We first meet him in Paris during the reign of Louis XV when he is, apparently, a wealthy, worldly, charismatic aristocrat, envied and desired by many but fully known to none. In fact, he is a vampire, born in the Carpathian Mountains in 2119 BC, turned in his late-thirties in 2080 BC and destined to roam the world forever, watching and participating in history and, through the author, giving us an amazing perspective on the time-tapestry of human civilization.

In Hotel Transylvania Saint-Germain makes his first appearance in a story that blends history and fiction as Saint-Germain is pitted against Satanists to preserve Madelaine de Montalia from ruin.

Chelsea Quinn Yarbro has been called “The Mother of Paranormal Romance.” Read her astute analysis of her archetypal protagonist in Saint-Germain and the Lives of Women.

Dan Simmons

John Kwok, a leading Amazon reviewer and blogger, has chosen Dan Simmons as one of “the best living American writers of science fiction.”

“Dan Simmons is a prolific award-winning writer of both excellent mainstream and science fiction and fantasy fiction. His ‘Hyperion Cantos’ (Hyperion, The Fall of Hyperion, Endymion and The Rise of Endymion) raised the stakes with regards to writing literary space opera science fiction, drawing from sources as diverse as the poetry of John Keats and cyberpunk. A more recent literary space opera is his superb take on the Homeric epics, Iliad and Odyssey, set on a distant future Earth and Mars; Ilium and Olympos. One of my favorite novels of his is a most engrossing fictional account of the writer Ernest Hemingway indulging in spying on Nazis in Cuba during the early years of World War II, The Crook Factory [Mulholland Books reissue coming soon]. Dan Simmons’ latest novel is the near future dystopian thriller Flashback.”

E-Reads carries two masterpieces by Simmons, Phases of Gravity and Song of Kali.

If you’re interested in learning how I dealt with the challenge, and the fascinating process of movie, television and game novelizations, I’ve detailed it in a piece called Movies Into Books.

Incidentally, I hold an orange belt in pumpkin carving, and above is an example. In the dark you can’t see the bloodstain where my filleting knife penetrated the palm of my left hand.

- Richard Curtis

Sean Costello: In Eden’s Eyes, The Cartoonist and Captain Quad, Costello demonstrates the full range of terror, rage, anger and madness that the horror genre can encompass. In the process, he also creates memorable characters while blending the real and the supernatural in ways uniquely his own.

Rex Miller: Miller’s bestial antagonist, Chaingang, is four hundred pounds of brute rage who feasts on fresh hearts and is not too delicate about how he extracts them from his victims. Miller’s genius is that he makes Chaingang sympathetic, a villain you hate to love, unless you happen to be with him in a pitch-dark room.

Ray Garton: A Grand Master of Horror, Garton’s characters populate a Grand Guignol of depravity. Live Girls, his masterpiece, portrays ravishing pleasure girls who seduce a lovesick man into a world of irresistible fantasy and ecstasy.

David Wellington: Monster Island trilogy. Welcome to New York City, Population Zero? The power grid has collapsed. There is no running water, no light, no heat. The massive neon signs of Times Square are dark now, and the subway trains crouch silent in their tunnels, waiting for commuters who will never return. An epidemic of staggering lethality has passed over the city and left nothing living in its wake. And yet the city is not deserted. The dead have returned to life, and they’re hungry.

Poppy Z. Brite: Are You Loathsome Tonight? Join horror master Brite as she explores the outermost regions of murder, passion, death and religion in twelve extraordinary short stories.

Dan Simmons: Song of Kali. Blood will curdle in Calcutta! In the most crime-ridden city, nightmares become real and evil is defined by frightening occurrences. When an American family finds themselves encircled by the terrors of this land, lurid events befall them and life takes on a new meaning–-death.

- Richard Curtis

“Amazon customers have a huge appetite for science fiction, fantasy and horror books, and we are thrilled to have the opportunity to introduce readers to new and established voices in these genres,” said Victoria Griffith, Publisher, Amazon Publishing, West Coast Group. “We are especially happy to have a diverse list at launch, and look forward to publishing across a wide range of subgenres.”

