M.L. Katz's Blog: The M.L. Katz Author Blog , page 3

See Ya’ On The Other Side (Of The Mayan Apocalypse)!

Mayan Apocalypse Weather Report

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The Weather Report For The Mayan Apocalypse

I mainly had to write this post so I could show off this great graphic about the .. er…weather report for Friday, December 21st and the lack of one for Saturday the 22nd! I actually predict that life will go on far past the dreaded doomsday, just like it did after the feared Y2K date. We humans do seem to love a deadline though.

Author Interview

I have been interviewed by FreeBookBeast.com. It was a pretty easy process. Robert read my book and asked me some questions. I just had to reply in an email, so I didn’t even have to get dressed up or anything! You may also want to check out the rest of the website because they publish some tips about e-readers and an updated list of bargain and free books.

The MLKatz Author Page is also up on Amazon.

Stay safe out there and Happy Holidays!

I am pretty sure that the armchair psychics and TV special promoters will come up with another doomsday we can all look forward to later. Meanwhile, for most of us, it is just a few days off – and then back to work!

 

 

The Next Big Thing!

What’s The Next Big Thing?

Nancy Laronda Johnson tagged me in The Next Big Thing Blog Hop. I have purchased, and am starting to enjoy The Anticipation of the Pertinent now.

I have never participated in a blog hop before, and I am very excited because I was included. This is how it works. First you mention the wonderful author who tagged you. Then you answer some questions and tag some more authors so the chain keeps moving. This is a good way for readers to find more authors, and for authors to express themselves. In this case, The Next Big Thing is about our new work. So I will not be talking about Raft People or The Information Thieves in this article.

Questions And Answers About My Work In Progress

What is the working title of your new book? I plan to call it Waking the Zed.

Where did you get the idea for your new book? Oh, you know I’m a big Walking Dead fan. I think I equate the rise in the popularity of zombie stories to our rising anxieties. I just had to blow off some steam.

What is your book’s genre? Well, it’s a zombie apocalypse book!That makes it apocalyptic fiction, which may be classified as horror or science fiction.

[image error]Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie version? This is a tough question. I think Nichelle Nichols (LT Uhura) could pull off the arrogant and somewhat evil Dr. Klein. Or maybe that should go to Kate Mulgrew. This would be different character for them, but I think they have the elegance and sense of humor to pull it off.Maybe Amanda Tapping or Sandra Bullock could play Pamela.

Can you give us a one sentence synopsis of you new book? Dr Ada Klein invents a new serum to bring the bodies of her frozen clients back to life, but something goes horribly wrong!

If you plan to publish, will you be self-published or traditionally published? I plan to self-publish, but would be open to entertaining other possibilities.

How long did it take you to complete your first draft? I’m not done.

What other books would you compare this book to? It’s hard to say because I have not read a lot of zombie books though I do read horror books some times. I would hope to be compared to Stephen King, but wouldn’t we all? It will probably be compare to my other books, but with zombies!

What inspired this book? As I wrote above, I am a Walking Dead Geek. I like it because of the way the characters deal with their tragedy and rise above their awful situation.

What might pique the reader’s interest even more? Most books about the zed don’t address the origins of the menace, but simply the aftermath. Some theories are viruses, chemical warfare, and meteor strikes. Which is it?

Tag – You’re It! Authors With Works In Progress.

Again, thanks to Ms. Johnson for the tag. To keep this going, I’d like to tag some other authors.

Brae Wickoff describes The Orb of Truth as a cross between the Lord of the Rings and the Wizard of OZ where you will be swept away into a magical land of Dwarves, Elves, and Halflings. Check out his blog for updates, events and future projects.

H.S. St. Ours offers us free chapters from the next two books of his Water Worlds Young Adult Science Fiction series. Simma (Book 3) and Gen (Book 4).

T.W. Piperbrook, the author of the Contamination series, showcases his published work and work in progress on his blog.

 

 

 

 

Apocalypse Why?

To celebrate a new revision of Raft People, I decided to run an article with the collaboration of some other up and coming apocalyptic fiction authors.

We asked these authors why they wrote apocalyptic fiction, and we got a variety of different and unique answers!

The answers ranged from nightmares to real life experiences to a desire to hold up a mirror to real issues they saw in our society. I hope you take a moment to glance at this article because the answers may surprise you!

Happy Doomsday!

