Winter of Zombie 2015: Duncan P Bradshaw

You're reading Books, Beer and BLOGshit! It's the only blog that loves to put mayonnaise on everything as much as the British! I am your cockney host, Mr. Frank! 

Pip! Pip! Cheerio! And all that whatnot that we British folk love to go on about. Listen here Guv'nah, we're going to sit down and have us a spot of tea whilst we read the marvelous words of one Sir Duncan P Bradshaw, Knight of the British Empire.

Okay! I'm not British and Duncan P Bradshaw has not been knighted. BUT I think he may have watched several episodes of Knight Rider in the late 80's. That's gotta count for something!

Here nor there. Just open up a can of Spotted Dick and let's see what Duncan P Bradshaw has to saw to Books, Beer and BLOGshit.

The Blogshit: It’s rarely ever talked about, but how do you envision the outcome of the zombie world you have created? Is there hope? Will humanity succumb to the new world order? What is the outcome of all this horrible zombie business?

Duncan P Bradshaw: Oh yes, one of my favourite zombie books is World War Z, by Max Brooks. I loved how you find out what happened through the interviews, which report on the events of the zombie plague. I definitely have an end in mind, but that is years from when the trilogy is set. I think hope is one of the most defiant human emotions/feelings that there is, even more so when everything is just so crushingly oppressive and bleak. To seek better days when everything has gone to crap, and zombies are tucking into your friends guts, and there is nothing you can do, well, that is something worth writing about.

Personally, I love the post-apocalyptic world, technology is gone, you’re back to the dark ages. Instead of twenty four hour news reports, you hear of things around campfires, and messages in safe zones. To me, it kinda builds this whole new era of legends again, where tales of heroism are exaggerated, and acts of depravity embellished. It’s really cool to read these myths in one book, and then expose the reality in another. It’s something I’m very much looking forward to doing with this trilogy.

The Blogshit: As a writer of zombie fiction, do you feel you can sustain your career writing about zombies only or do you feel you will need to write outside the sub-genre to continue? What avenues will you branch out to if you do feel a need to expand?

Duncan P Bradshaw: Excellent question, I think a lot of people fear being typecast by sticking to zombie fiction, particularly these days when the whole sub-genre is flooded. For me, yes, I will write about other ideas that I have, and try out new things. But…I will ALWAYS go back to the undead world I’ve created and fashion new stories to tell.

I’ve made it my mission to launch at least one zombie novel a year, amongst my other releases. Zombies are such an intrinsic part of me, that to even contemplate not writing about them, is…well…impossible. As long as the story that you have to tell is an engaging one, and you can offer something different, which is tricky, then I’ll be writing about the undead until I’m one of them. Just need to make sure I can work a laptop once I’m reanimated…

The Blogshit: What is more important to the story: A sympathetic human survivor or a zombie with an interesting storyline?

Duncan P Bradshaw: Ooohh, that’s a cool one. In my first book, I had a narrative which focused on a pair of zombies, one of which was kinda key to the story, and I’ve had so many people say how cool it was to show something from their point of view. Depending on how you set up your world, a zombies motives and reasoning is going to be pretty basic, they’re all about sticking their gore covered hands into someone’s torso and pulling out their intestines like rope.

I really enjoyed writing from that perspective, and would again, though as above, you are very limited by what you can convey. They’re a very limited character, and once you’ve used the historic angle, the only real use for them is so you can have lashings of gore.

Human survivors, well, that’s a bit different. I think the word ‘human’, means that most people will have flaws which will cause them to be a bit of a dick at one time or another. Ultimately, people are now in the minority, resources are scarce, and if the threat of zombies isn’t bad enough, you’re also going to get people who will take advantage of the end of the world, and create their own empires of blood.

Personally, I write my lead characters to (hopefully) be likeable, but it is clear that they, like the reader, have the ability to do stuff that isn’t particularly nice. In the end days, it’s a dog eat dog world, and if you lack the ability to do morally dubious things at times, you are not going to last very long.

The Blogshit: For you, who are the most important writers in zombie fiction at this moment?

Duncan P Bradshaw: I’d have to go with Robert Kirkman. A lot of people will argue that comics are different to novels, and they are, but seriously, look at what he has done with that world. It’s been going for TWELVE years, you have to be doing something right, for something to last that long.

