Books of the Dead Press Sign Author Julie Hutchings

Books of the Dead Press are proud to announce that we have signed Julie Hutchings to a one-book deal, and we will be releasing her debut novel “Running Home” in the coming months. She was also featured a short while ago on Books of the Dead with her flash fiction piece, The Threat.

Julie is the wildcard and muscle behind the Undead Duo - a two person writing team that includes Julie Hutchings and Kristen Strassel. She is also a life-long New Englander with an obsession for the dark mysteries of the backwoods of New Hampshire. When the inspiration struck to write her debut novel, she found the opportunity to blend her love of Japanese culture with her love of vampire mythology.

Welcome aboard, Julie!

Here’s a little bit about Running Home:

Death hovers around Ellie Morgan like the friend nobody wants. She doesn’t belong in snowswept Ossipee, New Hampshire, at a black tie party––but that is where she is, and where he is: Nicholas French, the man who mystifies her with a feeling of home she’s been missing, and the impossible knowledge of her troubled soul.

Nicholas followed an abomination that is one of his own, but finds that fate has driven him to New Hampshire. He is a being of the Shinigami, a heroic vampire order that “save” their victims from more tragic ends.

And he knows why Ellie is human repellent… why physical agony grips them when apart.



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Books of the Dead Sign Author TS Alan

By the time I finished editing the Best New Zombie Tales Trilogy it was safe to say that I had read a LOT of zombie fiction. Too much, in fact. And for that reason, only fantastic, well-written zombie stories can make me excited.

Books of the Dead are proud to announce that we have signed author TS Alan - who writes articles, celebrity interviews, film reviews, and other entertainment pieces for zombietraining.com - for he delivered us a most excellent zombie tale, a story that hooks the reader on page number one. It's called, The Romero Strain.

Welcome aboard, TS!

Here's some information about the author:

TS Alan was born outside Buffalo, NY. After attending high school he entered into a two-year community college to study Communications and Media Arts. There he became involved in the college’s radio station as a radio personality, under the pseudonym of J.D. Hollywood. After a year with WNCB radio he also became the station’s Promotions Director. J.D. Hollywood was also one of two names he used as a music reporter and Associate Editor for Buffalo Backstage, a local music magazine.

After graduating with an Associate Degree, he took a short hiatus to become a tour manager for a local punk-rock band prior to pursuing a Bachelor Degree at the State University College at Buffalo, where he studied English Literature and Writing. During this time he wrote poetry extensively, won several poetry awards and was included in two anthologies of poetry published by World of Poetry Press. This was also the time he had a great interest in short story writing.

Upon graduation he found work as a proofreader for the local phone directory and newspaper, the Buffalo News. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on his first novel. After moving to Manhattan he began a career in the music business as tour manager, concert producer, and later co-founder of an independent music label. He was no longer writing during this period in his life.

He and NK married in January of 2000. He met wife at a local music venue, Coney Island High, while enjoying a night out with members of a band that he was managing and producing. It was with NK’s encouragement he returned to writing. TS Alan lives in the East Village of New York City with his wife, massage therapist NK Alan. He is no longer producing records or going on tour and is concentrating on his writing career, and is currently writing for zombietraining.com.



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Free Download: Matt Hults - Anything Can Be Dangerous

I wrote an introduction for Matt Hults’ wonderful debut novel HUSK, and made reference to a story he wrote called ‘Anything Can be Dangerous’. Matt told me that he loved the intro, and that it made him laugh every time he read it. At some point it occurred to Matt that he wanted Anything Can Be Dangerous to be made available, and he asked me to put together a one-story sampler, selling me on the concept that it would make a great promotional tool for his novel.

Being the grumpy old fart that I am I tried to blow Matt off, telling him that I was far too busy to promote his book in any way, shape, or form. I think my exact words were, You promote the stupid thing... I’m tired and drunk; get out of my face.

Of course, this didn’t go over too well and he successfully managed to twist my rubber arm and get me to do something intelligent.

I set aside the things I was currently working on, including the paperback version of Husk, along with the upcoming titles Zombie Kong, Living Death Race 2000, Into Hell, Best New Zombie Tales 3, Best New Vampire Tales 1 (paperback), the paperback version of my sophomore novel Terror Town, the ebook version of my first novel The Dead Parade, Best New Werewolf Tales 1, plus the re-release of Gary Brandner’s famous ‘The Howling’ trilogy––book one, two, and three.

