For the most part, I will admit that I'm not all that big a fan of horror fiction when it comes right down to it. I prefer science fiction and fantasy, even dark sf and fantasy, to horror fiction. The only exceptions seem to be Nancy A. Collins, Tanya Huff, Tanith Lee, and Laurell K. Hamilton (at least the four that I can think of consciously). Laurell K. Hamilton is a relatively new writer on the scene, but she has written a terrific fantasy novel, Nightseer, that first attracted my attention to her talents. It was with the first of the Anita Blake series, Guilty Pleasures, that Hamilton drew attention to her writing with the start of an innovative horror series of books that provide a highly non-stereotypical view of the undead.
Laurell K. Hamilton has said that she never wanted to do anything but write, so she earned an English degree. A brief fling with wanting to be Jane Goodall earned her a biology degree, as well, something that she has put to good use in her books. She met her husband at college. He earned more books than she did, at first, and he was a confirmed reader of science fiction and fantasy. She says that what she likes most about her husband is that he has always known that the way to her heart was through her imagination. Laurell has said that she's sold more of the Anita Blake books, up through number nine. So we're lucky enough to be graced with more books in this terrific series.
I think that what makes the Anita Blake series of books so interesting is the fact that Laurell Hamilton has created a very non-stereotypical character in Anita Blake. When one combines that with the elements of the world in which Anita lives (zombies seeking citizen rights, rigid enforcement of laws governing who can kill vampires and when they can do so, etc.), the novels take on a life of their own and provide us with a character who is so very real and vibrant, and so very unpredictable at times. Mind you, I'm still very fond of Nightseer, and would dearly love to see Laurell write some more mainstream fantasy works. She's very good at that, too.
The following is a listing of Laurell K. Hamilton's fiction to this point:
Laurell K. Hamilton has an Unofficial web page devoted to her, and it's a pretty nice site. There are several other sites out there devoted to Hamilton's work, and you can find links to them off the Unofficial page.