Happy World Dracula Day 2025!

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While it’s true that today is Memorial Day in the United States—an annual remembrance of the country’s fallen military members, held on the last Monday in May—it also happens to be World Dracula Day, which was launched in 2012 by the Whitby Dracula Society 1897 (based in Whitby Abbey, England), to mark the day in 1897 when Bram Stoker’s seminal novel was first released by publisher Archibald Constable & Co.

So, what’s the best way to celebrate the occasion if you’re a horror fan? Well, you could read Dracula, of course, or have your own movie marathon of horror flicks starring the count—there are certainly enough of those to watch, from the original Bela Lugosi classic to Christopher Lee’s Hammer films, and from Frank Langella (Dracula) to Gary Oldman (Bram Stoker’s Dracula) to Luke Evans (Dracula Untold). Not to mention movies in a more comedic…vein (c’mon, I had to say it!): George Hamilton in Love at First Bite; Leslie Nielsen in Dracula: Dead and Loving It; Nicholas Cage in Renfield; and even Richard Roxburgh’s scenery-chewing performance in Hugh Jackman’s Van Helsing.

Or you could purchase a book that helped to inspire Stoker in creating the count’s unforgettable debut—especially when it came to the presentation of his vampirie “brides.” In fact, it’s recently been ranked a “Best of #BookTok” title!

Carmilla is J. Sheridan Le Fanu’s 19th-century classic vampiric tale of love gone wrong. Laura is so desperate for a friend that when a young woman named Carmilla practically turns up on the doorstep of the castle owned by Laura’s father, she thinks her prayers for companionship have been answered. But as she comes to realize, Carmilla isn’t as interested in making friends as she is in spilling blood…

Regarded as the one of the earliest female vampire tales—if not the first—Carmilla was an influence on Stoker’s Dracula, and remains a popular character in fiction to this day. Our special edition contains six exclusive illustrations by the super-talented Eliseu Gouveia (Lorelei: Sects and the City, The Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual #1).

“With a cover that looks like it belongs on the paranormal romance shelf in a bookstore and half a dozen illustrations provided by Eliseu Gouveia, this edition stands a good chance of tempting some younger readers to pick up this classic vampire tale…. I wish I’d picked this book up in seventh grade instead of slogging through Dracula.”—The Gothic Library

Carmilla is available in print and digital formats. Visit its product page at StarWarp Concepts for ordering information.

Happy Free Comic Book Day 2025!

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Rejoice, comic book fans, because once again it’s time for Free Comic Book Day at brick-and-mortar and online comic shops around the world!

Held the first Saturday in May, this year’s event is timed to coincide with yesterday’s release of Marvel Studios’ latest blockbuster, Thunderbolts*, starring Sebastian Stan (Captain America: The Winter Soldier), Florence Pugh (Black Widow), and David Harbour (Stranger Things). And in keeping with FCBD’s fine tradition of gifting comics to fans everywhere, Pan’s publisher, StarWarp Concepts, has a couple of titles that you can download—for free!

Heroines & Heroes: A collection of comic stories and pinups all drawn by Steven A. Roman (that’s me!), dating back to my days in the early 1990s small-press movement—that age of dinosaurs in which creators like me used to make our comics by printing them out on photocopiers and then stapling them by hand. In H&H you’ll find mainstream heroes and small-press heroines, and even a couple of anthropomorphic bikers.

Leading off is “V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N (in the Summertime),” a three-page Wonder Woman vs. Harley Quinn story that I wrote and drew in the late ’90s as a sample for a DC Comics editor who thought I’d be a good fit for their Batman: The Animated Series comic (it didn’t work out). The WW/Harley matchup is followed by an adventure of small-presser Jeff Wood’s rabbit-eared superspy, Snowbuni; three pages from the long-canceled indie comic Motorbike Puppies; and an adventure of the indie superheroine The Blonde Avenger.

The Saga of Pandora Zwieback #0: A full-color introduction to the young adult novel series of the same name, hosted by Pan herself. Pan is a 16-year-old New York City Goth who’s not only a horror fangirl but someone with the rare ability to see the for-real monsters that regular humans can’t (she calls it her “monstervision”), and with the help of a 400-year-old, shape-shifting monster hunter named Sebastienne “Annie” Mazarin, she’s learning how to protect her family, her friends, and the world from the supernatural dangers out there—and maybe even have some fun while doing it.

This 16-page comic features a seven-page story written by me, with art and color by Eliseu Gouveia (The Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual #1, Carmilla, A Princess of Mars), and includes two sample chapters from Blood Feud, the first Pan novel.

Both comics are available for download right now, so visit their respective product pages at StarWarp Concepts for more information, as well as sample pages.

It’s National Library Week 2025!

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Hey, book lovers! National Library Week is once again upon us, and you know us: any reason to read is a good cause for celebration! And where better to find a new book you might come to love than a library, where you can borrow it for free?

According to the American Library Association (ALA), the organization that runs the event:

“First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries across the country each April. It is a time to celebrate the contributions of our nation’s libraries and librarians and to promote library use and support. All types of libraries—school, public, academic and special—participate.”

