Happy Release Day!
Fang Fiction is the second novel from Kate Stayman-London and is now available!
Get your copy today!
About the Book
She’s out for adventure. He’s out for blood.
The world of your favorite fantasy novels is real, and you’re invited to visit. The only catch? It’s filled with thirsty vampires. Devour this page-turning romance from the bestselling author of One to Watch.
Tess Rosenbloom is no stranger to the dark. An assault survivor and grad school dropout, Tess spends her nights managing a chic Brooklyn hotel and her days reading her favorite vampire novels, Blood Feud. She even dabbles in online conspiracies claiming Blood Feud is real—it’s fun to hunt for clues! But deep down, Tess doesn’t believe vampires actually exist . . . until one walks through her door.
It turns out the sexy villain of Blood Feud is trapped, and only Tess can rescue him. Eager to escape her life, Tess agrees to help, and soon she’s on a secret island where the sun never shines, surrounded by deadly vampires—and most terrifying of all, she’s falling in love with one of them. (Meanwhile, back in New York, Tess’s estranged best friend is having a sapphic paranormal affair of her own.)
Visiting the world of your favorite story is any fan’s dream, but can Tess outrun the demons of her past (and vampires of her present) before it becomes a nightmare? In this darkly glamorous rom-com, Tess will find out if it’s worth risking her neck—and her heart—for a chance to reclaim her future.
Excerpt
Five Years Later
Transcript of Here to Slay podcast, episode 83 Cat: Hey, this is Cat Koorse!
Ruby: And this is Ruby LaBruyere.
Cat: And this is Here to Slay, the podcast where we bring you biting commentary on all things vampire.
Ruby: Oh my god, Cat, you said you weren’t going to do the bite joke.
Cat: Sue me! I lied!
Ruby: Okay. Anyway, big news this week—the long-anticipated Blood Feud movie has officially been green-lit! Guy Whiteman is writing and directing, with Henry Golding and Gemma Chan set to star as sexy-evil vampire twins Callum and Octavia Yoo—
Cat: Aren’t those characters supposed to be British Korean? Neither of those actors is Korean.
Ruby: This is Hollywood, let’s be glad they’re Asian at all. The biggest news is Timothée Chalamet himself is playing heartbreaking hero Felix Hawthorn! Truly the most perfect casting I could imagine—I can’t wait to see Timmy bring that fabulous mop of hair to sweet, charming Felix.
Cat: Oooh, the Chala-mop.
Ruby: I prefer Chala-mane.
Cat: So today, we’re going to dive into some of the controversies surrounding the Blood Feud novels and speculate about what they might mean for the film.
Ruby: I’ve read all the Blood Feud novels—
Cat: And I’ve read none of them.
Ruby: So let me take you through some of the basics. Blood Feud follows the story of two warring clans of vampires trapped on a mysterious isle that looks a lot like Manhattan, but with more magic and stuff.
Cat: What kind of magic?
Ruby: Okay, so like, you know in most vampire stories the vampires can glamour people?
Cat: Like when the vampires look into your eyes and you fall into a trance and do whatever they say?
Ruby: Exactly! Well, on the Isle, there are no people, but the vampires who live there can glamour their surroundings instead, like make fabulous castles and stuff.
Cat: Oh wow, it’s like vampire HGTV.
Ruby: You got it. Otherwise the Blood Feud novels mostly adhere to regular vampire rules. You can only kill them by chopping off their heads, driving a wooden stake through their hearts, or setting them on fire. They sire new vampires by draining a human’s blood and then the human drinks the vampire’s blood instead, the usual.
Cat: Do they glitter in the sunshine like the vampires in Twilight?
Ruby: Nope! They burn to death in a spectacular blaze of violence.
Cat: Copy that.
Ruby: There are three novels so far, and they’ve sold upward of ten million copies worldwide—fans are absolutely rabid for the fourth, but we have no idea when, or if, it’s coming out. Which brings us to our first controversy: Who is August Lirio?
Cat: I know this! August Lirio is the author of Blood Feud!
