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Showing posts with label zombies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label zombies. Show all posts
Monday, June 24, 2013
Author Guest Post & Giveaway: PJ Schnyder
Today I have the honor of bringing to you one of my favorite people, paranormal/ sci-fi author PJ Schnyder. Born and raised in the North East, PJ spent her childhood pretending to study for the SATs by reading every fantasy and sci-fi novel she could borrow from the local and school libraries. She scored fairly high in the verbal portion.
She was introduced to the wonderful world of romance a decade later by her best friend at an anime convention in Seattle.
She now lives somewhere temperate watching the seasons go by with her two dogs and super stealthy ninja kitty, writing her stories and gaming.
PJ is here today to talk about her new release, Bite Me, the first book in her new London Undead series. Keep reading to learn more about her book and enter an awesome GIVEAWAY!
Please help me welcome PJ toThat’s What I’m Talking About.
Werewolves, hunting zombies, in London!
As a writer, I tend to keep an eye on calls for submissions, especially when they’re from my editor. Back in fall of 2011 and likely earlier, Mallory Braus included a request for a “zombie hunter romance” in her call for submissions via Carina Press.
On reading that, I giggled. And then I had an idea. That idea almost became a whole bunch of different things. The final result, though, evolved into the London Undead series and I am very happy Mallory and Carina Press acquired it. I’m elated to celebrate the release of the first book in the series, Bite Me.
The moral here is to have fun imagining what you’d do in a zombie apocalypse and also to keep an eye on those calls for submissions. You never know when inspiration might lead to a great match. ;)
Blurb:
Few people walk the streets of London since the zombie outbreak, but that’s not an issue for Seth. As a werewolf, he can handle himself and save humans reckless enough to take a nighttime stroll. While on patrol he comes across a group of people under attack. The one woman brave enough to take a stand against the zombies catches his eye—and not just because of her way with a gun. Learning the beautiful woman is homeless and fends for herself despite her disability only intensifies his urge to protect and care for her.
Maisie can’t help but admit that she’s attracted to her werewolf rescuer. She’s drawn to Seth’s strength and ferocity, and finds herself opening up to him in ways she never imagined, even though she’s determined to not to rely on Seth or anyone else. She doesn’t want another person to get hurt—or die—for her sake. She has enough scars, physical and emotional, from the last time…
But when Seth realizes something is drawing the zombies to Maisie, there may be nothing he can do to save her….
 |
| Prizes, enter below |
Open to International entries. Follow the instructions on Rafflecopter to enter.
Play find the PJ around the Internetz:
Website: http://pjschnyder.com
Twitter: @pjschnyder
And be sure to stop back later today for my review of Bite Me!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Labels:
Author Interview,
contest,
giveaway,
guest post,
London Undead,
PJ Schnyder,
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2
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Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Quickie Review: Gimme Shelter Anthology
Gimme Shelter
Editor: J.R. Blackwell
Release Date: Jan. 15, 2012
Publisher: Galileo Publishing
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Anthology, Horror
Format(s): e-book
Book Source: Purchased
About the book:
|
The Zombies Are Here!
Gimme Shelter, the anthology of the zombie Apocalypse, is about zombies, survival, fathers and daughters, teenagers making out, guns, awkward third dates, reality TV gone wrong, and having a sense of humor in the face of impending disaster. It’s a love letter to horror, zombies and the apocalypse.
Gimme Shelter features all-new fiction from Filamena Young, Jared Axelrod, PJ Schnyder, Christiana Ellis, Peter Woodworth, Tee Morris, Mur Lafferty, Rob Wieland, David A. Hill Jr., Phillipa Ballentine, Chuck Wendig, and J.R. Blackwell.
The fiction in Gimme Shelter was created as a special thank you to the Kickstarter supporters of Shelter in Place.
