New Release: Alone by Kate L. Mary - Excerpt & Giveaway

Alone

by Kate L. Mary

Genre: YA Post-Apocalyptic/Zombie/Romance
Release Date: March 29th 2016


Summary from Goodreads:

A zombie novel.

For the past two years, Jules has floated through life.

When the virus was released it changed everything about the world. Jules lost her mom and her home, forcing her to live with the father she barely knows. Now, even as society works to rebuild, Jules still feels like she doesn’t quite fit in.

Then she meets Roman.

Even before the zombies, he only had himself to depend on. Brooding and rebellious, Roman isn’t anyone Jules would have pictured herself with before the zombies came. But now she finds herself willing to give up everything to be with him.

The attraction is too strong for either one of them to ignore, but Roman and Jules soon discover that the uncertainty of their new world extends much farther than just the zombies. When disaster strikes, Roman must race against the most terrifying clock imaginable to save Jules, or once again end up alone.

Buy Links:

Amazon

Excerpt:

I’m still grinning when we step outside. The wooden porch sags beneath my feet, feeling a little less than sturdy, but that isn’t what makes my heart almost stop. My smile melts away and my feet stop moving, and within seconds I’m shaking like a leaf.

There are three zombies in the yard. Three of them. I haven’t come this close to one since the first few months of the outbreak, and now there are three.

Roman steps in front of me and shoves the shoebox into my hands as he pulls his knife out, all in one fluid movement. “It’s okay.”

It doesn’t feel okay. It feels the complete opposite of okay.

Roman steps off the porch, and one of the zombies spots him right away. The thing groans and moves toward him, chomping his mouth. Gray skin stretches across his face, and the deep gashes that cut across the decaying flesh ooze with black goo. Thankfully, the other two creatures are facing the other way and haven’t caught wind of us yet.

Roman doesn’t seem afraid in the slightest as he walks toward the dead man. His knife is held firmly in his hand, but he’s steady. Sure of himself as he walks in a big arc around the zombie. He was right. They are slow. But it’s still terrifying, and I’m still shaking, gripping the box of batteries so hard the cardboard bows under the pressure. Just as Roman reaches the back of the first zombie, the other two notice him and head his way. My heart jumps to my throat and I reach out like I’m trying to stop them, but no sound comes out when I move my lips.

I try again, and this time his name comes out like a strangled cry. “Roman!”

He smiles like all of this is nothing, then drives his knife into the back of the first zombie’s skull. The thing drops to the ground, and Roman spins to face the others. He charges the second one, a sad-looking woman whose nightgown is stained and tattered, her gray skin barely clinging to her bones. Roman dodges her arms and loops around her back, then jabs his knife into her skull just like he did with the first one.

Two down, but my heart is still pounding wildly.

The third one is so tall that Roman’s head only goes up to the zombie’s shoulders. Next to him, Roman looks like a child. Even worse than his size is the fact that he seems to be faster than the other two. Less decomposed, even, like he’s just recently died.

Roman circles him, but the zombie spins too. His hands reach out to grab Roman, but Roman ducks out of the way. His face tenses, and his eyes dart over to me. I watch, frozen in terror from my place on the porch as Roman tries to get behind the zombie again. He could stab him in a different location, but with as tall as the decaying man is, it wouldn’t be safe. Only no matter how many times Roman tries to get behind the corpse, it doesn’t work. The thing is too fast and too hungry. Determined.

About the Author

Award-winning author of WHEN WE WERE HUMAN and the Amazon best-selling BROKEN WORLD series, Kate L. Mary writes everything from post-apocalyptic tales of the undead to new adult contemporary romance. A mother of four and an Air Force wife, her days are divided between keeping her household in order and creating new worlds for readers to get lost in.

Author Links:

   

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Alone

by Kate L. Mary

Giveaway ends April 07, 2016.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

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The Stone Legacy Series by Theresa DaLayne

The Stone Legacy Series Blitz

by Theresa DaLayne

Read it for FREE with Amazon PRIME!

Zombie Apocalypse- Who would you want to team up with? With Theresa DaLayne

Ahhh, the Zombie Apocalypse. It’s a favorite subject of conversation among me and my friends, in my house, and oh, just while I’m sitting by myself, plotting my own survival plan.