47North will launch with the following books & series:

* Together, Lee Goldberg and William Rabkin are the authors of “Successful Television Writing” and have written and/or produced scores of highly successful network television series, including Diagnosis Murder, Spenser: For Hire, Baywatch and many more. Their digital-first novel, “Face of Evil,” which will publish in October 2011, is the first novel in The Dead Man series. Protagonist Matthew Cahill gains new sight into the netherworld after a terrible accident, making each day a living nightmare. Four more installments will also publish in October, with a new adventure following each month thereafter. Additionally, a print compilation of the first three novels will publish in January 2012.
* Prolific science fiction and fantasy writer Dave Duncan’s “Against the Light” tells the story of a young, magical missionary’s arrest for heresy and treason in the land of Albi. Duncan is best known for fantasy series The Seventh Sword, A Man of His Word and The King’s Blades. “Against the Light” will be published in January 2012.
* Arwen Elys Dayton’s action-packed science fiction novel, “Resurrection,” centers on warring alien races and the two star-crossed pilots who hold the key to salvation. The fan-favorite novel has been out of print for years and will be brought back into print by 47North in January 2012.
* Aric Davis’ previous novel, “Nickel Plated,” was named by Booklist as one of the Top Ten Crime Novels for Youth in 2011. Now, Davis turns his attention to the macabre in the all-new “A Good and Useful Hurt,” in which tattoo artist Mike’s life is torn apart when a supernatural, psychopathic killer targets him and those he loves. “A Good and Useful Hurt,” Davis’ first adult novel, will be published in February 2012.
* A new edition of the first book in Evan Currie’s popular military space opera Odyssey series will be published in March 2012, now entitled “Into the Black: Odyssey One.” 47North will also publish its sequel later in the year.
* Best-selling UK author Stephen Leather’s new Nightingale series will be published by 47North starting in March 2012. “Nightfall,” “Midnight” and “Nightmare” are fast-paced supernatural thrillers that follow former cop and struggling private investigator Jack Nightingale who is forced to confront the possibility that demons exist after inheriting a supernatural mansion.
* Hugo and Nebula Award-winning authors Neal Stephenson and Greg Bear have teamed up with an ensemble of respected authors and newcomers to create the Foreworld series. The series will begin with The Mongoliad trilogy, an epic tale about the birth of Western martial arts. The Foreworld series will begin with the publication of “The Mongoliad: Book One” in April 2012.
* New York Times best-selling author Chris Roberson lends his ear for humor and the otherworldly in “Further: Beyond the Threshold,” to be published in May 2012. Roberson is best known for his DC Comics/Vertigo work in the Cinderella series and iZombie. “Further” is a novel about a space explorer who is kept in stasis for too long and awakens to a universe that is terrifying and unfamiliar.
* B.V. Larson has published over 20 novels in genres ranging from military science fiction, to epic fantasy, to paranormal romance. 47North will publish the next two novels in his urban fantasy series, Unspeakable Things, in June 2012. In the first book, “Technomancer,” Larson’s detective Quentin Draith is tasked with solving impossible crimes, and each clue leads him further into a world that exists between the raindrops of the known world.

47North, whose name is based on the latitude coordinates of Seattle, joins sister imprints AmazonEncore, AmazonCrossing, Powered by Amazon, Montlake Romance, Thomas & Mercer and the New York imprint in the Amazon Publishing family.

For more information on 47North and upcoming titles, visit www.amazon.com/47North. For more information about all imprints of Amazon Publishing, visit www.amazon.com/amazonpublishing. 47North is a brand used by Amazon Content Services, LLC.

About Amazon.com

Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), a Fortune 500 company based in Seattle, opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995 and today offers Earth’s Biggest Selection. Amazon.com, Inc. seeks to be Earth’s most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and endeavors to offer its customers the lowest possible prices. Amazon.com and other sellers offer millions of unique new, refurbished and used items in categories such as Books; Movies, Music & Games; Digital Downloads; Electronics & Computers; Home & Garden; Toys, Kids & Baby; Grocery; Apparel, Shoes & Jewelry; Health & Beauty; Sports & Outdoors; and Tools, Auto & Industrial. Amazon Web Services provides Amazon’s developer customers with access to in-the-cloud infrastructure services based on Amazon’s own back-end technology platform, which developers can use to enable virtually any type of business. The new latest generation Kindle is the lightest, most compact Kindle ever and features the same 6-inch, most advanced electronic ink display that reads like real paper even in bright sunlight. Kindle Touch is a new addition to the Kindle family with an easy-to-use touch screen that makes it easier than ever to turn pages, search, shop, and take notes – still with all the benefits of the most advanced electronic ink display. Kindle Touch 3G is the top of the line e-reader and offers the same new design and features of Kindle Touch, with the unparalleled added convenience of free 3G. Kindle Fire is the Kindle for movies, TV shows, music, books, magazines, apps, games and web browsing with all the content, free storage in the Amazon Cloud, Whispersync, Amazon Silk (Amazon’s new revolutionary cloud-accelerated web browser), vibrant color touch screen, and powerful dual-core processor.

