Dayna Ingram's Blog, page 3
March 5, 2012
Do you have a book club?
Well, mayhaps you should start one. Hey, Lambda Literary seems to think Eat Your Heart Out makes a wonderful March selection. Maybe your group would too!
Here are the reading group questions my friends helped me come up with (it was fun!):
....I was gonna copy and paste, but it didn't work out. Here's the PDF: here it is.
Here are the reading group questions my friends helped me come up with (it was fun!):
....I was gonna copy and paste, but it didn't work out. Here's the PDF: here it is.
February 29, 2012
A Few Nice Things
YOU GUYS!
Thank you for coming to my reading all them Fridays ago! (I think it was like two Fridays. IRREGARDLESS) It was super great to see everyone, and I was overwhelmed by the amount of people who bought books from me. I'm also super appreciative of your skills in coming up with obscure foods on the spot! To anyone thinking of doing a reading in a family-friendly environment, I highly recommend asking your guests to provide you with names of foods to replace all your family unfriendly swear words. It's chaotic and great! Furthermore, you guys, you all raised $71.50 to help feed some kibble (and maybe give some vaccinations or something) to some dogs and/or cats at ARF! And thank you again to Half Price Books for hosting the event! (They also featured me on their Meet the Bibliomaniac blog, check it out!) (P.S. If you have any pictures or vids from the event, please send 'em my way!)
So listen, here is a Save-the-Date-type announcement: I will be reading at Velvet Revolution on Wednesday evening April 4th! More info as that happens, BUT I am very excited because VelRo is a great place to read (this is also an open mic, so you should read too!) due to the immense awesomeness of the students who run it, attend it, and provide snacks and beverages for it!
Also, you guys, I am not sure if you have heard of this tiny, mom-and-pop organization known as the Lambda Literary Foundation, but in case you have not they are kind of the tops. The Tops! And so anyway, they reviewed Eat Your Heart Out, and oh man, it was kind of a heart-stopping moment for me. Here is a snippet: "You're going to love Devin. You'll lust after Renni Ramirez, too. Hey, even I did as a gay man. Let Ingram take you on a wild zombie adventure. You'll come to appreciate just why zombies have popped up on the popularity chart of late." Read the full review here!
In another surreal turn of events, Eat Your Heart Out was reviewed across the danged huge ocean in award-winning U.K. horror magazine Black Static! Check out this international acclaim: "...If you fancy a rip roaring zombie action story where the girl gets the girl, written by an author who has a sense of humour and knows how to play the tropes of this subgenre with a virtuoso skill and invention, then Eat Your Heart Out is the book for you." Insanity!
In other writing news, I have completed a first complete draft and revision of my latest manuscript, All Good Children. It was so much more emotional than I wanted it to be! Seriously it raked my heart over some hot coals and then like stomped on it with cleats and then like yelled obscene things at it. In the best way possible. AND NOW I have to turn it into my professor for my final MFA creative project. I am so nervous that "nervous" is inadequate to describe this thing I am feeling. I AM POOPING MYSELF EMOTIONALLY. That's better.
Thank you for coming to my reading all them Fridays ago! (I think it was like two Fridays. IRREGARDLESS) It was super great to see everyone, and I was overwhelmed by the amount of people who bought books from me. I'm also super appreciative of your skills in coming up with obscure foods on the spot! To anyone thinking of doing a reading in a family-friendly environment, I highly recommend asking your guests to provide you with names of foods to replace all your family unfriendly swear words. It's chaotic and great! Furthermore, you guys, you all raised $71.50 to help feed some kibble (and maybe give some vaccinations or something) to some dogs and/or cats at ARF! And thank you again to Half Price Books for hosting the event! (They also featured me on their Meet the Bibliomaniac blog, check it out!) (P.S. If you have any pictures or vids from the event, please send 'em my way!)
So listen, here is a Save-the-Date-type announcement: I will be reading at Velvet Revolution on Wednesday evening April 4th! More info as that happens, BUT I am very excited because VelRo is a great place to read (this is also an open mic, so you should read too!) due to the immense awesomeness of the students who run it, attend it, and provide snacks and beverages for it!