What Una is talking about:
|
Gimme Shelter is a collection of vignettes. Each is few pages that describe a moment or event in an aspect of post-apocalyptic zombie earth. A different author crafted each one and they give a different point of view of the zombie apocalypse. The contributions range from heartbreaking to touching to downright creepy! There is a wide range of pathos while reading Gimme Shelter. I found it hauntingly wonderful.
Although I was gifted Gimme Shelter as a paperback copy, my research for this quick review showed that it is only available in e-book format. However, it is the perfect companion for a short wait at the doctor’s office, to board a plane, or while away an hour. The moments captured by each author may linger in your thoughts. They certainly did mine, as did several questions some posed. What would you do in a similar situation? How would you react?
All in all, it was an incredibly entertaining and witty read. If you are interested in zombie urban fantasy but are unsure, you might want to pick up Gimme Shelter as a way to test out the genre.
Una’s Rating:
|
Loved it - enthusiastically recommend (A)
Purchase Info:
Monday, November 7, 2011
Review: Dead Mann Walking
Dead Mann WalkingAuthor: Stefan Petrucha
Release Date: Oct 4, 2011
Publisher: Roc
Hessius Mann Novel #1
ISBN: #978-0451464217
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Format(s): Paperback (342 pgs), e-book
Book Source: Publisher
About the book: |
JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE DEAD DOESN'T MEAN YOU CAN'T HAVE A LIFE...
After Hessius Mann was convicted of his wife's murder, suppressed evidence came to light and the verdict was overturned — too bad he was already executed.
Thanks to the miracles of modern science Hessius was brought back to life. Sort of. Now that he's joined the ranks of Fort Hammer's pulse-challenged population, Hessius attempts to make a “living” as a private investigator.
But when a missing persons case leads to a few zombies cut to pieces, Hessius starts thinking that someone's giving him the run-around — and it's not like he's in any condition to make a quick getaway...
What G & U are talking about: |
Dead Mann Walking is a debut novel in a new series about Hessius Mann, a zombie detective. It is not the typical urban fantasy that Gikany and Una read, but we found it quite interesting. This new Hessius Mann series may be something to pick up and keep an eye on.
The novel begins with Hessius, our main character, fussing over an article about pieces of a zombie that were found in the desert. From this point the story begins to flow and unfold into an engrossing mystery/detective drama. Despite being somewhat simple, there are many fascinating twists to this tale that we did not see coming.
One of the reasons we enjoyed the novel was the main character himself, Hessius. He, too, is a chak, a more derogatory term for a zombie. He died (well, was executed) and due to the wonders of medical breakthroughs and science, was brought back to life. Hessius would argue that it is not quite life, more like a new existence. Hessius is not the macho, courageous hero; he has faults. One of the greatest aspects of him is that he is, usually, aware of his faults and does his best to fight against them. But he is not free from weakness either and following along with him while he struggles is really enthralling. His complexity allows him to be truly grounded and gives him a realism that comes alive on the page.
The mythology developed in Dead Mann Walking is very intriguing as well. It is not the stereotypical zombie novel. However, we haven’t read many novels where zombies were the focal point (they are usually tools of some other paranormal entity). But we found the mythology fresh (even if the zombies are not) and fascinating. What is really interesting is that for being about animated dead bodies, it really is not gratuitously graphic or nasty. Any discussion of decomposition is straightforward and clinically done – when necessary. Those with a weak stomach should have no issues with reading this novel.
Between the detective drama and the on-going political and racial issues between chakz and Live Bloods, there is much going on in this world to keep you gripped to the page. However, with the way the novel ends, we wonder where the series will go from here. One thing is for sure, Dead Mann Walking is a great new novel and we look forward to the next one in this series.
Their Rating: |
Liked it a lot - recommend (B+)
Purchase Info:
Labels:
3.5 stars,
Hessius Mann Series,
reviews,
ROC,
Stefan Petrucha,
urban fantasy,
zombies
|
3
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Thursday, September 29, 2011
ARC Review: Frail
Today I have a special guest here at That’s What I’m Talking About. Please welcome Rum from Books in the Spotlight. Rum’s blog primarily focuses on the Young Adult genre, and she brings us today’s review of...
