C.A. Verstraete's Blog, page 21
December 21, 2018
#Christmas Reads 5: #Sci-Fi #santa #elves
On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
This is interesting... there's a whole series about a Sci-Fi Santa universe, evil elven, Jack Frost, what an idea! (It also says that after book 1, they can be read in any order.)
Here's the whole description:
Claus Boxed : A Science Fiction Holiday Adventure, (CLAUS, JACK, FLURY), Tony Bertauski - In the early 1800s, Nicholas Santa discovered an ancient race of elven. Short, fat and hairy, they have lived peacefully on the North Pole since the Ice Age but Nicholas is quickly swept into the colony’s first and only fracture. The elven known as the Cold One has divided his people. His name is Jack. And Jack’s tired of hiding. Why should they live in a shrinking ice cap when humans occupy the rest of the world?
There’s no stopping Jack from world domination until Nicholas Santa, the only human to enter the elven colony, joins helium-bladder reindeer, artificially-intelligent snowmen, and a merry band of big-footed elven to bring peace back to the North Pole. And becomes a legend.
* Claus: The Legend of the Fat Man , Book 1 was listed as free at time of writing.
* Jack: The Tale of Frost, Book 2 The Jack Frost you never knew…Sura is sixteen years old when she meets Mr. Frost. He’s a strange man. Very short, very fat. And he likes his room cold. Some say inhumanly cold.
Mr. Frost’s love for Christmas is over-the-top and slightly psychotic. He’s made billions of dollars off the holiday and, according to Mr. Frost, a holiday he invented. Rumor is he’s an elven, but that’s silly. Elven aren’t real. And if they were, they wouldn’t be in South Carolina.Sura takes a job at Frost Plantation that’s strange and magical and, for the first time in her life, a place where she feels like she belongs. She’ll uncover the mystery of what really happens at Frost Plantation and who’s making all the toys. She’ll discover the biggest secret of all—Mr. Frost hates Christmas. Really, really hates it.* Flury, Journey of a Snowman, Book 3 - Life hasn’t been kind to Oliver Toye. As if juvenile diabetes isn’t enough, he’s forced to live with his tyrannical grandmother in a snow-bound house. He spends his days doing chores and the nights listening to the forest rumble.
But when he discovers the first leather-bound journal, the family secrets begin to surface. The mystery of his great-grandfather’s voyage to the North Pole is revealed. That’s when the snowman appears. Magical and mysterious, the snowman will save Oliver more than once. But when the time comes for Oliver to discover the truth, will he have the courage? When Flury needs him, will he have the strength? When believing isn’t enough, will he save the snowman from melting away?
* Continue the series in Claus Boxed 2. Stories you never heard growing up. (Links below are to single books)
HUMBUG - Book 4Eb Scrooge is left to run Avocado, Inc., an innovative technology business, all alone. An introverted shut-in locked away in a Colorado mansion, only his servant droids keep him company. Until the gifts arrive. (Claus, Rise of the Miser) THE MISER - Book 5When Kandi’s dad gets a mysterious call, they fly to a tropical island. Despite the heat, his sunburned client wears a heavy cloak. The world doesn’t know it yet, but Santa Claus is missing. Kandi knows where he is.RONIN , The Last Reindeer- Book 6There's one Christmas story no one has ever heard, the legend of the biggest and baddest reindeer of them all, the one who leads the sleigh and protects the herd. Billy Big Game doesn’t want to discover the last reindeer. He wants to capture him.
** And if you want something non-Christmas-related try my...
Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter series and The Haunting of Dr. Bowen
* Back to Day 1.
This is interesting... there's a whole series about a Sci-Fi Santa universe, evil elven, Jack Frost, what an idea! (It also says that after book 1, they can be read in any order.)
Here's the whole description:
Claus Boxed : A Science Fiction Holiday Adventure, (CLAUS, JACK, FLURY), Tony Bertauski - In the early 1800s, Nicholas Santa discovered an ancient race of elven. Short, fat and hairy, they have lived peacefully on the North Pole since the Ice Age but Nicholas is quickly swept into the colony’s first and only fracture. The elven known as the Cold One has divided his people. His name is Jack. And Jack’s tired of hiding. Why should they live in a shrinking ice cap when humans occupy the rest of the world?There’s no stopping Jack from world domination until Nicholas Santa, the only human to enter the elven colony, joins helium-bladder reindeer, artificially-intelligent snowmen, and a merry band of big-footed elven to bring peace back to the North Pole. And becomes a legend.
* Claus: The Legend of the Fat Man , Book 1 was listed as free at time of writing.
