Monday, April 29, 2019

New Lizzie Borden Movie Coming!



Fundraising is now underway for a unique project that takes a new look at the infamous Lizzie Borden murders!  See the Indiegogo page for details. 

Filming is beginning on  Tea With Lizzie Borden, a short film written and produced by Victor Franco and produced by John Logan of NewView.Media. (Recognize Logan? He's also a magician who appeared on America's Got Talent!) The flim is being directed by longtime horror/thriller director Richard Chandler. 

Want to get involved? 
 ** Check out the rewards and info at the film's Indiegogo Page Here. **

About the Film:
The date is May 25th, 1927 - a week before Lizzie Borden dies at her home in Fall River, Massachusetts. 

Sitting on her porch, Lizzie has a visitor from the Fall River Herald, a young news reporter named William Dwyer (played by actor Jamie Dufault), who had received a letter from "Maplecroft" stating that he is urgently needed for a newsworthy story......

Could this be a deathbed confession, 
or simply an invitation to have tea with Lizzie Borden?

Money raised will be used for post-production costs and submitting the movie to film contests. 

My book,  Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter is also one of the incentives. A chance to get a signed copy and support the film. 

Wednesday, April 24, 2019

New Walking Dead Inspired Puzzles! #zombies

Like zombies? Like puzzles?

The Petrifying Zombie Puzzle Book by Jason Ward is a new paperback offering released this month from Carlton Books UK. The 224- page book offers 130 different puzzles - logic puzzles, fill-in coloring puzzles,  quizzes, mazes, riddles and more, all based on The Walking Dead.  It also had several fun (and hard!) find-the-difference photo games. (Get it also on Amazon, Amazon.UK)

About the Book:
Each puzzle has either a zombie/walker theme or uses the beloved (and hated) characters from the TV show and graphic novels. With fantastically dark and gruesome artworks throughout the book to illustrate every brainteaser, the Petrifying Zombie Puzzle Book will frighten even the most-hardened zombie fan.


The book is colorful, zombie-packed and a visual treat. It's divided into seven sections based on the various seasons of TWD, so fans will definitely enjoy testing their brains and seeing what they remember - or not! 

 If you enjoy puzzles, this is right up your alley. My only complaint is it didn't contain any traditional puzzles like crosswords, anagrams or word searches. I received this book free from the publisher.

Tuesday, April 23, 2019

Soul Remains #Horror #Humor Blog Tour

Today I'm featuring a unique book - horror and humor!



Soul Remains, Terribly Darkness, Book 2 (Releases today) by Sam Hooker sounds like a different read, with the dead walking, goblins and more. Plus, I love the fun covers!  (Be sure to check out the first book, Peril in the Old Country.

About the Book:

It’s Dark in the Old Country.

Where do goblins come from? Why do they only turn up in the Old Country, and why do they like swearing so much? In the second book of Terribly Serious Darkness, Sloot Peril—a “hero” who’s staunchly averse to heroics—goes searching for answers. Much to his chagrin, he finds them.

Everything changed after the Fall of Salzstadt, but try telling that to the people of the city, whose capacity for denial is unmatched. They have yet to acknowledge that Vlad the Invader cut a bloody swath through their city, that the dead are walking the streets, or that the Domnitor—long may he reign—has fled to wherever despots go on very long vacations while goblin infestations take care of themselves.

The worst of villains holds all of the power, unspeakable dark forces are on the rise, and everyone wants to kidnap the Domnitor—long may he reign—for their own nefarious ends. If all of that weren’t bad enough, Sloot’s got the fate of his own soul to worry about.

Can his girlfriend help him save the Old Country from annihilation? Is Myrtle really his girlfriend? If all goes well for Sloot—which it never does—he might just sort it all out before the Dark swallows them all up.


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BUY: Amazon -Barnes and Noble - Kobo - iBooks