Also, you guys, I am not sure if you have heard of this tiny, mom-and-pop organization known as the Lambda Literary Foundation, but in case you have not they are kind of the tops. The Tops! And so anyway, they reviewed Eat Your Heart Out, and oh man, it was kind of a heart-stopping moment for me. Here is a snippet: "You're going to love Devin. You'll lust after Renni Ramirez, too. Hey, even I did as a gay man. Let Ingram take you on a wild zombie adventure. You'll come to appreciate just why zombies have popped up on the popularity chart of late." Read the full review here!
In another surreal turn of events, Eat Your Heart Out was reviewed across the danged huge ocean in award-winning U.K. horror magazine Black Static! Check out this international acclaim: "...If you fancy a rip roaring zombie action story where the girl gets the girl, written by an author who has a sense of humour and knows how to play the tropes of this subgenre with a virtuoso skill and invention, then Eat Your Heart Out is the book for you." Insanity!
In other writing news, I have completed a first complete draft and revision of my latest manuscript, All Good Children. It was so much more emotional than I wanted it to be! Seriously it raked my heart over some hot coals and then like stomped on it with cleats and then like yelled obscene things at it. In the best way possible. AND NOW I have to turn it into my professor for my final MFA creative project. I am so nervous that "nervous" is inadequate to describe this thing I am feeling. I AM POOPING MYSELF EMOTIONALLY. That's better.
January 23, 2012
If You're in the Bay Area....!
it's me!Come to my FIRST EVER book reading! (I might pass out or vomit, giving you just a hint of the antics to be found in the novella, actually...)
Here is the brief blurb about the event from Half Price Books:
Book Signing with Dayna Ingram
Join us on Friday, February 17 at 7 pm to meet author Dayna Ingram for a book reading and signing of her newly published zombie/horror novella Eat Your Heart Out. It's "a ridiculously entertaining novella" according to Publishers Weekly. Don't miss this chance to buy an autographed copy of her work. 50% of the proceeds will be donated to ARF, Tony LaRussa's Animal Rescue Foundation.
And here is the RIDICULOUSLY long press release I wrote because I've never done this before and sometimes the Internet is not the greatest teacher (but it means well):
Half Price Books to Host Zombie Reading
On February 17th, 2012, Half Price Books in Dublin will host a reading of Dayna Ingram's zombie novella Eat Your Heart Out, released in December 2011 from BrazenHead, an imprint of Lethe Press. Fifty percent of all proceeds will be donated to ARF, Tony LaRussa's Animal Rescue Foundation.
"Let's face facts," says author Dayna Ingram. "Dogs and cats are the real victims of a zombie apocalypse. They are either forsaken for shotguns in their owners' desperately selfish attempt to keep themselves alive, or they are sacrificed—however misguidedly—to the undead hordes. We may not be able to do much for these helpless creatures in the Zombacolypse, but we can certainly help them now."
Eat Your Heart Out is a breakneck tale of lesbians and zombies, opening on what promises to be another tediously annoying day at Ashbee's Furniture Outlet. Then the strip-mall calm of Nowhere, Ohio, is shattered by the sudden, simultaneous appearance of Renni Ramirez—hyper-competent star of the beloved Rising Evil B-movie franchise—and actual zombies, leaving Ashbee's hapless staff and Renni trapped behind an automatic door they can't lock. Can failed creative-writing student/apprentice store manager/eagle-eyed markswoman Devin escape the besieged furniture store to rescue her girlfriend? Will Renni's experience slaughtering motion-captured CGI monsters save the day before the army bombs the town? Once bitten, how many zombies can a person expect to take out before succumbing to infection? Who is the mysterious Deus Ex Machina, and what is he doing with that bone saw? All of these questions and more whisper behind the scream of the single most important thing Devin needs to know in order to survive: is Renni a top or a bottom?
In their starred review, Publishers Weekly calls Eat Your Heart Out, "a ridiculously entertaining novella….a no-holds-barred action-packed romp, filled with rich descriptions, detailed sensory input, sexy flirting, and zombie fighting in the best cult tradition." EDGE Media Network raves, "It has the charm of an indie flick and the drive of a community theater production of Zombieland. It is extremely well written for its genre…and chock full of sarcastic humor and biting dialogue."