Frail
Author: Joan Frances Turner Release Date: October 4, 2011
Publisher: ACE
The Resurgam Trilogy #2
ISBN: #978-0441020706
Genre: YA Paranormal
Format(s): Hardcover (384 pgs), e-book
Book Source: Publisher
About the book: |
In a post-apocalyptic world, life is what you make it…
Since a devastating, morphing plague swept through human and zombie populations, almost everyone who survived is an “ex” these days. Ex-human. Ex-zombie. Both creatures crave flesh, have the strength and speed of predators — and what seems like immortality. Pierced skin and broken bones mend, but their all-consuming hunger never dies…
Amy is the only purely human survivor from her town — a frail. Her mother is gone, but Amy won’t believe that she’s dead. Feral dogs stalk her, in reality and in her imagination. Amy thinks she’s losing her mind. But when an ex-human named Lisa saves her life, a fragile friendship forms, a bond that will save Amy over and over again when she and Lisa are abducted into a makeshift community run by exes who use humans as their
slaves.
slaves.
For a girl used to going it alone, trusting anyone isn’t easy, but Amy will have to. She has secrets from her past she can’t afford to face by herself, and secrets in her future that could cost her almost everything … including her humanity.
What Rum is talking about: |
Let me preface this review by saying I don't read much contemporary horror with lots of blood, violence, and gore. I prefer psychological horror like Edgar Allen Poe's short stories and poems where you don't notice how scary it is until you stop to think about it. I'm also not a zombie fan. It's not that I hate them per se but they are not my first choice when it comes to the undead. If you're unlike me and actually enjoy reading about zombies, Frail by Joan Frances Turner will happily take you on a horrifying and gory ride. Frail is actually a companion novel to Turner's debut novel, Dust, but it is not necessary to read the first book in order to enjoy it.
As Frail begins, we are decades in the future where a plague destroys most of humankind along with zombies and the undead. Amy is our narrator. She is a 17-year-old frail, a human, she believes, who struggles to survive along the shores of Lake Michigan. She meets a group of undeads and zombies, some of whom don't seem to have her best interests at heart. Actually, the zombies may not have hearts at all, as they neither bleed nor breathe but are in constant search of food to in order to satisfy their never ending hunger. Amy is a likable character. She is a fighter who is fierce when she has to be, but it's hard when you're fighting the undead who just won't stay dead. While she's physically struggling to stay alive, she is also internally battling her own demons from her past. She believes she's done something very wrong and needs to atone for her sins. The only way Amy can cleanse her conscience is to find her mother, who she certain is still alive and escape various dangerous creatures along the way. I found myself very interested in Amy's story and it's what really made me want to continue to read the book, especially when I found myself losing interest.
While Turner's writing is exceptional, I did think it was a little over-the-top with nihilistic similes and passages that were graphic and gory that I had to skim due to my sensitive stomach. Despite the action scenes that took primary focus in the second half, I found this part of the book a bit too slow. You literally lose Amy and her story when Turner infuses so many secondary characters. I had a hard time keeping track of who is who. None of the secondary characters made any impression and they didn't stick with me after I finished the book. While some may like the plot twists along the way (and there are a few good ones), I was a bit bored with the tedious group mentality and impatiently waited until we got back to Amy's mindset so I could find out all the sordid details of her past.
As I mentioned earlier, I'm definitely not the right reader for Frail, but I really think that fans of horror, especially of the zombie genre, will have much to like.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Frail Giveaway
Halloween is just around the corner, and what better way to celebrate than with a ZOMBIE book. That’s why I’m giving you a chance to win FRAIL by Joan Frances Turner.