* Jack: The Tale of Frost, Book 2 The Jack Frost you never knew…Sura is sixteen years old when she meets Mr. Frost. He’s a strange man. Very short, very fat. And he likes his room cold. Some say inhumanly cold.
Mr. Frost’s love for Christmas is over-the-top and slightly psychotic. He’s made billions of dollars off the holiday and, according to Mr. Frost, a holiday he invented. Rumor is he’s an elven, but that’s silly. Elven aren’t real. And if they were, they wouldn’t be in South Carolina.Sura takes a job at Frost Plantation that’s strange and magical and, for the first time in her life, a place where she feels like she belongs. She’ll uncover the mystery of what really happens at Frost Plantation and who’s making all the toys. She’ll discover the biggest secret of all—Mr. Frost hates Christmas. Really, really hates it.* Flury, Journey of a Snowman, Book 3 - Life hasn’t been kind to Oliver Toye. As if juvenile diabetes isn’t enough, he’s forced to live with his tyrannical grandmother in a snow-bound house. He spends his days doing chores and the nights listening to the forest rumble.
But when he discovers the first leather-bound journal, the family secrets begin to surface. The mystery of his great-grandfather’s voyage to the North Pole is revealed. That’s when the snowman appears. Magical and mysterious, the snowman will save Oliver more than once. But when the time comes for Oliver to discover the truth, will he have the courage? When Flury needs him, will he have the strength? When believing isn’t enough, will he save the snowman from melting away?
* Continue the series in Claus Boxed 2. Stories you never heard growing up. (Links below are to single books)
HUMBUG - Book 4Eb Scrooge is left to run Avocado, Inc., an innovative technology business, all alone. An introverted shut-in locked away in a Colorado mansion, only his servant droids keep him company. Until the gifts arrive. (Claus, Rise of the Miser) THE MISER - Book 5When Kandi’s dad gets a mysterious call, they fly to a tropical island. Despite the heat, his sunburned client wears a heavy cloak. The world doesn’t know it yet, but Santa Claus is missing. Kandi knows where he is.RONIN , The Last Reindeer- Book 6There's one Christmas story no one has ever heard, the legend of the biggest and baddest reindeer of them all, the one who leads the sleigh and protects the herd. Billy Big Game doesn’t want to discover the last reindeer. He wants to capture him.
** And if you want something non-Christmas-related try my...
Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter series and The Haunting of Dr. Bowen
* Back to Day 1.
December 20, 2018
#Christmas Reads 4: #zombies #santa claus
On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
I Saw Zombies Eating Santa Claus
, S.G. Browne - He sees you when you’re sleeping...he knows when you’re undead.
How does the leader of a failed zombie civil rights movement from California rescue a group of his undead brethren and help a lonely Breather girl as he hides from a band of medical researchers while disguised as Santa Claus?
** And if you want something non-Christmas-related try my...
Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter series and
The Haunting of Dr. Bowen
* Go to Day 1
I Saw Zombies Eating Santa Claus
, S.G. Browne - He sees you when you’re sleeping...he knows when you’re undead.How does the leader of a failed zombie civil rights movement from California rescue a group of his undead brethren and help a lonely Breather girl as he hides from a band of medical researchers while disguised as Santa Claus?
** And if you want something non-Christmas-related try my...
Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter series and
The Haunting of Dr. Bowen
* Go to Day 1
December 19, 2018
#Christmas Reads 3: #Zombies #Horror #short fiction
On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
Hark! The Herald Angels Scream
- Christopher Golden, Seanan McGuire and others - Eighteen short tales of Christmas horror sure to make the season frightful.
** And if you want something non-Christmas-related try my...
Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter series and The Haunting of Dr. Bowen
* Go to Day 1
Hark! The Herald Angels Scream
- Christopher Golden, Seanan McGuire and others - Eighteen short tales of Christmas horror sure to make the season frightful. ** And if you want something non-Christmas-related try my...
Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter series and The Haunting of Dr. Bowen
* Go to Day 1
December 18, 2018
#Christmas Reads 2: #zombies #horror
On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me....
A Very Zombie Christmas: An ATZ Special
- Michelle Kilmer, Jeffrey Clare and others. Over 30 holiday short stories with a twist.* Go to Day 1.
** And if you want something non-Christmas-related try my...
Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter series and The Haunting of Dr. Bowen
December 17, 2018
#Christmas Reads! #horror #zombies
Welcome to Eight Days of Christmas Reads!!
