CHRIS POPE

THE SECT is thought to have its origins in the Catholic Inquisition. Over the centuries it has grown into a vast and covert international organisation, dedicated to fighting Evil in all its forms. Its influence extends through every aspect of  society, including governments, security and police forces, and social services.

WILLIAM BEDFORD LLOYD was born in Detroit, Michigan. He was saved from descent into a life of teenage crime by joining the US Army. As a young Ranger he had his baptism of fire in October 1993 when he was involved in the 'Black Hawk Down' incident in Mogadishu, Somalia. He later served in the First Gulf War before being discharged from the Army after an accident in training left him with a leg injury. Soon after he was recruited by the Sect and went on to become one of thier best vampire hunters, with many 'kills' to his credit. But then his combat skills brought him to the attention of one particular vampire opponent....

SAMOS, GREECE is the location in which the last third of A Different Kind of Girlfriend is set. All the places referred to in the story are real, with only Miriam's villa being a product of my imagination, although its setting can be readily identified. Samos is a beautiful island well worth a visit.

JONATHON RAYNER doesn't know for sure where he came from, or who his natural parents were. The Sect authorities had always told him they were Lithuanian immigrants who were killed in a car crash when Rayner was a baby, but this may well be a lie. It is just as likely he was abducted from his real parents by a Sect member, like many others have been. The Sect prefers that its young trainee vampire hunters have no family roots except those provided by the Sect itself.

GARWALL HOUSE, located in a remote part of Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, is the Sect's main Final Training Centre. However, two other smaller establishments exist, one sited outside of Codda, on Bodmin Moor, and the second on Foulness Island, Essex.