The fact is, if you can prepare for zombies, you’re prepared for just about anything. And I give a lot of thought as to whom I’d bring into my “group.” Yeah, if Rick were here, I’d be the new Maggie. Don’t get me wrong, Michonne is kick-ass in so many ways, but I don’t know how to swing a sword, and she rocks those dreads way better than I ever could—so Maggie it is.

But aside from the fearless leader and myself, who else would I hand pick to trust with my life? And I’m talking real-life people. Friends and family. Who would I take, and who would I trip on the way out?

plays a role, and each role is equally important to keep the machine running, right?

I have a friend named Heather, who I’d definitely bring along. She can grow anything. Seriously. Anything. Her passion is identifying fungi and pruning wilted leaves from otherwise thriving plants. Once she gave me a Sex Ed lesson in the male and female flowers on her cucumber vine. Awkward, but interesting. So Heather, in.

My friend, Karen, knows almost nothing about plants, and cried when I took her horse back riding for her birthday. Not out of joy, mind you, but because she’d never touched a horse in her life and was terrified. She claims she would be vital for comic relief, but F-that. Comic relief won’t stab a zombie in the temple. But she is from New York and can throw a pretty mean right hook, so I figure her surly nature would make her a pretty good zombie slayer—whether she knows it or not. Karen, in.

My husband—of course—because not only is he pretty talented with a handgun, strong, and smart, but I could picture him being second in command. He knows people and can sniff out a threat from a mile away. Plus I’ll surely need a good snuggle when I come to the realization the world has gone to hell in a hand basket. Husband, in.

Lets just get my mom in there, too. Not only can she make a meal out of anything, but she’s my mom, so…can’t really leave her behind. Mom, in.

Speaking of relatives, my sister—who lives in Canada—would be an amazing addition. The only problem is, I’d have to get to her first. With no planes and limited car accessibility with cluttered highways and no gasoline, that would be a challenge. But her husband is totally into survival stuff, loves to camp, and I’m pretty sure would gnaw on a stiff squirrel if there was nothing else to eat. Plus, I may not step into the shoes of Michonne well, but my sister would rock a ninja sword with just a little practice. Sister, in. (And her husband in, too. He could be our tracker and survivalist.)

Education is important, even when the world has ended. I’d still want my kids to know how to read and write, so I’d definitely bring my friend, Zubaidah, who is a teacher. She’s also really strong and most likely has a zombie-killing beast laying dormant inside her somewhere. I could see her taking down walkers with a buck knife and zip line. Zubaidah, in.

Now that the group is getting bigger, I have to start being choosy about who I let in. We have a lot of who we need already. My question for you is, would YOU qualify to be in my group? Tell me why, and I may add your name to the list…

GIVEAWAY!

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Book 1, Mayan Blood

Their empires have fallen, but their mythology lives on…

Zanya Coreandero is a seventeen-year-old orphan with only a single friend and no hope for a normal life. Diagnosed with anxiety and night terrors, no one believes her cuts and bruises are a result of an evil entity, and not a brutal case of self-harm. With the only home she’s ever known being the isolated institution—where breakfast is a handful of medications, the psychiatry sessions are mandatory, and her every move is watched—the only relief is her red-haired roommate named Tara, who’s more like a little sister than her best friend.

Free will is strong, but destiny is stronger… When Zanya is kidnapped, she meets a group of gifted Mayan descendants, each with a unique ability. Gone from a nameless castaway to the only hope of mankind, Zanya is forced to make a grueling decision: bond with an enchanted stone and save humanity from rising underworld forces, or watch helplessly as Earth falls victim to a familiar dark deity from her dreams. This time, he’s playing for keeps.

A wicked secret hides behind a handsome face… When Arwan, a dark-eyed timebender, takes interest in Zanya's mission, it's unclear if his intention is to help, or if he's on a hell-bent mission for revenge. Wary of falling for another guy with major secrets and a tainted past, Zanya fights to keep her distance. If only her heart gave her a choice.

READ EXCERPT ON AMAZON

Book 2, Interlude

Tara may have spent years in an asylum, but that doesn’t make her crazy–just fearless.

