True Blue

The Yuletide Spirit: A Golgotham Christmas Story

2015-12-11T14:41:00.000-08:00

The Yuletide Spirit:

A Golgotham Christmas Story

Nancy A. Collins

As I looked around at the jammed aisles full of determined shoppers, human and otherwise, I wondered what could have possessed me to sally forth the day after Thanksgiving to try and buy gifts for my nearest and dearest. And Scratch. The Fly Market, the largest open-air bazaar in Golgotham, was a buzzing honeycomb of cross-species commerce even on the best of days. But during the holiday season? Fugeddabouttit. With special emphasis on the ‘fug’.

“Excuse me, please—excuse me? Sorry—oof!” I grunted as I struggled through the tightly packed crowd like a salmon fighting its way upstream. Not only was the Fly Market packed with Kymerans out looking for Yule presents, but humans eager to score magical gifts for Christmas. As for me, I had my eye on a kiosk that sold charmed teddy bears that danced on command for my son, Tymm. But just as I reached my destination, the shopper next to me—a Kymeran woman with an aquamarine beehive hair-do—drove her elbow into my ribs and shot forward to snatch up the last available toy.

I was tempted to let loose with a string of invective, but held my tongue in case she decided to return the favor. Being cursed at by a Golgothamite is more than a string of dirty words, and the last thing I needed was to find myself cross-eyed or turned into a toad. Honestly, who has time for that during the holidays?

My luck was no better when it came to trying to snag presents for the rest of my gift list. No matter where I turned, I always seemed to be thirty seconds too late. I just didn’t have what it takes to claw my way over old ladies and small children to snatch the perfect gift from the grasping claws of my fellow shoppers. While everyone else seemed to be finding the right present at the perfect price, I was being confronted by shortages, outages, and prices that put me in sticker shock. Instead of finding the ideal present that made the perfect statement of how much I valued and appreciated the person I purchased it for, I ended up burdened with prettily wrapped gifts that said nothing more than: “I bought you something.”

When I finally had enough of being jostled and my toes trod upon, I retired to the plaza outside the Fly Market, where an orchard of Yule trees decorated the square. I found a bench amidst the grove of ornamented evergreens and collapsed onto it with a weary groan, setting my purchases about my aching feet. I may be the consort to the Heir Apparent to the Throne of Arum, but at that exact moment I looked like a bag lady, and felt like one too.

As I sat there, contemplating my less-than-ideal gifts for the most important people in my life, a shadow fell across me and a deep, pleasantly masculine voice asked: “Do you mind if I sit down?”

I looked up to find a very large man, nearly seven feet tall, with a curly fox-red beard and a matching shaggy mane that covered his broad shoulders, standing before me. He was dressed in a long, forest-green robe made of velvet, trimmed at the cuffs, throat and hem with white fur. On his brow sat a holly wreath into which candles had been woven that burned but did not seem to melt. In one huge hand he held a wassail goblet and in the other a length of rope tied to the belled collar of a goat with horns wrapped in red ribbons.

“No, I don’t mind,” I replied, gesturing to the empty side of the bench.

“You are most kind, young lady,” the red-bearded giant smiled. “I promise I will not let Puck nibble on your presents.” With that he sat down beside me, the goat kneeling at his feet like an obedient dog.

“Cool costume,” I said, eyeing his outfit. “Are you like the Santa Claus here?”

“You could say that,” he smiled.

“Listening to kids tell you what they want for Christmas—excuse me, Yule—must be exhausting.” As I spoke I glanced at him again from the corner of my eye. Although I could not place his face or voice, I had the nagging suspicion I had seen him somewhere before. “I don’t mean to be rude, mister, but--do I know you?”

“All in this world know me, Tate,” the bearded man smiled, “though they call me by many names.”

As I looked into his evergreen eyes I saw them twinkle like stars atop a Christmas tree and suddenly realized what sat beside me was not a Kymeran version of a dime store Santa. “Sooo, you’re a Christmas ghost?” I managed to squeak.

“No, my child,” he chuckled. “A ghost is a shadow of a mortal being. I am a spirit. I was never born and never died, as your kind knows these words. I dwell in the hearts, minds and eyes of those who would host me. And only they in whom I dwell can see me.”

“You mean everyone else walking around here thinks I’m talking to myself?”

“No—just the ones who are strangers to me,” he replied matter-of-factly. “You see, I exist in all things that make a place for me, but it is at this time of year that I am at my strongest. It is during Yuletide that I manifest and go out into the mortal world, so that others might know me, and to renew the bonds with those in danger of forgetting me—for it is very easy to do so nowadays. There are so many distractions, and also those who would take what is pure and true and pervert it for their own benefit. I am in many places, at many times. But I am not here,” the spirit said, pointing to the shopping bags gathered at my feet. “Nor am I in there,” he continued, gesturing to the swarming porticos of the Fly Market. “I hope that helps you understand what the perfect gift truly is.”

“Yes,” I nodded. “It does.”

“Good,” the Yuletide spirit sighed as he stood back up. “Come along, Puck,” he said, giving the rope a gentle tug. The beribboned billy-goat got to its cloven feet, its collar jingling merrily as it clattered behind its master. “Our time here is short, and we still have places to go and people to see.” And with that the giant set off across the plaza, headed in the general direction of Wall Street, ignored on all sides by shoppers hot on the trail of bargains.

***

“Just what I wanted!” Hexe exclaimed as he unwrapped the burnished copper cauldron I'd made for him. “How did you guess?”

“A little catbird told me,” I replied, glancing at his familiar, Scratch, who was watching our son, Tymm, scoot across the floor in a cardboard box with a mixture of bafflement and contempt on his wrinkled, hairless face.

“Heiress to billions, and that’s all you give your first born son and heir to the Kymeran throne for Yule?” the winged cat sniffed.

“You’re overlooking the play set I built for him in the back yard.”

“I still say you’re a cheapskate.”

“Well, if that’s how you feel about it,” I countered, “then I’ll just take back the present I got for you...”

“Don’t you dare!” the familiar squalled as I bent to pick up a gaily wrapped package sitting underneath the tree.

“Merry Christmas, Scratch,” I laughed. “And a happy Yule.” The familiar pounced on the gift and tore into the wrapping paper, revealing a calf’s head with a red bow tied about its tongue. “So—do I need to take it back to the butcher shop?”

“You did good, nump,” Scratch said, licking his chops. “Sometimes you surprise me.”

“He’s not the only one,” Hexe said, slipping an arm around my waist. “The swing set for Tymm, my cauldron, that astrolabe you fabricated for my mother… You really outdid yourself this season, Tate.”

“It’s like a friend of mine told me,” I said, as I rested my head on his shoulder and watched the colored lights twinkle on the tree. “The best presents don’t come in a box from a store—they come from the heart.”

“And the butcher shop,” Scratch added.

“Don’t talk with your mouth full.”

A Happy Yule To All Of You From The Good People (And Other Things) Of Golgotham!

Right Hand Magic

Left Hand Magic

Magic and Loss

ComiqueCon 2015 in Dearborn, Michigan Nov. 7th

2015-11-05T17:06:00.002-08:00

I'll be a guest at Comique-Con 2015, the first comic con to spotlight nothing but female comic book creators, on Saturday, November 7th

The convention is being held at the Arab-American National Museum at 13624 Michigan Avenue, Dearborn, Michigan, starting at 10 am. Admission is $10.

Other guests include Alex De Campi, Mairghread Scott, Marguerite Sauvage, and Mikki Kendall.

Signing & Pre-Con Party at Green Brain Comics, Friday Nov. 6th

2015-11-05T16:45:00.000-08:00

I'll be signing books and meeting with fans at the ComiqueCon VIP Meet-And-Greet Party at Green Brain Comics from 8-10: 30 p.m. Friday, November 6th at 13936 Michigan Avenue in Dearborn, Michigan. $25 gets you a Mediterranean buffet, drinks, and music!

Destiny City Comics Signing Friday Oct. 30th

2015-10-28T09:43:00.003-07:00

I'll be doing a signing at Destiny City Comics in Tacoma, WA. on Friday, October 30th, starting at 6pm. I'll be there with my Sunglasses After Dark artist, Stan Shaw.

Jet City Comic Show Oct. 31-Nov. 1st

2015-10-26T08:44:00.000-07:00

I'll be at the Jet City Comic Show in beautiful downtown Tacoma, WA. over the Halloween Weekend! I'll be there along with Stan Shaw, my artist on the Sunglasses After Dark: Full-Blooded Collection graphic novel. A rare chance to get both our signatures--and in Stan's case, perhaps a lovely sketch--at the same time! Other guests include Mark Rahner, Brian Herbert, Terry Brooks, G. Willow Wilson, and Vernon Wells (aka Wez from Road Warrior) Oh, yeah! It's gonna be a party worth witnessing, y'all!

Celebrate Halloween with Sunglasses After Dark

2015-10-11T13:12:00.001-07:00

Open Road Integrated Media is pleased to announce that they are celebrating Halloween by lowering the price on the ebook version of Sunglasses After Dark to $1.99 throughout the month of October across all digital sales platforms!

Fayetteville Comic Con Oct. 17th

2015-10-10T18:47:00.000-07:00

My next convention appearance will be Fayetteville Comic Con in Fayetteville, NC--home of Fort Bragg--Saturday, October 17th at the Crown Expo Center. The Guest of Honor is legendary Warren-era Vampirella artist Rudy Nebres. Come by the table and say hello!

Monsterama 2015 Oct 2nd - 4th

2015-09-24T18:31:00.003-07:00

I'll be one of the guests at Monsterama 2015 in Atlanta the first weekend in October. I'll be on several panels and will have my comics, novels, and related merchandise for sale in the dealers room Other guests include Candy Clark, John Farris, Ricou Browning, Francesco Francavilla, Lynn Lowrey, and Professor Morte. Stop by and say hi!

Twentieth Century Fox Television Developing GOLGOTHAM Series for NBC

2015-09-01T21:41:00.002-07:00

I'm very excited to report that Twentieth Century Fox Television is currently developing my Golgotham urban fantasy series--Right Hand Magic, Left Hand Magic, and Magic and Loss--for NBC. The series is about the supernatural ghetto of New York City and its fight against gentrification. The books are available in print from Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and in ebook from Kindle, Nook, Apple, and Kobo. More news as it develops!

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Kobo

Echoes From The Past

2015-08-16T09:48:00.000-07:00

The finale to my run on Swamp Thing, #138: "And In The End", circa 1993.

ALONE #SwampThing pic.twitter.com/pxj99o6fJZ
— SPACEGHØST (@MatthewHebert95) August 5, 2015

Walking Wolf: A Weird Western Available In Paperback

2015-07-23T14:17:00.000-07:00

Walking Wolf, orphaned son of white settlers, is found as an infant by a Comanche brave and raised to be a proud warrior. He also happens to be a werewolf.

When Walking Wolf loses control of his darker nature, killing the woman he loves and his best friend, he decides to head out into the white man’s world to learn more about who—and what—he truly is. On his journey of self-discovery, he crosses paths with deranged killers, a traveling medicine show, a vampire gunslinger, a fellow werewolf, and historical figures such as Quanah Parker and Sitting Bull. But of all the dangers he faces, none prove as deadly as the bounty hunter known as Witchfinder Jones, who holds the secret to Walking Wolf's origins.

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Hell Come Sundown Gets Its 1st Stand Alone Print Edition

2015-07-22T10:52:00.001-07:00

Originally published in 2004's Dead Man's Hand: Five Tales of the Weird West, Nancy A. Collins' Hell Come Sundown: A Dark Ranger Story finally gets its own, separate stand alone print publication, courtesy of Open Road Distribution.

Troubled by Specters, Ghosts and Phantoms? Fear No More! There Is Help! Call For The Dark Ranger: Ghost Breaking A Specialty! No Spook Too Small, No Fiend Too Fierce! Our Motto: ‘One Wraith, One Ranger.'

Meet Sam Hell, former Texas lawman, now professional spook-buster who rides in the high plains with his Comanche shamaness companion, Pretty Woman, in search of Sangre, the undead conquistador who stole his life and transformed him into the Dark Ranger.

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Lynch: A Gothik Western Now In Paperback

2015-07-21T12:53:00.000-07:00

Johnny Pearl, former Confederate soldier turned outlaw, was one of the fastest guns in the Old West. But that was before he found redemption in the love of a good woman, the beautiful Katie Small Dove. Finally free to put his violent past behind him, he and his young wife began homesteading in the Dakotas and even dared to start a family. Then one day Captain Antioch Drake, a rogue U.S. Calvary officer, arrived on the Pearls' property, looking to avenge the massacre at Little Big Horn. Within minutes Johnny's house was on fire, his pregnant wife dead, and he himself swinging from the limb of a cottonwood tree. Normally, that would be the end of his story--except for the arrival of a wandering medicine show owned by the protege of a certain Dr. Frankenstein.

Johnny Pearl Is Dead. Long Live Lynch.

Now in paperback from Open Road Distribution. Cover art by Stephen R. Bissette (Swamp Thing, Tyrant, 1963, Taboo)

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

In The Blood, 2nd Book in the Sonja Blue Series, Now In Paperback

2015-07-20T10:57:00.000-07:00

In The Blood, the direct sequel to the award-winning Sunglasses After Dark, is once more available in paperback from Open Road Integrated Media! Cover art by Sean Hartter.

William Palmer was just another private detective, spying on cheating spouses and working insurance fraud cases, until he fell for the wrong dame and woke up in the hospital to find himself framed for murder--and gifted with psychic abilities. A new client, however, is willing to pull a few strings and get the charges against him dropped, but only if he agrees to hunt down a certain missing person--a mysterious, and possibly deadly woman known as Sonja Blue. It's not long before the psychic detective finds himself trapped in a haunted house, where the last thing he has to worry about is the ghost.

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Wild Blood Returns In Paperback

2015-07-19T12:45:00.001-07:00

Young Skinner Cade goes on a road trip to discover who his biological parents really are--only to enter a world of inhuman blood lust and fury as he finds himself in the middle of a centuries old secret war between competing species of shapeshifters.

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

DOZEN BLACK ROSES Now Available in Digital w/ New Cover, Publisher

2015-07-17T10:25:00.000-07:00

A DOZEN BLACK ROSES, the 4th book in the acclaimed Sonja Blue series, is now available in digital from Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Google, IndieBound, and Kobo courtesy of Open Road Integrated Media.

Sunglasses After Dark Is (Paper) Back

2015-07-06T12:02:00.000-07:00

The award-winning Sunglasses After Dark, which introduced the kick-ass female vampire/vampire-slayer Sonja Blue is back in physical print for a new generation of readers to enjoy thanks to Open Road Integrated Media.

“Collins’ debut novel [Sunglasses After Dark] infuses the ancient myth of the vampire with a modern beat, embedding elements of the horror genre in a compelling psychological thriller.” —Publishers Weekly

Order Now

Vampirella: Our Lady of Shadows

2015-06-12T09:34:00.000-07:00

The highly-acclaimed first 6 issues of Dynamite Comic's reboot of Vampirella, written by Nancy A. Collins and drawn by Patrick Berkenkotter, is now available in a single collected volume: VAMPIRELLA: OUR LADY OF SHADOWS

Marked by the evil cultist leader Ethan Shroud as a living sacrifice to Lady Umbra, demon sister-bride of the Mad God Chaos, Vampirella must search for and kill the rarest and most dangerous vampires in order to become powerful enough to keep the rising darkness within her from destroying the world. It also includes the 2014 Vampirella Annual "Prelude to Shadows", drawn by Cristhian Zamora, where Vampirella must go undercover as a nun to hunt down Metifa the Devil's Mistress, a demon-witch haunting a French convent.

Physical Edition:

Digital Edition:

SUNGLASSES AFTER DARK: THE FULL-BLOODED COLLECTION Now In Stores!

2015-01-14T11:41:00.001-08:00

What The Critics Have To Say About SUNGLASSES AFTER DARK: THE FULL-BLOODED COLLECTION

"Horror fans will want to check this out. It’s a brutal, dark tale, like all good vampire stories should be."

-- Big Glasgow Comic.Com

"If you like dark horror, this is great stuff...This collection is a great place to get to know not only this character, but also the work of an important contemporary mistress of horror and the fantastic."

--ComicWOW!

Now Available At:

My On-Line Store

Amazon.com

Barnes & Noble (online & in stores)

Your Friendly Neighborhood Comics Shop

SUNGLASSES AFTER DARK: THE FULL-BLOODED COLLECTION To Ship 11/26/14

2014-10-27T14:47:00.000-07:00

Vampire turned vampire hunter Sonja Blue travels the globe, hunting down and disposing of those creatures of the dark who prey upon the innocent, all the while searching for the monster that created her. But as dangerous as hunting the undead may be, it's nothing compared to the threat posed by The Other, the vampiric personality that shares her body. Can Sonja Blue vanquish her very real inner demons in time to save an innocent man from a depraved televangelist?

Originally published as a mini-series by Glenn Danzig's Verotik Publications in 1995, this hardcover graphic novel from IDW Publishing collects all six issues plus a special ash-can and the short story "Aphra", which first appeared in the notorious Verotika #4 and has been digitally re-colored by artist Stan Shaw, with a re-tweaked script by author Nancy A. Collins, and completely re-lettered by Eisner & Harvey Award-winner Thomas Mauer.

Available in stores November 26th, 2014. Pre-Order Now!

Personal Appearance at Tidewater Comicon 10/18/2014

2014-10-17T08:34:00.001-07:00

I'll be selling and signing my books and comics at Tidewater Comicon on Saturday, October 17th in Virginia Beach from 9am-6pm.

Other guests include Kelley Jones (Sandman,Batman, Deadman), Joel Hodgson (MST3K), Sam Huntington (Being Human), Pop Mhan (He-Man), Sam Ellis (Archer), and Dave Bullock (Star Wars: Clone Wars).

At 3pm Kelley and I will be on a panel together, discussing the role of horror in comics. Scary stuff, kids! Don't miss it!

There will also be a cosplay contest, door prizes, a raffle, and an indoor bouncy castle--Fun for everyone!

Membership @ the door: $15

VIP Membership @ the door: $20

Vampirella Annual: Prelude To Shadows in Stores Oct. 22nd

2014-10-14T12:36:00.001-07:00

Before Vampirella was marked by the Cult of Chaos as a living sacrifice to Lady Umbra, the Queen of Shadows, she worked as an field operative for Cestus Dei, the Vatican's version of MI-6. In this one-shot, set before the "Our Lady of Shadows" story arc, Vampirella must go undercover at a French convent to investigate a series of weird deaths and odd disappearances believed to be the work of a long-dead evil witch known as Metifa, Satan's Mistress. That's right - one of the classic Warren-era menaces makes her Dynamite debut, 40+ years since her last appearance!

I wrote Prelude To Shadows as a tribute to Grindhouse 'eurotrash' such as Mario Bava's Black Sunday (1960), Juan L. Moctezuma's Alucarda (1977), and Jess Franco's Venus In Furs (1969); Italian giallo cinema ala Dario Argento's Suspiria (1977) and Lucio Fulci's Don't Torture A Duckling (1972); as well as nunsploitation films like Ken Russell's The Devils (1971) and Gilberto Martínez Solares' Satanico Pandemonium (1975). I hope you enjoy it!

In stores October 22nd, just in time for Halloween!

Buy Direct from Dynamite Comics

Sunglasses After Dark Now On Audiobook!

2014-10-02T07:47:00.000-07:00

Radio Archives is proud to announce the addition of Nancy A. Collins' award-winning vampire novel Sunglasses After Dark to their Robert Weinberg Presents series of contemporary horror classics audiobooks. Read by professional voice actress Melodee M. Spevack, it is available in both CD and digital formats. You can find it at Amazon, Audible and RadioArchives.com

Sunglasses After Dark, by award-winning author Nancy A. Collins, tells the story of Sonja Blue, a punk female vampire searching for the man who made her one of the undead, and her battle to overcome her very real inner demon in time to rescue an innocent man from the clutches of an unholy faith healer.

While in London, American heiress Denise Thorne disappears from a nightclub, never to be seen again. On that very same night Sonja Blue, a tough-as-nails vampire hunter-slayer, conceived in terror and born of blood, rises from the city's gutters. Saved by modern medicine before she completed her transformation into one of the undead, she becomes a living vampire, determined to fight for what remains of her humanity.

Sonja Blue travels the globe, hunting down and disposing of the shadowy creatures that prey on the innocent while searching for the vampire who created her. But as dangerous as hunting vampires may be, it's nothing compared to the threat posed by The Other, the demonic personality Sonja is locked in constant battle with for control of their shared body.

Acknowledged as one of the first Urban Fantasy novels, Sunglasses After Dark has garnered wide-spread critical praise and won the Horror Writers Association's coveted Bram Stoker Award, as well as the British Fantasy Society's Icarus Award.

Out of print for several years, the Radio Archives edition of Sunglasses After Dark uses the new edition of this novel, which has been extensively revised and edited by the author. It is considered to be the preferred text.

Amazon (digital only)

Audible (digital only)

Radio Archives (CD & digital)

Personal Appearance & Signing @ Stories Comics on September 19th!

2014-09-18T07:47:00.000-07:00

I'll be signing Vampirella and other comics at the first ever Ladies Night at STORIES COMICS in Richmond, VA on Friday, September 19th, starting at 6:30pm. Other Special Guests include artists Cathryn Hutton and Melissa Duffy (Rise of Aurora West) Come see us there!

Stories Comics

(flagship store)

5067 Forest Hill Ave
Richmond VA 23225

VAMPIRELLA #4 In Stores September 3rd!

2014-09-03T17:26:00.003-07:00

In a desperate attempt to fight Lady Umbra's growing control over her mind and body, Vampirella and her unlikely new ally, Lord Drago, take a jaunt to the Mediterranean. There, on the Greek island of Lamos, famous for its unspoiled beaches and friendly natives, they search for the most ancient species of vampire in the world: the dreaded lamia of legend. But can Vampirella locate and slay the seductive half-serpent before her heart falls into shadow?

Story: Nancy A. Collins
Art: Patrick Berkenkotter
Main Cover: Terry Dodson
Variant Cover: Jenny Frison
Subscription Cover: Stephanie Buscema

Buy Direct From Dynamite Comics

Buy From Dynamite Digital

Buy From ComiXology