Deadly Dee's Review of "Broken World"

Broken World by Kate L. Mary

Book Summary

When a deadly virus sweeps the country, Vivian Thomas sets out for California in hopes of seeing the daughter she gave up for adoption. Then her car breaks down and she’s faced with a choice. Give up, or accept a ride from redneck brothers, Angus and Axl. Vivian knows the offer has more to do with her double D’s than kindness, but she’s prepared to do whatever it takes to reach her daughter.

The virus is spreading, and by the time the group makes it to California, most of the population has been wiped out. When the dead start coming back, Vivian and the others realize that no electricity or running water are the least of their concerns. Now Vivian has to figure out how to be a mother under the most frightening circumstances, cope with Angus’s aggressive mood swings, and sort out her growing attraction to his brooding younger brother, Axl.

While searching for a safe place to go, they pick up a pompous billionaire who may be the answer to all their problems. Trusting him means going into the middle of the Mojave Desert and possibly risking their lives, but with the streets overrun and nowhere else to turn, it seems he might be their only chance for survival. 

Deadly Dee's Review

It's not often that I read and review two books in a row favorably, and I'm almost afraid to admit in (like if I do, I'm gonna jinx myself and the next gazillion books I read will totally and completely suck ass) but Kate L. Mary's Broken World rocked. Yes, I said it. It rocked.

To begin with, Mary doesn't rely on blood and guts to draw you in like so many other "end of the world" novelists. Don't get me wrong, the book has plenty of action and excitement. There are some unexpected twists and turns as you get deeper into the story, but it doesn't rely on everyone blowing people's brains out or bludgeoning one another to death right from page one to grab your attention...

The book opens with Vivian, her protagonist, stopping at a nasty greasy spoon in the middle of nowhere to use the restroom, and hovering over the commode (something many of us can well relate to!)

As the story unwinds, even as she finds herself in increasingly more desperate and dangerous situations, there is a sense of reality to what's happening, (unlike some other zombie novels I've read where I'll read a passage and think "wtf?!?") and I found myself growing attached to the characters. Often even if I like a novel, I'll find myself thinking, "Yeah right - that's the first time s/he's ever shot a gun in his/her life and they managed to shoot 8 zombies in a row in the head. Yeah... totally believable!" Instead of asking the reader to suspend their intelligence, Broken World has scenes where characters turn down the offer of a gun because they're too shaken up and afraid to use one, and chose a knife instead (now THAT makes sense to me!)

The editing was tight (hooray!) and there weren't any glaring typos or misspelled words (by now you all know how much I hate when I'm totally into something and have to stop and edit in my head - if it happens more than once...toast. Mary's book flowed... I didn't stop once. To be honest, I forgot I was reading an Indie novel. (I honestly had to double check my email to see if I was reading the right book!)

The only downside to Broken World is that book 2 isn't due out until October...

Maybe a favorable reviewer might get an advance copy...??? Hint, hint, double clue????

Go read Broken World. You won't regret it.

***Where Zombies Come to Read was provided with a free copy of this book for an honest review.

Zombified Interview with Kate L. Mary

Kate L. Mary is the ghoulish gal behind the hot new zombie release. Broken World is her first stab at horror, but hopefully not her last. Let's dig around in her pretty head and find out what makes her tick...

Ang: When were you first bitten by the zombie affliction? Can you take us back to how the infection began? What’s the most difficult part about sharing this ghoulish love as an indie?

Kate: I’ve always loved zombies, I think. Any time I’d see a B zombie movie on TV, I’d want to watch it. But it wasn’t until The Walking Dead became popular that I really figured out the why of it all. The zombie part is cool, but I love how a post-apocalyptic situation can bring people together. People who never would have met or gotten along in different times have to band together to survive. It really helps you see what a person is made of.

I have one other Indie book out right now. A new adult romantic mystery. To be honest, I’m getting a lot more positive attention from the zombie book. People kind of nod and their eyes glaze over when you say the word romance in your book description. But they get excited about zombies! I anticipate this being a much easier book to promote, simply because the genre is so popular right now.

Ang: If you had to dumb down the plot of your book so a zombie could understand, how would you explain it?

Kate: My book is a journey. My characters are trying to survive and figure out who they are, and it just happens to take place during a zombie apocalypse. Basically, all they’re looking for is safety and security. Of course, that isn’t an easy thing to come by, so they run into quite a few road-blocks along the way.

Ang: Describe the lucky survivors who engage with the festering horde of the dead.