Dropped in Moscow with a the group of enchanted Mayan descendants, seventeen-year-old Tara is forced to wait on the sideline while her best friend—the Stone Guardian— battles to reclaim a friend’s soul trapped in the underworld.

It sucks being ordinary when everyone else is superhuman… A mortal girl with a tainted past, Tara is left to deal with an overwhelming sense of inadequacy. Her boyfriend, Peter, is a healer. Her best friend is The Guardian, and everyone else is a powerhouse of awesome strengths. Meanwhile, she struggles to leave her childhood of abuse in the past, and while Peter picks her up every time she falls, it becomes clear he deserves better.

When they opened Pandora’s Box, hell came pouring out… When she’s given a chance to aid in the group’s mission, Tara is eager to pull her own weight, even if it means uncovering buried memories of being held prisoner by the underworld general. Now haunted with flashbacks of torture, Tara wanders from the safety of Peter’s arms into a city of depravity and corruption. And amidst all this evil is a young man with an agenda of his own, who leads her down a road that will either prove she is a hero at heart, or drag her into a world she’s always feared. He wants revenge, she wants redemption. And in an underground ring of missing girls and bloody sacrifices, only the fearless can survive…

Book 3, Lights of Aurora

After living her entire life in an orphan asylum, Zanya fears she may actually be losing her mind.

Following the discovery of her ancient Maya bloodlines, eighteen-year-old Zanya Coreandero is faced with a daunting responsibility. She must protect the relic stone while Sarian, the underworld general, ceaselessly drives her to the brink of insanity.

With the approach of an ancient bonding ceremony, Zanya struggles to control her abilities—and her desires… As the winter solstice approaches, it brings an onslaught of unexpected side effects. While Zanya struggles to seize control over her supercharged powers, she must also face an overwhelming suspicion that her boyfriend, Arwan, is hiding a secret so dark it could destroy them both. And with her powers finally taking root, the struggle to pace their relationship takes on a life of its own.

Just when she thought life couldn’t get more complicated… With the arrival of a surprise houseguest, Zanya’s deepest fears about Arwan are confirmed. And when middleworld deities intercede, the group of gifted Maya descendants are confronted with hardships they never saw coming—including an enemy more deadly than they have ever faced. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. And when that woman has no soul and a taste for revenge, they will need the powers of every surviving ancestor simply to stay alive.

ENTIRE FIVE-BOOK SERIES COMPLETE IN APRIL 2016!

WATCH THE BOOK TEASER HERE

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A long-time enthusiast of things that go bump in the night, Theresa began her writing career as a journalism intern—possibly the least creative writing field out there. After her first semester at a local newspaper, she washed her hands of press releases and feature articles to delve into the whimsical world of fiction.

 

Since then, Theresa has been married, had three terrific kids, moved to central Ohio, and has been repeatedly guilt-tripped into adopting a menagerie of animals that are now members of the family. But don’t be fooled by her domesticated appearance. Her greatest love is travel. Having traveled to over a dozen countries—not to mention an extended seven-year stay in Kodiak, Alaska—she is anything but settled down. Wherever life brings her, Theresa will continue to weave tales of adventure and love with the hope her stories will bring joy and inspiration to her readers.

WEBSITE * FACEBOOK * TWITTER * INSTAGRAM *

NEWSLETTER * GOODREADS * MAIL

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New Release Alert: Life After the Undead by Pembroke Sinclair - Guest Post + Giveaway

I'd like to welcome Pembroke Sinclair to the blog today to talk about her new novel, Life After the Undead.

Behind the Story: Life After the Undead

By Pembroke Sinclair

I am fascinated with zombies—obsessed, if you will—and I have been since the first time I watched Night of the Living Dead many, many years ago. When I get really stressed out, I often dream of the undead and have to find ways to fight against them. That is where the inspiration for Life After the Undead came from.

The dream occurred several years ago, and while I don’t remember the exact details, I recall that my spouse and I were hiding in a small town while all of the zombies were migrating through. They were heading West so the humidity didn’t cause them to deteriorate faster. I woke up and thought, “Hey, that’s a great idea!”  So I fleshed out the story.

