Michael Schiefelbein

Michael Schiefelbein, after spending ten years studying for the priesthood, graduated from the University of Maryland with a doctorate in English. He is a professor of writing and literature in Memphis, TN.

Bibliography

  • Standalone
    Body and Blood
    Michael Schiefelbein
  • Standalone
    Blood Brothers
    Michael Schiefelbein
  • Vampire Series
    Vampire Vow (#1)
    Michael Schiefelbein
  • Vampire Series
    Vampire Thrall (#2)
    Michael Schiefelbein
  • Vampire Series
    Vampire Transgression (#3)
    Michael Schiefelbein
  • Vampire Series
    Vampire Maker (#4)
    Michael Schiefelbein
     

Reviews

Standalone

Body and Blood
“A sexually charged thriller […] with a lot of heat.”

Kirkus

“[A] steamy suspense tale […] Schiefelbein presents the dilemma of gay priests with sensitivity.”

Publishers Weekly

“With delicate grace, Schiefelbein compassionately limns the all-too human yearnings and shortcomings of clerics in this quietly moving novel.”

Booklist

“Compelling […] Schiefelbein’s writing is crisp and flowing. His descriptions of Catholic ritual and practice are thorough and reverent, and his perceptions about issues facing the church are interesting. A subtle beauty pervades this text despite the more controversial parts.”

The Daily Oklahoman

Blood Brothers
“A sexy, savory novel […] Schiefelbein is a masterfully atmospheric writer, evoking the culture of Spain in the years both before and after the 1975 death of the dictator Franco with the flair of a fine travel writer, while at the same time crafting an unusually intelligent psychological thriller.”

Richard Labonte

“A refreshing departure […] In addition to BLOOD BROTHERS’ well drawn characters are the other atmospheric details that Schiefelbein has such a gift for. The greatest and strangest of these is the mysterious, transcendent and sometimes destructive thing called love.”

X-Factor Magazine

“Pulp fiction to the max […] a compelling read and the characters are clearly drawn. Like a guilty pleasure, you just may have to hide it in your robes when people are looking.”

Instinct

“You’ll be busy turning the pages, be it for the blood, sex or fears.”

Memphis Flyer

“A straightforward and timely story that could have been stolen directly from recent headlines […] Schiefelbein has succeeded again in writing a well-crafted novel that draws us in and will not let us go. Just like Vampire Vow, BLOOD BROTHERS will keep you riveted and begging for more.”

The Libery Press

Vampire Series

Vampire Vow (#1)
“VAMPIRE VOW is a literate, compelling, and original contribution to the horror fantasy genre, and strongly recommended, especially compelling reading for vampire buffs.”

Midwest Book Review

“Michael Schiefelbein has employed the conventions of gothic fiction with wit, passion, and intelligence, a combination that will render his book a crossover success because these qualities will appeal to a wide range of readers, including those who would not normally read vampire novels […] For most readers, perhaps, VAMPIRE VOW’s pleasures will be more concrete: Its action is tightly plotted, it characters completely and believably drawn, and its prose style simple but elegant. They will devour it–or let it devour them.”

Lambda Book Report

“[An] audacious, erotic and entertaining novel […] Sexy, suspenseful and yes, spiritual, VAMPIRE VOW is a distinctive debut.”

Philadelphia Gay News

“[Schiefelbein’s] take on vampirism is perhaps the most interesting […] The theological concepts, the envisioning of a vampire heirarchy, the conflicting emotions of the protagonist, all conspire to render an absolutely fascinating book.”

Gay People’s Chronicle

Vampire Thrall (#2)
“Any compilation of this year’s best cannot overlook VAMPIRE THRALL, the latest incarnation of Michael Schiefelbein’s sexy gay vampire.”

New York Blade

“Schiefelbein pulls the reader once again into his thrall […] carefully continues his provocative examinations of Catholocism, spirituality, and good and evil while vibrantly giving readers all of the tempestuous melodrama of a great and thrilling vampire novel filled with deep sexual passions. Bring on the next installment! Fast!”

Lambda Book Report

“A wicked guilty pleasure rich with a high camp quotient and a killer story […] Joyfully mixes gay romance, vampire thrillers, Vatican travelogues, and Catholic dogma into a giddy sensation […] grand and highly entertaining.”

Gay City News

“As well-written and powerful a story as one will find. Its depths are as thought-provoking as they are spine-tingling. Its resolution is both shocking and profound […] remarkably poignant Whatever it was that inspired Schiefelbein, VAMPIRE THRALL is likely to make readers fall to their knees and give thanks.”

X-Factor

“Swiftly plotted and sufficiently sexy, the book races toward a climactic ending that begs for the next installment.”

Out Magazine

“A must-read. Clearly Schiefelbein has arrived.”

The Hour

“Great pulp queer fiction with a remarkable depth of reflection to match.”

Bent

“Once again draws the reader into a spell. Enough suspense and sex to keep one reading with rapt attention until the last page.”

Virginia Gazette

“A fast paced and well-written delight.”

eFresh

“Just like his first novel, I devoured VAMPIRE THRALL in two evenings. Who could ask for anything more!”

Liberty Press

“A great book for a sunny day on the beach.”

PopMatters

Vampire Transgression (#3)
“This spiritually-tinged potboiler’s nonstop progression or lurid gay sex and bloodsucking scenes will titillate fans of the genre.”

Publishers Weekly

“Well written and replete with fully realized characters. Recommended.”

Library Journal

Vampire Maker (#4)
“Vampire fans will enjoy familiar tropes with a few tweaks, and flashbacks make the episode accessible to new readers.”

Publishers Weekly

“Uncommonly fine writing, its fiery plot powered by inventive philosophical underpinnings.”

Books Marks

Awards & Accolades

Standalone

Body and Blood
USA

Insight Out Book Club selection

Blood Brothers
USA

Insight Out Book Club selection

Vampire Series

Vampire Vow (#1)
USA

Lambda Literary Award Finalist

USA

Insight Out Book Club selection

Vampire Thrall (#2)
USA

Lambda Literary Award Finalist

USA

Insight Out & SF Book Club selections

Vampire Transgression (#3)
USA

Insight Out Book Club selection