The main reason I say Kirkman, is that he has made the apocalypse utterly brutal, no one is safe, just when you think that things are going to be okay, he pulls the rug out from under you, kills off a main character and throws in another curveball. I’d say that, for me, he has added a new layer into the undead world, and it’s something I try to emulate, in my own way, naturally.

The Blogshit: Is there room for sex in the zombie apocalypse?

Duncan P Bradshaw: Ha, I was chatting to a mate of mine about this the other day, he loves his pulpy stuff, and has at least one sexual encounter in his books. He was making suggestions about what I could add into a future book, and I can’t say I was too convinced. If it’s between survivors, it could add to a scene, or show some raw intensity that might need to be conveyed. I’d personally go for something a bit more subtle, leave it to the readers imagination. My mate started laughing, he meant survivors who go around and have sex with zombies.

No. Not for me.

I’m not saying that as a tool, it’s one to completely dismiss, and I wouldn’t rule it out fully, but I think that I would then be putting my books into a bracket that I wouldn’t be comfortable with. Plus…and this is the deciding factor, I don’t think I could write a sex scene. Some writers have trouble with dialogue, others with action scenes, me? Two people getting jiggy with it.

The Blogshit: How much consideration do you give to the seasons in your zombie stories?

Duncan P Bradshaw: It’s something I definitely consider when I’m writing. Not just down to the conditions, and therefore what they’d be wearing, the particular hardships, but also the time of year. Things like birthdays, or Christmas, I like to explore these themes. It harks back to when things were simpler, and less bitey, people reminisce over the times they had, and everyone, I don’t care who you are, EVERYONE gets sentimental over certain things.

You can use them for good parallels, or set up certain setpieces. Diseases tend to ramp up more in hotter weather, so in my world, you become a zombie when you die, not by getting bitten. So a bout of cholera for example, can work through a previously healthy camp. Whereas you had twenty fit survivors, you now have a potential death trap, just waiting to be stumbled upon.

The Blogshit: Our final question always revolves around zombie themed food. This Winter of Zombie, Books, Beer and BLOGshit wants you to consider setting up a food truck to cater to a zombie clientele. What would you name your Zombie Food Truck?

Duncan P Bradshaw: Hey! Yes you! We know what it’s like to be a rotting carcass in the end days, shambling around from one boarded up safezone to another. Watching your best friend take a fire axe to the face, and the food? Jeez, don’t even get started on the food. When you first came back to life, and you tucked into your first skull, pulled out and devoured your first eyeball, well, that was heaven huh?

Well, if intestines have lost their tang, and liver has become so last season, make sure you shamble over to ‘Zombie Clyde’s Ribs and Limbs’. We take the choicest cuts from those humans stupid enough to leave a door unlocked, or fall asleep on sentry duty. Then, using Clyde’s special mix of bone marrow and pureed frontal lobes, we take your long forgotten favourites and make them into a wonderful treat all over again.

Find us all over the wasteland, you get a free side of lungs and kidney butter with your first order.

Zombie Clyde’s Ribs and Limbs – For zombies with brainnnnsssssss

Duncan P Bradshaw After Eating A Big Bowl of Mayonnaise

Duncan P Bradshaw on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Duncan-P.-Bradshaw/e/B00OH6EVGC

Duncan P Bradshaw Web Site:  http://duncanpbradshaw.co.uk/

Sin Shitty: An Interview With The Creators of Hollywood Hellmouth

You're reading Books, Beer and BLOGshit! It's the only blog that uses both sides of the toilet paper when it wipes! I am your crappy blog host, Mr. Frank.

The BLOGshit has been dormant for awhile. What better way to revive it once more than with a four-way interview? The BLOGshit is taking Armand Rosamilia, Jack Wallan, Brent Abell and Jay Wilburn to task. They've collaborated on a weird horror piece called HOLLYWOOD HELLMOUTH. 

The BLOGshit has gotten a sneak peek at the book and we think they have some explaining to do. We could tell you that HOLLYWOOD HELLMOUTH is a story of broken Hollywood dreams. We could tell you it's filled with a menagerie of grotesque and odd monstrosities. We might even spoil it a tad and tell you a Velvet Elvis figures into the whole shebang.

But instead, we figured we'd get the dimented creators to do it themselves. They are the responsible parties, let them get arrested for the insanity that is... HOLLYWOOD HELLMOUTH.

Shall we?

The BLOGshit: You are all notably zombie writers, what brought you all together for this project? 

