PRAISEFOR KITTY’S MIX-TAPE
“Comfortfood for the urban fantasy soul. Carrie Vaughn never disappoints. Itwas so nice to see my friends again! If you’ve loved Kitty’sadventures, you have been waiting for this book!”
—SeananMcGuire, author of Come Tumbling Down and Every Heart a Doorway
“ACarrie Vaughn story is a guarantee of quality entertainment and a nightof no sleep as I stay up late to devour it!”
—PatriciaBriggs, bestselling author of the Mercy Thompson series
“Vaughnoffers readers one last trip into the world of Kitty Norville, thewerewolf talk radio host last seen in 2015’s KittySaves the World, in this nostalgic collection of 15 urbanfantasy shorts, which splits focus between the delightful Kitty andother fan favorite characters who’ve been caught up in her adventuresover the years. Vaughn offers star turns to Kitty’s lawyer husband Ben(‘What Happened to Ben in Vegas’), ancient vampire Rick (‘It’s Stillthe Same Old Story’), and bounty hunter Cormac (‘Kitty and Cormac’sExcellent Adventure’). Kitty’s own jaunts—which see her attending herhigh school reunion (‘Kitty Walks on by, Calls Your Name’), dealingwith bureaucracy (‘Kitty Busts the Feds’) and investigating a werewolfboxer (‘Kitty Learns the Ropes’)—are suffused with humor and popculture references. A genuine sense of playfulness abounds, especiallyin several cute flash fiction pieces about the effects of differentlunar events on Kitty’s lycanthropy. Though the uninitiated won’t wantto start with this, the insights into Kitty’s supporting cast andillumination of previously unseen moments from the series will delightlongtime readers. For those devoted fans, this will be a deliciousfinal taste of Kitty’s complicated life.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Likethe rest of the Kitty Norville series, these stories are wise, kind,and always entertaining. I loved returning to Kitty’s world andenjoying these new adventures.”
—KevinHearne, author of The Iron Druid Chronicles
“Formany, reading in the time of COVID-19 is a challenge, making comfortbooks a good fallback. This collection of paranormal stories of variouslengths is a delightful read for those who have enjoyed Vaughn’s novelsfeaturing Kitty Norville, the late-night talk show DJ who was bitten byand turned into a werewolf, including Kitty Rocks theHouse (2013). Her call-in show featuring all kinds of somewhatmonstrous beings made her a national authority on the supernatural, andin her adventures she gets involved with Ben, the love of her life;Conrad, a bounty hunter; Rick, a powerful vampire; and many more. Tenpreviously published stories are joined by three original tales and thestory notes and playlists add interest, though beware of ear worms.While some tales feature Kitty and her associates, others are set invarious times and places, such as a paranormal historical story set inRegency England, and one in WWII Germany. A male selkie, a magician,and a manananggal, a horrific monster from Philippine folklore, alsoappear.”
—Booklist
OtherBooks By Carrie Vaughn
KittyNorville Novels
Kittyand The Midnight Hour (2005)
KittyGoes to Washington (2006)
KittyTakes a Holiday (2007)
Kittyand the Silver Bullet (2008)
Kittyand the Dead Man’s Hand (2009)
KittyRaises Hell (2009)
Kitty’sHouse of Horrors (2010)
KittyGoes to War (2010)
Kitty’sBig Trouble (2011)
KittySteals the Show (2012)
KittyRocks the House (2013)
Kittyin the Underworld (2013)
LowMidnight (2014)
KittySaves the World (2015)
TheGolden Age Saga
Afterthe Golden Age (2011)
Dreamsof the Golden Age (2014)
TheBannerless Saga
Bannerless(2017)
TheWild Dead (2018)
OtherNovels
Voicesof Dragons (2010)
Discord’sApple (2010)
Steel(2011)
MartiansAbroad (2017)
Novellas
TheImmortal Conquistador (2020)
Collections
Kitty’sGreatest Hits (2011)
Strayingfrom the Path (2011)
Amaryllisand Other Stories (2016)
Kitty’sMix Tape
Copyright© 2020 by Carrie Vaughn, LLC
Thisis a collected work of fiction. All events portrayed in this book arefictitious and any resemblance to real people or events is purelycoincidental. All rights reserved including the right to reproduce thisbook or portions thereof in any form without the express permission ofthe author and the publisher.
