Fresh from the Grave #1

 

Looking for something new to read?

Dead Hunger II: The Gem Cardoza Chronicle

As Flex, his niece Trina, Gem, Hemp and Charlie brave the wild world teeming with the walking dead, they make up the rules as they go along. Flex Sheridan was an electrician before the world took a nasty turn; Gem, an artist. Hemp is a scientist who specializes in epidemics and also carries in his bag of tricks a mechanical engineering degree. Charlie is a metal and punk rocker in her mid-twenties who has learned how to take out two zombies at once with her crossbow. Each one of them has their own story.

This one is Gem’s chronicle.

They know they need to stay safe. But they also know that to hole up and hide away is to allow the creatures who crave human flesh to walk the world forever. Join with them as they struggle to balance their natural tendencies toward self-preservation with their strong desire to rid the world of the zombie scourge. Our band of machine gun-toting nomads moves from place to place in fortified vehicles, keeping their eyes peeled for survivors, and zombie battles ensue at nearly every turn. But this is not a world where love dies. This is a moment in history when human connections and things of beauty are more important than ever; things to be embraced and held tightly to.

So hop in the Crown Victoria with the ballistic steel body and the swiveling AK-47 on the top, and hang on to your seat as Gem powers the car through hoards of zombies and gets her precious Trina and Flex where they need to be. Learn what Hemp and Charlie discover in the lab – a huge clue to what caused the epidemic that has 90% of the world hunting the rest. But after you meet this group, youll begin to wonder: Who are the hunters, and who are the hunted?

Come on! It has a Crown Vic with a machine gun mounted on it. What more could you possibly want?

The Vegan Revolution… with Zombies

Presenting Stress Free Food!

Animal suffering is a thing of the past. Hipsters can now enjoy bacon without guilt. Thanks to a new miracle drug the cute little pig no longer feels a thing as she is led to the slaughter.

The only problem? Once the drug enters the food supply anyone who eats it is infected. From fast food burgers to free-range organic eggs, eating animal products turns people into shambling brain-dead zombies – not even vegetarians are safe!

In Portland, Oregon, vegans, freegans, abolitionists, hardliners and raw fooders have holed up in Food Fight, one of the country’s premier vegan grocery stores at the vegan mini-mall. There they must prepare for their final battle to take back the city from the hordes of roaming undead. Will vegans filet the flesh-eaters or will they become zombie chow?

When there’s no more meat in hell, the vegans will walk the earth.

Science runs amok and only vegans are left in non-zombie form? I’ll be honest and admit that I’d be among the first of the walking dead because I have to have my steak and chicken.

Hansel and Gretel Are Dead (Zombie Fairy Tales #2)

After being infected by the zombie pestilence, Hansel and Gretel are left to die in the woods. Sick and hungry, they find their way to the home of a lonely old woman who happens to be a cannibal. But when Hansel and Gretel refuse to stay dead, the old hag finds she may have bitten off more than she can chew.

About Zombie Fairy Tales:

Hansel and Gretel Are Dead is the second in a monthly series of short stories set in a dark fairy tale universe plagued by zombies. Surreal and full of black humor, installments feature familiar childhood characters as they encounter a world of stark violence and horror – Cinderella is worked to death before the ball, Pinocchio is made from children’s corpses, and Little Red Riding Hood finds more than wolves in the forest.

New titles will appear on the 13th of each month throughout 2012. The series features overlapping elements, characters, and places for a more immersive experience for the dedicated fan, but can also be read as stand-alone entries in any order. Get infected now.

I love mash-ups and twisted fairy tales so I’m going to have to add the whole series to my TBR pile.

I’ve Got My Eye On You: I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga

In addition to loving vampires, zombies, and all those other creatures that go bump in the night, I have a strong interest in serial killers (make of that what you will). I especially like those stories that have the killer using his unique skills on other killers, and this upcoming title looks like it will scratch that itch perfectly.

I Hunt Killers
by Barry Lyga

What if the world’s worst serial killer…was your dad?

Jasper (Jazz) Dent is a likable teenager. A charmer, one might say.

But he’s also the son of the world’s most infamous serial killer, and for Dear Old Dad, Take Your Son to Work Day was year-round. Jazz has witnessed crime scenes the way cops wish they could–from the criminal’s point of view.

And now bodies are piling up in Lobo’s Nod.

In an effort to clear his name, Jazz joins the police in a hunt for a new serial killer. But Jazz has a secret–could he be more like his father than anyone knows?

The book comes out on April 3 and I’ll be keeping an eye on this one with eager anticipation. According to Barry’s website, an excerpt will be coming soon. I’ll let you know when the sneak peek is available because it looks like this could be a bloody good time.

Free eBooks #2

It’s time for a few more freebies to help get you over the mid-week hump. Horror doesn’t always have to involve the supernatural so today’s collection also includes some realistic thrills in the form of serial killers, and one interesting tale that involves eager college students that won’t take no for an answer.

Still Coming

Every year the best colleges reject thousands of the brightest young minds in the country. But what might happen if a large number of them refused to take no for an answer?

One morning, Shepherdton College receives 437 envelopes from twenty-eight states. Each contains the same two-word message: Still coming.

That’s just the beginning. The college president’s house burns down; the water in the country club swimming pool turns red; the ghost of a local war hero appears.

Another message is received: We’re Here.

Nerves fray, and if the “comers” aren’t trouble enough, a Peeping Tom turns into a home invader, and shows signs of becoming a full-blown sexual predator.

The town fragments and people take up arms after one last message is received…

Won’t Be Long Now.

Still Coming is a psychological thriller for anyone, student or parent, who’s ever sweated a college admission decision.

Serial

Remember the twin golden rules of hitchhiking?
# 1: Don’t go hitchhiking, because the driver who picks you up could be certifiably crazy.
# 2: Don’t pick up hitchhikers, because the traveler you pick up could be raving nutcase.
So what if, on some dark, isolated road, Crazy #1 offered a ride to Nutcase #2?

When two of the most twisted minds in the world of horror fiction face off, the result is SERIAL, a terrifying tale of hitchhiking gone terribly wrong. Like a deeply twisted version of an “After School Special,” SERIAL is the single most persuasive public service announcement on the hazards of free car rides. Beyond a thrilling piece of horrifying suspense, SERIAL is also a groundbreaking experiment in literary collaboration. Jack Kilborn wrote the first part. Blake Crouch wrote the second. And they wrote the third together over email in 100-word exchanges, not aware of each other’s opening section. All bets were off, and may the best psycho win.

Circus of the Dead

Twenty years ago, the dead destroyed the world of the living. The survivors scattered in the wake of the Scourge, erecting small towns in the worlds’ most sparsely populated areas.

For young Gabriel, the walking dead are merely the memories that haunt the eyes of those old enough and lucky enough to have survived. He is more concerned with his hard life in America’s desert, where his chores keep him busy and the husks of books stashed beneath the cellar of the library are his only freedom.

Until the circus comes to town.

“Circus of the Dead” is a novelette of approximately 10,748 words.

Underneath: Short Tales of Horror and the Supernatural

Vengeance…desperation…murder-for-hire…horror in real-time…a healthy dose of zombies…spectrophobia…even a little bit of hope. They all come together in a place underneath the one we know. Ten tales of horror and the supernatural, plus a 17,000 word preview of the upcoming zombie thriller “Orpheus.”

Free eBooks #1

Want to see something really scary? Check out the economy

Fortunately, it’s easy to get a few chills and thrills without murdering your wallet. Check out what I found lurking around Amazon today… and they don’t cost you a penny.

Keep in mind that these titles might be marked for free for a limited time only so don’t wait too long to hop over and download.

The Turtle Boy (The Timmy Quinn Series (Book One))

Available for the first time on Amazon Kindle, Kealan Patrick Burke’s Bram Stoker Award-winning coming of age story The Turtle Boy.

School is out and summer has begun. For eleven year old Timmy Quinn and his best friend Pete Marshall, the dreary town of Delaware Ohio becomes a place of magic, hidden treasure and discovery.

But on the day they encounter a strange young boy sitting on the bank of Myers Pond, a pond playground rumor says may hide turtles the size of Buicks, everything changes.

For it soon becomes apparent that dark secrets abound in the little community, secrets which come cupped in the hands of the dead, and in a heartbeat, Timmy and Pete’s summer of wonder becomes a season of terror, betrayal and murder.

EYE OF THE WITCH (Detective Marcella Witch’s Series)

Pride, paranoia and paranormal forces all conspire to derail Detective Marcella’s investigation into a series of suspicious suicides in New Castle, Massachusetts.

In this sequel to The Witch’s Ladder, Marcella learns that because of the ties that bind their pasts, every potential victim is also a possible suspect.

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Here Be Monsters – An Anthology of Monster Tales

Eight tales of vampires, werewolves, demons, zombies, and other horrors:

M.T. Murphy – Blackmail.
S.M. Reine – Something Wrong.
India Drummond – The Reaver.
Anabel Portillo – Lux.
Jeremy C. Shipp – Figs.
Samantha Anderson – Deals and Demons.
Sara Reinke – Periphery People.
M.T. Murphy – Spider Bag.

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To Read or Not to Read

‘To Read or Not to Read’ is a short story by Vincent Hobbes. It was first published in ‘The Endlands’ (Jan. 2011)

Gunter von Strauss owns a small bookstore. He carries something for everyone’s taste.

He also carefully inspects each book, making sure they are safe to read.

Who knew that choosing the wrong book could carry such a consequence.

Cover Reveal: Ectostorm by Scott A. Johnson

Scott A. Johnson has recently revealed the cover for his latest book, Ectostorm, Book Three of the Stanley Cooper Chronicles.

As if dying and then coming back with the ability to see the dead wasn’t rough enough, the newest book in the series has Stanley encountering a serial killer that targets people who have come back from the dead. Stanley thinks he knows who the killer is, but that knowledge won’t do him any good if the demons succeed in killing him to keep him from falling into the hands of the killer.

The cover for Ectostorm follows the trend of the previous books in the series, Vermin and Pages, with an astonished Stanley taking center stage with only a portion of his face showing. While they don’t really provoke any chills or thrills, I can’t help but like the almost cartoonish atmosphere displayed in the artwork.

What I find especially interesting about this particular book is that it shows how powerful and helpful a writer’s fans can be because Ectostorm was funded by Johnson’s fans through Kickstarter, and I think that’s totally awesome.

The book isn’t available yet, but I’ll let you know as soon as a release date is scheduled.

You can find out more about the author at his blog.