One of the best things about writing a series of books is when people enjoy them so much they tell you they can’t wait to read more. Really, is there anything more flattering than getting messages from people on Twitter and Goodreads saying ‘I love your books! When does the next one come out?’

Of course, that gets a bit more complicated when writing ‘the next one’ is taking longer, or going less smoothly, than you anticipated. For a whole load of reasons, the next Dark Dates novel seems to be taking ages. Many of these are good reasons – the rest of my writing business is booming, and I’ve had a lot of new work – so I’m not complaining, but I am starting to feel a little guilty. Add to that the internal pressure – now it’s taken so long I want the bloody thing to be great when it’s finished – and I’m starting to feel a bit George RR Martin.

So – as a token of my guilt, and a thank you for everyone who’s read and supported Dark Dates, as well as a desperate plea to keep the faith (I promise I am working on the new book! The first draft is done!) I thought I would put out a Laclos short, A Vampire in New York. This was scheduled to be part of a collection next year aimed at showing what the main Dark Dates characters do when they aren’t interacting with one another, but it was so much fun to do I thought I might as well share.

I hope you enjoy it!