Summer of Zombie Blog Tour - John O'Brien

You're reading Books, Beer and Blogshit! It's the only blog that's daring enough to take on a zombie orgy! We are your bloggers, Mr. Frank and Mr. Jeff.

The second annual Summer of Zombie Blog tour is going to plow through this blog like a horde of zombies. Listeners of the Books, Beer and Bullshit podcast may recall our recent interview with Todd Brown (Episode 16) which ultimately served as the catalyst to relaunch the Summer of Zombie blog tour for 2013. The original SoZ Blog Tour also was how we made our acquaintance with podcast favorite, Armand Rosamilia, who organizes the now annual event.

This summer there are NINE authors featured on the tour. You can count on familiar faces stopping in here at The Blogshit, but there are going to be many great new faces as well. Including our kickoff interview with author John O'Brien who was a veteran of the original SoZ Blog Tour. 

There are nine authors, so there are nine questions.  Each author received the same questions. So without further adieu let's take a look at how each author handles the infamous Books, Beer and Blogshit interview. Take it away John O'Brien!

The Blogshit: Which of your books do we need to be talking about now and what is inside the pages to get excited about it?

John O'Brien: I recently published the seventh book in the series, A New World. A New World: Takedown furthers the adventures of Jack Walker and the small group of survivors as they struggle through their daily survival. The sixth book, A New World: Dissension, left with Lynn going down under a swarm of night runners. Jack is off looking for other remnants of humankind and encounters several strange situations only to return to find out about Lynn. He then sets off to find her. I’ll leave the rest to the reader to find out what happens.

The Blogshit: What is it about zombies that keep you writing in this genre?

John O'Brien: Zombies add an additional level of challenge to a survival situation in a post-apocalyptic world. They are a relentless force that invades the psyche 24/7.

The Blogshit: With the saturation of zombie fiction in the current market, what do you do to keep your writing fresh and relevant?

John O'Brien: For one thing, I generally don’t read anything within the same genre in order not to subconsciously take or use other author’s ideas. While the creatures themselves may introduce anything new, it is the group dynamics, the characters, and the situations which lend itself to a myriad of different scenarios.

For myself, I chose to go outside of the norm for the creatures and created an entirely different sort. Night runners are a genetically altered species of humankind that prowl the night streets in search of prey. So, technically, they aren’t really zombies at all. And, their abilities are growing.

I also think about different scenarios and interactions people in a post-apocalyptic world might face. Zombies, or night runners in this case, aren’t the only dangerous creatures.

The Blogshit: What makes your zombies stand apart from all the others?

John O'Brien: I mentioned in the previous reply, the night runners are a genetically altered species which makes them faster, stronger, and more agile. They hunt in packs during the night hours and communicate in a much different manner – I can’t give away too many spoilers here. They are ferocious and persistent in their endeavor to hunt down prey. Humankind has taken a step down the food chain.

The Blogshit: Do you write (or plan to write) outside the zombie genre?

John O'Brien: I’m not sure whether I will or not. I have a couple of series in mind after A New World eventually concludes. And that may be some time yet as there are several more books planned for the current series.

The Blogshit:  Do you think the mega hype around the movie adaptation of World War Z will have a positive or negative effect on the zombie fiction scene?

John O'Brien: I personally don’t see how World War Z will have anything but a positive effect on the genre. Although it doesn't follow the book and the zombies in the movie are the exact opposite of the one’s depicted in Max’ books, it will be an exciting movie to watch. And it will cross into other genres as well, pulling some of them into the Z genre.

The Blogshit: Is there a need for attrition in the zombie fiction market?

John O'Brien: I’m not sure what you mean by attrition, but I think the advent of indie authoring has brought many talented writers to the forefront and advanced the genre by leads and bounds. It provides the readers with an endless supply of their favorite reading.

The Blogshit: What do you see in the future of zombies, both on the page and off?

John O'Brien: I think the zombie genre will continue to grow. It has already entered the mainstream market from its once niche market place and will continue to fill it. More events, conventions, and other activities will continue to increase. As with any genre, it will reach a peak and plateau but that plateau will continue to be a high one – surpassing the others.

The Blogshit: We are building a menu for a fictional sandwich shop. Typically we ask what to put on the namesake of your sandwich. For the Summer of Zombie Blog Tour we are going to set aside a special menu sub-section so: What do we put on your zombiefied sandwich?