Out author Dayna Ingram recently migrated to the Bay Area from Ohio in pursuit of her MFA at San Francisco State University. She started working for Half Price Books almost four years ago as part of her Antioch College undergrad co-op program. Eat Your Heart Out is based on true events from that one summer in '08 when Michelle Rodriguez rode into town on her Harley and the two ladies fended off some zombies for the better part of an afternoon. That…that may have been a dream.
The reading will begin at 7pm, February 17th, followed by a signing, at Half Price Books, 7898 Dublin Blvd, Dublin, CA 94568. Come dressed as a zombie at your own risk!
ALSO ALSO ALSO
I need a real Author Photo that I didn't take with my shitty webcam. I know this.
January 22, 2012
It's Like a UFO Sighting!
Sometime this past week, The Outer Alliance recorded a podcast (Podcasted?) of a "Queer SF&F" panel, where a buncha readers sat in a room and discussed queer science fiction and fantasy. Man, I wish I could've been in that room. But I kind of was, in spirit, because around the 57 minute mark an audience member asked for some lesbian horror recommendations, and two of the panelists (Melissa Scott and JoSelle Vanderhooft) recommended Eat Your Heart Out. JoSelle actually blurbed the book many months ago (so awesome!), and Melissa commented that she actually doesn't like zombie stories but she liked Eat Your Heart Out.
My book transcends your personal preferences!
Additionally, Eat Your Heart Out got a brief shout out from reviewer Peter Tennant of Black Static as a novella that impressed him in 2011.
Yay!
Zombies and lesbians, together at last.
My book transcends your personal preferences!
Additionally, Eat Your Heart Out got a brief shout out from reviewer Peter Tennant of Black Static as a novella that impressed him in 2011.
Yay!
Zombies and lesbians, together at last.
January 5, 2012
EDGE Reviews Eat Your Heart Out
My favorite line: "Despite sounding like clichéd fanfiction written by a horny devotee, "Eat Your Heart Out" is tender yet ruthlessly gruesome."
SPOILER ALERT! Might be best not to read this if you want some yummy surprises in the novella itself.
Eat Your Heart Out
by Katie Drexel
EDGE Contributor
Thursday Jan 5, 2012
Many an afternoon has been spent in idle repose by darling lesbians dreaming of being swept off their feet by an action heroine in a summer blockbuster. One would not be remiss if one guessed that notable lady-loving actress, Michelle Rodriguez, might be a common lead in these fantasy films. It should come to no surprise then that the B-actress making a cameo in Dayna Ingram's,
"Eat Your Heart Out" is a dead ringer for Ms. Rodriguez. The book is dedicated to her after all.
Like many heroes in the zombie genre, protagonist Devin just wants to go to work, get through the day and go home to her hot girlfriend without too much hassle. Like any other hero in the zombie genre, Devin realizes quickly that this isn't possible. With the help of stacked actress Renni Ramirez, Devin must save her co-workers, and her cheating girlfriend, Carmelle, from zombies, "pseudo" zombies and a militia of rogue zombie hunters before she can call it a day. Devin, our protagonist and self-antagonist, is the underdog that action movies simultaneously love and hate. She grew up on Nintendo war games, is an excellent shot but freezes mid-combat. We love her for her bravery but want to smack her for letting the team down. It's no wonder that Renni falls deeply in love with her.
Despite sounding like clichéd fanfiction written by a horny devotee, "Eat Your Heart Out" is tender yet ruthlessly gruesome. This sweet zombie novella needs to be made into an A or B movie starring Ms. Rodriguez, right now. It has the charm of an indie flick and the drive of a community theater production of "Zombieland." It is extremely well written for its genre (without having to steal from a certain author whose name rhymes with Kane Bausten) and chock full of sarcastic humor and biting dialogue. But instead of a predictable hetero couple falling in love in the war zone, two lesbians embrace their mortality amid the smell of putrid flesh and find true lust.
SPOILER ALERT! Might be best not to read this if you want some yummy surprises in the novella itself.
