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Dead Girl: A Romantic Zombie Tale of Revenge
An average girl, living in the city is murdered. Nothing new, right? It happens every day. Just another statistic. That is…until she woke up dead.
Trapped within her own decaying shell, the dead girl struggles to piece together the awful events of her untimely death and hunt down the man responsible. Armed only with a kiss from an ancient Egyptian God, a pockmarked memory, her ex-boyfriend, and a murder of crows, Jamie Lund comes face to face with something more terrifying and real than mere death…she suffers the agony of being undead!
With twelve black & white illustrations and a full colored cover from tattoo artist, Charles Hearn, this sardonic tale comes alive like no other zombie story, popping from the page with stunning, unnatural brilliance. Dead Girl: A Romantic Zombie Tale of Revenge will keep the reader on the edge of their seat suspended in this unique supernatural thriller.
Trapped within her own decaying shell, the dead girl struggles to piece together the awful events of her untimely death and hunt down the man responsible. Armed only with a kiss from an ancient Egyptian God, a pockmarked memory, her ex-boyfriend, and a murder of crows, Jamie Lund comes face to face with something more terrifying and real than mere death…she suffers the agony of being undead!
With twelve black & white illustrations and a full colored cover from tattoo artist, Charles Hearn, this sardonic tale comes alive like no other zombie story, popping from the page with stunning, unnatural brilliance. Dead Girl: A Romantic Zombie Tale of Revenge will keep the reader on the edge of their seat suspended in this unique supernatural thriller.
- GenresHorror
266 pages, Paperback
First published August 11, 2011
1 person is currently reading
33 people want to read
About the author
Stavros
15 books18 followersNotorious Poet. Fool. Born in Washington DC. Stavros was a writer and editor for The Independent Underground Magazine. A performing poet, whose verse has been published in several online and print publications, including Central Avenue, The Sword That Cuts Through Stone, Poets Against The War, Conceptions Southwest, The Mynd, Imagine: Creative Arts Journal, and Bartleby, where he won a specialty award for his poem, Blackbird.
In 1999, he won an Official Selection into the Writer’s on the Edge Festival for his play, The Redline. In 2001, he created the Poetry Television Project for public cable access in Albuquerque, NM. He helped to launch Unpublished Magazine and BioGamer Girl, sponsored the monthly poetry series, The Word Café, and produced a political compilation called Poetic Democracy. In 2007, he released the award-winning documentary film, Committing Poetry in Times of War for Ubuntuworks.
In 2010, he launched the Organic Ghetto, LLC and Crazy Duck Press with the release his first novel, Blood Junky, which continues to receive exceptional praise and review. He soon followed his premiere novel with the release of the highly popular, but sardonic, Dead Girl: A Romantic Zombie Tale of Revenge, and Blood Junky’s sequel, Love in Vein, which Living Dead Media defined as: “This series and more directly this novel is comparable with, and at times, surpasses the ‘Vampire Chronicles’ by Anne Rice.” Most recently, he’s co-produced and co-edited the annual anthology, Vampire News, which has just released its second volume.
Stavros is also an accomplished fangsmith, and in 2012, launched Kaos Kustom Fangs. He is also a visual artist, who produces original iconic, photographic illusions, a graphic designer, and musician who has scored commercials, film shorts, documentaries, and television programs.
In 1999, he won an Official Selection into the Writer’s on the Edge Festival for his play, The Redline. In 2001, he created the Poetry Television Project for public cable access in Albuquerque, NM. He helped to launch Unpublished Magazine and BioGamer Girl, sponsored the monthly poetry series, The Word Café, and produced a political compilation called Poetic Democracy. In 2007, he released the award-winning documentary film, Committing Poetry in Times of War for Ubuntuworks.
In 2010, he launched the Organic Ghetto, LLC and Crazy Duck Press with the release his first novel, Blood Junky, which continues to receive exceptional praise and review. He soon followed his premiere novel with the release of the highly popular, but sardonic, Dead Girl: A Romantic Zombie Tale of Revenge, and Blood Junky’s sequel, Love in Vein, which Living Dead Media defined as: “This series and more directly this novel is comparable with, and at times, surpasses the ‘Vampire Chronicles’ by Anne Rice.” Most recently, he’s co-produced and co-edited the annual anthology, Vampire News, which has just released its second volume.
