Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Character Interview with Jon Tanner

I’ve Been Deader Book One
By Adam Sifre
Genre: Horror/romance
Publisher: Taylor Street Publishing
Date of Publication: July 2, 2012
ISBN: 13: 978-1478180784 ASIN: B008H04Z0G
Number of pages:306
Word Count: 90,000
Cover Artist:Tim Hewtson

Book Description: Being a zombie is no picnic and it's one hell of a handicap in the romance department when you fall in love with a 'breather': Aleta is a breather with short blonde hair and brown eyes - two of them! - and the whitest smile Fred has ever seen. Every day at a certain time she sits at her window, and every day he stands in the rubble across the street among a crowd of zombies waiting to break through the fence and eat her. 'You are beautiful, like an angel', he thinks, but all he can moan is, “Braaaiiinss." Still, as zombies go, Fred's quite a catch. Underneath all the gangrene and rot, Fred is different. This girl will probably turn out to be yet another dead end, an infatuation, someone whose image he cannot get out of his mind and whose taste he cannot get out of his mouth, but the heart wants what the heart wants. For breathers, it is always only a matter of time, however beautiful they are and whatever the government is assuring people. Which makes Fred sad because he has a beautiful 11 year old son called Timmy, and Timmy may still be alive.

Character Interview with Jon Tanner

Hiya!

My name is Jon Tanner, and I am what passes for the hero in “I’ve Been Deader.” I mean, it’s between me and a middle aged zombie so I guess you could say the fix was in. I’m in my late thirties, classically handsome and, according to some (may the rest in peace), a psychopath.

Yes, I’ve had my share of bad relationships with the dear departed. I may have abandoned the odd child or two to their certain demise. But when it comes to killing zombies, I’m the cat’s meow, baby.

Review - Escaping the Cauldron

Billy Burgess books , non-fiction

Escaping the Cauldron
By Kristine McGuire
Publisher: Charisma House
ISBN: 978-1616386979
Pub. Date: September 4, 2012
Pages: 240
Buy Links: Amazon.com

Review:

In this memoir, author Kristine McGuire tells her story about her fall from Christ, her dabble into the occult, and her new found freedom. The interest in the occult first occurred when she was a kid. She would play fortune-teller with her friends by reading each others' palms. She would drag out a clear plastic baby toy and use it as a crystal ball.

After attending a Christian college, marring a Christian man, and becoming a mother, she still had an interest in the occult even though she was still a follower of God. Kristine started reading books on witchcraft and the occult. For eight years she devoured her life into the occult, until she suddenly realized that it wasn't the life for her and she made her way back to being a Christian.

John Carpenter's Halloween (Blu-ray) Giveaway

Billy Burgess 13 Days of Halloween , giveaway

The 13 Days of Halloween event (which will feature book reviews, movie reviews, guest posts, and a few giveaways) is only a few weeks away and to celebrate I'm having a giveaway to lead up to the event. My original idea was to give away a horror Blu-ray during the event, but I wanted to make sure the winner receives the movie before Halloween.

And the Blu-ray I'm giving away is.....

Review: Troll Hunters by Michael Dahl

Billy Burgess book review ,

Set in the outskirts of a small community, a group of teens, Pablo, Zak, Thora, and Bryce, head out to the quarry to watch the Draconid meteor shower, but something strange occurs as if something came out from the depths of the quarry's water. Giant troll creatures are unleashed.

The kids take refuge at Dr. Hoo's mansion that was hidden in the woods. He is one of the few people that have known that the trolls, whom are afraid of light, were going to take over the world. The bad trolls call themselves the Gathool, whereas the good trolls go by the name Drakhool.

Review: The Twisted Window by Lois Duncan

Billy Burgess book review ,

The Twisted Window is written by the teen thriller-master, Lois Duncan. The book was original published back in 1987, but has been released onto Kindle with a few minor changes, the mention of cell phones, DVDs, etc. I've been a Lois Duncan fan every since I read I Know What You Did Last Summer (the book, not the movie) when I was a teenager, so when I saw this book up on Netgalley, I had to review it.

Tracy Lloyd had recently lost her mother, her father practically abandoned her, and she now resides in a small town with her aunt and uncle. The plot begins with a strange boy named Brad started staring at her during lunch hour at school. Brad is from Albuquerque, but he doesn't exactly go to her school. He follows her around and eventually asks her out. She thinks it is a date, but it isn't what he had in mine.

Review - Echo and the Bat Pack: Treasure in the Graveyard

Billy Burgess book review ,

Echo and the Bat Pack: Treasure in the Graveyard
By Roberto Pavanello
Translated by Marco Zeni
Illustrated by Blasco Pisapia and Pamela Brugher
Publisher: Stone Arch Books
ISBN: 978-1434242488
Pub. Date: August 1, 2012
Pages: 128
Buy Links: Amazon.com

Review:

Set in the small town of Fogyville, a bat named Echo is a novelist living in a crypt at an abandoned cemetery with a little bit of writer's block. Late one night, Echo hears the cemetery gate opening. He investigates and catches a skull face man wearing a black cloak digging up a grave. Before he could say anything, a raven begins chasing him.

In a panic, Echo flees the cemetery into the open window of the Silver kids on 13 Friday Street, who closes the shutters before the raven can get in. The siblings are: Michael, age 12, aka - a book worm, Becca, age 11, aka - loves animals, and Tyler age 10, aka - computer nerd. The kids are shocked to find the talking bat, which was raised in a library. One of Echo's wings was injured when he landed in the room, so they kids let him stay in the house until he is healed.

Review - Weirder Than Marshmallows

Billy Burgess non-fiction review ,

Weirder Than Marshmallows
By Dan Fogg
Compiled and Edited by Deborah Carney
Publisher: NightFire Publications
ASIN: B005FMC7YU
Pub. Date: August 1. 2011
Pages: 89
Buy Link: Amazon.com

I couldn't sleep last night, so I grabbed my kindle and began reading Weirder Than Marshmallows which contains a series of essays and rants by the Dan Fogg, who sadly passed away over ten years ago.

The writings are based on the author's observation of the stupidity of humanity. In the preface, Dan talks about the ingredients of marshmallows and wonders why there is blue food coloring in it. After reading the ingredients, I'm never eating a marshmallow again.

Normally I don't read essay books, but I really enjoyed reading Weirder Than Marshmallows as the author used common sense that seems to be lacking in our culture today. I've never noticed the "Not Stop on Tracks" sign at railroad tracks before, but I'll look for them the next time I cross one.