Eat Your Heart Out
by Katie Drexel
EDGE Contributor
Thursday Jan 5, 2012
Many an afternoon has been spent in idle repose by darling lesbians dreaming of being swept off their feet by an action heroine in a summer blockbuster. One would not be remiss if one guessed that notable lady-loving actress, Michelle Rodriguez, might be a common lead in these fantasy films. It should come to no surprise then that the B-actress making a cameo in Dayna Ingram's,
"Eat Your Heart Out" is a dead ringer for Ms. Rodriguez. The book is dedicated to her after all.
Like many heroes in the zombie genre, protagonist Devin just wants to go to work, get through the day and go home to her hot girlfriend without too much hassle. Like any other hero in the zombie genre, Devin realizes quickly that this isn't possible. With the help of stacked actress Renni Ramirez, Devin must save her co-workers, and her cheating girlfriend, Carmelle, from zombies, "pseudo" zombies and a militia of rogue zombie hunters before she can call it a day. Devin, our protagonist and self-antagonist, is the underdog that action movies simultaneously love and hate. She grew up on Nintendo war games, is an excellent shot but freezes mid-combat. We love her for her bravery but want to smack her for letting the team down. It's no wonder that Renni falls deeply in love with her.
Despite sounding like clichéd fanfiction written by a horny devotee, "Eat Your Heart Out" is tender yet ruthlessly gruesome. This sweet zombie novella needs to be made into an A or B movie starring Ms. Rodriguez, right now. It has the charm of an indie flick and the drive of a community theater production of "Zombieland." It is extremely well written for its genre (without having to steal from a certain author whose name rhymes with Kane Bausten) and chock full of sarcastic humor and biting dialogue. But instead of a predictable hetero couple falling in love in the war zone, two lesbians embrace their mortality amid the smell of putrid flesh and find true lust.
December 7, 2011
5 Ways to Enjoy Eat Your Heart Out Even if You Don't Like Zombies
5 Ways to Enjoy Eat Your Heart Out Even if You Don't Like Zombies
I don't like zombies either. That is why I kill them. Kill them hard. That is another good title for a zombie book. You may use it.
But listen, okay, it's the holidays and you have a couple days off work and your power is out because you live on the East Coast in a snow cave so you're unable to watch your Glee DVDs or listen to your Glee iTunes covers or Twitter your #gaysharks tweets. WHAT TO DO?? Mayhaps read a book? And you say to yourself, man, I sure do like some lesbian fiction, but what the hells is up with all lesbian fiction all the time featuring zombies for always all of it all over?
THE ANSWER IS SIMPLER AND MORE GRAMMATICALLY CORRECT THAN THAT PREVIOUS SENTENCE WOULD LEAD YOU TO BELIEVE!
Yes, Eat Your Heart Out is ripe with equal parts gay ladies (I just made you think of gay lady parts) and flesh-hungry zombies. This may be a problem for you if you are not into zombie fiction (if you are not into gay lady fiction, um, you must have clicked this blog by mistake), but rest easy! There are other ways to enjoy this book even if you hate zombies - five ways, in fact:
1. Replace the word "zombie" with the word "vampire." (Now it's exactly like a CW show - OMG MAGIC)
2. Send your copy to Michelle Rodriguez, suggesting she option the movie rights and play the role of Renni Ramirez. (Everybody wins when M.Rod plays gay, right?)
3. Skip to pages 45-46, 93-96, and 104-105. (You're welcome.)
4. Cull together a found poem for your creative writing class by using the fifth and sixth words of each first-paragraph sentence on a random page.
(From page 89:
"The nearest,
just running to them,
had these.
they never
them you'd
it was slapping
her rifle.
her taking,
Renni's."
...Wait, that sucked. )
5. Generously provide bathroom reading material for your guests. (Maybe your guests like zombies, did you ever think of that, you selfish bastard?)
Can you think of more ways to enjoy the book? Did you cull a found poem? Did you know that the X-Men 90s cartoon taught me the word "cull"? Enlightenment!