Stavros is also an accomplished fangsmith, and in 2012, launched Kaos Kustom Fangs. He is also a visual artist, who produces original iconic, photographic illusions, a graphic designer, and musician who has scored commercials, film shorts, documentaries, and television programs.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
July 25, 2013
I was given a free copy of the book from the author for my honest opinion.
Jamie Lund wakes up in the water without any memory of how she ended up there. She pulls herself up and out of the water wondering how she got there. She has no clue what to do but she heads back to her home. Upon arriving at her home Jamie can't enter her apartment she comes to the realization that her purse is missing which has her keys in it along with her cell phone. She is thinking now this is just great her keys are gone as well as her phone so she can't call anyone for help and to top it all off she now has no ID. Jamie breaks into her own home and decides she needs a shower. After taking her shower Jamie looks in the mirror and wonders who it was that was staring back at her. Is that her in the mirror? Is that what she looks like now? Jamie checks herself out and has flash back to what has happened to her and is shocked to learn that she is dead. Jamie doesn't remember who killed her or how she ended up in the water but she aims to find out if it is the last thing on earth she does.
Jamie goes to her ex-boyfriend and asks him for help. She asks him to help her find out who killed her. Billy, Jamie's ex-boyfriend is a very nice and sweet guy who would do anything for Jamie. Billy has not been dating anyone since Jamie broke up with him six months ago he is still in love with Jamie. So Billy and Jamie go on a long road hunting down her killer. Jamie and Billy both get their selves into alot of different messes along the way. Billy has got the police on him thinking he is the one who killed Jamie. While they are trying to find her killed they both at the same time are having to stay one step a head of the law to keep Billy from being arrested and prove that he did not kill Jamie.
Jamie is upset because she has gone and got herself killed. She thinks that if she had never left Billy she would still probably be alive. She realizes that she is still in love with Billy and that she never stopped loving him. Billy and Jamie have been in love with each other since high school. Jamie figures out why she left Billy in the first place. She finds out that she actually left him for different reasons than she thought at the time. Will Jamie find out who killed her? Will she get the revenge that she wants and thinks she deserves? Will Billy get framed for her death? Will Billy and Jamie live happily ever after? Can someone who is alive and someone who is undead have a relationship?
Dead Girl was not what I was expecting in a zombie book and I have read a lot of zombie books. Jamie doesn't go around saying "brains, brains, brains". No she can talk just as well as any person who is still alive. I really loved Dead Girl even though it is not like any other walking dead book. I think that is what made it so interesting. Once I picked it up I didn't want to put it down. I wanted to find out what happened to Jamie, well I was going to say just as much as she did but I don't think that could be possible since I have never been there. But you did feel like you were right there beside her trying to help her find her killer. Dead Girl is so cool in that it makes you think or wonder what a dead person may think or feel. If you have not read Dead Girl then I suggest that you give it a try if you have read and like zombie books and even if you have not read them before. If you have not read a zombie book before then Dead Girl would be a great beginning.
Jamie Lund wakes up in the water without any memory of how she ended up there. She pulls herself up and out of the water wondering how she got there. She has no clue what to do but she heads back to her home. Upon arriving at her home Jamie can't enter her apartment she comes to the realization that her purse is missing which has her keys in it along with her cell phone. She is thinking now this is just great her keys are gone as well as her phone so she can't call anyone for help and to top it all off she now has no ID. Jamie breaks into her own home and decides she needs a shower. After taking her shower Jamie looks in the mirror and wonders who it was that was staring back at her. Is that her in the mirror? Is that what she looks like now? Jamie checks herself out and has flash back to what has happened to her and is shocked to learn that she is dead. Jamie doesn't remember who killed her or how she ended up in the water but she aims to find out if it is the last thing on earth she does.
