A.L. Masters's Blog: A.L. Masters' Witty and Insightful Perceptions on the Living and the Dead...and Mutant Creatures, page 2

What to expect for 2024...

Well, it's 2024 and if we've learned anything about the '20's, it's that they can't be trusted. So, hope for the best and prepare for the worst.

Anywho, in book news, I've got lots of new stuff planned for this year! There will be at least 4 new TOP SECRET releases this year and they are going to be absolutely WILD.

Some hints (not necessary in publishing order):

1. This one leaves Earth behind (and my typical genre, though it will be a total blast).

2. This one visits the past (a genre-bending story that could possibly spur a lot of copycats... or not.)

3. This one puts a new spin on a new threat and is a collaborative effort with a super secret co-writer who shall remain nameless for now. It will span at least 8 books and probably more over the coming years. We'll see.

4. This one may or may not be the ending to a trilogy that doesn't have an ending yet (insert double eyeball emoji here) I'm sure you can guess this one just by looking at my book series.

The best part? I'm going to be hosting multiple chances to win these titles as well as gift cards for my subscribers and social media followers, so keep an eye out here and on Instagram (or in your email spam folder if you're on my mailing list, because I'm tech savvy like that) for chances to win!

Happy New Year! It's going to be... really something, I'm sure.

A.M.

Hell Zone Book 3

The Pandora Project (working title) is well underway! Rough draft is finished and I'm hard at work fleshing everything out and turning my incoherent ramblings and sometimes insane character actions into a sensible journey.

Hoping for a new book announcement for you guys in the next few months as I shape the draft into a gripping story and send it through the editing process!

Also, there are ominous rumblings of a thrilling (and potentially epic length) new series on the horizon. So excited about this one!

Enjoy the season and as always, don't hesitate to contact me here, on Instagram, or via email. I respond to everyone.

If I haven't responded to your email, it means that my return email is either going to your spam folder or the email you provide in the contact form of my website was incorrect. There has been one instance for sure that I've repeatedly tried to respond to an inquiry regarding the rest of the audiobook series, but am unable to get through.

Happy Reading,

A.

Hostile, Hell Zone Series is Now Available!

Hostile (the one you've all been emailing me about!) is now available on Amazon with a special Halloween discount!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C...

Check out the synopsis:

When a mysterious disaster takes over the United States, grieving mother Sarah embarks on a harrowing journey of survival and courage. With the help of her elderly co-worker Louis, a handsome deputy, and a brave group of survivors, Sarah must prevail against the odds and travel through hellish Red Zones to find safety at the end of the world.
In this horrifying apocalyptic tale, devils walk among men and the dead don’t stay dead.

This is a Hell Zone Beginning. It may be read as Book One of The Hell Zone Series.


That's right- Hell Zone Beginning books, Extremis and Hostile, can be read in any order. One not pulling you in? Try the other one first!

Happy Halloween and Happy Reading

Preorder Link for Vindicta Audiobook!

Just wanted to take a quick break from working on the second Hell Zone book to post a preorder link for the Vindicta audiobook. Kate's story is probably my favorite of the whole Salvation Plague series and I'm very excited that Tantor Media is bringing it to life with audio!

Here it is! https://www.audiobooks.com/promotions...

Let me know what you think.

Be careful out there and see you soon!

A Little 2023 Update

First off...Happy New Year!!! ( a little late...)

I am still alive and well. For some exciting news in the audiobook world, The Mutation is set to be released on audio on Tuesday, January 31st! It was produced by Tantor Media and narrated by Gary Bennett, a great guy and a wonderful narrator!


I have several works in progress and hope to get back to full-time writing later this summer. Fingers crossed that I'll be able to have the draft of Hell Zone book two ready for editing and final review by late fall. Hopefully then I'll be able to get back to work on my Very Special, Top-Secret, Salvation Plague Spin-off series featuring a surprise cast of characters including Sten and Tor as well as a few mystery characters. I am really excited about this one and can't wait to get it started. It won't be a traditional apocalypse story with your everyday muties and whatnot, but it'll be a blast...literally. I'm taking the end of the world as we know it to a whole new level. So exciting!

