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.

Zombified Interview with H.E. Goodhue

H.E. Goodhue is the fearsome fella behind the Zombie Youth series. The first book Playground Politics haunted many dreams. His newest Borrowed Time continues the terror. Let's crack him open and learn more about his inner workings...

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?

H.E.: Horror stories were something that I somewhat brought upon myself as a child. When I was seven or eight years old I used to have recurrent nightmares. These dreams covered everything from train rides to Hell to flesh eating cats. Every night the previous night’s dream would pick up where it left off. Eventually, my parents rightfully worried about having an insomniac six year old on their hands, suggested that I start writing the dreams down. This lead to them stopping, but also fostered a love of all things horror and writing.

Around this time I also discovered horror and sci-fi movies. I can remember watching The Gate and Troll, both of which robbed me of more than a few nights of sleep. I have to admit that I still won’t watch Troll.

A love of cheesy monster movies eventually spilled over into video games. I had always had an interest in zombies, but the first Resident Evil game threw it into overdrive.

The most difficult part of being an indie author is breaking through to new readers and getting attention for your work. I never want to inundate people on Facebook or Twitter with repetitive pleas of ‘read my books’. On the other hand I want to get my books out to as many readers as possible. It’s a very fine line to walk.

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

H.E.: Probably the best way I could explain the overarching plot of the Zombie Youth series is this:

Adults = zombies…kids are in charge…chaos ensues.

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

H.E.: The first book in Zombie Youth series centers on a group of students who are trapped within the Montville Regional School Complex in the first hours of the outbreak. The adults they trusted to protect them become infected and turn on the students. A small group of unlikely cohorts band together to fortify the school and battle the undead.

I wanted the main characters of Zombie Youth to be regular kids, not highly skilled soldiers or sociopaths – granted one or two of those might show up, but I really wanted to explore the idea of how regular people might deal with the zombie apocalypse, specifically children. I have always found it odd that zombie stories are largely devoid of children. They seem to magically disappear once the dead rise or perhaps are assumed to be the first eaten, but I felt that children would do better than adults. That’s where Zombie Youth picks up.

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)?

H.E.: I’ll admit that I enjoy all sorts of tropes when reading a zombie story. Sometimes it’s a fun escape to read about a completely over the top character, but at the end of the day a good zombie story is really more about the people and their humanity or lack there of.

I wanted my characters to be real people. They’re scared and some have had issues long before the dead rose. At the same time they have moments of heroics. The dichotomous relationship that exists within the human mind has always fascinated me. No one is completely a hero or totally a coward; the potential for both exists in all of us. The characters in Zombie Youth are no different and have to grapple with these conflicting drives.

But in the end what matters most is solid writing. Readers need to find something to connect with, even if the character is a total psychopath.

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

H.E.: The first book in the Zombie Youth series, Playground Politics, begins a few hours before the zombies show up, but gets to rotted bits pretty quickly. The subsequent books center on how the survivors deal with trying to rebuild a life while also knowing that each day that passes is one closer to when they too may become infected. Survival becomes a bit of catch-22 in the Zombie Youth series.

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

H.E.: There are your usual shambling hordes, but I wanted to include some new monsters to keep the reader’s attention. I threw in a few skinless/eyeless nightmares and something I love called an Ogre. There’s also what’s been called “The Zombie Rat King” (thanks Dave at Bricks of the Dead) which is basically a tangled mess of dried intestines and zombies. In the second and third installments some new monsters find their way onto the pages as well. Being that I went the viral route for my outbreak I felt that it would mutate and my zombies should as well. The mutated monsters definitely add a new dimension to what the survivors are dealing with.

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?

H.E.: So far I have released two installments in the Zombie Youth series through Severed Press. The first is titled Playground Politics and the second is Borrowed Time. I am currently working on the third book in the series and hope to have it out soon, but I also want to make sure that I give my readers a complete story.

I have planned for there to be at least three books in the Zombie Youth series, but have begun thinking about possible offshoots. I’m not really sure where it will end, but there will be a sense of closure with the third. That being said, a lot of material still exists in the Zombie Youth universe, so I could definitely see myself returning to it.

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.

H.E.: Good question. I don’t really have a favorite method, though I do keep my machete sharp. I like the zombie kills to be situational and based off of what the survivor has at hand. One character in Zombie Youth, Ronnie, embodies this idea and I really enjoyed working out his ideas and story. Beyond that, I also really enjoyed writing the parts where two dogs, Gozer and Zule, have a crack at the undead. Other than kids I think dogs probably stand the best chance in a zombie apocalypse.

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.

H.E.: I love the zombie from the cover of Fulci’s Zombi 2. He’s grinning as maggots spill out of his empty eye socket – it’s awesome! Dr. Tongue from Day of the Dead is great too. I like my zombies with a little wear and tear…or in this case without a lower jaw.

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

H.E.: That’s a tough one. In the comics I found Andrea’s character to be engaging and believable, but man oh man did they crap that up in the show. I think Laurie Holden did a great job playing Andrea, but I really just didn’t like the character at all. Maybe that was the point, but it would have been great to see her as strong as she was in the comics. I also like Glenn’s character, both in the comics and on the show. He’s constantly struggling to figure out who he really is and what role he is going to play, which is something I think many of us would face.

