The Mammoth Book Of Vampire Stories Written By Women

"Yes," said John Henry. "There was. My mother used to read me the sermons of Edward Irving. He was a Scottish evangelist, and a powerful orator. And I admire the American author Washington Irving."

"And why Henry instead of John?" asked Ragoczy. They were nearing Charing Cross Road and could see a few heavily laden wagons making their way along the almost deserted thoroughfare, and one or two cabs out to pick up what few shillings they might from late-night stragglers.

"It sounds more distinguished," said John Henry at once; he had given the matter much thought and was prepared to defend his choice if questioned.

But Ragoczy, it seemed, was satisfied. "Then the best of good fortune to you, Henry Irving." He nodded to an elegant coach waiting at the corner. "This is where we part company, I think."

John Henry accepted this with a surge of embarrassment. "You should have come into the pub. We could have had a drink. They have decent port at the pub." He hated to see Ragoczy walk away. "I want to thank you. To drink your health."

Ragoczy paused, and bowed, and said in a voice John Henry would never forget, "You are very kind, Mr Irving, but I do not drink wine."

Hisako San

Ingrid Pitt

Polish-born actress and author Ingrid Pitt is best known to film fans as Hammer's Queen of Horror. Her roles in Sound of Horror (1964) , The Vampire Lovers (1970) , Countess Dracula (1970) , The House That Dripped Blood (1970) , The Wicker Man (1973), Clive Barker's Underworld (1985) , Green Fingers (2000) , The Asylum (2000, opposite her daughter Steffanie, who plays the lead) and the recent "Vampirology" episode on the Urban Gothic TV series have established her as an icon in the fantasy film genre .

Her other movie credits outside the horror genre include Where Eagles Dare (1969) opposite Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood , Who Dares Wins (aka The Final Option, 1982) , Wild Geese II (1985) and Hanna's War (1988). She has also appeared in many TV shows on both sides of the Atlantic (Ironside, Doctor Who etc.), and has toured extensively throughout Britain and South America with her own stage company .

One of her forthcoming projects in development is Dracula Who ?, a film which has Dracula desperately trying to keep off blood and become a vegetarian .

For Batsford she has written The Bedside Companion for Vampire Lovers, The Bedside Companion for Ghosthunters, The Bedside Companion for Murdering Monsters and the forthcoming Bedside Companion of Butch Bitches, while her autobiography , Life's a Scream, was published by Heinemann in 1999. She was short-listed for the Talkies Awards for her own reading of extracts from the audio book .

The autobiography detailed the harrowing experiences of her early life in a Nazi concentration camp, her search throughout the European Red Cross refugee camps for her father and her escape from East Berlin one step ahead of the Volkpolitzei.

She also writes regular columns in magazines such as Shivers, Femmes Fatales, Bite Me, It's Alive and The Cricketer.

About her various appearances as an undead femme fatale, the actress reveals: "They are always roles you can get your teeth into ."

Detective Sergeant Janet Cooper picked up a photograph from the Shinto altar and studied it. It was black and white and slightly faded, but it gave a good likeness of the man and woman dressed in traditional Japanese kimonos and proudly holding a newborn baby.

Janet carefully put the picture back and fingered the other mementos on the small makeshift altar. A couple of spent candles in saucers, a battered watch with Japanese characters on the dial, and a string of beads. She looked around the room but found nothing else of interest.

She went back into the sitting-room. It was sparely but expensively furnished. The door was open, and the caretaker of the block stood just inside the door watching them suspiciously. Detective Inspector Tom Brasher turned away from the window and raised an inquisitive eyebrow. Janet shook her head.

"Nothing there," she reported.

Brasher took a colourful folder off the table and handed it to her.

"What d'you think of that?" he asked.

The folder was from a Japanese shipping line. Inside was a number of newspaper clippings. They were all from London papers and the subject was the same in each. Senator Osram Manhelm. Janet skimmed through a couple of articles and learned that the senator was in London with a trade mission. He was due to meet his Japanese counterparts and sign a Nippon/US agreement that evening. But first there was some socializing to do. Janet handed the folder back to Brasher.

"What does that tell us?"

Brasher shrugged. "For one thing this Hisako woman seems to have a special interest in the senator," he said and turned to the caretaker.

"When did Miss Hisako arrive?"

The caretaker was determined to be unhelpful. "It's in the book," he said coldly.