Have a great late winter/spring/summer and watch out for more information later this year. In the meantime, feel free to contact me anytime on Instagram, here, or email almasters2021@gmail.com

Invicta is now available!

Invicta is now available for purchase on Amazon. Let me know what you think!

The Turning Audiobook Is Now Available For Pre-order

So excited to announce that the The Turning has been picked up by Tantor Media and is now available in audio format.

It is currently available for preorder wherever audiobooks are sold!! (Always wanted to say that...)

Best wishes and Happy Halloween!

Undeliverable emails and a little progress update

So, I received an awesome email from a reader via contact form submission this evening and I wanted to reply but the return email address turned out to be undeliverable. So this is a shoutout to Julie, who I'd like to thank for the great email and motivation. If you see this, shoot me another email with an updated address and I'll get right back to you.

No matter how many emails I get, each one is special to me and really keeps me going.

Now, a small Salvation Plague progress update. I'm still working on it and it's going well. I can't give a set date for release at this point. I'd hoped to have it ready by Halloween but life seems to have other plans. Rest assured that it is coming though and I will let you guys know when as soon as possible. I will say this: our survivors are some crazy mofos and they're going to freak out when they run into someone they weren't expecting to see...

I hope you are all well. Keep an eye out for my new release alert and my Instagram cover reveal and exclusive excerpt.

Happy (early) Halloween!

Extremis Excerpt

I can see headlights in the sky and the wooden mast of a utility pole. I push through the weeds and thorns and finally come out onto the road as the truck rushes past with a blur of lights and a gust of hot, dusty wind.

“Fuck!” I yell as my hair blows in its wake. I throw my arms out in frustration, wanting to almost cry at the near miss.

As I watch my chance for rescue pass, I see pale, shadowy shapes dart around in the back of the truck. The red brake lights flare to life.
I hold my breath as the tires squeal and the vehicle comes back toward me.

Two bodies fly over the cab and onto the hood as the person accelerates wildly in reverse. The truck is swerving all over the place, straddling the center line and then the shoulders without slowing. Gravel and dirt spin up near the tires and patter down in the weeds on the sides of the road.

“What the fuck?” I breathe as the truck barrels toward me with a maniac behind the wheel and a person in the back trying to hold on.

I jump out of the way at the last second, fully prepared to start cursing the idiot as soon as I get a seat inside. I consider waving him on, but it might be the last one for a while and I’m not even sure the guy is sober enough to understand what the gesture might mean.

I’m really hoping that isn’t the case.

When the truck stops beside me and I see the frightened face inside I realize all my internal arguments were for nothing. The fucker in the back isn’t some drunk good old boy out having a good time with his buddies.

It’s a damned demon.

My world shifts on its axis and for a moment I wonder if they haven’t tricked me again, let me believe that I made it off the property—made me imagine the journey here. I can’t comprehend this.

They’re here.

They’ve followed me here and I’m so aghast for a moment that I don’t know what to say. Hallucinating while drunk, or whatever it was at the farm, is one thing, but these things existing miles away from that cursed ground is another.

The thought that they’re following me around is horrifying and once again I see the face of that woman at the gas station. I’d hoped…I’d truly believed it was a stress reaction, but it’s looking more and more likely that I’m some kind of walking monster magnet. Impending madness, incipient insanity…my internal reverie collapses when a blur in the headlights catches my eye.

The demon’s buddies that the driver managed to throw out into the road are sprinting toward us on all fours with the same gleeful, animalistic grins. They don’t look injured from the fall and they’re moving much too fast. Faster than most people would be able to manage, especially after smacking the asphalt at thirty miles per hour.

“Help me!” the driver screams and I realize that I’m still staring.

I don’t think. I just yank the shotgun up and put a load of triple aught into the truckbed demon’s chest before I jump into the passenger seat. I’m hardly in before the driver takes off again with another ill-advised squealing of tires. I have to use all my strength to hold on and slam the door shut without falling out.


