I will be here Friday 10:00 Central live radio...................come eat the brains with me!

Here is what is about to be released in the next two months.  Z is for Zombie series is now under contract with Severed Press and they are designing some excellent book covers for all of them! Stay tuned for the Severed Press release of those books as well.

I saw that I had  a very nice review for my favorite book (of mine). When people give detailed comments, I get to see the book as others see it and trust me, that helps a lot. The reviewer mentioned this is a coming of age book which eluded me. It really is one and I may have missed that because it is told in first person MALE point of view, was very difficult to write, but is my all time favorite because of the fun I had with some real history. To be compared along side of Stephen King and Robert McCammon on this one was a delight. It's not always easy to be noticed in the horror-writer market and I have used the zombie series to get my brand noticed and to pay me to do this full time, but this is who I am...mainstream horror....a little supernatural, a lot psychological...and strong characters, I like to immerse myself in whole other worlds when I write true horror fiction and for someone known for gore and violence, I feel that most readers are surprised at how subtle my writing is. despite my writing, I am most influenced by the horror writers of the 50s-70s when dread and unease was more fearful than blood and gore (Think Psycho movie) and my favorite writers are Thomas Tyron and Ira Levin. I will read anything frightening and nothing scares me like those two because of the subtle styles they used. Richard Laymon is my other big influence and is very differrent than the other two, but isn't that what horror should be? Scary, unpredictable, and stylized for whatever theme is being written about? George Romero probably got it most correct when he did NOTLD because so much of the movie was subtle and suggested and other parts were pretty grahpic for that time period. It was balanced. Absolute discomfort and changing tempos are what seem to work best. (IT by Stephen King) This is just my late night rambling as I think about the reviews and letters people send me...what people say about my writing. It isn't easy to be a writer. Yes, E-books have done a big business based on people who someone said could write but who really need to stop pumping out very bad prose. But it is hard to be a good writer over the course of many books. I know I don't always get a hit out of the park or even score with a few books, but I am trying to entertain people. That's all. I want to amuse people or scare them, make them think, or make someone uneasy...that's my job. Getting a great review that tells me I am hitting the points I want to hit...that makes the job enjoyable, Cheers and when you love a book, let the author know; it does make a difference!

I write every day, 7 days a week. Last weekend, I took off F-S for a family break road trip to visit my family and to attend the Four States Fair with my husband and son. I was so sad to see that the art exhibit was 1/4 the size as it was years before and I didn't see the Home Ec competition!  It's not the same when the old, traditional parts are missing from a fair. On the Ferris wheel, I had this full story come to me (Laymon-like) and my son frowned because even on the ride, I was "working". I felt as if the break was well deserved and a lot of fun for us.

Besides my regular writing (number 7 in the Z series is about to be released), I have been busy! I have been working with my wonderful agent on an audio book deal and a video. I had no idea how popular audio books are! My copy editor ran over the Z wiki and said it was good with a few tweaks and she is wading through G's Terms and then the rest of the series so we'll have a re-release of all books in a second edition after she is finished and okays them. I am working with some fine folks across the pond and they have given me some great ideas and feedback. 

In each review I get, I see the same things...that my writing is very "character driven" and I never tire of hearing that. I don't know if readers always want that and many do prefer the plot driven styles, but my brand is "character driven" all the way. Someone once said there are only ten stories in the world and we all retell them over and over in new ways. That may be true. But I think the human mind is the true, uncharted territory, far more intricate and interesting than outer space. I am thrilled that people enjoy the characters of the Z series and have chosen favorites and want to know what they do and say next!

People ask me if writing is difficult. Ummm. Yes. Imagine I have you 15 blank pages and tell you the topic is zombies, to fill them up right then, and to make me love every word. Oh, and develop characters that are memorable, a good story, and transport my mind to another place. While you are at it, make me think and debate some issue but hide it so I don't know.  Easy? Nope. That is my world every day. I can do that. I am more in awe of someone who can look at a car engine and make sense of it, or drive in downtown Dallas, or climb a mountain without going splat. I think we all can be amazed by those who do things we can't imagine doing ourselves. When I got my scuba diving certification, I couldn't imagine doing what I did, and yet, I did it all; failure was not an option. We can do many things when we get a plan, have a desire to succeed, and dive (or follow) the plan.

What is the connection here? I work hard. I write even while I don't know I am writing. Not everyone can do all things, Success isn't easy. See? There is a theme here. If you know someone in the arts area (music, art, acting) be supportive because I am positive, they are doing something that some can't do and they work hard to entertain. Entering a jar of pickled peaches in a fair isn't the greatest accomplishment, right? Wrong. How did that person learn to can peaches? What was the plan? How did it turn out? In each jar of pickles, there is a wonderful story involved that may never be told, but I can bet there is an interesting character sketch there. I hope more people share art and peaches with fairs and other people and I hope they tell the stories of how they accomplished their tasks. I hope people continue to amaze me.

Mostly, I just hope.

* Z is for Zombie: What Lies Beneath, The Time of Grace, and Wild Boys will be offered this weekend for free. Enjoy!   HERE  @ Amazon.com