Amethyst Story in the Making

Ahh, the glory that is Free Comic Book Day!

That wonderful day that comes once a year, every May, to celebrate all the delicious greatness of the wonderful world of comic books, a global fraternity of which I've been a card-carrying member since the tender age of 4.

It's considered the premiere event of the year to bring new and young readers into the comic shops and introduce them to the gamut of comic companies that put forth promotional products featuring their headline characters.

Marvel Comics has the marketing event down to a science, tying their release to their annual foray into the movie world.  This year's tie-in?  The new Captain America: Civil War flick.

At Larry's Comics on Lakeview Avenue in Lowell, as in other comic shops nationwide, the day becomes a celebration of all things geekdom, and it's a special day to snag some of the best back issue deals of the entire year. (A perennial bonus is the steamed hot dog with special sauce giveaway)

But this year at Larry's, the creator spotlight shifted to the literary world, to celebrate a local author making some big waves in the world of fiction.  Specifically, vampire fiction.

Stephanie M. Jandreau is a Lowell-area native, who spent part of her life on Litchfield Drive in Dracut.  It was there she began writing her Amethyst novel.

She began writing in 2010 after an impromptu request by her oldest son, Coy.  He asked her to write him a short, 15-page screenplay for him to enter into a 48-Hour LA Film Project he was working on.  A week later, she had written over 60 pages, with still more ideas to come.  Her son helped her realize that her short story was well on its way to becoming a book.

In October of 2015, she published the first novel, the Platinum Series: Amethyst, which has netted several five-star reviews on Amazon.

During her recent visit to Larry's, the Amethyst books were quite literally selling off the wall.

Lowell PD good guy Mike Miles was one of the first customers scoring his signed copies.

Here's Amazon's encapsulation of Jandreau's novel:

Milican is a college senior majoring in biochemistry. He is trying to unravel the mysteries of his rare blood disease before time runs out. Labeled with Porphyria as an infant, he firmly believes his condition has been misdiagnosed. Not only does he have a hypersensitivity to sunlight, he is plagued by a voice, an unseen Dæmon. It tempts him to do the unthinkable—drinking the blood from his girlfriend, Vivian. Milican vehemently struggles against his horrific fate. He desperately tries to hide his secrets, the blood cravings and his Dæmon. This concealment complicates his relationships with his family, friends, and Vivian. Milican and the Dæmon are in a power struggle for dominance. Can Milican survive his internal conflict?

Ready to sink your teeth into a new read? 

Try Amethyst.  It's a gem.