Ruby: Yes, well done. But who are they? August Lirio is a total recluse: We have no idea what gender they are, how old they are, where they live, what they look like—absolutely nothing.
Cat: Wait, they don’t even have an author photo?
Ruby: No! Rumors have swirled that “August Lirio” doesn’t exist, and the name is just a pseudonym for another famous author.
Cat: Like who?
Ruby: Oh my god, you name it—George R. R. Martin was a popular one because Callum and Octavia are biological twins, plus they have the whole twin sire bond thing, but they’ve never had sex, so that doesn’t seem like George.
Cat: I’m sorry, the twin sire what?
Ruby: So in the Blood Feud books there’s this thing called the twin sire bond, where Callum and Octavia were sired and reborn as vampires in the same grave on the same night, which gives them special powers, like they’re especially fast and strong and stuff. But that is not what’s controversial about them.
Cat: What’s controversial about them??
Ruby: People think they’re real.
Cat: I’m sorry, what?
Ruby: Okay. So members of the Blood Feud fandom call ourselves Feudies, and certain corners of the Feudie fandom believe that the characters in the books are, ya know. Real vampires.
Cat: Ruby, are you a vampire truther??!?!
Ruby: I would say I’m vampire-truther-curious.
Cat: Wow. Wow.
Ruby: Have I shocked you?
Cat: You know, I think it’s a good thing. We’ve been friends for a decade, we have two podcasts together, and you still find ways to surprise me. I think it’s nice. Okay, so say you’re interested in these vampire conspiracies. Where would you go to learn more?
Ruby: Tumblr, reddit, the usual. FeudieTok, obviously.
Cat: So, are there . . . a lot of people who think vampires are real?
Ruby: Listen, what we lack in numbers we make up in sheer unhinged fortitude. No, but really, I’ve met some awesome people in the Feudie forums. One truther was a PhD student at Columbia, she wrote a really thorough essay explaining the theories that went viral after it got picked up by BuzzFeed last year.
Cat: Oh shit, I think I remember that!
Ruby: Anyway, we’re going to get way more into the vampire-truther conspiracies in a minute, but first, if you’re feeling like a vampire who can’t get any sleep, you might benefit from SheCalm, which are medical-grade, all-natural CBD gummies clinically proven to help with relaxation and insomnia, specifically formulated for women.
Cat: How is it different from CBD for men?
Ruby: It comes in a pink bottle.
Cat: Can’t argue with that! We’ll be back right after this.
Excerpted from Fang Fiction by Kate Stayman-London. Copyright © 2024 by Kate Stayman-London. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
My Review
I was drawn to this book by the cute cover and the book blurb. I would LOVE to discover that one of my favorite vampire book series is actually real and have the chance to be transported there!
The book’s imaginative world building and good character development lay a solid foundation for the story. Fang Fiction touches on SA and the challenges of overcoming trauma which may make some readers uncomfortable. Please check your trigger warnings.
Fang Fiction is a love letter to all vampire romances out there. It’s an enjoyable read with an engaging storyline, a strong, full figured FMC, positive queer representation, and colorful secondary characters.
Do you believe in love? Desire sexy vampires? Celebrate overcoming adversity? Give Fang Fiction a try!
FTC Disclaimer: I voluntarily read a copy of the book generously provided by the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way influences my thoughts or feelings about the book or the content of my review.
Purchase Links
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Apple Books
Kobo | Google Play | Penguin Random House
About the Author
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| Photo © Meg Vázquez 2020 |
Kate Stayman-London is a novelist, screenwriter, political strategist, and bisexual double Libra. Her bestselling debut, One to Watch, was named a best book of the year by Time, NPR, Marie Claire, Mashable, and more. Kate has written for political icons including Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and Cher; she is also a television writer-producer and proud WGA captain. When not writing, Kate enjoys fabulous trips with friends, rewatching Buffy, and fighting for reproductive justice––as well as justice for Speak Now, Evermore, and Reputation. She lives in Los Angeles. Learn more at katestaymanlondon.com
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