C.A. Verstraete's Blog, page 47
April 12, 2017
#1LineWed - Lizzie Borden & #Zombies! #Horror
While I'm working on the monthly book-reading list, figured I'd share another #1LineWed - 1 Line Wednesday post...
The Borden FamilyLizzie, father Andrew, stepmother Abby
Did you know? This year marks the 125th anniversary of the Borden murders...
About Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter:
Every family has its secrets…
One hot August morning in 1892, Lizzie Borden picked up an axe and murdered her father and stepmother. Newspapers claim she did it for the oldest of reasons: family conflicts, jealousy and greed. But what if her parents were already dead? What if Lizzie slaughtered them because they’d become... zombies? Thrust into a horrific world where the walking dead are part of a shocking conspiracy to infect not only Fall River, Massachusetts, but also the world beyond, Lizzie battles to protect her sister, Emma, and her hometown from nightmarish ghouls and the evil forces controlling them.
The Borden FamilyLizzie, father Andrew, stepmother Abby
Did you know? This year marks the 125th anniversary of the Borden murders...
Fitting that Lizzie asks...What-what if they find me guilty? Would they-could they-hang me?
About Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter:
Every family has its secrets…
One hot August morning in 1892, Lizzie Borden picked up an axe and murdered her father and stepmother. Newspapers claim she did it for the oldest of reasons: family conflicts, jealousy and greed. But what if her parents were already dead? What if Lizzie slaughtered them because they’d become... zombies? Thrust into a horrific world where the walking dead are part of a shocking conspiracy to infect not only Fall River, Massachusetts, but also the world beyond, Lizzie battles to protect her sister, Emma, and her hometown from nightmarish ghouls and the evil forces controlling them.
April 7, 2017
Brain to Books: Magical Fantasy Tour!
Welcome to the Fantasy "Behind The Scenes" Tour - Stop #3Meet Rosemary Johns, author of the Rebel Vampires series - see below!
** See the B2Bcy events page for all events!
* I'll be in the Horror and Fantasy Genre Tours. See all here.
* I'll be in the Horror and Fantasy Blog Hops - get all links here.
* View all the books at the Book Expo!
Fantasy Tour #1 – starts here
featuring: Aaron-Michael Hall, Alexandra Carey, Alexis Kennedy, Amanda Mabry, Andy Peloquin, Angel M., Angela B. Chrysler
Fantasy Tour #2 – starts here
featuring: Angela J. Ford, Assaph Mehr, C.T. Callahan, D.Thourson Palmer, Ilana Maletz, Jack Massa, Jodie Pierce
Fantasy Tour #3 – starts here
featuring: LoganMiehl, Mackenzie Flohr, Sarah Kennedy, Stephen Morris, Toi Thomas, Zachary Chopchinski, Mary R. Woldering
Fantasy Genre Tour
Book expos, articles, and giveaways inside: (See list below.)
Tour #1 – “Showcase & Giveaways”
A showcase of books, series, and giveaways. Follow it all the way through for a chance to win a $100 Amazon Gift Card Tour #2 – “Behind The Scenes”See what goes on in the minds of fantasy authors* Dark Side of Crime - Lizzie Borden************************************
Urban Fantasy, Vampires and Creating an Anti-hero
by Rosemary Johns
I’m a rebel. Who’d have guessed when my new urban fantasy series is called Rebel Vampires?
But Light? The British Rocker with a Triton motorcycle and a photographic memory? He’s even the rebel of the vampire world.
Rebel Vampires is set in a hidden paranormal London, where vampires are both predator – and prey. Where death drives desire. There are vampires, romance and rebels, along with a whole new twist on the vampire myth. And in the midst of it all? Light. The anti-hero vampire.
‘‘Stop playing the rebel,’ you’d said.
Know what? I’m not playing, love. I tried conforming once, didn’t fit.’
Blood Dragons - Rebel Vampires Book 1
I love anti-heroes: Dark, complex and struggling on redemptive journeys against terrible odds. There’s something far more passionate about a love story, which shows an adult love: obsessive, destructive, agonizing – but true to the end. And capable of changing everything.
In urban fantasy, the journey is the heart. Light has his demons: inside and out.
‘ ‘You don’t look Victorian.’
‘Didn’t exactly stay dead.’ I pushed away from the fireplace, jumping up to sit on the arm of the leather sofa. I scrutinized your serious features and those intent grey peepers. ‘You really don’t know anything about us Blood Lifers, do you? How we evolved or--’
‘I know enough.’
Surprised, I drew back. ‘As in, only good Blood Lifer’s a dead Blood Lifer?’
You shot me a sharp look. ‘You wouldn’t be here, if that’s what I thought.’
‘Alright then, as in, only good Blood Lifer’s one in shackles?’
