Monday, February 28, 2022

#Zombie and Other Writing-Publishing News!

 Thought I'd include a round-up of a few things going on:

First - Got a new 5-star review on the Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter Audiobook:  "Excellently narrated. Well done story that's fast paced and full of surprises. I recommend this book to zombie fans and followers of the Borden murders."

(Get yours with an Audible trial free or contact me (via my website) for a free audio code.)

2. The Audiobook Blog Tour is still going on! Giveaway and more! See the Silver Dagger Book Tours  Page. (ends 3/3)

3. Yay! A favorite eerie short story I wrote, "Sweet Dreams," has been accepted and will be published soon! No, zombies in this one, but it's definitely haunting! Details coming soon!

4. I'm also working on another short story, this one inspired by something historical I read online. Trying to get the ending figured out. I like this one, so hope I can get it right!

*** Whoa! New!! Check out this incredible moving image of Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter! Creepy! See website book page.


Thursday, February 24, 2022

Historical: The Last Roman: Exile Blog Tour #scifi #fantasy

 

 Today I welcome B.K. Greenwood, author of The Last Roman: Exile

Think you know the story of what happened after the Crucifixion? See an interview and review below.

About the Book: 

Some debts you cannot repay, even if you live forever...

Seasoned imperial officer Marcus Sempronius Gracchus leads the 9th Roman Legion into a bloody battle against a fierce barbarian tribe. It's a battle he won't survive. When he awakens three days later, clawing his way from a shallow grave, Marcus must face the reality of his new existence. He will never see the afterlife--but that won't stop him from dying time and again over the next 2,000 years.

But Marcus is not the only one cursed with eternal life, and they are determined to bring the world crashing to its knees. Forced to confront the only brother he has ever known, can Marcus prevent the inevitable and find redemption? Follow the story of a man who should be dead, as he tries to save the world... and his soul.

* Get it on Amazon - Goodreads

 * Continue the story in Book 2, The Last Roman: Abyss.

Review: This has to be one of the most fascinating books I've read. I read a short story a while back about Lazarus which had an interesting twist: how was the once-dead man really received, other than what it says in the Biblical accounts?

Having read the Biblical accounts of the Crucifixion, you know that the Roman Centurion has the unenviable job of thrusting his spear into Jesus' side and overseeing the breaking of the thieves' legs. But... what happened after? Did he stay up nights, haunted by what he witnessed and did that day? How was he changed?

What if the Roman Centurion Marcus was changed... except in another, unexpected way, that he, too, also becomes immortal but cursed with having to die over and over.... And another man, namely  Doubting Thomas, also lives up to his name and early convictions as he, too, was equally cursed.

I loved that this book follows the men across centuries and has alternating time chapters. And it offers an interesting take with a twisted purpose far more sinister than what is hinted at in the book's back blurb. The book does get a bit weighted down in the middle with lots of fighting but...the outcome is something horrific that will make you want to read book two, at least to see where it goes. I won't give it away except to say that it's an understandable outcome, if not a repulsive one, given what happens. The result is something far more evil, sacrilegious and twisted in keeping with modern-day science and technology. 

***

An Interview with B.K. Greenwood:

What inspired the story?

Hard to say! I started book one twenty-three years ago. And honestly, I forgot exactly what inspired me! I just know that I read a bunch as a kid and at some point in my twenties, I decided I had my own story to tell!

 What was your favorite part of the story and why?

My historical flashbacks. I love history and I always try to pick an under-represented period to share with my readers. To me, I can tell a story and help people learn.

If you had to pick a setting, where would you choose to live?

Ah, that is tough. It would be hard to choose between Ancient Rome and the Napoleonic period. I find the characters and events fascinating. One helped formed Western Civilization and the other really ushered in the age of nationalism.

 What were the hardest and easiest parts of writing this book ?

Easiest are historical flashbacks because I love history and I can pick whenever I want. Hardest is the ending of book three. The pressure to get it right, as I have no additional sequels to fix any missteps. Plus, after three books, I want to leave my readers satisfied.

 What do you want readers to know about your characters?

They are human. They laugh, cry, make mistakes, don't always have the right answer. They may not make the obvious choice, because we all have blind spots. I want them to be human. Not perfect.

 How much of your own life inspired the story and how?

I would say reading inspired my story. I read voraciously as a kid and that led me to want to do my own stories. What I learned from those authors helped form my writing style.

