Crimson Swan

Alexandra Sabian, a vampire and Enforcer with the Federal Bureau of Preternatural Investigation, moved to Jefferson, Mississippi six years ago to escape the ghosts of her father's murder and a past filled with violence.

Now a killer stalks the vampires living in the small town and the deaths are resurrecting the past she thought she left behind. Alex must fight bigotry, the media, and herself in order to stop the killings before her brother becomes the next victim.

------------------------------

Excerpt from Chapter 1:

Six lifeless eyes followed him, silent witnesses who would never share their stories, never reveal his secrets.

He tried to ignore their accusing stares by turning his back to them but six pinpoints of heated malice bore into him as he swung the hammer. Each strike drove the sharpened cross through layers of flesh and bone to pierce the still heart of his latest victim.

No, he shouldn’t call it a victim. It was nothing to him. It wasn’t even human. It, and others like it, would pay for their crimes. Crimes committed against him, his family, and against God himself.

Those bastards would pay for what they had done to Claire. He would see to that.

The final blow landed and the hammer fell to the blood-soaked cement floor with a dull thud, splashing drops of congealing blood onto his already stained work boots. He stared at his handiwork and smiled. It was perfect, just like the others. He giggled as he wiped a bloody hand across his sweating brow.

“That bitch’ll never figure this out,” he said, turning to his mute audience. “Not ‘til it’s too late, anyway.”

Six lifeless eyes stared at him in adoration. Three mouths opened in a silent chorus, singing his praises, as he waltzed to a tune of his own design with the memory of his beloved Claire.

***

Cursing, Alex glanced at the bedside clock as she fumbled for the phone. “Five AM. This had better be good.” A half-empty glass of water fell onto the carpeted floor. “Shit.” She located the cordless receiver and pushed the button, silencing the irritating noise mid-ring. “Sabian,” she yawned.

“Alex?” Tasha Lockwood’s sultry voice reminded Alex of late night 900-number commercial voice-overs and seemed out of place with Tasha’s position as Nassau County’s lead homicide detective.

Alex pulled the thick comfort over her head and managed a quiet grunt of acknowledgement.

“I’m sorry to wake you, but we’ve got another body.”

“Damn it.” All thoughts of returning to sleep evaporated. Alex threw off the covers and sat up a little too quickly. The room spun around her and she closed her eyes, fighting back a sudden wave of nausea. It’d been three days since she’d last satisfied her blood-hunger and averaging two or three hours of sleep a night wasn’t helping. Maybe those two slices of cold pizza she’d had before crawling into bed weren’t such a good idea either. “Where?”

“The rest stop north of town.”

“Are you on scene?”

“Yeah. I’m trying to hold off the pissing contest that’s brewing.”

“Manser’s there already, huh?”

“Yes, he’s here, along with a few city uniforms. The state troopers are on the way, too.” Tasha sighed. “Great, the media just showed up.”

###

CRIMSON SWAN will be released in September 2009.

------------------------------

Biographical Information

I'm Jeannie Holmes -- feel free to call me J. K. I'm an author of dark urban fantasy fiction with a forensic science twist, best described as "UNDERWORLD meets CSI."

CRIMSON SWAN, the first in the Alexandra Sabian series, was recently purchased by Bantam Dell for publication in September 2009. It's a dark urban fantasy novel that combines two of my favorite subjects: vampires and forensic science. The sequel, A WICKED TURN, is in the works and finds Alex searching for two missing girls. The only clues to their disappearance are a business card advertising a role-playing website and a fake vampire fang. Can she find them before it's too late?

My published works include NUGGET'S STORY, a personal account of how I rescued and adopted an abandoned kitten, which appears as part of the WRITING MOBILE BAY: THE HURRICANE PROJECT anthology.

I had the honor of having several works published in ORACLE, a fine arts review magazine published by the University of South Alabama. A short fiction story, BIG RED: A LOVE STORY, and a nonfiction short story, SOMETHING BORROWED, were published in the Spring 2007 edition. An extended excerpt from CRIMSON SWAN's first chapter will be published in the Spring 2008 edition, along with a short story entitled WITH TEETH.

I'm a native of southwest Mississippi but now live in Mobile, Alabama, and I'm working toward my M.A. degree in English with a concentration in creative writing at the University of South Alabama.

Interview with a Writer
A new monthly blog in which I interview other writers about the craft of writing. Introductory interviewees include New York Times Bestseller Kim Harrison and 2009 Richard Wright Award winner Carolyn Haines.
Location: http://interviewwithawriter.blogspot.com/

Magical Words Blog -- Special Guest appearance
Date: June 13, 2008
Location: www.magicalwords.net

Nugget's Story

Format: Short story

Genre: Nonfiction

An orphaned kitten is found amid the destruction of Hurricane Ivan.

Published in Writing Mobile Bay: The Hurricane Project. Available through the Alabama Writers Forum.
Publication date: April 2006

------------------------------

Big Red: A Love Story

Format: Short story

Genre: Fiction

A young bull experiences the pain of his first love.

Published in Oracle, a fine arts review published by the University of South Alabama.
Publication date: Spring 2007

------------------------------

Something Borrowed

Format: Short story

Genre: Nonfiction

Choosing the perfect wedding date is never easy.

Published in Oracle, a fine arts review published by the University of South Alabama.
Publication date: Spring 2007

------------------------------

With Teeth

Format: Short story

Genre: Fiction

A dentist who collects antique dental equipment faces a living nightmare after he acquires a set of haunted dentures.

Published in Oracle, a fine arts review published by the University of South Alabama.
Publication date: Spring 2008

------------------------------

Roja en el Barrio

Format: Short story

Genre: Fiction

An updated, urban fantasy twist on the classic fairy tale of Little Red Riding Hood.

Currently unpublished
Winning submission for the University of South Alabama's Stokes Scholarship: Graduate Fiction, 2008

------------------------------

Try Not to Remember

Format: Short story

Genre: Nonfiction

A personal recounting of childhood memories and the events of my father's funeral.

Currently unpublished
Winning submission for the University of South Alabama's Dr. Patricia Stephens Memorial Scholarship, 2008

------------------------------

Crimson Swan

Format: Novel

Genre: Dark Urban Fantasy

Publication: September 2009

A serial killer is stalking the vampires of Jefferson, Mississippi. Alexandra Sabian -- a vampire and Enforcer with the Federal Bureau of Preternatural Investigation -- must find the killer before her brother becomes the next victim.

Degrees:

Associate of Arts - History - Southwest Mississippi Community College

Bachelor of Arts - English (Creative Writing) - University of South Alabama

Master of Arts - English (Creative Writing) - University of South Alabama - Degree in progress

------------------------------

Professional affiliations:
International Thriller Writers, Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, Romance Writers of America, Alabama Writers Forum, International Order of Horror Professionals, Association for Gravestone Studies

------------------------------

Academic Honors:
Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, Golden Key International Honor Society, Sigma Tau Delta English Honor Society, National Dean's List, Recipient of USA's Shelley Memorial Scholarship (Undergraduate Division 2006), Graduated summa cum laude (English BA), Recipient of USA's Stokes Scholarship: Gradute Fiction, 2008, Recipient of USA's Dr. Patricia Stephens Memorial Scholarship, 2008