Your mouth tightened into a thin line. ‘And what about humans? Do we come in small, medium or large?’
‘In America you can supersize.’ I grinned, but you didn’t return it. ‘Look, that’s not who I am now. I’ve been on blood abstention for fifty years.’
Blood Shackles - Rebel Vampires Book 2
The challenge when writing an anti-hero is to create a true individual. The bad along with the good. Light fails, makes bad choices and suffers. Yet he still fights on. He’s loyal, persistent and keeps his promises. And you allow the reader to fall as deeply in love with the character as you are.
‘I might never be a bleeding hero but I could keep my promises.’
Blood Dragons - Rebel Vampires Book 1
In Rebel Vampires, the world is divided between First Lifer (human) and Blood Lifer (vampire). The Blood Lifers hide in the shadows from the First. Both hunter and hunted. Light comes to realize that just as there’s no clear divide between the species, there are predators on both sides, too.
For 100 years in Blood Dragons Light danced in the carnage and the flames with Ruby – a savage Elizabethan Blood Lifer. Before his forbidden love for a human singer (Kathy) forced him to question Blood Lifer beliefs. To blood abstain. And to fight to save his love, both species and ultimately the world.
** Blood Dragons is out now (e-book and paperback). Click here: http://viewbook.at/BloodDragons
Afterwards comes Light’s redemptive path. But as Light says:
‘Crawling out of the black, Kathy once told me, would be my redemption. I never thought redemption would be this much of a bitch.’
Blood Shackles - Rebel Vampires Book 2
http://viewbook.at/BloodShackles
An anti-hero needs a love. Abducted, defanged and enslaved by a secret human Blood Club in Blood Shackles (like Taken but with vampires…), Light finds it with the unlikely slaver’s daughter Grayse. She picks him, like a kid choosing a puppy.
‘You glanced at me. ‘Cold?’
‘Yeah, it is rather parky, darlin’.’
You gaped at me, as if you’d been expecting me to speak some strange Blood Lifer tongue and not the Queen’s English. Like you hadn’t assumed I’d sound…human. ‘Here,’ you led the way to a sheltered trio of arches. ‘Better?’
‘Almost like I wasn’t starkers.’
I leant against a column, as I had a gander back at the silhouette of the great house, its steep terrace, and the drive sweeping down to it, between the dark sentinels of oaks.
In some screwed up world, this was the worst Jane Austen scene ever.
Well, maybe not ever…’
The thing about anti-heroes? Their love is never smooth. It’s unexpected. Unpredictable. But it’s fierce.
As Light would say: ‘it’s no namby-pamby fairy-tale’. It’s real love. He’s a dark hero. But who else would you want to save the world?
** Blood Shackles is out now. Click here: http://viewbook.at/BloodShackles
** Want to read Blood Dragons first? Click here: http://viewbook.at/BloodDragons
COMING UP:
Now on Pre-order! This June 13th the third book in the Rebel Vampires series - Blood Renegades - is released: Light has only two weeks to give his witness, on trial for his life, before he’s burnt at the stake – because who wants to hear the truth?
The Renegades are the terrorists of the Blood Lifer world. They’re dedicated to hunting down the human slavers. They risk both worlds colliding: except the ruthless Blood Life Council have declared ‘war’ on the Renegades, starting with their leader, who they believe to be…Light.
‘Betrayal. Death. Hope. Isn’t that how all truly great stories start?’
Watch my latest interview here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Iab2a0mJ68&t=414s
Find Out MoreGoodreads, Website, AmazonPrevious Stop | Next Stop | Tour Index | Genre Index
** See the B2Bcy events page for all events!
* I'll be in the Horror and Fantasy Genre Tours. See all here.
* I'll be in the Horror and Fantasy Blog Hops - get all links here.
* View all the books at the Book Expo!
Fantasy Tour #1 – starts here
featuring: Aaron-Michael Hall, Alexandra Carey, Alexis Kennedy, Amanda Mabry, Andy Peloquin, Angel M., Angela B. Chrysler
Fantasy Tour #2 – starts here
featuring: Angela J. Ford, Assaph Mehr, C.T. Callahan, D.Thourson Palmer, Ilana Maletz, Jack Massa, Jodie Pierce
Fantasy Tour #3 – starts here
featuring: LoganMiehl, Mackenzie Flohr, Sarah Kennedy, Stephen Morris, Toi Thomas, Zachary Chopchinski, Mary R. Woldering
Fantasy Genre Tour
Book expos, articles, and giveaways inside: (See list below.)
Tour #1 – “Showcase & Giveaways”
A showcase of books, series, and giveaways. Follow it all the way through for a chance to win a $100 Amazon Gift Card Tour #2 – “Behind The Scenes”See what goes on in the minds of fantasy authors* Dark Side of Crime - Lizzie Borden************************************
Urban Fantasy, Vampires and Creating an Anti-hero
by Rosemary Johns
I’m a rebel. Who’d have guessed when my new urban fantasy series is called Rebel Vampires?
