Frequently, I’m asked about the Del Fantasma series at Aspen Mountain Press. Del Fantasma was my brainchild way back in 1979 when I happened to drive by the Point Loma Lighthouse near San Diego. I viewed the lighthouse looking down from a road. Behind the lighthouse was the Pacific Ocean and behind it a fog was rolling in.
I knew it had to be a place ghosts and creatures of the night would love to inhabit!
But, I didn’t want the stories to be typically “scary”; but what could use the other worldly setting? Paranormal romances leapt to mind.
And where do a lot of people go to meet their potential other? A bar.
I wanted to tie the stories together, so I created Cody Warren, the mysterious vampire bartender of Del Fantasma. Another tie in would be the titles of the stories. They are all named after a drink Cody mixes for his patrons, and those drink names would be significant. They are what Cody uses to bring couples together and give the barest hint of some element in the story.
Our first story in the series was Texas Tea by Maura Anderson. The heroine is a plus sized photographer who is taking photos of old lighthouses at the request of a ghost she met. Our hero is a coyote shifter. Cody has a great time setting these two up! Other stories have featured the drinks Screaming Orgasm, A Slow Fuzzy Screw, Undertow, Sea Breeze, Silk Panties, Latin Lover, Black Wolf, Riley’s Sparrow, Tie Me to the Bedpost, Virgin Special and Unicorn.
As a plus, readers are given the drink recipes at the back of the story.
Authors have responded well to the idea of the series. A setting they can get into, a character to frame their stories around, the freedom to write as hot or not as they wish, in whatever “grouping” they want, and an easy title to come up with all help. We’ve had vamps, weres of all sorts, merrows, and even birds as our paranormal characters. If there are authors reading this who are intrigued by the idea, please email me at Editor @ AspenMountainPress.com and I’ll put you in contract with the series coordinator and head editor.
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