Time has crept up on me! Last minute I am, but I've included a list of different books for this week of pre-Christmas. I'll have some great holiday stories, anthologies, and more, so stop by each day! (Wait'll you see the cool Santa series I came across and some other fun books!)
Let's see what I can find that's horror, zombie, monster etc. related to tie in with Christmas...
Christmas Reads Book 1:
Yes, there are actually books with Christmas and zombies... not sure whether that's a good idea or not, but if you feel adventurous...
A Zombie Christmas: Jingle Some Bells and Empty Some Shells
- Three men risk life and limb in a zombie apocalypse to bring happiness to surviving kids on Christmas morning. ** And if you want something not Christmas-related try my...
Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter series and The Haunting of Dr. Bowen
---------------------------------* See the full list on the pages tab (Zombie-Horror Reading Lists) on top of the blog or follow along here. Links go live on the date:
Day 1, Dec. 17 - https://girlzombieauthors.blogspot.com/2018/12/christmas-reads-horror-zombies.html
Day 2, Dec. 18 - https://girlzombieauthors.blogspot.com/2018/12/christmas-reads-2-zombies-horror.html
Day 3, Dec. 19 - https://girlzombieauthors.blogspot.com/2018/12/christmas-reads-3-zombies-horror-short.htmlDay 4, Dec. 20 - https://girlzombieauthors.blogspot.com/2018/12/christmas-reads-4-zombies-santa-claus.htmlDay 5, Dec. 21 - https://girlzombieauthors.blogspot.com/2018/12/christmas-reads-5-sci-fi-santa-elves.htmlDay 6, Dec. 22 - https://girlzombieauthors.blogspot.com/2018/12/christmas-reads-6-horror-anthologies.htmlDay 7, Dec. 23 - https://girlzombieauthors.blogspot.com/2018/12/christmas-reads-7-color-it-horror.htmlDay 8, Dec. 24 - https://girlzombieauthors.blogspot.com/2018/12/christmas-reads-8-merry-christmas-eve-ghostly-gothic.html
December 11, 2018
Are #Zombies Over??
Today's Question & Thought:
Are Zombies Over?
Yes, more and more zombie books are being published but... is the field getting too glutted? It seems to be an avalanche and yet... it still seems that the attraction for zombies is waning....
Are people losing interest? Has it run its course?
The Walking Dead
isn't as talked about as it once was... many fans admitted they quit watching. I can say that the Negan murders were awful and brutal besides looking so fake, but the main thing was that this awful character storyline dragged on and on. I'm behind in watching and while I get hooked on the show when I start again, I don't miss not watching.
With the main characters dwindling and now with Rick leaving as well, is the show on its last legs? Does that mean zombies have run their course, too? I don't know.
Interesting is that the books that most interested me are all young adult.
Jonathan Maberry has come out with a new book,
Broken Lands,
which expands on his YA Rot and Ruin series with new characters, familiar faces, plus monsters and dangers worse than anything they faced before.
Some authors with large, long-running series are adding to their line or winding it up.
I find myself drawn to thinking about dystopian books. I read a couple that were dark, hopeless kind of stories and yet... they keep you reading. Why, I'm not sure.
One older book that I couldn't stop reading -
Ashfall.
Dark, dismal and it gets darker. It has a growing love story and conflicts. It hooks you, but the way book two was left hanging, making it feel like it forced a book three, made me stop reading. Then there was the horrid story decline into cannibalism.
I recently picked up this book, though it's been out a while -
The Coldest Girl in Coldtown,
intrigued by the cover. It's dystopian and vampire, apparently. The usual prey-predator, boyfriend-girlfriend facing dangers kind of story, but it sounds intriguing...
What do you think? Are you done with zombies?
What do you like to read in any of the genres?
What keeps you reading a dystopian story?
Are Zombies Over?
Yes, more and more zombie books are being published but... is the field getting too glutted? It seems to be an avalanche and yet... it still seems that the attraction for zombies is waning....
Are people losing interest? Has it run its course?
The Walking Dead
isn't as talked about as it once was... many fans admitted they quit watching. I can say that the Negan murders were awful and brutal besides looking so fake, but the main thing was that this awful character storyline dragged on and on. I'm behind in watching and while I get hooked on the show when I start again, I don't miss not watching.With the main characters dwindling and now with Rick leaving as well, is the show on its last legs? Does that mean zombies have run their course, too? I don't know.
Interesting is that the books that most interested me are all young adult.
Jonathan Maberry has come out with a new book,
Broken Lands,
which expands on his YA Rot and Ruin series with new characters, familiar faces, plus monsters and dangers worse than anything they faced before.Some authors with large, long-running series are adding to their line or winding it up.