Kate: Vivian, my main character, is a stripper who is traveling across the country to see the daughter she gave up for adoption before a virus wipes out the population. She’s had a hard life. Her mom abandoned her and her dad beat her, and she doesn’t really trust people. When she has car trouble, a pair of redneck brothers offers to give her a lift. Axl and Angus are traveling basically just as something to do. They don’t really have a whole lot going on or the motivation to make something of themselves. All three characters have a lot of baggage. I really love characters who are damaged, because it gives the reader a chance to see what they’re really made of. They’re already down, so they can’t go anywhere but up. In a post-apocalyptic world, it’s nice to have characters who manage to find where they belong while everything around them falls apart.

Ang: What was the most important aspect when writing your non-zombie characters? Realism (losers, assholes, and cowards) or fantasy (Rambo or the guy/gal who has a Rambo hiding inside them)?

Kate: Realism, although I like to think there is a bit of Rambo hiding in them too. These are the kind of people who rise to the challenge and refuse to give up. I love the characters who surprise even themselves when it comes to being able to survive, but I had to make it feel real. I have a hard time swallowing those books where one character knows everything and somehow manages to single-handedly bring everyone else in the group through the apocalypse. They work as a whole, each one using their own set of skills and knowledge to get through it.

Ang: Does your book begin just as the zombies start building their paradise or have zombies already gotten things rocking and rotting?

Kate: My book is unique in the fact that it starts before the zombies come. I like to compare the beginning to The Stand (without the religious themes). When I read zombie books that start right as the outbreak happens, I feel like we’re missing a big chunk of the character’s stories. I wanted to explore that a little more and be there with the characters as the world changes, so we could see how they adjusted.

Ang: Zombies are people too. They come in all shapes, sizes, speeds, and smarts. What types of the walking dead inhabit your novel?

Kate: Mine start off slower, but they evolve with the story. I’m a traditional zombie person. I didn’t love the speed demons in World War Z so much. The rotting, mindless, blood-thirsty zombies are the ones I love.

Ang: Will your infection spread to more books and series? How many blood and guts offerings do you predict in your future? How soon can our zombie and human readers expect to see your next festering contribution?

Kate: Yes! I have three books written already, actually. The second book, Shattered World, will be released on October 4, 2014, and Mad World will be available on January 3, 2015. I started the fourth book as well, and it will definitely not be the last. The thing I love about zombie or post-apocalyptic stories is that it doesn’t have to end after two or three books. The zombies aren’t going to die off, so as long as you have at least one character alive, you can keep writing. I have no idea when I’ll stop.

Ang: What is your favorite way to kill a zombie? Shoot ‘em, hack ‘em, poke ‘em, burn ‘em, or something even more fiendish? ***Zombie readers please turn away to avoid having your putrefied feelings eviscerated. 

Kate: There’s a lot of stabbing in my books, mainly because my characters are trying to conserve bullets. I think a blade right in the eye socket is pretty prevalent.

Ang: Do you have a favorite cinematic zombie? Example: My co-blogger Zombie Earl is quite fond of Zombie Roger from the original Dawn of the Dead.

Kate: Well…I’m probably going to have go with Zombie Sophia from The Walking Dead. I’m not sure there was a zombie who made me cry quite like she did. Plus, she’s my four-year-old’s favorite as well.

Ang: Who is your favorite character from The Walking Dead (comics or TV show)?

Kate: I’m going to have to go with the show because I haven’t gotten far into the comics. I’m afraid it’s going to ruin something for me if I read too much!

Daryl is awesome, there’s no way around it. But I do love Glen too. I like how much they both have evolved. Daryl has really learned how to love and value himself over the last few seasons, and Glen has learned how to be a badass. They are both so very different from who they were during the first season, and that’s what makes this genre so great.

Ang: Finally, how prepared are you for the zombie apocalypse that we all know is just around the corner?

Kate: My husband and I joke about it all the time! Not very, I’m afraid. We’d be okay on food for a while because I have four kids and go to Sam’s Club a lot. But, let’s face it, America in general will fare better just because we are so addicted to processed foods. We also have a basement and a pump in our backyard for well water, so that’s a plus. However, we are short on weapons. We have a couple bows, but I’m horrible at archery, and we don’t own any guns. Luckily, we live in Oklahoma, so there are a few gun stores close to us. I’d like to think that I would end up being like Glen and adapt quickly. I would try, that’s for sure.

Tear into Broken World at Amazon.

Hunt down Kate at her blog, FB, Twitter, and the Broken World webpage.