It started out as a short story focusing on one small snippet in time. That story was published somewhere (I can’t remember and it’s no longer linked on my blog), and then I decided to expand it into a novel.

The first attempt was an adult novel. I’m fairly certain there were some cuss words in it and a bit more carnage. I decided to send out queries for the story to agents. For the first round, I sent it to 31 agents, all of which rejected it, except one who suggested I turn it into a young adult novel and then resubmit.

So I did. This required me to clean up the language a bit, take out some of the gore (although it still has its fair share), and make my main character a bit more naïve. I believe I also changed it from third person to first person. I sent it back in, feeling pretty good, and then she rejected it. But that didn’t discourage me. I sent it out again as a young adult novel.

For the second round, I queried 28 agents, all of whom rejected it. After that, I sent it to a few indie publishers, and one of them picked it up. I met a book cover designer online who painted (honest to goodness painted!) covers, so I commissioned him to create the cover.

The way the deal worked was that he would send the cover idea, then it was up to the publishing company to put on the title and my byline, which they did. The artist was then free to sell the original painting, which he did. However, I decided that I liked it so much I wanted one for my collection, so I asked him to create me another with my title and byline on it. It wasn’t something he normally did, but he did it for me. The painting proudly hangs in my house.

Life After the Undead is one of my favorite stories. One of the things I like so much about zombies is that they allow me to explore the question of what it means to be human. That’s a theme that runs through a lot of my books. Plus, I just really like zombies.

As the years went by, I wanted to breathe some life back into the story (pun intended), so I decided to republish with another publishing house. This allowed me to go back and make edits, expand the story and take out some things that bothered me, and I got a new cover.

It was a lot of fun to go back and reread the story and make changes. I’m feeling pretty good about the story, and I think it’s closer to my vision of how I originally imagined it. Every time I reread it, I find a new aspect that makes me enjoy the story all over again. I would have imagined that after all this time and changes the story would get old, but it hasn’t. It’s still one of my favorites.

 Life After the Undead

Pembroke Sinclair

YA Post-Apocalyptic Zombies
Booktrope Publishing
October 27, 2015

Amazon | Goodreads

Seventeen-year-old Krista must quickly figure out how she’s going to survive in the zombie-destroyed world. The one advantage humans have is that the zombies hate humid environments, so they’re migrating west to escape its deteriorating effects. The survivors plan to construct a wall at North Platte to keep the undead out, and Krista has come to Nebraska to start a new life.

Zombies aren’t the only creatures she has to be cautious of—the other survivors have a dark side. Krista must fight not only to live but also to defend everything she holds dear—her country, her freedom, and ultimately, those she loves.

Join Krista in her quest to survive in this thrilling apocalyptic novel by Pembroke Sinclair.


About the Author

Jessica Robinson is an editor by day and a zombie-killer by night (at least in her books). Since the first time she watched Night of the Living Dead, she has been obsessed with zombies and often thinks of ways to survive the uprising. In addition to her nonfiction book, under the pen name Pembroke Sinclair, she has written YA novels about zombies and the tough teens who survive the apocalyptic world. She has also written nonfiction stories for Serial Killer Magazine and published a book about slasher films called Life Lessons from Slasher Films.

You can learn more about Pembroke Sinclair by visiting her at:
http://pembrokesinclair.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/jessicarobinsonauthor
https://twitter.com/PembrokeSinclai
https://plus.google.com/102808614523341154478/posts
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3522214.Pembroke_Sinclair

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Review: Ella the Slayer by A.W. Exley - Giveaway

Welcome to my tour stop for Ella, the Slayer by A.W. Exley. Ella, the Slayer is an Edwardian retelling of Cinderella with an undead problem. It is an upper young adult novel. The tour runs August 10-21 with reviews only. Check out the tour page for more information.

About the Book:

The flu pandemic of 1918 took millions of souls within a few short weeks.
Except it wasn't flu and death gave them back.

Seventeen-year-old Ella copes the best she can; caring for her war-injured father, scrubbing the floors, and slaying the undead that attack the locals. ‘Vermin’ they're called, like rats they spread pestilence with their bite. Ella's world collides with another when she nearly decapitates a handsome stranger, who is very much alive.

