Guest Author: Drake Vaughn

The Zombie Generation by Drake Vaughn


Not long ago, a writer I enjoy declared he would never read another zombie story. That they were all filled with the same cliché characters and recycled plots. That even the post-apocalyptic landscapes had become predictable and boring. Hearing this, I immediately began to type. And The Zombie Generation was the result.


First, I knew I had to alter the zombies themselves. Of course, my undead are the same brain chomping monsters as usual, but they’re also lazy and fat. They give chase, but they’d also be content spending all day lying around in giant piles and eating trash. They’d overrun the valleys and destroyed the city of Los Angeles, but being so lazy, they had yet to make their way up into the hills. Survival is practically guaranteed in the mountains, but only single person remains.


And this one survivor, Warner, is far different than the typical zombie hunter. He isn’t a survivalist and doesn’t have a clue how to manage on his own. Nor is he a former special-ops or military man. Previous to the outbreak, he hadn’t even held a gun. Mostly because he was afraid of shooting himself. Weak and afraid, he can’t even muster up the guts to kill his undead enemies. Instead, he scares them off with noisy children’s toys. Warner’s been a big zilch his entire life, but for reasons unknown to him, he’s the only one who hasn’t transformed into a sloth-like blob.


And in an odd way, Warner has waited his whole life for this day. For a time when he could finally be the one in charge. Where any material possession is free for his taking. Where he is no longer a slave to his dead-end job. Where he can do and say whatever he please. To get up and noon and have no responsibilities. To finally be free.

But he can’t stand it. Warner loathes everything about this world.


And worse, the isolation has driven him to the brink of insanity. Plagued with vivid hallucinations and shocking nightmares, he spends day after day searching for any sign of life. Taking ever more dangerous risks to find companionship, he realizes he has been infected with the deadly disease. He begins to switch between man and beast, discovering a temporary friend with one of the vicious undead. Still, pressing ahead through these deadly transformations, he comes closer to finding a cure.


That’s when a stranger arrives, declaring she is part of a group of stranded survivors. With barely any time left before the infection overtakes him, Warner must decide between continuing his search for a cure or attempting a suicidal quest to rescue these survivors. Worst of all, he’s not certain they are even real and fears they might just be another figment of his crumbling sanity.


Most post-apocalyptic tales concentrate on the collapse of society. And The Zombie Generation certainly does that. But more than anything, it’s about the mental breakdown of the world’s final man. Oh, and it’s also filled with cool action and brain chomping beasts. I sent that author a copy and he enjoyed it. I think you will too.


Drake Vaughn is the author of “The Zombie Generation” (Dead Orb Press, 2012). He lives in Santa Monica, CA with his wife and a spunky black cat who has returned from the dead on a number of occasions.

Guest Author and Give away: Ken Hughes

How many ways could a paranormal power really change someone’s life?


Or as my writer’s group might say, how many book ideas on it could I come up with and not follow up? And they’re a forgiving crowd, no matter how opinionated I got about their own stories that might be much better than mine. But our leader (Ace Antonio, of Confessions of a Teenage Zombie Slasher fame) just kept pushing us each to set a personal schedule. Five months later I had Shadowed.


I’ve always loved paranormal stories, magic, thrills, and trying different combinations of them. At the same time, I wanted to go beyond lining up the whole tale as the struggle against a single enemy. Paranormal life shouldn’t always be that way; “normal” life certainly isn’t. But at the same time, how much could a character really have to handle?


As Shadowed’s cover says, “he can hear a whisper a block away, and can’t remember why.” And so Paul Schuman has been driven into hiding, trying to control his enhanced senses and determined not to let anyone suspect a power like his exists for them to try to exploit. He’s also searching the city for clues to what happened to him, and coming to realize he may never really know.


—That, and the roller-coaster ride the book turned into. I was working so hard to develop the different questions about the family Paul tries to leave behind, the people he helps, and what kind of life he can still have… it was a pleasant surprise when people started commenting on the chases and action as much as the mysteries. One thing you’ll find is that Paul Schuman doesn’t have all the movie-hero skills that would let him keep a step ahead of his enemies; he has only his one gift and what tricks an ordinary man has been able to piece together on his own. Fair fights would have been way too easy.


Of course, it would also have been easier for Paul if parts of his memory weren’t fighting against him, and twisting his powers when he needs them most. Or if the shaken and beautiful woman who might be his first real clue weren’t his sister-in-law.

