History Creator / NancyACollins

Nancy A. Collins (b 1959) is an American author of {{horror}} fiction and comic books. She is best known for her Sonja Blue series of vampire novels, starting with the UsefulNotes/BramStokerAward-winning ''Sunglasses After Dark'', and for her association with the [[ParodyReligion Church of the Subgenius]], where she is known as "Nanzi Regalia".

She was nominated for the UsefulNotes/JohnWCampbellAwardForBestNewWriter in 1990 and 1991.

** Look more-or-less like attractive humans, but have [[AnimalEyes cat eyes]], [[YouGottaHaveBlueHair jewel-toned hair]] (it used to be [[FantasticCasteSystem rigidly]] [[FantasticRacism segregated]] along [[PeopleOfHairColor primary]] lines, but that's since been relaxed...if mainly out of [[RacialRemnant necessity]]), and [[ExtraDigits six fingers on each hand]]. [[{{Fingore}} Loss of their sixth fingers]] will DePower a Kymeran[[spoiler:, although it's ''specifically'' those fingers which are essential; the loss of an entire hand or even ''[[AnArmAndALeg arm]]'' can be remedied, with no significant impairment to magical ability, by a {{magitek}} [[ArtificialLimbs prosthesis]]]].

* PeopleOfHairColor: Plays into the history of the Kymeran MageSpecies in the UrbanFantasy trilogy ''Golgotham'': Before [[{{Atlantis}} Kymera]] sank into the ocean, their hair was exclusively in [[YouGottaHaveBlueHair primary colors]] and rigidly coded to [[FantasticCasteSystem caste]]: blue for aristocrats, yellow for artisans, and red for peons. While the RacialRemnant who survived the crisis intermarried out of necessity (adding secondary colors to the range of possibilities), traditionalists still tend to hold [[FantasticRacism some degree of bias]] against anyone with warm-toned hair[[spoiler:, (although even most of ''them'' only consider it all that important that the heir to the throne have SupernaturalGoldEyes)]]. The only mentions made of Kymeran skin tones are in reference to specific individuals; therefore, it's probably safe to say that the same variations (or lack thereof) exist among all three castes and their descendants.

* EvilSmellsBad: Thanks to the entire species having individual {{Signature Scent}}s—which can be altered for the worse by spiritual corruption or even negative emotions—the worst of the worst [[WitchSpecies Kymerans]] in the ''Golgotham'' trilogy tend to eventually acquire burnt, acrid, or sulfurous odors.

* MuggleBornOfMages: "Norlocks" are sometimes born to the Kymeran WitchSpecies in the ''Golgotham'' trilogy; they generally [[ExtraDigits have five fingers per hand instead of the usual six]], and are considered disabled by other Kymerans due to the species' focus on magic. Kymeran [[HalfHumanHybrids Half-Human Hybrids]] are likely to be norlocks[[spoiler:; explicit mention is made of Tymm—son of the protagonist and deuteragonist in the series—having five-fingered hands like his (human) mother, although one ''does'' wonder how her being a [[ExtraOreDinary ferromancer]] would affect him]].
* PeopleOfHairColor: Plays into the history of the Kymeran WitchSpecies in the UrbanFantasy trilogy ''Golgotham'': Before [[{{Atlantis}} Kymera]] sank into the ocean, their hair was exclusively in [[YouGottaHaveBlueHair primary colors]] and rigidly coded to [[FantasticCasteSystem caste]]: blue for aristocrats, yellow for artisans, and red for peons. While the RacialRemnant who survived the crisis intermarried out of necessity (adding secondary colors to the range of possibilities), traditionalists still tend to hold [[FantasticRacism some degree of bias]] against anyone with warm-toned hair[[spoiler:, (although even most of ''them'' only consider it all that important that the heir to the throne have SupernaturalGoldEyes)]]. The only mentions made of Kymeran skin tones are in reference to specific individuals; therefore, it's probably safe to say that the same variations (or lack thereof) exist among all three castes and their descendants.
* RatKing: In the UrbanFantasy novel ''Left Hand Magic'', a supernatural [[SwarmOfRats conglomeration of twelve New York street rats]] tries to eat the heroine's puppy. [[spoiler:Luckily, her [[WitchSpecies witchy]] boyfriend's {{familiar}} instead ends up eating the rat king.]]
* SignatureScent: [[WitchSpecies Kymerans]] in the UrbanFantasy series ''Golgotham'' each have a very distinct individual scent. Good or neutral Kymerans tend to have herbal or floral scents (although SupremeChef Lafo instead smells like Bananas Foster and corn dogs); [[EvilSmellsBad evil Kymerans tend more towards sulfur, fish oil, scorched metal]], and other similarly [[SarcasmMode delightful]] things. Additionally, a change in scent can be a warning flag: [[spoiler:Erys]]—who later turns out to be [[spoiler:Nina's [[GrandTheftMe comatose body hijacked]] by an astral-projecting [[BigBad Esau]]]]—has an "unnatural" mix of molasses and dill; [[spoiler:Dori]]'s scent goes from bergamot and orchids (when she's a [[StealthPun garden-variety]] [[FantasticRacism bigoted]] {{yandere}} ''[[JerkAss annoyance]]'') to ashes and black pepper (when she starts [[spoiler:committing assault and being an accessory to worse crimes]]); and even [[spoiler:Hexe]]'s usual chypre/citrus/leather sours and picks up a hint of mold [[spoiler:when he's being corupted against his will by an ArtifactOfDoom]] and is [[spoiler:on the verge of irreparably alienating his pregnant consort]].
* WitchSpecies: The ''Golgotham'' trilogy has both supernaturally-gifted humans [[spoiler:like the latent [[ExtraOreDinary ferromancer]] heroine]] ''and'' a distinct species called [[TheFairFolk Kymerans]], who are the descendants of the last survivors of {{Atlantis}}-by-any-other-name. Their distinguishing traits are as follows:
** Look more-or-less like attractive humans, but have [[AnimalEyes cat eyes]], [[YouGottaHaveBlueHair jewel-toned hair]] (it used to be [[FantasticCasteSystem rigidly]] [[FantasticRacism segregated]] along [[PeopleOfHairColor primary]] lines, but that's since been relaxed...if mainly out of [[RacialRemnant necessity]]), and [[ExtraDigits six fingers on each hand]]. [[{{Fingore}} Loss of their sixth fingers]] will DePower a Kymeran[[spoiler:, although it's ''specifically'' those fingers which are essential; the loss of an entire hand or even ''[[AnArmAndALeg arm]]'' can be remedied, with no significant impairment to magical ability, by a {{magitek}} [[ArtificialLimbs prosthesis]]]].
** There is no apparent gender imbalance, in any direction, within their species.  The term "warlock" ''is'' used in reference to their men, but "witch" is also used as a gender-neutral term.
** Morality varies by individual, and runs the gamut from heroic to unmitigably vile. 
** Interfertile with humans[[spoiler: (in fact, hormonal contraceptives [[ButWeUsedACondom lose some degree of reliability]] for [[InterspeciesRomance interspecies couples]] if only formulated for one partner's species), although their [[ExpressDelivery approximately six-month gestation]] tends to make for high-risk pregnancies in such cases]]. Any resulting child will probably be a "[[MuggleBornOfMages norlock]]."
** Oh: and they, ''to a person'', have [[SignatureScent unusual natural body odor]] (although not unpleasantly so unless the Kymeran is either an [[EvilSmellsBad unpleasant]] ''[[ObviouslyEvil individual]]'' or [[DespairEventHorizon at a particularly low point emotionally]]) and [[BizarreTasteInFood adventurous]] [[ForeignQueasine palates]].