Brent Abell: Greed, I mean the desire to work with Armand again. I've worked with him on 

a couple of projects and have had a really great time doing so. I've been in a few anthologies with 

Jay and we run around in the same twisted circles, but our paths had never crossed until the first 

Imaginarium con in Louisville last year. It was at the same con I met Jack for the first time and 

the four of us hung out and discussed doing the same thing at MidSouthCon and Imaginarium 

again this year. Then the conversation started about a project together... 

Jack Wallen: I blame the booze. Oh wait, I don’t drink. Okay, I blame the rest of the guys 

getting face-planting drunk, tying me down, and insisting I play along – else they’ll tell my wife 

bad, bad things. Actually, it seemed to be the logical thing. We were all planning out our 

domination of MidSouthCon when someone had the brilliant idea of round-robining a novella. 

There was no hemming or hawing – we all immediately agreed it was the thing to do.

Jay Wilburn: Armand is the lynchpin of our group. He is the center of our literary universe. 

He has the most gravity as measured by the laws of physics and spiritually. We were all at 

Imaginarium Con in Louisville and our collective work there as guests got us invited as guests to 

MidSouth Con in Memphis in March. We decided to put something special together for that 

appearance.

Armand Rosamilia: I felt really sorry the other three guys aren’t as rich and famous as me. 

I remembered being a nobody (but always sexy and good-looking, luckily) so I threw them a 

literal and literary bone and enriched their lives, such as they are. Plus, I love two out of three of 

them. 

 

The BLOGshit: Where did the idea for Hollywood Hellmouth come from? Is anyone willing to take 

responsibility? 

Jack: I said “I’ve always wanted to write a B-Horror kind of novel” and we took it from 

there. Of course, by B-Horror I didn’t think it would get so wonderfully odd. Am I glad it did? 

You betcha. There’s no way we could have written this piece as individuals.

Brent: It was supposed to be an ode to the B-movies we love, but honestly... I'm not sure 

what we did.  It began innocently enough as a book we could write and have it for the cons we 

were attending together in 2015. When the talks about sharing tables at the cons came up, I 

brought up our idea of doing a book together and the whole mess began. 

Armand: I will take full credit for the idea. Honestly, I wrote 99% of the book, too. Or 

maybe not. Who can say? I think jay Wilburn caqme up with the idea initially and we all took it 

up and ran with it. If this bombs I can distance myself from it but if it is gold I can say it was my 

Midas touch. Win/win for me. 

Jay: Armand first suggested we collaborate on something for MidSouth. Bad ideas tend to 

start with him. Brent remembered it just before the New Year and got the discussion going again. 

He usually keeps bad ideas going. We threw around a few story ideas, but it was Jack’s “B-

Movie Horror” starter that gave birth to what would be HOLLYWOOD HELLMOUTH. I was 

supposed to be the voice of reason, but failed miserably.

 

The BLOGshit: What was the inspiration for the Velvet Elvis character? 

Jay: I think Velvet Elvis first came up in one of my rounds. Back then, he was just a picture 

of the King with a little wiggle in his frame. Growing up in the South through the 70’s and 80’s, 

velvet Elvis portraits were a staple in white trash homes and every roadside vendor. There used 

to be a lot more roadside vendors before you could get Velvet Elvis’s online. That’s what’s 

wrong with America these days: not enough velvet or Elvis in our lives anymore.

Armand: I really have no idea. By the time I came in these clowns had already desecrated 

The King and forced me to keep it going. I am still disgusted how easily they can tear down our 

idols and the fabric of our society. 

Jack: Doesn’t every novel have a Velvet Elvis character? I thought it was required for all 

novels? Honestly, every bit of madness to enter this novel just happened – there was no 

inspiration. 

Brent: This is one I'm not taking credit for. When the next round was taking place and the 

manuscript came back to me, it was there and it just got worse from there for the Velvet 

Elvis. MidSouthCon (where the book is debuting) is in Memphis, so having Elvis in the book 

was a natural fit. His estate might disagree and we might not be allowed in Graceland, but it 

worked for us.

 

The BLOGshit: What was the collaborative process like for Hollywood Hellmouth? Where there any 

positives working with so many other writers? What type of obstacles did you have? 

Armand: I loved not discussing anything happening as we went along. You simply got the 

book back after the other three guys had written their chapters and had to keep the story 

going. And top what came before, which was the ultimate challenge. 