Seth deMage, the new Duke of Leithfield, has returned to his ancestral home with a mission from the War Office — to control the plague of vermin in rural Somerset. He needs help; he just didn't expect to find it in a katana-wielding scullery maid.

Working alongside Seth blurs the line between their positions, and Ella glimpses a future she never dreamed was possible. But in overstepping society's boundaries, Ella could lose everything – home, head and her heart…

Goodreads | Amazon | iTunes | Kobo | B&N | Scribd

Review: I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review

Ella the Slayer was a fun twist on the Cinderella fairy tale. Cinderella was never one of my favorites because as a character, she's rather weak. Ella isn't weak-- a definite improvement in my opinion. Add in zombies and you have all the makings for an imaginative retelling.

Ella was a well-written, strong character. Not only did she wait hand and foot on her stepmother and two stepsisters, but she also patroled her land, slaying any undead who make it past the perimeter fence with her trusty katana. And she did it with a good attitude. Ella had good friends, namely Alice and Henry who helped make her a decent person.

The romance between Ella and Seth, the new duke, was slow to build. No insta-love here, though Ella is attracted to him from the start. I thought the story moved along a tad slow, especially the beginning. But it is a rather short story and things picked up quickly. I enjoyed the budding relationship between Ella and Seth.

The ending-- well, I wasn't a huge fan. It was left somewhat open-ended, perhaps for a sequel? I also was at odds with the way some things turned out- but of course that's just my feelings. My favorite thing about this story was the imagination present throughout. It was definitely a fun retelling-- I think it may be true that zombies make everything better :)

About the Author:

Books and writing have always been an enormous part of A.W. Exley’s life. She survived school by hiding out in the library, with several thousand fictional characters for company. At university, she overcame the boredom of studying accountancy by squeezing in Egyptology papers and learning to read hieroglyphics. Today, Anita writes steampunk novels with a sexy edge and an Egyptian twist. She lives in rural New Zealand surrounded by an assortment of weird and wonderful equines, felines, canine and homicidal chickens.

Website | Twitter @AWExley | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest

GIVEAWAY:

$50 Amazon Gift Card

Signed paperback of Ella, the Slayer by A.W. Exley

Open Worldwide

Ends August 26th

Prizing is provided by the author, hosts are in no way responsible.

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Horror Business by Ryan Craig Bradford - Review & Giveaway

Horror Business

Ryan Craig Bradford

Horror
Month9Books
February 2015

Amazon | Goodreads

Armed with a passion for classic B-grade horror movies, a script co-written by his twin brother, and a wicked crush on his death-obsessed neighbor; hardcore horror fan Jason Nightshade must finish his student film.

But his plans are derailed when the children of suburban Silver Creek start disappearing – his twin brother among them. Battling a possessed video camera, a crazy zombie dog, a monstrous bully, and a frighteningly broken down family life, Jason embarks on a mission to find his lost brother so the two can write an ending for his story.

As any horror fan knows, saving the day won’t be easy, as Jason finds himself forced to face the real world where death isn’t just a splash of fake blood on a camera lens.

My Review: I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Unique, entertaining, and scary at times, Horror Business is a nonstop rollercoaster ride. Once I started, I simply had to know what happened to the missing kids. The pacing is lightning-fast, never a dull moment or time to rest.

Funny thing is, I'm not really sure what happened in the novel. Sure I finished it, but the horror that visited Jason's town was elusive and strange. Elements from different aspects of horror pervade the story-- zombies, ghosts, all the things that go bump in the night. There are some scenes that are downright spine-tingling. Have I mentioned that I don't spook easily?

The protagonists are young teenagers and the story reads like YA, but the subject matter and language are more appropriate for an older reading crowd. I loved the fast pace, characters Ally and Jason, as well as the melding of the making of a horror film with real life horror. The confusion I was left with upon finishing the novel wasn't so great. I guess I was looking for more in the way of closure or explanation.

I recommend Horror Business for those who enjoy edge-of-your-seat horror mixed with mystery. Throw in a zombie dog, and it just makes everything more fun. Yep, Brock, the zombie dog, was my favorite character.