Excerpt: Life After Afterlife

    There is a common misconception among the living that death is the end of it. Go vigorously onto the business end of a sword, wear the colors of a west-end boulderchuck team into an east-end pub, or simply hang around long enough for your organs to start switching off, and that’s the end of the line.
    On the contrary, there is such a thing as death for the dead. No one is really sure how long it takes, but eventually, each and every ghost withers away and ceases to be.
   “So that’s it then,” said Sloot after an indeterminate amount of time. “I’ll be a ghost until     “Well, not nothing,” said Hans. “Not necessarily.”
   “Something else, then?”
   “Well, there’s considerable debate on the topic. Especially among the philosophers.”
As if things weren’t already bad enough, thought Sloot. He knew it was coming. It was only a matter of time before—
    “Did someone say philosophy?” Arthur appeared in the doorway, his moustaches standing on end.
    Oh, no, thought Sloot. “Please, nobody say any—”
    “Hans was just telling us that no one knows whether ghosts are really gone after we fade away.”
    Arthur’s eyes were wild, like a lion who hadn’t eaten in a week. Geralt must have resembled a porterhouse.
    “Portnoy the Sacrilegious once chained himself to the doors of the cathedral to prove the impossibility of life after death! He was wrong, obviously, but his arguments are sound if applied to life after death after death.”
    “Well said, Arthur,” Sloot blurted. “I think that’s all that anyone can—”
    “Malarky,” said Hans. “You’re saying there’s nothing beyond the Hereafter, based on a theory that there is no Hereafter?”
    “I’ve still got a few more questions—” Sloot began.
    “It’s not that simple!” Arthur was pacing around the room and gesticulating wildly. Myrtle had always refused to indulge him in that while he had her possessed. “It makes sense in light of his Treatise on Bedtime Disobedience—which he wrote when he was eight—but only if you understand the finer points of Mauler’s Unticking Clock. I can solve this in … seventeen moves!”
    “I’m sure you can,” said Sloot, “but I really need to ask Hans about—”
    “I studied Mauler in college,” said Geralt. “The Unticking Clock is a metaphor for the struggle between hunger and apathy. I hardly think it applies—”
    “That’s where you’re wrong!”
    Sloot wandered off. He could never stomach philosophy for this very reason. Even if you didn’t know anything about Nutter’s Hungry Clock or whatever, you could join in the conversation with your angriest voice. Philosophy, as far as Sloot could tell, was the art of determining who could have the loudest opinion while not doing anything useful.

About the Author



Sam Hooker writes darkly humorous fantasy. He is an entirely serious person, regardless of what you may have heard. Originally from Texas, he now resides in southern California with his wife, son, and dog.



Monday, April 22, 2019

Happy Broken Dreams Birthday! #Zombies #apocalypse

HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAY!




Author Rissa Blakeley is celebrating her fifth books birthday with a big sale!

From today 4/22 to 4/28, Broken Dreams and Awakened Desires will be .... $0.99.

About the Books:


A secret government program. A contagion that will spread like wildfire. With all the death surrounding them, will Henry and Elaina survive?
https://books2read.com/ap/8YG4WR/Rissa-Blakeley


Friday, April 12, 2019

Friday #Horror #Zombie #Suspense Films

I've been slowing down on blogging, but had to mention a couple movies I just saw:

The Silence - Based on a short story by author Tim Lebbon. On Netflix.

 A family seek refuge in a remote locatin as the world's under attack by sightless bats who hunt by sound. Great suspense, some violence as the family faces creepy cult members. Overall a good film though the ending seemed abrupt and echoed that recent TV vampire series, but I liked it.
Directed by John R. Leonetti (ANNABELLE) and starring, Stanley Tucci, Kiernan Shipka, Miranda Otto, John Corbett, Kate Trotter and Kyle Breitkopf.



Train to Busan

A strange virus turns people into horrible, flesh-eating monsters. The story centers on a young girl and her father who are on the train, desperately fighting for their lives. 

I heard everyone mention this movie and finally got to watch it. Whoa! It's a Korean movie so it uses subtitles, but that didn't matter. Well-acted and a truly touching story line. Gripping story with some really scary, creepy zombies. There are some sad parts, but a great ending. I'm looking forward to the sequel, which I've read is in production.



Wednesday, April 3, 2019

#Mystery Column: Talking about Podcasts

My Author Snapshot column is up at Mysterical-e. 




For a change of pace, this time I'm talking with mystery authors including Elaine Viets and Jeri Westerson about podcasts, as well as with producer/editor Lorie Lewis Ham about her Mystery Rat's Maze Podcast at Kings River Life Magazine.

See the Author Snapshot column here.

Happy Reading!


Monday, April 1, 2019

April Anthologies Reading List #horror #zombie

LOTS OF HORROR, ZOMBIES & MORE!

There seems to be an uptick in anthologies and single author collections, at least based on the publication notices I've been seeing. That means plenty of good reading ahead! Here's some I found, plus a few other interesting things I came across. Happy Reading!!


Author Collections: Horror


 

All That Withers, John Palisano - First collection contains Lovecraftian musings to terrifying explorations of the inhuman condition. 

Fangtastic Tales of Werewolf Savagery, Toneye Eyenot - Embrace the monster within and explore the world of werewolf terrors in over 20 stories plus excerpts.

Monkey Justice and Other Stories, Patricia Abbott - First time print collection of Anthony, Edgar and Macavity-nominated author. Twenty-three stories and previews.

*******************************




** Something Special! **

Do you love mysteries? (We know you love dogs!) Fourteen mystery authors are donating the pre-order proceeds of their new books to senior dogs. Help us raise $$ for senior dogs by reserving your 14-author box set of mysteries. All pre-order sales go to charity. 

