Blog of Horror Author Matt Nord

To all of you writing students out there...

2012-01-17T09:04:00.000-08:00

The best advice that I can give you is to start writing and never stop. If you think you're in a slump or are experiencing writer's block, suck it up and muscle through it! Just get some words on the page. They may really suck, but who knows? You might end up going back some day and taking an idea from that crappy phase and turning it into your magnum opus. Just don't get discouraged. I know that's easy to say, and sometimes I don't take my own advice, but I'm a parent so I'm used to doing the whole "Do as I say, not as I do" thing. Deal with it! Just kidding, but seriously. Don't give up. Queue the cheesy 1980's music. Don't you forget about me...

So Long, and Thanks for All the Brains is available on Kindle!

2012-01-05T08:34:00.000-08:00

For those of you who are into the digital books, So Long... is now available on the Kindle for $4.99. With 55 stories in the book, that's less than 10¢ a story! Eat it up, folks!

http://www.amazon.com/Long-Thanks-All-Brains-ebook/dp/B006T3L2CW/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1325781790&sr=1-1-catcorr

Happy New Year!!!

2012-01-03T10:57:00.000-08:00

What a great year 2011 was! So Long, and Thanks for All the Brains came out at the end of the year and did fantastic already! I can't wait to see what the new year brings for it!

The Collaboration of the Dead novel is still plugging away. Currently we're up to Chapter 28 out of 39, still a ways from the finish line but we've crested the top of the mountain! And it is looking fan-freaking-tastic!

2011 also saw the completion and release of There Can be Only One, the anthology containing all of the stories from the Writers' Shootout put on by Wicked East Press and the Collaboration of the Dead. I can't take too much credit for the book, though. Jessica A. Weiss did most of the work on that one, and boy does the book look great!

I think 2012 is going to be a great year! I'd like to see the novel done by the end of the year. And I'm working on another collaborative novel with Michael S. Gardner, and fantastic writer and great friend. I can't wait for you people to get to see this one! More info to come on that, but for now other than the little I've told you, it's hush hush, so SHH...

So Long, and Thanks for All the Brains is doing great on Amazon!

2011-12-22T05:03:00.000-08:00

Two great reviews and the anthology is already ranked at #84,300 in Books on the Amazon Best Sellers List! Not too shabby for only being out 8 days!

Zombies Gone Wild! anthology - New, open for submissions

2011-12-16T08:27:00.000-08:00

Zombie Gone Wild! Anthology open submissions

Email submissions to: zombiewild@gmail.com

Please put the title of your story, your first and last name, and the word count in the subject line of your email.

“Zombie Gone Wild” is a Living Dead-themed anthology. All genres of horror will be considered. Dark, disturbing, suspenseful, supernatural, gruesome, and gory are welcome. Bring out your undead! We want to see the craziest, wackiest, most out there living dead stories you can possibly think of! In fact, the more unique and bizarre, the more likely your story will get the star treatment… Well, at least it will get into the book!

Think Dead Alive, Cemetery Man, Undead, Versus, Re-Animator, Evil Dead, Return of the Living Dead III (Hello, Spinal Column Zombie?), Planet Terror

We will consider stories approximately 1000 words - 8000 words. We're leaving such a wide open word range to encourage writers to write a story until it is finished without padding your submissions with irrelevant details or chopping out important information to stay below a word maximum. Keep the story as tight, exciting and action-packed as possible. In order to satisfy those who enjoy a “quickie” horror fix, we will be accepting a limited number of flash fiction (i.e. 500 words or less) stories.

Payment for the anthology will be a digital copy of the book as well as discounted copies for purchase by the authors. While multiple submissions are allowed, please don’t send in simultaneous submissions or reprints.

DEADLINE: The deadline for this anthology is March 15^th, 2012. Expected response time is under one month after the undeadline has passed. Please don't query about the status of your submission until 30 days have passed. The projected release date will be in time to use them as stocking stuffers provided we get enough submissions!

So you're ready to submit your story to Collaboration of the Dead. We look forward to reading your work, but ask that you take a couple of minutes to familiarize yourself with our preferred submission format.

All Submitted Fiction Should Be In The Following Format:

· Send as an .rtf or .doc attachment

· Time New Roman or Courier 12 pt

· 1" Margins

· Left Justified (Align Text Left)

· No Extra Spaces Between Paragraphs

· 1/2" Tabbed Indents

· Double-spaced
· Section Breaks Marked With Centered ***
· Title half way down the first page, BYLINE/WRITING AS NAME below the title
· No Headers or Footers, No Page Numbers
· Use Italics instead of underline or _this_ or *this*
· Use "double quotation marks" instead of 'single quotation marks' for speech
· Include a short (2-4 sentence) biography, written in the third person, in your email.

Please place your contact information on the title page:

Name (and pseudonym, if applicable) Approximate Word Count
Address
Phone
Number
Email

Please Include The Following With Every Submission:

· Brief Cover Letter. A short greeting, submission TITLE and WORD COUNT. You may include a list of publication credits or any other information you would like, but it is not necessary. Also, include CONTACT INFORMATION (Your REAL NAME and EMAIL ADDRESS, at the bare minimum)

· Subject Line -- Please put ANTHOLOGY TITLE SUBMISSION: Title/Last Name/Word Count) [Example – Undead days/Jackson/6,000)].

Frequently Asked Questions about Collaboration of the Dead Anthology Submissions

Who may submit?

· Any person age 19 and older may submit to Collaboration of the Dead (19 is the legal age of majority in New York, where Collaboration of the Dead is located); authors 16-18 may submit if they provide a letter of permission from their legal guardian.

Do you only accept stories written in third person?

· First person perspective stories will be considered right along with third person. We are not looking for stories told through second person, unless you can really, reeeaaaaaallllly impress us.

What are your content standards?

· Graphic language/scenes are not discouraged as long as integral to the story. No gore-porn, hard-core porn, or anything that isn’t vital to the story. No needless cruelty to animals or children.

Do you accept Multiple Submissions?

· Yes. Unlike many anthologies out there, we are currently welcoming multiple submissions from authors, with a max of 2, please. However, understand that this does not guarantee that you will get 2 stories into the anthology.

Do you accept Simultaneous Submissions?

· No, we do not want simultaneous submissions. We try to send out rejections and/or short list notifications in a timely fashion. Please note the date of the deadline when you submit your story. As we do not make any final selections until the after the deadline has passed, it is possible we may hold on to your story for a long time. If you don't want to wait for a response, please submit your story close to the deadline.

Do you accept Reprints?

· Yes! If you have rights to the story, you can submit it and it will be considered just like the rest.

Where do I send my electronic submission?

· zombiewild@gmail.com

Can I mail you my submission? I don't have/like/want email.

· At this time we are only accepting electronic submissions. If you got to this website, you have to Internet, and if you have to Internet, you can set up an email address.

Do I get paid for my story?

· Payment is a digital copy of the anthology, discounted copies for purchase by the authors and the knowledge that you are included in a book with a bunch of other kick-ass zombiphiles!

Will you notify me that you received my submission?

· You will hear back about acceptances/rejections within 30 days of the DEADline (heh, heh, heh). If you don’t, contact us at zombiewild@gmail.com

If you have any questions feel free to email me at either email address

Now Available on CreateSpace!!!

2011-12-14T05:44:00.000-08:00

https://www.createspace.com/3681729

Now available on CreateSpace! With 55 short tales of zombie fiction plus the first 5 chapters of the upcoming Collaboration of the Dead novel,at $20 that's a lot of BANG! for your buck! You're welcome!

Full cover for So Long... and the updated ToC

2011-12-05T06:56:00.000-08:00

Remembering Human…Bint Arab

Necropolis Burning…Robert Forrester

Blissfully Ignorant…Michael C. Dick

An Undead Night to Remember…K. A. Master

Quality of Life…T. Fox Dunham

Remember Me…Kenneth E. Olson

Undead Surveillance…Jason Papke

Strange Rain and Mississippi Mud…Richard Jay Goldstein

The Secret to Survival…T. L. Barrett

Mikey…Theresa Derwin (photo by Lee Hartnup)

OCD…Joe Sherry

The Beginning of the End?...Jack Bantry

Old Louisville…Bruce L. Priddy

The Return of Dale Corby…Jonathan Wood

Troubleshooter…Gary Madden

For Audrey…Nicky Peacock

The Army of Al-Din…Douglas J. Moore

Zombies are Dead…Iain Rob Wright

Fractions…Dale Elster

Rotgut…Rebecca Snow

Complete Ignorance…Michael C. Dick

Diary of Gerhard Koblenz…T. L. Decay

The Z Word…Philip Harris

A Quiet Night, a Perfect End…Annie Neugebauer

Dry Rot…Jamal K. Luckett

The Food of Love…Marc-Anthony Taylor

Behind Glass…Michelle Ann King

Zombies Were People, Too…Suzanne Robb

Springfield…C. Douglas Birkhead

Stir-Fried Cerebrum…Anne E. Johnson

Autopsy This!...Indy McDaniel

Blood Is Thicker Than…Bryan Vogt

Deadweed Day…Paul S. Huggins

Destiny’s Secret …Stef White

Fur, Claws and Zombies…Iain Rob Wright

The Change…Jim Gadsby

The Screaming Dead…J. Rodimus Fowler

My Child Lives…Golda Mowe

She’s Waiting…Mihai Boc

Unusual Appetites…Jessica A. Weiss

Folks like Us…B.E. Scully

Rory Thompson Called Him the Gunslinger…Jack Bantry

Play by Play…Scott Lininger

Not Death, but Dying…Katie Young

Waiting for Gordon…Allen Jacoby

The du Bec MS, 1349…Kelly Evans

Mary…S. Wayne Roberts

Seven Eight One Five Four…Alyn Day

Goodnight, Sweet Revenant…R. S. Pyne

In the End, We are like our Fathers…T. L. Barrett

For the Cure…Kristal Stittle

Priorities, Priorities…Theresa Derwin

Live, and Let Them Be Undead…Pembroke Sinclair

Planes, Strains and Runaway Meals…Justin Sharples

The Unzoetic Zombies of Oz…Vince Liberato

Max...Tara Sayers

Go and buy String Bridge by Jessica Bell!

2011-11-11T05:28:00.001-08:00

Today is THE day to help Jessica Bell's debut, STRING BRIDGE, hit
the bestseller list on Amazon, and receive the all-original soundtrack, Melody Hill: On the Other Side, written and performed by the author herself, for free!

All you have to do is
purchase the book today (paperback, or eBook), November 11th, and
then email the receipt to:

jessica.carmen.bell(at)gmail(dot)com

She will
then email you a link to download the album at no extra cost!

To purchase the paperback:

Amazon USA

To purchase the eBook:

Amazon USA

Amazon UK

To listen to samples of the soundtrack, visit iTunes.

