If you follow Laurell K. Hamilton on Twitter, or read her blog, you may have seen her talking about the introductions she wrote recently for our anthology of essays on her Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series, Ardeur.

We were thrilled to have her on board for the anthology; her introductions give some fascinating insight into Anita’s creation and evolution, and touch on some corners of Anita’s universe that haven’t yet made it into the book themselves. They really cemented my opinion of Laurell as not just a great writer, but also a seriously first-class world builder.

A little preview—appropriately, about the source of the anthology’s title:

At first I, like Anita, was pretty horrified [by the ardeur]. We’re both control freaks and the ardeur is about losing control. It is the antithesis of all that hard-won refusal and discipline that Anita prided in herself. But without the ardeur Anita would still be trapped in herself, in her denials. Without it she’d still be able to hide from herself.

(You can also now check out excerpts from all of Ardeur‘s essays over on its book page. The book’s officially released in April!)

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In Anita Blake, Ardeur, Laurell K. Hamilton