Dear unknown reader,

On occasion, Ms. Zaplendam will allow me to use her equipment to address all of you. With such a vast forum before, I can barely contain my machiavellian glee at the prospect of all these pliant minds available for my cunning manipulations. (Hear my maniacal laugh?) I jest, of course. If ever there was a benign neighborhood vampire steadily working on curing an affliction that has kept him “alive” for the past two hundred plus years, it is myself.

I’ve yet to tap into the immunological properties of my blood to the degree in which I would like, unfortunately. Certain of its secrets have been leaked out here and there, as I deemed fitting, as would benefit untainted humanity. But understanding it in its entirety is an ongoing process involving time, a laboratory, assistants who won’t ask too many question, and some deep pockets. So you see, with these hurdles before me….

But I digress. For those of you who are unaware, I have decided to hand write a personal letter to each individual who receives a giveaway soft copy of Order of the Blood  or the upcoming new release The Egyptian Elixir. Your chances of getting in on any giveaways will go up if you sign up for Page Zaplendam’s fledgling newsletter, I promise you.

In this first letter to the public at large, I would like to thank you for your interest in persons such as myself: vampires. We are an afflicted people, struck down with a menacing disease that induces a sort of cannibalistic, power-hungry mania. Some are enamored of us, others fear us. I, for one, feel that I am no more or less than what I was, a flawed man in need of salvation. The only difference is that I must needs lead my life somewhat differently and must suffer crosses that the ordinary man does not, namely, the need to consume blood.

It is in the hopes of gaining sympathy for my cause that I have allowed Ms. Zaplendam so much prying into my private affairs, of both heart and history. I feared she would misrepresent my character or history, but I am happy to say that she has handled all the events of my life with both delicacy and forthrightness. Very little of it, thus far, has been far from the mark of real events.

We are currently working on several projects together along with the sequel to Order of the Blood.

First, she expects to publish  The Egyptian Elixir, a novella set in the Unofficial Chronicles world, in late January to early February. And second, a serialized piece titled A Treatise on the Nature of Vampirism, will be available only to The Fantastical newsletter subscribers. The first part will be published when the first newsletter is released, but those who come to the newsletter later will be able to access any back chapters via exclusive access to a secret page on her blog.

All in all, it is a joy to work with her, it is a joy to know that readers are benefiting from the work we put into these novels.

I wish you all the very best and remain,

Your Servant,

John Grissom