The Case for Me, Girl Z and Lizzie Borden #Zombie Hunter

As part of Summer of Zombie, Jay Wilburn's making a "case" for each author....

Here's mine....

by Jay Wilburn

My first introduction to C. A. Verstraete was through Girl Z: My Life as a Teenage Zombie. The novel is told from the perspective of a teenage girl that is struggling with some of those typical issues, but also with the fact that she is part human and part zombie.

With Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter, Verstraete is dealing with a protagonist that is more mature. Lizzie is facing issues of life and death while dealing with monsters that people outside her world do not really understand. Hence, we have the historic confusion about Lizzie Borden’s role and identity according to this alternate history/ hidden history horror zombie story. Lizzie Borden has to really rethink her life and her existence as she faces the gallows. The action in the novel gives plenty of zombie killing fun and gore for readers too.

Verstraete feels that a female protagonist may be the very thing that separates her story from many others in the genre. There is plenty of action, but also plenty of heart through Verstraete’s voice. Lizzie Borden in this version of history is fighting for her life and her sister’s life. Her sister stands by her throughout the trial and Lizzie feels the need to do whatever she can to keep her sister safe.

Verstraete enjoyed turning history on its ear for Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter. She found it challenging to write, but she loved doing it. She had to get creative to weave zombies into her story and the history she uncovered through her research of actual events surrounding the real Lizzie Borden.

After reading her work, C. A. Verstraete wants readers to enjoy what they experienced and to want more. She wants them to slip into a different take on the past and to feel satisfied with the visit.

I hope I have made the case for C. A. Verstraete. Check out Girl Z and then pick up Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter once it hits shelves too.

#1LineWed Provocative Lizzie Borden, #Zombie Hunter

It's #1LineWed - 1 Line Wednesday -  again, so I thought I'd share a more "provocative" line from my upcoming book, Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter by C.A. Verstraete.

 I say that as if you've seen any of the movies like the 1975 TV film, The Legend of Lizzie Borden starring Elizabeth Montgomery (now re-released on DVD), or heard the rumors, you know what was said about Lizzie - that if she committed the murders she must've been naked, or was she perhaps parading around the house near-naked as what happened to the bloody clothing?

Well, here's a "little" glimpse at my take from Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter: (see new 2nd edition & new cover!)

Goosebumps broke out on her arms as she hurried back into the kitchen to tidy up, and not just because she stood there scandalously clad only in her undergarments. 

About the Book:

Every family has its secrets…

One hot August morning in 1892, Lizzie Borden picked up an ax and murdered her father and stepmother. Newspapers claim she did it for the oldest of reasons: family conflicts, jealousy and greed. But what if her parents were already dead? What if Lizzie slaughtered them because they’d become zombies?

Thrust into a horrific world where the walking dead are part of a shocking conspiracy to infect not only Fall River, Massachusetts, but also the world beyond, Lizzie battles to protect her sister, Emma, and her hometown from nightmarish ghouls and the evil forces controlling them.

Summer of #Zombie Today

Today's links for Summer of #Zombie....

It's SUMMER OF ZOMBIE time! Party like the undead!

Here’s this last week’s schedule – see Jay Wilburn’s site for the full schedule and posts. 
Here’s the full tour schedule

Tues, June 28

The Case for Peter Welmerink

The Case for Mark Tufo

The Case for Derek Ailes

Sun, June 26

Armand Rosamilia post
Changing Covers

The Case for Thomas Malafarina

The Case for Rob E Boley

Mon, June 27

The Case for Ann Riley

The Case for Ricky Fleet

The Case for Brent Abell

Wed, June 29

 ** The Case for C.A. Verstraete ** 

The Case for Mark Cusco Ailes

The Case for James Wallace

Thurs, June 30

Jay Wilburn post
Thanks for the Wild Undead Ride
Jay gives one last farewell before they set him adrift in the ocean and set him on fire while Vikings cry upon the beaches (Vikings can cry too … don’t be like that)

The completed story
“The Worst Day to Get Lucky”

Bonus teaser from the United States of Apocalypse
by Armand Rosamilia and Mark Tufo

Bonus teaser from The Enemy Held Near
by Armand Rosamilia and Jay Wilburn

Bonus teaser from Jack Wallen

Meme Monday: Lizzie Borden, #Zombie Hunter

Had to share!

Zombie fan and reader Denise Kinsella Keef made this for me. Isn't it great?? Feel free to share and link to my website!

* See new 2nd edition & new cover!!!

Coming Soon! Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter - C.A. Verstraete, 2016 

Every family has its secrets…

One hot August morning in 1892, Lizzie Borden picked up an ax and murdered her father and stepmother. Newspapers claim she did it for the oldest of reasons: family conflicts, jealousy and greed. But what if her parents were already dead? What if Lizzie slaughtered them because they’d become zombies?