If you are
not familiar with String Bridge,
check out the book trailer:

Rave Reviews for String Bridge:

“Jessica Bell’s STRING BRIDGE strummed the fret of my
veins, thrummed my blood into a mad rush, played me taut until the final page,
yet with echoes still reverberating. A rhythmic debut with metrical tones of
heavied dark, fleeting prisms of light, and finally, a burst of joy—just as
with any good song, my hopeful heartbeat kept tempo with Bell’s narrative.” ~ Kathryn Magendie, author of Sweetie and Publishing Editor of Rose & Thorn Journal

“Poet and
musician Jessica Bell's debut novel String Bridge is a rich exploration of desire, guilt, and the
difficult balancing act of the modern woman. The writing is lyrical throughout,
seamlessly integrating setting, character and plot in a musical structure that
allows the reader to identify with Melody's growing insecurity as her world
begins to unravel … String Bridge is
a powerful debut from a promising writer, full of music, metaphor, and just a
hint of magic.” ~ Magdalena Ball, author of Repulsion
Thrust and Sleep Before Evening

“Jessica Bell is a brilliant writer
of great skill and depth. She doesn't pull back from the difficult
scenes, from conflict, pain, intensity. She puts it all out there, no holds
barred, no holding back. She knows how to craft a scene, how to develop
character, how to create suspense. This is an absolutely brilliant debut novel.
I look forward to reading her
next novel, and next and next.” ~ Karen Jones
Gowen, author of Farm Girl, Uncut Diamonds and House of Diamonds

Connect with Jessica:

String Bridge: http://www.stringbridge.com/

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/jessica_bell

Website: http://www.jessicacbell.com/

Blog: http://thealliterativeallomorph.blogspot.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/author.jessica.bell

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/MsBessieBell

Publisher: http://www.luckypress.com

Please TWEET and/or FACEBOOK this post using #StringBridge!

Official ToC for So Long, and Thanks for All the Brains!

2011-11-10T17:29:00.000-08:00

Table of Contents:

Remembering Human – Bint Arab
Necropolis Burning – Robert Forrester
Blissfully Ignorant – Michael C. Dick
An Undead Night to Remember – K. A. Masters
Quality of Life – T. Fox Dunham
Remember Me – Kenneth E. Olson
Undead Surveillance – Jason Papke
Oh, the Dreadful Wind & Rain – Richard Jay Goldstein
The Secret to Survival – T. L. Barrett
Mikey – Theresa Derwin
The Beginning of the End – Jack Bantry

Old Louisville – Bruce L. Priddy
The Return of Dale Corby – Jonathan Wood
For Audrey – Nicky Peacock
The Army of Al-Din – Douglas Moore
Zombies are Dead – Iain Rob Wright
Fractions – Dale Elster
Complete Ignorance – Michael C. Dick
Diary of Gerhard Koblenz – Trevor Smith
The Z Word – Philip Harris
A Quiet Night, a Perfect End - Annie Neugebauer
The Day Danny McAllister Decided to be a Hero – Matt Nord
Dry Rot – Jamal K. Luckett
The Food of Love – Marc-Anthony Taylor
Behind Glass – Michelle Ann King
Zombies Were People – Suzanne Robb
Springfield - C. Douglas Birkhead
Stir-Fired Cerebrum – Anne E. Johnson
Autopsy This! – Indy McDaniel

Blood is Thicker Than… - Bryan Vogt
Deadweed Day – Paul S. Huggins
Destiny’s Secret – Stef White
Fur, Claws and Zombies – Iain Rob Wright
The Screaming Dead – J. Rodimus Fowler
My Child Lives – Golda Mowe
She’s Waiting – Mihai Boc
Unusual Appetites – Jessica A. Weiss
Folks Like Us – B. E. Scully
Rory Thompson Calls him the Gunslinger – Jack Bantry
Play by Play – Scott Lininger
Not Death, but Dying – Katie Young
Waiting for Gordon – Allen Jacoby
Mary – S. Wayne Roberts
Seven Eight One Five Four – Alyn Day
Goodnight, Sweet Revenant – R. S. Pyne
In the End, We are Like our Fathers – T. L. Berrett
For the Cure – Kristal Stittle
Priorities, Priorities – Theresa Derwin
Live, and Let Them be Undead – Pembroke Sinclair
Planes, Strains and Runaway Meals – Justin Sharples
The Unzoetic Zombies of Oz – Vince Liberato
Teaser Chapters from the Collaboration of the Dead novel
Chapter 1 – Matt Nord
Chapter 2 – Todd Brown
Chpater 3 - GNBraun
Chapter 4 – Zombie Zak
Chapter 5 – Stephanie Kincaid

MIA

2011-11-02T07:14:00.000-07:00

So, I haven't really been doing anything with this blog lately. I'm not a big blogger. Usually the only writing I do is when I'm writing a story or working on one of the multiple books I've started and will probably never complete.

I've been a little discouraged lately as far as writing goes. The biggest cause of that was the total destruction of the flash drive that contained all of my writing and editing work. The stuff that I'd already submitted and whatnot wasn't a big deal, but there were things I was working on that this was the only backup I had.

It had almost happened before, but I was able to recover everything. And still I didn't learn my freaking lesson!

But, I've recovered as much as I can from older copies and sent emails. Unfortunately, some of it was just lost. Boo hoo. I had a couple things that were new, i.e. hadn't been sent to publishers or anything that may as well not have existed outside of my brain. I know I can rewrite them, but the fact that it's going to be different (and on a possibly positive note, maybe better...) still a bit disconcerting.

Oh well, you live and learn... If you're lucky... ;)

Cover art for the Collaboration of the Dead novel

2011-09-24T10:59:00.000-07:00

I am so freaking lucky to be working with some amazing artists! This is the cover art for the Collaboration of the Dead novel that will be coming out hopefully next year. The art is by Philip R. Rogers and it.. is... AWESOME!

Collabthology available in PRINT!

2011-09-01T19:06:00.000-07:00

Final cover art for So Long, and Thanks for All the Brains. Enjoy!

2011-08-27T09:51:00.001-07:00

Review of Fleshbas by Gerald RIce

2011-08-21T13:14:00.001-07:00

Fleshbags by Gerald Rice

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

View all my reviews

Once again Gerald Rice has brought us a new and unique vision for the zombie genre. I'm a fan of your regular (read Romero) zombies, that are mindless and shambling and attack random farmhouses in rural Pennsylvania, but I like things shaken up sometimes. And Rice delivers. I read 30 Second Plan and loved it. The same goes for Fleshbags. The description of the "gags" themselves... Well, I'll let you read for yourself, but it's pretty gruesome, and isn't that what you're really looking for in a zombie story? Again, my only complaint with Fleshbags, as with 30 Second Plan, was that I wanted more. There were so many strings that were left untied, so my hope is that Rice continues on with it and finishes the story. Still, the characters were believable and their development in such a short story is really impressive. Overall it's a fantastic piece of work.

Now Available: Putrid Poetry & Sickening Sketches!

2011-08-15T15:39:00.000-07:00

Check it out on Goodreads.com!

Tainted Tales & Rotten Rhymes

2011-07-19T06:47:00.000-07:00

Now available on the Kindle for $.99!

Check out this collection of some of my work. It's somethings old and somethings new. Kind of like a "Best of" album!

This anthology is chock full of stories with zombies, cannibals, zombies, killer birds, zombies, homicidal clones, zombies, evil ghosts, zombies, serial killers, zombies, murderous mermaids and, you got it, more zombies! … Oh yeah, and poems… I got a thing for horror-themed poetry, lately. Anywho…

This “Best of”-esque anthology is my further attempt to raise money or to put out the Collaboration of the Dead collaborative novel. For those who don’t know what that is, I’m kind of surprised. I’m pretty much a nobody in the writing world at this point and if you can across this and actually bought it without knowing about my forum, collaborationofthedead.lefora.com, or my other Internet outlets (where I always mention the Collab) then I really appreciate it! Maybe you’ll come back around and check out the novel when it’s done!

So, enjoy the madness that comes from my head. Bon appetit!

The Proof is in the Pudding... Hopefully

2011-07-13T05:22:00.000-07:00

Ordered a proof copy of Putrid Poetry & Sickening Sketches. Hopefully it looks as good in print as the pdf looked! This will be available soon for purchase from Amazon.com.

Enjoy the Awesomeness that is the Cover of Putrid Poetry & Sickening Sketches!

2011-07-08T11:39:00.001-07:00

Just realized I screwed up an email submission

2011-07-03T22:31:00.000-07:00

I submitted what I thought was a story a while back. I was just going back through my emails and noticed that instead of the story, I'd just attached my cover letter. The kicker is that I ended up overwriting the story with said letter. Luckily I was able to find another copy in an older email from a publisher that rejected it. The problem is that I redid the story, changed the ending and ended up adding like 600 words to it! SHIT!!! And I was wondering why I didn't hear anything back from them...

Collabthology: Kindle of the Dead is now available for only 99¢ on Kindle!!!

2011-07-02T09:45:00.000-07:00

Collabthology: Kindle of the Dead is now priced at an insanely low 99¢!!! But what did you expect? This is farmboy we’re talking about! I would truly appreciate it from the bottom of my undead heart if everyone would take to time to support me, the Collaboration of the Dead and the massive list of authors involved in it by buying a copy of it at the Amazon Kindle store. For less than the cost of a cup of coffee… you can make me a happy zombie!

Review of Patrick D'Orazio's Beyond the Dark

2011-06-30T12:31:00.001-07:00

Beyond the Dark by Patrick D'Orazio

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I’ve been following the “Dark” trilogy from the very beginning. I’ve seen the characters develop. I’ve watched as their world crumbled before them and seen how each handled it in their own different way.

The first book blew me away. I was completely taken by surprise by the quality of the writing. I suppose I shouldn’t have been. I’d read some of D’Orazio’s work, short stories, before and they had always delivered. Novels are a bit different, though. As I writer of short fiction, I can appreciate how difficult it can be to attempt to write something much longer and try to keep the reader’s attention.

And he manages to do this throughout the first, the second and now the third book. Beyond the Dark continues exactly where Into the Dark left off. There is no break in the action, either, as our protagonists/antagonists are quickly plunged into immediate danger, from each other and the living dead.

As with most good zombie fiction, in Beyond the Dark, and the Dark Trilogy as a whole, it’s obvious that while the zombies are a danger to the characters, they aren’t the “bad guys.” Honestly, they are more a force of nature… or unnature, depending on how you look at the living dead. While they may have formerly been human beings, they are no more cognizant of the pain and destruction they are causing than a forest fire or a tidal wave.

The true villains in the book are the human ones. There was a point in the second book that I felt Michael wasn’t necessarily a bad guy. There were difficult decisions that had to be made and he was the only one willing to make them. It didn’t seem like he was being cruel for cruelty’s sake, until some of his cronies. But in the third book, that changed as he completely turned on any other survivor he had contact with. I almost gave away too much, but thought better of it.

That change was a little off-putting for me. In the second book, it seemed like despite the fact that he was pretty much a wanker, he really had the best interest of the group in mind… as long as they followed his rules. Thinking on it, though, maybe it was just that power that he felt he had that kept him from being the coward he showed himself to be in this third book.

Also, Cindy is just insane. An insane bitch. Yeah, I don’t like her. Enough said about that.

A ton of people die in this book. Well, I suppose that’s relative. Usually, it’s a ton of people that die in zombie novels/stories/movies in the initial outbreak, so really what I mean is a ton of the characters that are left alive at the beginning of the book don’t make it. I won’t let on who, but let me just say that there were several where I was saying “Goddamn you, Patrick! Really?”

But as I’ve said in a lot of my reviews, if the writer can illicit an emotional response from the reader, be it sadness or anger, they have done a good job. I may not be happy with it, but that’s more like real life than “Happily Ever After…”

I liked the fact that as an epilogue we get a better look at one of the quieter characters in the series and really get a feel for them. It’s really a fitting end to the book and the Dark series… or is it the end?

View all my reviews

Starving Artist

2011-06-27T12:40:00.000-07:00

I had a major decision to make today. Should I go out to Subway and spend money on a sandwich or should I just head back to work and throw some hot water in a few packets of Cup of Soup and save the money to go toward the printing costs of the book I'm putting out. I feel like I'm sacrificing for it!

I'm being sarcastic, of course. I have no idea what sacrifice is compared to those he leave themselves behind to serve others. But hey, I'm putting out a pretty sick book of poetry and sketches!

