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Sweet Blood #1
Sweet Blood
Accustomed to peer ridicule for his and his mother's pale complexion and dark clothing, teenaged Adragon is stunned when he attends a meeting with his mother and discovers that he and she are vampires. Original.
254 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1992
82 people want to read
About the author
Pat Graversen
10 books10 followersBorn in West Virginia, Pat Graversen published her first novel, INVISIBLE FIRE, with Fawcett Books in 1981; THE FAGIN came out in hardcover from A&W Publishers in 1982. After a hiatus during which she concentrated on raising her family, she published DOLLIES in 1990 and STONES in 1991, both through Zebra Books.
Graversen then signed a five-book contract with Zebra. Under its terms, the publisher brought out SWEET BLOOD and a paperback edition of THE FAGIN in 1992, and both BLACK ICE and PRECIOUS BLOOD in 1993.
A short story by Graversen, "Ups and Downs," appeared in DARK SEDUCTIONS, an anthology of erotic horror put out by Zebra in 1993. She collaborated with her son Paul Erik on two young adult novels, GHOST TRAIN (published by Zebra,) and YIN-YANG. Her final novel was GRAYTHINGS, the last under her five book contract.
Graversen grew up in West Virginia, which she recalled as a "mystical, wonderful place," and traveled extensively before she married and settled in Toms River, New Jersey. Two of her children had entered school before she first considered writing fiction.
"When I took the kids to the park, I would bring along a notebook and write there," she recalled.
That first year, she turned out almost 40 short stories. She sent them to small magazines, and most were rejected. Finally, in 1979, Nuggett published "Lenny Sent Me," a "psycho story" about an ex-con who hunts down the sister of a man he befriended in prison.
She then completed her first book manuscript, INVISIBLE FIRE, and connected with an agent who sold it to Fawcett. Although the novel had a few plot elements in common with Stephen King's FIRESTARTER, it was no imitation; her book actually came out first.
Her next publication, THE FAGIN, featured a villain who kidnapped small boys for a Satanic cult. Graversen began to develop a specialty --child-in-peril plots, usually involving the supernatural.
DOLLIES drew upon her brief stint as a real estate agent. "I showed one house that scared me," she said. "When I took the people downstairs, there was a room in the basement with all these dolls in it. There was also a light swinging from the ceiling, as if someone else had just been down there.
"Sometimes it's only a small thing that gives you the idea. When I get one, I write it down in my idea book. It could be a name, or a sentence I hear."
STONES tells the story of a mother and her adolescent daughter who are menaced by the spirit of an ancient fertility goddess. More than Graversen's previous books, it incorporated a large dose of offbeat sexuality, as the innocent young girl takes on the personality of the female demon.
The author stated that she got the idea from a dream. "I saw a small woman made of stone, with greenish skin. I stayed scared by that all one summer."
She based BLACK ICE on the true story of a child who drowned in a lake near her home. Many readers told her that book was their favorite, because it was a "good, old-fashioned ghost story."
Pat also authored a large volume of published poetry, and three romance novels. One of her romance novels, HEART ON TRIAL (NAL Rapture Romance, 1982) sold to several foreign markets.
Graversen founded the Garden State Horror Writers in 1989 to encourage others in New Jersey who aspire to work in her genre. She also belonged to the Authors' Guild, the Authors League and the Horror Writers Association.
Because she appeared to be such a typical middle-class wife and mother, people assumed she wrote something more conventional, such as romance. She also sensed a condescending attitude from some men in her profession, but said, "I don't believe in being held back because I'm a woman."
"I've liked the women horror writers I've read. They've been ignored in the past, but they're catching up. Ten years ago, there were hardly any. Now you can at least name a half-dozen. Women are getting good contracts now, too," she pointed out, using her own five-book
Graversen then signed a five-book contract with Zebra. Under its terms, the publisher brought out SWEET BLOOD and a paperback edition of THE FAGIN in 1992, and both BLACK ICE and PRECIOUS BLOOD in 1993.