November 25, 2011
Hey there, friends
EAT YOUR HEART OUT, a "ridiculously entertaining" (Publisher's Weekly) novella of lesbians vs. zombies, comes out TODAY (Friday, 25th, yay)!You can purchase this awesome little book ($6 eBook, $13 trade paperback) through a variety of sites, including:
http://www.amaz...on.com/Eat-Your-Heart-Dayna-Ingram/dp/1590213335
http://www.lethepressbooks.com/
http://www.smashwords.com/extreader/read/105398/4/eat-your-heart-out-a-novella
http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-eatyourheartoutanovella-641930-140.html
http://www.bellabooks.com/9781590213339e-prod.html
If you enjoy brick and mortar shopping (who doesn't?), you can go to your favorite local bookstore and ask them to order you a copy. If you know me in real life, and live in the Bay Area, you can buy a copy directly from me in a few weeks (but why wait?).
For more sweet, sweet gratuitous praise, visit: http://sentenceandparagraph.com/brazenhead/eat-your-heart-out/
And don't forget you still have NINE DAYS to sign up for Goodreads (free!) and enter the sweepstakes to win one of five copies (also free!): http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/16656-eat-your-heart-out
If you happen upon any other sites in your internet travels that sell the book, please let me know.
Thank you for supporting not only me, but also lesbians and zombie literature (you can't kill zombie literature - it's already dead! UNdead, that is!).
November 10, 2011
If you loved me, you'd put in more scenes about babies
My review of Eat Your Heart Out:
I was tempted to give this one star but, since I wrote it, I guess I have to give it five.
Okay, zombies I can buy into, but there are some very unrealistic moments in this book. I mean, when the zombie outbreak happens (and it WILL happen) who the hell is gonna have time to fuck in a field and not even worry about STDs? Or babies. I mean, shouldn't SOMEONE be freaking out about saving all the babies?!? If this novella really wanted to be realistic, I would have put in a scene where Devon has sex with a man in order to procreate and save the species. Who cares what her heart wants! Who cares what her vagina craves! This is the Apocalypse, people! You don't have the luxuries of things like condoms and meaningful relationships and lesbians and diet Coke! Get with the baby-making!
In short, this book could really benefit from more scenes with babies (babies are, statistically, the most underrepresented minority in zombie fiction), and more straight sex (there isn't any at all!).
                                                "Love me!"
I was tempted to give this one star but, since I wrote it, I guess I have to give it five.
Okay, zombies I can buy into, but there are some very unrealistic moments in this book. I mean, when the zombie outbreak happens (and it WILL happen) who the hell is gonna have time to fuck in a field and not even worry about STDs? Or babies. I mean, shouldn't SOMEONE be freaking out about saving all the babies?!? If this novella really wanted to be realistic, I would have put in a scene where Devon has sex with a man in order to procreate and save the species. Who cares what her heart wants! Who cares what her vagina craves! This is the Apocalypse, people! You don't have the luxuries of things like condoms and meaningful relationships and lesbians and diet Coke! Get with the baby-making!
In short, this book could really benefit from more scenes with babies (babies are, statistically, the most underrepresented minority in zombie fiction), and more straight sex (there isn't any at all!).
                                                "Love me!"
November 4, 2011
Eat Your Heart Out Giveaway!
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Goodreads Book Giveaway
Eat Your Heart Out
by Dayna Ingram
Giveaway ends December 04, 2011.
See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.
Enter to win
October 24, 2011
Now that I have a starred review in Publishers Weekly, will you please make me a Wiki page?
Holy shit!
"
Eat Your Heart Out Dayna Ingram. Lethe/Brazenhead, $13 trade paper (146p) ISBN 978-1-59021-333-9Sex, violence, and horror combine in a ridiculously entertaining novella of lesbians and zombies, which kicks off Lethe's new Brazenhead imprint. Devin's a wage slave for a furniture outlet store in an small Ohio town until her daily routine is thoroughly disrupted by an outbreak of zombies. As the dead shamble and bite their way through the town, Devin fights for her life while trying to reach her girlfriend, ex-stripper Carmelle. Her unlikely ally is badass B-movie actress Renni Ramirez, who just happens to be passing through when all hell breaks loose. What follows is a no-holds-barred action-packed romp, filled with rich descriptions, detailed sensory input, sexy flirting, and zombie fighting in the best cult tradition. Ingram has a keen ear for dialogue and believable characters, and this punchy, raunchy story would make a great grindhouse film. (Dec.)"Here is the link. If you're feeling generous, you could "like" it on Facebook or tweet it.
