MOSIMAN, Billie Sue (Stahl) 1947-

(Naomi Stahl)

PERSONAL: Surname is pronounced Moe-sa-man; born June 5, 1947, in Mobile, AL; daughter of Henry Francis (a trapper and carpenter) and Yvonne (a housewife; maiden name, Hyde) Stahl; married Lyle Duane Mosiman (an automotive technician), July 28, 1968; children: Brandon Lee (deceased), Suzanne Jane, Stacey Joy. Education: Attended University of Alabama, 1965-67.

ADDRESSES: Agent—Michael V. Carlisle, Carlisle & Company, 6 West 18th St., 12th floor, New York, NY 10011. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Louisville General Hospital, Louisville, KY, admitting officer, 1967-68; writer, 1968-72; St. Joseph's Hospital, Tampa, FL, admitting officer, 1972-73; writer, 1973-86; Billie's Book World (bookstore), Livingston, TX, owner, 1986—.

MEMBER: Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.

AWARDS, HONORS: Edgar Allan Poe Award nominee for best original paperback, 1992, for Night Cruise; Bram Stoker Award nominee, 1996, for Widow.

WRITINGS:

NOVELS

Wireman, Paperjacks, 1984, reprinted, Leisure Books, 1997.

Bloodland, Paperjacks, 1986.

Deadly Affections, Pocket Books, 1988.

Slice, Pocket Books, 1990.

Night Cruise, Jove Books (New York, NY), 1992.

Stiletto, Berkley Books, 1994.

Widow, Berkley Books, 1996.

Pure and Uncut, Headline Books (London, England), 1997.

Final Cut, Five Star (Waterville, ME), 2002 (originally published in England as Pure and Uncut).

Bad Trip South, Five Star Press (Waterville, ME), 2003.

(Under pseudonym Naomi Stahl) Gold Rush Dreams, Five Star Press (Waterville, ME), 2004.

"RED MOON RISING" SERIES

Red Moon Rising, DAW Books (New York, NY), 2001.

Malachi's Moon, DAW Books (New York, NY), 2002.

Craven Moon, DAW Books (New York, NY), 2003.

OTHER

(Editor, with Martin H. Greenberg) Death in Dixie, Rutledge Hill Press (Nashville, TN), 1997.

(Editor, with Martin H. Greenberg) August Is a Good Time for Killing: And Other Blood-Curdling Stories of Murder in the East, Rutledge Hill Press (Nashville, TN), 1998.

(Editor, with Martin H. Greenberg) Blowout in Little Man Flats: And Other Spine-Tingling Stories or Murder in the West, Rutledge Hill Press (Nashville, TN), 1998.

(Editor, with Martin H. Greenberg) The Fifth Grave: And Other Terrifying Tales of Homicide in the Heartland, Rutledge Hill Press (Nashville, TN), 1998.

(Editor, with Martin H. Greenberg) Never Shake A Family Tree: And Other Heart-Stopping Tales of Murder in New England, Rutledge Hill Press (Nashville, TN), 1998.

(Editor, with David Drake) Armageddon, Baen Books (New York, NY), 2000.

Dark Matter (stories), Wildside Press (Holicong, PA), 2003.

Contributor to How to Be a Successful Housewife Writer, edited by Elaine Shimberg, Writers Digest (Cincinnati, OH), 1978. Contributor of more than 150 stories to magazines and anthologies, including Horror Show, Haunts, Dialog, Fantasy Exchange, Ellery Queen Magazine, Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Psychos, Blood Muse, Diagnosis Terminal, Warewolves, Prom Night, Fathers and Daughters and Invitation to Murder. Assistant editor of Touchstone, 1982-85. Columnist for Deathrealm Magazine, 1994-96. Contributor of nonfiction articles to magazines and anthologies, including Deadly Women, They're Here; Invasion of the Bodysnatchers, and Writers Digest Magazine.

SIDELIGHTS: Billie Sue Mosiman has contributed to the canon of modern vampire fiction with her novels Red Moon Rising, Malachi's Moon, and Craven Moon. Mosiman laid the basis for her alternative vampire world in Red Moon Rising, explaining the existence of a rare blood disease which is usually fatal, but which sometimes transforms its victims into vampires at the time of their apparent death. Among the vampires there exist various clans, each with their own habits and peculiarities. The Predators are aggressive, ready to kill if necessary in order to get access to human blood. Those in the Normal clan try their best to act as they did when they were true humans, but they secretly are dependent on human blood that is supplied to them from blood banks run by Predators. The Craven vampires are weak, sickly beings who beg for blood or simply do without it, hiding away from humankind. In Red Moon Rising, the main characters are Ryan, a high school senior, and Dell, a girl who has just changed from human to vampire. The novel "provides a new fascinating twist to the vampire legend," commented Harriet Klausner in BookBrowser. Klausner described Mosiman as "excellent at creating characters that appear genuine, even those who are supernatural," thanks to the believable, scientifically plausible character of the underpinnings of her story. Moreover, Red Moon Rising provides a coming-of-age story that "deals with choices, morality, and honor," advised Klausner.

In Malachi's Moon, the protagonist, Malachi, is the child of a vampire mother and a human father. He is mortal, yet he possesses many of the supernatural powers common to vampires. Balthazar, a dangerous Predator vampire, is convinced that Malachi poses a significant threat to the Predators. Therefore, he sends assassins after Malachi, who in turn flees his home in order to take his family out of danger. Another plot thread involves Charles Upton, a powerful Predator who plots to destroy the Naturals and Cravens in order to dominate the human world. "Well-drawn characters and a complex plot put this a cut above the usual vampire fare," remarked Kristine Huntley in a Booklist review of Malachi's Moon. Harriet Klausner described Craven Moon as "horror the way that it was meant to be written."

Mosiman once told CA: "I have been writing in diaries and journals since I was a child, and I decided I wanted to be a professional writer while I was in high school. I traveled after leaving college, married, had my children, and began trying to write for publication about 1975. I have never felt myself fit to work at anything else. I never attended a writing course or had formal instruction. I learned to express myself by writing short stories and then novels, reading widely, and experimenting with idea and form.

"I have always been interested in the abnormal personality and the way it shapes the individual and those surrounding him. I was raised in southern Alabama, where myth, fable, and horror were mixed with reality. The overriding theme of my novels and short stories is one of man drenched in conflict and crisis. Without knowing it, I seemed to have chosen to explore the more extreme emotions and situations: imminent death, destruction, the will to live, the desire to triumph and overcome impossible obstacles. The theme appears whether I am writing horror, fantasy, or mainstream fiction. The macabre, gothic, shadowed past of the South cannot be eradicated from my work without crippling the unique vision I am trying to clarify and understand. It is humankind that I study, and it is my characters' inner worlds that I hope to illuminate."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, January 1, 2002, Kristine Huntley, review of Malachi's Moon, p. 825.

Bookwatch, June, 1998, review of Death in Dixie, p. 8.

ONLINE

The Best Reviews,http://thebestreviews.com/ (April 29, 2002), Harriet Klausner, review of Malachi's Moon; (August 13, 2002), Harriet Klausner, review of Final Cut; (May 10, 2003), Harriet Klausner, review of Craven Moon.

Billie Sue Mosiman Web site,http://www.sff.net/people/bmosiman/ (July 19, 2003).

BookBrowser,http://www.bookbrowser.com/ (April 29, 2002), Harriet Klausner, reviews of Malachi's Moon and Red Moon Rising.