Thrust into a horrific world where the walking dead are part of a shocking conspiracy to infect not only Fall River, Massachusetts, but also the world beyond, Lizzie battles to protect her sister, Emma, and her hometown from nightmarish ghouls and the evil forces controlling them.

Summer of #Zombie Last Week Blog Tour!

It's SUMMER OF ZOMBIE time! Party like the undead!

Here’s this last week’s schedule – see Jay Wilburn’s site for the full schedule and posts. 
Here’s the full tour schedule

Sun, June 26

Armand Rosamilia post
Changing Covers

The Case for Thomas Malafarina

The Case for Rob E Boley

Mon, June 27

The Case for Ann Riley

The Case for Ricky Fleet

The Case for Brent Abell

Tues, June 28

The Case for Peter Welmerink

The Case for Mark Tufo

The Case for Derek Ailes

Wed, June 29

 ** The Case for C.A. Verstraete ** 

The Case for Mark Cusco Ailes

The Case for James Wallace

Thurs, June 30

Jay Wilburn post
Thanks for the Wild Undead Ride
Jay gives one last farewell before they set him adrift in the ocean and set him on fire while Vikings cry upon the beaches (Vikings can cry too … don’t be like that)

The completed story
“The Worst Day to Get Lucky”

Bonus teaser from the United States of Apocalypse
by Armand Rosamilia and Mark Tufo

Bonus teaser from The Enemy Held Near
by Armand Rosamilia and Jay Wilburn

Bonus teaser from Jack Wallen

Lizzie Borden Took An Axe...

Lizzie Borden took an axe... 

The real question yet debated after she was found Not Guilty is - did she or didn't she?

Countless theories abound on whether she did it and why, if others committed the gruesome murders, or was she covering for someone else?

Numerous books also have come out with different theories, including my upcoming book, Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter, which offers its own take on the murders --- Lizzie did commit the crimes- because she had no other choice.

So I thought I'd compile a list of some of the books and their theories. And yes, besides the books that simply retell the story, most of the books do seem to find her more guilty than innocent, at least in what I've found so far. I'll probably add more at a later date.

What do you think? 



The Theories:

   

* Not Guilty:  

* That she was covering for someone:

 Lizzie Borden: The Legend, the Truth, the Final Chapter  - Arnold Brown, 1992

* That a woman couldn't do it: 

Lizzie Borden on Trial: Murder, Ethnicity, and Gender - Joseph A. Conforti, 2015

 

* Guilty:

* Dysfunction and domestic violence drove her to it:

 Lizzie Borden - Elizabeth Engstrom, 2011

* Thwarted desires and rage:

The Secrets of Lizzie Borden  - Brandy Purdy, Jan. 2016

* She did something that drove her staunchest supporter  - her sister - away:

Sisterly Love: The Saga of Lizzie and Emma Borden -  Jordan Bollinger, 2014

* She was a Liar:

One August Morning: The True Story of Lizzie Borden  - Troy Taylor, 2015

* She was a sociopath:

A Private Disgrace: Lizzie Borden by Daylight  - Victoria Lincoln, 2012

* She Had No Choice:

Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter - C.A. Verstraete, 2016, 2018

Every family has its secrets…

One hot August morning in 1892, Lizzie Borden picked up an ax and murdered her father and stepmother. Newspapers claim she did it for the oldest of reasons: family conflicts, jealousy and greed. But what if her parents were already dead? What if Lizzie slaughtered them because they’d become zombies?

Thrust into a horrific world where the walking dead are part of a shocking conspiracy to infect not only Fall River, Massachusetts, but also the world beyond, Lizzie battles to protect her sister, Emma, and her hometown from nightmarish ghouls and the evil forces controlling them.

 * NOW OUT! New 2nd edition & new cover of Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter!

* Lizzie Borden was declared Not Guilty of the murders of her father and stepmother, Andrew and Abby Durfee Borden, on June 20, 1893.  See a full timeline of events at the Fall River Herald News.

New Author Snapshot Column Out! #Mystery #Paranormal

The latest Author Snapshot column is out at Mysterical-e.

Featured authors, short excerpts and favorite quotes from:

Mary Reed and Eric Mayer - Murder in Megara

(Also Eric's new book under Eric Reed) - The Guardian Stones

Terrie Farley Moran - Read to Death (Read 'Em and Eat Mystery - comes out July 5)

Joanna Campbell Slan (and me C.A. Verstraete)  - Happy Homicides 3: Summertime Crime

    Robert W. Walker - Gone Gorilla: Chicaghosts #1 

(Pre-order! Comes out June 21)

Summer of #Zombie Continues!