In a post-apocalyptic world, life is what you make it…
Since a devastating, morphing plague swept through human and zombie populations, almost everyone who survived is an “ex” these days. Ex-human. Ex-zombie. Both creatures crave flesh, have the strength and speed of predators — and what seems like immortality. Pierced skin and broken bones mend, but their all-consuming hunger never dies…Amy is the only purely human survivor from her town — a frail. Her mother is gone, but Amy won’t believe that she’s dead. Feral dogs stalk her, in reality and in her imagination. Amy thinks she’s losing her mind. But when an ex-human named Lisa saves her life, a fragile friendship forms, a bond that will save Amy over and over again when she and Lisa are abducted into a makeshift community run by exes who use humans as their
slaves.
slaves.
For a girl used to going it alone, trusting anyone isn’t easy, but Amy will have to. She has secrets from her past she can’t afford to face by herself, and secrets in her future that could cost her almost everything … including her humanity.
One lucky winner will receive FRAIL for some spooky Halloween reading.
Be sure to check back on THURSDAY for a guest review of FRAIL from Rum at Books in the Spotlight.
The Rules: To be entered, please leave a comment telling me about your favorite Halloween costume. You do not need to be a google follower of my blog, but it always appreciated. Contest is open from September 26, 2011 until Friday September 30, 2011 at 9:00 PM EDT. If your email is not part of your profile, please leave it so I may contact the winner. One entry per person. Contest is restricted to US mailing addresses only. One (1) winner will be selected from eligible entries using random.org. I am not responsible for items lost in the mail.
Thanks and Happy Reading!
Saturday, September 11, 2010
2 Contests... 4 Winners
What a fun week here on That’s What I’m Talking About!! First there was the awesome BUFFY comic book giveaway and then all the fun I’ve had with zombies - the DUST trailers/PSAs, book review and giveaway. I want to thank the folks at Berkley Publishing Group (Penguin) for donating 3 copies of their new YA release, DUST, by Joan Frances Turner to my blog for this giveaway.
Without further ado... The WINNERS:
Using random.org, I selected ONE commenter for the Buffy contest. The winner is:
Diva's Bookcase
And using random.org, I selected THREE commenters for the DUST contest. The winners are:
nfmgirl
Aik
Lora1967
Congrats to all the winners. You have until Wednesday Sept. 15 at noon EDT to contact me with your mailing address. I can be reached at twimom227 (at) gmail (dot) com.
A HUGE thank you to everyone that popped in and entered the contests. Be sure to stop in next week on Sept. 16, when I’ll be giving away a copy of Keta Diablo’s newest release, Where the Rain is Made.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Zombie PSA
Zombies are looking for equal rights... after all, they didn't ask to be undead.
Click HERE for more information about the new YA novel, DUST by Joan Frances Turner and a chance to win one of 3 copies.
Click HERE for more information about the new YA novel, DUST by Joan Frances Turner and a chance to win one of 3 copies.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Review: DUST
DUSTAuthor: Joan Frances Turner
Release Date: September 7, 2010
Publisher: The Berkley Group (Penguin)
ISBN: #978-0-441-01928-1
Genre: Young Adult - Paranormal/Zombies
Format: Hardcover
I received this book from the publisher for purposes of an honest review.
From the author’s website:
Nine years ago, Jessie had a family.
Now, she has a gang.
Nine years ago, Jessie was a vegetarian.
Now, she eats very fresh meat.
Nine years ago,
Jessie was in a car crash and died.
Nine years ago, Jessie was human.
Now, she’s not.
Now, she has a gang.
Nine years ago, Jessie was a vegetarian.
Now, she eats very fresh meat.
Nine years ago,
Jessie was in a car crash and died.
Nine years ago, Jessie was human.
Now, she’s not.
After she was buried, Jessie awoke and tore through the earth to arise, reborn, as a zombie. Jessie’s gang is the Fly-by-Nights. She loves the ancient, skeletal Florian and his memories of time gone by. She’s in love with Joe, a maggot-infested corpse. They fight, hunt, dance together as one—something humans can never understand. There are dark places humans have learned to avoid, lest they run into the zombie gangs.