This year’s theme is “Drawn to the Library,” as in what is it about libraries that draws you in to visit them? Is it the search for information? All the books and movies you can borrow for free? The smell of the printed page? Whatever it is, this is the time to celebrate as the ALA marks the week with a series of events: Right to Read Day, National Library Workers Day, National Library Outreach Day (what used to be called National Bookmobile Day), and Take Action for Libraries Day.

National Library Week runs until April 12, so check your local library for any special events they might have planned for the celebration. For more information, visit the National Library Week website.

Happy Will Eisner Week 2025!

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Yes, it’s time again for Will Eisner Week: an annual celebration—held every year from March 1 to March 7—run by the Will and Ann Eisner Family Foundation, to promote literacy, graphic novels, free speech, and the legacy of the late Will Eisner, the creator of the 1940s masked crimefighter The Spirit, and one of the founding fathers of American graphic novels.

A Contract with God, A Life Force, Dropsie Avenue, and The Dreamer are just some of the fascinating tales Eisner wrote and drew, featuring ordinary people in extraordinary (and sometimes not-so-extraordinary) situations. And even though he passed away in 2005, Eisner continues to inspire generations of writers and artists. Events are being held this week around the world; visit the Will Eisner Week Facebook page for more information.

StarWarp Concepts, of course, has its share of graphic novels and comics, with a couple that might pique your interest:

Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings: Perfect for superhero fans, this graphic novel is about a supernatural team of superfolk-for-hire, consisting of a wizard, a sorceress, a female ninja, a high-tech-armor-wearing rock concert lighting designer, and a werewolf. Not every superhero team has Tony Stark’s billions to play with, you understand, and the Troubleshooters are just looking to earn a living while fighting the monsters that have always lurked in the shadows. Night Stalkings presents the TSI members on their first mission: protecting a multimillionaire from a trio of Middle Eastern demons out to raise a little hell! It’s written by the husband-and-wife team of Richard C. White (For a Few Gold Pieces More, Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination) and Joni M. White, illustrated by Reggie Golden and Randy Zimmerman, and features cover art by Richard Dominguez (El Gato Negro).

The Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual #1: Although it may not be a graphic novel, at 56 pages it’s still a pretty thick comic book, with three stories of Pan and the monsters that live in her New York City hometown. This full-color special contains: “Song of the Siren” by Steven A. Roman and artist Eliseu Gouveia (The Saga of Pandora Zwieback #0), in which Pan has to contend with her boyfriend Javier’s ex-girlfriend—who turns out to be a mythological siren; “After Hours” by Sholly Fisch (The Batman & Scooby-Doo Mysteries), and comic-art legend Ernie Colon (Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld), about a demon relaxing in a bar after a hard day of scaring people; and “Shopping Maul,” a short story by yours truly with title-page art by Elizabeth Watasin (Charm School), in which Pan and her friends encounter some Elegant & Gothic Lolita vampires at a shopping mall. Cover art is provided by Henar Torinos (Mala Estrella, OmniTubers Secretos).

Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings is available in print and digital formats; The Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual #1 is currently a digital exclusive available at DriveThru Comics. Visit their respective product pages for ordering information, as well as sample pages.

Happy reading!

Happy National Tell a Fairy Tale Day 2025!

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No one seems to know where it came from, or whose idea it was, but today is National Tell a Fairy Tale Day, a time “to celebrate those beloved stories that we all loved as children, those fictional stories that told about characters such as fairies, talking animals, princesses, elves, witches, trolls, and giants,” according to the site Giftypedia.

Well if that’s the case, then perhaps you might be interested in one of StarWarp Concepts’ snazziest-looking fantasy titles:

Snow White is the classic story by the Brothers Grimm, and one of the titles in our Illustrated Classics line. Featuring full-color illustrations first published in 1883 (and they really are beautiful drawings), this digital-exclusive title is available for immediate download for the wickedly low price of just 99¢!

Snow White is a digital exclusive that’s available right now for download, so visit its product page at DriveThru Fiction for ordering information and sample pages.

Horror Street: Fairyland

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Welcome back to Horror Street, my ongoing journey in search of awesome yet spooky graffiti art on the streets and little-traveled corners of New York City!

Our latest entry comes from 2009, taken during one of my wanders through Long Island City, the eastern area of Queens, NY, that became a booming area for the real estate industry, as high-rise apartment buildings have sprouted up all over what used to be an industrialized neighborhood (with more on the way!).

What you see here is one of the many constantly changing murals that used to decorate 5Pointz (formerly the Phun Phactory), a mecca for graffiti artists from around the world whose talents were on display from street level to rooftop. The site was a run-down (but still in-use) factory that artists had moved into over time, starting in the 1990s. But by 2013, the building owner had plans to tear it all down and construct apartment buildings, which led to attempts to preserve 5Pointz as an artistic landmark and a lawsuit against the owner. Bottom line? He won, the artists lost, and today you’ll find an immense, high-rent apartment building also called 5Pointz where the original Phun Phactory once stood.