“Don’t hit them!” I yell as the truck’s trajectory takes us right toward the creeps in the middle of the road. “You might damage the truck.”

Even with the deer guard on the front, I don’t think hitting things that big is wise.

We barely miss them and I finally have time to put on my seatbelt and take in my rescuer as we barrel down the old road at a perilous seventy miles per hour.

What I see doesn’t reassure me at all.

“What are you, fourteen?” I ask, staring a bit incredulously at the little girl peering up over the steering wheel. Her feet barely reach the damned pedals. “What the hell are you doing driving around with those damn—those things in the back?”

She glares at me, taking her eyes off the road for far longer than I think is safe…or sane. “I’m twenty, thank you very much and I wasn’t cartin’ them around by choice, sir.”

The drawl in her voice tells me that she’s not from around here. I’m immediately curious as to why there is a half-sized Southern belle chauffeuring demons around the backwoods of Kansas.

She seems a bit unsteady and her driving makes me anxious, ironic considering what I’ve been doing for the past three days. Still, I should probably apologize. She seems a bit insulted.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t get a good look at you and I’m still a bit shaken up. You don’t look fourteen,” I allow, moving the shotgun to a more comfortable spot.

She eyes the weapon but doesn’t seem nervous and that kind of makes me nervous.

What kind of girl—I roll my eyes—young woman, isn’t nervous picking up a stranger at night? Especially a half-dressed, dirty one carrying a shotgun? What the hell is going on here?

“How much ammo you got for that thing?”

I think for a second, counting. “Six shells left.”

“Hmm. We’ll need to find more soon. That won’t last long. I wish I’d been able to get into Ben’s safe…” She trailed off and looked me over. “You look like a half-dead male stripper…no offense.”

My mouth drops open and I stare.

“Just saying,” she adds defensively. Then, a few moments later, “Do you want something to eat? I’ve got some food in that bag down there.” She nods toward the floor and I pounce on it immediately.

“Thanks. I haven’t eaten since Friday. Do you have any water?”

“It’s in the bag.”

She drives more slowly as I eat and drink my fill. She’s looking at me but I don’t see any wariness there, more like curiosity. I finally lean back, wincing at the pain, and run my hands through my filthy hair. I smell like sweat, river water, rotting fish, and vodka. I can’t be a very trustworthy-looking sight.

“You should be careful who you pick up. There are a lot of bad people in the world." I don't elaborate and from the look on her face, I don’t need to.

“You should be careful you who ride with. Hitchikin’ is dangerous business,” she retorts. “I could be a crazed axe murderer.”

“You’re too little to be an axe murderer,” I grunt.

“I can take care of myself,” she says, a bit wounded. “Mostly. Why are you wandering around at night, naked and without any water? Are you an idiot or something?”

She says it so matter-of-factly that I snort.

“Probably.”

She grins and I continue. “I came out here three days ago from the city. I was going home to…visit. I encountered some bad…stuff…and I had to leave suddenly.”

This time she snorts. “Bad stuff, huh? Like old Beelzebub back there?” she asked, jerking her head backward.

“Yeah, just like him. I’ve seen a few of those things now. What the fu—what’s going on?” I ask, willing to display my ignorance if it meant I could find out just what the hell was happening.

“No freaking clue. Friday afternoon I was leaving summer school with my cousin Luke—”

She cuts off abruptly and I raise my eyebrow at her. “Twenty, huh?”

She sighs. “Maybe more like eighteen. This was my last year of school. My momma put me in late.”

I nod for her to go on.

“Anyway, we went to hit the drive-in for a snack. We got our food and everything, and then as soon as we were about to leave one of the employees gets thrown through the window. We jumped out to see if she was okay…she wasn’t.”

“She was dead?” I ask.