Jamie goes to her ex-boyfriend and asks him for help. She asks him to help her find out who killed her. Billy, Jamie's ex-boyfriend is a very nice and sweet guy who would do anything for Jamie. Billy has not been dating anyone since Jamie broke up with him six months ago he is still in love with Jamie. So Billy and Jamie go on a long road hunting down her killer. Jamie and Billy both get their selves into alot of different messes along the way. Billy has got the police on him thinking he is the one who killed Jamie. While they are trying to find her killed they both at the same time are having to stay one step a head of the law to keep Billy from being arrested and prove that he did not kill Jamie.
Jamie is upset because she has gone and got herself killed. She thinks that if she had never left Billy she would still probably be alive. She realizes that she is still in love with Billy and that she never stopped loving him. Billy and Jamie have been in love with each other since high school. Jamie figures out why she left Billy in the first place. She finds out that she actually left him for different reasons than she thought at the time. Will Jamie find out who killed her? Will she get the revenge that she wants and thinks she deserves? Will Billy get framed for her death? Will Billy and Jamie live happily ever after? Can someone who is alive and someone who is undead have a relationship?
Dead Girl was not what I was expecting in a zombie book and I have read a lot of zombie books. Jamie doesn't go around saying "brains, brains, brains". No she can talk just as well as any person who is still alive. I really loved Dead Girl even though it is not like any other walking dead book. I think that is what made it so interesting. Once I picked it up I didn't want to put it down. I wanted to find out what happened to Jamie, well I was going to say just as much as she did but I don't think that could be possible since I have never been there. But you did feel like you were right there beside her trying to help her find her killer. Dead Girl is so cool in that it makes you think or wonder what a dead person may think or feel. If you have not read Dead Girl then I suggest that you give it a try if you have read and like zombie books and even if you have not read them before. If you have not read a zombie book before then Dead Girl would be a great beginning.
July 27, 2013
Jamie’s story begins and ends on the bank of the river.
Pulling her battered body from the cold, sucking mud, she’s disoriented, with no memory of how she got there or who she is.
In the distance she can see the lights from a city. The only other thing she sees is crows. Lots of them.
On auto pilot, she heads toward town and manages to get to her apartment. With no purse or keys, she’s forced to break a window to get in.
Once inside, she takes a look at herself. There’s a lot of blood but nothing is bleeding anymore. Her neck has bruises and her eyes are blood shot.
She moves on to what happened. How did she end up on the riverbank, why can’t she remember what happened last night?
She stumbles to her bed. As she lies there, some memories are returning. She gets flashes of a party and a man following her into a bedroom. Maybe someone slipped her a roofie.
As she lay there, the hours pass. When she tries to rise, she can’t move. She can’t even wiggle a toe! Then it sets in. The signs are now clear. Rigor Mortis!
At 22 years old, Jamie has been murdered.
She can’t go to the police for help so she turns to her ex-boyfriend Billy. But how to tell him she’s dead?
And those crows continue to follow her.
Jamie may technically be a zombie, but I think of her more as reanimated. She doesn’t go around moaning, “Brains…” and doesn’t eat humans.
The only thing she craves is vengeance. She’s determined to confront whoever did this to her, even if it kills her…again.
The story is told from two perspectives, Jamie’s and Billy’s, which works well as these two used to be lovers and it explains why Billy would go to the lengths he did to help Jamie.
There are some laughable moments too. As Jamie’s body slowly begins to decompose, Billy gets creative with the duct tape. And when the maggots eventually make their appearance, Jamie starts naming them.
There’s also a surprising element in the story that shows how Jamie came back from the dead.
Dead Girl is creative, funny, and sad. I especially liked the ending. It was perfect.
I recommend Dead Girl to zombie fans and those who like some humor, some get what’s comin to ya, and some gore with their love story.
I received this book for my honest review. I just knew I'd love it, and I did!
Pulling her battered body from the cold, sucking mud, she’s disoriented, with no memory of how she got there or who she is.
In the distance she can see the lights from a city. The only other thing she sees is crows. Lots of them.