But Light? The British Rocker with a Triton motorcycle and a photographic memory? He’s even the rebel of the vampire world.
Rebel Vampires is set in a hidden paranormal London, where vampires are both predator – and prey. Where death drives desire. There are vampires, romance and rebels, along with a whole new twist on the vampire myth. And in the midst of it all? Light. The anti-hero vampire.
‘‘Stop playing the rebel,’ you’d said.
Know what? I’m not playing, love. I tried conforming once, didn’t fit.’
Blood Dragons - Rebel Vampires Book 1
I love anti-heroes: Dark, complex and struggling on redemptive journeys against terrible odds. There’s something far more passionate about a love story, which shows an adult love: obsessive, destructive, agonizing – but true to the end. And capable of changing everything.
In urban fantasy, the journey is the heart. Light has his demons: inside and out.
‘ ‘You don’t look Victorian.’
‘Didn’t exactly stay dead.’ I pushed away from the fireplace, jumping up to sit on the arm of the leather sofa. I scrutinized your serious features and those intent grey peepers. ‘You really don’t know anything about us Blood Lifers, do you? How we evolved or--’
‘I know enough.’
Surprised, I drew back. ‘As in, only good Blood Lifer’s a dead Blood Lifer?’
You shot me a sharp look. ‘You wouldn’t be here, if that’s what I thought.’
‘Alright then, as in, only good Blood Lifer’s one in shackles?’
Your mouth tightened into a thin line. ‘And what about humans? Do we come in small, medium or large?’
‘In America you can supersize.’ I grinned, but you didn’t return it. ‘Look, that’s not who I am now. I’ve been on blood abstention for fifty years.’
Blood Shackles - Rebel Vampires Book 2
The challenge when writing an anti-hero is to create a true individual. The bad along with the good. Light fails, makes bad choices and suffers. Yet he still fights on. He’s loyal, persistent and keeps his promises. And you allow the reader to fall as deeply in love with the character as you are.
‘I might never be a bleeding hero but I could keep my promises.’
Blood Dragons - Rebel Vampires Book 1
In Rebel Vampires, the world is divided between First Lifer (human) and Blood Lifer (vampire). The Blood Lifers hide in the shadows from the First. Both hunter and hunted. Light comes to realize that just as there’s no clear divide between the species, there are predators on both sides, too.
For 100 years in Blood Dragons Light danced in the carnage and the flames with Ruby – a savage Elizabethan Blood Lifer. Before his forbidden love for a human singer (Kathy) forced him to question Blood Lifer beliefs. To blood abstain. And to fight to save his love, both species and ultimately the world.
** Blood Dragons is out now (e-book and paperback). Click here: http://viewbook.at/BloodDragons
Afterwards comes Light’s redemptive path. But as Light says:
‘Crawling out of the black, Kathy once told me, would be my redemption. I never thought redemption would be this much of a bitch.’
Blood Shackles - Rebel Vampires Book 2
http://viewbook.at/BloodShackles
An anti-hero needs a love. Abducted, defanged and enslaved by a secret human Blood Club in Blood Shackles (like Taken but with vampires…), Light finds it with the unlikely slaver’s daughter Grayse. She picks him, like a kid choosing a puppy.
‘You glanced at me. ‘Cold?’
‘Yeah, it is rather parky, darlin’.’
You gaped at me, as if you’d been expecting me to speak some strange Blood Lifer tongue and not the Queen’s English. Like you hadn’t assumed I’d sound…human. ‘Here,’ you led the way to a sheltered trio of arches. ‘Better?’
‘Almost like I wasn’t starkers.’
I leant against a column, as I had a gander back at the silhouette of the great house, its steep terrace, and the drive sweeping down to it, between the dark sentinels of oaks.
In some screwed up world, this was the worst Jane Austen scene ever.
Well, maybe not ever…’
The thing about anti-heroes? Their love is never smooth. It’s unexpected. Unpredictable. But it’s fierce.
As Light would say: ‘it’s no namby-pamby fairy-tale’. It’s real love. He’s a dark hero. But who else would you want to save the world?
** Blood Shackles is out now. Click here: http://viewbook.at/BloodShackles
** Want to read Blood Dragons first? Click here: http://viewbook.at/BloodDragons
COMING UP:
Now on Pre-order! This June 13th the third book in the Rebel Vampires series - Blood Renegades - is released: Light has only two weeks to give his witness, on trial for his life, before he’s burnt at the stake – because who wants to hear the truth?The Renegades are the terrorists of the Blood Lifer world. They’re dedicated to hunting down the human slavers. They risk both worlds colliding: except the ruthless Blood Life Council have declared ‘war’ on the Renegades, starting with their leader, who they believe to be…Light.
