As Halloween approaches, I wanted to turn to the wonderfully relevant topic of vampires.  And point out a great anthology that I contributed to earlier this year called Nights of Blood 2 from 23 House Press. 

More after the Jump, including a how to get a signed copy at a discount.

Nights of Blood 2: Legends of the Vampire came out  in April.  The official copy form the 23 House Website  reads:
 
In 2002, authors from around the world vied for a position in a new vampire anthology: 13 Night of Blood: Legends of the Vampire. Today, the doors of darkness have been opened once again for the world's most outstanding vampire fiction. Here you will find... · A team of vampire-hunters that encounter much more than they bargained for in a small Southern town... · A psychiatrist who begins to believe that his patient's vampire fantasies may have some basis in fact... · Two old vampires who have settled into a comfortable life, but long to discover the old ways once again... These tales and more await you in Nights of Blood 2: More Legends of the Vampire!

Seventeen authors tell seventeen tales of blood... "The Night Garden" by Mark Onspaugh, "Debts" by Amanda Pillar, "Under the Chocolate Tree" by David E. Hilton, "Floaters" by Michael S. Bumagin, M.D., "Burden of Proof" by Jennifer Graham, "A Rustle of Curtains" by Henry Leon Lazarus, "Pas de Deux" by Edward McKeown, "Defender" by Garry Ward, "Expiration Date Not Required" by A.D. Nailor, "Lazuli" by Christine Rains, " 1-800-VAMPYRE  1-800-VAMPYRE " by Bob Nailor, "The Vampire Doll" by Joette Rozanski, "Days and Nights" by Elyse Salpeter, "Down in the Cellar" by Joe McKinney, "Barney" by James R. Cain, "Tales of the Vampire" by Mitchel Whitington, "Give Until It Kills" by Joe Sergi

As this falls in the Shameless Self Promotion category, as you can see, I wrote one of the stories.  My story, Give Until It Kills, tells the story of Karen O'Donnell.  Karen has type AB negative blood.  Because her blood type is so rare, every few months she is called to donate blood at the Feratu clinic.  But when her fellow donors begin to die unexpectedly, Karen must face the truth about the clinic as her life becomes endangered.

Now, I don't really read my own stuff, but, I've read the other stories and they are all very well done.  Don't take my word for it.  Here are some reviews (which are also on my Prose Fiction page). 

• If anyone needed a grown-up antidote to Twilight, this is it. The stories range from comedic to horrific to historical to mysterious to weird. The volume shows a great variety of skills and imagination, and it s certainly worth a look; 4 out of 5 stars! --Read-Already Reviews
• If you are a die-hard vampire fiction fan, this is a must have book for you. Nights of Blood 2: More Legends of the Vampire is a collection of seventeen short vampire stories that have some serious bite. --Fang-tastic Books
• The seventeen stories in this anthology run many a gamut, from the traditional to the bizarre. There s action and adventure, skewed takes on familiar standards, artistry, tragedy, romance, history, urban fantasy ... a little of everything. Most readers are sure to find at least a couple of offerings to their slake their bloodlusty tastes. --The Horror Fiction Review
• "This collection of vampire short stories are well-written and interesting... and I'm not a big fan of short stories. While all involve vampires, they are different enough to not get boring; Some have vampires who are children, some involve slayers, and others have the conflict between werewolves and vampires. A good read. A 4.5 out of 5.0 rating." - Melissa's Book Picks
• "This is a short story collection of magnificent proportions. The stories in this collection make you wish there were more. There is not one that I didn’t want to read for a second, or even third time. I would recommend this collection to anyone - it is worth your time." - Sonar4 Landing Dock Book Reviews

So, if you are looking to buy the book, it is available  new at amazon.com through this link for $18.95 plus S&H (there are also some used copies).  If you buy it through the link, Cup of Geek makes money.

But, if you would like to order a copy signed by me (I'll even been put a sketch in the inside cover) and if you order before Halloween, I'll take more than 25% off the cover price and send it to you for $14.00 plus $5.00 S&H.  If you are interested, please shoot me an email at cupofgeek at gmail.com and I will tell you the pay pal payment info.  If want me to send it out before Halloween, please order by Wednesday, October 21, 2009.  Why, do you ask? 

Announcer: "Joe Sergi, you've just plugged your book, what are you going to do?"
Joe: "I'm going to Disney World!!"