Amazon and its affiliates operate websites, including www.amazon.com, www.amazon.co.uk, www.amazon.de, www.amazon.co.jp, www.amazon.fr, www.amazon.ca, www.amazon.cn, www.amazon.it, and www.amazon.es. As used herein, “Amazon.com,” “we,” “our” and similar terms include Amazon.com, Inc., and its subsidiaries, unless the context indicates otherwise.

Forward-Looking Statements

This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Actual results may differ significantly from management’s expectations. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that include, among others, risks related to competition, management of growth, new products, services and technologies, potential fluctuations in operating results, international expansion, outcomes of legal proceedings and claims, fulfillment center optimization, seasonality, commercial agreements, acquisitions and strategic transactions, foreign exchange rates, system interruption, inventory, government regulation and taxation, payments and fraud. More information about factors that potentially could affect Amazon.com’s financial results is included in Amazon.com’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent filings.

See full article from DailyFinance: http://www.dailyfinance.com/rtn/pr/amazon-publishing-launches-science-fiction-fantasy-and-horror-imprint-47north/rfid492813492/?channel=pscope&icid=sphere_copyright

Today we know.

Amazon’s science fiction, fantasy, and horror imprint is now up and running. It’s called 47North.

Among the featured titles in the launch of the line are Against the Light, an original fantasy novel by Dave Duncan, and the first work in The Mongoliad by Neal Stephenson and Greg Bear. Duncan and Bear are represented by Richard Curtis Associates.

If you were wondering about the meaning of the name, go to your googlemap and see what Pacific Northwest city is located at 47 degrees of latitude. Hint: Amazon is headquartered there. Here’s another: it’s the home of the Space Needle.

Here’s the full article.

Richard Curtis

But Orient is not like ordinary men. For years he has been studying the secrets of the Occult and, though he seeks simplicity now, finds himself drawn more and more deeply into a horrifying series of events that challenge his scientific rationality, his occult powers, and the instincts and emotions that guide his manhood.

The puzzle that began in a Manhattan black magic commune eventually draws Orient to Tangier, Marrakech, and Rome to a confrontation with an ancient ravening evil–a battle in which telepathy, telekinesis, and even sex become weapons in a frenzied struggle to the death–and beyond…

For the first time E-Reads is collecting the seven novels in the Doctor Orient series in a new, unified format, and will make them available to readers all over the world. Written over a period of more than twenty years, the books narrate Doctor Orient’s discovery of his own psychic powers, his continuing research and his efforts to expand and deepen his understanding of the hidden level of reality in which psychic events occur and the monstrous and terrifying uses to which such powers are put to use by those who regard humans, and humanity as a whole, as play-things for exploitation of their dark desires. Frank Lauria, the author of the Doctor Orient series, is also at work on the first new Doctor Orient novel in almost two decades.

Raga Six : A Novel of Ancient Evil

“Hypnotically readable…Frank Lauria has written the most believable Vampire and Werewolf stories I have ever read.”
–William S. Burroughs.

You can start with The Curse of the Blue Figurine and work your way through the rest, which are numbered in sequence (though they don’t have to be read in any order). Click here to see them. There is a total of twelve, with four more to come as of this date.  So look on the Bellairs author page from time to time.

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The Curse of the Blue Figurine

Living with his grandparents gives Johnny Dixon a lot of time to find trouble. Or adventure. Or, is it both? In this, the first Johnny Dixon mystery, our young hero hears the spine-tingling story of Father Baart, a madman who haunts the town’s church. At first, Johnny doesn’t believe in ghosts, but when he takes a scroll and a small Egyptian figurine from the church basement, all that changes.

