety. Some games of cat and mouse are silly, but Lynn's oddly pleasurable bruises indicate some of the games are anything but.

Lynn gets a few of the answers she needs, but if finding out what's happening to her own body and the people around her involves watching Harry Adkison brutally murder someone and drink their blood, maybe the questions were better left unasked. As unreal as it may seem, there are even stranger things than vampires preying on this little town.

Listening behind a door, Lynn's getting clued in to who's going to live, who's already dead and how they're disposing of the bodies. The good news - due to a strange family connection, Harry Adkison is determined that Lynn should be saved. The bad news - it's too late for the town... and for Lynn's old way of life.

Life as she knew it is over for Lynn. Now she's about to embark on a new lifestyle -- one that involves routine murder, bloodthirsty supernatural creatures and, oh, a new cat.

You've just found out that your town is being overrun with ghouls and lawless supernatural creatures. The FBI isn't here to help, they're vampires looking to wipe the slate clean with blood. The ghost possessing your best friend wants to be chums, and you're developing a craving for blood. What could make your evening better? Try hellspawn.

The Winters' home contains an insight into Leo that's definitely too much information, but more importantly, it contains something Lynn needs with increasing urgency -- fresh blood.

Amid the interrupted carnal frolicking of the living, Lynn makes her final transition to living death. Mortal concerns are no longer hers. But that's fine, because there are plenty concerns of the occult type waiting for her, as soon as she has fed...

The change in Lynn is apparent. She has new hungers, new ways of thinking, and now, a new family. Not everything from the past must be left behind, and, Misty in tow, Cinda will play a new role in Lynn's altered state.

Lynn tests out her new state by tangling with the hellspawn -- not the smartest move, if for no other reason than her unprotected back shows that not everyone she assumed was an ally wants her alive. A narrow escape leads to a quick flight across the state line. For this little town, it's all over.

Art Ruby and his station wagon arrive just in time to solve the transportation crisis. Art has hit on Gwendolynn every month over the course of the past year, though -- will he notice Lynn's new secret, or is he too busy trying to hide his own to notice her transformation?

You think vampires are dangerous, you haven't taken a car trip with a cranky medium and a trigger happy fed. This is one murderer who will be lucky if having his blood drained is the worst that he gets...

It's hard to keep a murderous past quiet when you're giving a ride to a medium channeling spirits from the other side. Cinda/Misty pries a confession out of Art, but the real mystery is what master vampire Harry has planned next.

It's hard to keep a murderous past quiet when you're giving a ride to a medium channeling spirits from the other side. Cinda/Misty pries a confession out of Art, but the real mystery is what master vampire Harry has planned next.

The dying man behind the counter holds secrets about the forgetful old woman -- and Erika, who shakes in her shoes at the thought.

Not so long ago, Gwendolyn thought she had an ordinary life. How long will it take for her to accept that petting demonic killer cats, chatting with undead spirits, and being a vampire are just everyday occurrences?

Be discreet! Keep your affairs quiet! Turn down that stupid thumper stereo -- you never know when an irritable hungry vampire is listening, thinking about silencing you for good.

Nothing like cheating on your wife in a dumpy motel room in the middle of a blizzard -- until the vampire who looks like the girl next door knocks and asks if anyone ordered take-out.

First they're annoyed at the interruption of their play, then they're afraid of the second stranger at their door. Then Vinny and Melinda decide to make this nightmare into their dream come true. Whoops, their mistake.

Vinny is a lot of things. Pervert, sociopath, slimeball. But at least he has blood coursing through his veins ... for a while.

Who knew vampires could get snowed in? At least this will give Lynn a chance to hear all the dirt Erika and Cinda have found out about Art.

Everyone has something on their minds ... but no one seems willing to say what it is. The small talk is too much for Cinda's self control, so she drags Lynn out into the storm again -- oh, no! Not more trouble?!

Maybe Lynn never dreamed she'd become a vampire, but she has to admit it comes in mighty handing when dealing with mashers and pool sharks.

Now wait, is this the serious Erika going out with Misty to get thrown out of the bar for being drunk and disorderly. Oh, my and she thinks she's funny, too!

Lynn decides she'd just as soon be Art's executioner as his traveling companion. The time is nearing for justice, a parting of the ways, and an introduction to the mysterious Mitch.

With Art out of commission, everyone can get some rest -- until the tawny stranger pays a surprise visit to Lynn's room.

If this is the Teacher, why does he attack? If he and Harry are on the same team, why do they seem at odds? So many questions, but only one answer: " ... we knew she was a new kind ... " What on earth does that mean?

Erika bursts into a room with three vampires and suddenly begins to understand why her partner Harry occasionally appears to have fangs. But there is no way she can understand the alliance Harry has with the unpredictably dangerous Mitch.

Once again the company gathers in Lynn's room, this time to plan the parting of their ways. But wait, there's a sound next door, and this time it isn't Helen and Ernie's frolics!

Art has escaped and summoned the Hell Spawn to carry Lynn away -- and Art is no longer afraid of the vampires ...

The time has come -- Lynn must decide whether to leave to study with Mitch, or stay with Harry. Which would you do?

Charlotte is getting ready to run, but not before she takes the opportunity to torment her nosy neighbor with a little undressing.

Someone has been sneaking around Charlotte's door. Her loot is even hotter than she thought it was. Oh, girl, it is definitely time to run!

Kenyon's club, Dark Whispers, is getting strange. Vampire slayers are watching it. Thrill-seeking yuppies are invading it. And now, a certain vampire named Charlotte is giving Kenyon a very big headache ...

Have you ever noticed that when you're traveling, you get hungrier than usual? What's Charlotte supposed to do when fast food just about throws itself at her?

After days on the road, all Charlotte wants to do is find some necessities of life: a nice wardrobe, a fun club, and some vampires who will offer her a smoke and not kill her on sight!

Giselle and Theo don't care if Charlotte is on the run -- in fact they seem rather amused by the whole idea. And now, past the dried up posters and dusty travel brochures, it looks like Charlotte's dream is about to come true ...

Vacation is on! No, wait, it's off! Now it's on! What, you call this a vacation? Charlotte's travel plans are anything but smooth, and a decent meal isn't to be found. Oh, but who is that rude little man? Vacation is on again!

Midnight sailing lessons? Well, Charlotte has other ideas, which include seeing something go sailing -- right up against the wall with a hairy splat!

The drunken mistress falls into bed with her wounded lover, much to Charlotte's disgust. Can't these people keep their minds on anything but sex? Apparently not, but Charlotte's vacation is about to take an interesting turn as pirates show up, intent upon taking over a yacht that Charlotte has already decided belongs to her.

So spunky, but alas, he's so smelly ... Charlotte leaves the wounded pirate to the care of the yacht's crew, and seeks a few tools in someone else's cabin.

The crew of the yacht are very nice to look at, but not much good for anything else. A blunder on the captain's part causes Charlotte to tip her hand more than she would have liked

Bobby is getting too nervous about Charlotte. Paulette is still drunk, and Claude the lecherous captain is making moves ... Charlotte needs a plan to deal with these fools, and soon. And a snack, don't forget the snack.

Charlotte knows when it's time to hit the road -- or the water -- again: when lust-filled Claude's furious wife shows up to confront him!

Why do idiots always show up right before morning? Is there like some sort of club for stupid that lets out at four a.m? Fortunately the exhausted Charlotte finds the flavors of testosterone and stupidity a tasty combination.

Charlotte returns to the mainland and finds an unexpected visitor -- one with some secrets of his own that shake Charlotte to the core.

Jim has betrayed Kenyon by keeping his own pet vampire. Charlotte can wrap her mind around that. But then she finds out what Kenyon himself has been doing, and she knows she has to move quickly again.

The club "Green Eyes" is closed and abandoned; Giselle and Theo are nowhere to be found. Charlotte hears that she is being blamed for their disappearance, and has no idea what has happened -- except that whatever has emptied the club can't be good.

Teenagers are maddening even to their parents. For an ancient vampire, teen sarcasm and chattering are even more aggravating. Charlotte has to deal with two of them at once, and even the precious information she has to get from the girls doesn't quite seem to be worth the hassle.

Beverly knows more than she should about the disappearance of Giselle and Theo ... maybe more than her mind can bear. But for Charlotte, this is information she must get, at any cost.

Time for Charlotte to return to California and face Kenyon's sure-to-be-grim music! Some day she would have to get around to that stress-free vacation, but right now, she has to figure out a strategy that will allow her to live through this confrontation.

Charlotte has time to kill while she figures out how to keep from being killed by Kenyon. A drive in a pink car -- just the thing! Until she spots some very shady characters who converge on a house with guns at the ready ...

Not quite as much fun as draining their bodies -- but hunting the four would-be murderers down in the dark is fairly entertaining, too. Looks like Kenyon has as much explaining to do as Charlotte does!

The intruders, breaking into the house to murder the mysterious little girl, definitely picked the wrong vampire to mess with. Charlotte can't wait to finish this piece of work.

On the run yet again, the trouble that Charlotte attracts turns a highway into a debris field filled with death, and time seems to go slow motion as she watches the sky sparkle with shards of her windshield ...

Even as she recovers her strength from the terrible crash, Charlotte manages to find someone new to infuriate -- and be infuriated by. But none of that matters when the familiar roar of a certain motorcycle reaches her ears, and she knows that her mental cry for help has reached someone else's.

The little witch-spawn has taken a shine to Charlotte -- and Charlotte is as surprised as anyone could be by that turn of events. A tagalong kid is a pain in the vampire butt at any time, but now Charlotte also has to deal with the elemental Legs, whose emanation of power even makes Charlotte nervous, and who does not care for this child at all.

Charlotte has to admit that the long years and Kenyon's infernal meddling with her have cost her some of her favorite memories -- memories of riding the roads with Kegs. She'll miss him when she goes to face the music with Kenyon. But something weird is happening, and the scent of magic is in the air ...

It's just not a bright thing to do, messing with Charlotte. Even when she's on the run. As a matter of fact, this "on the run" is getting her moving, meeting old friends again, and making her remember what a power a vampire can be.

There are memories associated with the dive known as Eddie's ... memories that Charlotte can never leave behind completely. Memories of justice carried out -- but also memories of what happens when a vampire crosses the line ...

Surprises, surprises! The first one is Iris, and what she seems to know. And the second one is far better -- a surprise that Charlotte thought she'd lost twenty-odd years before!

A small, secret room in the luxurious upstairs apartment over a biker bar, and five powerful vampires have to ask a little girl for assistance ... and none of them are very happy about that at all.

Charlotte keeps hearing more and more stuff she never thought she'd hear, like she how she missed her old pals and how they just avoided her for so many years ... and then she hears that Legs has lost track of the little witch spawn???!