 What work did you do before writing this book? How it prepared you (or didnt!?) for writing this and your other books? 

I still have a day job. I work for a large tech firm. It has helped on the marketing side, with understanding return on investment and doing interviews and podcasts (I have a large team that I do zoom calls with). The experience with public speaking is very helpful.

What's next? 

Finish book three, then start a prequel!

* Book 3, The Last Roman: Absolution  is on pre-order and releases March 29.

 What do you hope readers take away from this book?

I hope they are entertained and hooked on my writing style and love the characters. It's the perfect beach read or vacation book.

***

 About the Author: B.K. Greenwood lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife and wolf pack of four rescue dogs. He loves to travel and has incorporated his experiences into his writing. B.K. enjoys works of fiction and nonfiction, with a heavy emphasis on history, adventure, and classics. 




* Some links go to affiliate sites which may offer small compenstion to the posters. 

Thursday, February 17, 2022

Lizzie Borden, #Zombie Hunter Audiobook Tour!


Celebrate the new audiobook (RELEASES TODAY 2/21)

 for Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter!



Follow along on the blog tour for a chance to win a $10 gift card and the Kindle ebook is also on sale for $1.99! * Get the audiobook here. (on sale with Kindle!) ** HEAR a sample!


* Get the
New! audiobook free with a signup at Audible. (Cancel anytime - but right now it's 3 months free!  3 month deal ends today 2/21). (*Releases 2/21).  ** LISTEN to Chapter 1 at my website. **

Follow along on the tour here: (Note: some posts may go up later)

Feb 17

* The Kickoff is up at Silver Dagger Book Tours

A Pinch of Bookdust

 

Feb 18

Girl with Pen

Liliyana Shadowlyn   

The Faerie Review

  

Feb 19

Books a Plenty Book Reviews

Scrupulous Dreams

 

Feb 20

A Wonderful World of Words

Stormy Nights Reviewing & Bloggin'      

  

Feb 21

Lady Hawkeye  

Sylv.net    

  

Feb 22

The Scratching Post

Books all things paranormal and romance

  

Feb 23

Momma Says: To Read or Not to Read  

The Book Dragon

  

Feb 24

Authors from everywhere

4covert2overt ☼ A Place In The Spotlight ☼

  

Feb 25

❧Defining Ways❧

The Sexy Nerd 'Revue'

  

Feb 26

I Smell Sheep

ⒾⓃⓉⓇⓄⓈⓅⒺⒸⓉⒾⓋⒺ ⓅⓇⒺⓈⓈ

  

Feb 27

Readers Roost

Midnight Book Reader

  

Feb 28

#BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog

Writing Dreams

Twisted Book Ramblings

  

Mar 1

Inside the Insanity

Bedazzled By Books

eBook Addicts    

  

Mar 2

Craving Lovely Books  

Insane Books

The Bookshelf Fairy

  

Mar 3

Valerie Ullmer | Romance Author

Teatime and Books   

Cover Love Book Blog  


Friday, February 11, 2022

What I'm Reading - and Want To #mystery #sci fi #history #apocalypse

 I often publish reading lists of books that sound interesting to me. After all, reading is   subjective, right? I may be drawn to a book's cover or blurb, but it doesn't always mean it's something that matches my reading taste. That doesn't mean it's not interesting to someone else, of course. 

For February, here are some books I think you'll fall in love with, too.

Just finished: 

 The Last Roman, Exile (Book 1), B.K. Greenwood  - This book intrigued me for its unusual take - what if that Roman Centurion who had the unenviable job of overseeing the crucifixion of Jesus and the thieves was changed by his experience - but not how you expected? What if instead he was cursed to also become immortal, living for decades, centuries, and having to die over and over? And what if he wasn't the only one? Over the centuries, Marcus faces his once-friend and now arch-enemy Doubting Thomas (yes, that Thomas) as he tries to stop a fiendish, most unholy plan made possible by modern science and technology. Fascinating.

Want to Read:


 The Last Storm
, (Pre-order, Releases July 5) ,Tim Lebbon -  In this age of droughts and near-apocalyptic events, who can resist a book where rainmakers don't bring down rain but scorpions and strange creatures? Following up on his scary 2015 novel, The Silence  (adapted in 2019 as a creepy Netflix movie centering on a family trying to escape eerie monsters that attack based on sound), Lebbon now turns to the coming apocalypse. Here, America is a desert where a young woman begins building a supposed rain-making machine. But her father, who'd thought her dead, gave up his rain-making skills when it brought down scorpions and strange creatures instead. Now, he must stop her from using her tainted gift even as others follow her, and another seeks revenge, as she conjures even more deadly storms.