Float On (Modest Mouse) Music To Read Raft People By

Listen To Float On By Modest Mouse While You Read Raft People

A lot of authors are picking up a trend. They like to mention songs that inspired them, and also offer suggestions for some good songs to listen to while reading their books. I think Stephen King may have inspired this by using quotes from popular songs in some of his books. I will always associate The Stand with Baby, Don’t Fear The Reaper, won’t you?

My first entry is Float On By Modest Mouse. I think it fits. Enjoy listening to Float on while reading Raft People! Don’t worry, good news is on the way.

 

 

 

Why Do We Love Post-Apocalyptic Novels, Movies, And Games?

We Don’t Really Want The World To End, Right?
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We Don’t Really Want The World To End!

As I was participating in a discussion on the Raft People Facebook Page, another page owner and I wrestled with the reasons why PA (Post Apocalyptic) Fiction has become so popular lately. Of course, this fad is not entirely new. I can remember I Am Legend (The Omega Man) from my childhood, plus of course, Night of The Living Dead. However, the popularity of doomsday scenarios has certainly not waned, and I do no think we can just attribute this to the 2012 Doomsday Prophecy, which few people really take seriously.

Post Apocalyptic And Dystopian Scenarios Have A Broad Appeal

There is still a spate of post-apocalyptic and dystopian novels with a broad appeal. I, of course, wrote Raft People – which does not threaten everybody, but certainly does describe a world altering disaster. Why did I do that? I guess I like a good disaster novel as well as the next person, and somehow, I was just moved to write this one.

Maybe we humans have some instinct that drives us towards living less crowned and more individualistic lives. Is that what compelled many US pioneers to leave the relative comfort and safety of the cities to explore the wilderness? Is that what drives some fringe groups to set up compounds and outposts in unpopulated areas.

Life these days is hardly painted in neat black and white colors. Maybe some people retreat to PA novels because they just want a common enemy that is easy to hate.

Most of us are happy with the comforts of civilization and society, and maybe our yearnings for adventure and isolation are more of a whisper than a loud shout. Anything else, in my opinion, would be a bit crazy. Right? Maybe those yearnings can be satisfied with a good zombie TV show or movie, a flood novel, or a battle game.

You Don’t Really Want To Fight Brain Eating Zombies, Do You?

We don’t really want zombies to arise and try to eat our brains, but maybe we do need a break from the demands of our routines and obligations. I am sure some intellectuals could write tomes on the subject. What do you think?

What Other Novels Inspired Raft People?

It may be helpful to learn about books that inspired Raft People. This may help you find more books you would enjoy, or it may help you decide if Raft People is a novel that you would enjoy reading!

Flood And Ark By Stephen Baxter

I have been a big fan of the British scientist and science fiction author, Stephen Baxter, for years. He wrote an epic series which cover several years of the catastrophe that occurs when Planet Earth became a water planet.

You can learn more about Flood and Ark on Amazon.

He tended to tell the stories of wealthy people, or people connected to big government projects. Efforts ranged from attempting to settle another planet to self sustaining luxury ships to huge underwater habitats.Mr. Baxter touched upon the story about some ordinary people throwing together some sorts of rafts in order to survive the flooding. In the end, these ordinary efforts by ordinary efforts seemed as sensible and successful as the huge projects created by the wealthy and well connected.

I created a different reality than Mr. Baxter did, but I have to say his novels inspired me.

 

What Kind Of Novel Is Raft People

It seems so easy to categorize other writer’s into genres. Obviously, Stephen King writes horror and Stephen Baxter writes hard science fiction. But it would also be easy to argue that these two authors just write good stories that transcend genre. I hope I have written a good story, and it is difficult for me to place my own work into a neat box.

Which Genre Describes Raft People?

I suppose that many people would categorize Raft People as a post-apocalyptic or catastrophe novel. It may also be considered an adventure story, or even a family novel. It may be placed in the science fiction section of book stores and libraries, because it deals with events that occur in the future. But the main protagonists are usually operating at a fairly low tech level because that is what they have to work with. In some ways, this novel almost dips into steam punk, only it does not occur in the past.

I have to add a note that Raft People is actually doing very well in the Alternate History section of Amazon. That was not my first choice for a tag or category, but it is best to let readers decide!

I wrote the novel with an adult audience in mind. Yet the protagonist, Liz Green, is an adolescent through most of the story, so a young adult or teen reader may also enjoy this story.