Deadly Dee's Revolting Review of "All Right Now"

Robert Kent's new short story: All Right Now

Book Summary
How can you sneak past a horde of the dead with a screaming baby?

The day Charlie Macomber is born is the first day of the zombie apocalypse. When the hospital in Harrington, Indiana is overrun by reanimated corpses, Charlie's dad must carry his son through the walking dead to safety. But when zombies roam the earth, can anyplace be safe?

A companion novella to All Together Now: A Zombie Story, All Right Now: A Short Zombie Story features familiar characters and sets the stage for the novel.

WARNING: This novella is mean and nasty and intended for a mature audience. It is absolutely not appropriate for younger readers. All Right Now: A Short Zombie Story is a gruesome, repugnant tale featuring horrific acts of violence sure to warp young minds.

 Deadly Dee's Review

I don't know if Robert Kent likes his mother-in-law in real life, but I did NOT like mine. Man oh man, did I identify with Richard, the protagonist in this fast paced short story. Not only does this guy have to deal with being a new father, a wife who has just turned into a zombie, getting his newborn son (and others who tag along) to safety, but he also has to deal with the mother-in-law from hell who (of course) lets him know (loudly) that he doesn't measure up. I seriously wanted to bitch slap her several times. I was actually rooting for him to, and kinda disappointed when he didn't... Kent's portrayal of her, and their relationship was so well-written I could feel the tension between them.

As always, Robert Kent delivers in this short story. His writing draws you in from the beginning, and keeps you involved throughout the story. He fleshes out his characters, and you find yourself in the scenes with them. I honestly don't have a single negative critique about his story, or his style of writing. He's an author I am more than happy to read, and am looking forward to more from him. He keeps the action moving from the first lines right up until the last.

The end of the story had a sweet little tie-in with his novel All Together Now which for me was just the icing on the cake...

Well done, Robert! Well done!

Debut Zombie Release by Kate L. Mary

Kate L. Mary is the ghoulish gal behind a new zombilicious series. The first novel Broken World was recently unleashed into the world. Chase it down at Amazon and get a taste today.

Book Summary

When a deadly virus sweeps the country, Vivian Thomas sets out for California in hopes of seeing the daughter she gave up for adoption. Then her car breaks down and she’s faced with a choice. Give up, or accept a ride from redneck brothers, Angus and Axl. Vivian knows the offer has more to do with her double D’s than kindness, but she’s prepared to do whatever it takes to reach her daughter.

The virus is spreading, and by the time the group makes it to California, most of the population has been wiped out. When the dead start coming back, Vivian and the others realize that no electricity or running water are the least of their concerns. Now Vivian has to figure out how to be a mother under the most frightening circumstances, cope with Angus’s aggressive mood swings, and sort out her growing attraction to his brooding younger brother, Axl.

While searching for a safe place to go, they pick up a pompous billionaire who may be the answer to all their problems. Trusting him means going into the middle of the Mojave Desert and possibly risking their lives, but with the streets overrun and nowhere else to turn, it seems he might be their only chance for survival.

About Kate

Kate L. Mary is a stay-at-home mother of four and an Air Force wife. She spent most of her life in a small town just north of Dayton, Ohio where she and her husband met at the age of twelve. Since their marriage in 2002, they have lived in Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, and California.

Kate enjoys any post-apocalyptic story – especially if zombies are involved – as long as there is a romantic twist to give the story hope. Kate prefers nerdy, non-traditional heroes that can make you laugh to hunky pieces of man-meat, and her love of wine and chocolate is legendary among her friends and family. She currently resides in Oklahoma with her husband and children.

Hunt down Kate at her blog, FB, Twitter, and the Broken World webpage.

Deadly Dee's Review for "The Ghoul Archipelago"

The Ghoul Archipelago by Stephen Kozeniewski

Book Summary 

After ravenous corpses topple society and consume most of the world’s population, freighter captain Henk Martigan is shocked to receive a distress call. Eighty survivors beg him to whisk them away to the relative safety of the South Pacific. Martigan wants to help, but to rescue anyone he must first pass through the nightmare backwater of the Curien island chain.

A power struggle is brewing in the Curiens. On one side, a billionaire seeks to squeeze all the profit he can out of the apocalypse. Opposing him is the charismatic leader of a cargo cult. When a lunatic warlord berths an aircraft carrier off the coast and stakes his own claim on the islands, the stage is set for a bloody showdown.

To save the remnants of humanity (and himself), Captain Martigan must defeat all three of his ruthless new foes and brave the gruesome horrors of...THE GHOUL ARCHIPELAGO. 

