Cousins is author Cynthia Helton's first novel and she wants the reader to become involved with the vampire world that it depicts inside the human world. Helton's original intent was to show what kind of reaction formally immortal beings would have when they suddenly have to come to terms with a mysterious disease that could kill them. She wanted to show that no one is okay with dying, not even a being who regularly brings death. It became a way for Helton to deal with the deaths of her grandfather, who passed at ninety-two, and her grandmother, who died with advanced dementia. Both of their end-of-life journeys found their way into the novel. Helton hopes readers can feel the pull of family ties within this vampire community and see their own family ties in the depictions. She also wants readers to travel with Doneele into her past and her future, as this will become Book One of a series Helton plans to continue, following the lives of other characters here. About the Author Author Cynthia Helton has been writing short stories and poetry since junior high school, although she never considered herself a novelist. Helton wrote Cousins during sessions offered by NaNoWriMo and found the writers and community there very helpful in the process, helping her to focus her energies. She is an alumni of Murray State University and now resides in a very small town in Western Kentucky. Helton was raised in Winchester, Kentucky, right outside of Lexington. She has a theatre arts degree with a minor in journalism and television. Helton recently wed her husband and they live with their four cats. The couple loves being on the lakes and spending time with friends and family. Helton has always been a fan of vampires and the horror genre in general. Anyone on her Facebook page knows that Halloween is a special time for her and she reviews horror movies every day for the entire month. Helton is also an avid reader and theatre patron.