The Vampire Girl Next Door

Right after Mark’s next-door neighbor is murdered, he gets a new neighbor-the beautiful but mysterious Sylvia, who has just arrived from London. Mark is drawn into a mutually obsessive relationship with Sylvia. She is secretive regarding her past and Mark’s friends caution him that she can’t be trusted. But Mark won’t listen to his friends or to the priest who later claims that Sylvia is a deadly threat. Mark is enchanted by Sylvia’s beauty and charm, even though dating her has its challenges. Whether it’s performing gymnastics on the ledge of the Golden Gate Bridge, creating an embarrassing scene at the wedding of Mark’s best friend, or shocking Mark with her unusual sexual proclivities, Sylvia never misses an opportunity to make a bad first impression.When Mark first meets Sylvia, he tells her, “You’re the girl of my dreams!”Sylvia smiles and responds with a warning-“Be careful what you wish for.”

little does he know!Sylvia is a vampire and for some reason, she wants Mark. She even painted a portrait of the two of them together years ago. Has she dreamed about Mark as he dreamed about her? Even when Dave and Gail get married and a priest, Father Callen, advises Mark that Sylvia is a vampire, he refuses to leave her… Does Sylvia want to turn Mark? Will Mark let her if she wants to? Is he willing to turn his best friend away for a girl he has only known a few weeks?This was an interesting take on vampires and it is told in the first person by Mark. Sylvia also has some very strange sexual desires and they are revealed in detail in this book. I enjoyed the story, it was an easy read, and Mark and Sylvia were interesting characters. Readers’ Favorite Book Reviews The Vampire Girl Next Door Review by Lit Amri Mark Sheridan’s life is taking a strange turn; three curiously related murders had taken place within twenty-four hours of each other, and both murder scenes had happened within close proximity to him. The strangeness only intensifies with the arrival of Sylvia Martin from London, a mysterious pretty girl with weird eyes. She moved in after Mark’s loud and obnoxious neighbor was murdered in his apartment one night. Enchanted by her, Mark could not help but feel truly infatuated with her, ignoring his friends’ advice to be cautious, including a priest’s ominous warning about Sylvia. The Vampire Girl Next Door is a fast-paced, immersive supernatural fiction by Richard Arbib. Narrated from a first person point-of-view, readers could tell right away that protagonist Mark is an average guy with a busy life schedule – gym, Kung Fu and film classes as well as working thirty hours per week selling advertising for a weekly newspaper. Readers don’t have to wait long for the eerie supernatural scenes to start. Right at the start of the novel Richard Arbib introduces Sylvia, whom Mark’s friend Dave caught staring at him from outside the gym’s window. As he walked home, Mark was attacked by three young thugs but he was saved by someone or something that swiftly killed two of them without being seen. We could already guess who his ‘savior’ was. Overall, the story’s pace is definitely a fast one, and yet it does not feel rushed at all. The plot is adroitly written and I myself feel drawn to the mysterious Sylvia. This is perhaps the best supernatural fiction that I have read this year. Reno Gazette-Journal (Book review of The Vampire Girl Next Door) The girl next door has very long teeth Review by Susan Skorupa

Paranormal Romance Guild Review by Linda TonisThirty-three year old Mark Sheridan lives in San Francisco. His life revolves around his job selling advertising… and the time he spends at the gym with his best friend, Dave. The only real problem in his life is his next-door neighbor who parties every night, making sleep very difficult for Mark. Things change for Mark drastically when his noisy neighbor is found dead and a new girl, Sylvia Martin, moves in.…Now with his neighbor gone, the girl of his dreams has moved in. Sylvia is a strange girl with a lot of secrets, secrets she is unwilling to reveal to Mark. His friend Dave and Dave's fiancé, Gail, both are taken aback by Sylvia's eyes… She also wears a satanic symbol around her neck, which troubles them as well. Unfortunately for Mark, all he can see is a gorgeous girl that he wants to be around all the time.The fact that Sylvia doesn't like to go out during the day doesn't seem to faze him; her story about an allergy to light makes sense to him. Sylvia comes to Mark's apartment every night, but in spite of her flirting and kissing, she (initially) refuses to have sex with him. Mark takes that as her desire to go slow

book review by John BurroughsA dream isn't all that far from a nightmare.

“The Vampire Girl Next Door”

About the Author

Richard Arbib was born in New York City, earned a master's degree in English and creative writing at San Francisco State University, taught English in Vietnam, and composition and literature to college students in Nevada. He has had short fiction published in Mensa Bulletin and articles published in Integra--The Journal of Intertel.

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