Van Helsing's Guide to Monsters and Dating

Thrillerdelphia is hosting a night devoted to the strange overlap between monsters and modern romance. Ben Crew will join us in-store to talk about his illustrated guide to surviving ghouls, dating apps, prophecies, and the general disaster that is the human heart.

The conversation will move from monster lore to relationship pitfalls, with plenty of time for audience questions and a signing afterward. Once the main program wraps, guests can hang out, build their own “Limber” profiles, and—if they want—take part in our low-pressure Speed Dating / Mixer. Taking part is optional; lurking with a drink and people-watching is welcome.

What the Book’s About

Jefferson Van Helsing lives in Portland and carries the weight of his family name: monster hunting, curse dodging, and the occasional doomed date.
Van Helsing’s Guide to Monsters and Dating blends humor, illustrated monster dossiers, and a coming-of-age story about someone trying to improve himself while the supernatural world keeps interfering. It’s part handbook, part narrative, and full of cryptids, vampires, and accidental heroics.

Who Ben Crew Is

Ben Crew grew up fascinated with the dark and unusual. While other kids collected baseball cards, he collected monster facts. His father wrote extensively about WWII, and Ben took that same energy and aimed it at folklore, horror creatures, and the cultural history behind them.

He’s written everything from viral Muppet adaptations to monster essays, and he now lives in Maryland by way of the Mississippi Gulf Coast and Chicago.

Tickets & How It Works

Every ticket comes with $20 in Thrillerdelphia store credit to use the night of the event.
If you’d like the featured book, you can purchase it for $15 with your ticket.

We’ll also have extra copies available during the signing.

Participation in the mixer is entirely optional.