***Reserve your copy today for only 99 cents. See  webpage or http://bit.ly/2TCQ3si   ***

(Mysteries include a werewolf story, a psychic PI and others!)

(Also available on Amazon, soon!)

****************
Author Collections - Mystery:



Fast Crimes, Simon Wood - Short mysteries of planned and foiled heists, murders and more. 86 pages.

The Awareness and Other Deadly Tales, Terrie Farley Moran - Short mystery fiction and stories with a supernatural twist to 1930s noir. 84 pages.


HORROR


 

Dark Places, Evil Faces, Collection of horror and dark suspense tales by Clive Barker and others benefiting Rethink Mental Illness. Over 500 pages.

Horror and Abominations: 24 Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos , Mark McLaughlin, Michael Sheehan Jr. - Learn the unholy secrets of such malevolent beings as Cthulhu, Yog-Sothoth, Nyarlathotep, Azalareon, Mother Hydra, the King in Yellow, and Yagdolak. Discover the blasphemous activities of the Tillinghast and Delapore families … wicked Mrs. Veng and her horrendous tenant, Dr. Brandywine … and the unspeakable, mutated son of King Tutankhamun.

Schlock! Horror!, Bret McCormick, etc. - Short stories inspired by 1980s gore-horror movies by 17 authors.


  

Splatterpunk Forever, Jack Bantry, etc. - Eleven tales of extreme horror from a circus sideshow from hell to a Mexican brothel and more.

Through a Darker Eye: 11 Tales of Terror, Mark Edward Brooks - Tales of terror in a traveling carnival, a lonely salesman battling an alien evil, a damaged detective and more. 

When the Clock Strikes 13, Steve Thompson, Richard Chizmar, etc. - Time is running out. What happens when the clock strikes 13. Thirteen short horror tales.

Year's Best Hardcore Horror. Vol. 4 , Tim Waggoner and others , (Releases April 16) - Hardcore horror with 20 authors presenting their scariest. 


Something Interesting:


Making Space for the Dead: Catacombs, Cemeteries and the Reimagining of Paris, 1780-1830, Erin-Marie Legacey -  History of burials, catacombs, the new burial culture and more in Paris.

Dragons, Oh My!



Dragonscales, The City of Concord Anthology, Vol. 1 - Jean Rabe, Stephen Sullivan and others -  (Releases this month) - If you like dragons... Twelve notable Sci-Fi authors offer stories based on the Dragonscales role playing game.


Horror - Support a Cause:

 If It Bleeds, chapbook #2, Matthew M. Bartlett - Latest in line of Nightscape Press's Charitable Chapbooks. Music and rock spreads like a virus, unleashing unspeakable evil. Signed, limited edition of 100, fully illustrated. One-third of sales of this volume support the Dakin Humane Society. 






Horror - Writing


Horror Writing Prompts, 77 Powerful Ideas to Inspire Your Fiction, Rayne Hall - This is an interesting concept. Just happened on this - a whole series of 25 prompt books for different genres.  Prompts, questions and ideas.





Witches 


Coloring Heaven Witches Special Coloring Book, 40 Tarot-Inspired Designs







Zombie


    

Apocalypse? At Least it's Not the End of the World, Stories from the Zombie Apocalypse, Zachary and Derek Berendsen - Tales of horror, adventure, survival and a little humor with zombies.

Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter,  C.A. Verstraete - What really happened when Lizzie Borden supposedly picked up an axe and killed her father and stepmother in August, 1892? What if she had a reason to kill?

The Zee Brothers, Halloween Holocaust, Zombie Exterminators Vol. 3, Grivante - A desperate call from a co-worker leads the brothers out against their better judgment and into an infested neighborhood where they encounter zombies - and something they've never seen before.

Still of Night, Jonathan Maberry, Rachael Lavin - Three short stories and a novella share the stories of Captain Joe Ledger and his top shooters, plus other characters fighting the final battle in Happy Valley. Fourth book in the Dead of Night series.


Some Fr-e-e-bies: (free at time of posting)


 

Ghostly Writers Anthology 2018 - Haunted tales and spooky poems, from haunted carnival rides to spooky forests and more.

Tales from Dark Places - The Halloween Collection (Indie Collaboration Book 1) - Nine spooky stories from assorted authors.

Vampires, Werewolves & Zombies - Over 900 pages box set. Includes "Seventh Mark" -  WJ May;  "Crush"- Chrissy Peebles;  "Blur" - Kristen Middleton; "Vampire in Denial" - Dale Mayer; "The Zombie Chronicles" - Chrissy Peebles; "Zombie Games" (Origins) - Chrissy Peebles; plus book trailers and more. 

That's it for now! Be sure to come back and check out next month's list!