writes full time. When she’s not writing or reliving her reference desk glory days, she can be found watching made-for-TV movies, hunting for the perfect slice of cheese pizza, and planning her next great travel adventure. She is the author of Side Effects May Vary, Ramona Blue, Dear Sweet Pea, Faith Taking Flight, Puddin’, and Dumplin’, which was adapted into a film on Netflix. You can visit Julie online at imjuliemurphy.com. She can be found on Twitter and Instagram as @andimjulie. Julie’s favorite vampire is Edward Cullen and she’s not even a little bit ashamed.
MARK OSHIRO is the award-winning author of Anger Is a Gift and Each of Us a Desert. When not writing, editing, or traveling, they run the online Mark Does Stuff universe and are trying to pet every dog in the world. You can visit them online at markoshiro.com or @MarkDoesStuff on both Twitter and Instagram. Mark’s favorite vampires are Blade and Angel. Sign up for email updates here.
NATALIE C. PARKER is the author and editor of several books for young adults including the acclaimed Seafire trilogy. Her work has been included on the NPR Best Books list, the Indies Next List, and the TAYSHAS Reading List, and in Junior Library Guild selections. Natalie grew up in a Navy family, finding home in coastal cities from Virginia to Japan. Now she lives with her wife on the Kansas prairie. Find her online at nataliecparker.com. Her vampire queen is Caroline Forbes. Sign up for email updates here.
REBECCA ROANHORSE is a New York Times–bestselling author and winner of the Hugo, Nebula, Locus, and Astounding awards. Her novels include Trail of Lightning, Storm of Locusts, Star Wars: Resistance Reborn, and the middle grade novel Race to the Sun. Her latest adult novel, Black Sun, comes out Fall 2020. Her young adult short fiction can be found in Hungry Hearts, A Phoenix First Must Burn, and A Universe of Wishes. She lives in northern New Mexico with her husband and daughter. Find her online at rebeccaroanhorse.com or on Twitter @RoanhorseBex. Rebecca’s favorite vampire is Jean-Claude from the Anita Black: Vampire Hunter series, but the Blood River Boys are an ode to her teenage faves, Michael and David from The Lost Boys.
LAURA RUBY writes fiction for kids, teens, and adults, including the young adult novel Bone Gap, a finalist for the National Book Award and winner of the Printz Medal. She is on the faculty of Hamline University’s MFAC program. Visit her online at lauraruby.com and on Twitter and Instagram @thatlauraruby. Laura’s favorite vampire is the girl from A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night.
VICTORIA “V. E.” SCHWAB is the #1 New York Times– and Indie-bestselling author of more than twenty books, including Vicious, the Shades of Magic series, and This Savage Song. Her work has received critical acclaim, been featured by Entertainment Weekly and the New York Times, been translated into more than two dozen languages, and been optioned for TV and film. The Independent calls her the “natural successor to Diana Wynne Jones.” Visit her online at veschwab.com and follow her on Twitter @veschwab. Victoria’s favorite vampire is obviously Lestat. Sign up for email updates here.
KAYLA WHALEY is an essayist and novelist living outside Atlanta. Her work has appeared in Catapult, The Toast, and Michigan Quarterly Review and in the anthologies Here We Are: Feminism for the Real World and Unbroken: 13 Stories Starring Disabled Teens. She holds an MFA from the University of Tampa and was formerly senior editor at Disability in Kidlit. Visit her online at kaylawhaley.com and follow her on Twitter @PunkinOnWheels. Kayla’s favorite vampire is Claudia, especially as played by Kirsten Dunst.
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CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
DEDICATION
INTRODUCTION
SEVEN NIGHTS FOR DYING: Tessa Gratton
Creation Myths, or Where Do Baby Vampires Come From?
THE BOYS FROM BLOOD RIVER: Rebecca Roanhorse
Bites & Blood, or Why Do Vampires Suck?
SENIOR YEAR SUCKS: Julie Murphy
The Slayer, or When We Say Vampire, You Say Slayer!
THE BOY AND THE BELL: Heidi Heilig
Burial Traditions, or Why Didn’t People Triple-Check Dead Bodies before Closing up the Casket?
A GUIDEBOOK FOR THE NEWLY SIRED DESI VAMPIRE: Samira Ahmed
Vampirism, or But Is It Possible That Vampires Are Real?
IN KIND: Kayla Whaley
The Magical Cure, or Embodying the Vampire Myth
VAMPIRES NEVER SAY DIE: Zoraida Córdova & Natalie C. Parker
Thrall, or “These Aren’t the Vampires You’re Looking For…”
BESTIARY: Laura Ruby
Bats, or The Cutest Misunderstood Flying Rodents
MIRRORS, WINDOWS & SELFIES: Mark Oshiro
Reflections, or But First, Let Me Take a Selfie
THE HOUSE OF BLACK SAPPHIRES: Dhonielle Clayton
Coffins, or How Else Does One Get Beauty Rest?
FIRST KILL: Victoria “V. E.” Schwab
Kiss / Marry / Kill, or The Villains We Love to Love
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Copyright
Copyright © 2020 by Zoraida Córdova and Natalie C. Parker. “Seven Nights for Dying” copyright © 2020 by Tessa Gratton. “The Boys from Blood River” copyright © 2020 by Rebecca Roanhorse. “Senior Year Sucks” copyright © 2020 by Julie Murphy. “The Boy and the Bell” copyright © 2020 by Heidi Heilig. “A Guidebook for the Newly Sired Desi Vampire” copyright © 2020 by Samira Ahmed. “In Kind” copyright © 2020 by Kayla Whaley. “Vampires Never Say Die” copyright © 2020 by Zoraida Córdova and Natalie C. Parker. “Bestiary” copyright © 2020 by Laura Ruby. “Mirrors, Windows & Selfies” copyright © 2020 by Mark Oshiro. “The House of Black Sapphires” copyright © 2020 by Dhonielle Clayton. “First Kill” copyright © 2020 by Victoria Schwab.
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First hardcover edition, 2020
eBook edition, September 2020
eISBN 978-1-250-23000-3