"The Saint-Germain novels are called historical horror novels for a reason: history is horrifying. Compared to what people do to people, even a really hungry vampire is pretty small potatoes. I try to show the various periods as they saw themselves as much as I can, and to focus on the status and circumstances of women and the constraints of their societies. With those factors crucial to the nature of the story, quick reads are not really possible; it takes time to world-build, and to social-engineer. Context and environment function as tertiary characters in these stories even more than in the rest of my work, and as such, require explication beyond what I do in other genres."

"I...don't think getting bitten in the neck is very erotic. You may notice I never say what it is {Saint-Germain] does, only that it feels really good when he does it. I would like to have him as a friend, though, if he existed outside my imagination. You'd be amazed at the number of his fans who think he actually does exist outside my imagination. It's a great compliment, but also a trifle unnerving."

"I'm a genre writer. People have been sneering for years--that's their business. People who read it, if they like it, won't care. If people insist on being bigoted, that's their problem."

"There are a lot of wonderful fantasies that sank like stones when they were first published in the 1970s and 1980s. With e-books, there's a chance to get these into the hands of readers who otherwise would have to spend a small fortune in the o.p. market."