A short story by Graversen, "Ups and Downs," appeared in DARK SEDUCTIONS, an anthology of erotic horror put out by Zebra in 1993. She collaborated with her son Paul Erik on two young adult novels, GHOST TRAIN (published by Zebra,) and YIN-YANG. Her final novel was GRAYTHINGS, the last under her five book contract.
Graversen grew up in West Virginia, which she recalled as a "mystical, wonderful place," and traveled extensively before she married and settled in Toms River, New Jersey. Two of her children had entered school before she first considered writing fiction.
"When I took the kids to the park, I would bring along a notebook and write there," she recalled.
That first year, she turned out almost 40 short stories. She sent them to small magazines, and most were rejected. Finally, in 1979, Nuggett published "Lenny Sent Me," a "psycho story" about an ex-con who hunts down the sister of a man he befriended in prison.
She then completed her first book manuscript, INVISIBLE FIRE, and connected with an agent who sold it to Fawcett. Although the novel had a few plot elements in common with Stephen King's FIRESTARTER, it was no imitation; her book actually came out first.
Her next publication, THE FAGIN, featured a villain who kidnapped small boys for a Satanic cult. Graversen began to develop a specialty --child-in-peril plots, usually involving the supernatural.
DOLLIES drew upon her brief stint as a real estate agent. "I showed one house that scared me," she said. "When I took the people downstairs, there was a room in the basement with all these dolls in it. There was also a light swinging from the ceiling, as if someone else had just been down there.
"Sometimes it's only a small thing that gives you the idea. When I get one, I write it down in my idea book. It could be a name, or a sentence I hear."
STONES tells the story of a mother and her adolescent daughter who are menaced by the spirit of an ancient fertility goddess. More than Graversen's previous books, it incorporated a large dose of offbeat sexuality, as the innocent young girl takes on the personality of the female demon.
The author stated that she got the idea from a dream. "I saw a small woman made of stone, with greenish skin. I stayed scared by that all one summer."
She based BLACK ICE on the true story of a child who drowned in a lake near her home. Many readers told her that book was their favorite, because it was a "good, old-fashioned ghost story."
Pat also authored a large volume of published poetry, and three romance novels. One of her romance novels, HEART ON TRIAL (NAL Rapture Romance, 1982) sold to several foreign markets.
Graversen founded the Garden State Horror Writers in 1989 to encourage others in New Jersey who aspire to work in her genre. She also belonged to the Authors' Guild, the Authors League and the Horror Writers Association.
Because she appeared to be such a typical middle-class wife and mother, people assumed she wrote something more conventional, such as romance. She also sensed a condescending attitude from some men in her profession, but said, "I don't believe in being held back because I'm a woman."
"I've liked the women horror writers I've read. They've been ignored in the past, but they're catching up. Ten years ago, there were hardly any. Now you can at least name a half-dozen. Women are getting good contracts now, too," she pointed out, using her own five-book
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 29, 2024
Adragon is low-key a misogynist.
April 23, 2025
Rounded up to 4 stars from 3.5 for GR.
You can't ever really go wrong with vampires. Every author creates their own mythos but most of the time, it is pretty straightforward.
Seeing the spine of a Zebra Horror book on the shelves of Half Price Books makes it enough to grab off the shelf and reading the back is again...pretty much straightforward.
Is it good enough? Is the back just misleading to draw you in?
Well, when your main character has the name of Adragon Hart it is a start...
He is a seventeen-year-old who lives with his mother, novelist Elsbeth Hart, on the Jersey Shore of 1992. They have always been close since his dad left when he was around two and the both of them even look alike with their dark, curly hair and slim figures and pale skin. Adragon has Type 1 Diabetes and his mother always prepares his food just right for his blood sugar and they live a pretty good life now.
It wasn't always the case until his mother started writing novels so now, they drive expensive cars and wear designer clothes. His mother's writing is so good that it has attracted the attention of a group that call themselves The Society of Vampires and they invite Elsbeth to come to one of their meetings.
Elsbeth only agrees if Adragon is allowed to attend and the one-time deal is offered for her son.
Adragon believes it is just one of those kinky fetish cults where the people only think they are vampires, but they want Elsbeth to write the truth about them...yet not give away their secrets.
Behind the bar making drinks, is the most beautiful woman Adragon has ever seen compared only to his mother. She's a strawberry blonde with green eyes, dressed in red, and her name is Delphine Keelan...a woman ten years older than Adragon. Elsbeth is keen to point that fact out to her son, but seventeen-year-old boys are hormone bombs, and this one likes older women.
Del is a member of the society and the only outsiders to be permitted are Elsbeth after that first meeting where the two of them are given "blood" to drink...Adragon isn't sure if it was the real thing. Del contacts Adragon and asks to see him and he sneaks out under Elsbeth's nose as a sort of payback for her joining the Society without him.
The relationships between Adragon and Elsbeth and his own between Del are not the best examples of relationships. To say they are toxic is an understatement as the book progresses with physical violence and verbal abuse and all of the blood-drinking.
These are not really very nice people, self-absorbed and jealous, but they aren't meant to be perfect and especially not tortured and whiny vampires. The title, Sweet Blood, is not an indication of what you will find in these pages. This is the more brutal sort of vampire book you should read if you are big into Whitley Strieber's The Hunger and can tolerate some very strong Modern Gothic vibes.
The climax and ending set up its own sequel, Precious Blood, rather seamlessly.
You can't ever really go wrong with vampires. Every author creates their own mythos but most of the time, it is pretty straightforward.
Seeing the spine of a Zebra Horror book on the shelves of Half Price Books makes it enough to grab off the shelf and reading the back is again...pretty much straightforward.
Is it good enough? Is the back just misleading to draw you in?
Well, when your main character has the name of Adragon Hart it is a start...
He is a seventeen-year-old who lives with his mother, novelist Elsbeth Hart, on the Jersey Shore of 1992. They have always been close since his dad left when he was around two and the both of them even look alike with their dark, curly hair and slim figures and pale skin. Adragon has Type 1 Diabetes and his mother always prepares his food just right for his blood sugar and they live a pretty good life now.
It wasn't always the case until his mother started writing novels so now, they drive expensive cars and wear designer clothes. His mother's writing is so good that it has attracted the attention of a group that call themselves The Society of Vampires and they invite Elsbeth to come to one of their meetings.
Elsbeth only agrees if Adragon is allowed to attend and the one-time deal is offered for her son.
Adragon believes it is just one of those kinky fetish cults where the people only think they are vampires, but they want Elsbeth to write the truth about them...yet not give away their secrets.
Behind the bar making drinks, is the most beautiful woman Adragon has ever seen compared only to his mother. She's a strawberry blonde with green eyes, dressed in red, and her name is Delphine Keelan...a woman ten years older than Adragon. Elsbeth is keen to point that fact out to her son, but seventeen-year-old boys are hormone bombs, and this one likes older women.
Del is a member of the society and the only outsiders to be permitted are Elsbeth after that first meeting where the two of them are given "blood" to drink...Adragon isn't sure if it was the real thing. Del contacts Adragon and asks to see him and he sneaks out under Elsbeth's nose as a sort of payback for her joining the Society without him.
The relationships between Adragon and Elsbeth and his own between Del are not the best examples of relationships. To say they are toxic is an understatement as the book progresses with physical violence and verbal abuse and all of the blood-drinking.
These are not really very nice people, self-absorbed and jealous, but they aren't meant to be perfect and especially not tortured and whiny vampires. The title, Sweet Blood, is not an indication of what you will find in these pages. This is the more brutal sort of vampire book you should read if you are big into Whitley Strieber's The Hunger and can tolerate some very strong Modern Gothic vibes.
The climax and ending set up its own sequel, Precious Blood, rather seamlessly.
March 26, 2016
this was a good read that helped me get over my reading slump can't wait to read the second one.
August 15, 2014
This story was an easy read, but I didn't seem to enjoy it as much as I thought I would.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews