B.J. Hyman's Blog, page 4

Books on my Shelf: Bird Box by Josh Malerman

I decided that book reviews should be something that a writer does now and again to show my readers what kind of books I’m reading and loving. So, it’s very appropriate that Bird Box by Josh Malerman would be my debut review.

I actually read this book last year but it was one of two that stuck with me in such a way that I go around recommending it to everyone I strike up a book conversation with. (Which happens often.)

The marketing of this book has been brilliant too. I’m sharing the following from FROM MY BOOKSHELF

Click the link above to see the whole post.

(Image is from another website)

“Well. I just got home from the most unique author reading I think I’ve been to yet. Josh Malerman stopped by Schuler Books earlier this evening to promote the release of his debut novel, Bird Box. What made the reading so unique is that the author wouldn’t come out until all of the audience members were blindfolded. Once we were all suitably blindfolded, Malerman and his band (the High Strung) came out and performed a chapter from the book, complete with sound effects, appropriately atmospheric music, and multiple people performing different characters from the story. I’m not going to lie, it was a little unsettling, which of course was the point. I’m not sure what is going on in the book, but being blindfolded and unable to see plays an integral part of the story, so it was giving us a taste of the characters in the story are going through. I’m not sure that I’m going to be able to read this book at night…”

Why the blindfolds? Well, I’ll first put the book description below and then we’ll talk for a minute.

“Written with the narrative tension of The Road and the exquisite terror of classic Stephen King, Bird Box is a propulsive, edge-of-your-seat horror thriller, set in an apocalyptic near-future world—a masterpiece of suspense from the brilliantly imaginative Josh Malerman.

Something is out there . . .

Something terrifying that must not be seen. One glimpse and a person is driven to deadly violence. No one knows what it is or where it came from.

Five years after it began, a handful of scattered survivors remain, including Malorie and her two young children. Living in an abandoned house near the river, she has dreamed of fleeing to a place where they might be safe. Now, that the boy and girl are four, it is time to go. But the journey ahead will be terrifying: twenty miles downriver in a rowboat—blindfolded—with nothing to rely on but her wits and the children’s trained ears. One wrong choice and they will die. And something is following them. But is it man, animal, or monster?

Engulfed in darkness, surrounded by sounds both familiar and frightening, Malorie embarks on a harrowing odyssey—a trip that takes her into an unseen world and back into the past, to the companions who once saved her. Under the guidance of the stalwart Tom, a motely group of strangers banded together against the unseen terror, creating order from the chaos. But when supplies ran low, they were forced to venture outside—and confront the ultimate question: in a world gone mad, who can really be trusted?

Interweaving past and present, Josh Malerman’s breathtaking debut is a horrific and gripping snapshot of a world unraveled that will have you racing to the final page.”

Okay…so…in a boat with two 4-year-olds…something is after you…and you have to be blindfolded. Scared yet?

Anyone who has seen the classic film with Audrey Hepburn, Wait Until Dark, knows that there is plenty to be afraid of when you can’t see. Malerman writes with a claustrophobia in wide open spaces. It’s every fear you could put a name to: harm to yourself, harm to someone you love…someone innocent, the world ending, having to make a move when you are frozen with fear, the unseen and unknown monster reaching out of the dark for you. He does it masterfully. It is a brilliant debut and I am waiting with bated breath for his next novel. I HIGHLY recommend this book.

Trust me. You’ll love it.

Free eBook of LIGHTNING Available!!

In honor of getting close to 500 likes on my Facebook author site, I’m giving the ebook of LIGHTNING away for FREE for 3 days!

Starting GOOD Friday and ending at Midnight on Easter, the latest installment of the DAY ZERO series will be ABSOLUTELY FREE! Don’t miss out!

Give me a like, if you haven’t yet. It might spur another giveaway if I exceed 500 soon!

Follow this link to get your copy:

http://amzn.to/2fb5fID

Free Sample of SLEEP TIGHT

As I’m writing, I’m getting more and more excited about this one coming out this summer! I wanted to share a small bit with you so you can get excited too!  And, without further ado:

SLEEP TIGHT

The dirt beneath her was cold and damp. It reminded her of the days she’d help her grandfather put out a garden. He’d till the soil and she’d lie in it and make dirt angels, packing the dirt back down. He could have been angry, but he was indulgent and let her have her childish fun. She could still hear his laughter as he brushed the rich black soil off her overalls. She’d wrap her grubby hands around his neck for a spontaneous kiss to the cheek.

She lay there daydreaming of her youth and the good things in her life. She thought of her brothers and their stupid pranks. As the only female sibling, she was often the recipient of those pranks. She swore that she would come up with a good one to play on them someday to get them back.

They’ll think this is a prank at first. She wished she could tell them straight up that this wasn’t a joke to save them the shock. It would start with a laugh that would morph into disbelief then despair and finally a mix with shame at laughing at first.

She thought of her father and how he always tried to act as if he wasn’t treating her any differently from her brothers, but he couldn’t help himself. After her mother had died so young, she had been the only female. Her grandmother had already passed so that left one flower in the garden. Because she was the only one, she never had to worry about guys giving her too much of a problem. She had a backing that was five men strong and each of them would willingly give his life for her.

She was glad they had not been asked to make that sacrifice. They were soon going to be missing the softness of a female in their number, but her brothers would find wives and have children. It would be replenished. The flowers would bloom once more in their family. They all had so much love to share. She longed to be a part of it.

She opened weary eyes to the canopy of leaves above. She was surrounded by greens and browns and grays. The sky shown brilliantly blue when the wind shifted the branches and let her have a peek. There are worse places for one to die.

Who was responsible for her death was still a mystery to her. She had been stalked and haunted for weeks. She had gotten security for her home. She hadn’t wanted to worry the men in her life. They were always on the edge when it came to her. There had been nothing truly threatening to lead her to believe she was in real danger. But she had felt it, nonetheless.

Things went missing. They were returned exactly where they should have been all along. Items that were always in the same place were moved. Emails were sent that she had not written. Text messages were deleted. Photos of random things would just appear on her camera roll. Posts to her social media that would sound like her, but she had never posted, would be liked and shared by her friends.

Most of the things that had happened could be reasoned away. But then there were things that were unmistakably someone else’s doing. Flowers in the seat of her locked car. Words written on the walls of her small cottage house (which was also locked). And now this. Her dying in the woods.

She doesn’t even know if it was a man or woman. They had a slender build but were still fairly strong. Definitely not very old. Maybe between 25-35? These are just guesses. She had seen nothing. Not even today. She had been working in her own flower garden thinking of how she was carrying on her family legacy of growing things. There had been a jarring hit on the head that made her see stars and made her neck hurt from the force. She didn’t go under but felt the waters of blackness begin to swim before her eyes. She tilted slightly to the side but struggled to right herself before putting a hand up to feel where she had been struck. The second blow did it.

When she woke, she felt dirt being shoveled on to her. Her groan must have gotten her attackers attention. But, instead of knocking her back out, she saw a figure in a hoodie pull out a knife. She felt the blade before she could try to do anything about it. Three slices. One at her throat and one to each wrist. Then this person, the reason she was bleeding out on the forest floor, left. Nothing was said. She could just hear the crunch of shoes trodding on nature getting farther and farther away.

It was better this way. She just felt mostly sleepy. Dying under the dirt that was around her would have been horrific. Waking with it in her eyes, her throat, unable to take a breath, seeing nothing but the soil, that was what nightmares were made of. Now, there was pain, but most was floating away. She felt dizzy as if going under for surgery. She tried to wriggle her toes but felt nothing moving.

It reminded her of when she had to get her tonsils out as a child. Her mother sat at her side with her beautiful auburn hair flowing around her heart shaped face. Mom held her hand as she slowly drifted away. I’ll just focus on what that felt like. And instantly she could see her mother. She was still as beautiful as her memories of her. She appeared to be beckoning her forward. She reached out her hands for the last time toward a mother who was only there in her memory as her spirit left her lying in a shallow grave.

Your chance to WIN a free book!!

Enter for your chance to WIN a free copy of DAY ZERO: The Book of Patrick.

Don’t miss your opportunity to read my addictive supernatural thriller series that’s getting great reviews!

See this #AmazonGiveaway for a chance to win: Day Zero: The Book Of Patrick (Kindle Edition). https://giveaway.amazon.com/p/ce7ef756a4d14816

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Ends the earlier of Apr 20, 2017 11:59 PM PDT, or when all prizes are claimed. See Official Rules http://amzn.to/GArules.

See what readers are saying about the series:

Diary of a Mad Writer

I don’t know about you, but when I’ve got a story in my head, it follows me everywhere. No matter where I go.

I’m at a restaurant:  I see potential “looks” for the characters. I’m listening in to conversations to see if I can snag a bit to put in for realism. I watch how people interact and see how I would describe it in words. I try to order for each of my characters to see what and how they would order. (It takes me a while to choose my OWN food! hahaha)

I’m the passenger of a car:  I let the music flow over me and let it create “feelings” that I want to use for my story. I listen to bits of lyrics to lead me to scene or moment ideas. I concentrate on particular characters and imagine what they would see out the window and what they would be thinking about. I imagine conversations that may or may not make it into the final draft.

I’m at the day job:  I look at strangers and imagine what they do with the rest of their day. Where do they live? What kind of family life do they have? What is their belief system? Do they have quirks for me to grab and write down? Do they say anything with a peculiar speech pattern that I should pick up for someone in my fictional world? I listen to their accents (there are SO many different quirks in how people say different words!). I watch their relationships and how they treat each other.

I’m at the gym:  I’ve been amazed at how much you can pick up from people by how they behave while working out! Some choose to not even make eye-contact. Some are constantly searching for someone to connect with. Some are there to GET IT DONE! Some just dilly dally along with no apparent goal. There are those that stick to one machine and seem out of sorts if they can’t get to it. Some come alone. Some have to bring a friend.

There is so much out there for a writer to use.

Right now, I’m hearing a large truck rumbling by outside with an odd tire making a kind of thumping noise. Not exactly a flat tire sound, but something isn’t quite right. The sound grows and fades as the truck makes its way to the destination set up by the dispatcher. The driver is just doing his job and has very few choices in where he goes and what time he gets there.

What can you use in the world around you today as a writer?

Pictures from Books & Boards Book Signing Event

We had so much fun! Thank you all who came out to spend time with me and get some books signed! The gang at Books & Boards were so terrific as were the girls at Three Sisters Pie Co. I can’t wait to do it again!

Columbus, MS Book Signing TODAY!

I’ll be at the newest bookstore in the Golden Triangle, Books & Boards, on Main Street (in the old Purple Elephant location) today between the hours of 3-7.

There’s a giveaway that you must be present to sign up for a chance to win.

The location has books (duh), board games, and a pie shop in the back.

It’s also Main Street Spring Open House so there are lots of things to see downtown.

Come on out and we’ll have a great time! I may even play a board game with some readers. (I love games! Scattergories is one of my favorites.)

I’ll definitely be signing some books, eating some pie, going live on Facebook, and taking selfies with readers to share on social media!

I hope to see you there!

Check out the Reviews Trailer

What are readers saying about the DAY ZERO Series?  Watch and find out!

 

http://bjhyman.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/reviews-trailer.mp4

Behind the Scenes of the TV Interview

The interview aired today and I’ll be posting it as soon as I can. In the meantime, I thought you would enjoy some behind the scenes pictures.

Pictures from the Tupelo Book Signing

I thought I’d share some pictures from the last book signing in January. Don’t forget:  I’ve got another one coming up at Books and Boards in Columbus, MS on March 24th from 3-7.