 

Under the Dead Man's Hat and Under the Dead Lady's Corset, Robert W. Walker - Besides the truly eye-catching and colorful covers, fellow former Chicagoan Walker has a way of using the Windy City as a backdrop in his novels. He used it with his Inspector Ransom mysteries set in the 1800s. He used it again in a series of fun, comedic and slightly gruesome horror novellas in his Chicaghosts series (see below.) Now he uses the city as a setting for his books featuring Medical Examiner Jude Avery, and adds an equally fascinating Poe twist to book two.  

Under the Dead Man's Hat, A Jude Avery Thriller (Killing Time Book 1) Dr. Jude Avery and Dr. Sybil Shanley, medical examiners for Chicago and Cook County, Illinois go after the most wanted and vicious killers in the city. The two violent men, known as the Veteran killers, graduate to become the Nun killers, preying on the most revered and vulnerable of society.

 Under the Dead Lady's Corset, A Jude Avery Thriller (Killing Time Book 2)  - Seven years before, someone bricked up a newlywed couple, their bones residing below City Hall in Chicago, right at the City Hall train stop... When a modern-day ME takes on the case, she learns it has a lot to do with Edgar Allan Poe...

Interesting Horror-Humor Novellas:

 

Gone Gorilla, The Old Fart Squad Novella Series, (Chicaghosts Book 1),  Robert W. Walker - Gone Gorilla -Chicago history meets horror and humor as these retired cops led by former Det. Aubrey Hamilton try to find out where the 500-pound stuffed Bushman gorilla has gone. (* Read this one. A fun story and fun setting!)

The Monster Pit (Chicaghosts Book 2) - Retired Det. Aubrey Hamilton and his "Old Fart Squad" investigate what is lurking beneath Chicago's downtown as a giant hole opens up and small animals, etc. disappear. 

Goatbusters, (Chicaghosts Book 3) - This time the retired Chicago detectives must track down where and why  trail bikers and kayakers are disappearing along a stretch of the Chicago River. It urns out they are disappearing into the river with a bizarr0 creature ripping them apart and feeding them to its babies. Where'd the monster come from? 

The Heads Have Eyes, (Chicaghosts Book 4) When a new strain of 'smart' spiders emerge in Chicago known as Chi-racnids, heads will roll, as these parasitic spiders make babies inside humans. Specifically inside human heads, until the weight of the growing horde inside the skull becomes too heavy for the brain stem and spinal cord to support.

What I'm Reading:

The Dead of... Mystery Series by Jean Rabe. - This mystery series by USA Today Bestselling Author Rabe has grown from an initial offering, The Dead of Winter: A Piper Blackwell Mystery, to the upcoming fifth book, The Dead of Autumn. It's been interesting following a youngish new sheriff in a small Indiana town who takes over the job after her father fights cancer and watch how she's grown, both personally and professionally. Coming out around May, book five (which I'm pre-reading), is interesting for its Halloween elements,  a couple of murders with a unique twist, and seeing how Sheriff Piper Blackwell, her chief detective and staff follow the clues and trail a killer. Great characters, great writing, and an interesting murder mystery overall make this one for the must-read list.


 The Five: The Untold Stories of the Five Women Killed by Jack the Ripper,
Hallie Rubenhold. 

I spotted this book in The Mighty Girl page on Facebook and thought it sounded fascinating. We all think we know about "the five" - the five "fallen" women killed by the notorious Jack the Ripper--- or do we? Love that time period and it's always interesting to read a new take on the Ripper murders so I had to pick this up at the library. 


* Posts include affiliate links which may provide some compensation.


Monday, February 7, 2022

Lizzie Borden, #Zombie Hunter Audiobook Out! #horror

 

The Audiobook of Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter is now available! Get a freebie here! via Audible. Or BUY on Amazon with the Kindle.

Lizzie Borden took an axe, and gave her father 40 whacks... Actually it wasn't 40 but. why? What if Lizzie did it because her father had turned into... a zombie?


The ebook is also on sale! See both here. (Or.... a deal: If you have the Kindle version already, the audio is only $7.47!)