The Alpocalypse is near!

2011-06-24T06:35:00.000-07:00

Pet Sematary - Zombie Cat - HA!

2011-06-23T10:44:00.000-07:00

Facebook is Back!

2011-06-23T05:07:00.000-07:00

I figured it out and managed to get my account back as well as keeping the one I did for my mom. Sweet!

Check out Collabthology: Kindle of the Dead!!!

2011-06-21T06:09:00.001-07:00

Collabthology is now available for a limited time on Amazon and Smashwords for $2.99! Check it out and support the Collaboration of the Dead!

Review of David Moody's Dog Blood

2011-06-20T13:24:00.000-07:00

Dog Blood by David Moody

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

There are several things about zombie novels and movies that are disturbing. The thought of the dead rising and feasting on the flesh of the living. The idea of something that used to be a friend our loved one becoming and mindless, undead, killing cannibal. I purposely used the word “killing” and not “murdering.”

There are several things that are disturbing about the 28 … Later movies, as well. People you knew and loved becoming infected with a virus that causes uncontrollable rage and insanity. These individuals have literally gone out of their minds and can’t do anything but kill. They don’t eat, they don’t bathe, the only words we hear any of them speak come from a small boy in the first movie who screams, “I HATE YOU!” Again, I purposely used the word “kill” earlier.

Now, let’s look at a few definitions of a couple of words:

“Murder is the unlawful killing of another human being with ‘malice aforethought’, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide (such as manslaughter).”

“Killing, to cause the death of an organism, or the act of doing so.”

So, we’ve established that while in order to murder you must kill, killing in itself may not be murder. An avalanche can crushed a mountain climber to death, but it’s not considered a murderer. Why? Because there was no intent. There was no intelligence. There was no malicious intent.

This little introduction actually has a point.

Enter, Dog Blood by David Moody. This book the sequel to Hater and is the second in a trilogy, of which the third book is forthcoming.

Let me start off by saying that I have not read the first book, but that didn’t stop me from getting sucked into this one. I’d say that while it may have helped to have a little back story, it by no means kept me from quickly understanding what was going on. A little bit of a rehash by the author at the beginning helped with that.

This book really bothered me. I mean, I’m a horror guy. I love horror. I’ve read plenty of books about serial killers/slashers and everything. Stories about heartless murderers and werewolves, zombies and vampires, whatever. But I found this book disturbing.

Don’t get me wrong, I couldn’t put the freaking thing down. I’m not a fast reader and I read this thing is less time than it takes me sometimes to get through a 15,000 word novella. It kept my interest that much.

It could read kind of like a zombie novel, except for the fact that a majority of the book is written from the point of view of one of the “zombies.” One part of the book has the main character, who is one of the “Haters,” talking to another one about what type of movie monster they would be considered. The main character replied that they would be zombies, because they feed on the lives of the “Unchanged.”

Obviously, they aren’t actually zombies. They aren’t really even infected. It’s difficult to explain what exactly has turned seemingly random individuals into murderers. And there is that word. The killings in this book were premeditated and the persons conducting them fully understood what they were doing.

Again, I haven’t read the first book, so I don’t know if the “Haters” in it were portrayed the same way as they were in this one. I was actually surprised when I found that they spoke and worked together, not just in mobs or hordes, like zombies or the infected from 28 Days/Weeks Later, but as intelligent beings.

And therein lies the reason this book bothered me so much. These people basically just go around and somehow know who is “Unchanged” and just murder them. It’s not like they don’t know what they’re doing, like they lose control and can’t help themselves. You’ll see that later on. But something compels them to kill.

I guess the part that really got to me was when Danny was bitching to one of the other Haters about losing his Hater daughter. He has no problem with the fact that he has no idea what’s become of his two sons, because they are Unchanged. The other guy goes on to talk about the day he changed, about getting a sledgehammer and proceeding to kill his girlfriend and their infant son, who is bouncing in the crib waiting for Daddy to come pick him up.

I could feel the bile rising in my throat at the thought. Of course, we see random acts of violence like this happen every day, reported in the news. Of course, it makes me sick when I see it then, too. I think as a parent it can tend to change your view of violence against children, even in fiction.

But again, that is not to say that I didn’t enjoy the book and the writing is amazing. The pace is fast and the action is intense. You get to see ideas that are obviously taking shape for the conclusion on the next book. I for one am definitely going to be going back to check out Hater and the Autumn series of zombie novels that Moody has written.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who is a fan of the horror genre.

View all my reviews

Facebook F-up

2011-06-20T05:21:00.000-07:00

So, I ended up locking myself out of my Facebook account, so I can't check any of my messages or respond to any new friend requests or really do anything, including update the Collaboration of the Dead or my author pages. Bummer!

It was caused by what I consider to be a noble purpose, though, so I can't be too upset. Just a little peeved at my own lack of knowledge of how Facebook accounts, or logins in general for that matter, actually work.

Here's what happened (short but sweet): I thought it would be a neat idea to set up a Facebook account for my mother who passed away back in 1993 as a place for friends and family to share photos and stories and memories and stuff.

Well, I ended up creating that account under the same email address that I had my own account under and it basically overwrote the login. So, now I'm Verna Nord, and can't log in as Matt Nord.

So, until I either create a new "Matt Nord" account or the Facebook "help" team actually helps me, I'm sans Facebook... it's a bit liberating... ;)

Zombie vs Vampires vs Humans, OH MY!

2011-06-14T08:09:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to do a little work on the novella today. I'm hoping to get this done sooner rather than later! I think the story is pretty good and I'm digging some of the characters a lot. But I've just been so busy that it's tough to find time to sit down and really just write!

Review of John McCuaig's "The Church"

2011-06-08T08:15:00.000-07:00

First off, let me start off with the one major issue I had with the book. While I did thoroughly enjoy the story and the characters, I found the use of present tense to be rather distracting. I prefer past tense. Honestly I prefer third person as well, but normally don’t have an issue with that. However, this is a personal preference and I was easily able to get past it.

The story itself is fast-paced and gets to the action pretty quickly, which I can appreciate. It’s not that I’m against character setup or anything, but we can just as easily find out what a character is like while their being chased by or hiding from hordes of the undead.

The Church itself, with its legalistic regime in charge and the “residents” who seem to have given up to the point that they are so easily manipulated, are disturbingly real. Any descent is crushed. It’s a far cry from the seemingly Eden-like (well, as Eden-like as anywhere could be during the zombie apocalypse) existence the people at the other location seem to enjoy.

Of course, as with any situation that involves human beings, jealousy, covetousness, and massive conflict ensues. We see in McCuaig’s book what we see in other zombie fiction that the zombies may be the monsters in the book, but they are sometimes secondary to the human monsters.

Call for Submissions!!! Kindle Exclusive, Collaboration of the Dead Presents: Putrid Poetry and Sickening Sketches

2011-06-06T17:10:00.000-07:00

Call for Submissions!!! Kindle Exclusive

Collaboration of the Dead Presents: Putrid Poetry and Sickening Sketches

OPEN UNTIL FILLED DEADLINE, BUT THE GOAL IS TO HAVE THIS OUT BY LATE JULY TO EARLY AUGUST

Please put the title of your poem or sketch, your first and last name, and the line count (if it’s a poem) in the subject line of your email.

What I’m looking for are poems with no homes and drawings with no… awnings… anyway…

I want zombie-themed poems, haikus, limericks, rhymes… odes… sonnets. You get the idea. They can be short, they can be long, they can be epics. Well, let’s not go overboard. I’m looking for 30-50 poems. Now, I know that sounds like a lot, but if you think about it, that’s most like a poem a page, and not even a full page.

As far as the sketches go, I’d like maybe 10-15, again zombie-themed sketches or drawings. This is going to be exclusively for the Kindle, so I’d say black and white would be better. Probably the best would be pen and ink, but send it what you have and I’ll format it and see how it looks!

Payment for this will be a free digital copy of the ebook. You will retain all rights to the poetry and artwork submitted. Proceeds from this will go toward the publication of the Collaboration of the Dead collaborative novel. Editor’s pick for best illustration will be featured as the cover.

This should be fun, everyone! Remember, this is for poems and sketches, doodles even, that may not have a home, are reprints that you have the rights to, or stuff that you would just like to see the light of day! Multiple submissions are welcome and encouraged!

Please include a short bio telling the readers about yourself. We want to know what you’ve done, what else you’re working on and where we can learn more about you.

Email submissions and/or any questions to mattn@sttales.com

Collabthology: Kindle of the Dead is now available!!!

2011-05-20T17:55:00.000-07:00

Why it's important to back up you stuff twice!

2011-05-20T07:16:00.000-07:00

I had a scare with my thumb drive this morning. I couldn't get it to show up on any PC no matter what I did! I ended up cracking it open and fiddling with the connections. This thing had all of my stuff on it! Luckily, I finally got my laptop to recognize it by holding it at just the right angle and copied everything over to the desktop! Yeesh! Talk about a close call!

For fans of writing and writers check out this sweet article

2011-05-19T17:02:00.000-07:00

15 Writers with Lives More Interesting Than Fiction

Collabtholgy Cover

2011-05-19T07:38:00.000-07:00

Info on Collabthology: Kindle of the Dead

2011-05-17T05:26:00.000-07:00

Collabthology: Kindle of the Dead is a horror-themed anthology that I'm putting together and publishing for the Kindle. It It's to support and raise funds for Collaboration of the Dead, which is a collaborative zombie novel that I'm going to be putting out, most likely late 2012 or early 2013. It is currently about half finished. The Collabthology also features the first 5 chapters of the novel as kind of a teaser. The ebook anthology, I'm hoping, will be out by the end of the week!

The Proof is in the Pudding!

2011-05-14T13:38:00.001-07:00

Got the proof out for the Collabthology!

We all love acceptance!

2011-05-12T10:36:00.000-07:00

Rebecca Besser and I co-wrote a story, Family Ties, for Pill Hill Press's "ePocalypse: emails at the end" anthology, and it got accepted! Hoorah!

Proudly Announcing the ToC for Collabthology: Kindle of the Dead

2011-05-03T07:10:00.000-07:00

Hunger………………………………………………………………………………………..by Matt Nord

Animal Magnetism……………………………………………………………………..by Parick D’Orazio

Candy………………………………………………………………………………………….by Gerald Rice

Fight the Bite……………………………………………………………………………….by Mike Mitchell

z0m813 5urv1v0r………………………………………………………………………..by Matt Nord

The Hottest Laptop…………………………………………………………………….by Rebecca Besser

Escape………………………………………………………………………………………..by Carey Burns

The Day Danny McAllister Decided to be a Hero………………………..by Matt Nord

Bold Isolation……………………………………………………………………………..by Karime Limon

A Cry for Help……………………………………………………………………………..by John McCuaig

Dead Haiku………………………………………………………………………………….by Matt Nord

Breadcrumbs………………………………………………………………………………by Brandon Cracraft

The Red Tide………………………………………………………………………………by Jeremy Bush

Sight………..…………………………………………………………………………………by Matt Nord

The God Seeker…………………………………………………………………………by Ken Goldman

Pitter, Patter………………………………………………………………………………by Lorraine Horrell

The Possession………………………………………………………………………….by Marius Dicomite

Karma Kiss…………………………………………………………………………………by Matt Nord

Yesterday’s Hero………………………………………………………………………by Jamal K. Luckett

Bully………………………………………………………………………………………….by Douglas Hackle

In a Dark, Moist Soil………………………………………………………………….by Karime Limon

The Photograph………………………………………………………………………..by Cassie Shaver

Blood is Thicker…………………………………………………………………………by Matt Nord

Thanksgiving Break……………………………………………………………………by C.H. Potter

Simon Kendrick…………………………………………………………………………by T.W. Brown

Hair…………………………………………………………………………………………...by Matt Nord

No Cause for Alarm……………………………………………………………………by Michael S. Gardner

Urban Cleansing………………………………………………………………………..by Suzanne Robb

Strigoi………………………………………………………………………………………..by Mihai Boc

A Friend for Jeffrey…………………………………………………………………..by Ben Langhinrichs

Dead Haiku………………………………………………………………………………..by Matt Nord

Shit House Poet………………………………………………………………………..by Mike Mitchell

Homeward Bound…………………………………………………………………….by Tony Schaab

Collaboration of the Dead Teaser Chapters

Chapter 1…………………………………………………………………………………..by Matt Nord

Chapter 2…………………………………………………………………………………..by T.W. Brown

Chapter 3…………………………………………………………………………………..by GNBraun

Chapter 4…………………………………………………………………………………..by Zombie Zak

Chapter 5…………………………………………………………………………………..by Stephanie Kincaid

Collabthology Submissions are now Closed!