About the Author

Ryan grew up in Park City, Utah. His fiction has appeared in Quarterly West, Paper Darts, Vice, Monkeybicycle and [PANK]. He currently lives in San Diego where he acts as Creative Director for the nonprofit literary arts organization So Say We All. He’s the co-editor of the anthology Last Night on Earth and founder of the literary horror journal, Black Candies.

Connect with the Author:  Website | Twitter 

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Blog Tour: Undead Obsessed by Jessica Robinson - Guest Post & Review

Undead Obsessed
Finding Meaning in Zombies

Jessica Robinson

Nonfiction/Pop Culture
Publisher: Booktrope
October 31, 2014
Cover Artist: Greg Simanson

Amazon

Jessica Robinson's obsession with zombie films started when she was in junior high. Horror films are a great lens to examine concerns society has about modern science. Let’s face it, when it comes to horror movies, science has a bad reputation. Blind ambition, experimental serums, and genetic experiments are often blamed for the giant monster terrorizing the city or the reason aliens are taking human prisoners or the cause of the dead rising from the grave to consume living flesh.

Using film, literature, and interviews with experts, Robinson examines how zombies portray real-world fears such as epidemics, mind control, what may or may not exist in space, the repercussions of playing God, and the science behind the fears. Robinson's goal is to explore how zombies become a metaphor for our fears of science and what could happen if science gets out of hand.

Guest Post by Jessica Robinson

Surviving the Apocalypse

The best defense against zombies is avoidance, and doing the opposite of everything I have ever seen in a zombie films.  After the apocalypse, I’m going to become a hermit, allowing no one but my family and close friends into my shelter—assuming they haven’t been bitten.  Everyone else will be shot on sight. 

However, once I find shelter, I’m not going to board up the windows and doors.  According to Night of the Living Dead, that’s an incredibly ineffective way to keep the creatures out.  Plus, I wouldn’t be able to see anything coming.  No, I’ll probably just booby trap the land around my house—maybe dig some holes, put out some bear traps and snares, or other things to entangle zombies.  I wouldn’t even have to camouflage them.  The zombies wouldn’t know what they are.  After the creatures are trapped, I will dispatch them at my leisure.

I also plan on avoiding other humans at all costs.  Again, in pretty much every zombie film you watch and The Walking Dead TV series, they are just as dangerous—if not more so—than the undead.  With zombies, you at least know that they want to kill you and eat you.  The humans, their motives are a bit more covert.  Best to avoid them all together.

I’m also going to make sure I have a bunch of supplies stockpiled in a safe place.  In any zombie film you watch, attempting to get supplies from the store opens you up to a slew of attacks—from both the undead and the living. 

Stay alert, stay alive.

My Review: I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review

Undead Obsessed is an interesting, in-depth look into zombies in popular culture. I admit, I'm a huge zombie fan, find everything about them fascinating. In this book, Ms. Robinson takes the reader on a journey to learn about all aspects of zombies, from science to religion to outer space.

Many zombie movies and books are discussed in depth to the point that even if you haven't seen them, you won't be lost. The author also takes a look at the popular TV show, The Walking Dead.

Ms. Robinson really did an impressive amount of research in the creation of this non-fiction book. I enjoyed her trip to the water treatment plant and the veterinary center. Undead Obsessed is well-written and engaging. It read like an intimate conversation with the author. I really enjoyed this book, though I will admit there were a few sections that I skimmed through just because I got a tad tired of the long film recaps.

If you like zombies, then this is a must-read. If you want to learn about zombies, again a must-read. If you want to survive a zombie apocalypse... well you have a lot of planning to do...

About the Author

Jessica Robinson is an editor by day and a zombie-killer by night (at least in her books). Since the first time she watched Night of the Living Dead, she has been obsessed with zombies and often thinks of ways to survive the uprising. In addition to her nonfiction book, under the pen name Pembroke Sinclair, she has written YA novels about zombies and the tough teens who survive the apocalyptic world. She has also written nonfiction stories for Serial Killer Magazine and published a book about slasher films called Life Lessons from Slasher Films.

You can learn more about Jessica by visiting her at http://pembrokesinclair.blogspot.com/ 

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3522214.Pembroke_Sinclair 
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pembroke.sinclair

Calling all Zombie Apocalypse Fans!