When I told Matt I was busy, I’m sure he had no idea what I was talking about. But Matt’s one smart cookie, and I’m guessing he was able to figure things out.

But a one-story sampler isn’t my style -- so I created a four-story sampler, and I added a preview for HUSK.

The book is a FREE DOWNLOAD on Amazon, or you can pick up the paperback dirt cheap. So, if you haven't grabbed it yet, question is: what are you waiting for?



Includes:
Anything can be Dangerous ~ the simple things in life can kill.
Through the Valley of Death ~ a dark vampire story that will make you remember fear.
The Finger ~ zombie literature has never been so extraordinary.
Feeding Frenzy ~ lunchtime in a place called Hell.

Download Anything Can Be Dangerous HERE.


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Free on Amazon & Smashwords: The Hanging Tree

My short story The Hanging Tree is now available on Smashwords and Amazon. Better still, it's a free download. That's good news for those of you that like your fiction short and free!


Here's the synopsis:

In the old west punishment comes swiftly. Especially when the crime is murder.

Mort Clancy - a pathetic drunk - had one to many drinks at the local watering hole and he did something stupid: he shot the sheriff. Now there's a new law in town, and Mort's on his way to the hanging tree.

But the hanging tree has a terrible reputation, and what dies on the tree doesn't always stay dead. Mort knows it. But is there anything he can do to change his fate?

Download your copy of The Hanging Tree from Smashwords HERE.

Or from Amazon HERE.



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Flash Fiction by J.C. Michael

Today I'm sharing some flash fiction from J.C. Michael. J.C. wouldn’t be so bold as to compare himself to writers such as Stephen King and Clive Barker, but their influence on his writing is quite apparent. This one's called Push.

Enjoy.

Push

     That day made 9/11 look like a fucking picnic. It hit everyone. Shit, it hit everything.
     No-one saw it coming. No intelligence. No early warnings. No-body was immune, no-body was spared, well, maybe a handful of spacemen on the space station we had in those days, but that was it. This was global. A billion Chinese who never gave a rat’s arse about the rest of us certainly gave a shit about what happened that day. Those that lived that is.
     I was lucky, a cut forehead, you’ve seen the scar, like Harry bloody Potter, if you know who he is, but nothing worse. The biggest single event in the history of mankind, maybe even the whole damn planet, and all I got was a three inch gash. Like I said, lucky. Lucky the underground car park machine rejected my pound coin, remember those? Lucky it took so long rooting around in the car to find another. A stroke of fortune that kept me inside, below ground.
     Over fifty years ago now, but I remember it like yesterday. I was disorientated, pressed against the ceiling, but still registering what I was seeing out through the exit. Everything thrown up into the air; cars, people, a sodding dog. Whole buildings tearing loose of their foundations. Screams cutting the air, loud at first then fading into the distance, before coming closer again, closer until there was the almighty crash back to earth. The sound of metal, stone, flesh and bone, slamming into the ground. I could barely see for dust, and what I could see was twisted out of recognition. More screams, screams of pain. The whole world turned upside down and back again in ten seconds.
     Someone told me that in the first five seconds people fell 400 ft into the air, and were doing almost 60 miles per hour when they hit the ground again. True or not, those seconds changed the world. The religious nuts screamed Armageddon. The West blamed the East, the East the West. The conspiracy theorists blamed the scientists, the scientists scratched their heads. Some folk took to strapping themselves down, but not me. If you live in an earthquake zone you don’t live under the table, you just get on with shit and hope it never happens. Now, it’s just a footnote in history. The day gravity decided to push, not pull.

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David Hudnut - Night Walk

Author, illustrator, and musician David Hudnut was promoting his novel Night Walk back in December, before I came up with the "Friends of the Dead" handle.

He put a new cover on his book and he wants to show it off. And since he's such an awesome and talented guy I figured other people would like to see the new cover, too.

Everyone says that his book is amazing, and falls into the MUST READ category.  Night Walk is available on Amazon.

Here's a little about the book:

Like any cookie-cutter suburban family you know, the Wistfells appear fresh from the oven with their Tic-Tac smiles and formica hair styles. Beneath their Sears Family Portrait exterior lies a pitch black heritage. The Wistfell family knows a thing or two about the Devil's business. They also know how to hide their dark secrets like every other Joe and Jane American.

Rob Wistfell, his wife Amelia, and their young daughter Eva are enjoying their weekend at the beach when a run-in with a menacing bunch of locals sets off a disastrous chain reaction. No matter where the Wistfell family goes, trouble follows. Rob and Amelia don’t realize that Eva has blossoming telepathic powers and she’s messing with people's heads…

When the Wistfell family accidentally crosses paths with two thugs bent on murderous destruction, the family finds themselves being hunted down. The Wistfells must run for their lives…or die.

Grab Night Walk HERE. 


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Flash Fiction by Jacob Parr

Last week Books of the Dead showcased Moonlit Nights, the new debut novel by Jacob Parr. Today I'm sharing some flash fiction from Jacob. This one's called Ride of a Lifetime.

Enjoy.

Ride of a Lifetime

     Cramped! My head kept hitting the damn roof of the car’s trunk and I was starting to feel knots form. Shoulders ached from the extreme tension applied to them, due to the angle I was forced into. Ropes cut deep into my wrists; dried blood was caking my skin. Yes, I was inside the back of my own vehicle; tossed in like baggage… a human suitcase comprised of meat and bones!
     The anatomy of the situation sliced through my mind, sending electrical warnings through my brain, causing me to strain against my bindings. Fear flooded my body as claustrophobia set in. Teeth grinding, every worn-down rut in the road jostled me around within the dark space. What the hell was going on?
     My blood pressure was off the scale and my pulse was pounding in my ears, snuffing out the noise of the tires. Deprived of most of my senses in this dark, sightless hell, I tried to think clearly. What was happening? Who had attacked me from behind in the parking lot of the hospital? How long had I been unconscious? Was I going to die?
     The fast-paced multitude of questions that were plaguing me seemed unable to slow. I could not concentrate yet at the same time I knew I had to. This could be the end if I couldn’t get my wits about me and just THINK! Suddenly the fog seemed to lift like a heavy mist allowing for a brief moment of clarity. I knew why I was in this position.
     Like a movie playing as the projector still focused, I remembered what had happened, and the events that led to me being in the trunk. The last thing I recalled was the gun! Yes, that’s what had happened! I hadn’t just been taken from the hospital against my will, but I had been driven out of the city. I remembered the wet grass against my knees after being pulled out of my car and held at gunpoint.
     It was like I was stuck in a loop:
     Parking lot…abduction…car trunk…gun…they replayed over and over again!
     The questions afflicting me started to make sense, but the real question was WHY NOW?
     I was already dead!

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Tyler Faraone & Meghan Dawson - The Garden of Sin

The next person to join Friends of the Dead is Tyler K Faraone.

Tyler has just launched a kickstarter campaign, aiming straight for the hardcore horror fans. The book he's raising funds for - The Garden of Sin - went into production in January of 2010 when artist Tyler Kendal Faraone and writer Meghan Dawson were introduced. They instantly began working together, collaborating on what has become a 3+ year project.

The Garden of Sin is set up very much like a children's book, or fairy tale book, where every page is illustrated, with writing on the left side and illustrations on the right, some being double page spreads.

All of the illustrations throughout the book were drawn traditionally by hand with pencil and paper, and none of the images inside the book are digital.

Here's more information:

The Garden of Sin takes the reader on a journey straight through Hell, reminiscent of Dante's Inferno. As Virgil guided Dante through the Inferno, the reader is guided by a mysterious cloaked figure known as The Shadow… your tour guide and narrator.

On the voyage, The Shadow brings the reader deeper and deeper, through many different levels of Hell, each representing one of The Seven Deadly Sins.

From The Wood of the Damned, where the journey begins, through The Abyss of Lust, to The Slaughterhouse of the Gluttons, down to the deepest part of Hell. The Shadow judges the sinners, while you, the reader, judge yourself.

Is your conscience clean enough to face The Shadow?

If you're a hardcore horror fan, check out the video HERE and show your support for these upcoming horror artists!



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Flash Fiction by G.G. Silverman

Today I'm sharing some flash fiction, written by G.G. Silverman, an author that lives north of Seattle with her husband and dog, both of whom are ridiculously adorable. She is currently at work on The Unlikely Story Of A Vegan Teenage Zombie Huntress, her first YA novel. This one's called The Circle of Life.

Enjoy.