‘Betrayal. Death. Hope. Isn’t that how all truly great stories start?’
Watch my latest interview here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Iab2a0mJ68&t=414s
Find Out MoreGoodreads, Website, AmazonPrevious Stop | Next Stop | Tour Index | Genre Index
April 6, 2017
B2BCy Brain to Books Blog Hop!
Welcome!
There'll be a whole bunch of blogs to stop by during the event where you can find out more some great books and authors!
* I'll be in the Horror and Fantasy Genre Tours. See all here.
*** Check out the Horror and Fantasy Blog Hop -
get all links here.
** NEXT STOP ON THE BLOG HOP: **
* Visit Carol James Marshall's
"Cooked Beast " Blog
(who can resist a title like that?!)
* View all the books at the Book Expo!
* See the B2Bcy events page for all events! Hey, there's a scavenger hunt too - where you can win prizes!!!
*********** Stalk the Monsters Horror Scavenger Hunt:
Go to my website. Find what the miniature Mr. Skellie likes to read. You'll find a tiny horror badge like the one above. DO NOT POST ANSWER! **All answers should be shared HERE on the horror event page. **
About me:** Visit my website and sign up for my newsletter. I usually have some kind of contest or something going!
Author, collector, journalist.
I like to write in various genres from horror to mystery. I also collect and create dollhouse miniatures. You can see more at the miniatures page on my website. Yes, I have how-to books on dollhouses, too.
My latest fiction book, Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter, offers an alternative history solution to the infamous Borden murders of 1892. What if Lizzie Borden did it... because she had no other choice? (See details about the murders and more at my website.)
About Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter:
Every family has its secrets…
One hot August morning in 1892, Lizzie Borden picked up an axe and murdered her father and stepmother. Newspapers claim she did it for the oldest of reasons: family conflicts, jealousy and greed. But what if her parents were already dead? What if Lizzie slaughtered them because they’d become zombies?
Thrust into a horrific world where the walking dead are part of a shocking conspiracy to infect not only Fall River, Massachusetts, but also the world beyond, Lizzie battles to protect her sister, Emma, and her hometown from nightmarish ghouls and the evil forces controlling them.
I also am author of a YA book, GIRL Z: My Life as a Teenage Zombie.
What happens when you're 16 and turning part-zombie via an accidental scratch--from your cousin? That's what happens to Becca, and now she's trying to cope with that, and things no teen girl wants to be noticed for. Can she make it, and find something to stop this horrible transformation... before it's too late?
#Horror Best Believable WJ Howard #B2BCyCon2017
Welcome to another view of horror during the B2BCyCon!
Today author W.J. Howard shares some of her views on horror.... * Check out her books at the B2BCyCon Book Expo, Author Showcase, Blog Hop andBrain to Books Cyber Convention Site Link: http://b2bcycon.com/Hashtag: #B2BCyCon2017* I'm also at WJ Howar's blog talking about #Zombies and Real Life Crime (and Lizzie Borden!)
* Stalk the Monsters Horror Scavenger Hunt: Go to my website and look for the mini horror badge. Find what the miniature Mr. Skellie likes to read. Submit your answer HERE ONLY on the Horror blog hop page.
Horror Best Believable with a Daub of Blood
by W. J. Howard
What is it about the horror genre that makes us want to transform the questionable into the believable?
Man has been telling scary stories for thousands of years, and scaring each other around the campfire continues to be a tradition. Today, technology has advanced our means of spreading fear. Google ‘real’ or ‘believable’ horror stories, and the results could traumatize you for the rest of your life. Search using a plethora of horrific hashtags on social media for an endless feed of the macabre.
Horror is based on a society's collective fears. We fixate on the things that horrify us and let it haunt our thoughts for hours or days. As long as a story touches on our base fears, and we can relate to the victims and villains, our fear of the unknown allows us to twist the unbelievable into the believable.
Horrific stories become more believable as they’re repeated. Urban legends have survived the test of time through word of mouth, while more recently Creepypasta has spread across the Internet. It’s like brainwashing. Despite the most bizarre circumstances, we cling to the believable aspects and perpetuate the myths.There are no limits to the outrageous things we’re willing to do to validate a horrific tale. Consider the Bloody Mary legend recited at slumber parties. Say her name - (I believe in Mary Worth...) - three times and she’ll appear in the mirror. How many times has this story been told among giddy teenage girls? And how many girls have been willing to go into the bathroom alone to recite her name, only to exit with self-inflicted scratch marks?
Our fears have evolved throughout history, especially as our understanding of the universe has come to light. Those things we now understand through scientific discoveries have eased our minds, but man’s creativity has led us into a new age of fears about things like weaponry and artificial intelligence. Fear of an unknown future has us believing the worst scenarios like the possibility of a zombie apocalypse.