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

H.E.: I’d say better than some, but honestly nowhere near what I would really need to survive. My grandfather is a retired game warden in Maine and has imparted a good deal of knowledge about the woods, survival and firearms. While we were wandering around the woods I’m not sure he was thinking about zombies, but I was.

H.E. Goodhue Bio Info
H.E. Goodhue is an author and educator. Zombie Youth: Playground Politics is Goodhue's first published novel. It is the first installment in a new series from Severed Press that has been called "unrelenting", "thrilling and exciting" by both fellow authors and literary critics. Since its release in April 2012, Zombie Youth has posted sales throughout the US, Europe and Australia. The second novel in the Zombie Youth series, Borrowed Time, has recently been released. H.E. Goodhue currently resides in New Jersey with his wife, daughter and two hardheaded pit bulls.

Devour H.E.'s books at Amazon.

Hunt down H.E. at Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, Severed Press, and his blog.

"Dark Grace" Cover Reveal

Check out the cover for the upcoming Dark Grace novel. The third book in the Grace series by M. Lauryl Lewis promises plenty of terrifying twists for Zoe and the gang surviving in a zombie wasteland.

 

The anticipated release date for Dark Grace is June 28.

 

 

 

The Harvesting by Melanie Karsak

A zombie book that is so much more. Devour your copy of The Harvesting at Amazon.
 
It's all fun and games until someone ends up undead.

Though Layla reluctantly returns home to rural Hamletville after a desperate call from her psychic grandmother, she could never have anticipated the horror of what Grandma Petrovich has foreseen. The residents of Hamletville will need Layla's help if they are to survive the zombie apocalypse that's upon them. But that is not the only problem. With mankind silenced, it soon becomes apparent that we were never alone. As the beings living on the fringe seek to reclaim power, Layla must find a way to protect the ones she loves or all humanity may be lost.

"To label this a zombie book would be a false pretense . . . this is so much more than that. What you start out with and what you end up with are very different, and those twists and turns in the middle will make your heart beat faster over and over again."-- Colossal Pop

Zombified Interview with Daniel J. Williams

Daniel J. Williams in the gory guy behind the Mace of the Apocalypse series. He followed his first monsterpiece with its sequel The Value of Jade. His third Znovel is shuffling this way in April. Let's claw into that tasty cranium of his...

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?

Dan: I was just a kid, around 10, when I first caught Night of the Living Dead on TV. I was all alone and it just scared the hell out of me. I don’t think I could even get out of my bed after watching it. I don’t know why fear has such an intoxicating effect, but from that moment I was completely hooked on zombies.

The hardest part of embracing the zombie genre as an author is being taken seriously. When you try to tell someone that you’ve written a zombie book they kinda look at you sideways, lol.

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

Dan: You get bit, you go bye-bye. Don’t get bit. It’s all about survival.

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

Dan: The main character, Mace, is a troubled man who is haunted by his past and struggling to find himself in the middle of all the madness. He has some anger issues that push him to his boundaries.

Mace’s girlfriend, Jade, is extremely loyal, competent, and no shrinking violet when it comes to confrontation. She is his rock. Mace’s mentor is Father Jack McCann, who tries to hold onto their humanity and faith amidst all the death and chaos. I could go on but then you wouldn’t need to read the book. :)

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)?

Dan: I went with realistic characters. I wanted people to be able to experience real emotions and not just get taken on a ride. I wanted the reader to experience every emotion in the book: Joy, pain, laughter, sadness, etc…

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

Dan: The zombie apocalypse begins in San Francisco. The first book details the circumstances that create the apocalypse. I hadn’t seen too many books that did that so I wanted to produce something more original.

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

Dan: My zombies used to be people. Now they’re just walking dead maniacs. They lost all trace of their humanity when they became infected. They are fast, vicious and operate on pure rage. They are propelled by alien proteins that control their brains and central nervous systems. They do not have the ability to reason. They have no desire to share anything but death. They are scary, man.

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?

Dan: I am about to release my third book, Children of the Apocalypse, in early April. I am going to write at least one more book in the series, but the zombies will start to die off so I’m not sure where it will lead.

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.

Dan: Shoot ‘em in the head! Exploding heads are just awesome! But wait, hacking them up is pretty awesome, too. A crowbar through the skull? Fucking wicked. I guess anything that takes one out is cool with me.

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.

Dan: Zombie Roger was a pretty good one, but Zombie Shane would have to be my favorite from The Walking Dead. That was a great scene when he rose up in the field.

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

Dan: It would have to be Rick. He’s kept them alive so far, even with his mind slipping.

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

Dan: I am not prepared in the least, which is how I want to face it. I want to try to survive it on the fly. I know basic zombie 101, but after all, we don’t really know what type of zombies we’ll be facing.

Get your copies of Mace of the Apocalypse and The Value of Jade at Amazon. ***Mace of the Apocalypse is free at Amazon until the 13th***.