Iris looks like a little girl, but she has enough witch power to keep a whole room full of angry vampires at bay ... and one in particular that she doesn't like at all.

A small-town death blows the door wide open on some world-class gossip. The Mayor has died in bed, but he wasn't alone. Not only was the bed not his, but it had seen some highly varied traffic go through. There's going to be a lot of emotion surrounding this funeral...(Originally appeared 08-15-2005)

Eddie is the Master Vampire in charge, and two humans have interfered with his world. Their sentence is Death. At least it would have been, had the air not begun to glow like the sun and open up to reveal ... someone none of the vampires want to risk messing with!

The witch knows far more than she should have, and reduces some major vampire players to humility. The only good news here is that she doesn't seem to like Kenyon, either ...

Kenyon's figurative castle is beginning to crumble here and there. Nothing is working out the way he imagined it, and for the first time in a long, long time, he realizes that he has to carefully watch his step.

Kenyon knows how to play "Good cop, bad cop," all right. Although he tends to view it like ordering take out for lunch! Bad news is making him hungry, but the worst of the news is yet to come ...

While Kenyon tidies up the mess he's made of Jim, Charlotte returns to Eddie's, caught up on sleep and about to receive a lecture on her wayward ways.

Charlotte has asked for Eddie's help, and he would love to help her any way he can. Maybe it's his chance to change how things turned out ...

There are more vampires in the area than Charlotte ever dreamed. Kenyon has kept her in the dark for a long time, and her resentment is about to boil over. Not a good time to make her angry

Things aren't where they should be. People aren't doing what they're supposed to be doing. Idiots are in the way, and Kenyon is going to have to clear up all the problems himself. And who the hell is watching him, anyway?

The voice on the phone is driving Kenyon nuts and time is running out for his hapless bartender -- is the situation sinister, or just reeking of stupidity?

Had Kenyon seriously considered turning this idiot Tim into a vampire? What had he been thinking? Tim is so incompetent he can't even keep his stupid aunt from opening the door! Time to do Tim's thinking for him. Maybe they can even pull this plan off.

A vampire war is coming; Kenyon's power madness has made that certain. And in the conflict, sides will be chosen ... and if not? Vampire values are not the same as human ones.

Remember Tim's reference to a website and cameras and how it couldn't be viewed? Tsk, tsk, perhaps Kenyon should have a hacker on his side instead of a foolish pornographer-bartender. After all, Eddie does ...

There's a mystery surrounding the house that Tim and his perverted aunt are using, more that it just containing a half-dead vampire. There's someone else involved, the woman Nathan described as the most evil vampire in the world.

A plot is afoot, but there's time for Charlotte to have a snack before she takes on the next task. Oh, and the snack just happens to have transportation available!

Hank got lucky that night, getting cozy with a beautiful woman, as well as getting good and drunk. Sure hope it was his last request ...

Charlotte is ready to play out this Last Act of Jim. Maybe she should have done it back in Florida, but back there, she wouldn't have had the sexy company of Eddie, or Toby's massive presence to rely on. She just knows it's going to be good ...

Bartender Tim is only just starting to realize that his master, Kenyon, is not nearly as in control of things as he thought he was. Kenyon's territory is being invaded, and the invaders do seem to have the upper hand ...

Hank mounted the steps thinking about an adult party of sorts, but not one where the adults were hundreds of years older than he was. Gee, Hank, didn't anyone ever tell you that living nasty might be dangerous to your health?

Leaving the lecherous Aunt Maddie to find and figure out to do with all the gory bits, Eddie leaves to sow seeds of mystery, and Charlotte finds herself alone with Toby, who has a funny way about him suddenly ...

A hundred miles an hour down a busy freeway, and Charlotte's riding the suicide seat with a distracted vampire behind the wheel. Things haven't been going Charlotte's way very often since she decided she needed to liberate all that money and jewelry from the bank, and it looks like nothing has changed in that respect ...

There's something fishy about the man in the suit who accosts Kegs, Charlotte, and Toby by the side of the road. And he's about to find out just how deep and dangerous the ocean really is ...

When you're out in the wide open West, it's not a good idea to trust everyone you meet. Some folks just unnaturally have hidden agendas, and it's best to remember you're not always at the top of the food chain ...

They've offered more than just kind words -- the two strangers have brought food as well. Jenny, for the first time in a long time, is warm and safe and no longer hungry. But she doesn't know what her patrons have in mind ...

Ben feels like the luckiest boy in the west -- a full belly, no more beatings, and a new friend. But even with all of that, Ben doesn't know just how lucky he is -- Nate's grandfather knows exactly what should be done for strangers who don't "feel" exactly right ...

Though he knows full well the monsters he will have to destroy, nevertheless, Leon seems almost rejuvenated by his need to return to his family duty. What higher calling could a man have than to protect the innocent from creatures of the night?

The two vampires are so wrapped up in what they are planning to do to Jenny Foley that they fail to notice that two mere humans have identified them, and are even now planning what they feel must be done ...

The time has come for the hateful action, and Leon worries that he cannot protect his son Daniel. Daniel will have to find his strength in his own soul, but part of that search will require him to actually believe that he can make a difference ...

The time is Now, and cold steel and fire are the only way to cleanse the world of monsters ... but the events of the day will trouble Leon the rest of his life.

Alanna Gilliam has a past that has changed her way of life forever. Unfortunately, it doesn't want to stay "past." No matter how far she has run, no matter what precautions she has taken, that frightening and mysterious past has arrived on her doorstep once again ...

Mystery builds as Alanna discovers the reason behind the detective's visit -- the death of her ex-husband.

Alanna Gilliam's desert home isn't as safe as she thought she had made it -- her past is surfacing on her doorstep in an ugly and frightening way.

Instead of the secure fortress Alanna thought she had built, she finds a security system breached on almost every level. The past is endangering her once more.

Alanna and Stockwell leave the compromised house to try to find some place more private. But there in the desert, someone -- or something -- is watching ...

The past life that Alanna never wanted to remember again has come back in a twisted haunting way. Now she has to rely on someone else's help, and tell the horrid story from its bitter beginnings.

In order to make the detective understand the true horror and desperation of her situation, Alanna opts to tell him her story from its very beginning. But what she doesn't know is that someone else is listening to her tale as well...

After facing tragedy, Alanna pursued a kind of romance with the ever-present Randolph, less for love than for comfort, and Randolph was willing to promise her comfort, all right ... as long as it kept to his plan ...

There wasn't a lot of passion, but things seemed normal enough in their relationship, Alanna recounts. Then a chance occurrence changed the climate of the marriage to a chilling cloud ...

How do you stop yourself from looking at the revelation of the most horrible secret you've ever encountered in your life?

Is it true? Could there possibly have been an innocent explanation for the secret investigation? Randolph put Alanna's fears to rest, but even now those fears rise up to haunt her ...

Could anything be crazier than the story Randa has to tell Alanna? Crazier than believing it? Something as crazy as murder and arson, perhaps?

In the darkness of the night, Alanna is alone with the growing suspicion that not only has her husband lied to her about his past, but that he hides a secret so monstrous that she can barely wrap her mind around it...

The police refuse to take Alanna's fears seriously without more proof. They'll get their proof, all right, but Alanna has to wonder: Is it already too late?

An unexpected death of a close family member, and there's no tears? Strange voices on the telephone, ugly messages following Alanna from work to home, and odd behavior by her in-laws are making her waking hours worse than any nightmare.

Randolph is fishing for information, on some "papers" that Randa might have handed to Alanna mere hours before her death. Alanna, listening to his voice, still wonders which one of the is crazy.

Alanna makes an unexpected visit to her mother-in-law's house, and finds no grief there at all for the dead Randa, and no love from her husband Randolph, either.

Alanna visits the restaurant owner in the hospital, not knowing how soon she will visit that hospital again.

Alanna is released from the hospital -- but into a new nightmare of destruction and gross revelation.

The door is bolted, but Randolph is strangely angry and seems to care nothing for Alanna's injury ...

Charlotte considers writing an essay: "What I did on my summer vacation." After all, it should be quite the story, given that she's a vampire, and just happens to be carrying a trunkful of goodies ... Originally appeared 2006-07-31.

Mugged, her house in scattered disarray from intruders, Alanna struggles to make sense of her world, only to suddenly smell -- smoke!

Horror continues to mount in Alanna's mind as she finds out all the "surprises" her increasingly aggressive husband has in store for her.

Disturbed by what Randolph has told her staff, Alanna does some investigating, and finds out far more than she ever wanted to know.

Alanna attempts to resume a normal life, but the continuing weirdness drives her to drastic action ...

Alanna relates how there was only one thing left to do ... run to Las Vegas and fulfill plans she had been making since she decided to divorce Randolph.

Alanna once again finds out that just when you think the worst is over, Fate shows you that there's plenty more misery left in the universe.

Peter's horrifying revelation about the state of Alanna's house makes her realize that she was never really as safe as she thought ... and neither were her friends ...

She was supposed to have escaped. She was supposed to be safe. But Alanna is about to find out that her mysterious adversary is still one -- if not a hundred -- steps ahead of her.

With food to eat, lots of shopping to unpack, and two strong detectives in the room, Alanna ought to be safe from the ominous stalker ... for while.

Alanna went to live alone in the desert; someone found her there. She traveled to LA, and someone followed her. She shopped at the Mall, and someone was close enough to watch her ... and that someone -- something? is getting closer ...

Part of the investigation is learning about all the members of the strange Hagen family that Alanna had the misfortune to marry into. The memories Alanna has to share are not very clear ... almost as though something was hidden from her.

Having to call to mind all the disgusting tales of the Hagen family is wearing Alanna down. All she'd ever hoped for was a normal life ...

While Alanna continues to relate stories of the Hagen family, the detectives have made yet another gruesome set of discoveries ...

Sleeping the deep sleep of the profoundly traumatized, Alanna is unaware of what is going on beyond the door to her bedroom ...

All but one of her old friends have been found to be dead, Michael is in the hands of her stalker, and another body has been found. Alanna has a deep fear of who it might be ...

In a race against time, Alanna returns in disgust to the Hagen family home to find a key that might save Michael's life.

Alanna gets to chat with a neighbor who also wishes her ex-husband is dead, but also has to deal with the horror that she's still being watched...

Worried about her old friend Katherine, Alanna meets with the cult leader, Brother Georgie, and finds she has to deal with the most horrible memory of all ...

He's a what? A double agent? A spy? A collaborator to a lot of murders? An assassin? Alanna comes to the conclusion that automatic weapons ... and other weapons more obscure are the only answer.