Nancy A. Collins (b 1959) is an American author of {{horror}} fiction and comic books. She is best known for her Sonja Blue series of vampire novels, starting with the Stoker Award-winning ''Sunglasses After Dark'', and for her association with the [[ParodyReligion Church of the Subgenius]], where she is known as "Nanzi Regalia".

She was nominated for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer in 1990 and 1991.

!! Tropes in her works:
* EmotionEater: The vampire nobles in the ''Sonja Blue'' series feed on emotions as well as blood, and thus were closely involved with historical events like Stalinism and Nazism.

* HunterOfHisOwnKind: In the ''Sonja Blue'' series, Blue is a vampire who never actually died, so her human side remains (mostly) in control, and she hunts other vampires and their ilk, while seeking revenge on the monster who accidentally created her.

* NoNameGiven: ''A Dozen Black Roses''. The main character Sonja Blue is referred to as "the stranger" throughout the whole book, when asked for her name, she either refuses to give it, or is cut off. She finally reveals it at the end to one of the few surviving characters. If you read the back of the book her name is given (and there were three previous novels plus several short stories about Sonja as well).
* OurOgresAreHungrier" Master vampires in the ''Sonja Blue Trilogy'' often employ ogres, both as dumb muscle and as walking garbage disposals, consuming drained corpses when the master doesn't want to add to his/her brood. In reference to their Western FairyTale origins, they have a tendency to be child molesters.

* TheRenfield: This is a semi-official rank in vampire society in the ''Sonja Blue Trilogy''. Humans with some telepathic ability and a psychological disposition to submission are often enslaved by master vampires (via MindRape, which an ideal candidate for the job will actually enjoy) and used as personal assistants. The position is referred to as "renfield" (in lower case), but the master of such a servant dehumanizes him/her by addressing him/her only as "Renfield" (upper case).

* SunglassesAtNight: ''Sunglasses After Dark'' is the first book of a series about Sonja Blue, a light-sensitive vampire who wears just those.
* UndeadChild: One of the ''Sonja Blue'' books involved a character who had been pregnant, for several ''decades'', with an incredibly {{squick}}y vampire baby.
* VampireBitesSuck: The ''Sonja Blue'' series is full of vampires who are uncaring of the state in which they leave their victims.

* WithholdingTheirName: In ''A Dozen Black Roses'', the main character Sonja Blue is referred to as "the stranger" throughout the whole book, when asked for her name, she either refuses to give it, or is cut off. She [[SubvertedTrope finally reveals it]] at the end to one of the few surviving characters.