Falling Stars

Everyone says vampires aren't real. Tommy Lucas isn't so sure.

Nine-year-old Tommy Lucas needs a bone marrow transplant to survive. But Tommy’s convinced that he’s a vampire, that his cancer is a curse on his bloodline. His mom, June, is an oncologist. She puts off “the talk” with Tommy and allows him to continue a soft practice of his fantasy (like eating only red-colored foods) because she doesn't want him to lose hope.

Tommy’s stoked when he discovers an e-zine series about urban legend Viscount Claudius Fallon, a dhampyre from Cardiff who traveled to Eureka Springs seeking a cure for his own leukemia during WWII.

Tommy’s quest leads him to befriend a local artist, who struggles with his growing affection for June—for he is Fallon, cured in 1939 at the Baker Cure-for-Cancer Hospital. Fallon must decide whether he’ll take the risks involved in helping Tommy or falling in love with June.

2023 International Firebird Winner, First Place in Urban Fantasy