Piles of bodies in the hallway, and the knowledge that the vampires are out there somewhere ... the best part of it all is that Alanna knows it's not her problem ... yet.

The loathsome "Bobby" has words for Alanna, including the two "Vampire" and "minion." What on earth is he talking about?

It's time for Nelson to do some explaining, but the explanation only leaves Alanna with more questions than she ever wanted to ask.

It's about time Alanna heard from Stockwell, and from what he has to say, and how he says it, he's getting what he deserves.

Alanna has had enough and wants answers -- not only from Stockwell before he dies, but also from that yippy little pest Lindsey, who's sending all the wrong signals ...

Time to go meet the lung-shot Stockwell and make sure he tells everything he knows. Alanna can hardly recognize her own life in the revelations of the day.

Alanna has been stalked, her friends murdered, her life ruined. She's out of patience as of years before, and it's time for her to take her fortunes into her own hands ...

Something fishy is going on at the vampire club called Dark Whispers. Too many deaths, too many conflicts, too much ... politics. An alliance has been endangered, and boundaries crossed. It's time to take a closer look...

It's time to prepare for Kenyon's summit meeting -- but the question is, why is he so confident, and how dare he make such a shocking request?

Natasha is full of worries and irritation at the upcoming wedding, which could turn out to be a deadly fiasco -- until she gets a call from a certain someone ...

And if you are a pair of powerful vampires who need to prepare for a rough meeting, a snack or two might be in order ...

Predators abound at nightfall, but only the bright ones are successful.

Not a love match, but a power grab -- that's all the forthcoming wedding is about. Natasha is worried about the outcome, and wonders how Harry and her Master can be so calm.

Kenyon's club, Dark Whispers, is hosting a meeting of vampires and werewolves. Everyone in the room can sense the danger ... except for the humans ...

Kenyon appears in the room looking like a costume ball. Who would have thought he'd dress like such a fool? But wait -- one piece of the outfit makes jaws drop and brows sweat, and the real reason for Kenyon's maneuvering is revealed.

Kenyon, in his outlanding dress and vain parading, has all eyes on him -- maybe he should be keeping more of an eye on his guests ...

The meeting is very important -- the very future of vampires and werewolves hangs in the balance of words and actions to come. What better to break the tension than a quick serving of champagne?

An alliance is being formed between the vampires and werewolves after all ... but not exactly in the way Kenyon had imagined.

Natasha and Harry join the werewolves at their base of operations. Smells like wet dog and magic, Natasha thinks, but she knows Harry and she can take them ...

Annoying as the werewolves can be, vampires can join them against a common cause -- an intruder is about to meet a formidable force!

When a vow is made, the task must be paid. This time a life hung in the balance, and was lost -- will another death bring justice? Or war?

Time to pick up the pieces! Werewolves and vampires working together?

More surprises -- Simon has regrets, and Harry ... oh, Harry ...

If Harry were not there, the jokester with the pink bikini would have been the first meal of the day ...

The mean-spirited prank of dressing Natasha in pink may have more dire consequences than making her look like a six-year-old's Barbie doll ...

Three vampires against a pack of werewolves?

The thrill of running through the night, afraid of no one, beneath a starlit sky -- it's like being a wild creature, formed from the wind and hindered by nothing -- right up until the earth beneath your feet gives way ...

Stuck in a tiger trap, the team of vampires and werewolf are beginning to see the pieces of an unpleasant plan ...

Some deep magic has been summoned, and that summoning is against all that the werewolves and the vampires call rules. Someone is going to have to pay for this.

There is some evidence of very dark and ancient magic in Archer's hideaway ... but Harry also has been around for a long, long time...

Magic, the likes of which Natasha has rarely had to experience, is in the air and the stones and the water of the grotto ... and waiting for her at the exit to the cave...

The scavenger hunt may have been a painful joke, but Archer is close to seeing how successful it was ...

Archer's penchant for magic has assured his house a thorough cleaning ...

If they weren't vampires, you could say that Harry and Natasha have been given a space to breathe, but they don't, so you can't. But they are leaping out of the fire for a late-night snack ...

The first order of business now is to get the magical artifact back where it belongs. Solomon's Fang is a heavy, dangerous weight.

The strangers are there to pick up Solomon's Fang -- but "Daisy" and "Hugh" are not at all who they appear to be ...

Camilla is the puppet master, visiting Harry and Natasha through her minion's mind. But there's something more than an ancient artifact that Camilla is hanging around for ... what can it be?

It's not really the end -- the finding of Solomon's Fang just heralds the beginning of something far greater.

Harry and Natasha witness an astounding change of alliance ...

Kenyon is on the hunt, and Renee has a hiding place, far, far away ... but it's an odd sort of hideout ...

The old house might mean something to Renee, but what it means to the new alliance as a group is -- danger!

Two strange werewolf bands are converging on the hideout, and all the weapons available for protection are from the realm of humanity -- not particularly useful in this situation.

Renee recognizes a voice from her past, and an uppity werewolf is about to learn a bit of a lesson.

Tensions are high, and the vampires must get away from this farm, before the rival werewolves appear again...

After nearly causing a war in Eastern territory, the team heads back to California to see if the smokescreen is working ...

In the foggy dawn, danger approaches from two sides ... but who in their right mind would dare to try to ambush Harry?

Natasha is surprised and chagrined when she sees who is walking in out of the mists ... maybe she shouldn't have grown so attached to Harry ...

Simon has appeared, and some nasty evidence has, too. Harry must keep them safe, but where the hell is he taking them?

The strange sounds in the dark are suddenly resolved ... but the mystery only grows greater!

DB is going to die. The only outstanding question is: What can they get him to say before he does?

Damson has a few words left before he becomes vampire compost ...

Damson Barlow's life is about to end, but he may yet have one more tidbit of information to offer ...

Simon and Harry have things under control right now, but DB, dying slowly, still seems to have some information they need ...

The strange painful process of dissolution has begun. But first, DB must understand what his life actually held ...

The game is afoot -- Kenyon has pulled a disappearing act, hiding his location from werewolves and vampires alike. Bet the powerful Council are going to love this little stunt!

One minute, Natasha is having a snack, and the next, both Harry and Simon are beyond her mental touch -- what's happening?

Witchcraft is in the air, and Natasha can't rely on Harry or Simon to make it all right again. But Harry knows someone who might possibly help ...

Harry has been compromised, which means that the group's ace in the hole was no longer the highest card in the deck. Political intrigue tangles them like a spider's web ...

Cynthia, the rogue vampire from Arizona has begun the opening deal in this little game. She has two Kings in her possession, but she doesn't know that Natasha has some aces up her sleeve ...

Cynthia has come to do battle with Natasha, Harry, and Simon ... but what weaponry does she think she has?

Some kind of ace is up Cynthia's sleeve, and she's counting on it ... in spite of her imminent danger ...

Well, Cynthia escapes her skewering only for find out that tackling Harry, Simon, Renee and Natasha wasn't her only big mistake ...

The witch is about to reveal how the rogue vampire Cynthia slaughtered her way to the top...

While Jasmine chants, the life-forces of the creatures around her begin to change ...

The spell that Jasmine has cast is having a strange and unexpected effect ...

The magic is still in the air, but everyone's focus has changed ...

The night of carnage grows bloodier still, but the magic unleashed is far more disturbing ...

Jasmine's strange magic and some horrible power snatch Natasha from her own life ...

The magical visions continue to show Natasha two brothers' dilemma during the American Civil War.

As Natasha sees the strange visions, she begins to see that the magic stretches far back into the past ...

Charles, in the past, finds his adversary was deserving of his fate, but what of the woman...?

The mysterious woman is still a stranger, but she might be Charles' best hope ...

Charles is about to find out the name of the strange woman who helped him ...

Charles is about to find out more than he wanted to know about his brother Beau ...

Charles has to come to terms with the fact that his brother Beau not only hid his actions from his brother, but also that what Beau did will have far-reaching ramifications ...

Charles has begun to accept the horror that Renee is recounting to him, but the next part of the story is even worse ...

Anger is in the air, an inhuman anger -- one that hates vampires just as much if not more than the human ...

Conclusion. What Renee has done in the past is not yet clear, but what Harry and Simon and Carlos and Marcus do in the present is about to make a big difference to Natasha ...

The setting is the night, the star of this performance is not who his audience thinks he is, and when this curtain rises, what is revealed is a stage for blood ...

Remembering Jerry remembering ... it was a way to pass the night in satisfaction ...

The story of the original Jerry continues, chronicling the last of his life.

The guard knew that Jerry had a particular destiny ...

Done with memories of Jerry, the guard turns to his own ...

Oh, kids, you shouldn't play with matches, or sharp knives ... or angry vampires!

The former vampire prince is on the hunt -- but once again, the hunter has become the hunted.

Jerry, the vampire formerly known as a prince, remembers the circumstances of his capture ...

How true that looks can be deceiving, and how sad that the same is true for members of one's own clan ...

Jerry finds Florida acceptable, even with the occasional iguana, even with the burning memory of that vampire bait ...

Jerry remembers the mistake the Council made when they kidnapped him so many months ago ...

Jerry's neighbor, Edna, enlists him in a search for Mr. Peaches, her poodle.

Jerry has found someone he didn't expect -- a troll -- and begins to wonder at the way plans play out ...

Negotiations with the troll have begun, but something is not quite the way Jerry expects ...

The troll is going to be a help to Jerry, but something else is strange ...

Jerry remembers again the crime against his Mastery ...

Jerry continues to remember with bitterness his incarceration in Michigan long months before.

He had nearly escaped that accursed coffin once, but something unexpected had happened ...

Jerry had no problem with making use of Tricia, but frankly, the troll was more pleasant company ...

After all his vampire years, Jerry has seen it all -- although there are some sights that make him wish he could bleach his brain ...

Tricia has become his mind slave, but Jerry is the one who is trapped in this unsavory meeting...

How odd that Jerry has fed off Tricia's blood, but now finds that he must feed her if he wants her continued compliance.

Once again Jerry is trapped in a mire of disgust, loathing spending time alone with the vulgar and sex-crazed Tricia.

The creature of darkness, the former Master of a city, the immortal drinker of lifeblood ... is so grossed out he can hardly wait for this trip to end...

Tricia is the bait to lure Celina to the front door, but can Jerry make it through the back of the house in time for the capture?

Drinking deeply from Celina's veins, Jerry discovers something very interesting in the thoughts that pour from her mind...

The months of torture, the humiliation, the loss of all that he had -- Jerry is ready to pay Celina back in the worst possible way ...

Charged with vampiric power, Jerry slowly allows Celina to understand her peril.