2011-04-28T19:14:00.000-07:00

I'm shutting this thing down! No more submissions! We have a fantastic Ethology on deck here! Thanks to everyone who submitted and I'll keep everyone up to date on the progress of editing, formatting and release date! I'll also be posting a final word count and the ToC very soon!

Collabthology: Kindle of the Dead, Submissions Sought!

2011-04-13T13:39:00.000-07:00

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

Collabthology: Kindle of the Dead

Email submissions & questions to: mattn@sttales.com

OPEN UNTIL FILLED DEADLINE, BUT THE GOAL IS TO HAVE THIS OUT BUY EARLY TO MID-JUNE

Please put the title of your story, your first and last name, and the word count in the subject line of your email.

“Collabthology” is a non-themed HORROR ANTHOLOGY. All genres of horror will be considered. Dark, disturbing, suspenseful, supernatural, gruesome, and gory are welcome. Zombie stories, while absolutely welcome, are definitely not required.

Basically, I'm looking for stories that: a) have no home and you would be willing to part with (no pay) or b) stories that are reprints but you have the rights to. I have a previously published story that I'm going to put in. I have a couple authors from the Collaboration that have sent me some stories already. I'm thinking of charging like $5 for the book and actually letting people know that it's to fund the Collaboration of the Dead novel. That way I (read "we") can hit up our friends and family, ha!

For those of you in the know, you understand what the Collaboration is. For those who aren’t in the know, the Collaboration of the Dead is a novel that has been in the works for some time and involves a plethora of talented writers, each writing a chapter or two and adding their own style and flair to the story.

As a bonus to those who buy the ebook, the first 5 chapters will be included to wet their appetites! That'll hopefully drum up some interest. Also, I'd thought about a contest for coming up with an actual title for the book. What I'd thought was that if we all came up with an idea for a title, based on the first half of the book, I would set up a contest for people to vote for a winner. I'd probably keep it localized to the Collaboration forum and the Facebook page for the Collaboration that I will be creating soon. That way I'm not trying to collect and count votes for 72,000 different websites! So, if you have any ideas for a title for a collaborative survival horror novel, send them in!

I really think things are coming along great with this whole project. Every chapter has really brought each individual author's personality into the book, and that was really my hope from the beginning. We’re almost to the halfway point! In a couple chapters, it'll be all downhill from there on out... but in a good way. Yeah, downhill in a good way!

DEADLINE: Open until filled. We will accept/reject submissions on a first come, first serve basis. I am looking to fill this thing up quick and have it out by next month!!!

***

So you're ready to submit your story to the Collabthology. I look forward to reading your work, but ask that you take a couple of minutes to familiarize yourself with our preferred submission format.

All Submitted Fiction Should Be In The Following Format:

· Send as an RTF attachment

· Times New Roman or Courier (or similar, easy to read font), 12 pt

· 1" Margins

· Left Justified (Align Text Left)

· No Spaces Between Paragraphs

· 1/2" Tabbed Indents

· Double-spaced

· Section Breaks Marked With Centered ***

· Title half way down the first page, BYLINE/WRITING AS NAME below the title

· No Headers or Footers, No Page Numbers

· Use Italics instead of underline or _this_ or *this*

· Use "double quotation marks" instead of 'single quotation marks'

· Include a short (2-4 sentences) biography, written in the third person, in your email. This will run after your story in the anthology (if selected for publication)

Please place your contact information on the title page:

Name (and pseudonym, if applicable) Approximate Word Count

Address

Phone

Number

Please Include The Following With Every Submission:

· Subject Line -- Please put ANTHOLOGY TITLE SUBMISSION: Title/Last Name/Word Count) [Example – Collabthology: An Matter of Time and Persistence/Matt Nord/6,000)]. ***

Frequently Asked Questions about Submissions Who may submit? · Any person age 19 and older may submit (19 is the legal age of majority in New York); authors 16-18 may submit if they provide a letter of permission from their legal guardian.

Do you only accept stories written in third person?

· No! Go nuts with this one! Write it in 4^th person if you want!

What are your content standards?

· Graphic language/scenes are welcome as long as integral to the story.

Do you accept Multiple Submissions?

· Yes. Unlike many anthologies out there, we are currently welcoming multiple submissions from authors, with a max of 3, please. However, just remember that just because you are submitting multiple, not all may be used.

Do you accept Simultaneous Submissions?

· This is going to come out very quickly, so I’d prefer no simultaneous submissions, as there

Do you accept Reprints?

· Absolutely! If you have a reprint that you have the rights back to, send it in. That is what I’m talking about!

Where do I send my electronic submission?

· mattn@sttales.com

Can I mail you my submission? I don't have/like/want email.

· At this time we are only accepting electronic submissions. If you got to this website, you have to Internet, and if you have to Internet, you can set up an email address.

Do I get paid for my story?

· Compensation for this ebook is exposure only. I’ve explained above that this is being put out to raise revenue for the publication of the (tentatively entitled) Collaboration of the Dead novel. You will also be given a nice little thank you in the Collaboration book when it comes out!

Will you notify me that you received my submission?

· If you don’t hear back from me within two weeks, shoot me an email at mattn@sttales.com

So, send in any stories you'd like to put into the Collabthology starting now!

Collaboration of the Dead is now at Facebook!

2011-04-09T18:29:00.000-07:00

MAJOR COLLABORATION ANNOUCEMENT!!!

Happy April 2nd!

2011-04-02T09:58:00.001-07:00

Hope everyone enjoyed fooling around!

Giving up on writing horror

2011-04-01T06:21:00.000-07:00

Do to time constraints and issues with the leadership at my church, I'll be giving up writing in the horror genre. I appreciate everyone who supported me in this endeavor, but we are called to avoid the appearance of evil, and it's become obvious that horror fiction is just that.

Please keep checking back to keep updated in my new writing path!

Want to Know How Not to Respond to a Review?

2011-03-30T13:40:00.000-07:00

Check out how Jacqueline Howett goes nuts over a 2 star review posted here on Big Al's Books and Pals blog. Duh, winning! Way to go, Jackie!

http://booksandpals.blogspot.com/2011/03/greek-seaman-jacqueline-howett.html?showComment=1301329758444#c5465159709172929981

If you want to check out her book for yourself, here it is:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Greek-Seaman-ebook/dp/B003ZSILSW

The phase "Any press is good press" may be accurate here, as it looks like a ton of people have bought the book. Unfortunately, they are all leaving bad reviews... It now stands at 1 and a half stars.

YA Zombie Novels

2011-03-24T12:21:00.000-07:00

So, I had this idea for a young adult zombie novel, thinking that it would be fairly unique. I mean, teens are reading, now, which is great, and I figured that since I like zombies, I have a teenage kid, heck, I should write a zombie novel for teens! And then I found out that there are a ton of them already out there!

Ah well, I suppose Twilight w/ zombies was going to happen. Shit, I'm still going to do mine! It'll be less romance and more guts, though!

Christian Horror

2011-03-21T13:46:00.000-07:00

Just thinking about it lately. I'm a Christian. I like horror. Hmm... The novel I'm working on is actually about... well, I don't want to give the plot away. I don't know if it's completely original, but I've never seen anything like it and I don't want anyone stealing it. I don't know. It seems to me like a lot of the "Christian" writers out there are just trying to cash in on the genre, but how would I be any different? Aren't we all trying to make a living? Of course, if it can entertain and have a redemption message along with it, so much the better, I suppose. I mean, preachers get paid for what they do, don't they?

I'm still alive

2011-03-18T04:55:00.001-07:00

Barely, it feels sometimes, but I'm here. I haven't been doing much lately. Still kind of recovering from Strange Tales of Horror and all of the craziness that went along with editing and promoting that. Luckily, for me and all of the world, I won't be editing the next NorGus Press anthology. That's a load off my mind, as I'm currently trying to get the edits done for the Wicked East/Collaboration of the Dead antho There Can be Only One that will feature the stories from the writers shootout that we put on. It is being put out be Wicked East Press and should be really excellent!

Just a Suggestion

2011-03-11T17:58:00.001-08:00

Check out this article the local paper did on NorGus Press!

2011-03-10T11:28:00.001-08:00

http://auburnpub.com/lifestyles/article_a45fbea4-4774-11e0-9293-001cc4c002e0.html

That's me with the black shirt. It say "Have You Seen My Zombie?" on it. I was hoping it would show up. Dang it!

Thriller, Part 2

2011-03-04T06:00:00.000-08:00

OK, so maybe it's not actually Thriller, Part 2, but this was by far my favorite episode of Face Off on SyFy... Well, until the end, at least.

So, I've gotten into the show. I'm a fan of Top Chef and other cooking shows like that. I'm a fan of horror and sci fi movies and make-up artistry. Well, Face Off is kinda' like Top Chef for fans of FX make-up and movies. Very cool.

And, in case you couldn't see by the name of my blog and the type of stuff I write, I'm a huge zombie fan. By effect, this was probably the episode that I looked froward to the most. And it was really good, I have to admit. The dance scene with the zombies was actually pretty cool and well done.

The top two were Connor and Tate and it really got me thinking about the different types of zombie make-up that goes into movies, especially ones that transcend the initial outbreak through to the "a world with zombies" era, if you will.

Connor's was an excellent rendering of a dried up, almost mummy-like zombie. Tate's, on the other hand, looked like she had just stepped out of the shower and gotten torn apart earlier that morning. Both looked like you could see them in a big budget movie.

Tate ended up winning, which, upon hearing the comments of the judges, I figured he would.

The surprising thing for me wasn't who was in the top or who won, but who went home. I understand Anthony going home. Was kinda' surprised he didn't go earlier. But Tom going home over Megan!?! WTF!

What the Hell has Megan done? She is a joke. Can't believe they sent Tom home, either. I figured he'd at lest be in the top 4. I think Megan has overstayed her welcome.

I was just as surprised when they sent Dale home on Top Chef!

Interview with Local Newspaper, The Citizen

2011-03-02T12:29:00.000-08:00

So, I was writing this long and drawn out woe-is-me type post earlier whining about how I don't get to write as much as I want to, this huge screw-up in the book we put out, and general bitching. Yeah, I didn't end up posting it, you're all welcome.

I'm in a much better mood now. Just got off the phone with a reporter for the local newspaper. He interviewed me about NorGus Press, the Strange Tales of Horror book, and writing in general. And it went really well. They are coming to takes a picture for the article tomorrow, which is today, now).

It's going to be in the Sunday (big) paper and they are promoting the book signing. So, I'm in a better place... for now, anyway!