Deadly Dee's Review

This review took forever for me to write, because it took me forever to read this book. Amazon says it's only 362 pages, but seriously, it felt like at least 2-3 times that. When I was first approached to review this book I checked it out on Ammy and I was really excited because it's gotten so many wonderful reviews. Leave it to me to always be the stick in the mud. 

Ok, here goes... I had ZERO true interest in any of the characters. I didn't care who lived, who died, who went where, who killed who...whatever. Honestly, there were so many characters, and so little character development, that at first I had difficulty simply keeping track of them all! The story was all over the place, and try as I could, I sensed no true rhyme or reason to the way it was put together. Usually, I find myself waiting for a novel to "get back" to a certain storyline, or a particular character. With this book, I found myself thinking: do I really even want to finish this? Can I review something I've only read half of? I stuck with it because I was halfway through, and I kept waiting for it to get better... but no dice. 

The concept isn't bad (he definitely has his military background down pat), and I feel that if Kozeniewski were to get a better editor, then perhaps he'd have something here, but he's just too all over the place for me. (Maybe everyone else who reviewed him are close friends and family?) This is only his second book, and to me it's very obvious that he still has quite a way to go/grow as an author  - but he DOES have a fertile imagination, and hopefully in time (and with a better editor!) he'll get his act together and produce something I can give a more favorable review to. 

Sorry Steve.

"Blood, Brains, and Bullets" by Sean Liebling

Check out the first book in Sean Liebling's best selling zombie series. Blood, Brains, and Bullets is available at Amazon.


Book Summary
Blood, Brains and Bullets is Book One of the new Blood, Brains and Bullets series by Sean Liebling and starts on day one of the outbreak and continues through the first seven full days after it's apocalyptic climax.

Jay has started his daily routine as a single father of three when the news hits of massive deaths then reanimations from the vaccine distributed by the government to combat the super flu virus that had been sweeping the globe. For Jay, it's irritating because it interrupt's Jay's normal comedic attempts at nailing every sweet piece of ass in the area. Being a survivalist means he has a lot of 'stuff' as you can never have too much and before he can even take shelter in his homemade retreat to ride out the apocalypse, friends start showing up who need his help. Before he knows it, he's forced into the unenviable position of assuming leadership over his community, or what's left of it, and fighting on multiple fronts against the forces of the evil undead, marauders and assassin's of the secret shadow government with a secret New World Order plan. Of course, that plan of theirs doesn't include him and his, so this Marine does what all Marines do best. He kicks ass without bothering to take names, while along the way he happens to fall into the clutches of a girl or three. Women can be very demanding. Even during a Zombie Apocalypse!

Jay is a dedicated self-styled player who gets lucky more often than not, and has a soft spot for children. As one of those survivalist's they always talk about on the news, he's better prepared than most when the shit hits the fan. During the coming days and weeks, he will be forced through circumstances to grow up (reluctantly) and strive his utmost to save his community, while melding close friends, survivors and salvaged military units on the run, from assassination forces of a secret shadow government dedicated to a New World Order through a 200-year-old Eugenics plan. But it isn't over yet, because Jay is a Marine, and he has a few tricks up his sleeve, which he fully intends to implement while accumulating as many girlfriends as possible.

This series will make you laugh hysterically at Jay's womanizing antics while being forced to grow up and act his age, then crying like a baby during scenes of heart rending tragedy and sacrifice, as it depicts real life tragedy and situations. It will also make you cheer when and if the forces of good triumph over those of evil. Written with the help of a Medical Doctor and Doctor of Psychology along with survivalist friends of all stripes, the scenes you will read inside are what really happen in an endgame situation with a comedic spin to it.

This book is a testament to what Good Men can do when Doing Nothing simply isn't an option! The trick you see - is to act quickly and decisively. Being a Marine also helps of course!

Note: This new Permuted Press edition (January, 2014) contains edits and rewrites of previously featured graphic sexual content. While this book is still recommended for mature audiences, the intense graphic sexual content has been revised by the author. Many of the reader reviews for this book refer to the first versions which originally contained graphic depictions of intense sexual situations.

*****

For more information, and to check out some sample pages, please visit Permuted Press's digital catalog page. Also take a bit out of the author's personal website at www.seanliebling.com.

Deadly Dee Reviews "Reaper: No Mercy"

Reaper: No Mercy by Sean Liebling

 

 

Book Summary

Reaper: No Mercy is the beginning of a standalone series based on the characters and environment from the Blood, Brains, and Bullets series by Sean Liebling.