Intrigued? You can read the opening chapter on my website, www.kenhughesauthor.com, and I hope you’ll also check out my blog there (the Unified Writing Field Theory) and keep an eye out for word about my next novel, The High Road, due out early next year.


And if you want to read more, Windward Road Press is giving away ten paperback and a hundred digital review copies of Shadowed. To enter the raffle, leave a comment with your email on my kenhughesauthor site; the giveaway ends July 21, and the winners will be announced soon after. You can also buy Shadowed at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, or order it from any local bookstore.


Good luck to you all, and thanks again to Jenai for giving me this chance to share something that’s meant a lot to me. Now if you’ll excuse me, I just left one character lying in the hospital and another floating above the city skyline…

Guest Author and Giveaway: David M. Brown

Shiver Me Timbers It’s A World Apart


June 2012 marks the release of A World Apart, the second in the Elencheran Chronicles series, full of pirates, love, magic, friendship, battles and family. I sometimes thought I would not make it this far but it’s an amazing feeling to have this second book out there. I just have time to tell you a little more before retreating to my laptop to begin my third book! Writers sadly don’t have holidays. Our imaginations won’t allow it! 


I began this venture back in 1999 with the creation of the fictitious world of Elenchera. After more than a decade of world building, including 500+ maps and 47,000 years of history, I released my first novel, Fezariu’s Epiphany, in May 2011. Though the Elencheran Chronicles deal with a fantasy world my aim has always been to do something different with the genre, to make it more accessible to a wider range of readers. Although Elenchera is a key aspect of each novel in the series, it is the characters that take precedence and not the world. Readers will still learn snippets of Elencheran history but the bulk of their time will be spent in the company of the characters.


I applied this rule with Fezariu’s Epiphany which told the story of a boy who suffers many upheavals in his young life, including the abandonment of his mother and the murder of his stepfather. Fezariu blames himself for these tragedies and eventually runs away from home. He joins the Merelax Mercenaries – Elenchera’s most prestigious hired hands. Rising through the ranks, Fezariu is born to be a mercenary but his past never lets go and when the chance to go back and learn the truth comes along he has no choice but to take it.


Fezariu’s Epiphany had a generally positive response, which was very humbling for me, and I am hoping the same will be true of A World Apart. This isn’t a sequel but a new, stand-alone novel focusing on three friends – Demetrius, Eleyna and Halcyon – who grow up together in Dove’s Meadow. In their teens they end up in a love triangle, which is only resolved when Demetrius leaves to join the army. After a decade the three friends are reunited, no longer as friends but as enemies. Demetrius is a disgraced soldier charged with hunting down a notorious pirate – the Ivory Rose. Halcyon is part of the Ivory Rose’s crew and Eleyna is the infamous pirate Captain that Demetrius must capture or kill to earn his freedom. It’s a tough dilemma but which path will Demetrius take?

A World Apart is a much longer novel than Fezariu’s Epiphany but it’s been so rewarding completing it. I have felt more confident working on this novel. I received some useful feedback for Fezariu’s Epiphany and I have applied that with this latest book. I am hopeful that A World Apart will be considered superior to Fezariu’s Epiphany, as I believe it is, but at the same time I am looking forward to further feedback, the chance to learn and develop as an author. 


One of the reasons I became an indie author in the first place is I believe that readers are the ones that ultimately decide how worthwhile a book is. Readers, writers and book bloggers are the teachers I listen to intently with every piece of writing I produce. I don’t believe it’s possible to write the perfect novel but I do believe you will only get close to that ideal by taking on board what others have to say. For me, all constructive criticism, whether positive or negative, is always welcome. I never want to stop developing as a writer and only readers can help me complete this amazing journey.

GIVE AWAY GIVE AWAY

The author is giving away an e-book copy of A World Apart and ...... $20 Amazon GC! To join the giveaway, just leave a comment with your email. Extra points will be given to those who will follow Bookingly Yours and share this post thru Facebook and Twitter with the link/s included in the comment section. Giveaway ends on July 17 and winner will be announced shortly thereafter.  GOODLUCK!!

U P D A T E   A S   O F   J U L Y  1 5 T H

The author is adding one more e-book for the giveaway and this will be extended until the 27th of July. Goodluck!