We are forever remaking horror, man’s inhumanity to man and the bad things that happen to good people being among of our greatest influences. Each fantastic character, be it a vampire, zombie, or the next ghastly creation, must have a level of the believable for it to have the lasting dread we desire.
What horrific realities haunt you? Where do you see our fears taking our beliefs in the future?
W. J. Howard writes dark stories mixed with comedy for all ages. Her main focus is creating action-packed stories for young people who are looking for books as fast paces as video games. She is also appearing this weekend in the B2BCyCon Book Expo, Author Showcase, Blog Hopand
April 5, 2017
New #Horror Book: Alabama Nightmares & Urban Legends
Like scary stories? No, not stories, but legends... Nightmares and Urban Legends....
Author Jay Michael Wright II has a new collection of short stores. If you think you know Alabama, guess again....
About
Alabama Nightmares & Urban Legends:
Sweet home Alabama: some of the most beautiful scenery in the world… but if you look a little closer, you might find something ominous hiding just beneath the surface of perception. Sleepy little towns often hold deep dark secrets best left alone.
From talks of cults operating out in the woods, to a witch living inside of Bangor Cave, the horrors of the abandoned Bryce Asylum, and a ghostly hitchhiker forever walking down Highway Five—this is a part of our history and lore that we try to forget. These are the stories we told in whispers as children.
Contains The Alabama Horror Collection Volume 1 in its entirety plus 11 more Alabama horror stories and a bonus story - a prequel to the forthcoming novel Talon: The Spider's Web, the first in the Talon saga.
Wright says the book “was inspired mostly by the stories I was told growing up about supposedly haunted places all around where I lived. They scared me to death as a kid. I thought the rest of the world should know my fear.”
Favorite Line:Standing in complete darkness, Josh heard a tiny voice whisper in his ear, “I want to play some more.” –from the story, The Initiation: Hell House.
“I love this line because it pretty much sums up the ghosts and spirits I've come to know,” Wright says. “ Good or evil, they always want to play just a little more.”
Author Jay Michael Wright II has a new collection of short stores. If you think you know Alabama, guess again....
About
Alabama Nightmares & Urban Legends:
Sweet home Alabama: some of the most beautiful scenery in the world… but if you look a little closer, you might find something ominous hiding just beneath the surface of perception. Sleepy little towns often hold deep dark secrets best left alone.
From talks of cults operating out in the woods, to a witch living inside of Bangor Cave, the horrors of the abandoned Bryce Asylum, and a ghostly hitchhiker forever walking down Highway Five—this is a part of our history and lore that we try to forget. These are the stories we told in whispers as children.
Contains The Alabama Horror Collection Volume 1 in its entirety plus 11 more Alabama horror stories and a bonus story - a prequel to the forthcoming novel Talon: The Spider's Web, the first in the Talon saga.
Wright says the book “was inspired mostly by the stories I was told growing up about supposedly haunted places all around where I lived. They scared me to death as a kid. I thought the rest of the world should know my fear.”
Favorite Line:Standing in complete darkness, Josh heard a tiny voice whisper in his ear, “I want to play some more.” –from the story, The Initiation: Hell House.
“I love this line because it pretty much sums up the ghosts and spirits I've come to know,” Wright says. “ Good or evil, they always want to play just a little more.”
April 3, 2017
What's up this week?
Friday starts the Brain to Books Convention! All kinds of books, blog hops, prizes and more.
Stop by Friday for the links, etc.
Here's the preliminary info:
There'll be a whole bunch of blogs to stop by during the event where you can find out more some great books and authors!
* See the B2Bcy events page for all events!
* I'll be in the Horror and Fantasy Genre Tours. See all here.
* I'll be in the Horror and Fantasy Blog Hops - get all links here.
* View all the books at the Book Expo!
Stop by Friday for the links, etc.
Here's the preliminary info:
There'll be a whole bunch of blogs to stop by during the event where you can find out more some great books and authors!
* See the B2Bcy events page for all events!
* I'll be in the Horror and Fantasy Genre Tours. See all here.
* I'll be in the Horror and Fantasy Blog Hops - get all links here.
* View all the books at the Book Expo!
March 31, 2017
Oh wow! King's New IT Movie Trailer!
Oh wow, this looks so incredible! I usually wait to see films, but this one I definitely want to see early!
I actually never liked the ending of the book and was kind of disappointed when I first read it, but I thought the rest of the story was great, the clown and IT's history being a great device for masking the evil in the town.
March 29, 2017
Page 56 #Fiction Excerpt - #1LineWed #zombie #horror
Saw something fun I thought I'd share for #1LineWed - 1 Line Wednesday!
Try it with a book you're reading - feel free to share in the comments!