On auto pilot, she heads toward town and manages to get to her apartment. With no purse or keys, she’s forced to break a window to get in.
Once inside, she takes a look at herself. There’s a lot of blood but nothing is bleeding anymore. Her neck has bruises and her eyes are blood shot.
She moves on to what happened. How did she end up on the riverbank, why can’t she remember what happened last night?
She stumbles to her bed. As she lies there, some memories are returning. She gets flashes of a party and a man following her into a bedroom. Maybe someone slipped her a roofie.
As she lay there, the hours pass. When she tries to rise, she can’t move. She can’t even wiggle a toe! Then it sets in. The signs are now clear. Rigor Mortis!
At 22 years old, Jamie has been murdered.
She can’t go to the police for help so she turns to her ex-boyfriend Billy. But how to tell him she’s dead?
And those crows continue to follow her.
Jamie may technically be a zombie, but I think of her more as reanimated. She doesn’t go around moaning, “Brains…” and doesn’t eat humans.
The only thing she craves is vengeance. She’s determined to confront whoever did this to her, even if it kills her…again.
The story is told from two perspectives, Jamie’s and Billy’s, which works well as these two used to be lovers and it explains why Billy would go to the lengths he did to help Jamie.
There are some laughable moments too. As Jamie’s body slowly begins to decompose, Billy gets creative with the duct tape. And when the maggots eventually make their appearance, Jamie starts naming them.
There’s also a surprising element in the story that shows how Jamie came back from the dead.
Dead Girl is creative, funny, and sad. I especially liked the ending. It was perfect.
I recommend Dead Girl to zombie fans and those who like some humor, some get what’s comin to ya, and some gore with their love story.
I received this book for my honest review. I just knew I'd love it, and I did!
June 15, 2013
Jamie's story starts when she wakes up dead floating in water. Confused as to how she got there, she find her way back home to piece back everything that happened the night before. After coming to terms that shes pretty much a walking corpse she goes to her ex-boyfriend for help. The only thing she know is that shes got a bunch of crows following her around, an egyptian god is the reason shes dead alive and that she must find her killer to avenge her death. On top of that she has to go through all this while her body is pretty much decomposing.
Wow. I just loved this story. This book is unlike any I've read before. At first when I came across this book I was thinking it was going to be similar to the other zombie books I've read and I was totally off.
What I loves most about this unique story is the descriptions/visuals. For a lot of stories they'll do a description vague description leaving the readers to fill in the blanks. But with this story its just so much more than that, the author comes up with so much details that you can actually see what's going on. The author paints such a great picture for the reader to imagine you really don't have to put much into it. I also love the illustrations in the book drawn by Charles Hearn, such a fantastic artist.
I loved that this story was from many different point of views, where its not just the two main characters. On the side you'll get the POV from the killer, police, hospital staff, and pretty much any bystanders who somehow connects with the main characters.
Most books that I've read with zombies in it in have a very dark and depressing nature of it, I like that this book has managed to make it light and fun but still have a somewhat dark nature to it. (Not sure if I was describing that right, hopefully someone gets what I'm trying to say.)
What I also loved with this story was the ending. Everything was pretty much settled there was nothing I felt needed to be added. Then ending was sad and I love how it was made out.
Highly recommend! If you are looking for a unique Zombie book then check this book out, you wont be dissapointed!
Wow. I just loved this story. This book is unlike any I've read before. At first when I came across this book I was thinking it was going to be similar to the other zombie books I've read and I was totally off.
What I loves most about this unique story is the descriptions/visuals. For a lot of stories they'll do a description vague description leaving the readers to fill in the blanks. But with this story its just so much more than that, the author comes up with so much details that you can actually see what's going on. The author paints such a great picture for the reader to imagine you really don't have to put much into it. I also love the illustrations in the book drawn by Charles Hearn, such a fantastic artist.
I loved that this story was from many different point of views, where its not just the two main characters. On the side you'll get the POV from the killer, police, hospital staff, and pretty much any bystanders who somehow connects with the main characters.
