Michael A. Ventrella

Norman Mark was a politician with skeletons in his closet. Literally.

Disgraced journalist Steven Edwards considers the “Batties” — the loonies who believe that vampires are real and Norman Mark is one — just another crazy tin-foil-hat extremist group. Then someone shoots at Mark, changes into a bat, and flies away before Steve’s eyes, leaving him as the prime suspect. With the help of the Batties, Steve goes underground. The only way he can establish his innocence is by proving vampires exist — not an easy task while on the run from both the FBI and the bloodsuckers.

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Paperback / Kindle

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“Bloodsuckers takes modern politics and adds vampires to the mix (yes, we already know all the jokes you’re making!) to make it actually new and exciting. Washed-up reporter Steve Edwards can’t believe what he sees when a Presidential candidate is gunned down by a man who then disappears before his eyes, apparently transformed to a bat. But that’s just the beginning as Steve finds he’s been framed for the crime and what he’s seen is just the very tip of a blood-drinking iceberg. Ventrella’s quick, bright dialogue punctuates the adventure with dry humor even as he ratchets the tension up towards an ending that might just surprise even the jaded reader. Highly recommended!” – Ryk E. Spoor, author of Grand Central Arena and Phoenix Rising

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“Bloodsuckers draws back the curtain of politics and confirms the fear we’ve all suspected about our leaders for decades. A cutting expose of the—what, this is fiction? Naw … Well then. Funny, quick, too smart for its own good. Had me viewing politicians with new suspicion.” – Mur Lafferty, Campbell-Award-winning author of Ghost Train to New Orleans and The Shambling Guide to New York City

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“Sharp as a stake through the heart, Bloodsuckers works both as an entertaining thriller and as satire of our current out-for-blood political landscape. I loved the characters, the political insight and the final revelation!” – Dennis Tafoya, author of The Poor Boy’s Game and The Wolves of Fairmont Park

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“Bloodsuckers is a delicious blend of mainstream thriller, oddball horror, and biting social commentary. Sink your teeth into this one!” – Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author of Code Zero and V-Wars

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“What could be more horrifying than vampires with a taste for blood? Vampires with a taste for politics, as well. Mike Ventrella gives us both, plus action, adventure, laughs and chills, in Bloodsuckers, a political satire with bite.” – Jon McGoran, author of Drift and Deadout

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“Politics, intrigue and vampires—a match made in Washington, DC. A bloody good political thriller that sucks you in from the start and gets its teeth into your imagination.” – Gail Z. Martin, author of Reign of Ash and Deadly Curiosities

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“The book is a lot of fun. It manages to be many things at once. It’s both thrilling and humorous. Both politically charged and poignant without being preachy.” – Lucas Mangum, author of Flesh and Fire

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“Tight, funny, well-written, and smart.

I do not consume vampires, or for the most part, male authors. But, consarnit, Ventrella really is that good. This is a tightly written yarn, that keeps the action moving. There’s a lot of action to move. Elevator pitch is “What if vampires exist, and one runs for major office?”

The attributes of vampires are mostly true to pop culture, and not played for spooky, or all-powerful. The fun part is that while I expected a twist or two, the twists have twists. I was genuinely surprised by several things that happen near and at the end of the book, which rarely happens to me.

The sardonic wit of the author shines right through the text, and is a relief after slogging through a slush pile. I think I’ll be using the rest of his oeuvre as palate cleansers e.g. “When I am tired of bad writing, I will be refreshed by 200 pages of Michael’s writing”. I did expect to like this, but I did not expect to like it this much. Read it, you’ll see what I mean.” – Kate Johnston

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“Mina, with a heart full of perfect love and trust, is cursed by her name. Her first kind gesture won me over and left me fearing her fate. (Her name is Mina and there are vampires about!) She is the only character of pure benevolence. Everyone else is a believably flawed, understandably troubled and intensely relatable character fighting for their life; some are also fighting for truth, justice and the American way. This wonderfully humorous, yet at times terrifying, novel leaves me wanting both a sequel that begins a few months after the last scene and a prequel that includes strigoi Jesus.” – Marilyn Marques

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“Enjoyed the hell out of Bloodsuckers. Political intrigue! Conspiracies! Vampires! Plus, journalism! Please, please, please write a sequel. Thank you. That is all.” – Eric Avedissian

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“Wildly entertaining story with interesting emotionally evocative characters. The book was difficult to put down, the suspense and peril for characters that I absolutely loved and cared about was nicely interjected with cut-aways to newspaper clips, transcripts of talk shows, and election coverage reports. When the story ended I found myself wanting more!” – Henry J. Hart

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“This book has enough similarities to current political campaigns that I found myself wondering which candidates were really vampires. Plot-driven, yet highly entertaining and amusing – I laughed aloud several times while reading, a rarity for me. It’s a quick read and I’d recommend it.” – V. Hartman DiSanto 

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“I did enjoy the book. He has masterfully taken a lot of very public people who are actual newscasters and other current items, writing them into the yarn. I could see the whole thing unfold as a movie before me as I read. The pacing was very well done and it didn’t drag as the story moved along with Steve and his rescuers.

And the twist at the end was not expected, at least not in the names and history that it took advantage of.

Bloodsuckers is really just a fun and funny book. Good job.” – Charlayne Elizabeth Denney

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“Fun premise with a likeable cast of characters. Believe the cover … a vampire really is running for President of the U.S., and there’s only one guy who can stop him: intrepid reporter (read: has-been) Steve Edwards! Problem is, Steve has been framed for attempting to assassinate said vampire. But wait … there’s more! We get to navigate the underbelly of vampire culture and myth, politics, and vampire politics right alongside our hero. And there’s not a sparkle in sight!

This book has a lot of humor, cameos from recognizable national political commentators, and a somewhat (but not too) unique take on the vampire myth. There are plenty of twists and turns leading up to an ending that I didn’t expect in the least.

Definitely worth buying and reading.” — Wanda Beers

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“Fun book with a great sense of humor and an original premise. Entertaining throughout with a great ending and some clever twists!” – Derek Beebe

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“I had been getting weary of vampire books but ended up enjoying the political bent of Bloodsuckers – great variation on the vamp theme!” – Marie Millard

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“This book had some nice twists, turns and surprises. I enjoyed it and I don’t usually read anything about vampires – but it really was about much more than that. What a great vehicle for talking about power, values, and politics with a nice mix of fantasy. Definitely recommend it.” – Lois Heckman

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“Ventrella has given us the next evolution in the vampire motif. Bloodsuckers is political commentary, comedy and vampire all rolled into one ball. Excellent idea and very good overall story with excellent pacing. I would definitely advise reading this political vampire comedy.” – Joy Ward

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“A fun read. Perfect for this election season. Really enjoyed it, couldn’t put it down.” – Alan Beck