Laurell K. Hamilton grew up listening to her grandmother tell stories of "things that go bump in the night." At age 13, she discovered her first collection of short stories. The books' title was "Pigeons from Hell," and it told stories of sword fights and monters. Lovers of the Anita Blake books have "Pigeons from Hell" to thank for showing Ms. Hamilton that, not only did she want to be a writer, but this was the kind of story she wanted to write.
The fifteenth installation in the stories of Anita Blake is due in 2007. The series began in 1994 with "Guilty Pleasures," with one or two novels being released every year since. In 2000, Ms. Hamilton released the first story in a new series — the Merry Gentry series. "A Kiss of Shadows" tells the story of Merry Gentry, seemingly mild mannered office worker. I won't tell any more; you'll just have to read the stories.
Before she became such a successful author, Ms. Hamilton enjoyed volunteering at the local animal shelter, caring for the homeless pets housed there. Unfortunately, fame takes its toll; she can no longer squeeze time for the pleasures of being a pet cuddler into her busy schedule. But she still cares enough about the homeless animals to maintain a Featured Adoptable Pet link on her site. To read the most current scoop on Ms. Hamilton, visit her site at www.laurellkhamilton.org.