But now, Jessie and the Fly-by-Nights have seen new creatures in the woods—things not human and not zombie. A strange new illness has flamed up out of nowhere, causing the undeads to become more alive and the living to exist on the brink of death. As bits and pieces of the truth fall around Jessie, like the flesh off her bones, she’ll have to choose between looking away or staring down the madness—and hanging onto everything she has come to know as life…
What I’m talking about:
I’m going to start by telling you that this is my first zombie book. I didn’t know what to expect, but my ideas of zombies were formed by horror movies. This is NOT what Jessie is about. She is a teenage girl that died and was reborn into a new life of the “undead.” The undead don’t feed on human brains (unless they want to), but rather the freshly killed flesh of any animal. The story, told in the first person POV of Jessie, opens with a hunt for a deer and slides into Jessie’s memories of being “reborn” and meeting her gang.
It took me a while to adjust to reading the gore that is zombie. It’s not that this is a gruesome tale or a horror show, it’s just that well, these characters are undead. They are missing body parts, full of bugs, black-bloated gas-bags and turning to dust. Ms. Turner does a wonderful job provided detailed descriptions of her world and its inhabitants. Just be prepared to see maggot-infested bodies as something wonderful and lovely.
This story is about life and death. It’s a journey of a girl trying to figure out what it means to be alive--whether one is human (a hoo, as she calls them) or undead. Jessie is happy with her gang, but as events unravel, her life is turned upside down and inside out. The gang’s adventures beings to change when they notice a hybrid-type human/undead creature in their woods. Each member of the gang has suspicions and hides truths. Some tell lies and most are scared. As the number of strange sitings increases, a change takes hold over the gang members, as they too become like the “others” in the woods.
We are privy to Jessie’s every thought and at times her inner monologue can be confusing and overly drawn out. She goes off on tangents and has prophetic dreams that can complicate the story. Sometimes it worked for me and at other times, I started skimming the pages a bit. Especially near the end when I couldn’t tell if she was dreaming or actually seeing the things around her.
Through this journey, we watch Jessie come to terms with so many things. In the end, this story is one of regret, guilt, life, death, growth, evolution, family and love--a lot of heavy topics for a “zombie” story. It took me a few chapters to get into the book, but once I did, I was glad I picked it up.
My Rating:
Liked it, there were a few issues - recommend
DON’T FORGET! Thanks to the publisher, I have 3 COPIES of DUST to giveaway... For rules and entry, click HERE.
Monday, September 6, 2010
DUST Giveaway
DUST
Author: Joan Frances Turner
Release Date: September 7, 2010
Publisher: The Berkley Group (Penguin)
ISBN: #978-0-441-01928-1
Genre: Young Adult - Paranormal/Zombies
Format: Hardcover
Nine years ago, Jessie had a family.
Now, she has a gang.
Nine years ago, Jessie was a vegetarian.
Now, she eats very fresh meat.
Nine years ago,
Jessie was in a car crash and died.
Nine years ago, Jessie was human.
Now, she’s not.
After she was buried, Jessie awoke and tore through the earth to arise, reborn, as a zombie. Jessie’s gang is the Fly-by-Nights. She loves the ancient, skeletal Florian and his memories of time gone by. She’s in love with Joe, a maggot-infested corpse. They fight, hunt, dance together as one—something humans can never understand. There are dark places humans have learned to avoid, lest they run into the zombie gangs.
But now, Jessie and the Fly-by-Nights have seen new creatures in the woods—things not human and not zombie. A strange new illness has flamed up out of nowhere, causing the undeads to become more alive and the living to exist on the brink of death. As bits and pieces of the truth fall around Jessie, like the flesh off her bones, she’ll have to choose between looking away or staring down the madness—and hanging onto everything she has come to know as life…
This is synopsis of a new Young Adult book by Joan Frances Turner, titled DUST.
