When I was in high school, I found myself walking through the aisles of Barnes and Noble and came across a book called “Anno Dracula” by Kim Newman. As a fan of vampire novels, zombies weren't popular back them, I picked it up and was mesmerized.

Dracula actually has a very small part in the story. The story involves a what if situation, where Dracula defeated Abraham Van Helsing and Jonathan Harker. It shows how England and some of its most famous characters would have changed. They're all there Sherlock Holmes, Jack the Ripper and even Lord Arthur Holmwood in all his vampiric glory. There's nothing sacred or left untouched in Newman's books.

Dracula ends up coming out of the vampite closet and being a vampire becomes chic. The initial book was a success and Newman followed it up with several other Dracula books. They all followed the same pattern of following the vampire from Victorian England to World War I in “The Bloody Red Baron.” You can tell by reading his books that Newman is a history buff and a lover of all things classic. I am his friend on Facebook and her status updates are all about classic horror films with a dabble here and there of the more modern stuff.

Newman knows what horror is because he learned it from the masters. Lon Chaney, Tobe Hooper, Bram Stoker and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle are all names she is familiar with and it shows in her work.