Captain Jason Scott had retired from the United States Marine Corp as a Force Recon sniper with the 1st Marine Division. Now a hard-working family man, his life revolved around his wife, children, and grandchildren. Upon arriving home after working third shift on the day the undead rose, he found his entire family slaughtered. Berserk with rage, he killed every zombie in sight using any means at hand. They truly died under his wrath, and he survived. It was then that he realized the Lord had a new mission for him.

Now Jason Scott is known as the Reaper: the coldest, deadliest killer in the new world of the Apocalypse. He once again dons his old tools of the trade—the tools of a Marine Corps sniper—and sets out to eradicate the spawn of Hell. Along the way he encounters Jay Scarmon, the interim Governor of Michigan, and together they make a safe haven for a large group of survivors in the town of Newaygo.

The Reaper saves hundreds of people, kills thousands of the undead, and even participates in a raid on a secret shadow government fortress – against the very people who engineered and released the virus that almost entirely destroyed mankind.

However, the Reaper knows that there is more to be done than simply rebuild and protect those under his charge. Evil is afoot in the land; they must contend not only with the reanimated dead, but also with the forces of the shadow government. There are also plenty of bad men who are ready and willing to take advantage of the weak.

The Reaper’s mission is clear – he must fight the Lord's fight and take the battle to the evil minions of Satan, both living and undead. He needs to help the survivor groups band together into cohesive assemblies better able to survive this new world, and finally, he must scout westward into Colorado in order to recon the shadow government's stronghold there.

Follow the adventures of the Reaper as he travels to the city of Paris, Missouri. There he meets several disparate groups of survivors. He also learns of a band of marauders who are ravaging the countryside, killing those that stand against them, and enslaving the rest. The older folk and the young children are killed outright; the rest of the prisoners are treated brutally, forced to live and work under the most inhumane of circumstances. The women are repeatedly raped and beaten.

 

The Reaper must convince the survivors to band together and take their town back from the marauders – all whilst fighting the hordes of undead, their mutual distrust of one another, and their fear of the overwhelming numbers arrayed against them.

Who will prevail? Only the Reaper knows.

 

 

Deadly Dee's Review

The Reaper was a well written book with a very strong "masculine" feel to it. There was a lot of emphasis on military procedures, weaponry, jargon, etc. There is also a strong religious undercurrent that runs through the book - the main character, The Reaper (who also goes by other names - it can get a little confusing if you aren't paying close attention) is a retired Marine sniper whose entire family is killed by zombies, and he believes that he is on a God driven mission to purge the world from the zombies and other evil. (...and there is quite a bit of serious evil in this book - not zombie evil, but bad men evil. Liebling doesn't mince words, and his bad guys are rapists, pedophiles, torturers...you name it.)

 

There are a lot of side stories woven throughout the book, and it wasn't difficult to keep track of the cast of characters at first, but by the end of the book there were just too many people, and too many p.o.v. Sometimes I think it's better to concentrate on fewer sidelines. I did enjoy the majority of the stories and characters, they were well written and "real."

 

There's a lot of action in the book, but I found myself skimming past the majority of the military stuff (too boring and went on and on way too long for me...I really didn't feel the book needed pages of background, and I really didn't care!) and I felt there was TOO much religious emphasis. I don't mind hearing that someone feels a higher calling... I just don't need to be reminded about it over and over again. It makes me feel like the author thinks that maybe they want me, the reader, to get a different message, and quite frankly, that's not what I'm reading your book for. I got that I needed to know about it to understand the character, but the constant reminders were saying something else to me, and it was unnecessary.

 

So, my personal feelings are this: From what I understand this book was a stand alone and gives some background story to some characters in a series that Liebling writes. If the series isn't as heavy on the military jargon and all the reminders about why the Reaper is, well reaping, then I would check out the series.

 

If it's the same as this book, I'll pass. It's not that Liebling isn't a good writer - he is. Just not for me.

New Zombie Release: "The Reaper" by Sean Liebling

Ghoulish genius Sean Liebling is back with a horrifyingly hot new release. Dig into The Reaper: No Mercy at Amazon.

Summary
Former USMC Captain Jason Scott comes home one day to find that ravenous zombies have slaughtered his family. Berserk with rage, he kills every one of them. As he stands over the bodies of the now truly dead, his mission is clear. He must fight the Lord's fight and take the battle to the evil minions of Satan, both living and dead. And he must scout westward to recon the forces of a shadow government. In the process, Jason Scott becomes the coldest, deadliest killer in the new world of the apocalypse: The Reaper.