I find myself drawn to thinking about dystopian books. I read a couple that were dark, hopeless kind of stories and yet... they keep you reading. Why, I'm not sure.
One older book that I couldn't stop reading -
Ashfall.
Dark, dismal and it gets darker. It has a growing love story and conflicts. It hooks you, but the way book two was left hanging, making it feel like it forced a book three, made me stop reading. Then there was the horrid story decline into cannibalism.
I recently picked up this book, though it's been out a while -
The Coldest Girl in Coldtown,
intrigued by the cover. It's dystopian and vampire, apparently. The usual prey-predator, boyfriend-girlfriend facing dangers kind of story, but it sounds intriguing... What do you think? Are you done with zombies?
What do you like to read in any of the genres?
What keeps you reading a dystopian story?
December 7, 2018
I'm Back.... New #Horror #Sci-Fi Anthol
I'm baaack!
Well, I wasn't off anywhere really, just taking a break. Stay tuned as I'll be listing some new reading for the holidays.
To start, here's a great new Horror and Sci-Fi anthology I can't wait to read!
Mindscapes Unimagined features 24 stories from authors around the world writing about "places where the unimagined and the unexplained collide with reality." (Here's the publisher page.)
What answers that description better than a story about Wisconsin's legendary, fearsome creature?
The lead story by fellow author Steve Rouse titled "Hodag" describes an odd little tavern in the Khandaran Forest sure to "satisfy all who enter, sometimes in ways they never expect." Gulp.
In case you wonder, what's a hodag? Well, here's a photo and some info... if you dare take a peek. Then be sure to read the anthology story!
Well, I wasn't off anywhere really, just taking a break. Stay tuned as I'll be listing some new reading for the holidays.
To start, here's a great new Horror and Sci-Fi anthology I can't wait to read!
Mindscapes Unimagined features 24 stories from authors around the world writing about "places where the unimagined and the unexplained collide with reality." (Here's the publisher page.)What answers that description better than a story about Wisconsin's legendary, fearsome creature?
The lead story by fellow author Steve Rouse titled "Hodag" describes an odd little tavern in the Khandaran Forest sure to "satisfy all who enter, sometimes in ways they never expect." Gulp.
In case you wonder, what's a hodag? Well, here's a photo and some info... if you dare take a peek. Then be sure to read the anthology story!
November 12, 2018
New #Mystery Author Snapshot Column!
The new Fall issue of Mysterical-e is out!
This time, my Author Snapshot column has several mystery authors including Jacqueline Seewald, Laura Childs and Terrie Moran, Elaine Viets, Camille Minichino and Jean Rabe sharing favorite quotes from their books and telling a little about what inspired the stories. Do check it out!
This time, my Author Snapshot column has several mystery authors including Jacqueline Seewald, Laura Childs and Terrie Moran, Elaine Viets, Camille Minichino and Jean Rabe sharing favorite quotes from their books and telling a little about what inspired the stories. Do check it out!
October 31, 2018
Thirteen #Halloween #Horror Anthologies, short fiction
What better time than Halloween to enjoy a few scares?
Short stories are a great way to try out a new author, delve into the writing from a favorite writer, or just enjoy a good scare in short story form.
Here are some different Halloween, horror and monster-themed anthologies to help you put a little spookiness in your life.
SPOOKY ANTHOLOGIES
208 Two Sentence Horror Stories, Vol. I-IV, (Immortal Scares), Michael Ridley - What horrors can be shared in two sentences? Well, a lot apparently...
999: New Stories of Horror and Suspense , Al Sarrantonio - Twenty-nine original stories from vampires to zombies by masters of the macabre. Including stories by Stephen King, Joyce Carol Oates and others. (692 pages.)
