Hugo, Nebula, and Tiptree award–winning author Suzy McKee Charnas offers up her lush stories in this compelling retrospective story collection. In Stagestruck Vampires, the supernatural and the real intertwine seamlessly. A villainous maestro is redeemed by his lovely, apt pupil in “Beauty and the Opera or The Phantom Beast.” Inside the “Unicorn Tapestry,” a psychotherapist stalks a vampire. A dazzling performance of Tosca is marred by a shocking murder during “A Musical Interlude.” This collection features original work by Charnas—the mystical novelette, “Peregrines,” and two original essays. Also included is a collaborative story on vampire themes, “Advocates,” written with Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, author of the Saint-Germain Chronicles. Contents: Introduction by Paul Di Filippo Beauty and the Opéra or The Phanton Beast • (1996) • novelette Unicorn Tapestry • (1980) • novella Boobs • (1989) • short story Evil Thoughts • (1990) • novelette Advocates • (1991) • novelette by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro and Suzy McKee Charnas A Musical Interlude • (1980) • short fiction Peregrines • (2004) • short story