On the Flip Side

2011-02-24T09:21:00.000-08:00

Here's a very well-written article about the trailer for "Dead Island"

http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/gaming.gadgets/02/24/dead.island.gallaga/index.html?hpt=C2

It's got me thinking. I mean, I have a baby daughter and 2 boys. And I have to admit, I did find the trailer pretty rough to watch. I can't imagine losing my family like that seconds before I did. (Obviously, the two adults weren't going to get out of the situation alive) I guess you'll have to read the article, watch the trailer and come to your own conclusions.

Dead Island Website

2011-02-23T04:54:00.000-08:00

http://deadisland.deepsilver.com/deadisland.php

I have to say that, while I haven't been too into video games in the past several years, if this game is anywhere as incredible as the trailer and the pictures are making it out to be, then... just wow!

Dead Island Trailer

2011-02-21T10:45:00.000-08:00

So, some people are saying that this trailer is just all hype. Well, I'm falling for it. The video was engaging and I really like the way they put it together. It was sufficiently disturbing and looks to be enough to really satisfy true fans of the zombie genre. Now, if only they can follow through with a truly great game.

Sales are going great!

2011-02-17T06:29:00.001-08:00

Sales for Strange Tales of Horror are going great. This is our first book published by NorGus Press. We're getting a lot of support and are well on our way working on a second anthology, Look What I Found! If you are interested in purchasing a copy, check out our website:

http://sttales.com/NorGus-Press-Store.html

Zombie Roadkill?

2011-02-11T13:48:00.000-08:00

http://www.fearnet.com/shows/zombie_roadkill/index.html

I have yet to see an episode, as I haven't been able to actually catch it when it's on or find it on the Verizon FIOS VoD, but I've seen the commercial and the little featurettes on FEAR.net and it looks to be the type of thing that is so bad that it's good. It looks pretty funny and gross and might just be worth watching to get a zombie fix. Then we can twiddle our thumbs until The Walking Dead season 2 comes out!

And it's got Lowell from Wings in it!

Press Release for Strange Tales of Horror

2011-02-08T10:00:00.000-08:00

NorGus Press is proud to announce the release of its first book "Strange Tales of Horror: An Anthology" edited by Matt Nord. NorGus Press, an independent publishing company, was established in Auburn, New York in 2010 by Jeffrey A. Angus, Matt Nord, Stephanie K. Deal and Stacey Gilfus. The quartet has received stories from all over the world and have compiled the best into an over three hundred page tome.

Jeffrey Angus is not only one of the owners but he's also an Editor and contributing Writer. He's had success with stories he's submitted to other publishing companies and is looking forward to the first NorGus release.

"This was something we wanted to do for some time. Auburn has a ton of talent and we wanted to showcase and bring attention to our little corner of it. I hope we get more submissions from the people in the local area for our next project."

Matt Nord is a NorGus co-owner as well as Senior Editor, Author and Submissions Manager for NorGus Press. He has had many short stories published with other publishers. For more information, visit ZombieCusodian.blogspot.com or on Facebook.

"We wanted to give other authors a chance to get their work published as well as putting our own stuff out. I truly appreciate other small press publishers out there and the trails they have blazed. We felt it was our time to follow that path and start putting out our own books. And we have a ton of great books planned! At this point, we are doing short story anthologies, but stick around, folks, because eventually we'll be putting out full length novels!"

Stacey Gilfus, Head of Author Relations/Writer, has the most contact with the authors.

"I was excited and surprised to receive so many stories from people all over the world, from Ireland to Australia. Writing truly brings people together and I am happy to be involved in that community. "

Stephanie K. Deal, Web Design/Editor/Writer has had screenplays and short stories circulating about for years.

"This is a fantastic opportunity for new writers to submit their work for others to read. It's a friendly, creative environment and we encourage everyone with an urge to write to consider submitting their stories to small publication companies like NorGus Press."

You can get more information about NorGus Press at their websites www.norguspress.com, www.sttales.com and on Facebook. Their books will be available at Downtown Books & Coffee as well as Amazon and CreateSpace websites. Visit www.sttales.com to order today or stop in and see the folks at Downtown Books & Coffee at 66 Genesee St in Auburn.

Welcome to Arizona

2011-02-07T12:03:00.000-08:00

Check out the Arizona Afterwards blog. Who doesn't love free zombie fiction?

Down with the Sickness

2011-02-07T08:14:00.001-08:00

So, I don't get sick that often, but when I do I'm down for the count. I'm talking crushed. I was sick all last week, and ended up calling in sick Thursday and Friday. Those were the worst days, but I even still feel like I'm just worn out. I haven't felt much like doing anything, much less writing, so I haven't gotten anything done. I've done a little editing, but nothing of my own. Needless to say, my morale is way down about that. Hopefully once this cold is fully done I'll be able to get back to work on the main project I'm working on, "Eat or Be Eaten."

The Collaboration of the Dead project got a kick in the ass, as John McCuaig got his chapter (15) back lickity split. Thanks John!!! Now if we can just keep the momentum going! Come on, people only 24 chapters to go!!!

Srange Tales of Horror is now (Un)Live of Amazon and CreateSpace!!!

2011-02-06T09:10:00.000-08:00

You can pre-order it on Amazon here, or order it on CreateSpace here.

NorGus Press's Strange Tales of Horror is Now Available for Pre-Order!!!

2011-01-30T08:17:00.001-08:00

Strange Tales of Horror is Now Available for Pre-Order!!!!
You heard it, folks. The wait for NorGus Press's first anthology is almost over, and the book is officially available for pre-order! So, what are you waiting for? Check us out!

http://www.sttales.com/NorGus-Press-Store.html

Collaboration Shift

2011-01-26T05:03:00.000-08:00

Mixing stuff up again. Some authors are getting shuffled around. Trying to get this project back on track!

Haven't gotten much writing done lately

2011-01-24T12:11:00.000-08:00

Been super slacking. Which sucks because I've got great ideas and lots to do, but just haven't had much time. The project I'm currently working on is really cool, and I'm about a third of the way to my goal (word count wise). I guess the goal shouldn't really be to get to a specific word count; it should be until the story is told. However, it is a 3-parter being written by 3 different authors, so I suppose I can't finish it up, being the "meat" part of the novella sandwich!

Wireless vs Wireless + 3G for the Kindle

2011-01-21T12:19:00.000-08:00

Question for those who have them. Is it worth the extra 50 bucks?

Is reading still enjoyed by today's generation?

2011-01-17T10:34:00.000-08:00

I remember reading a lot of choose your own adventure books when I was young. The violence wasn't over the top and the focus was more on the adventure and having to make decisions and use your brain a little. Nowadays, kids would rather blow the photorealistic head off a terrorist in a video game then crack a book open. I don't know what it is, but whenever I talk to my thirteen year old about reading, it's like it's a chore. I try to explain to him that I'm not going to expect a book report and I've tried to get him books that I know he'd like. It's just the task of reading that he doesn't like. He needs the visual.

Example: He loves Calvin and Hobbes, which I'm not at all opposed to. The books he has are actually mine and my wife's from when we were kids, and they are wonderful books. Calvin and Hobbes is probably my favorite comic of all time. But it's not really like reading a story or novel where everything you "see" in the book comes from your imagination. And the thing is, the comic is all about a kid who has an insanely active imagination!

I don't know if something has ruined reading for my son (and a lot of kids out there). I don't know if it's just that it seems too much like homework for his taste or just that it's too much work in general for a kid who is the product of a generation that is used to having information pumped directly into their brains.

Feeling Tired and Unmotivated...

2011-01-12T11:05:00.001-08:00

So I've reached this point where I haven't been sleeping well at night, which sucks because the kids have finally sleeping pretty much through the night. Haven't been getting too much writing done as a result of being excessively tired. Woe is me...

Come and "Like" my Facebook Author's Page... Even if You Don't Really Like it, HA!

2011-01-08T15:02:00.000-08:00

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Matt-Nord-Author-of-Horror-Fiction/178640252169226?ref=ts

Review of Pandora's Nightmare: Horror Unleashed from Pill Hill Press, edited by Jessica A. Weiss

2011-01-07T08:09:00.000-08:00

I am a big fan of anthologies. Well, I’m a big fan of books in general, but anthologies in particular. I love being able to get a taste of multiple writers’ styles. Sometimes you get an anthology full of 15 or 20 stories and get 2, maybe 3, really good ones. It’s a little disappointing. Sometimes, though, you get an entire book full of fantastic stories from very talented authors.

On a similar note, sometimes you get an anthology that reads like the editor didn’t even know how to use spell check. That’s not the case with this book, either. While there may be a few errors, it’s obvious that the editor took great care. I have, after all, found editing errors in books from major publishers, and I’m willing to overlook a lot of mistakes.

As far as the actual stories go, we get a fantastic collection of very diverse stories from authors with very diverse writing styles. Pill Hill Press puts out some great anthologies and this one is no exception. What a great idea for an anthology theme, when we usually get the same stuff, like zombies, vampires, serial killers, aliens, whatever. Not that I’m saying that I have a problem with those, but just the uniqueness of the topic of this book was a nice change of pace for me.

Again, it’s very refreshing to see a unique idea for an anthology in the horror genre. Very well done and worth checking out!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0984261079/ref=cm_cr_mts_prod_img

Cover Art for the Strange Tales of Horror Anthology

2011-01-06T05:31:00.000-08:00

Pretty eye-catching, huh?

Cut and Paste - Literally

2010-12-30T08:28:00.000-08:00

So, I was working on the novella. I have like 3 different storylines running side-by-side, flashing between the 3. So, I was shuffling things around with the scenes, just cutting a pasting in Word. Then I started to get a little lost, getting things out of order. So I created a couple different documents and copying and pasting everywhere just to make sure that I had everything, and then I started losing track of parts and I almost thought I'd lost a big chuck of pretty bad ass storyline! SO, I ended up printing all of the documents out. I took them home last night and got out the scissors and tape and cutting each section out and taping them together, trying to figure out how the story should go! Nothing like being in a paperless world and relying on paper to save the day!

Zombie Daze

2010-12-29T05:36:00.000-08:00

So I'm currently working on a novella that is set to be part of a 3-part book with 2 other authors. It's going very slowly, which is actually not too shocking for me, because I am a fairly slow writer. The thing is, I'm used to writing 2000-4000 word stories, and if that were the case, this thing would be done! I've only got around 3500 words so far, and we as I stated, it's a novella! So, I'm about 1/6 of the way done, if I'm lucky! BLAH!! :)

Made it Through Christmas

2010-12-27T05:33:00.000-08:00

Spent most of the time watching Avatar: The Last Air Bender and some other movies. Realized just how bad ass Toph is!

And how freaking insane, but also bad ass, Azula is!

Cleaning up the Dead

2010-12-20T07:29:00.000-08:00

My story "Cleaning up the Dead", formerly "Zombie Custodian", as well as some Dead Haikus I wrote, has been accepted to appear in the new Living Dead Presents Magazine. What a fantastic idea! And I'm honored to be part of it!

http://ldppresents.wetpaint.com/

http://www.livingdeadpress.com/index.php

What is cooler than G.I Joe, Star Trek, Transformers, Ghostbusters... and Zombies?!?

2010-12-08T08:30:00.000-08:00

http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/scifimediazone/news/?a=23703

Do You Remember? Part 3

2010-12-01T13:39:00.000-08:00

The first thing he did was check the two doors in the in the windowless room. One led to a modest bathroom with toilet, shower, sink and mirror, several clean towels and some personal hygiene amenities. The other was locked. He put his shoulder to it and some weight behind it and found that it wouldn’t budge at all. Whatever the door was made of, it was solid and he wouldn’t be breaking it down even if he wanted to.