Well, this is one of the reasons I photograph murals like Fairyland—you never know if it’ll be there tomorrow! Graffiti may be a temporary artform, replaced by another artist’s work or ruined by unnecessary tagging, but tearing down the building it was on is a lot more permanent.

The fairy and her urban-fantasy landscape might be long gone from the Horror Streets of LIC, but the Internet will never forget her…

Stay tuned for further installments of Horror Street—there’s plenty of macabre graffiti art to be found on the streets of New York, if you look in the right creepy places! And be sure to check out my previous HS entries, like the Brooklyn Vampire, the demonic D-Rod, and the Spooky Forest!

Smashwords’ 2024 End of Year Ebook Sale Is Underway!

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Hey, book lovers! Today’s the day when e-book distributor Smashwords (and its parent company, Draft2Digital) launches its 8th annual End of Year Sale, during which you can purchase thousands of digital books at special prices! It runs from December 12 to January 1—and yes, you’ll need to set up an account (it’s free) to take advantage of this promotion.

Included among the many participating publishers is StarWarp Concepts (of course), which means you can get the following digital titles at 25% off:

Blood Feud: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 1 is my young adult novel that’s perfect for lovers of dark urban fantasy. It introduces readers to Pandora Zwieback, a 16-year-old Goth girl who’s spent the last decade being treated for mental health problems because she can see monsters. It’s only after she meets professional monster hunter Sebastienne “Annie” Mazarin that Pan discovers she’s never been ill—her so-called “monstervision” is actually a supernatural gift that allows her to see into Gothopolis, the not-so-mythical shadow world that exists right alongside the human world. In Blood Feud, Pan, her parents and friends, and Annie are drawn into a conflict among warring vampire clans searching for the key to an ultimate weapon (or so the legend goes)—a key that just so happens to have been delivered to the horror-themed museum owned by Pan’s father.

In Blood Reign: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 2, Pan and Annie face even greater challenges as the vampire clans draw up plans to go to war with humanity. Leading the charge is a fallen angel named Zaqiel, whose previous attempt at subjugating the world was stopped by Annie—who, back in the day, was Zaqiel’s lover! But Pan isn’t about to let some ancient monster win the day, not when the lives of her parents and friends—along with those of every human on the planet—are at stake, so she leads a charge of her own. But whose side is going to emerge the victor remains to be seen…

And Chasing Danger: The Case Files of Theron Chase is Richard C. White’s collection of fantasy-noir, pulp-detective tales starring a private eye working the supernatural beat in the city of Calasia. From a sexy chanteuse who literally turns into a beast when the moon is full to a string of pearls that kills its owners, and from the ghost of a dead woman seeking justice to the Grim Reaper’s little girl seeking her stolen chicken, Theron Chase certainly has his hands full—of danger, death, and dames!

Again, the Smashwords End of Year Sale runs December 12 to January 1, so head over to the StarWarp Concepts publisher page at Smashwords and start your holiday-reading shopping!

Happy Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day 2024!

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Hey, book lovers! Today marks what would have been the fourteenth annual Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day. Founded in 2010 by author Jessica Milchman, the event, held on the first Saturday in December, was “about instilling a love of bookstores in children so that they will value and support this most precious of resources as they go on to enter and create communities of their own” (according to its website, which unfortunately no longer exists).

Well, with the holidays fast approaching, there’s no better time than now to get youngsters started on their reading journeys, or to encourage it even more, so pardon us if we continue to keep the TYCBD tradition going. After all, kids + reading + brick-and-mortar bookstores = a great combination!

So, get out there and check out your local bookstore (if you have one) with your kids. But even if you don’t have kids, visiting a bookstore isn’t such a bad idea anyway—after all, books make for great holiday presents!

(Photograph by Circe Denyer, courtesy of Public Domain Pictures)

DriveThru’s 2024 Black Friday Sale Is Underway!

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The Christmas shopping season officially kicked into overdrive, with Thanksgiving Day here in the United States arriving yesterday. Now Black Friday—the biggest shopping day of the year—is upon us, when stores discount prices to generate sales, and Cyber Monday is on the horizon, when online retailers do the same.

E-book distributor DriveThru Fiction—along with its sister sites DriveThru Comics and DriveThru RPG—has joined in on the fun with its annual Black Friday/Cyber Monday Weekend Sale, during which you can purchase a ton of digital books and comics at special prices. It runs from now through Monday, December 2—and yes, you’ll need to set up an account (it’s free) to take advantage of this promotion.

Included among the many participating publishers is StarWarp Concepts (of course), which means you can take advantage of some sweet discounts on such titles as the supernatural-superhero graphic novel, Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings; our most popular Illustrated Classic, J. Sheridan’s le Fanu’s vampiric dark-romance Carmilla; the world-building guide for writers and game masters Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination; and the nonfiction comics history From the Stars…a Vampiress: An Unauthorized Guide to Vampirella’s Classic Horror Adventures.

So head on over to the SWC DriveThru Fiction page and get to shopping!