Jay: I think it was net positive for all of us. It moved fast and demanded creativity out of 

each of us. Looking back, I think it was guaranteed that what we created together was going to 

be something wild. As an individual in the group, you couldn’t hold too tightly to your own 

concept of what the story was nor where it was going. You had to be willing to take the other 

authors’ visions and move the action with what they gave. Each author had to be conscious of 

handing off the baton in mid run. I think it became something different than any one of us would 

have created and it allowed us to be different than our usual styles.

Brent: We didn't discuss the plot or anything before hand. The first person wrote their piece 

and we passed it around until Armand ended it with the epilogue. There were no plans for it and 

as we received the manuscript, we had no idea what the three people did to the story before we 

got it back. It was fun to see how each person brought something different and unique to the 

story. It's also pretty positive to finish a book and only had to write a quarter of it. The only 

obstacle was figuring out how to top the previous chapters when it was your turn again. I admit, I 

had trouble writing a story like this, I'd never done one in a horror/comedy kind of way, but once 

I felt more comfortable with it, it flowed easier.  

Jack: It was a pure joy. Part of the fun was writing a chapter in such a way just to see what 

the next man up would do with it. Turns out, when you unleash the imaginations of four twisted 

writers, all hell will in fact break loose. Honestly, there were no obstacles... there were only 

pulses. Four unique voices working on a single story and taking in places not one of us would 

have thought to imagine individually. How could there possibly be hurdles with that? 

 

The BLOGshit: Can any of you see yourselves collaborating on further projects? 

Brent: Oh yeah. Working with the other three was a blast and we've become pretty good 

friends. I can see this happening from time to time when we get bored or when Armand needs a 

hug. 

Jack: Well, we’ve planned this out as a trilogy, so we’ll definitely venture back into 

Solomon’s world at least two more times. Outside of that? Who knows. The other guys are really 

great to work with and I felt honored (and just a little dirty) working with them … so I certainly 

wouldn’t be averse to further collaborations.

Jay: Absolutely. Jack has already cooked up a cool zombie thing that is pulling in a number 

of other authors too. HOLLYWOOD HELLMOUTH itself is shaping up to be the first in a 

trilogy of books. We are already looking ahead at another joint convention appearance that 

should correspond chronologically with a release of the third book.

Armand: I’ll definitely work with the three of them again and hopefully not only on 

finishing this trilogy. It’s funny, because individually I hate all three with a passion, but the four 

of us together… magic. 

 

The BLOGshit: How likely are you to dabble in this kind of crazy horror again? 

Jack: I’ll do it again, for sure. I had a lot of fun with it. I’ve always wanted to push myself 

to see just how far I can twist and bend a story like this. The piece I’m doing now is sort of along 

the same lines … minus the poo (the book isn’t finished yet, so there’s still time).

Brent: My wife denies knowing me after reading the book, but I'll live and will dabble in 

the sub-genre again. It was fun to take a break from the normal stuff and cut loose with the other 

three guys on such a crazy book. I like crazy... 

Armand: Oh, definitely. It was even more fun than I thought it would be. I skirt the line 

often in my work but this was on the other side and I liked it. A lot. Maybe too much. 

Jay: It is almost guaranteed at this point. I got a lot from this personally. Having four people 

involved in the process of putting together and putting out a book has been great. This seems to 

be the direction the four of us working together leads. Horror and humor may be our collective 

voice.

 

The BLOGshit: Who amongst you is the craziest? 

Jay: It may have to be Armand by default. He’s settling down more now though. I mean, I 

haven’t killed and disposed of a body in months and Armand was around for that too. Jack 

and Brent lead pretty responsible lives. Armand still hangs out with midget porn stars and he 

lives in Florida. You know what that place is like.

Armand: Honestly, the only reason I did this project was because the three of them are more 

than likely to eventually end up in a bell tower with a high-powered rifle shooting at hookers, 

and I want them to think I was always in their corner. So they don’t shoot the hookers I will 

eventually kill and bury on me own. 

Jack: Good gravy, that’s like asking which of the cat family is the most adorable or which 

politician can you trust the least! I might have to say Armand, otherwise he’ll beat me up. 

Brent: All of us. Someone trying to get us to choose the craziest opens the door to all sorts 

of weird stuff better left unsaid and behind closed doors. 

 

The BLOGshit: Who amongst you is most likely to get scared and run away? 