Suddenly Celina knows that the tables have turned, and the vampire she once tortured and laughed at has her in his power...

Too many people in the neighborhood -- and at least two too many police ...

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Night has fallen, and it's time for Jerry to pay a visit to his new acquisition, and dish out to her some of what was served to him in the past ...

There was a reason the Vampire Council would have been smarter to have killed this vampire Jerry Cooper ... and Celina is finding what that reason was.

Battered, burnt, and nearly truly dead, Celina still holds on to a misguided hope of freedom from Jerry's grasp. But now we come to what Jerry really wants to know ...

Celina is ready to talk, ready to answer Jerry's questions -- but not truthfully, not even when threatened with death.

Jerry's next step is to get a certain troll some take-out ...

Jerry has a box lunch for his ally the troll, but what will they talk about over this dinner?

The long night is ending, and Jerry must find a place to escape the sunlight. And what an odd place he finds ...

Who is this woman, and why is she so unafraid?

Does the former Master dare to create a new fledgling, especially when the power needed to do so will alert every other vampire in the region to his whereabouts?

Jerry continues to perform the forbidden ritual with Julia.

Last chapter of "The Building." Jerry sees his next victim helpless before him.

Ah, the story hasn't completely ended yet -- there is still unfinished business on this vampire's agenda ...

Jerry begins his preparation to stalk Ben, hoping for sweet, sweet revenge.

Jerry is about to embark upon a change -- but how difficult will it be with the new fledgling, so unsure of herself, at his side?

Step by step, Jerry begins construction of a new identity ...

The bottom-feeding forger has no idea that he's about to try to cheat a vampire, one who needs less excuse than that to exact a bloody retribution...

The blinded vampire, Ben Richland, cannot perceive the passionate Jerry as he stalks Ben, hungering for his death ... and revenge.

When the power is out, and a hurricane approaches, wasting time cursing and arguing is foolish -- especially when two vampires are watching you, hungrily...

The vampires have their reconnaissance spot picked out, but two of the dumbest humans in Florida don't want to give it up. What's a vampire to do?

Checklist: Moves faster than a human can track, has fangs, and wants blood. Can it really be a vampire?

The storm builds more fiercely than anyone had predicted. Jerry's plans to waylay and destroy Ben may be blown away by a hurricane ...

Julia has only been a vampire for a matter of hours -- it's time for her Master to teach her some skills ...

The winds and rain lash the island, but it isn't just the hurricane coming that has the air scented with fear and blood ...

Coconuts fly through the air like cannonballs with the hurricane winds, and even a vampire's life is in danger. But the vampire fledgling Julia has a quick lesson to learn ...

Julia gets her first opportunity to teach a thug a well-deserved lesson ... Do you think he'll do well in school the next day?

Dinner has been served! And now that the vampires have dined, it's time for dessert. Perhaps something sweet ... like revenge?

Lying in wait for Ben, the vampire and his new creation hear disturbing thoughts in the air ...

Suddenly not as powerful as she thought, Julia struggles with her lost humanity, understanding at last the price of her change.

Ben Richland is walking into an ambush, but he's more wary of his appointed visitor than of his surroundings ...

What is the history between the Vampire Council's messenger and Ben Richland? Jerry is nearly ready to put his own history on hold in order to find out ...

Jerry, observing the banter and flirtation of Ben and Leonardo, wonders if the ritual that drained their powers also may have drained their wits ...

And now we know the Vampire Council's concern ... and now Ben is glad for the news and horrified by its implications.

Now let a powerful Vampire Master show you what he can do ...

And just like that, what was once a Vampire Council envoy is now the opportunity for a midnight snack ...

Jerry pays a price for his method of controlling the Vampire Council envoy -- being swept away by a river of blood ...

Jerry is drawn again and again by blood, into the memories of Benjamin and Leonardo.

His two enemies captured and in his power, Jerry takes them to his warehouse, hoping to make them into the next take-out meal for the troll ...

His two captives have some serious conflict in their shared past -- Jerry must travel back in their memories to learn what it is...

Lenny and Ben's first conflict is revealed, as the Vampire Master forces their memories decades into the past ...

Helpless and doomed, Ben Richland still hasn't understood the depth of Jerry's hatred for him and his desire for revenge.

There is information Jerry wants to get from Ben, but after years of plotting revenge, there's just so little time left for torture ...

Jerry Cooper, Master Vampire, has captured an old enemy. He wants answers before he kills him, but a vampire is not above playing with his prey ...

Which is more furious, the winds of the hurricane, or Ben Richland, who in spite of being trapped, still thinks that he's the better vampire?

Is a hurricane really this destructive, or has Jerry inadvertently set loose some elemental magic? His fledgling, Julia, seems to think the storm might be a problem ...

Maybe Ben Richland would rather die than talk, but dismemberment -- now that could produce another story entirely.

The strong ties between Ben and Leonardo could cause some trouble -- but Jerry must find a solution, because there's information to be squeezed out of both of them.

Aha, so there is something that the Vampire Council's toady actually does fear ...

Jerry Cooper has two vampires captive, and he wants some answers from them ... and Jerry Cooper has no qualms at all about using any means necessary to get his information. In fact, the more painful the confessions, the more enjoyment for him.

The amazing thing is that even though he's been drained of powers, manhandled, nearly drained of blood, tied up, silenced, paralyzed, and well and truly threatened, Ben Richland is still full of arrogance because he thinks he's dealing with some feeble upstart. Think he'll ever figure this one out?

Bound together in spirit form by the Master vampire's illegal spell, Leonardo and Ben must face questions they would rather not answer ...

At last the threat of true death has become real to the two trapped vampires, but even Jerry's dark heart will be affected by what he's about to hear ...

Conclusion. Having learned the source of his betrayal, Jerry must decide what to do with the vampires he has captured ...

Malaria has been eradicated from the face of the earth! Not to mention tuberculosis and the plague! And gravity, too, so you never have to worry about falling down again! Why do they allow stupid people to have passports?

Nothing like a pre-monsoonal heat wave and a complete idiot to add color to a tour group ...

Emma has nothing to fear from cameramen, but a local healer-woman is another story entirely.

Recognized somehow by the local healer-woman, Emma realizes that pretending to be human is more of a pain than she thought it would be.

Trudging through the rainforest, Emma comes upon a seemingly abandoned structure -- that is far more than rocks and moss...

The inscriptions on the walls are too obvious to mistake the meaning of the darkened areas around the altar in the disused temple. This is not a good place for Emma -- but then, where is?

Emma's trip to Indonesia has been a bit on the weird side, with blood-smeared temple walls and a healer-woman muttering spells ... but it's about to get stranger still ...

Great way to escape a chatty old lady -- or is it?

A note from Uncle Harry is a welcome promise of escape, but from what, Emma still doesn't know -- and doesn't want to find out!

Emma has her plane reservation ready, her traveling case in hand, and she's eager to get back to what she thinks of as normal. Something else may have other ideas ...

At last, a bit of normality, and maybe even a drive to the airport unaccompanied by an evil meat puppet ...

The memory of her trip to Indonesia hasn't faded ... because there's a link there to the latest mischief Emma has stirred up ...

Emma does some research into mines, but it's not gold or silver she's hunting ...

Deep beneath the Michigan landscape, the salt mines remain cool and clean ... but Emma worries about teleporting into them -- the maps are none too accurate ...

Emma brings Uncle Harry up to speed on her research into the salt mines of Detroit, but still hesitates to explain why she's so drawn to them ...

Were the salt mines of Detroit a clean, safe workplace, or did they harbor something that could eat a man's soul?

Emma, awaiting the arrival of Uncle Harry's favorite werewolf, muses about diaries, and her own past.

Emma reflects on her strange lack of personal origins ...

Remembering her adoptive parents' funeral, Emma recalls her numbness, and growing cynicism about the people around her.

While Emma tries to come to terms with her parents' deaths, merciless monsters stalk her -- both supernatural and human.

Grief dulls her, and rampant disrespectful news crews disgust her, but something in Emma's life is going to change her from the inside out ...

Emma seeks to escape her grief by sleeping, but not only are there rude news-people in her front yard, there are even rude people in her dream ...

Stalked in real life, stalked in her dreams, Emma is running out of any shred of patience ...

Why would a figment of Emma's imagination be so persistently annoying? A dreamboat he's not...

Emma has provoked the young man beyond reason, and punched him in the nose. Why not smack a vampire silly if it's all a dream?

Still believing she is stuck in an irritating dream, Emma meets someone interesting, and the "dream" becomes a lot less irritating ...

Esmeralda -- Emma -- is confronted by Master Vampire Harry, who is charming, handsome, reassuring ... and just as unbelievable.

Telekinetic abilities and vampires are easy enough for Emma to dismiss in the wake of her adoptive parents' deaths, but the reality waiting outside her home is something truly distasteful ... and maybe dangerous ...

Something stalks Emma ... what is it? A TV reporter, perhaps? One about to get his comeuppance?

The menacing voice has Emma trapped in her house -- can it really not enter? But even if it can't, can it starve her out?

The time has come for Emma to say goodbye to her past, and take her place in the world -- the supernatural world, that is.

And now that you know you can use this trick to avoid one danger, why not use it again...?

Seriously, did Penny just think Emma was going to sit there in the car and smile as it was being smashed on the highway?

Emma is ready to read an encyclopedia and a score card to keep track of all the supernatural creatures she's learned about in the past 48 hours ...

Is leaving a wake of catastrophe Emma's newly-found birthright?

When one door closes, another opens, they say. The door to Emma's past has closed, but she's finding more doors than she was looking for...

Exhausted by trying to come to grips with a world of supernatural beings, Emma knows the next step has got to be ... lunch with a werewolf?

The memory of first meeting Harry hasn't unearthed many clues, though it has brought a sense of comfort. But lying in a dirty cave, Emma must examine her life more deeply to find a solution...

Preparing for Riley the Werewolf's visit, Emma goes shopping -- and as usual, trouble is hot on her heels...

Emma's life is so complicated that an evening with a werewolf is -- almost -- relaxing...

A blizzard is building, but the storm worries Emma less than what might happen to her underground...

Is Emma's knack for telekinesis natural, or is it magic? No one knows for sure, and Emma is worried about the connection between magic and salt, not to mention the accuracy of her maps.

A Michigan blizzard snows Emma and Riley in, so they should be safe from intruders, but something else is stalking them -- in the snow and from the past.

A snow plow driver with a camera? During a blizzard? Something isn't quite right with that, and Emma isn't about to ask questions close up...

Emma is drawn to trouble nearly as much as trouble is drawn to her. That might be why the old miner's journal whets her appetite for exploration...

What could possibly make a werewolf so angry? Emma is about to find out that it wasn't because she didn't pack a chew toy for him...