The Circle of Life

     The ring caught Lydia’s eye, even though it didn’t gleam. No diamonds, emeralds, or rubies adorned it, no glint of silver or gold. Instead, a claw-like heft of ebony wood curled into the shape of a ring, its body polished to a soft luster.
     She pointed to the dusty curio. The man behind the counter lifted the top and plucked the ring from a jumble of derelict cast-offs, things once loved, now orphaned and forgotten by time.
     Yes, yes, that one, she said. Perfect.
     The man placed the ring in her palm with care and Lydia turned it around and around in her hand. She slipped it on her finger. It was warm, as though she had been wearing it forever, as though it had been part of her body all along.
     She smiled. She would take it.

# # # 

     As night drew its velvet curtain, Lydia fell into a heavy slumber. She dreamed of a grove of ancient trees, each more gnarled than the last. A cloaked girl dashed through the forest, raven hair cascading behind her, eyes flashing with terror. The woods grew darker and darker as she ran deep into its heart. A branch snarled her cloak, and she tumbled. Her pursuer’s blade gleamed as it jabbed the air, piercing the girl’s heart as it pinned her to the ground. She gasped, drawing her last breath sharply as hot blood flowed from her wound. It soaked into the black earth, where the twisted roots of Old Mother Tree drank greedily.
     Lydia awoke, gasping. She hadn’t taken off the ring. Her limbs writhed and twisted into branches as the ring claimed her body; flesh, bone and wood became one.



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Badass Zombie Road Trip Hits #1

We hit another title out of the park. Tonia Brown's excellent novel Badass Zombie Road Trip has caught on with zombie fans, and zombie fans are loving it. Armed with some great reviews, Badass Zombie Road Trip Hit the #1 spot on Amazon in the Horror/Occult section, and sat there for several days.

Check out our recent history:

Books of the Dead had a 99¢ sale for Tim Lebbon's novel: Berserk. --- The title hit #1.
After that we had 99¢ sale for Gary Brandner's The Howling Trilogy. --- The title hit #1.
We followed that up with a 99¢ sale for Best New Zombie Tales Volume One. --- The title hit #1.
Then we had a 99¢ sale for John Taff's Little Deaths -- The title cracked Amazon's Top 100.

Unreal.

A BIG THANK YOU 

TO EVERYONE THAT PURCHASED THESE TITLES!

Check out what people are saying:

Tash Williams from AndyErupts: 
Badass Zombie Road Trip is a fantastic book, the storyline is extremely well thought out and the action starts almost immediately. It is also extremely funny and has one of the best instances of truly expressive swearing I have ever read in a book… I am being honest in saying that this book is one of the best stories I have read in a long while.

Nathan Robinson at Snakebite Horror: 
Nicely written, well plotted with enough twists and turns to keep any reader's attention all the while being an interesting take on the zombie genre… and far enough away from traditional zombie fare to attract a full range of horror fans.

The Aussie Zombie:
The writing of BadAss Zombie Road Trip is spot on – action in all the right places, witty dialogue and realistic characters who are either love ‘em or hate ‘em types, and there are more than a few laughs along the way.

Lori Bowland at Living Dead Media: 
Readers are in for a  treat with "Badass Zombie Road Trip."   It's one of the most enjoyable of horror comedy novels to come along in a while.  The entire book is hilarious, wonderful and flawless.   It's the best of screwball comedies with a bit of the grisly to keep it delightfully weird.  Be prepared to laugh your hearts out and be taken on an insane cross country journey.

Graeme Reynolds' Blog:
Badass Zombie Road Trip is a very different book from the usual zombie fare. For one thing, it’s absolutely hilarious. Horror comedy is not an easy thing to pull off, but this book delivers it in spades. It’s a funny, sometimes moving, sometimes gross and always entertaining road novel, which happens to have a zombie as one of the protagonists.

Buy Zombie:
Badass Zombie Road Trip was a unique tale about the undead and one that I highly recommend picking this one up immediately! It’ll be a quick read but a fun one.

Synopsis:
Jonah has seven days to find his best friend’s soul, or lose his own,
dragging a zombie across the country with a stripper who has an agenda of her own,
while being pursued for a crime he didn’t commit...
...and dealing with Satan.

Buy Badass Zombie Road Trip from:
Amazon / Smashwords / Kobo / iBooks / Sony / Barnes & Noble

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