John O'Brien: Dead flesh and lots of it… in this case we’ll have to use our basic substitutes.
First off, bacon is a requirement for any sandwich so you’ll have to pile plenty of it on. After that, anything will work.

This man did NOT write Leaving Las Vegas

There he is the brave John O'Brien! John's work features a sort of alternate creature to the classic zombie. His series, as he said is now seven books in. Definitely take at look at John O'Brien if your looking for something a bit left of center in your zombie fiction. John O'Brien is extremely approachable via the internet. Here is some additional background and a plethora of links to find all things O'Brien...

John O’Brien Biography

John O'Brien is a former Air Force fighter instructor pilot who transitioned to Special Operations for the latter part of his career gathering his campaign ribbon for Desert Storm. Immediately following his military service, John became a firefighter/EMT with a local department. Along with becoming a firefighter, he fell into the Information Technology industry starting two large casinos in Washington as the Information Technology Manager and becoming the Network Manager for the Washington State Legislature, the Northwest Information Technology Manager for the Federal Aviation Administration, and the Network Systems Manager for Hollywood Video.

Currently, John is writing full-time on the series, A New World. As a former marathon runner, John lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest and can now be found kayaking out in the waters of Puget Sound, mountain biking in the Capital Forest, hiking in the Olympic Peninsula, or pedaling his road bike along the many scenic roads.


John O’Brien Links

Web Site

http://anewworldseries.com/

Facebook Profile

http://www.facebook.com/JohnWBOBrien

Twitter

http://twitter.com/#!/A_NewWorld

Amazon author page

http://www.amazon.com/John-OBrien/e/B005IDEPP0

Books

A New World: Chaos

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004W0CL2Y

A New World: Return

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005OSXDE8

A New World: Sanctuary

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006PY6ZAY

A New World: Taken

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007NP3XUE

A New World: Awakening

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008NFNN5S/

Balls To The Walls

You're reading Books, Beer and Blogshit!  It's the only blog on the intertubes that can guess your age by looking at your nipples!  We are your bloggers, Mister Frank and Mister Jeff doing a tandem Blogshit interview.

The Reverend Doctor Lance Carbuncle has already made an appearance on the podcast (Episode 15) to talk about his book, SLOUGHING OFF THE ROT. Unfortunately we did not have an opportunity to discuss one of the most important aspects of Lance Carbuncle, his Balls.

You see, Lance has balls. A lot of them. They are prominently on display on his website too. Lance is so proud of his balls he wants to show them to the world! If you saw them you would understand why, they are magnificent.

So read this Blogshit interview with Lance first. It is one for the ages. Then get your ass to LanceCarbuncle.com and gaze longingly at his balls. And now, on with the show...

Blogshit: Your world renowned balls are on display at LanceCarbuncle.com, what possessed you to share them with the world?

Carbuncle: I've long had trouble containing and/or controlling my balls. I lose them. Sometimes I find them in the back yard with dirt all over them. Sometimes they are under the couch, covered with hair and crumbs. The dog chews on them and the kids love throwing them against the side of the house. I just got to the point where I said to myself, “God damn it, I've got some great, beautiful balls. I need to share my balls with everybody.” So I washed them off and displayed them on my website, Lancecarbuncle.com. Go look at my balls.

Blogshit: Your have a lot of balls, how do you cram them all into one place?

Carbuncle: Usually I prefer not to cram them anywhere as doing so could damage them. Usually I hang my balls in something (preferably mesh or 100% cotton for breathability) that provides a sufficient amount of support for their great girth and heft. Sometimes I do cram them into my pants but I find that they stick to my legs a lot.

Blogshit: Does your wife have a problem with everyone looking at your balls?

Carbuncle:  She’s so tired of my old balls that she could almost gag. So she prefers that others, who might appreciate them more, view and enjoy my balls. And they can do so at Lancecarbuncle.com.

Blogshit:  You've written three novels so far. If you could choose one character from each of your novels to touch your balls, whom would you choose (and why)?

Carbuncle:  I think that I would like to rest my balls on a big blumpkin (from Sloughing Off the Rot, now available for sale at Amazon.com, or signed copies can be purchased at Lancecarbuncle.com).

Blogshit:   Would you rather be Lance Armstrong and uber famous for walking on the moon or Lance Carbuncle and keep your beloved balls?

Carbuncle:  Funny you ask. I actually tweeted something once on the matter that said: “My name's Lance, I have two balls, and have used no performance-enhancing drugs to perform my amazing feats.” People reading this should follow me on Twitter.com/LanceCarbuncle and once every 7 or 8 months I will tweet an amazing comment which references my balls (did I mention they are on display at Lancecarbuncle.com).