Armand: Either Jack or Jay. They aren’t exactly manly dudes. Nothing personal. And Brent 

and I seem way too lazy to run. 

Jay: I want to say Brent, but for all our lack of exercise, we are all pretty much scared 

runners. I used to say I’d only run if someone was chasing me, but I wouldn’t even run then. 

That has more to do with laziness than courage though.

Brent: Jay, hands down. Or Jack. When you look at Armand and myself, it's obvious we 

don't run at all. 

Jack: Brent. He carries a blanket around and sucks his thumb. But Jay does have that “look” 

in his eyes, like any moment he’ll bolt. If I tossed a bag of M&Ms off a cliff, Armand would 

dash off.

The BLOGshit: How did you develop some of the off-the-wall creatures found in Hollywood 

Hellmouth? 

Brent: I think most of it stemmed from the desire to be as crazy and disgusting as 

possible. Stuff like that happens when you mix Hollywood, Hell, and demons. There were also 

times where we would discuss stuff on-line and some of the creatures ended up in the story (like 

Hollywood stars of various heights). The rest was everybody trying to top the others in the gross 

monster game. 

Jack: It’s all about height. And bringing things to life that wouldn’t normally be, like a 

toilet. Annnnd … we’re back to poo. This book really was all about the unexpected and what 

could the unexpected do and be to help push a plot forward. Nothing was off limits – not even 

The King himself. At some point, at least for me, it became about figuring out what people in 

real life would be funny at a particular height – or bringing old television crushes back to life in a 

deadly way.

Jay: These were byproducts of the collaboration. Solomon, the narrator, became flawed and 

unreliable pretty early, so that opened the world up a lot. The quirky insanity developed from one 

author introducing a character or scene and another author running with it into something more. 

Jack likes to kill and hurt things, so that created some interesting development with the story and 

characters.

Armand: Most of it was pretty natural. In a couple of my chapters I got to introduce what I 

thought would be a minor character, only to see them become an intricate part of the plot my 

next time around, while other characters I thought were going to be big got left behind. It was 

fun trying to keep up with everyone else and see what twisted things we could do. 

 

The BLOGshit: What are the chances we can expect a sequel? 

Jack: Like The Matrix, this will be a trilogy. Why a trilogy? Because things are funny in 

threes. The law of comedy.

Brent: It's Hollywood, so you'll either get a sequel or a reboot!

Armand: There is no chance we’ll see another word of this crap… unless it sells and we 

make a ton of cash. And then the trilogy will become eight to ten books and a line of action 

figures. 

Jay: Oh, we’re talking 99% sure. We are in double dose of Measles vaccine sure. We’re 

talking condom with a birth control pill combo numbers. I’m as sure as Armand dragging us to a 

White Castle is sure.

So, there they are. The four responsible parties for HOLLYWOOD HELLMOUTH. That interview is every indication of the type of humor that gets pumped into this twisted tale. This is not the next great American novel, nor is anyone expecting it to be. But, just like a lady of the night, you can be sure to  take this one home and have yourself a good time for a few hours. Reading HOLLYWOOD HELLMOUTH is a victimless crime.

HOLLYWOOD HELLMOUTH will be available everywhere on Friday. March 13th (get it?) and if you are attending MidSouth Con on March 20th, be sure to hunt down Jack, Jay, Armand and Brent and get them to sign your copy in person!  Just watch what type of ink they use. Eww!

Jack Wallen

Jay Wilburn

Brent Abell

Armand Rosamilia

Winter of Zombie 2014: Armand Rosamilia

You're reading Books, Beer and BLOGshit! It's the only blog that's opened on Black Friday! We are your blog hosts, Mr. Frank and Mr. Jeff!

This, the final stop of the Winter of Zombie Blog Tour, features the ring leader of this chilly carnival, Mr. Armand Rosamilia. Armand is no stranger to either this blog nor it's mother podcast counterpart, Books, Beer and Bullshit Podcast where he holds the honorarium of "Mayor".

So, as part of the multi-billion dollar marketing contract he signed with us, we are obligated to feature him here on the Winter of Zombie Blog Tour. It's a dirty horse, but someone has to ride it. Oh, and we are always tickled pink to promote Mayor Rosamilia whenever possible becuase he is, in point of fact, a damn fine writer.

The Blogshit:  Welcome to the Winter of Zombie Blog Tour stop at Books, Beer and Blogshit. Do you have new tales to tell in the dead of winter 2014?