Introduction:“Kitty and the Missed Opportunity” copyright © 2020 by Emma Bull
Interiorand cover design by Elizabeth Story
TachyonPublications LLC
145918th Street #139
SanFrancisco, CA 94107
415.285.5615
www.tachyonpublications.com
SeriesEditor: Jacob Weisman
ProjectEditor: James DeMaiolo
PrintISBN 13: 978-1-61696-325-5
DigitalISBN: 978-1-61696-326-2
Printedin the United States First Edition: 2020
Allcopyrights © Carrie Vaughn, LLC, unless otherwise noted.
“KittyWalks On By, Calls Your Name” copyright © 2020. Original to this volume.
“It’sStill the Same Old Story” copyright © 2011. First appeared in Down These Strange Streets, edited by George R. R.Martin and Gardner Dozois (Ace Books: New York).
“TheIsland of Beasts” copyright © 2018. First appeared in Nightmare,December 2018.
“TheBeaux Wilde” copyright © 2014. First appeared in UrbanFantasy Magazine, December 2014.
“UnternehmenWerwolf” copyright © 2013. First appeared in Halloween:Magic, Mystery, and the Macabre, edited by Paula Guran (PrimeBooks: Germantown, Maryland).
“Kittyand the Full Super Bloodmoon Thing” copyright 2015. First appeared oncarriev.wordpress.com, September 30, 2015.
“Kittyand Cormac’s Excellent Adventure” copyright © 2020. Original to thisvolume.
“Sealskin”copyright © 2015. First appeared in Operation Arcana,edited by John Joseph Adams (Baen Books: New York).
“TheArcane Art of Misdirection” copyright © 2012. First appeared in Hex Appeal, edited by P. N. Elrod (St. Martin’sGriffin: New York).
“WhatHappened to Ben in Vegas” copyright © 2020. Original to this volume.
“Kittyand the Super Blue Blood or Whatever Moon Thing” copyright © 2018.First appeared on carriev.wordpress.com, January 31, 2018.
“DefiningShadows” copyright © 2011. First appeared in ThoseWho Fight Monsters, edited by Justin Gustainis (Edge Publishing:Alberta, Canada).
“BellumRomanum” copyright © 2017. First appeared in UrbanEnemies, edited by Joseph Nassise (Gallery Books: New York).
“KittyLearns the Ropes” copyright © 2010. First appeared in FullMoon City, edited by Darrell Schweitzer and Martin H. Greenberg(Gallery Books: New York).
“KittyBusts the Feds” copyright © 2020. Original to this volume.
Story Notesand Playlist © 2020. Original to this volume.
Tableof Contents
Introduction:“Kitty and the Missed Opportunity” by Emma Bull
KittyWalks on By, Calls Your Name
It’sStill the Same Old Story
TheIsland of Beasts
TheBeaux Wilde
UnternehmenWerwolf
Kittyand the Full Super Bloodmoon Thing
Kittyand Cormac’s Excellent Adventure
Sealskin
TheArcane Art of Misdirection
WhatHappened to Ben in Vegas
Kittyand the Super Blue Blood or Whatever Moon Thing
DefiningShadows
BellumRomanum
KittyLearns the Ropes
KittyBusts the Feds
StoryNotes and Playlist
About the Authors
Kittyand the Missed Opportunity
INTRODUCTIONBY EMMA BULL
HERE'SHOW I REMEMBER IT: I had the chance to provide a cover quote for Kitty and the Midnight Hour, and I didn’t.
NowI should warn you, I’m not the most reliable narrator. Writers love agood story more than almost anything, and when you ask them about theirmemories, you should expect narrative structure, not strict adherenceto fact. Maybe I did provide a quote. But