*****

For more information, and to check out some sample pages, please visit Permuted Press's digital catalog page. Also take a bit out of the author's personal website at www.seanliebling.com.

Deadly Dee's Review for "All Together Now: A Zombie Story" by Robert Kent

Moan for joy!!! To celebrate its new cover, All Together Now: A Zombie Story is free on January 24 and 25. Get your copy at Amazon.

Book Summary

Yea though we perish, yea though we die, we'll all be together in the sweet by and by...

Fifteen-year-old Ricky Genero is writing a journal of the zombie apocalypse. His high school has burned to the ground, his friends are all either dead or shambling corpses roaming the earth in search of human flesh, and his best friend died saving his six-year-old brother Chuck from a zombie horde. When Chuck is bitten and infected with the zombie virus, Ricky must travel among the walking dead in search of a cure.

WARNING

This YOUNG ADULT novel is mean and nasty and intended for a mature audience. It is absolutely not appropriate for younger readers. All Together Now: A Zombie Story is a gruesome, repugnant tale featuring horrific acts of violence sure to warp young minds.

 

 

Deadly Dee's Review

 

So, if you've read any of my past book reviews you know by now I don't usually mince words. I'm actually kind of surprised authors still want to give me their books, because I feel like I'm not the nicest reviewer out there. I'm pretty hard on them if their writing doesn't really "do it" for me (or is filled with typos - ick) but heck - at least I can sleep knowing I'm honest to you guys - the readers.
 
So, let me start this review on All Together Now by saying this:
 
Wow.
 
Wow. Wow. Wow.
 
I was so totally and completely taken by surprise by this novel. If you're like me, and love reading indie authors, you know it's a lot of hit and miss out there. Ok... a lot of miss. This is one HUGE hit. Kent's writing style flows naturally. He reads like someone who was born to tell a story, and I for one, feel like I want to keep reading his stories (hint hint Rob - gimme more!!)
 
YA fiction, imho, can be so stilted sometimes - it kinda makes you wonder if the person writing it was ever young. (...and if they were, did they just sleep through adolescence and then totally forget what it was like?)
 
On the other hand, if I'm going to enjoy reading a YA book, it's got to have enough oomph in it that I, as an adult (no, don't ask how old I am, who cares?!) actually get caught up in it and care.
 
I really cared about the characters in this book. A lot.
 
Besides that though, the story itself was fresh and different - not your typical run of the mill zombie story. I wasn't sure I was going to like the journal concept, but that also flowed well.
 
Oh, and did I add that it actually felt believable? Believable and zombies all together in one place! What a concept!
 
One word of warning: Watch out for the ending. I kind of thought I should've seen it coming, but I didn't. Made it rock even more.

 

Mr. Kent, you are the man.

New Cover Reveal for "All Together Now: A Zombie Story"

Hey, zombies and the humans who love them! Check out the new cover for Robert Kent's awesome All Together Now: A Zombie Story.

Be sure to shuffle back tomorrow for Deadly Dee's revolting review.

Eviscerating Excerpt from "All Together Now: A Zombie Story"

Fiendish author Robert Kent has good news for zombie lovers. He is working on a new book about the hungry undead. Until Robert delivers his next nightmare-inducing novel, he's provided us a taunting taste of All Together Now: A Zombie Story.

Eviscerating Excerpt

Michelle, Levi, Chuck, and I got back to Harrington this afternoon. It took us four hours to get here from Brownsborough—a trip that used to take 25 minutes by car.

We walked in the fields that run parallel to I-65. We only saw three zombies during the whole walk, aside from Chuck, of course.

The first two weren't a problem.

In our first hour of walking, we came across a green truck lying on its roof, its wheels in the air like the stiff limbs of a carcass.

It was in the center of a field, but we could tell from the thick tracks leading up to the wreckage that the truck had come from the highway.

A side mirror lay in the grass several feet away and I had an idea the truck had flipped over at least twice, breaking off its mirror before rolling to a stop on its back.

Levi wanted to walk around the wreck and I thought that was smart, but Michelle marched straight to it. "They could've packed food or weapons," she called over her shoulder.

That was a fair point.

I hurried to catch up, but I stopped when Michelle brought our only gun out of her jeans and pointed it through the truck's windshield.

She knew not to fire it. A gun's good for getting out of a tight spot, but the shot will draw the attention of every zombie in hearing distance.

I had my bat up, ready to swing before I knew what the danger was.

Then I heard the muffled thumping. There were two corpses pounding on the windshield from inside the truck.