You know you've thought about it.  You know you've planned it out. How would you survive the zombie apocalypse?  I’m un-dying to know!  Send your essays (500 words or less) or videos to pembrokesinclair[@]hotmail[.]com or use the contact form at www.pembrokesinclair.blogspot.com .  Please don’t send attachments.  I won’t open them.  Please paste your story or link directly in the body of the email or the contact form.  Thanks! 

Terms:  Sending your stories/videos to Pembroke Sinclair/Jessica Robinson gives her permission to post them on her blog, Twitter, Facebook, or any other social media sites (including, but not limited to, Google+, Goodreads, etc.).  You retain copyright, but give her permission to share with others for no compensation.  This is totally voluntary on your part.

You warrant that you are the sole owner of the work or have been assigned exclusive rights to the work; that the work is original and that no part was taken from or based on any other literary, dramatic, or musical material, or from an film or graphic arts, except identified in writing by author; that the work does not contain any material of libelous, pornographic, or obscene nature.

You agree to hold Pembroke Sinclair/Jessica Robinson harmless and indemnify her against any claim, demand, action, suit, proceeding, or any expense whatsoever arising from claims of infringement of copyright or proprietary right, or claims of libel, obscenity, invasion of privacy, or any other unlawfulness based upon or arising from the publication or any matter pertaining to the work.

Submission of your work means you agree to these terms.  Pembroke Sinclair/Jessica Robinson reserves the right to decide what will be published on her blog and other social media sites and has the right to refuse any work.

Cover Reveal: Skateboard Xombies by Ace Antonio Hall - Excerpt & Giveaway

Welcome to the cover reveal for YA horror novel Skateboard Xombies: Search for the Crystal Coffin. This is the first book in a five-part series of Kindle singles.

Skateboard Xombies:

Search for the Crystal Coffin

Ace Antonio Hall

YA Horror

On a normal school day in Lunyon Canyon, California, teenage necromancer, Sylva Fleischer, bickers with her teacher in class over an unfairly graded paper. But when the principal announces that all teachers should lock their door and not let any students leave class, the entire school is trapped in a world of terrifying zombies that not only bite with their teeth, they bite with their minds.

Since all life on Earth faces extinction at the hands of the perilous undead, a guardian of a secret society of vampire monks saves Sylva, her friend, Half-Pipe and her family, and lead them to an alternate world. And that's when the real terror begins ... on a planet full of every imaginable type of undead creature that ever lived ... Including those telekinetic zombies!

Praise for Ace Antonio Hall and Confessions of Sylva Slasher: 

"As I say on the front cover … A treat for Buffy fans–but 100% Ace Antonio Hall's own twisted vision. Breathes new life into the living dead; run, don't shamble to get a copy." 

–Nebula and Hugo Award-winning author, Robert J. Sawyer

“In a vast sea of zombie tales, Hall's tale is more than a cut above. He brings the entire genre to heel and treats us to one Hell of a ride.”

—Art Holcomb, Editor-in-Chief, Andromeda Entertainment

Excerpt

ONE WAY OR ANOTHER (teenage kicks)

HoloBleet - @sylvaslasher. Entry 526: I still dream about my sorta-kinda ex, Brandon. Even though he's dead, his words live on in my heart. This is what he said to me: “You see, it was like my soul was suddenly driven with the sole purpose to branch out of my body and touch yours. I don’t know, it probably sounds stupid to you, but I swear it was like our spirits were made in heaven. Yeah, as one entity and somehow when they came down to Earth, were separated until that first moment our eyes met—mine and those precious silver eyes. That day my whole life made sense.”

I woke up wishing dreams never ended. #RIPBrandon

601 ReBleets, 11,493 Followers

Monday Morning, 7:52

“IT'S KIND OF LIKE THE HUNGER GAMES,” I said, as the morning sun slept lazily behind the dark storm clouds, “except instead of the survivor winning a chance to live, they earn a chance to die.”

“Sylva, whoever invented those bloodthirsty games are crazy,” Half-Pipe said, looking back at me with a dubious smirk, “I don't care how you twist it, the Blood Bowl sounds major morbid.”