“Nope. She was one of them. We only saw that one, but people were getting anxious after that, packing up and leaving town. The cops were all over the place and I know we were speeding right past several of them, but they didn’t stop us. We hightailed it out of there and got back to Uncle Ben’s. Everything was normal there, for a while. Last night, Aunt Shirley started climbing the walls…literally. We were sitting around the T.V. watching the emergency broadcasts. She—”

The girl stops talking for a moment and I realize that she’s crying.

“You don’t have to tell me,” I say, heart sinking.

“I need to,” she sniffs, craning her neck to see over the steering wheel. “She killed Luke. She slithered down the wall and broke his neck like it was nothing. I can still hear it. Her own son! She got after Uncle Ben next. He didn’t make it, I don’t think. I ran.”

Her driving is getting more erratic, and I start to get nervous.

“Hey, why don’t we switch for a while. You look like you need a break.”

She wipes her face and stops the truck. “Okay, but promise you won’t go into town. Town is a hell zone now.”

Hell Zone.

I do not like the sound of that. I revise my original plan. I’m not in any condition to deal with a town that she classifies as a hell zone, whatever that is. I think I can figure it out though.

“Okay. I’m going to try to find a house somewhere. Maybe we can find more people and get out of here…find some help.”

“You don’t understand, do you?” she asks, studying me.

I’m starting to get a really bad feeling.

“Understand what?”

“There ain’t going to be any help. It’s like this everywhere.”

Short Salvation Plague Book 7 Excerpt!

“I don’t like this,” Tor said, clutching the handle of his large knife more tightly.
The coast was barren and cloudy and seemingly deserted, but Sten knew better. He’d been sent here for a reason, and it wasn’t just to get chewed up by draug squads.
He dragged his hand over his mouth and beard, listening…smelling…sensing.

The draug were around, but they’d quickly learned that unless they wanted to send legions to take them on, they’d better regroup and wait for better odds. Even ammo-less, he and his men were formidable. They didn’t have forever though and eventually, their strength would give out.

He gave the signal for the Gundersons to stay hidden in the trees while he and Tor melted out of the shadows in the first faint light of day. It was cold—or would have been to other people—but he barely felt it.

“Careful,” he murmured to his larger cousin. “Don’t want him popping off.”
“How do you know he’s here?” Tor muttered back.
Sten side-eyed him and raised his eyebrow. He didn’t need to answer that. Even if he didn’t have his ways of knowing things, the big-ass antenna was a dead giveaway.

He left his hands free and empty, holding them out to the sides slightly so that their quarry wouldn’t take it in his head to start shooting right off that bat.
There wasn’t anything he could do about his looks, but at least he’d hidden the Gundersons.

He led Tor and Conner through the closed gate, shutting it carefully behind them, then he went up the manicured walk. Someone cared for this place. It was subtly unlike the others, not enough to draw attention, but enough that someone like him would notice. Storm and Jared probably would have been able to tell too.

“The curtain twitched,” Tor said.
“He’s in there. He’ll be deciding what to do now,” Sten promised, raising his empty hands a bit higher and praying.

It took many long moments, but finally, there was the sound of many locks and even something that sounded like a bar being lifted from the door. At last, the door cracked open and a man stepped out onto the Victorian-style porch.

He was on the downslope of middle-age, with hair more white than brown and a trimmed beard that had long since lost its color. His face was lined with wisdom and too much sun. He was wearing jeans and a blue plaid button-up with a heavier flannel jacket on top of it to take the chill from the early morning air.
He studied the newcomers warily before stepping toward the edge of the porch.

“Can I help you, boys?”

Sten’s lips quirked in amusement at being called a boy, especially considering his age, but he didn’t take offense.

“We’re here to see the prophet,” Tor called out in a vaguely formal tone.

Suddenly, the man on the porch doubled over in laughter and slapped his knees. “You boys sure know how to make an entrance. Tell your friends there to come on it and we’ll have a cup of tea,” he said, gesturing out at the trees where the Gundersons were all but invisible.

“How’d he know they were there?” Tor murmured, perplexed.

Sten didn’t know that, but he intended to find out.