"They're out of food," Levi said.

When I looked where he was pointing I felt faint and my vision clouded with black spots. If this had happened a week ago, I would've thrown up. But I've seen a lot since then.

At first I could see only the zombies lying on the roof of the truck's cab, Mommy and Daddy. Both of them had the dark-rimmed, all-white eyes of the dead, sunken because the pale grey skin surrounding them had gone lax and hung off their skulls like dough.

Mommy was wearing a blue summer dress, stained maroon all down the front. Daddy had broken his neck and his head lolled on his shoulder. An unnatural bulge protruded beneath his jaw and stretched the skin there to near bursting.

Then I saw what Levi meant by "food."

Hanging upside down behind Mommy and Daddy was a car seat. It was still strapped in, despite the seat belt straps on either side having been gnawed through.

The soft grey lining of the car seat was stained red and black and covered in flecks of skin and hair.

They're trapped in there," Levi said.

How can you tell?" Michelle asked.

Levi shrugged. "If they could've got out, they would've. Let 'em starve."

He kept walking. Michelle followed.

I stood a while staring at the car seat, but when I heard a faint crack in the windshield the zombies were pounding on, I got moving.

The third zombie wasn't trapped. He came right at us.

 

To read more, check out All Together Now: A Zombie Story at Amazon.

 

Chase down Robert at his blog, Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

Zombified Interview with author Robert Kent

Robert Kent is the fiendish fella behind the zombie novel All Together Now. Taking a break from gnawing away at his writing, he let us dig around his cranium...

Ang: When were you first bitten by the zombie affliction? Can you take us back to how the infection began? What’s the most difficult part about sharing this ghoulish love as an indie?

 

Robert: I love the wording of this question:) I've been a zombie fan as far back as I can remember, but the first time I remember taking zombies seriously was when I read Stephen King's short story "Home Delivery" at age 13. That story blew my mind then and it still does. It has all the markings of literature and all the fun of zombies. That story taught me that zombies could not only be serious, but a writer could work within that genre to tell a compelling tale revealing a universal truth as surely as if he were writing any other genre.

 

Honestly, I don't think being an indie today is that different than being an author with a mainstream publisher. An acquaintance of mine is promoting his book published by one of the big five publishers (only a matter of time before it’s the big four and so on) and his marketing budget is essentially the same as mine: whatever money and time we can throw at it while working our day jobs. Except he doesn't control the price or availability of his book and I do. I think readers are less likely to take a chance on a new author at $9.95 than at $2.99 (both Kindle prices).

 

Ang: If you had to dumb down the plot of your book so a zombie could understand, how would you explain it?

 

Robert: It's the zombie apocalypse set in a small Indiana town. My protagonist, 15-year-old Ricky Genero, has reason to believe there's a cure for the zombie virus being manufactured at the local soda plant. When his 6-year-old brother Chuck is bitten, Ricky risks everything to get him to the cure. Along the way there's some romance, plenty of zombie attacks, and crazy religious folks more terrifying than the shambling corpses.

 

All Together Now is grim, extremely violent, and offensive. I like that in a zombie story.

 

Ang: Describe the lucky survivors who engage with the festering horde of the dead.

 

Robert: Ricky Genero is an everyman. He's an average teenager who's dealing with his parent's messy divorce and the difficulty of high school life when the zombies attack. He's also good with a baseball bat, which comes in handy.

 

His stepsister, Michelle Kirkman, is a spoiled rich girl whose mother has recently died from cancer, giving her an inner strength Ricky lacks. She's also 15 and a bit of a badass. She doesn't believe a cure exists, but she wants to get back to her father, who owns the soda plant.

 

Levi Davis is 17 and I can never decide whether he or Michelle is my favorite character. Levi's parents are extremely religious and restrictive and Levi's got a big chip on his shoulder.

 

Chuck Genero is 6 and a real sweetheart. Unfortunately, he spends most of the novel as a snarling zombie being lead around at the end of a catchpole.

 

Ang: What was the most important aspect when writing your non-zombie characters? Realism (losers, assholes, and cowards) or fantasy (Rambo or the guy/gal who has a Rambo hiding inside them)?

 

Robert: It was most important to me that my characters be realistic and relatable. Michelle's got a bit of Rambo in her, but I wanted to take zombies seriously and that starts with character.

