The UNOFFICIAL Biography

Section 1

Since this is unofficial I see no reason not to tell all the truth.

What would you expect if you lived next door to someone who writes Vampire Novels? Well Jeanne is my next door neighbor and I can tell a lot, so I will. I know you will be disappointed because the world likes people who are sensational and not just nice regular people.

She and her husband are absolutely nothing like you would expect. They are quiet mild people and great friends. Mostly. There have been the occasional rare instance of Jeanne out in her front yard at 1:22 am (according to the police report) in her pajamas, shouting unintelligible obscenities at a neighbor's barking dog. Still that was only one instance. And I am sure that when that particular dog eventually disappeared, it had absolutely nothing whatever to do with the odd cooking odors coming from the grill in the backyard. I know they like salmon so that is probably what it was.

Once people find out that she is a "vampire writer" it is a foregone conclusion that rumors will surface, and I am here to put an end to these vicious mumblings.

The first rumor that needs addressing is that she is a vampire. This is absolutely untrue. According to the people in her kick-boxing group, she is usually very gentle and controlled. I was told this directly by the man with the neck brace. He should know because she was the last person he trained with before he had to go to the emergency room for what we were told was a kidney stone.

I find it even more deplorable that because she is becoming known as a "vampire writer" her earlier history is being called into question. I believe it is terrible the things the supermarket tabloids say about people. The idea that she was born in a cave by the ocean (which will appear in her next book) is as clear a case of irresponsible reporting as the article stating that Bill Clinton had sex with that girl, Monique or whatever.

She lived for years in San Diego and there is no reason (despite rumors that continue to circulate) to believe that she found it necessary to move. The San Diego police have no records that they will share with civilians, but I heard the desk sergeant say something faintly like, "..dogs missing..". Certainly nothing there.

So there you have it! There is nothing you can do to ever convince me that these are not some of the nicest people you'll ever meet. End of statement. Gotta go, I hear a dog barking.....

Section 2

Well it has been two years since my wife and I were forced to move from our old neighborhood, and honestly we miss the Steins a lot. Things are not so interesting in our new neighborhood and we miss the stimulation. I should explain the word "forced". We moved because we needed more space for our home based businesses and absolutely NOT because we could no longer afford the Lunesta prescriptions we needed back then. The additional savings is merely an added bonus.

I recently attended a book signing for Jeanne's latest book, "The Watcher", and during the Q/A someone was moved to ask, "How much of yourself do you put into your books?" This is obviously a question no author should ever be asked, but Jeanne fielded it with her natural charm.

It is easy to see this person has no knowledge of the sweet, gentle person that is Jeanne Stein. She could not be further from the Anna Strong character. For example, Jeanne brought to the signing, a delightful group of snack trays for the attendees. Now that is really thoughtful. Almost no other author ever does such a thing. There was a cookie tray, a relish tray and a tray containing what I strongly suspect were homemade meatballs and sauce, even though she had cleverly stuck a (used?) Costo tag on it. I did notice that other vampire authors in attendance were the only ones to have seconds from that tray. Nothing more than coincidence I am sure. I would have tried some myself, but the odor reminded me of some of their backyard grilling when we were neighbors.

In reference to the question above and Jeanne's lighthearted response, "My husband says if I were a man, I would be hanging out in biker bars, picking fights"; SHE WAS JOKING, PEOPLE! Joking! Kick boxing is great exercise and that is the only reason she has continued with what some say is her one of her outlets for hidden aggression. By the way I saw the guy with the neck brace I mentioned in the first section and I am happy to report that he will be back in perfect health as soon as the knee brace comes off. It had nothing to do with his continuing in Jeanne's kick boxing group. He merely slipped on some ice. It is winter in Denver after all.

As for the new crop of rumors, regarding some nocturnal goings on in the old neighborhood, just remember that most rumors are viscous lies and that the county sheriff's men have absolutely nothing to substantiate such lies. I would never let such gossip influence my deep feelings for these close friends.

Still, it is nice to live in a neighborhood where dogs bark . . .

The only thing that I find supernatural at all is the uncanny way she hooked my wife and me into reading a genre that we had never read before and had no intention of ever reading. And now we are both hooked on Jeanne's writing and can't wait for the next Anna Strong book. Very odd.

Articles by next door neighbor--now former next door neighbor