Thanks to the folks at Berkley Publishing Group (Penguin), I have 3 copies of this exciting new release to giveaway! (books will be mailed directly from publisher)
Contest Rules:
* Answer the following question by leaving a comment at the end of this post: Are Zombies evil creatures or just misunderstood undead?
* Comments accepted between Monday Sept. 6 and Friday Sept. 10, 2010 11:59PM EDT.
* Open to US residents only.
* Winner will be selected using random.org and posted on my blog shortly after the end of the contest. Winners will have 3 days to contact me with their mailing address. If a winner does not contact me within the allotted time, a new winner will be selected.
* Comments accepted between Monday Sept. 6 and Friday Sept. 10, 2010 11:59PM EDT.
* Open to US residents only.
* Winner will be selected using random.org and posted on my blog shortly after the end of the contest. Winners will have 3 days to contact me with their mailing address. If a winner does not contact me within the allotted time, a new winner will be selected.
EXCERPT
My right arm fell off today. Lucky for me, I’m left-handed.
In the accident that killed me I rocketed from the back seat straight through the windshield–no seatbelt, yeah, I know–and the pavement sheared my arm to nothing below the shoulder. Not torn off, but dangling by thin, precious little bits of skin and bone and ligament. I had a closed casket, I’m sure of it, because they never wired the arm or glued it or any other pretty undertaker trick. I managed to crawl back out of the ground without its help anyway, and of course after nine perfectly uneventful years of fighting and dancing and hunting and getting by fine with the left arm, the right finally shuffles its coil right on the banks of the Great River County Park’s not-so-Great River, smack in the middle of a meat run. Joe, my boy, my backup, was not sympathetic in the least….
My right arm fell off today. Lucky for me, I’m left-handed.
In the accident that killed me I rocketed from the back seat straight through the windshield–no seatbelt, yeah, I know–and the pavement sheared my arm to nothing below the shoulder. Not torn off, but dangling by thin, precious little bits of skin and bone and ligament. I had a closed casket, I’m sure of it, because they never wired the arm or glued it or any other pretty undertaker trick. I managed to crawl back out of the ground without its help anyway, and of course after nine perfectly uneventful years of fighting and dancing and hunting and getting by fine with the left arm, the right finally shuffles its coil right on the banks of the Great River County Park’s not-so-Great River, smack in the middle of a meat run. Joe, my boy, my backup, was not sympathetic in the least….
Be sure to check back tomorrow for my review of DUST.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Preview: DUST
Did you ever wonder what it might be like to exist as a zombie?
Nine years ago, Jessie had a family.
Now, she has a gang.
Nine years ago, Jessie was a vegetarian.
Now, she eats very fresh meat.
Nine years ago,
Jessie was in a car crash and died.
Nine years ago, Jessie was human.
Now, she’s not.
After she was buried, Jessie awoke and tore through the earth to arise, reborn, as a zombie. Jessie’s gang is the Fly-by-Nights. She loves the ancient, skeletal Florian and his memories of time gone by. She’s in love with Joe, a maggot-infested corpse. They fight, hunt, dance together as one—something humans can never understand. There are dark places humans have learned to avoid, lest they run into the zombie gangs.
For a review and giveaway of this new story, check back here September 7-10, 2010.
Nine years ago, Jessie had a family.
Now, she has a gang.
Nine years ago, Jessie was a vegetarian.
Now, she eats very fresh meat.
Nine years ago,
Jessie was in a car crash and died.
Nine years ago, Jessie was human.
Now, she’s not.
After she was buried, Jessie awoke and tore through the earth to arise, reborn, as a zombie. Jessie’s gang is the Fly-by-Nights. She loves the ancient, skeletal Florian and his memories of time gone by. She’s in love with Joe, a maggot-infested corpse. They fight, hunt, dance together as one—something humans can never understand. There are dark places humans have learned to avoid, lest they run into the zombie gangs.
For a review and giveaway of this new story, check back here September 7-10, 2010.
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