Most books that I've read with zombies in it in have a very dark and depressing nature of it, I like that this book has managed to make it light and fun but still have a somewhat dark nature to it. (Not sure if I was describing that right, hopefully someone gets what I'm trying to say.)
What I also loved with this story was the ending. Everything was pretty much settled there was nothing I felt needed to be added. Then ending was sad and I love how it was made out.
Highly recommend! If you are looking for a unique Zombie book then check this book out, you wont be dissapointed!
July 10, 2013
Dead girl is not the zombie story that I expected. While the dead girl is indeed a reanimated corpse, she is not bereft of her mind, emotions or soul. She doesn’t eat flesh or need to be shot in the head. However, she is missing just enough of her memory to make the manner of her death and dumping of her body in a river a mystery to her. Solving this mystery and avenging her death is the main plot of this story. Add in a love interest (her ex-boyfriend) and a lot of rigor mortis and you have an interesting tale.
The author has an amazing mastery of descriptive language, painting vivid visual images throughout the book. I have no doubt in his talent as a poet, but I found the constant flow of artistic commentary, unrelated minutiae, metaphors and similes to be distracting and incongruent with the story.
I am torn a little by this novel because the writing is clearly excellent yet the story was kind of sad and unsatisfying. Ultimately, I have to recommend this novel for the quality of the writing, but be prepared for something unusual, including blips of POV change to anyone including a fish.
I was provided a copy of this book as a book tour host without charge for an honest review. My opinions are my own and have not been influenced by any payment, agreement or other compensation.
3.5 of 5
The author has an amazing mastery of descriptive language, painting vivid visual images throughout the book. I have no doubt in his talent as a poet, but I found the constant flow of artistic commentary, unrelated minutiae, metaphors and similes to be distracting and incongruent with the story.
I am torn a little by this novel because the writing is clearly excellent yet the story was kind of sad and unsatisfying. Ultimately, I have to recommend this novel for the quality of the writing, but be prepared for something unusual, including blips of POV change to anyone including a fish.
I was provided a copy of this book as a book tour host without charge for an honest review. My opinions are my own and have not been influenced by any payment, agreement or other compensation.
3.5 of 5
June 7, 2013
Dead Girl is not your typical zombie story. You won't find any flesh or brain munching in it, which is fine and dandy with me.
What you will find is a walking, talking, thinking, feeling dead girl zombie who is searching for her killer. You'll also find a kind, compassionate ex-boyfriend who loves the dead girl and is still attracted to her even though she looks and smells a little funky.
There were a couple of situations between the dead girl and the ex-boyfriend that made me cringe and say, "Ewwww! Please don't." But that's all I'll say about that. The author's writing is descriptive with quite a bit of exposition, sometimes to the point of annoyance, BUT it's solid, pretty and lyrical at times.
The ending is bittersweet. When I finished the story, I sat there thinking, "Crap, now I'm sad."
Overall, if an atypical zombie story with a romantic edge and a bittersweet ending sounds interesting to you, you might want to read Dead Girl.
What you will find is a walking, talking, thinking, feeling dead girl zombie who is searching for her killer. You'll also find a kind, compassionate ex-boyfriend who loves the dead girl and is still attracted to her even though she looks and smells a little funky.
There were a couple of situations between the dead girl and the ex-boyfriend that made me cringe and say, "Ewwww! Please don't." But that's all I'll say about that. The author's writing is descriptive with quite a bit of exposition, sometimes to the point of annoyance, BUT it's solid, pretty and lyrical at times.
The ending is bittersweet. When I finished the story, I sat there thinking, "Crap, now I'm sad."
Overall, if an atypical zombie story with a romantic edge and a bittersweet ending sounds interesting to you, you might want to read Dead Girl.
July 6, 2013
Jamie wakes up dead in the river. unsure of how she got there she goes to her apartment where she realizes that she is no longer alive and needing help to find the man that put her there she goes to see her ex-boyfriend for help. Since Jamie is a walking dead, time is not on her side to find her killer and avenge her death.
Right from the beginning I was pulled into the book and couldn't put it down. Jamie and her ex still have a bond and you can see that from both of them. I absolutely loved how you heard each character's take on the story as it made the book that much more interesting and give you another perspective other than the main character's (Jamie).