** Turn to page 56, share the fifth line. The game says not to share the title, but I want to know what the book is! So...
Now, there can be two fifth lines in Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter since it has an excerpt from the trial or other documents at the top of each chapter. So I'll share both:
Chapter Eleven
Q. Or was her hair disturbed?(Part of Alice Russell testimony, Lizzie Borden trial, June 8, 1893)
Line 5: (And I'm going to finish the paragraph so it makes sense)
To Lizzie's relief, the horse calmed and stopped its pawing and snorting, though the situation still had her just as frantic. "I'm glad you have a way with horses, but can we please leave? I'd rather not stay around too long."
About Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter:
Every family has its secrets…
One hot August morning in 1892, Lizzie Borden picked up an axe and murdered her father and stepmother. Newspapers claim she did it for the oldest of reasons: family conflicts, jealousy and greed. But what if her parents were already dead? What if Lizzie slaughtered them because they’d become zombies?
Thrust into a horrific world where the walking dead are part of a shocking conspiracy to infect not only Fall River, Massachusetts, but also the world beyond, Lizzie battles to protect her sister, Emma, and her hometown from nightmarish ghouls and the evil forces controlling them.
Try it with a book you're reading - feel free to share in the comments!
** Turn to page 56, share the fifth line. The game says not to share the title, but I want to know what the book is! So...
Now, there can be two fifth lines in Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter since it has an excerpt from the trial or other documents at the top of each chapter. So I'll share both:
Chapter Eleven
Q. Or was her hair disturbed?(Part of Alice Russell testimony, Lizzie Borden trial, June 8, 1893)
Line 5: (And I'm going to finish the paragraph so it makes sense)
To Lizzie's relief, the horse calmed and stopped its pawing and snorting, though the situation still had her just as frantic. "I'm glad you have a way with horses, but can we please leave? I'd rather not stay around too long."
About Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter:
Every family has its secrets…
One hot August morning in 1892, Lizzie Borden picked up an axe and murdered her father and stepmother. Newspapers claim she did it for the oldest of reasons: family conflicts, jealousy and greed. But what if her parents were already dead? What if Lizzie slaughtered them because they’d become zombies?
Thrust into a horrific world where the walking dead are part of a shocking conspiracy to infect not only Fall River, Massachusetts, but also the world beyond, Lizzie battles to protect her sister, Emma, and her hometown from nightmarish ghouls and the evil forces controlling them.
March 27, 2017
Welcome Kathleen Kaska, author of Run Dog Run #mystery
Today I welcome author Kathleen Kaska, whose intriguing new mystery,
Run Dog Run
, centers on the world of greyhound racing and animals rights. It is the first book in the Kate Caraway Animal Rights Mystery Series.
About Run Dog Run:After five years in Africa, researching the decline of elephant populations, Kate Caraway’s project comes to a screeching halt when she shoots a poacher and is forced to leave the country. Then her friend's daughter becomes entangled in the world of greyhound abuse, and believes Kate is the only one who can uncover the crime and find out who is responsible. With her discovery of a body, Kate's in a race against time to find the killer--before she becomes the next victim…
What inspired the book?
Run Dog Run was my very first attempt at writing fiction. I wanted to write a story that was not only engaging, but made people think about animal rights issues, a cause I am passionate about. I had to rewrite the manuscript several times. My first attempt was too heavy-handed and I realized I preached and editorialize too much.
Why the character's activity?
My protagonist, Kate Caraway, is an advocate for animal rights. The story begins with a major disruption in her life. She was forced to leave her elephant project in Africa and return to the US. She returns to Texas to recover and becomes involved with a prominent, but shady character who raises and trains greyhounds. What prompted you to write about animal rights?
I researched greyhound racing and was appalled at what goes on behind the scenes. I wanted people to be aware of the issues involved and to consider adopting one of these beautiful dogs. Any relation to you in real life?
I have a passion for animals. I used to be a member of Wildlife Rescue, Inc. when I lived in Austin. I rehabbed and raised orphaned wildlife with the goal to release them back into the wild if possible. It was a very rewarding experience. Do you have dogs in real life?I love dogs! My husband and I are dog-less at the moment. We were blessed with two mutts that were part of our lives for almost fifteen years. They've been gone for many years, but I have their photos in a locket I wear everyday. They were both rescue dogs and they changed my life by teaching me about unconditional love.
Upcoming...
My second book in the series is A Two Horse Town, is about saving wild horses in Montana. Book three, Eagle Crossing, is about rehabbing animals on Lopez Island near where I live in Washington State.