It's SUMMER OF ZOMBIE time! Party like the undead!

Here’s this week’s posts – see Jay Wilburn’s site for the full schedule and posts. 
Here’s the full tour schedule

Sat, June 18

Mark Cusco Ailes post
Zombies Have Been My Life

Jay Wilburn teaser
The Dead Song Legend – Book 3
March from Myrtle Beach to San Antonio

Sun, June 19

Shawn Chesser post
My Soundtrack for the Apocalypse

Derek Ailes teaser
Zombie Con
from Catfurnado, Zombies, and One Killer Doll

Mon, June 20

Brent Abell post
The Accidental Zombie Author

Kathy Dinisi teaser
Hellbound (Til Death Do Us Part)

Tues, June 21

Ann Riley post
What Got Me Into Zombies …

Mark Cusco Ailes teaser
Zombie Park

Wed, June 22

Ricky Fleet post
Where the Obsession with Horror and the Zombie Apocalypse Started

Mark Tufo teaser
Tim 3 – Sliced, Diced, and Cubed

Thurs, June 23

Kathy Dinisi post
Some Brief Thoughts on the Zombie Apocalypse

James Wallace teaser
Zombie Theorem – The Siege Book 2

Fri, June 24

Peter Welmerink post
Writing Dead

The Case for Armand Rosamilia

The Case for Jack Wallen

Sat, June 25

The Case for Shawn Chesser

The Case for Eric A. Shellman

The Case for Kathy Dinisi

Summer of #Zombie, Lizzie Borden Zombie Hunter Teaser!

It's SUMMER OF ZOMBIE time! Party like the undead!

Here’s this week’s posts – see Jay Wilburn’s site for the full schedule and posts. 
Here’s the full tour schedule

I'm up today with a teaser from my upcoming book, Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter:

About the book, Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter

by C.A. Verstraete:

Every city has its secrets…

Everyone thinks Lizzie Borden murdered her father and stepmother one hot August morning in 1892 for the oldest of reasons—greed, social status, frustration… But what if she did it because she had to?

Discovering Mr. and Mrs. Borden have become zombies thrusts Lizzie into a horrific world where the walking dead are part of a shocking conspiracy to infect not only Fall River, Massachusetts, but also the world beyond. Now Lizzie enters the fight, vowing to do everything she can to protect her sister, Emma, and her hometown, from this horrid scourge.

But who really killed the Bordens—and why? Lizzie and Emma try to unravel the mystery, even as Lizzie faces the gallows for murder and another fear: what role did her father have in these horrors?

Nowhere in nineteenth-century Fall River is safe from these nightmarish ghouls or the evil forces controlling them.

Yet, for Lizzie, uncovering her city’s—and  her family’s—secrets may come at a terrible price…

 * Check the website for upcoming details and the latest news...

(** Read the first pre-pub review at 100 Pages A Day/Stephanies Book Reviews!) 

A Sneak Peek:

(pre-publication version)

Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter by C.A. Verstraete

Chapter One

Q. You saw his face covered with blood?

A. Yes sir.

Q. Did you see his eye-ball hanging out?

A. No sir.

Q. See the gashes where his face was laid open?

A. No sir.

—Lizzie Borden at inquest, August 9-11, 1892, Fall River Courtroom

August 4, 1892

THUMP.

Lizzie Borden drained the rest of her tea, set down her cup, and listened to the thumps and the sound of furniture moving upstairs. My, my, for only ten o’clock in the morning my stepmother is certainly energetic. Housecleaning, already?

THUMP. THUMP.

For a moment, Lizzie forgot her plans to go shopping downtown. THUMP. There it went again. It sounded like her stepmother was rearranging the whole room. She paused at the bottom stair, her concern growing, when she heard another thump and then, the oddest of sounds—a moan. Uh-oh. What happened? Did she hurt herself?

“Mrs. Borden,” she called. “Are you all right?”

No answer.

She wondered if her stepmother had taken ill, yet the shuffling, moving, and other unusual noises continued. Lizzie hurried up the stairs and paused outside the partially opened door. The strange moans coming from the room sent a shiver up her back.

Lizzie pushed the door open wider and stared. Mrs. Borden stood in front of the bureau mirror clawing at her reflected image. And what a horrid image it was. The sixty-seven-year-old woman’s hair looked like it had never been combed and stuck out like porcupine quills. Her usually spotless housedress appeared wrinkled and torn. Yet, that wasn’t the worst. Dark red spots—blood, Lizzie’s mind whispered—dotted the floor, and streaked the sides of the older woman’s dress and sleeves.

Lizzie gazed about the room in alarm. The tips of Father’s slippers peeking out from beneath the bed also glistened with the same viscous red liquid. All that blood! What happened here? What happened? (To Be Continued…)