Armand Rosamilia:  Why, yes… yes, I do. I met this guy and his wife with overlarge boobs in Orlando one Saturday and we went to the Ale House for six hours and… oh, not that tale? How about the one where I self-promote spammy-like and tell you about the latest release, Dying Days: Origins 2? It is a prequel tale about David Monsour, a character from Dying Days 2. Now, about her boobs…

The Blogshit:  Have your zombies had to face a freezing cold winter yet? If so, how do your particular breed of zombies react to cold, harsh winters?

Armand Rosamilia:  I have had a couple of stories set in the snow… Undead of Winter, Dying Days: Origins and a couple of others… they don’t really get hindered too much other than to fall down a lot and slide on the ice. A zombiesicle would be tasty, though.



The Blogshit:  Does or will, Winter figure into your zombie world or do you figure what you will tackle will be unaffected biologically or geographically?

Armand Rosamilia:  I’m sure as I write more and more and more and more Dying Days stories you’ll see winter rear its ugly head… sonofabitchbastardwinter…


The Blogshit:  Do you yourself live in a part of the world that is affected by the cold of winter?


Armand Rosamilia:  Not anymore, sucker! I moved out of New jersey to get away from the snow, the New Yawka’s and Donald Trump’s hair. But I miss the food.


The Blogshit:  In the summertime we talk about zombie sandwiches. We think in the winter it’s time to talk about zombie ice cream. What crazy zombie inspired ice cream flavor can you come up with?

Armand Rosamilia:  The grossest ice cream flavor of all tastes like zombie tears… vanilla.

That's it folks! Another great blog tour. Another fun set of interview with many interesting indie authors. And of course, gross food recipes. We hope you all enjoyed this round and we look forward to presenting another great batch of zombie fiction writers on the Summer of Zombie Blog Tour 2015. Until then, check out all things Armand Rosamilia, the organizer of the Winter of Zombie Blog Tour.

Armand Rosamilia HQ

Armand Rosamilia on Amazon.com

Dying Days Origins 2 -only 99 cents!

Armand Rosamilia on Goodreads

Summer of Zombie Blog Tour 2014: Armand Rosamilia

You're reading Books, Beer and Blogshit! It's the only blog that may qualify as Armand Rosamilia's biographer at this point. I am your blog historian, Mr. Frank!

You heard right, it's The Mayor's turn on the Summer of Zombie Blog Tour passing through like a freight train without any brakes through our humble little blog. Is there anything new Books Beer and Blogshit could possibly dig up on Armand Rosamilia?

Only one way to find out...check out how we dissect Armand in the SoZBT2014 interview!

Books, Beer and Blogshit: Are you a survivor or one of the undead?

Armand Rosamilia: Goal is to be Patient Zero or die rather quickly so I don't have to live without air conditioning and no M&M's.

The Blogshit: What is your latest piece of zombie fiction we should be concerning ourselves with?

Armand Rosamilia: The upcoming Dying Days 4 book, which will be out by the end of June 2014.

The Blogshit: Do you feel you are a classic or progressive type of zombie fiction writer?

Armand Rosamilia: I am not a big fan of classic or progressive rock, so I will say I am a Metal type writer of extreme zombie fiction.

The Blogshit: What makes your zombies different from all others?

Armand Rosamilia: They are extreme. They don't want to just bite you, they want to sexually violate you. Bastards.

The Blogshit: What makes your living different from all the others?

Armand Rosamilia: The bad people still alive don't suddenly become good people. The good people become a little less good as reality sets in.

The Blogshit: Do you think it's important, in this climate, to run with the pack or really try to reinvent the wheel in zombie fiction?

Armand Rosamilia: I think familiar tropes work when writing zombie fiction, but giving it a bit of a twist to shake it up always helps. Which is what I hint at in "Dying Days 3" and will turn it all on its head in "Dying Days 4"

The Blogshit: Zombie fiction seems heavily dependent upon working within the construct of a series. Do you feel that is the way that makes it work best for you or do you think there is still room for stand alone stories?

Armand Rosamilia: I do both, so I think you need a series but one-shot tales to give the reader more angles inside the world and to explore other minor characters helps me as a writer. Sometimes seeing a brand new character in a world you've grown to know as a reader makes it fresh and exciting.

The Blogshit: Are you ever afraid of being pigeon-holed in this zombie fiction genre?