 

If the zombie apocalypse breaks out tomorrow, most of us aren't suddenly going to become crack shots or fearless warriors. That's all good and well for video games, but in books I think you can have extraordinary characters in ordinary situations, or ordinary characters in extraordinary situations, but it's difficult to pull off extraordinary characters in extraordinary situations in a way that's consistently interesting and suspenseful. The zombie apocalypse is an extraordinary situation, so I did my best to create characters I feel could be living next door when it hits the fan.

 

Ang: Does your book begin just as the zombies start building their paradise or have zombies already gotten things rocking and rotting?

 

Robert: Both:) All Together Now is told as a series of journal entries written by Ricky, allowing me to play with time and structure. When the story begins, the zombie outbreak has already occurred and Chuck has already been zombified. I hate stories that make me wait for the zombies, which is what I paid to see, so All Together Now opens with some intense zombie action. But because Ricky is telling the story in his present reality of running for his life, he can flashback and fill in the essential details of the start of the outbreak.

 

Ang: Zombies are people too. They come in all shapes, sizes, speeds, and smarts. What types of the walking dead inhabit your novel (or series)?

 

Robert: All Together Now is at its heart a tale of a fear of conformity, so it was very important to me that my zombies all be the same. In Ricky's universe, there is only one zombie with many faces, though Ricky encounters adult zombies, child zombies, and my personal favorite, baby zombies. As I write this, I'm within two weeks of becoming a first time father, and nothing is more terrifying to me than an infant corpse crawling up my leg (writing a book is cheaper than hiring a psychologist).

 

I love fast zombies, but the zombies in All Together Now are slow, rotting, and stupid. Their only thought is killing the living. Otherwise, they're completely vacant--though I love Hugh Howey's take on the internal struggle of walking corpses in I, Zombie.

 

Ang: Will your infection spread to more books and series? How many blood and guts offerings do you predict in your future? How soon can our zombie and human readers expect to see your next festering contribution?

 

Robert: All Together Now is planned as a standalone tale, though all my stories have sequels I just never get around to writing. I didn't hold anything back. I put everything I have to say about zombies in this book and for now, the well is dry. 

 

My next book will actually be a children's tale coming out sometime next year--more on that one soon. I run the blog Middle Grade Ninja and most of my writing is targeted at a younger audience.

 

But underneath my nice guy routine, something dark and antisocial festers until I can't suppress it any longer. When it grabs hold and overtakes me, I have to write something as bleak and nasty as All Together Now, which features a slaughter at a daycare center. I have no doubt my dark side will surface again after enough time has passed, and when that happens, all bets are off.

 

Ang: What is your favorite way to kill a zombie? Shoot ‘em, hack ‘em, poke ‘em, burn ‘em, or something even more fiendish? ***Zombie readers please turn away to avoid having your putrefied feelings eviscerated.

 

Robert: Definitely hacking. I can think of nothing more satisfying than the thwack of a machete in a walking corpse.

 

Ang: Do you have a favorite cinematic zombie? Example: My co-blogger Zombie Earl is quite fond of Zombie Roger from the original Dawn of the Dead.

 

Robert: Not to tread on the next question, but at the moment, my favorite zombie is Sophia from season two of The Walking Dead. I don't think I've ever been more moved or devastated than when she came shuffling out of Hershel's barn.

 

A close runner-up is the underwater zombie in the 1979 classic Zombi. He fought a freaking shark! You gotta love a zombie with heart. I rooted for him to eat the human because he just wanted it more:)

 

Ang: Who is your favorite character from The Walking Dead (comics or TV show)?

 

Robert: It's no secret that I'm a mega fan of The Walking Dead. My main character's name is Ricky and he's traveling with a girl whose last name is Kirkman:) I love the comics slightly more than the TV show, but they're both the best there is (so is the video game).

 

It's hard to pick a favorite character among so many greats, but Michonne is the best. Mrs. Kent and I allow for fantasy loves. She lusts for the president in Scandal and I'd brave the zombie apocalypse for a date with Michonne:)

 

Ang: Finally, how prepared are you for the zombie apocalypse that we all know is just around the corner?

 

Robert: Not at all. In the event of a zombie apocalypse, I think the folks who die first are the lucky ones. If I see zombies breaking out, I'll be happy with the life I've lived and accept its end. I'd hole up in a library to reread my favorite books until someone chomps my brain.

 

Chow down on your copy of All Together Now at Amazon.

 

Chase down Robert at his blog, Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

 

 

Author Bio

Robert Kent is the author of the young adult novel All Together Now: A Zombie Story. He runs the popular blog for writers, MIDDLE GRADE NINJA, and lives with his family in Indianapolis, Indiana, where he's hard at work on his next book.