Fantastic Tales of Terror: History's Darkest Secrets, Christopher Golden, Jonathan Maberry and others - (Pre-order, releases Oct. 26.) Lost supernatural stories behind some of the most famous people and events in history. How the Titanic really sank, what people did in the Depression and more... Includes:
Introduction by Tony Todd - “The Deep Delight of Blood” by Tim Waggoner“Unpretty Monster” by Mercedes Yardley - “The Tell-Tale Mind” by Kevin J. Anderson“Topsy-Turvy” by Elizabeth Massie - “Ray and the Martian” by Bev Vincent“The Girl with the Death Mask” by Stephanie M. Wytovich - “On a Train Bound for Home” by Christopher Golden - “The Custer Files” by Richard Chizmar“Red Moon” by Michael Paul Gonzalez - “The Prince of Darkness and the Showgirl” by John Palisano -“The Secret Engravings” by Lisa Morton“Mutter” by Jess Landry - “La Llorona” by Cullen Bunn“The London Encounter” by Vince Liaguno - “Bubba Ho-Tep” by Joe R. Lansdale“Gorilla my Dreams” by Jonathan Maberry - “Articles of Teleforce” by Michael Bailey“Sic Olim Tyrannis” by David Wellington -“The Washingtonians” by Bentley Little“Scent of Flesh” by Jessica Marie Baumgartner -“Rotoscoping Toodies” by Mort Castle“Lone Wolves” by Paul Moore -“The Great Stone Face vs. the Gargoyles” by Jeff Strand
Flight or Fright , Stephen King, Joe Hill, and others - Not the book to read before a plane flight. King and co-editor Bev Vincent share 17 new and classic tales of those things that can go wrong in the air. Includes new stories by King and Joe Hill. Includes:
Introduction by Stephen King - Cargo by E. Michael Lewis
The Horror of the Heights by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - Nightmare at 20,000 Feet by Richard Matheson - The Flying Machine by Ambrose Bierce - Lucifer! by E.C. Tubb
The Fifth Category by Tom Bissell - Two Minutes Forty-Five Seconds by Dan Simmons
Diablitos by Cody Goodfellow - Air Raid by John Varley - You Are Released by Joe Hill
Warbirds by David J. Schow - The Flying Machine by Ray Bradbury
Zombies on a Plane by Bev Vincent - They Shall Not Grow Old by Roald Dahl
Murder in the Air by Peter Tremayne - The Turbulence Expert by Stephen King
Falling by James L. Dickey - Afterword by Bev Vincent
Ghosts, Goblins, Murder & Madness: Twenty Tales of Halloween, Rebecca Rowland, Editor - Twenty-one authors from five countries and 11 states offer eerie tales of Halloween horror
Liaisons Macabre, Charles W. Jones - Relations, even the dark ones, make the world go 'round. Not true crime, even if it sounds that way...
My Favorite Story Podcast Anthology, Armand Rosamillia, Jonathan Maberry, Brian Keene and others - Fifteen podcast hosts and authors share their favorite stories. Includes: - "Spirits" by James A. Moore - "The Tin Box" by Kelli Owen
- "Short Straw" by Jay Wilburn - "The Rag And Bone Man" by John Urbancik
- "The Priest" by Jaimie Engle "Seven Eight One Five Four" by Amber Fallon
-"Kins" by Mary SanGiovanni -"Rainforest of Bones" by Armand Rosamilia
- "Put On A Happy Face" by Christopher Golden - "Mr. Giggles" by Frank J. Edler
- "M.E.N.TOR by Thomas R. Clark - "I Sing A New Psalm" by Brian Keene
- "Dandelion Yellow" by Erin Sweet Al-Mehairi - "Dead Beckoning" by Chuck Buda
- "Pegleg And Paddy Save The World" by Jonathan Maberry
Quoth the Raven, Amber Fallan and others - Thirty authors retell and re-imagine Poe's eerie tales for the 21st century.
Scream and Scream Again!, Spooky Stories from Mystery Writers of America - R.L.Stine, Heather Graham, Chris Grabenstein and others share some scary stories with wicked ice cream trucks, time traveling heroes, witches, warlocks, and haunted houses.
The Horror in the Water Tower & Five More tales of the Cthulhu Mythos, Mark McLaughlin - Tales with "grotesque, nightmare creatures" and two follow-up tales to Lovecraft's "The Dreams in the Witch House."
The Mammoth Book of Halloween Stories: Terrifying Tales Set on the Scariest Night of the Year, Stephen Jones, Editor - Twenty-six terrifying tales from various authors, Joe R. Lansdale, Richard Matheson, Neil Gaiman and more.
Terror Threads: A collection of horror stories, Mark Cassell - Ten tales in the Shadows Fabric Mythos. Ghosts, demons and more.
What Goes Bump in the Night: A Halloween Paranormal Romance Anthology - Sometimes the monsters that watch you in the dark aren't scary, but are sexy...
** My books, Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter and Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter 2 (first time 99 cents on this one!) are also on sale! **
Happy, er, Spooky Reading!
October 28, 2018
#HorrorFest! Read Something Spooky! #Halloween
All kinds of Horror books at the
October Horror Fest
- only 99 cents! Get them before they disappear! Wooooooo! Mwah-ha-ha!
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