Roger, as he finally started thinking of himself, also checked the rest of the drawers in the dresser. He found five changes of clothing, pants, underwear, socks and shirts and a fresh set of linen.

He carefully picked up the broken glass and wiped up the water in front of the nightstand with one of the towels from the bathroom. He tossed it back in the sink and then walked back over to the stand and pulled open the drawer.

In it were a pad of yellow legal paper, a sharpened pencil, a copy of the King James Bible and Berretta 21A Bobcat.

“What the Hell?” he said quietly, picking up the pistol carefully and making sure the safety was on. He quickly checked it over; seven rounds in the clip, one in the chamber, immaculately maintained.

It took a few minutes for him to realize that, while he couldn’t remember anything about himself, he knew every crease and crevice of the weapon he held in his hand.

As he was pondering this, and his current situation in general, he heard the lock on the main door click.

Do You Remember, Part 2

2010-11-30T12:39:00.000-08:00

Carefully avoiding the broken glass on the floor, he walked over to the third piece of furniture in the room, an antique-looking dresser that had a large mirror attached to the top. Laid out on it he found a clean set of clothes and a pair of brown loafers. As he gazed back at the face in the reflection, again he could not place it. He had no recollection of who he was, how he had gotten in the room he was currently in, or even what his name was.

As he was putting on the non-descript white polo shirt he noticed several scars all across his well-muscled torso. While pulling the shirt over his head, he noticed a small piece of cardboard fall from the breast pocket. He bent down and picked up what he found to be a business card. In plain black text on a plain white background the card read:

Roger Smith

Insurance Salesman

“Insurance?” he mumbled to himself. He pulled his shirt up and looked at the six-pack and the various scars that adorned it. It looks more like I’m the one that needed an insurance agent, he thought, chuckling to himself. He pulled his shirt down and looked back into the eyes of the man he saw in the mirror.

“Well, Mr. Smith,” he said. “Let’s see just what kind of shit you’re in.”

Do You Remember, Part 1

2010-11-29T13:49:00.001-08:00

The sun streaming in through slats in the Venetian blinds woke him up. The light burned his eyes. He lifted his arm to shade them, wincing at the pain in his shoulder, elbow and back. It took several moments for his eyes to adjust and his vision to clear. His throat was incredibly dry and silently thanked God when he noticed the pitcher full of ice water and the glass on the night stand next to the bed he was laying in.

When he sat up to reach for the pitcher, though, he was overcome by dizziness and a massive pounding in his head, causing him to knock the pitcher to the floor. He fell back onto the bed, pressing his fists to his temples and letting out a scream that shook the windows.

The pain and the disorientation were gone as quickly as they started, but he could not move for what felt to him like quite some time. His breath was ragged and he thought of the water pitcher that he had knocked over. He started to hear the water dripping though the wood floorboards. The sound somewhat soothed his mind, but also spurred on the colossal thirst he felt. He glanced back over at nightstand and thanked God again for small favors, seeing that the glass still sat there, half full.

He sat up, much more slowly this time. No headache and no dizziness. He grabbed the glass hastily but carefully, afraid he might drop it on the floor, too. Gripping it in both trembling hands, he raised it to his dry lips and drained the contents. He immediately broke into a coughing fit that lasted several minutes.

But the water did its job. His throat felt less rough, even after the coughing. He stood up and tried to work out the kinks in his joints.

Looking around the room, he realized quickly that he did not recognize his surroundings. Not that it wasn’t his room, per say, but that he couldn’t remember if it was his room. He tried to remember how he got into bed in this room that he didn’t recognize and found that he couldn’t even recall that.

After trying to think back in his mind, he realized another terrifying thing. He couldn’t remember who he was.

I Rip Off Your Face, Thank You.

2010-11-22T11:59:00.001-08:00

Now available for you who have a fetish for the bizarre:

Side A
NEON GUTTER MEAT-Jordan Krall
Consumer's Paradise-Patrick D'Orazio
The Claws that Catch- P.D. Hansen
The Fowlness- Stephanie Kincaid
Salami Rhett-Kevin Shamel
Another Double Helix Day In Tailertown- Ben McElroy
New Age- Rick Conrood
Real Love Burns- Jonathan Moon

Side B
Hit and Fun- Garrett Cook
Guy Who Got A Headache- Matt Nord
All Due Stories In Good Time- Timothy W. Long
The Aircrash Bureau (or How Johnny Carson and General Patton Hijacked a Space Shuttle To Get Back On The Air)- Nick Cato
You'll Be Grated When You're Dead- Ruth Imeson
!PING!- Christopher Fox
Drain Angel- Cameron C. Pierce

Find it here...http://www.amazon.com/Houdini-Gut-Punch-Jonathan-Moon/dp/1456333496/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1290376461&sr=8-1

Headless Horseman Hayride

2010-11-22T06:33:00.001-08:00

My wife found this really cool looking haunted hayride that's in Ulster Park, NY. Looks pretty gory and gruesome, which is right up my alley. Unfortunately they were done for the season by the time she did. I think I know what I'll be doing for Halloween next year! Check out the video on the site!

http://www.headlesshorseman.com/

The Walking Dead on iTunes

2010-11-19T05:06:00.000-08:00

So, I don't have cable. I have the Internet and a PS3 with Netflix and Hulu Plus. Now, the only reason my wife got the Hulu Plus for the PS3 in the first place was because she knew I wanted to watch The Walking Dead and she was trying to do something nice for me! And I can't even watch the first episode on it because it's Hulu web only!

Of course, it is nice to be able to watch new episode of The Office on the TV, now.

However, I still wanted to see the new episodes of The Walking Dead, so I broke down and bought them from iTunes. Now, I went to watch it and the laptop we have is so bogged down with background processes running that every couple minutes it would freeze up, and I'd have to pause it for a while and play it again (Sam, lol). Yeah, that lasted for about half an episode.

It appears that the Fates have deemed me unworthy to watch this masterpiece! Argh!!!

Chuck & Beans - Makes a good point!

2010-11-15T10:53:00.001-08:00

Check out - MR. MoOn's Nightmares All Day Day (12-10-10)

2010-11-10T11:36:00.000-08:00

From Jonathan MoOn...

Hiya Friends!!!!

I, being the god of my world, have deemed December 10, 2010 Mr. Moon’s Nightmares All Day Day! On this brisk December day I want to take a chunk out of the horror market and shake it for the world! ‘How can I help this half deranged writer so he leaves me be?’ you may be asking yourself. Well, this half deranged writer wrote out a list of ways for you!

Buy Mr. Moon’s Nightmares! If you haven’t yet, on December 10, 2010 go to

http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Moons-Nightmares-Jonathan-Moon/dp/1451577249/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1287516260&sr=1-1

I want to see that sales rank jump! More sales means more advertising and I want to hop on that train! Now, maybe you already own a copy of this masterful collection of terror but perhaps you have friends that would enjoy a copy under their Christmas tree! I’m planning the event so all books ordered will be delivered in time for Christmas!

Give Mr. Moon’s Nightmares a review on Amazon! Go to

http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Moons-Nightmares-Jonathan-Moon/product-reviews/1451577249/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1 and tell the world how scary and beautiful Mr. Moon’s Nightmares is.

Blog about it! If you have a blog you could help my cause by reviewing Mr. Moon’s Nightmares, promoting Mr. Moon’s Nightmares All Day Day, or even, for the boldest amongst you interview me! If you do wish to review Mr. Moon’s Nightmares for your blog I’ll shoot ya off a PDf copy!

4. Join the (forthcoming) facebook event page for Mr. Moon’s Nightmares All Day Day. Hang out while I spin mad promos and ramble on and on and on. Tell your friends so we can all be FRIENDS together.

Any way you can help is greatly appreciated!

As an added bonus I’ll be posting up different things all day on 12-10-10 like my favorite music videos, favorite quotes, and profanity laced alcohol fueled reviews of my favorite books and movies! I’ll be giving away a few MP3s of me reading a select few stories from Mr. Moon’s Nightmares. As a special added bonus I will be giving away some of my favorite independent books of the year! I plan on giving away a pack of nine books including titles by David Dunwoody, ESB, Jordan Krall, Tim Long, Kevin Shamel, T.W. Brown, and Carlton Mellick III! For EVERY copy of Mr. Moon’s Nightmares bought I will put your name in a drawing. If you order Mr. Moon’s Nightmares and the forthcoming Houdini Gut Punch I’ll enter you three times in the drawing!

Only a month and a half away dear friends but I feel ready. Thank you for reading and thank you for being there. Join me on December 10, 2010 to celebrate great independent horrorcore with Mr. Moon’s Nightmares All Day Day!

Thank you all for helping me make my dreams come true!!!!

Jonathan MoOn

The Darkness by Crystal Connor

2010-11-10T03:35:00.000-08:00

Recently I did an interview with author Crystal Connor. For those who haven't noticed in the ToC of the Strange Tales of Horror anthology that she also has a story featured in the book. I am very proud that she chose to submit a fantastic story, The Monster, to NorGus Press. I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

I also wanted to include the cover to her upcoming novel, The Darkness, in this post. For more info check out her blog at:

A Few Notes From the Author

Blah, blah, blah...

2010-11-05T13:29:00.000-07:00

So, I haven't had a chance to write at all in the past several weeks. Just finished the final edits for the Strange Tales of Horror anthology. Hopefully that's free up a little time. I have a few projects that I've put on the back burner and a few open anthos that I'd like to write for. This whole NaNoWriMo thing is a little over my head at this point. I didn't really mean to sign up for it in the first place. It was more of a thing where I thought I was signing up to get some info. So, 5 days in and I've got less than 1000 words... Not really a great pace for getting 50000 by the end of the freaking month! The idea I had sounded better in my head, but the name that I came up with was, in my opinion, a pretty kick ass title

Apocalipstick

... OK, maybe it's not that great, but I liked it. Of course, the plot that I have only feels like it's worth a decent-sized short story.

Zombie, the Other Fright Meat: An Anthology - Open for Submissions - Deadline to Come Later

2010-11-03T05:36:00.001-07:00

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

Zombie, the Other Fright Meat: An Undead Anthology

Email submissions to: submissions@sttales.com

A deadline will be set once we get a feel of how fast the submissions come in.

Please put the title of your story, your first and last name, and the word count in the subject line of your email.

“Zombie, the Other Fright Meat” is a Living Dead-themed anthology. All genres of horror will be considered. Dark, disturbing, suspenseful, supernatural, gruesome, and gory are welcome. Bring out your undead! Romero-style is aways great, but send us anything you think people will want to read: intelligent zombies, running zombies, zombie animals, whatever.

We will consider stories approximately 3000 words - 8000 words. We're leaving such a wide open word range to encourage writers to write a story until it is finished without padding your submissions with irrelevant details or chopping out important information to stay below a word maximum. In order to satisfy those who enjoy a “quickie” horror fix, we will be accepting a limited number of flash fiction (i.e. 1000 words or less) stories.

Payment is 1 contributor’s copy for authors submitting stories 3000 words and above. For authors sending in flash fiction, the only compensation is exposure and the joy of being a published writer. While multiple submissions are allowed, please don’t send in simultaneous submissions or reprints.

DEADLINE: We will accept/reject submissions on a first come, first serve basis. We will set a deadline when the anthology is approximately 3/4 of the way full. Expected response time is under one month. Please don't query about the status of your submission until 30 days have passed.

So you're ready to submit your story to NorGus Press. We look forward to reading your work, but ask that you take a couple of minutes to familiarize yourself with our preferred submission format.

All Submitted Fiction Should Be In The Following Format:

· Send as an RTF attachment

· Courier (or similar, easy to read font), 12 pt

· 1" Margins

· Left Justified (Align Text Left)

· No Spaces Between Paragraphs

· 1/2" Tabbed Indents

· Double-spaced

· Section Breaks Marked With Centered ***

· Title half way down the first page, BYLINE/WRITING AS NAME below the title
· No Headers or Footers, No Page Numbers · Use Italics instead of underline or _this_ or *this*
· Use "double quotation marks" instead of 'single quotation marks'
· Include a short (2-4 sentence) biography, written in the third person, in your email. This will run after your story in the anthology (if selected for publication)

Please place your contact information on the title page:

Name (and pseudonym, if applicable) Approximate Word Count

Address

Phone

Number

Please Include The Following With Every Submission:

· Subject Line -- Please put ANTHOLOGY TITLE SUBMISSION: Title/Last Name/Word Count) [Example – Strange Tales of Horror: An Matter of Time and Persistence/Matt Nord/6,000)]. ***

Frequently Asked Questions about NorGus Press Anthology Submissions Who may submit? · Any person age 19 and older may submit to NorGusl Press (19 is the legal age of majority in New York, where NorGus Press is located); authors 16-18 may submit if they provide a letter of permission from their legal guardian.

Do you only accept stories written in third person?

· We MUCH PREFER stories written in the third person, though stories written in the first person may be considered. We are not looking for stories told through second person. What are your content standards?· Graphic language/scenes are welcome as long as integral to the story.

Do you accept Multiple Submissions?

· Yes. Unlike many anthologies out there, we are currently welcoming multiple submissions from authors, with a max of 3, please.

Do you accept Simultaneous Submissions?

· No, we do not accept simultaneous submissions. We try to send out rejections and/or short list notifications in a timely fashion. Please note the date of the deadline when you submit your story. As we do not make any final selections until the after the deadline has passed, it is possible we may hold on to your story for a long time. If you don't want to wait for a response, please submit your story close to the deadline.

Do you accept Reprints?

· No, we are looking for original, unpublished work.

Where do I send my electronic submission?

· submissions@sttales.com

Can I mail you my submission? I don't have/like/want email.

· At this time we are only accepting electronic submissions. If you got to this website, you have to Internet, and if you have to Internet, you can set up an email address.

Do I get paid for my story?

· Compensation is 1 contributors copy for those submitting a story that is 3000 words and up. For those submitting flash fiction, compensation is exposure.

Will you notify me that you received my submission?

· We have 4 editors monitoring the incoming submissions, so you should hear back from us in a relatively short amount of time. If over 30 days have passed and you haven’t received a reply, please send us an inquiry at ar@sttales.com

Tentative Cover For Strange Tales of Horror

2010-11-01T08:17:00.001-07:00

Table of Contents for Strange Tales of Horror Anthology

2010-10-29T13:46:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to everyone in the book! I am super stoked about it! We'll have a cover image up soon!

Forward by Jeff Angus

Introduction by Matt Nord

Hunger & Hair by Matt Nord

The Leaf People by C.H. Potter

Birthday Boy by Eric Dimbleby

Missionary by Jason Barney

The Scarecrow Man by Daniel P. Coughlin

A Secret Amongst Boys by Mason Ian Bundschuh

Mother by Jessica A. Weiss

Graveyard Queen by Mark Roland Wilson

Sitwat Goes Home by Sarah Islam

The Monster by Crystal Connor

The Devil’s Advocates by C.D. Reimer

Hall of Twelve by Rebecca Besser

Devil’s Playground by Eden Royce

All Your Flesh Are Belong to Us by Jason M. Bloom

The Night Visitor by Lorraine Horrell

Hanging by a Thread by Jeremy Bush

What She Saw by Darren Gallagher

The Pit by Darren Gallagher

Shotgun & Smoke by Ian Sandusky

VRZ by Patrick D’Orazio

The Hunger of Shadows by Robert Freese

The Devil, You Say by Ken Goldman

The Eyes That Watch by A.J. French

Dark Timber by Lee Zumpe

Poem TBA

The Shadow Beast by Anthony Bell

Get the Brick by Amanda Lawrence Auverigne

Lise by Jan Vander Laenen

Daggoth the Destroyer by John Pennington

Saw-Kill Road by Thomas M. Malafarina

Hair

2010-10-25T10:57:00.000-07:00

Hair falls over my eyes.

Blood and sweat form drops at the tips

Before finally falling to the concrete.

Blonde hair stained red.

The hammer falls again.

6 more days until the dead walk

2010-10-25T04:25:00.000-07:00

Writing blues

2010-10-19T13:38:00.001-07:00

Haven't been able to write lately. Doing a lot of submission reviews and editing. Plus the two babies at home make it difficult. Boo hoo. Well, once the anthology is done, I'll be able to take a little time to flesh out the novel I have brewing in my head. My brain has been pregnant with the idea for quite a while and it's way overdue. Of course, just like any pregnancy it's uncomfortable, painful, annoying, lots of crying and fluids. And I'll be so happy when it's done and completely in love with the finished product...

Submissions needed for zombie coloring book published by May December

2010-10-13T10:48:00.000-07:00

I think this is a fan-freaking-tastic idea!

Color Me Zombie - a zombie coloring book
I am looking to fill 2 zombie books - draw me a good picture that can be colored in and look awesome!
anyone can submit - even your kids (we have to do 2 cause of some of the pictures that some want to draw :) one for kids, one for...older kids)

all proceeds go to the CCA - Childrens Cancer

opened till filled

send your pics (300dpi jpeg) to twbrown@maydecemberpublications.com

this one should be fun :)

Book review of Dead Practices by Shells Walter

2010-10-06T14:01:00.000-07:00

You don't see a lot of "smart zombie" stories in the books and stories that I normally read. Usually it's the shambling horde of mindless undead that hunger for the flesh of the living. Now, don't get me wrong, that type of zombie is present in droves in the book, so those of you who enjoy people getting torn apart and eaten, you won't be disappointed.

The main character in this book is a lawyer who happens to be a zombie, or a zombie who happens to be a lawyer, depending on who you ask. Most of the zombies in this book have been made "civilized" by an injection they are given upon undeath, which causes them to retain all of the memories and intelligence they had during life. Unfortunately, it doesn't do anything for the fact that they are dead and rotting. Enter the copious amounts of zombie super glue that gets used by the characters.

And with that, it's becomes obvious to the reader that this is a humorous book. Even with all of the blood and guts of some of the zombie attacks.

I would say that my biggest problem with the story wasn't any of the science behind zombies in general and smart zombies in particular, about the fact that a drug shouldn't (or couldn't ) affect a human whose circulatory system had shut down. The issue I had was the fact that Jerrod ran around like he was a detective while his buddy Rusty, who was actaully a cop, just hung in back. I'd think that the police officer would be the one questioning witnesses and other contacts, even if Jerrod did decide to tag along.

But again, this is a fictional comedy book about zombies, so...

It was thoroughly enjoyable, even with a few editing needs. I would highly recommend this book to fans of books like "Lucky Stiff" by Tonia Brown. It has none of the sex, but all the heart.

Author Interview with Crystal Connor

2010-09-28T11:07:00.000-07:00

Crystal Connor is an up and coming writer who lives in Seattle, Washing ton that writes in several genres, including urban fantasy, science fiction, and horror. Her new novel, “The Darkness,” will be coming out in the near future. Crystal has spared a few moments from her busy schedule to discuss her upcoming novel, her other works and her future projects.

My Undead Mind: Crystal, thank you so much for taking the time to take part in this interview. Let’s get right into it. You live in Seattle, now. Is that where you’re from originally?

Crystal Connor: Yep, born at Ft. Lewis Madigan Hospital and I’m an army brat in every sense of the word.

MUM: When did you realize that you wanted to write?

CC: It’s just something that I’ve always done; I wasn’t thinking that I was going to be a writer when I grew up, I was just writing stories and plays to entertain my family and friends and the reason they were dark around the edges is because I was taking queues from shows like the Twilight Zone, Tales from the Crypt and the Outer Limits.

MUM: In your opinion, what is needed for a story to be good?

CC: For me intrigue, fast paced and a twist or unexpected ending. I think the ending of a story is almost more important than the story itself. I feel so cheated when the ending of a book or movie feels like the author just phoned it in.

MUM: Other than “The Darkness” what other published works can readers find of yours?

CC: The Darkness is my 1^st published novel but there are a lot of short stories posted on my blog.

MUM: You write in the urban fantasy genre. What would you consider to be the defining characteristics of the particular genre of story or book?

CC: Ok, this is just between you and me…it will be our little secret, so don’t tell anyone else. I had no idea what the term Urban Fantasy meant until after our 1^st focus group. The Darkness was sent to a book club and after everyone read it we all met for lunch. The president of the club said “I really enjoyed The Darkness; it’s a fast paced urban fantasy and science fiction story with an ending you can’t predict. I suspect that it will do well.”

After lunch I asked Rachel, who was my handler at the time, “why did she say that it was urban fantasy…is it because I’m black?” Rachel started laughing so hard she almost crashed us into the freezing waters of Lake Washington. There’s no way to explain how embarrassed I was when I read what Wikipedia had to say on the matter.

…the defining characteristics of the particular genre of story or book? Wow, you know I’m not really sure and it doesn’t help the “official description” is so vague. The Darkness is set in a city, several of them actually, because both main characters are insanely wealthy and are traveling all over the world, but they both have properties and spend the majority of their time in the same city. The Darkness is also 50% 1^st person narrative, which is a requirement for an urban fantasy classification, but the other 50% is in 3^rd. and there is the paranormal element comes from both the occult and genetic engineering elements. I started calling it urban fantasy because everyone else does.

MUM: What is your favorite genre to write?

CC: This genre question is going to get me a one-way ticket to the asylum; because I spend a lot of time worrying about what genre I write in. Back in June I entered my short story The Ruins into the Seattle Crypticon’s 2010 writing contest and I made myself sick because I started doubting that it fit the required genre.

I have no idea what genre I write in. I thought The Darkness was a horror novel, but I was told by a close friend of mine that The Darkness isn’t scary but it’s suspenseful another friend of mine said he thought it was a little scary but he thought it was Science Fiction. Some of my reviews are trickling in and two reviewers referred to The Darkness as an exotic-action packed-suspense- thriller.

A romance novel can be frightening; a thriller can be science fiction, an action book can be a love story, a comedy can he horrifying…with it being so easy to cross and blend genres its really hard to say, I would love to be considered a horror or science fiction writer…but like beauty genre is in the eye of the beholder.

The only thing I can say for certain is that my writing is crossed and blended like my racial heritage. I'm proud to be Black, Mexican, Am Indian and white (Irish) maybe it’s a good thing that my horror is also sprinkled with science fiction, religious undertones, and a pinch of comedy and blended with the supernatural.

MUM: Do you find that you pull from your own life experiences when coming up with a story?

CC: Yes. While serving my country in the US Military and having the opportunity to travel to places that I saw as a child flipping through the pages of National Geographic magazines is why I think a lot of people say my writing is exotic and mystical.

MUM: How do you develop your plots and characters? Do you use any set formula?

CC: No I do not use any set formulas or outlines. I just pick up my pen and start writing. The more I write the more defined the plot and character become and the story starts to unfold. This is a little hard to explain, but I usually write the ending of my stories 1^st or from very early on. Once I know the ending I use it as a foundation to build the rest of the story on.

MUM: Do you find that in writing there are some topics that you would consider too taboo? I.e. are there any lines that you won’t cross?

