New Englanders have a sense of lineage unmatched in any other region of America. To this day those whose ancestors were the first Europeans to settle here tend to regard families whose first ancestors arrived as early as 200 years ago as newcomers. This New England fondness for lineage is akin to the longevity of the vampire, whose life (or unlife) is extended by draining the lives and blood of others. The stories in Blood Lines explore the ancient mysteries of vampirism, along with the rich literary tradition begun with Lord Byron and with Bram Stoker's Dracula, first published in 1897 long after the aristocratic blood lines were established. The stories include: "One for the Road," Stephen King; "Investigating Jericho," Chelsea Quinn Yarbro; "The Brotherhood of Blood," Hugh B. Cave; "Chastel," Manly Wade Wellman; "The Doom of the House of Duryea," Earl Peirce, Jr.; "Moonlight in Vermont," Esther Friesner; "Secret Societies," Lawrence Schimel; "When the Red Storm Comes," Sarah Smith; "The Beautiful, the Damned," Kristine Kathryn Rusch; "The Shunned House," H. P. Lovecraft