Paranormal romance author Sherrill Quinn dons the penname Cynthia Garner for her new series, Warriors of the Rift. For the first book, this month's Kiss of the Vampire, Garner puts a great spin on paranormal tales by adding a science fiction-like element to the story in the form of noncorporeal beings that come to earth. As the tension between races rise, and the story introduces readers to an unusual half-demon, crime-fighting heroine, we went straight to the author for insider details about her latest release.

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Kiss of the Vampire is the book that launches your Warriors of the Rift series. This paranormal series has all of the usual suspects — vampires, demons and ... aliens. Can you tell us a bit about adding this science fiction element into the stories?

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Russian artist Andrew Tarusov's apocalyptic pin-up calendar

There’s an elephant in the room, or shall we say, an apocalypse. We’ve managed not mention the (possible) impending doom for the past month, but we just can’t hold off any longer. Whether you believe that the end is coming, compliments of one pesky Mayan calendar prediction, or that we’ll safely skate past this potential catastrophe the same way we did 2011’s two purported doomsday events, there’s no denying that “the end” is a popular topic of conversation these days.

The apocalypse isn’t just something we’re talking about — it’s what we’re reading about. Now we could come up with some deep, quasi-philosophical hypothesis about how we read these stories as a way of rationalizing our fears and looking for hope in an uncertain world. But the truth is, we just love stories about the hero and heroines who triumph in a world gone haywire! So today we are serving up some of our favorite books and series that feature postapocalyptic settings.

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The Horror Writers Association has announced their nominees for the Bram Stoker Vampire Novel of the Century Award, to be presented at the World Horror Convention in March. (Fun Fact: Sherrilyn Kenyon will be this year’s Author Guest of Honor at the World Horror Convention in Salt Lake City.) Many groundbreaking vampire novels of the 20th century are being considered for the award.

The award is in honor of Bram Stoker's classic tale Dracula, which was originally published 100 years ago. Horror Writer Association’s President Rocky Wood said in a recent announcement, “HWA is proud to present our iconic Award on the centenary of Bram Stoker’s passing and pleased to be doing so in conjunction with the Bram Stoker Family Estate. While Stoker’s novel is undoubtedly the most influential of all vampire fiction, we look forward to recognizing the vampire novel that has had the greatest impact since publication of Dracula.”

The nominees include:

The Soft Whisper of the Dead by Charles L. Grant (1983)

Salem's Lot by Stephen King (1975)

I Am Legend by Richard Matheson (1954)

Anno Dracula by Kim Newman (1992)

Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice (1991)

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It’s no secret that the Black Dagger Brotherhood is one of the most popular paranormal series out there. J.R. Ward started the series with 2005’s Dark Lover, and it quickly captured the imagination of paranormal romance fans. This spring, readers will be able to get their hands on the tenth installment, Lover Reborn. But so far, the project has been surrounded by secrecy.

We know that this is Tohrment’s story, a member of the brotherhood that has endured unimaginable pain. He lost his mate and is, according to the book’s back cover blurb, “unrecognisable [sic] as the vampire leader he once was.” Now, in order to free his beloved from an icy prison, Tohr must find space in his heart for a new love. After meeting a woman with shrouded origins, his heart may begin to thaw but will this new avenue lead to their salvation — or damnation?

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Stephanie Draven recently released the latest in her Mythica series, "The Fever and the Fury", which puts a contemporary paranormal spin on two elements of classic mythology. In honor of the sixth Mythica story's release, we decided to take a look a look back at all the different creatures of Greek myth that the author has featured in this series ... and how she has made them her own!

Book One: “Midnight Medusa”

Greek Myth Element: Medusa. In classic Greek myth, after Medusa is caught with her lover, Poseidon, in Athena’s temple, she is punished by having her hair transformed into snakes. Now a hideous monster, anyone who looks at Medusa is turned to stone. Medusa eventually meets her end when Hercules beheads her. 

Draven’s Take: “Midnight Medusa” heroine Renata is an artist who sculpts prisoners of war. Like those who see Medusa, the prisoners whose likenesses Renata sculpts all die soon afterwards. However, unlike Medusa, Renata’s powers do not lead to her unfortunate demise. Instead, she is kidnapped by a mysterious immortal with his own great powers. The two must reconcile their abilities while simultaneously figuring out their feelings for one another in this series starter.

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