Excerpt:
She’d been foolish and gone off alone, now she might have to pay the ultimate price…The rocks along the bottom of the creek bed seemed to disappear. Kate felt the ropy, gnarl of tree roots instead.The cedar break. She was approaching the road and soon the water would pass through the culvert. She knew that she would not make it through the narrow tunnel alive. Her lungs screamed for air. With one final attempt, she grabbed hold of a long cedar root growing along the side of the creek bank and hung on. Miraculously, it held. She wedged her foot under the tangled growth and anchored herself against the current. Inching her way upward, she thrust her head above water and gulped for air. But debris in the current slapped her in the face, and leaves and twigs filled her mouth, choking her. Dizziness overcame her ability to think—exhaustion prevented her from pulling herself higher.She must not give in. Fighting unconsciousness, Kate inched her way up a little farther, and at last was able to take a clear breath. Her right arm hung loosely by her side, the back of the shaft had broken off in the tumble through the current, but the arrow was lodged in her arm. Numb from cold water and exhaustion, she lay on the bank as the water swept over her, and then, as quickly as it had arrived, the flow subsided and the current slowed. If she could hang on a few moments longer, survival looked promising. As thoughts of hope entered her mind, Kate feared that her pursuer might not have given up the chase. Perfect, Kate Caraway, just perfect. You screwed up again, she chided herself as the lights went out. About the Author:
Kathleen Kaska is the author of the award-winning Sydney Lockhart Mystery Series set in the 1950s and the Classic Triviography Mystery Series, which includes The Sherlock Holmes Triviography and Quiz Book. Her first two Lockhart mysteries, Murder at the Arlington and Murder at the Luther, were selected as bonus-books for the Pulpwood Queen Book Group, the largest book group in the country. Her latest Sydney Lockhart mystery, set in Austin, Texas, is Murder at the Driskill. She enjoys birdwatching, and is also author of
The Man Who Saved the Whooping Crane: The Robert Porter Allen Story
(University Press of Florida).
About Run Dog Run:After five years in Africa, researching the decline of elephant populations, Kate Caraway’s project comes to a screeching halt when she shoots a poacher and is forced to leave the country. Then her friend's daughter becomes entangled in the world of greyhound abuse, and believes Kate is the only one who can uncover the crime and find out who is responsible. With her discovery of a body, Kate's in a race against time to find the killer--before she becomes the next victim…
What inspired the book?
Run Dog Run was my very first attempt at writing fiction. I wanted to write a story that was not only engaging, but made people think about animal rights issues, a cause I am passionate about. I had to rewrite the manuscript several times. My first attempt was too heavy-handed and I realized I preached and editorialize too much.
Why the character's activity?
My protagonist, Kate Caraway, is an advocate for animal rights. The story begins with a major disruption in her life. She was forced to leave her elephant project in Africa and return to the US. She returns to Texas to recover and becomes involved with a prominent, but shady character who raises and trains greyhounds. What prompted you to write about animal rights?
I researched greyhound racing and was appalled at what goes on behind the scenes. I wanted people to be aware of the issues involved and to consider adopting one of these beautiful dogs. Any relation to you in real life?
I have a passion for animals. I used to be a member of Wildlife Rescue, Inc. when I lived in Austin. I rehabbed and raised orphaned wildlife with the goal to release them back into the wild if possible. It was a very rewarding experience. Do you have dogs in real life?I love dogs! My husband and I are dog-less at the moment. We were blessed with two mutts that were part of our lives for almost fifteen years. They've been gone for many years, but I have their photos in a locket I wear everyday. They were both rescue dogs and they changed my life by teaching me about unconditional love.
Upcoming...
My second book in the series is A Two Horse Town, is about saving wild horses in Montana. Book three, Eagle Crossing, is about rehabbing animals on Lopez Island near where I live in Washington State.
Excerpt:
She’d been foolish and gone off alone, now she might have to pay the ultimate price…The rocks along the bottom of the creek bed seemed to disappear. Kate felt the ropy, gnarl of tree roots instead.The cedar break. She was approaching the road and soon the water would pass through the culvert. She knew that she would not make it through the narrow tunnel alive. Her lungs screamed for air. With one final attempt, she grabbed hold of a long cedar root growing along the side of the creek bank and hung on. Miraculously, it held. She wedged her foot under the tangled growth and anchored herself against the current. Inching her way upward, she thrust her head above water and gulped for air. But debris in the current slapped her in the face, and leaves and twigs filled her mouth, choking her. Dizziness overcame her ability to think—exhaustion prevented her from pulling herself higher.She must not give in. Fighting unconsciousness, Kate inched her way up a little farther, and at last was able to take a clear breath. Her right arm hung loosely by her side, the back of the shaft had broken off in the tumble through the current, but the arrow was lodged in her arm. Numb from cold water and exhaustion, she lay on the bank as the water swept over her, and then, as quickly as it had arrived, the flow subsided and the current slowed. If she could hang on a few moments longer, survival looked promising. As thoughts of hope entered her mind, Kate feared that her pursuer might not have given up the chase. Perfect, Kate Caraway, just perfect. You screwed up again, she chided herself as the lights went out. About the Author:
Kathleen Kaska is the author of the award-winning Sydney Lockhart Mystery Series set in the 1950s and the Classic Triviography Mystery Series, which includes The Sherlock Holmes Triviography and Quiz Book. Her first two Lockhart mysteries, Murder at the Arlington and Murder at the Luther, were selected as bonus-books for the Pulpwood Queen Book Group, the largest book group in the country. Her latest Sydney Lockhart mystery, set in Austin, Texas, is Murder at the Driskill. She enjoys birdwatching, and is also author of
The Man Who Saved the Whooping Crane: The Robert Porter Allen Story
(University Press of Florida).
