INTRODUCTION
Welcome to the “new” Hot Blood!
Beginning with this, the ninth volume, we’ve incorporated a fresh cover design and have dropped “series” from the title. Those of you who have been with us all along already know who we are and have learned to expect erotic fiction of the highest caliber here. And those of you who are new—well, do we have a buzz for you!
If this is your first Hot Blood, here’s what we’re all about: Hot Blood is a continuing multiple-author collection of short stories combining elements of sex and horror. The two ingredients are “married” within each story; in other words, if either is omitted, the story collapses. There’s nothing gratuitous in a Hot Blood story. Sex is the primary motivating factor behind the behavior of the major characters.
Sex is one of the most basic human drives, and the ultimate bond between human beings. We all think about it, practice it, talk about it, dream about it. And in Hot Blood we read about it, too.
In putting together the Hot Blood books, we ask the best suspense and horror writers in the world to tell us what turns them on, and simultaneously, to craft an intensely horrific story out of it. We want to keep you, the reader, happy; the Hot Blood books are for your enjoyment. You’ve come to expect a lot from us over the first eight volumes, and we’re up for continuing the challenge. We try to balance the stories between supernatural and psychological horror, between subjects of primary interest to both men and women, young and old—we strive for a level of consistency that will assure readers an orgasm of pleasure each time a new volume hits the shelves. We encourage you to write to us in care of Pocket Books and tell us what turns you on. We’d like to hear from you, whether this is your first volume or your ninth.
You’ll note the presence of a few tasty reprints in this volume. We’ve generally maintained an “all-new” story approach in Hot Blood, but reader demand has made us rethink this position. After all, some of your favorite authors have previously written outstanding erotic horror fiction, which has become hard to find in its original sources. This and future volumes will include a taste of historic Hot Blooded fiction and a majority of new fiction.
We’ve always prided ourselves on including work by new writers as well—authors who have since established literary greatness. We expect no less from this volume’s newcomers. At the same time we are tireless in our efforts to find established writers of significant stature who want to dip a literary limb into the Hot Blood waters. That’s why in this, and every Hot Blood volume, you’ll note some surprisingly familiar names, great writers who will help us expand the Hot Blood boundaries toward new, exciting territories.
We hope to see you again next time, with the tenth volume of Hot Blood. Watch for it.
Till then, don’t let the bedbugs bite … unless they’re friendly!
Jeff Gelb
Michael Garrett