In celebration of cracking a thousand downloads of my free stories on Smashwords, and in anticipation of the May launch of my vampire novel Applewood, I'm delighted to report that I'm making my zombie short titled "Fortunato's Ghost" available as a free download on Smashwords. The story itself goes something like this:
"It is six months since the dead began to rise. The windswept islands of Boston Harbor have become refuge to the few hundred souls who have managed to survive. But Will Bartlett, a young man rescued from the hellish mainland, soon learns that entry into this new civilization comes at a very high price."
Confess I had a lot of fun writing this one. Though it didn't get into the anthology I wrote it for, it did find a home in Dead Worlds, Undead Stories from Living Dead Press, a great anthology containing some of my favorite zombie shorts. So if zombies are your thing, pick up a copy today!
Hope you enjoy reading "Fortunato's Ghost" as much as I did writing it. You can download the story in a variety of formats (or read it online) it by clicking here.
Showing posts with label Zombies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Zombies. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Friday, December 17, 2010
Should the zombies come . . .
Surfing the web the other day, I saw this:
So I looked to my left and saw this:
Yeah, the bucket's gonna come in REAL handy.
Ought to take one or two of them with me anyway.
So I looked to my left and saw this:
Yeah, the bucket's gonna come in REAL handy.
Ought to take one or two of them with me anyway.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Nearly Dead
Apologies for not updating, and being derelict in commenting on my writer friends' blogs (which I am indeed reading, though). In addition to my previously announced melancholy over the Liberace museum closing, I’ve been busy.
I am pleased to announce I've released a free short, a St. Pete-centric, tongue-in-cheek Zombie tale titled "Nearly Dead" on Smashwords. You can download it in the format of your choice (or read it online) by clicking here.
Plot summary goes something like this:
In other news, I’ve completed reviewing the first-round edits of Applewood, my New England vampire novel, and will be sending them back in the next day or so. I’m certain the edits truly make it stronger. We’ve also had preliminary discussions about potential covers. Hard to believe it’s really happening.
One reason I opted to not self-publish this one (after making the rounds of agents and publishers, of course, and sitting at Dorchester for more than three years before they said no) was for just that, to have someone else read and edit and help with production, someone to tell me which parts suck (and not be afraid to use those exact words) and point out bad habits I’d fallen into.
Another curiosity about “Applewood” is there is a completed full-length sequel, picking up where the cliff-hanging end of "Applewood" leaves off. I started writing it as an exercise to more fully flesh out “Applewood” and it took on a life of its own.
I remember thinking at the time, “Is there any greater act of faith or stupidity than writing the sequel to an unpublished novel?”
Don’t know for sure, however I suspect J.K. Rowling and Stephanie Meyer were sane enough to wait and see if anybody cared about the first to write the next.
But between you and me, I think the second in the series is even stronger than the first, and project it would take another four books or so to truly complete the “saga.” I’ll keep you posted.
Course with my luck, vampires will be passé right about then . . .
As always, thanks for reading!
I am pleased to announce I've released a free short, a St. Pete-centric, tongue-in-cheek Zombie tale titled "Nearly Dead" on Smashwords. You can download it in the format of your choice (or read it online) by clicking here.
Plot summary goes something like this:
"When a New York crime boss sends a hitman to St. Pete in the middle of a zombie infestation, the hitman finds that though infested with the undead, his beloved St. Pete hasn't really changed that much. But even in the middle of an infestation, he has a job to do."The story is perhaps too St. Pete-centric for some, with unexplained inside jokes you'd maybe have to live here to know about. Or maybe, it doesn't work at all. Who the hell knows anymore? But hey, it's free, right?
In other news, I’ve completed reviewing the first-round edits of Applewood, my New England vampire novel, and will be sending them back in the next day or so. I’m certain the edits truly make it stronger. We’ve also had preliminary discussions about potential covers. Hard to believe it’s really happening.
One reason I opted to not self-publish this one (after making the rounds of agents and publishers, of course, and sitting at Dorchester for more than three years before they said no) was for just that, to have someone else read and edit and help with production, someone to tell me which parts suck (and not be afraid to use those exact words) and point out bad habits I’d fallen into.
Another curiosity about “Applewood” is there is a completed full-length sequel, picking up where the cliff-hanging end of "Applewood" leaves off. I started writing it as an exercise to more fully flesh out “Applewood” and it took on a life of its own.
I remember thinking at the time, “Is there any greater act of faith or stupidity than writing the sequel to an unpublished novel?”
Don’t know for sure, however I suspect J.K. Rowling and Stephanie Meyer were sane enough to wait and see if anybody cared about the first to write the next.
But between you and me, I think the second in the series is even stronger than the first, and project it would take another four books or so to truly complete the “saga.” I’ll keep you posted.
Course with my luck, vampires will be passé right about then . . .
As always, thanks for reading!
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Dog Days
Not much to report, except I DID finish a story and sent it off to submission-land. So that's something.
I blogged in February about a book release party held locally for a zombie anthology centered in St. Pete. Never having had a book release party for any anthology I’d been in, I thought that was cool enough.
And though I’d only been here a few months at the time, St. Pete had gotten under my skin enough where I realized it truly was a funky and off-beat enough place to support a zombie anthology of its own.
Though I missed that opportunity, I was inspired to jot down a few pages of notes for a St. Pete-centric zombie short that I’d get around to writing someday, if only for fun.
So color me excited when I learned the folks who created that anthology announced another, and not only that, but a whole series of place-themed zombie anthologies.
The first two announced were for a second St. Pete volume, submissions due August 30th, and a New York City based one, submissions due December 30th.
I was inspired enough to reopen those notes and tailor a St. Pete zombie tale.
Anyway, they probably have hundreds of good ones from folks more talented than me, who know the place far better. And they’re not paying anything, so I have nothing to lose. Still, had fun writing the thing and think it’s pretty good.
In other news, still puttering away on my novel-length Dick Londergan / P.I piece.
More than two hundred folks have downloaded Telegraph Hill, my free Dick Londergan short available on Smashwords, with at least a couple of more every week. Nobody has written to complain, so maybe there's a market for it.
Having fun too (thus far only in my head) with prospective titles. I want folks to know it’s a Dick Londergan tale, so I’m trying to both think of a way to get his name in the title as well as to parody great crime novels of the past.
So far, “The Big Dick” is in the lead.
(:>)
I blogged in February about a book release party held locally for a zombie anthology centered in St. Pete. Never having had a book release party for any anthology I’d been in, I thought that was cool enough.
And though I’d only been here a few months at the time, St. Pete had gotten under my skin enough where I realized it truly was a funky and off-beat enough place to support a zombie anthology of its own.
Though I missed that opportunity, I was inspired to jot down a few pages of notes for a St. Pete-centric zombie short that I’d get around to writing someday, if only for fun.
So color me excited when I learned the folks who created that anthology announced another, and not only that, but a whole series of place-themed zombie anthologies.
The first two announced were for a second St. Pete volume, submissions due August 30th, and a New York City based one, submissions due December 30th.
I was inspired enough to reopen those notes and tailor a St. Pete zombie tale.
Anyway, they probably have hundreds of good ones from folks more talented than me, who know the place far better. And they’re not paying anything, so I have nothing to lose. Still, had fun writing the thing and think it’s pretty good.
In other news, still puttering away on my novel-length Dick Londergan / P.I piece.
More than two hundred folks have downloaded Telegraph Hill, my free Dick Londergan short available on Smashwords, with at least a couple of more every week. Nobody has written to complain, so maybe there's a market for it.
Having fun too (thus far only in my head) with prospective titles. I want folks to know it’s a Dick Londergan tale, so I’m trying to both think of a way to get his name in the title as well as to parody great crime novels of the past.
So far, “The Big Dick” is in the lead.
(:>)
Friday, June 11, 2010
Friday, February 26, 2010
Zombie St. Pete
Now THIS is how you throw an anthology release party:
The event takes place Saturday evening, February 27th, from 5:00 - 10:00 PM down at The Pier. It's within walking distance of where I live, so I'm definitely going to check it out.
If you're in the vicinity, for more info on the event, click here.
And the cover looks awesome!
The cover is actually The Pier where the event takes place (and I suspect a story or two is set) which is very, very cool.
Best of luck to all of the authors and the event organizers.
I'll see you there!
The event takes place Saturday evening, February 27th, from 5:00 - 10:00 PM down at The Pier. It's within walking distance of where I live, so I'm definitely going to check it out.
If you're in the vicinity, for more info on the event, click here.
And the cover looks awesome!
The cover is actually The Pier where the event takes place (and I suspect a story or two is set) which is very, very cool.
Best of luck to all of the authors and the event organizers.
I'll see you there!
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