Katja Andersdotter, known to everyone as Half-Pipe, was the most opinionated person I knew. She got her name because one day her father beat her with a broken sink pipe after his routine field trip to the all-night bar. He started calling her that ever since just to see her cringe. She was out of school for two whole weeks that day he put her in the hospital and the next time I saw her, she was a vampire, or so 

I thought. I'll explain what I mean by that later.

Half-Pipe zipped backwards toward the high school steps on her kickglider and spun the hovering skateboard into a killer switch front blunt trick. Her kickglider did an air-grind down the rail to the bottom of steps and she abruptly stopped throwing one foot down, the other foot hovering four inches above the ground on her board.

Most people think her name's Half-Pipe because she's so good doing skateboard tricks on the half-pipe ramps. I know better. She likes the name, now; says it gives her strength.

“You finally nailed the landing,” I said, smiling.

“What are you talking about, Sylva?” Half-Pipe said. “I nailed it just last week.”

“When? I don't remember.”

“You weren't there—you kept blowing me off, working on that cosmology paper for our necromancy class. I nailed it right outside Ohana Gardens all by my lonesome with no one to distract me.”

“Then that doesn't count if no one saw it.”

“Does, too.”

“Whatever.”

Wanting to outdo Half-Pipe, I pushed my kickglider out in front of me, flipping the board three-hundred and sixty degrees to do a heel flip and ollied (jumped hands-free) over the fourteen steps. While in the air, I decided to grab the tail of the board with both hands, blindly reaching behind my back with my front hand. Upon landing, I swooshed to a ninety-degree stop beneath our holographic school sign, which hovered ten feet above my head, reminding parents about a Tuesday P.T.A. Meeting, red neon lights flashing against the gray skies.

“That's was pretty gnarly,” Half-Pipe said. “No one does a Bloody Dracula better than the one and only Sylva Fleischer!”

I pulled my shades out of the side of my backpack and slipped them on. “You weren't too shabby, yourself,” I said, and skated off alongside our football stadium toward the main building. I loved seing the blue turf on our football field. Grass looks so better blue, than green, I thought.

Half-Pipe caught up with me. “Did you tell your mom yet that you're quitting raising the dead?”

“Nope.”

“Well, I'm glad Emily taught me everything she knows about preparing the grave and stuff. I'll be able to help out when you're gone. But ... who would do the raising? No one else in the Ohana is a necromancer.”

I didn't say anything—didn't care as long as it wasn't me.

“Then,” Half-Pipe began, “you didn't tell her you were moving out and getting your own place, either, huh?”

I shook my head. “Can't ever find the right time to do it.”

“Why move out when you have everything you want at home with your family? They love you, and never treat you mean. I wish I had it that good.”

“They don't pay attention to me when I'm home. Trust me, they're not going to miss me. Besides, I know that once I'm on my own, this void inside of me will be filled. Something's missing, and I think I need to be more independent to find out what it is.”

“Why quit raising the dead? You're so good at it. Is it because of what happened to you at the D.T.'s?”

“I don't want to talk about it,” I said, and sped up. 

About the Author

Ace Antonio Hall is an actor, former music producer, and ‘retired’ educator with accolades as a Director of Education for the Sylvan Learning Center and nearly fifteen years experience as an award-winning NYC English teacher. He has a BFA degree with a concentration in screenwriting and has published poetry, short stories and fiction in magazines, anthologies, newspapers and novels.

Inspired by his father, Chris Acemandese Hall, who penned the lyrics to the Miles Davis jazz classic, “So What”, sung by Eddie Jefferson, and his sister, Carol Lynn Brown, who guest starred in the 1970’s film, “Velvet Smooth”, Ace spawned his creativity into developing the beloved but flawed teen character, Sylva Slasher.

Ace was the Vice President of the Greater Los Angeles Writers Society (2009-2011), and continues to head the Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror (ScHoFan) Critique Group as Co-Director of critique groups within the society. He is also a member of LASFS and the International Thriller Writers.

On April 14, 2013, Montag Press published his YA zombie novel Confessions of Sylva Slasher. His next release, Skateboard Xombies, is coming out later this year, and he has already begun working on Skateboard Xamurai for the third installment in his Sylva Slasher series.

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