Armand Rosamilia: I think it's too late. No matter how many amazing horror books I release (my mom told me, so its true) or contemporary fiction or erotica or thrillers I put out, I'm still known as a zombie author. But there are worse things to be called, and my book sales in the zombie genre really prove I am a zombie author. But stop calling me a zombie author and call me… sexy.

The Blogshit: For your next zombie story, stand alone or series, do you think you will need to go sicker or smarter to keep it going?

Armand Rosamilia: I definitely went smarter in "Dying Days 4" and I like the direction. There's enough violence and bloodshed for the diehard fans, but I added so much more to the story. At least, I hope I did.

The Blogshit: On last year's tour, we asked about what to put on your zombie sandwich. This year, we want to know: What special ingredients would you use to pickle the pickles on your zombie sandwich?

Armand Rosamilia: I like to wrap pickles in pork roll and bacon and then dribble some salsa on top. Don't knock it 'til you try it.

Armand Rosamilia






http://armandrosamilia.com

* * * *

The stench of rotting flesh is in the air! Welcome to the Summer of Zombie Blog Tour 2014, with 33 of the best zombie authors spreading the disease in the month of June.

Stop by the event page on Facebook so you don't miss an interview, guest post or teaser… and pick up some great swag as well! Giveaways galore from most of the authors as well as interaction with them! #SummerZombie

https://www.facebook.com/events/286215754875261/?ref_newsfeed_story_type=regular&source=1

Authors Supporting Our Troops

You're reading Books, Beer and BLOGshit. It's the only blog with a heart of steel and a rectum of gold. I am your charitable blogger, Mr. Frank!

This time out on the BLOGshit we'd like to take a pause from the calamity to discuss a noteworthy and noble cause. Armand Rosamilia is spearheading an organized collection of books to send overseas to our troops stationed in Kuwait and Afghanistan. This is not the usual book donation to the brave men and women protecting our national interests overseas either.

This is a call for authors to send in copies of their own books, personally signed as an extra special gift to the members of the United States military. If you are a writer or a reader you understand that having a book personally signed from the writer adds a special warm, fuzzy feeling to the book. It is a gift more intimate and treasured then most gifts you could possibly send. A great diversion for the men and women serving our country overseas while missing their own families back here at home.

If you are a writer and would like to donate a signed book or three to this VERY worthy cause you can join the event page on Facebook at: Authors Supporting Our Troops Facebook Event Page

Here are some of the event specifics:

I'll be collecting fellow author's books to send to our troops stationed in Kuwait in April. Interested in donating some of your books? The men and women of the Armed Forces love receiving signed books from authors to read and pass around while they're over there! If you're an author and want to help, join this page and then get in touch with Armand Rosamilia for the address to send your copies. Let's do something positive for someone else! And thanks to Joe McKinney for previously doing an event like this and giving me the idea!

Quite a few non-authors have asked how they can help... get in touch with me, I will gladly collect donations to offset the shipping costs from me as well as purchase more books from authors I know at cost so there will be more books in the boxes to ship.

At this time I am only interested in author-signed books to ship overseas. I think the troops will love the read and also knowing the actual author sent the books or the actual publisher. I'm not looking for your used books to donate or perishables or anything other than print books. This is not an eBook event, and not a forum for your political statements. It is simply to help those in the trenches who might want to read a book they can't get their hands on right now.

Fairly simple! The short and sweet of it: if you are interested in helping out in ANY way you can simply join the Authors Supporting Our Troops Event Page OR contact Armand Rosamilia directly via email at ArmandRosamilia@gmail.com. Let him know in what way you are looking to contribute and he will give you the mailing addresses necessary.

REMEMBER even if you are not a writer or don't have print books you can still help out by making monetary donations to help offset the shipping costs. Also many of the writers like Armand Rosamilia, Tim Baker and John Pascucci will additional copies of their books to send if you purchase one on their behalf. Again, any way you want to help (including spreading the word) is greatly appreciated.

As of right now there are over 200 books committed to this worthy cause!  

Stryper Hates Their Drummer

You're reading Books, Beer and BLOGshit! It's the only blog that muses over resurgent 80's Christian metal has-beens. I am your sinner and blogger, Mr. Frank.

In the past few months I've been finding a new appreciation for the rock band, Stryper. Stryper came out of the 80's glam metal scene and had the unique angle of being Christian rockers. Everything about the band was driven from a near evangelical push for everyone to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. The bands name, their look and their lyrics were all driven by their theology.