What was once to be an outing born of curiosity is now laced with dread...what scares a werewolf?

Riley needs to cough up some werewolf knowledge if he's to keep Emma from making an impulsive leap...

Riley has left, in search of his werewolf contacts. With the blizzard still raging, Emma is forced to wait -- and wonder where Riley went.

Well, Riley has some answers for Emma -- but they aren't about the questions she asked...

Unlike Riley, Gordon is actually willing to tell Emma something about her salt caves, mistakenly thinking he could convince her to turn away from her quest...

Gordon is one smooth-talking werewolf...but his information leads to a very rough decision.

Emma finds yet another obstacle to her expedition -- and this one brings out her worst...

The fey creature Star has pushed Emma's buttons big time, being both irritating...and scary.

Emma is on her way at last -- maybe even a little more quickly than she wants...

As Emma rides in the backseat, she has less and less patience with the fey Star, who seems to have her own agenda with the werewolves.

Through snow and darkness, the descent is about to begin...

Watch your step -- the first one's a doozy!

In all the worry about what creatures might be found below the earth, Emma and her werewolf pals haven't taken into consideration what the mine itself might do ...

All alone, Emma makes her way along the enchanted tunnel...wait -- what's that sound?

If you tread forbidden ground, and open forbidden doors, why be surprised at what you find?

Face to face with a dangerous creature right out of mythology, Emma needs to keep her wits about her if she wants to search the dragon's hoard.

Time is running out for Emma to get back to the portal, but wait, was that the plan all along?

A gift for Sapphire has beguiled the dragon, but what is it that derails a nice conversation?

Four more visitors enter the dragon's cave! Were they invited over for breakfast?

The evil Fey Star has become nothing more than a green-misted belch, but how will the Gatekeeper react to Esmeralda's unauthorized entry into his prisons?

Wait, the dragon Sapphire was wrong? Has Emma's trip into the salt mines under Detroit been for nothing?

This is what Emma has come all this way to see -- but not who...

The face in the wall, a face Emma has seen before -- can the Gatekeeper tell who carved it?

Whatever took over the Gatekeeper's body is gone, and anyway, Emma has three loyal werewolves to protect her...maybe...

The face on the wall is older than you'd think a smiley could be, and Emma's finding out that where this face comes from, a smile is not what you want to see...

Four werewolves, a dragon, a blood-sucking spirit, and a young lady walk into a cave...no, it's not the beginning of a joke. Far, far from it!

Never bend down and put your face next to a deranged semi-werewolf...

Uncle Harry has brought in reinforcements, but the creature possessing Stefan still has its sights on Emma. Can the werewolves control it?

With a big, overprotective werewolf, on her side, as well as Uncle Harry the Master Vampire, and Parrot, the vicious devourer of -- well, anything -- Emma is finally safe. Unless something else shows up...

The time is approaching for Emma to leave the mines, but how can she leave without the answer to her questions?

The Gatekeeper's madness isn't the only danger in the mines -- nor are the monsters.

The prison in the mine is a corridor between worlds, worlds that have sealed horrors into the walls. Harry has to find a way out of the prison -- without Riley's hair-trigger temper getting them killed.

Harry, Riley and Emma have found a great lake in the underground prison. Is it the way out?

In the hallucination-like rock festival of death, Emma sees a human gone wrong -- with no sense of direction, how long will she last before one of the creatures decides to make her a lunch?

In the maze of tunnels in the magical prison, only one thing is on Emma's mind -- to get out of there.

Out of the mines and back into the frigid Michigan winter! Unfortunately, Uncle Harry appears to have forgotten where he was parked...

Having the dragon show up outside the mines was a surprise, but what she has to say is far more shocking.

Out of the mines at last, Emma is about to embark on another leg of her long trek.

Emma finds herself in the dubious hands of a chauffeur who makes her wonder if he's evil, or just plain stupid...

Emma is not about to relinquish the sword of Domenico Rosso to the care of random luggage handlers. How will she keep her treasure safe?

And now we bring you back to Emma's present predicament -- and nothing from the memories of the salt mines is giving her any hope at all...

Life has been as normal as it gets for Emma, so a little side trip to check out another cave couldn't hurt, right?

A pile of treasure isn't nearly as interesting as who's lurking in the dark with it...

Another dragon -- will this one prove to be as friendly as Sapphire was?

It's amazing enough to meet one chatty dragon in a lifetime -- but two of them?

There are dragons, and then there are dragons...but a trap is a trap is a trap.

Something is not right, even beyond being trapped in an enchanted cave. Emma's time is running out...

Emma is trapped, and escape hasn't been successful...is death close? Or worse?

Pieces fall into place, but still not enough for Emma to know who it was who set the trap for her...

Saved by the appearance of the dangerous being Parrot, Emma is sent to examine her memory of a play-date with a werewolf...

Emma continues to mull over a memory of a day when she didn't think to ask the right questions...

Conclusion. Saved by the vicious creature known as Parrot, Emma finds herself in need of another rescue...

What some call 'fairy tales,' others call 'major nuisances' -- and they're more real than you would like to think...

Ruby Galloway is one hot mama, turning heads and getting attention all the time. Unfortunately the other thing she does all the time is get herself in deep trouble...

Whatever it is that Ruby got involved in, she can't even talk about it until she's drunk...

As if skin-walkers weren't enough, something else even more sinister arrived...

Something is not right with Ruby, but Delilah still has a job to do...and her boss seems to be out of touch.

There's a troll that has got to go -- Delilah has no qualms about taking a bounty for getting rid of him...

While she waits for Lenny to get over himself, Delilah lets herself fall into memories...

Remembering her youth, Delilah finds that her memories only make her hate trolls more...

Now let's return to Delilah and the troll: a people-eating troll, we might add...

Delilah knows how to deal with a troll, you better believe it...

While Delilah cools her heels in the klink, she remembers the last time she got jailed for troll-killing...

There's a way to survive being unfairly jailed, and Delilah knows all the turns...

Even if your savior is an idiot, it's great to be out of jail...

Ruby is a disaster waiting to happen...is a bar the best idea at this point?

Ruby, in one of her past pecadilloes, was infected with the blood of a Vermillion Court vampire. And while she herself isn't a vampire, can it really be any kind of a good idea for her to get staggering drunk?

Delilah has to seriously think about what her friendship with Ruby could do to them both -- Ruby's connection with a clan of vampires could put them in the middle of a war...

Something may be after Ruby, but something worse could happen if Delilah gets caught in Ruby's house...

Tripping in the old church, Delilah stumbles onto a tale of an ancient conflict...

Delilah is being told a fairy tale -- about trolls living in harmony? Yep, that's got to be a fairy tale all right. To Delilah, trolls are only for killing...

The story of the naming ceremony flows on, with the king unaware that the sons to whom he will entrust his legacy are not his at all...

In the tale told to Delilah, the three naming-seers have come to the end of their cleverness...

Delilah continues to be shown a strange history -- one that becomes more horrific as it unwinds...

Oh, what a gruesome path greed, laziness, and deceit lead a seer down...

The newly-named trolls, Matt and Bob, take a walk to get away from the traumatized court ... but to where?

The princes are frozen between the worlds, while the worlds themselves are beginning to crumble...

The two troll princes are trapped in an odd dimension, and the gods see that their imprisonment is tearing the world apart. Is it time to act?

Welcome back, Lydia Manx, and the ongoing adventures of Delilah Monroe, who is armed to the teeth, and ready to rumble right into trouble again...

A luminous man who can read thoughts -- is he a god in some dimension? And what does he want with Delilah?

It's a great trick for Edwin to take over Jeff the cat's body...but what can a cat do in a troll hunt, and why can't Edwin do this task himself?

Jeff the cat inhabited by Eddie the demi-god may be the key to finding out what Ruby has been up to with her dark magic...

Is she really a friend if she rifled through your suitcase to find a way to cast a spell...and is the spell actually what she said it was?

Ruby has been caught by her lies and they are killing her. But being betrayed by the council might be the least of Delilah's problems...

Eddie the demi-god has revealed some awe-inspiring powers, but there's something oddly naive about him...

Eddie the demi-god is entirely too fascinated by California culture. Delilah's first hurdle is getting him back on task...

Against all normal odds, Delilah and Eddie the demi-god have stumbled upon the banished trolls and witches. Now what?

Delilah has somehow managed to find the four creatures from another dimension for Eddie. But just finding them wasn't going to be enough...

Eddie the demi-god has some sort of agenda regarding the four persons he's been hunting. But it's unclear what he's up to -- is he helping them or is he out to get them?

The two witches are in deep trouble -- what will happen when the boy-trolls are added to the mix?

And why were the trolls and witches so disrespectful to their demi-god Eddie? Do they actually know something he doesn't?

What looked to be a major battle between the witches and the demi-god gets derailed fast when Delilah's best friend walks through the door...

With Sam back in Delilah's life, things are a little less dangerous...but there are still questions without answers...

You have to hand it to those wicked girls -- they just don't give up...

Conclusion. Delilah is a Hunter, and she has followed her quarry to the end. But what end do they deserve?

From weirdness in the past to a differently flavored weirdness in the present, Sammy is about to pass through an office door that leads to...

Sammy saw enough weirdness back in West Virginia for a lifetime. And yet the weird seems to find him wherever he is...

Sammy's got the new night job, but who have we here? Lindy? Oh, man, what's she doing here?

Being holed up in an abandoned house with a herd of zombies after you is bad enough -- but zombies are zombies, after all. Things could get worse...

In the "safe room," Lindy and Dean are about as safe as they can be in a town full of zombies and gun-toting nutjobs -- but they still need to get away...

It looks like Lindy and Dean got away from being the next zombie lunch, but something's wrong out there, and then, like an ill omen, someone else showed up...

So Sammy has a background in theft, and Lindy has recognized him. Maybe the zombie apocalypse made Florida's iguanas and alligators look a lot more appealing...

There's a reason Sammy is kind of a dopey kid -- you don't grow wise and productive from being slapped around. But is this new job going to be any better for him?

Lindy remembers how she and Dean narrowly escaped the zombie attack and the militia's massacre, and what came next...

Lindy was trying to escape the zombie invasion, but Dean was less than helpful...

Sammy continues to wander back in memories...

The media has finally come to admit that there's something to this story about zombies...but they're not very forthcoming about what to do about it if you're just a kid...

Lindy recounts meeting Sammy in zombie-infected West Virginia...

Lindy and Dean met Sammy and Ginny in an otherwise deserted town. The rest of the population has fled the zombie outbreak -- but how can this foursome survive?

