Alex Bledsoe

Alex Bledsoe is the author of the Eddie LaCrosse novels (The Sword-Edged Blonde, Burn Me Deadly, Dark Jenny and Wake of the Bloody Angel), the novels of the Memphis vampires (Blood Groove and The Girls with Games of Blood) and the Tufa novels, The Hum and the Shiver and the newly released Wisp of a Thing.

Recently I asked the author about what he was reading.  Bledsoe's reply:

I’ve just started Midnight Blue Light Special, Seanan McGuire’s second “InCryptid” novel. The first one, Discount Armageddon, made me smile more than any book I’ve read in years, and laugh out loud a few times, too. I’m not usually a fan of urban fantasy stories where there are multiple paranormal species (vampires, werewolves, faeries, etc.) all coexisting, but McGuire makes it work by a) not taking it that seriously, and b) absolutely overloading it with paranormal species. The religious mice alone are worth the cover price.

I’m in the middle of Who Was Dracula? Bram Stoker’s Trail of Blood, by Jim Steinmeyer. It’s a wonderfully well-written book about the many real-life people who may have influenced aspects of Dracula’s character. I consider Dracula one of the best books in the horror genre, and I re-read it around Halloween every year. When I wrote my own two vampire novels, Blood Groove and The Girls with Games of Blood, I realized just how omnipresent the character was: every vampire, from those of Anne Rice to Stephanie Meyer to...well, me, owes its existence to Stoker’s count. That cape casts a long shadow. And also, the blurbs on the back cover are by Neil Gaiman, Teller (of Penn and) and Neil Patrick Harris. If something works for a group that eclectic, it’s worth checking out, right?

I just finished reading an advance copy of Vicious by Victoria Schwab, which will come out in September. It’s a combination of X Men and The Count of Monte Cristo, about two medical students who find a way to give themselves super powers, then become lifelong arch enemies. A real page-turner, and a great main character.

Visit Alex Bledsoe's website and blog.

My Book, The Movie: Blood Groove.

The Page 69 Test: Burn Me Deadly.

The Page 69 Test: Wisp of a Thing.

--Marshal Zeringue