This was the first zombie book I read and I will definitely be reading more! Kuddos to Stavros for making a dark subject that much more appealing!!
January 24, 2012
Since I was the editor for this book, I won't go into all the details that made me fall in love with it, but fall I did just the same. This is, in my opinion, Stavros's best work so far. Read it and find out why. :)
July 20, 2018
Dead Girl is a fresh non traditional zombie tale. I enjoyed a little Egyptian mythology mixed up with a love story with a dead girl. The prose is poetic at times and I look forward to reading more of this author's books.
It reminded me a little bit of the story of The Crow by James O'barr. The way the scenes are graphically detailed reminded me a little bit of James Clemens.
It reminded me a little bit of the story of The Crow by James O'barr. The way the scenes are graphically detailed reminded me a little bit of James Clemens.
May 23, 2013
Visit Dead Girl's Facebook page to connect with other fans: https://www.facebook.com/ogdeadgirl
You Tube Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/KThnGvCrijU
Since it's release, I have had some wonderful posts and emails sent to me. Here are a few:
From Bethany Tanner-Evanko, in a Facebook Post - “I couldn’t put it down. I loved it. You are a great writer. Can’t wait to read the next one.”
From Sabrina Buckman, in a Facebook Post on Dec 21, 2011 - “Just wanted you to know…I was about to wrap Dead Girl in festive Christmas paper but decided to read the first page...now I'm on page 88 and I'm keeping the book...and I'm not going to bed anytime soon.”
Author C. Dulaney, of the Roads Less Traveled series, sent this in an email - “WOW! Holy shit…Thank you for this. Thank you for bringing forth a story that more than restores my faith in a type that has gnawed at my entrails for over a decade. It was different, it was refreshing, it was a damn awesome break from the “same old, same old” crap this genre is filled with. It’s so hard to find an original zombie tale any more. And even harder to find someone who can make an old story their own in some personal way. But this? Definitely not the same old crap.”
And most recently, I received this Facebook post from Sunshine Rose, Chicago, ILL. April 2013 - “OMZG! (Oh My Zombie Goodness) I absolutely Loved this book. Dead Girl is not the conventional zombie book, but a great one! It’s a book of mystery and revenge with Egyptian influence felt within the pages. Plus the actual attention to detail of rigor mortis and decomposition of the body is spot on and a great additive to the book. I love this book and highly recommend it to anyone who loves a good revenge tale. Plus I couldn't put the book down!”
You Tube Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/KThnGvCrijU
Since it's release, I have had some wonderful posts and emails sent to me. Here are a few:
From Bethany Tanner-Evanko, in a Facebook Post - “I couldn’t put it down. I loved it. You are a great writer. Can’t wait to read the next one.”
From Sabrina Buckman, in a Facebook Post on Dec 21, 2011 - “Just wanted you to know…I was about to wrap Dead Girl in festive Christmas paper but decided to read the first page...now I'm on page 88 and I'm keeping the book...and I'm not going to bed anytime soon.”
Author C. Dulaney, of the Roads Less Traveled series, sent this in an email - “WOW! Holy shit…Thank you for this. Thank you for bringing forth a story that more than restores my faith in a type that has gnawed at my entrails for over a decade. It was different, it was refreshing, it was a damn awesome break from the “same old, same old” crap this genre is filled with. It’s so hard to find an original zombie tale any more. And even harder to find someone who can make an old story their own in some personal way. But this? Definitely not the same old crap.”
And most recently, I received this Facebook post from Sunshine Rose, Chicago, ILL. April 2013 - “OMZG! (Oh My Zombie Goodness) I absolutely Loved this book. Dead Girl is not the conventional zombie book, but a great one! It’s a book of mystery and revenge with Egyptian influence felt within the pages. Plus the actual attention to detail of rigor mortis and decomposition of the body is spot on and a great additive to the book. I love this book and highly recommend it to anyone who loves a good revenge tale. Plus I couldn't put the book down!”
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews