Nancy A. Collins Explained
Nancy A. Collins (born September 10, 1959) is an American horror fiction writer best known for her series of vampire novels featuring her character Sonja Blue.[1] Collins has also written for comic books, including the Swamp Thing (vol. 2) series, Jason vs. Leatherface, Predator: Hell Come A' Walkin and her own one-shot issue .[2]
Collins was born in McGehee, Arkansas, United States. She lived in New Orleans, Louisiana in the 1980s; after time in New York City and Atlanta, Georgia she moved about the South for several years, living in coastal North Carolina and Virginia, before settling in Macon, Georgia in 2019.
Writing
Collins has written numerous novels since 1989, most of which refer to and directly include races of creatures the author calls Pretenders, monsters from myth and legend passing as human to better hunt their prey. She is best known for Sonja Blue, a young woman with demonic powers who after being taught by an older male mentor, hunts and kills vampires. Her first appearance was in 1989.[3] A. Asbjørn Jøn notes possible intertextual links between the Whistler character in the 1998 movie Blade and a character named Whistler in the Sonja Blue novel, A Dozen Black Roses (1996), as they possess "striking similarities in role, dramatic focus, visual appearance, and sharing the name".[4] Margaret L. Carter, in her article on 20th century vampire fiction, listed Sunglasses After Dark as one of the 13 most influential vampire novels published after 1970, particularly in the way Collins depicted vampires as parasitic beings with no identity of their own who 'borrow' the memories of their hosts.[5]
Bibliography
See main article: Nancy A. Collins bibliography.
Chapbooks
- The Tortuga Hill Gang's Last Ride: The True Story (1991)
- Cold Turkey (1992)
- Voodoo Chile (2002)
- The Thing From Lover's Lane (2003)
Non-fiction
- The Big Book of Losers (1996)
- Drawn Swords - "Foreword" (2017)
- From Bayou To Abyss: Examining John Constantine, Hellblazer - "What Do You Do With An Undead Sailor?" (2020)[6]
- REH Changed My Life - "REH: Opener of the Way" (2021)[7]
Comic books
- Swamp Thing (vol. 2) (DC/Vertigo, 1991–1993)
- Jason vs. Leatherface (Topps Comics, 1995)
- Sunglasses After Dark (Verotik Publications, 1995–1997)
- Machina Jones (Marvel Comics, 1995)
- (Vertigo, 1996; DC Comics, 1997)
- Predator: Hell Come A' Walkin' (Dark Horse, 1996)
- Vampirella (Dynamite, 2014–2016)
- (IDW, 2015)
- (Dynamite Entertainment, 2016)
- Swamp Thing by Nancy A. Collins Omnibus (DC Comics/DC Black Label, 2020)
Awards
- Bram Stoker Award First Novel winner (1990): Sunglasses After Dark
- Bram Stoker Best Novellette nominee (1997): The Thing From Lover's Lane
- Bram Stoker Best Collection nominee (2003): Knuckles and Tales
- International Horror Guild Best Collection nominee (2003): Knuckles and Tales
Other
She is the founder of the International Horror Guild.[8]
See also
Further reading
- David Mathew, "Collins, Nancy A(verill)", in David Pringle, ed., St. James Guide to Horror, Ghost and Gothic Writers (Detroit: St. James Press, 1998)
External links
Notes and References
- Monica I. O'Rourke "Nancy Collins" in: Richard Bleiler, Ed. Supernatural Fiction Writers: Contemporary Fantasy and Horror. New York: Thomson/Gale, 2003. (p. 221-226).
- Web site: Nancy A Collins. Fantastic Fiction. November 1, 2010.
- Web site: Sonja Blue. 2023-08-01.
- Vampire Evolution. Jøn. A. Asbjørn. 2003. METAphor. 25 November 2015. 23.
- Web site: Outstanding Vampire Novels.
- Book: From Bayou to Abyss: Examining John Constantine, Hellblazer. en-US.
- Web site: 2021-01-11. ROBERT E. HOWARD CHANGED MY LIFE. 2022-02-07. Rogue Blades. en-US.
- Web site: Nancy A. Collins. Penguin Random House Canada.