Sammy is fairly adept at liberating -- stealing -- what they need, especially a camera for eyes on the misshapen world. But there's danger inside as well as out there...

Back then, Dean was getting crazier and crazier. When will he snap and turn himself over to the vigilantes and zombies?

Dean is just about as spaced out as they come, and Ginny must keep him together. So it's up to Lindy to take charge, and Sammy to take orders. How do you think that's going to work out?

So Lindy is a retired zombie hunter. Nothing like a career choice that makes you have to lock yourself away to sleep safely! How did it come to this?

Sammy has blown the head off the zombie that used to be his cousin Leon, and Lindy has smiled her way out of an encounter with the murderous vigilantes. Surely their road is all downhill from here...

More zombies ... and now the mercenaries know that Lindy and her crew know about the zombies, too. Is Sammy's hideout going to be safe enough?

Oh, joy, Uncle Scott brought his own provisions with him...

Uncle Scott's idea of dealing with the end of normal civilization was to get blind stinking drunk. Is it possible for Lindy to shoot both him and Dean and get off the mountain and out of the snow and zombies?

It doesn't take long for Sammy's world to crash into Lindy's -- and what makes people scream in the night...

Blood and screams from a hazardous spill site? Clean up on Aisle 10 has never been harder...

Something's amiss outside the sleep clinic -- how could so much supernatural mayhem find a couple of survivors from the zombie attack in West Virginia?

Lindy and Sammy have thrown their lot in with Grant, and is that the wisest thing they could do? Oh, hell, no...

Zombies in the past, werewolves in the present...and the future holds some kind of...what the hell are those things?

Talking birds that can hear your thoughts? Whose side are they on, anyway? And how did Sammy and Lindy end up on somebody's side to begin with?

Something strange is going on. Lani's friend Elisa, normally so charming, has a new man in her life and she's begun acting very strangely. Lani's starting to have grave misgivings about this girl's night out. Part one of four.

Elisa has always been one of Lani's favorite friends, but this new man of hers is beyond sleazy. Those clothes, those mannerisms, that van -- ugh. If this wasn't Elisa's birthday next week, Lani would be out of here. What's going on that Elisa can't see what's happening to her?

Elisa's birthday is next week and she's calling in a favor: she wants Lani to come to her new hangout and meet her new friends. But Lani is less than thrilled with all of it: the sleazy boyfriend, the over-the-top man-cave van, and especially, the weird vibe coming from Elisa...

Elisa's new friends include the owner of the trendy Goth club she has insisted on dragging Lani along to. A special invitation to the private party in the back proves to be the final straw, but has Lani decided to put her foot down too late? Part 4 of 4.

Those bloodsucking scoundrels down at the Dark Whispers club are at it again, and this time the menu is a little more exclusive: Lilac Lake, daughter of Petra Lake -- yes, that Petra Lake -- is about to enter a world where the paparazzi are the least of her troubles. Part one of two. (Originally appeared 2004-12-18)

Department of Homeland Security? Vampire hunter? Whoever Kirk Grady is, all he's going to end up as is Cassandra's next hot lunch. Perhaps with a little assistance from Harry, one of her most trusted acquaintances. Provided Harry's not too busy tracking that troublesome human Lani, that is...

People are talking, but Cassandra is not getting the answers she wants. Did her old friend kill Cassandra's loathsome cousin, or not? And what could possibly strike fear into the heart of a vampire?

Cassandra and her long-time friend, Harry, clean up after dinner.

It's a long walk back from the scene of the latest feed, giving Cassandra plenty of time to lose herself in thought and contemplate her relationship with Harry.

Cassandra comes home to find a 'gift' on her front doorstep -- and something very disturbing inside...

An unsolicited videotape finally answers the question of what happened to Cassandra's semi-cousin Greg...

Vampires aren't the only monsters on film -- what is Lani really up to?

It's not that Cassandra is upset that Greg is dead, it's that someone else got to him first...

Kenyon still doesn't know what happened in Greg's van, and that's a good thing. Now, what does Kirk Grady, boy Homeland Security Idiot, know, and how did he get information?

Cassandra is feeling invaded. First Greg shows up again in her world. Then Kenyon thinks that he's calling her shots. Lani breaks into her home with her schemes of revenge. Now what?

Time to find out what the Department of Homeland Security thinks it knows.

The interrogation of Harry's pet human is taking a strange turn...

Harry's agent is almost worthless in his fear, but Cassandra is more worried about the vampire Morgan moving into her territory...

Cassandra is attracting way too much attention from some people that it's best not to be noticed by. Even an experienced vampire thinks twice when asked to join a master for the hunt.

Looks like that human Kirk has been trying to serve two masters. Harry and Cassandra play along...

Kirk, under orders, is bringing Harry and Cassandra to the lair of the ancient vampire Morgan. What has brought Morgan to invade their territory?

Kirk Grady poked his nose into business that was none of his own, and that is how he came to his end. Too bad, Kirk. But what is Morgan really up to?

Jasmine is not actually human, but has a need for Morgan's help. (*Note the rating: not for kids.*)

Cassandra's got other toys besides her fangs to make Jackson's last moments memorable...

With a fresh body in the basement, can Morgan usher them safely out of his lover's house once again?

Apparently the medium Jasmine is more than just Morgan's flavor of the week, but finding out exactly what will have to wait.

Photos from New Year's Eve proove valuable for more than just trashing the reputation of folk who irritate Cassandra.

Just how deep is this mess Cassandra is finding herself embroiled in? There are too many sets of eyes watching her movements, and not all of them are human ...or even vampire.

The bodies are piling up, and suddenly, even for a vampire who likes vampires, there is just about standing room only...

Angry living. Angry undead. And very, very angry dead. There are simply too many people in Cassandra's living room...

Conclusion. Things are getting too hot. Too many deaths, too many high level vampires bickering. Cassandra and Harry need to wade out of this mess, and woe to anyone who stands in their way.

Once again, Lydia Manx drops us into her wicked world of the supernatural, right into Bethany's chaotic carnage...

After a muzzy kind of waking up, Bethany begins to remember more clearly what the breaking news is reporting...

Bethany has allowed herself to be kidnapped -- but that's really no description for what she has in mind...

When Bethany has her hands full, it doesn't mean she's merely busy...

Bethany continues her vampiric hunt in the foggy darkness...

This is why you never provoke an already irritable vampire...

Think of it as supernatural liposuction for the too-fat underbelly of crime...

Even as Karl's lifeless body dangles in the night, the bad guys can't believe that Bethany is...wait...a worse guy?

Not only are these thugs evil, they're awfully stupid...

Four taken care of, four to go...

Down to three of the scumbags left, and who knew what would happen?

Last man standing is the boss of that ugly gang, and Bethany still has some business with him...

Bethany gets to psychologically explore the life of a sociopath...

Having made a messy confetti of Bob, Bethany must move on to the next task...

Time to stop fighting, right? Bethany recounts the end of her night's work...

Although Bethany seemed to have got away with her brand of street justice, a couple of people already know what she did...

Bethany has enlisted a companion for her meeting with the mysterious Davy. Wouldn't you know the escort would show up stoned?

Barely a day has passed since Bethany passed her vigilante judgment, but now she's headed for the more luxurious end of the spectrum...

Bethany is about to find out who Davy really is. Drum roll, please...

If Harry is worried, maybe everyone should be worried, too...

So Harry thinks that some West Coast vampires are out of control, and that there are too few real Masters. Is Bethany part of a solution or part of the problem?

Is it a kind of dance of power, or a hand of cards being played very close..?

Bethany has kept her secret for a long time. One wrong move and she'll reveal what will mean an automatic death sentence...

Vampires don't like witches. Vampires are not thrilled by werewolves. In fact, vampires rarely even like each other. What on earth is Harry up to?

The loud, rude, and over-perfumed woman is about to learn a permanent lesson about annoying a couple of busy vampires...

Much to Bethany's chagrin, Harry Adkison knows all about her secret house, and in one short day, has made some fundamental changes to it...

Conclusion. Bethany's rampage was fierce, but will it be paled by the Vampire Council's plans?

The story "Bohemian Morning" continues in this serial, with Bethany still making waves...

Bethany has teamed up with some seriously dark supernaturals, and they don't seem to like her any more than she likes them...

Having established her supremacy over the witch and the werewolf, Bethany still has to keep an eye on Harry...

At first Bethany thought she was the problem, but here's Harry, hanging around with creatures forbidden by the Council...

There are so many powerful supernatural creatures in the room, Bethany would be in bigger trouble if a fight broke out. Can she keep her mouth shut?

Facing the prospect of annihilation, the room of supernaturals still needs to do a meet and greet...

Harry has orchestrated a meeting of strange supernatural beings to let them know of the Council's plans...

A wildly disparate group of supernatural beings -- and Caleb the Surfer. And suddenly, two of the gang discover that they know of a certain place in common...

Bethany is enlisted to help Harry gather more information -- even though it seems at times like he knows everything, but in the background, something odd is up with the witch Jasmine...

Something is really wrong with Jasmine, and it's happening at the worst possible time...

A certain vampire has information about the Council, but it looks like only Bethany has the background to meet him...

There's enough power among this group to cause real havoc, but can it be controlled enough to help them?

Time for Jasmine to explain just what is going on with her...

Jasmine opens up about what is going on inside her...oh, wait, that's not Jasmine...

Jasmine has been secretly -- and sometimes not to secretly -- dabbling in witchcraft too deep to be safe...

Harry's secrets are about to be revealed -- some of them, at least...

The war begins...

As the creatures of mass destruction near the house, Bethany and Harry set out their plan...

A plan has been made, but what of the plans of the attackers?

Someone unseen has killed Eddie the moment he stepped out the door. The rest are trapped in the house...

Harry has seen enough of Bethany's abilities to know where her true value lies...

Caleb's first glimpse of a werecat delights his inquiring mind, but it's going to take magic -- big magic -- to subdue the beast...

The creatures are caged and helpless -- helpless to get out, but that doesn't mean they're safe to touch...

Valerie has been badly injured, and Morgan and Jasmine are exhausted. Now it's mostly in Harry's hands...

The masked creature, thwarted twice, now has questions to answer...

The warrior is obviously trapped, but there's something off about him, like he has something in reserve...

Removing the talisman from the warrior's ankle seems to have removed his power, but how long before there's no power left at all?

Valerie, attacked by the crone-witch, has been destroyed by the spell. The defenders are down another player...

Marie Rose, the crone-witch, has been delusional all her life. But what has motivated her to this horrible attack?

The caged prisoners were beaten. But some unknown spell washed through the cellar, and nearly destroyed them all. Where is the source?

Bethany's removal of Kenyon's tracking magic may work, but there's barely any time left to spare...

Conclusion. The first battle has been won, and Bethany is safe for the moment. Where Harry will put her in harm's way again is yet to be seen...

Poem

"...We choose our demons with our needs..."

poem

Poem

Evening comes to mind, with anticipation of tiny lights in the air...

Poem.

Poem

Poem

Poem

Poem

Blank verse. The faces we present to the world do not always show the turbulence beneath.

From the revitalized beat movement in Michigan, free verse showing the harsher side of Woman's relationship with Desire.

The start of a love affair in blank verse.

Poetry for a dark and stormy night, from "The Chicken Poetry."

Free verse.

Free verse

Dawn looks different to night creatures.

What secret is around the next corner?

A storm intrudes upon a night's sleep.

That pre-dawn moment, just before the journey begins.

Poem.(Originally aired 06-19-2004)

Poem. Originally appeared 2004-10-23.

A new season, a new heart.

The poetry of vampires.

...Stop giving me those looks from afar; The time is gone for the moment ...

Sketched on the back patio, Leaves dappling the chalk art...

... Trails of caresses still touching my skin
Even with the distance of miles and time ...

"...Answers are there to see..."

"...Senseless violence of our species, echoes of primal paths..."

"The distance I picked was not far enough..."

A poem for Autumn...

Unknown

Cover story

Cover story

Opinion

Cover story.

Walking through the tree lot, stomping in the puddles littered with real pine needles in a drenching Southern California winter rain; these are the memories that define Christmas.

Some of my earliest memories are of walking along the beaches of California with my grandfather. The briny smell of the ocean mixed with the heavy scent of driftwood burning in the distance while walking along the beach with my grandfather make up a piece of my childhood's memory landscape. We would visit and he would take us kids down to the pier in Seal Beach on his daily walks and talk to the men dropping their lines off the jetty. As a card carrying Irishman he had the tales to tell. He would chat the fishermen out of their catch. Smoking his cigar and gesturing he slowly he began, "Hey, boy, you think your wife wants to cook that little bit of fish?"

Lydia Manx takes us along on a visit to the restaurant "Il Fornaio" for some Italian fare and beautiful views.

Staff Writer Lydia Manx gets the movie-going bug and tells us what she thought of "Hellboy 2" and "Mamma Mia!"

Staff writer Lydia Manx has some words for readers.

Introducing a new category this week: Rough Times Café. Ideas for surviving in an uncertain economy.

Even though the Piker Press Staff didn't tackle Zombies this August, Lydia Manx finds herself drawn to a book about them ... Jane Austen and Zombies?

Lydia Manx relates her trip to Australia -- through the words of other people, told in the books, "One for the Road" by Tony Horwitz, and "The Explorers" by Tim Flannery.

Lydia Manx explores two southern steakhouses and explains which one to drool about.

Lydia Manx shares with our readers her views on the books she borrowed this past year.

Lydia Manx reviews the book "The Eden Paradox" by Barry Kirwan.

Lydia Manx takes time out from her vampire series and reads "Henderson the Rain King" by Saul Bellow.

Lydia Manx reads and reviews the memoir "West with the Night," by Beryl Markham.

Lydia Manx reviews Barry Kirwan's second book in the Eden Trilogy: science fiction thriller "Eden's Trial."

Lydia Manx reviews the book, soon to be a movie, "The Lost City of Z."

Pete Fornatale takes readers on a trip back through time to the spectacle that was Woodstock.

Vampire writer Lydia Manx avoids the sunlight by seeing "Dracula Untold" in IMAX.

Barry Kirwan takes his readers on a thrilling science fiction journey in the fourth novel of his Eden series -- "Eden's Endgame."

A gag gift ends up on Lydia Manx's "Desperate Reads" bookshelf...

Short

What was supposed to be fun evening at the club has turned into an involuntary adventure at what it's like to be dead. After a run-in with vampires, spirit mediums and vengeful dead, this ghost is about to learn that the underbelly of the city just gets seamier when you cross over to the other side.

The past is viewed through the lens of the act of remembering itself, as a quiet child in a large and noisy family learns to take mental snap shots and hide them away.

Rachel is suffering from a strange malady. Cramping muscles, tormented dreams that bleed over into her waking hours until she cannot be sure what's real. How can this be happening to her? And how is it that she keeps seeing ...him? *Parental Advisory*

Release from pain, a happy haze of comfort. That's all Trina can ask for any more. That, and to watch what lies outside her window ...

Missed the bus, missed the field trip -- but there is one thing that this kid knows about what to do when life seems more serious and sad than it should ...

blurb

Another town, just like the ones the wagon had passed by before, all the same, all filled with broken dreams and weary travelers too tired to keep on going. Who is to say what lead people to settle in this one?

A stranger joins Jenny at her campfire. At long last Jenny has met someone to talk to, someone who seems to have a strength and serenity that Jenny seriously envies.

Conclusion. Johnny is all ready to give his family the beatings he thinks they deserve from his big hands. But one little woman with a piece of green firewood is going to change his way of thinking -- forever.

Vampire fiction Staff Writer Lydia Manx brings us some remembered images of the holiday season, and a little bit of crazy cheer.

Wait a minute! What happened to California weather in the winter of '06 - '07???

Looking at the calendar I couldn't believe it was already February. Where had the time gone? It seemed like only yesterday I had been out at my mom's tapping her jugular. How time flies!

Join Lydia Manx in her kitchen as she prepares her family's traditional St. Patrick's Day feast!

If you're going to play at office politics, you had better know just who you're meddling with. Some people have talents the company relies on, and satisfaction in the workplace is priceless.

The nightmares are never going to go away, Harry. Is it the lonely nature of your vampire life, or the memories of what might have been from when you were still human?

Creatures of the supernatural who thirst for blood and emotional fears have taken a shine to Jenny, and the Wild West is about to get a bit Wilder...

"Flower clairsentience," it's called, or "flower reading." Vampire writer Lydia Manx takes us with her to a friend's flower reading party. No one bothered to tell the medium there was a writer in the room, not even the spirits.

When an alliance of clashing colors becomes a game of chance, and a betrothal turns out to be a bad deal, you can be sure that no one -- no one -- is going to be a winner.

Memories of summer -- the baseball games, the lightning bugs who clung to the sunflower leaves during the day, the time with family, the outings with friends ... this is a season to build rich treasures of sight and taste and images that will keep us warm and entertained during the winter months.

Lydia Manx shares her secret talent for making jam.

Finding something good about a southern California heat wave, Piker Press staffer Lydia Manx evades traffic to visit pumpkins and the Del Mar Racetrack.

Sometimes it's not what you GET for Christmas, it's what you get taken away from you that makes the season bright ...

Vampires with grand social ambitions definitely do not like to be taken by surprise, especially when they've been working hard on the campaign trail...

Vampire writer Lydia Manx offers her readers a twisted valentine ...

Spin staw into gold? A little man with an unknown identity? Lydia Manx revisits "Rumplestiltskin".

"I always hated this fairy-tale," says Lydia Manx. "It was a pleasure to give 'Snow White and Rose Red' a new look."

Calls peal out in the night, and a vicious death spooks the neighborhood pets ... and what begins as curiosity is about to become a terrifying discovery ...

Life is like a pointless maze sometimes, and you have to wonder if breaking out of it will bring you freedom and beauty -- or will it bring you great danger? Staff Writer Lydia Manx treats us to a colorful little tale in a strange setting.

Never trust a vampire writer not to mess with your head ...

In the search for youthful looks and greater beauty, people's vanity could become the very thing that destroys them ...

Possibly the most annoying of alien abductions is not the one which is simply inconvenient, but the one that is also completely mistaken ...

No matter how down on your luck you are, it's best to see with open eyes and watch where you're going ...

In many guises and shapes and circumstances, there is One who waits to meet us all ...

Some holiday windows are dark; remember those alone this Christmas.

Jilly's resolution ought to have been "Don't get involved with Celia's craziness ..."

The time had come, there was no way to avoid it...one last visit to his best friend.

Cleaning up the garden can be satisfying to the heart and to the eye ... and sometimes, to the ear as well.

When it comes to the end, do you do what is right, or do you do what is inevitable?

For some people, the end of the world as they knew it was mentally devastating. For Rebecca, however, the fall of civilization is just one more bit of weirdness in an already freaky world ...

It was the end of the world, but they got used to it. Now something new is happening...

The bees spent the summer in the old birdhouse, but it was really time for them to move to a new home.(Originally appeared 10-15-2007)

When you're on the run, there's one sure place to get as safe as you can, and that would be Uncle Harry's place ...

It's the chance of a lifetime, a way to go from rags to riches, in one easy step, guaranteed returns on your investment ... go for it!

The vampire has his own story, but what about that poor, displaced old troll?

Looking for Mr. Right -- or should we say Mr. Night? Dress your best and accentuate those fangs!

It's always the quiet ones you have to worry about...

Aunt Cecilia lived longer than the family thought she would, and kept them guessing until the very end...

Vampire writer Lydia Manx weaves another tale of horror with the starting episode of "Westward Dust."

A dark beginning to her life, and now, a darker circumstance...

And then there was blood...

Conclusion. A new caller is at the door, and it's not one of the paying customers...

It was gold that drew them all, by the hundreds. Death met them, and cold and emptiness were their constant companions. But some learned that there was more to the land than ice and snow and gold ...

Nice clothes, new cell phone, company car -- now that's a good start to a business trip. But the way Lindy's day is going, you know it has to be Monday. Part One of Three.

They're everywhere she looks, zombies gobbling and munching. What? Meatlovers' pizza? Lindy is almost as grossed out as she is scared! Part Two of Three.

At first it seemed like it was only pizza zombies in the little town, but now Lindy has seen the marching undead on other streets as well. From horror to fear to now annoyed, Lindy makes a leap to regain control of her life...

A simple prank? No, not at all. A complex prank? Sure, why not? A killer of an idea for a prank? Of course!

A hacked computer has to be reformatted here. A server has to be taken offline there. People are accustomed to piracy...at least they thing so...

A daring rescue back through time! A bear chasing a bare woman! How can people not be shocked by that?

The arrangement of furniture is so important. In an office, where things are placed can often affect productivity, and thus, profit. In which position a person is placed affects profits, too ...

More than100 years have passed since the birth of the famed author of the James Bond stories, Ian Fleming. Fleming has had a tremendous influence on novel-writing and movies, and this week, Staff Writer Lydia Manx pays a tribute to him ...

It's nice when you can tell good stuff from lousy stuff. You know what to look for in the future. But what future is there when you know, absolutely, that you've had the very best there will ever be?

On April Fools' Day, it's not a good idea to accept a date unless you know what he's really like, or where his dark whispers will lead you.

The holidays have a way of bringing out the most aggravating part of family togetherness. But a spur of the moment decision to stop by the Dark Whispers nightclub is just the thing Lilac needs to brave through Christmas dinner with her family and to admit that, in the end, her mother really does have impeccable taste. Part two of two.

The problem with an unnatural life span is that after a while, there's nothing new under the sun -- or in the darkness. And there no better recipe for trouble than a jaded vampire.

Cassandra's New Year Resolution may have been to stir things up by thinning the human herd a little bit, but before she can get on to the real business, there is the small matter of Greg. A vampire can wait a long time to exact revenge.

Not that Cassandra liked her cousin much anyway, but Greg's van has been found -- without Greg. Bad news for at least one vampire.

Even a vampire has to watch what she eats. A careless snack lands Vickie in one of Kenyon's less inviting playrooms, where she learns a lesson that possibly even Kenyon doesn't know.

Well, we've all been warned often enough...

Comics

Sails against the sky

A secret pool on a hiking trail.

Waves pounding a Pacific shore soften the lines of the landscape with mist.

A Giant Swallowtail in the garden

A vision of a boat in San Pedro ..

Plumeria unfurl their blossoms in a San Diego garden.

Beach at Del Mar, California

Local honeybees decided to move their queen into our backyard's spacious birdhouse. I have been snapping pictures weekly of the hive as they grow.

In a backyard birdhouse, a colony of bees has found a home.

A hillside view in El Cajon, California, USA

African daisies on the Pacific Coast of California.

Scarlet macaws at San Diego Wild Animal Park.

Plumbago blossoms in the spotlight.

Brilliant begonias grace a patio garden.

White snapdragons are framed in a bower of greenery.

Winter in Southern California.

Pictographs at Atlatl Rock, Red Rock Canyon, Nevada.

Time to dream about spring flowers!

Cloud play on a ferris wheel at Disneyland, California.

Figurehead of the ship, "Star of India."

Rich view of an amaryllis.

A boat rests in a quiet pond.

A butterfly rests before taking off into the world.

Closeup of a sunflower in the sun.

A dew-jeweled spiderweb on an autumn morning.

Caterpillars feed on passionflower vines in a butterfly exhibit.

A brilliant sky, and an exotic locale in Florida, USA.

Everglades, Florida, USA

Sunset gilds a wave near Boca Raton, Florida.

Birthday daisies in a quiet portrait.

A face appears in an old stump.

Banana spider in Florida, USA.

A reflection captured in the polished surface of a musical instrument.

On Deerfield Beach in Florida, USA, kelp washes ashore with amazing beauty.

Lydia Manx torments the colder parts of the world with a view of a Florida pool.

A banyan tree stretches its trunk-like branches.

Old coral with "snake holes." Florida, USA.

Storm clouds moving in along the coast in Florida, USA.

Lightning in the clouds above a Florida beach.

A coconut scowls at the photographer.

A demon cat hides in full sight ...

On the edge of the world in Florida, there's really only "One Way" to go as you start your day ...

Bare branches take hope for Spring under a deep blue sky.

Rays of the fading sun in southern Florida, USA.

Cumulus clouds stalk a Florida neighborhood.

A cascade of storm clouds in a Florida sky.

When it gets to be nearly December, this is where I'd like to be ...

Ms. Manx likes to torture the rest of her frozen country by letting them know what winter is like in Florida...

If you look closely, you can see some interesting wild life -- pier in Florida, USA.

Unlike money, bananas do grow on trees.

Highway system for pests...

The exotic foliage of the Florida beaches.

Tropical weather paints a spectacular sky in southern Florida, USA.

Chiaroscuro sky in southern Florida, USA.

Sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean in southern Florida, USA.

A bonfire in the sky!

Ms. Manx loves to torment us chilly northerners with images of HER December in southern Florida, USA...

Fire in the sky, southern Florida, USA.

Nonfiction

Coyote graffiti howls from the rock

Almost everyone I meet has some taste or happy moment that involved a cookie. Sometimes it may have been decades ago, but nevertheless there is a cookie in their background. Lydia shares her delight in making and painting cookies with her nieces.

A patriotic garden

Some things from childhood are still as sweet as you remember them. Lydia Manx takes her memories of fairs past with her as she visits the summer fairgrounds.

The mysteries of pizza revealed!

Hot air balloons take to the air.

Where the turf meets the surf
down at old Del Mar
take a plane
take a train
take a car.

There is a smile on every face
and a winner in each race
where the turf meets the surf
at Del Mar...

Lydia Manx is one cruel chef. Just reading about her autumn favorites is going to make you fat.

Lydia Manx shares her New Year's recipes for seasoned tri-tip and veal scallopini.

Piker Press Staff Writer Lydia Manx shares her recipe for delicious cheese enchiladas.

A surprise birthday cake? How about one called Chocolate Mocha Dessert Cake? Staff writer Lydia Manx tells us how it's done.

Lydia Manx shares her recipes for crab cakes, fettucini alfredo with asparagus, and salmon patties.

Overlooking the Pacific Ocean is a spot devoted to religion. This particular religion places a high value on meditation, and surrounds itself with natural beauty to help people understand that they are part of a greater universe.

Lydia Manx makes salads a part of her regular diet, but isn't inclined to let them be dull ...

When you've had so many adventures in one month, it takes a while to sort it out. Staff Writer Lydia Manx brings us a travel tale to tempt us to visit Southern Californa.

Lydia Manx shares her summer salad recipes to accompany a barbecue.

Lydia Manx shares her recipe for Pear Crumb Pie.

Lydia Manx shares special holiday food recipes from her kitchen.

Shoestring budget, but longing for what seems extravagance? Try making cream puffs!

From start to finish, Lydia Manx shows us what to do with this spring's crop of beets.

Quick, easy, and nutritious -- try making quiche for breakfast or the main meal of the day.

Just the thing for a friendly summer evening with friends to chat and savor the taste -- stuffed mushrooms!

Lydia Manx shares her recipe for zucchini cake, a marvelous way to use up those prolific zukies.

Lydia Manx shares her recipe for quick and easy coleslaw.

It was a different kind of Halloween back when Lydia Manx was a kid ...

If you've ever loved chicken saltimbocca at the wonderful restaurant Buca di Beppo, you'll enjoy this home-made version.

Lydia Manx shares her recipe for bread pudding, a sweet old-fashioned treat.

Lydia brings her culinary expertise to bear on a request for Red Velvet Cupcakes -- which requires lots of research -- and that requires lots of cupcakes!

Calling this dish "Spinach Pie" makes it sound like something your mother would MAKE you eat. Instead let's call it "Spanakopitas" and savor every last bite!

Here's an easy, tasty appetizer sure to please at the next get-together: shrimp-stuffed mushrooms.

What summer treat is better than freshly churned home-made ice cream? Lydia Manx tells us how to make our own.

Food that is art, to be eaten artfully, to be prepared with focus: sushi.

Simple and savory -- these could brighten up the table of any party or get-together.

In the mood for fish, Lydia Manx shares a recipe for salmon with mango cilantro salsa.

News

Ah, fame and fortune! All of us writers want to sell a book, go on tour, and do book signings! Don't we?

Novella

"ARE YOU READY FOR SOME VAMPIRES???" The crowd roars in response -- and Lydia Manx brings to the media a new facet of an eerie world where things are rarely as they seem to our unsuspecting eyes ...

Billy is a bit on the stupid side, it seems -- even after cheating on his wife and trying to kill his lover, he has some idea he is still in control of the situation ...

Josie is being pressured into making some decision, but instinctively she knows that dealing with a vampire on any level will give them some power over her. It's up to her to find a way to get out of there and try to make some sense of the horror ...

Vampires in her bedroom, vampires in her garage -- Josie has absolutely had enough of vampires to last a lifetime, and it's only been today that she discovered that vampires are real. Still irritated by the loss of her favorite wooden spoon, she has no intention of going down without a fight ...

What does this vampire want with Josie, anyway? An admission that vampires are better than humans? Guess what, Mr. Fangs, you ain't gonna get that very soon ...

So, if vampires are supposed to be an improvement on the human condition, why is this one confused and unaware of what's going on as well as clueless about women?

More disgusting revelations leave Josie reeling, but she has information the vampire Master had better listen to ...

No one has actually said Josie is a prisoner in her own home, but she's not being given much leeway. However, she has no intention of being a willing victim of abuse and dishonesty ever again...

Cut the vampire's throat? Well really, how many choices does Josie have left?

Josie got the jump on the vampire Joel, and is in her car ready to take off into the night. Wishing she had cut his head off, she finds that he has anticipated her move ...

The radio program made it sound as though Josie had shown up with gunfire to greet her husband Billy. Now Josie will have the police looking for her as well as vampires following her. Life just keeps getting better and better ...

Billy is dead, there is no longer any doubt. For all that he was a filthy cheating scumbag, he had still been Josie's husband, and now she has scant time to grieve and learn to move forward.

An evening of vampire reckoning leaves Josie disgusted and in need of another shower. Maybe her death is imminent, but why die dirty?

Conclusion. Josie has had enough. She wants some answers, and she has some very pointed questions -- so pointed that they could just about stake a vampire to a wall on their own ...

The alliance has been made. The sworn enemies have negotiated a truce; a ritual gesture must now be offered, a symbolic melding of the two territories. The Masters have decreed what the symbol will be. Do they care what that ritual will do to the lives of certain individuals? Noooo ...

The trip to the mall and the bridal store, with all its attendant clerks and frothy fabrics is -- to Renee -- far more of an annoyance than a couple of car-jacking punks ...

Renee has not made an effort to be agreeable about her politically-planned alliance. And just when her Master is about to let her have it, an even more immediate problem comes to light ...

The maniac trying to force them into a car wreck will just not give up. Renee is really beginning to hate her maid of honor's SUV ...

After nearly being killed by a lovestruck but strangely homicidal werewolf, Renee returns wearily home. What is that on her doorstep? A lost dog?

Two werewolves at her front door? Did they think she liked pets, or did they have a good reason for being there?

Renee gets some food for the hounds, and gives us a whole new view of Chinese Take Out.

Renee is finding out more than she cared to know. Marcus is rude, Carlos is less than bright, and something is going on that has her Master worried ...

While Carlos naps and hopes for a belly rub, Renee pushes Marcus' buttons and wonders if it's wrong to tease the dog ...

There are lot of things happening that just don't add up, but even though Renee doesn't know the sum, she can see that an avalanche is about to happen ...

Essay

Lydia Manx shares with us some of what happens to her when she finds an idea or a prompt for writing.

When you take kids to see exotic animals, your own perceptions take on the children's wonder.