March 24, 2017
Suspending Disbelief
OK, so if you follow my other blog, you’ll know that this week has been a challenge for me and getting things done on time. In any case, here’s today’s blog.
It’s not really a secret that I’m pretty far behind in watching zombie TV shows. I’m actually pretty far behind watching all my shows. I prefer to DVR them so I can watch them at my leisure, but I’ve been a bit busy lately. I haven’t turned the TV on for the past couple of days.
Anywho, my point is that I just recently started watching the third season of Z Nation . I love Z Nation. It’s such a fun show. In the third season opener, it flashed back to a time when the group was helping protect a doctor from a character called The Man (who, by the way, should always walk around in a vest). The Man and his men attack the compound, and one of the weapons they use are zombies with metal helmets. This, of course, makes it difficult for the undead to be shot in the head.
At first, I was like: Pffffft! They aren’t a threat. Sure, you can’t kill them, but they can’t bite you, either. So, really, they are just a weird weapon that doesn’t pose any threat. But as the episode went on, I realized these zombies were a bigger threat than they originally appeared. They couldn’t bite anyone, but they had strength and could still kill others. Just because those people didn’t turn didn’t mean they weren’t taken out of the fight. These helmeted zombies were a major danger.
The other aspect of those zombies that I found a bit strange was that they were on chains and being driven forward by a man with a whip. This really didn’t make any sense to me because zombies don’t fall prey to threats. They can’t feel pain and they certainly don’t know fear, so it seemed overly dramatic. But I think that was supposed to be the point. I think the theatrics of the zombies and the guy with the whip was to frighten the humans, and it had the intended effect.
Isn’t it amusing that I’m willing to believe zombies can exist and take over the world, but I have issues with them wearing helmets and being driven forward by a whip?
In any show or movie we watch there will be elements that don’t make a lot of sense or seem out of place. I have a tendency to focus on those things and roll them over in my mind, trying to figure out why they would be in there at all. Sometimes I can figure it out, and other times I can’t. But in the end, it boils down to suspending disbelief and just enjoying the ride.
Do you have any movies or shows you’ve watched where something like this has happened? What was it?
It’s not really a secret that I’m pretty far behind in watching zombie TV shows. I’m actually pretty far behind watching all my shows. I prefer to DVR them so I can watch them at my leisure, but I’ve been a bit busy lately. I haven’t turned the TV on for the past couple of days.
Anywho, my point is that I just recently started watching the third season of Z Nation . I love Z Nation. It’s such a fun show. In the third season opener, it flashed back to a time when the group was helping protect a doctor from a character called The Man (who, by the way, should always walk around in a vest). The Man and his men attack the compound, and one of the weapons they use are zombies with metal helmets. This, of course, makes it difficult for the undead to be shot in the head.
At first, I was like: Pffffft! They aren’t a threat. Sure, you can’t kill them, but they can’t bite you, either. So, really, they are just a weird weapon that doesn’t pose any threat. But as the episode went on, I realized these zombies were a bigger threat than they originally appeared. They couldn’t bite anyone, but they had strength and could still kill others. Just because those people didn’t turn didn’t mean they weren’t taken out of the fight. These helmeted zombies were a major danger.
The other aspect of those zombies that I found a bit strange was that they were on chains and being driven forward by a man with a whip. This really didn’t make any sense to me because zombies don’t fall prey to threats. They can’t feel pain and they certainly don’t know fear, so it seemed overly dramatic. But I think that was supposed to be the point. I think the theatrics of the zombies and the guy with the whip was to frighten the humans, and it had the intended effect.
Isn’t it amusing that I’m willing to believe zombies can exist and take over the world, but I have issues with them wearing helmets and being driven forward by a whip?
In any show or movie we watch there will be elements that don’t make a lot of sense or seem out of place. I have a tendency to focus on those things and roll them over in my mind, trying to figure out why they would be in there at all. Sometimes I can figure it out, and other times I can’t. But in the end, it boils down to suspending disbelief and just enjoying the ride.
Do you have any movies or shows you’ve watched where something like this has happened? What was it?
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