At the time that really turned me off. To me Jesus was so opposite that everything metal was supposed to be. Metal was rebellious, dangerous and dark. Jesus was the light and the way and love. It just never mixed in my mind and I wrote Stryper off as a bunch of pussies (their super ballad, Honestly, did nothing to help their case either.)

Fast Forward fifteen years or so. The Lord sends to me Armand Rosamilia (yes, that Armand Rosamilia) who begins to instill in me a new found appreciation for what Stryper was and is. He guided me to songs and albums I had ignored or was ignorant to. Two notable albums being an album of cover songs called The Covering and a collection of re-recorded Stryper songs entitled Second Coming. Check them both out you should be as pleasantly surprised as I was.

Couple this with an now brand new Stryper album that sonically should put any issues of them being a bunch of 'pussies' to rest once and for all. Their lead single off the album, No More Hell To Pay, is immediately gripping and you can't help but start thrashing your ghostly locks to the beat.

Cue the video. Rock out to it. Get the song into your bones because you're going to need to watch a second time around and really WATCH what's going on in the video because you may be hypnotized by the bad ass music the first time around and miss it.  Go on, Ill Wait. We'll pick up on the other side.

Did you notice it? Did you see it? Once you do it's comical. That's right, Stryper hates their drummer!

Right there, just 9 seconds into the video. There he is, in the middle of the desert. Just him and a bass drum and two cymbals propped up against it. That's all he gets. The WHOLE video. 

I can picture it now: The whole band and video crew parked on the side of a desolate highway in the badlands of Wyoming. The shoot location maybe about a half mile walk off the road. They crew has all these off roading dollies with all terrain wheels and stuff on them. Cameras, lighting, hardware, hardshell cases with guitars all piled on. Then -

"Opps, no room for your drum kit dude. Just grab and drum and a cymbal or some shit and follow us. Grace be upon us all."

"But, wait, I gotta put my stuff on the dollie."

"No time man, we gotta roll, schedules to keep and shit. Just carry the shit and shut the fuck up. Praise Jesus."

"Damnit! Err, I mean Hallelujia!"

So now they are out there, the cameras are rolling. They band is looking all bad ass with their axes slung around their necks, decked out in leather and sunglasses, kicking up dust clouds. Then there's Slappy (I'll call him Slappy because that's all he seems to do in this video, slap shit) in the back of everyone slapping the side of a drum desperately trying to keep up with the image.

The director starts begging him for more -

"Slappy, can you like do something else other than play paddy cake with the bass drum. All praise his name."

"Dude, I don't even have sticks! What the hell do you want me to do?! Err, uhh, to the heavens I pray thee well."

"I don't know Slappy, pick up that cymbal and pretend you're a gypsy or something. Amen."

So now Slappy is getting incredulous. He's marching around in the middle of the wastelands slapping out Cum Ba Ya My Lord on a giant crash cymbal and he doesn't even have drum stick to twirl around and look all bad ass with.

Now Slappy looses his damn mind. The other members of the band are rocking out with their guitars. They look cool. If this were a fair fight the bass player would have like one string tied between two fingers and he would have to try and strum it with his giant schnozz.

Slappy goes apeshit crazy and picks up the bass drum and starts singing One Toke Over The Line Sweet Jesus. He raises the bass drum over his head and dares God to strike him down where he stands like a deranged Lt. Dan in black and yellow striped leather chaps.

The director yells "Cut! Print! We got it. Thanks boys."

Everyone packs their gear back on the dollies. Slappy drags his bass drum through the jagged dust and rocks behind him. His cymbals he leaves behind. He used them as Frisbees at some point when he became unhinged during the shoot. Fuck it all, Amen.

Go on, scroll back up. See it again in a whole new. Praise Jesus.

From Wikipedia:  Robert Lee Sweet (born March 21, 1960 in Lynwood, California) is the drummer of the Christian metal band Stryper. He and his brother Michael originally founded the band as Roxx or Roxx Regime. Robert became known as the "Visual Time Keeper" for his wild drumming and captivating drum kits. Unlike most drummers, Sweet faces in the direction of stage left or right while playing, not straight ahead, so that the audience can see him and not have their view of him obscured by his drumkit. Sweet also played a key role in the visual direction of the band itself as well as being a significant contributor to the group.