Soon, a mysterious stranger gives him a ring, and Johnny plunges headlong into a terrifying adventure. Along with his new friend Professor Childermass, Johnny races to solve the mystery of this very real ghost before another life is lost.

“Heart-stopping”
—Booklist

“As moody as a cold rainy day in March … a horror story to be savored until the final page.”
—School Library Journal

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The late John Bellairs was a beloved master of gothic young adult novels and fantasies. His series about the adventures of Lewis Barnavelt and his Uncle Jonathan, which includes The House with a Clock in Its Walls, is a classic (and currently in development for theatrical motion picture). Bellairs’ solo adult novel The Face in the Frost is also regarded as a fantasy classic – and E-Reads has it!

When Emily Crane’s car breaks down on a dark, lonely road at night, she is attacked and raped by a man she kills in self defense. That night, the dead rapist walks out of the morgue. Later, Emily begins to experience strange cravings and her body undergoes terrifying changes.

When brutal killings leave victims partially eaten in the northern California coastal town of Big Rock, Sheriff Arlin Hurley scoffs at the talk of werewolves…until a tuft of wolf’s fur is found on a victim. It soon becomes clear that whatever is responsible for the killings, it’s not alone. There are more than one. And they are doing something much worse than killing and eating people.

Nearly 25 years ago, Ray Garton reinvented the vampire mythos with his erotic novel Live Girls. Now he has updated the curse of the werewolf in Ravenous.

Here’s what Publishers Weekly said about Ravenous:

“For Garton, lycanthropy is a sexually transmitted diseas, spread mostly through rape, that runs rampant through a small town fraught with affairs and intrigues. His werewolf is a terrifying creature: not a remorseful, helpless cursed human but a homicidal beast driven by a dual urge to breed and feed. Hurley is a sheriff to root for, and Garton’s well-paced horror novel reworks the werewolf myth to great effect.”

To learn what was on Ray Garton’s mind when he wrote Ravenous, and for an expert comparison of vampires to werewolves Click here.

Night Life

Ray Garton’s Live Girls. published in 1987, changed the face of vampire fiction. The gritty, urban story of Davey Owen’s dark seduction and reluctant transformation into a creature of the undead has become a classic of the genre.

In Night Life, nearly two decades after battling the vampires of the Midnight Club in New York City, Davey is a marked man. He lives a quiet life in Los Angeles with the love of his life, Casey Thorne. The vampires he did not destroy back then have been hunting him ever since, eager to take their revenge–and now they have found him. For what he did to them, they are determined to make him pay with his last drop of blood. With the help of old friends and new allies, Davey and Casey must face the bloodthirsty nightmare of their past. This time, they may not have a future.

If you’re truly bloodthirsty,we urge you to read Live Girls and Night Life back to back. With the lights on.

“I almost couldn’t bear to continue; but the story was so gripping I knew I would have to….It is so frightening that it doesn’t seem there is any further way for the story to intensify….The finale is virtuosic, and the plot twists up more and more, exponentially so, to a climax which is nothing short of vertiginous.”
– Michael Edwards

“Read it if you can. But I warn you, you might not be able to. And that is the highest recommendation it is possible to give horror fiction.”
– Richard Wright

“There were several occasions when I had to put to the book down, take a deep breath and say, ‘I can’t believe that happened to that character!’ If you want to be shocked, if you have a strong stomach or if you just want to find out how terrible the world can be–highly recommend Shackled. Just don’t expect it to be a pleasant ride.”
– Eoghain O’Keefe

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Children disappear all the time. It’s in the news every day. Where do they go? What happens to them? Who has taken them?

While covering a story for his tabloid newspaper, reporter Bentley Noble accidentally stumbles onto something else entirely…a story about something so unspeakable, he doesn’t know if anyone will believe it…a story that pulls him down into the depths of evil and depravity and threatens his very life.

With the help of a bestselling true-crime writer, Noble descends into the dark world of human trafficking, where fear and pain are tools of control and innocence is sold to the highest bidder. As a handful of good and decent people try to combat a monstrously powerful and all too real evil, some lives will be shattered, others will be ended…but none will be the same.

Want to know what was on Ray Garton’s mind when he wrote Shackled? Read his blog here.