CC: The characters that I create have interracial families, come from single parent homes or have gay parents, some have enough money to do whatever they want while others are counting change to put gas in their 25 year old cars. Some are extremely self-centered whiles others will give you the last piece of bread, even if that means they won’t eat that night. I am not trying to appall anyone or create sensationalism. My writing just reflects the live I life in. I was born on a military installation where having an Asian mom and white dad, or a black mom and a Norwegian dad who was as big and scary as a Viking and playing with so many different colors of kids that it made a rainbow look boring, seeing Muslim women completely covered and Hindu women with bright clothing and a red dot tattooed on their forehead was normal. I live in a fairly large and diverse city and have had the opportunity to travel outside the United States for extends periods of time. The characters I write about are based on the people and things I see around me.

MUM: I’ve seen in your blog that you hate this type of question, but I’ll ask it anyway! Can you give us a little of what your book, “The Darkness,” is about?

CC: Nooooo, oh why God, whyyyyyyy?!?! Lol, The Darkness is about rouge scientific research project that goes horribly wrong. The experiment they lose control of is a four-year-old little boy named Adam. What it boils down to is the unspeakable things people do when they have infinite power and influence and the consequences of arrogance and carelessness.

MUM: The book features some diverse themes; from genetic engineering to witchcraft. Did you find yourself doing a lot of research on these topics for the book?

CC: Well for Inanna, I spent a lot of time quizzing my mom, older cousins, and aunts. I wanted to be sure that she was believable but there was real fear that someone might try and cast a spell or recreate a ritual that’s in the book. So everything you’ll read about Inanna’s spells and the stuff she’s doing is either missing something or out of sequence.

As far as the science part goes, it’s fiction so the sky is the limit so I just made stuff up and I had a blast. For the most part the scientific research that is taking place in The Darkness is used as a backdrop for the rest of the story.

MUM: These are some pretty weighty topics. Do you consider them to be controversial?

CC: I don’t but you never know how some else might react. An anonymous person posted on my blog that children see enough horrible images and that I should use my talent more constructively because the book cover of …And They All Lived Happily Ever After upset her. A few days after my trailer went live a person posted a comment on youtube telling me I was going to hell, and a reviewer sent back a pretty nasty review because one of the sub characters is gay.

MUM: Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

CC: No. I had so much fun writing The Darkness and I want who ever is reading to have fun too. I like to think of The Darkness as a literary equivalent of a roller coaster. There’s no message it’s just fun and scary.

MUM: How long, from conception to completion, did it take for you to write “The Darkness”?

CC: It took five years because in my defense it was just a short story and at the time I considered my writing a hobby. I was working as a mechanic in a Seattle boat yard and some of the guys told the welding instructor that I was a writer. Little did I know that Mike Jones and his wife were both editors and award-winning writers. He took The Darkness home with him, and the next day when he saw me he lost his mind. He told me to stop fucking around and to start taking my writing seriously. He told me that the was no way that The Darkness was a short story and said that I was just being lazy. My pouting last for about a minute and a half, because the next thing he did was point out how certain sentences and descriptions that he loved and thought were amazing. When got home I started writing.

MUM: The cover for “The Darkness” is pretty amazing. Who is the artist?

CC: Her name is Yvette Montoya we used to work together, but the most amazing thing about this cover art is that she didn’t read the book. We were in my office when I asked her if I could commission her for the cover art. I just told her about it; a few days later she brought me the 1^st sketch and when I saw it I started crying so she just ran with it. I went to a print shop to create posters and I kid you not, everyone in that store stopped me to ask about the artwork and the artist who drew it.

MUM: What are you working on right now?

CC: I am working on the audio drama version of The Darkness with Dave Frizzell and his crew over at Necropolis Studio Productions, well I’m not really working on it, he just sends me the script a little at a time to see what I think. It’s amazing.

I’m working on my 1^st anthology called “…And They all Lived Happily Ever After.” It’s a collection of my favorite short and twisted stories I wrote that disturbed and upset the most people, and I am working on Artificial Light, which is the sequel to The Darkness.

MUM: What writers would you say have been the biggest influence on your work?

CC: I would have to say Octavia E. Butler. The books I liked reading while growing up were male dominated, the plots lines by V.C. Andrews were too complicated for me to follow. I picked up a book called Fledgling and it was the 1^st time I had seen a main female black character in a type of book I prefer to read, which is fast paced, non-stop page turner. At that time The Darkness was just about done and I worried that “the masses” would not read a book like mine and I was trying to find a way to keep my characters racially ambiguous, but after reading Fledgling I wrote The Darkness the way I intend to write it. At the end of the day, all people really want is a good story and I’m confident that The Darkness is a good story.

MUM: Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?

CC: They’re not new, because some of these guys have at least 4 or 5 books out, they’re just new to me because just recently. Robert R Best, who knows me as Anne Wilkes, Phill Rossi, Jonathan Moon, Nnedi Okorafor and Scott Sigler just to name a few.

MUM: If you had to choose one book as your favorite, what would it be?

CC: When I was 28 I was working on a ship and a deckhand let me borrow his book. It was really old, a lot of pages were loose, and it was held together with a rubber band. The book was Homer’s Odyssey. I know, I know you guys are thinking everyone 1^st read that poem in high school. Ok so here’s the thing when I was in high school the only thing I wanted to read was Stephen King or Poe, so I did my BFF’s science homework and she did my Lit homework.

The Odyssey was amazing; the translation I read didn’t have the side and footnotes when I gave him his book back I also gave him a newer book in the same translation along with a copy of the Iliad and bought the set for myself along with the divine comedy. All five of those books were stolen from my library during a dinner party at my house. Who ever stole those books also took an antique bible but left the gold bracelets and rings that were in my master bathroom that’s directly across from my library. I was completely devastated you would have though someone had kidnapped my puppy.

The cop that came to my house so was pissed off, he was like you called us out here because of a couple of books? What is it with you people, you think we have time for this kinda bullshit, call Barnes and Noble we have real word shit to deal with princess. I have been trying to find those books for 8years now. I don’t know who translated it but I know it when I see it. It’s centered text and has old English writing style and word usage like Coleridge’s Ancient Mariner and the divine comedy had all three books in it, it was a large leather bond book with black and white illustrations. If anyone can tell me where to find those books I will be eternally grateful.

MUM: What are you reading right now?

CC: Stephen Kings Under the Dome and Phil Rossi’s Crescent.

MUM: What do you find to be the most challenging thing about writing?

CC: Being able to stop. There have been times that I’ve been up and writing for three days at a time, I’ve written on my forearm with a Sharpie while I was zooming down the freeway and there are times when I’m around people I care about but I’m not listening and I’m not really there because I’m working through a scene or dialog in my head.

My family and core friends are used to it but new friends and potential “love interests” don’t like it because they don’t get they think I’m ignoring them and I am but not because I’m not interested or bored its just that I’m preoccupied.

MUM: What have you found to be the most difficult thing to be in breaking into the writing world?

CC: Building the right team to support me through the transitional phase of writing a book to selling one.

MUM: Do you have any advice for other writers?

CC: I’m glad you asked this question because the answer is the 2^nd part of the question you just asked me. When you’re excited about your work, other people will be excited too because excitement is contagious. You need to triple check the people around you to ensure they have you and your book’s best interest in mind…not theirs.

The first time I heard the name Scott Sigler I was on a site called Podiobooks.com and he has audio books that you can download for free, everyone on Podiobooks does. That’s how I learned about an author named Robert R Best. So I was super excited and we did a casting call for voice actors and found a guy that were we head over hills over…and then I downloaded Miles Reid’s Are you watching me, an audio drama produced by Darker Projects 5 Minute Fears and was blown away. I knew then The Darkness would be an audio drama.

I offered our voice actor the choice of roles and explained the change in plan and he spent almost a week complaining about how no one would listen to an audio drama, and telling me that’s just not how its done and the very best audio book that I could produce was…wait for it… with him as the sole reader. He wanted to negotiate a contract for him to receive royalties, he said I should take that he was confident in me and was betting on my success. It was so insane and at 1^st I was really bummed out but then I got really angry. I invited him to be a part of my project and then throw a diva fit when I changed the way I wanted to do things.

Almost a month went by and I wasn’t focusing on the audio portion of The Darkness, then I was sent a link to a story by Jen Rhodes called The Omega Road Chronicles which is another audio drama that was produced by Necropolis Studio Productions.

Now I know this is going to sound blasphemous but except for David Bruckner’s The Signal, 2007 8 Films to Die For’s Mulberry St, The 28 later films and George Romero’s The Crazies circa 1973 I’m not a zombie fan so I didn’t listen to the entire Age of the Zombies series but after listening to the “Call Me Jack” for just 15min I was fired up about doing an audio drama again. I sent the gatekeeper an email with a link to my synopsis and asked how much it would cost to commission NPS to convert The Darkness into an audio drama and I get an email back from Dave Frizzell that said “we’re non-profit so we can do it for free, do you need us to write the script as well? The Darkness sound great btw.” (insert angels signing here)

It doesn’t matter if you’re the new kid on the block, like I am or if your about to sell your 100^th book, you can never be careful enough about the intentions of the people you keep around you.

MUM: How about those looking to start writing?

CC: 1. If someone tells you your work is not worthy or marketable ask someone else.

2. Learn the difference between constructive criticism and criticism from someone who enjoys being mean.

3. Learn to tell when the constructive criticism isn’t beneficial for you or your writing.

4. If your paying someone for their services do not be afraid to speak up when your not happy with the services they are providing. I cannot tell you how many stress and tension headaches I suffered through, the countless nights of lost sleep and all the time that was wasted because I was afraid of hurting someone’s feelings. The hardest thing I had to do is tell someone that I was not 100% happy with their work or that I did not like the suggestion that they’ve made. It changed the working relationship but at the end of the day you have to take ownership of your artwork. You cannot say oh my book didn’t turn out the way I wanted because so-and-so did this and he didn’t do that…no, people only do what you let them.

5.As a new writer it doesn’t matter if you’ve signed on with a large publishing firm or go the self publish route you’ll be responsible for most of your marketing, do your due diligence and do the research. Know what your paying for and why, and make sure that the people you are working with at the very least, knows and understands your genre. There’s no point in working with a man who boasts his skills produce New York Times Best Selling authors if all of his author’s write romance and your book is about a zombie that needs to find a buried treasure to return to the realm of the living.

6.Pay attention to the economy, remember who your competing against and price accordingly. For example paperbacks by L.A. Banks and Dean Koontz are less than $8.00. Stephen King’s Under The Dome is over 1,000 pages is just $19.99, you can download Scot Siglers books for free. With those types of choices it’s going to be extremely difficult to convince someone to pay $25.99, or $19.99 for that matter, for a book by an author they don’t know.

MUM: Is there anything additional you would like to share with your readers?

CC: Yep. Don’t be an ass, it’s extremely humbling when a person times the time to conduct an interview or to review your book never forget that. Never lose your enthusiasm or let someone take it away from you and above all else have fun.

MUM: Any upcoming appearances you’d like to share?

CC: Yeah I’m going to be on Oprah and The Today Show…lol I’m just kidding! No appearance scheduled a of yet, unless my court appearance for a speeding ticket counts.

MUM: Again, thank you for the interview, Crystal. In closing, are there any other works, websites, products or blogs that you would like to plug?

CC: Thanks Matt for having me, this interview was a blast. I hope to do it again for Artificial Light.

Click follow on http://www.wordsmithcrystalconnor.blogspot.com to stay tuned for Artificial Light and …And They All Lived Happily Ever After

and for amazing audio drama books check out Dave Frizzell’s Necropolis Studio Productions at:

http://www.necropolisstudioprod.com

and go here for 5 minute fears:

http://www.darkerprojects.com/index.php