Isaac Fellman

A whirlwind romance between an eccentric archivist and a grieving widow explores what it means to be at home in your own body in this clever, humorous, and heartfelt novel. When archivist Sol meets Elsie, the larger than life widow of a moderately famous television writer who's come to donate her wife's papers, there's an instant spark. But Sol has a secret: he suffers from an illness called vampirism, and hides from the sun by living in his basement office. On their way to falling in love, the two traverse grief, delve into the Internet fandom they once unknowingly shared, and navigate the realities of transphobia and the stigmas of carrying the "vampire disease." Then, when strange things start happening at the collection, Sol must embrace even more of the unknown to save himself and his job. DEAD COLLECTIONS is a wry novel full of heart and empathy, that celebrates the journey, the difficulties and joys, in finding love and comfort within our own bodies.

A Novel

Dead Collections

Riley

"Oh, I'm very familiar." I felt my voice drop three notes, the way people's voices do when they meet another person who's ever been deep in fandom. The vocal cords thicken with irons and the dirt of the trenches, and you don't have to say any more; you know you share a secret. She noticed that, and all at once her face was approachable and wry, each smile line clutching tight some small emotion.

After the episode was over, I just sat in the dark. The thing was that the episode still had me. You'd expect an old fandom like that, whose purpose was spent, would spill from my mouth like ashes, but it didn't. Watching those men look at each other, I felt the same longing and fear as I had at fifteen, when my whole life was longing and fear. The difference between me and most teenagers was that I didn't know what I longed for, and I sure didn't know what I was afraid of.

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