Blogshit:  In your book, SLOUGHING OFF THE ROT, there are ball-like creatures called Blumpkins. Would you consider rubber or plush blumpkins are the first balls you market for a profit?

Carbuncle:  I would consider it. But, I suspect there’s probably some inflatable, latex fuck-ball already for sale out there.

Blogshit:  Do you generally fondle or punch your balls in the privacy of your own home?

Carbuncle:  I do neither. I try to take good care of them by dipping them a bowl of warm water and drying them with a ShamWow. Sometimes I wipe them down with lemony Pledge to give them a nice shine. And a spritz or two of Febreze makes them oh-so-nice smelling. (I’m fishing for some big money sponsorship for my balls here).

Blogshit:  Do your balls enjoy the soulful sounds of Michael Jackson’s BEAT IT?

Carbuncle:  They do not like Beat It in the slightest. In fact, when any Michael Jackson song is played, my balls actually seem to tighten up and shrink.

Blogshit:  Are you partial to any one ball?

Carbuncle: Yes, the one in the middle.

Blogshit:  Has anyone been upset that some of your balls have pussy on them?

Carbuncle:  Just me. I used to be embarrassed about my pussy-balls. But they are actually really kind of cute and I've come to accept this and other strange things about my beautiful balls.

Blogshit:  We are thinking about starting our own sandwich shop. What should we put on "The Lance Carbuncle" sandwich?

Carbuncle:  Meatballs. I would to watch people eating my balls on a crusty sub bun.

That's it folks. Take a deep breath and collect yourselves because that was quite a ride. Have you gone to look at Lance's balls yet?  Here, follow this link to LANCE CARBUNCLE'S BALLS. Don't hesitate, don't delay. You know you want to!

You's Guys Gots Tuh Read Dis

You're reading Books, Beer and Blogshit!  It's the only blog without a thick Jersey accent. I'm your friggin' blogger mistuh Frank.

Constant Listeners to the Books, Beer and Bullshit podcast know horror/zombie writer Armand Rosamilia all too well.  He has appeared on two previous episodes of the podcast (Episode 5 and Episode 11). The Books, Beer and Bullshit boys identify with him all too well as he is a New Jersey ex-patriot  We've spoken with him at length about his Dying Days and Russian Zombie Gun series of books. We've even got him to dish out the dirt on a D-List 80's rock icon much to Armand's chagrin.

It was only natural that Armand make an early appearance on Books, Beer and Blogshit. One of many you can be sure. Armand is in the process of writing, editing, and generally preparing for release several books including: Dying Days 3, a contemporary fiction serial, a non-fiction piece on the local wresting scene and another book of sexy tattooed, gothed-out, scantily clad gorgeous women to name a few. Books, Beer and Blogshit decided to focus on Armand's duel citizenship and query him about his life as a New Jersey/Florida resident and how that figures into his writing.

We present to you then, a man whose appreciation of full figured asses clad only in thongs, Armand Rosamilia...

Armand Rosamilia's Signature Series: Dying Days

The Blogshit:  Like the boys from Books, Beer and Blogshit, you are a New
Jersey native. How long did you live in The Garden State?

Armand:  Until I was 31 or so. I was born in Newark and grew up in the tiny
fishing village of Belford in Middletown Township. Easily the greatest
place for a kid to grow up if he was bored and liked to do stupid shit.

The Blogshit:  How would you say New Jersey has influenced your
writing?

Armand:  I'm fiercely proud of being from NJ. I used to have this ballcap that
said 'Newark Bad Boy' on it, even though anyone who actually grew
up in North Jersey cities could probably kick my suburbian ass. I
add many Jersey-isms into my stories, and quite a few are set in NJ.
Most of my friends are still there, and I talk with a ton of high school
buddies on a daily basis.

The Blogshit: You now live in Florida and readily identify yourself as a
Jersey Boy living in The Sunshine State. Why did you make the
move down south?

Armand:  I needed a new local to get another divorce. Actually, I just wanted
a change. As much as I loved Jersey, my third kid was just born and
the job market and taxes sucked. My brother was already down here,
so we packed everything up in I dropped here on July 4th 2001.
Someday, when I'm rich and famous, I'll get a summer home up there
and make everyone's life a living hell. Damn commoners.

The Blogshit:  How has life in Florida impacted your writing?

Armand:  It's definitely given me a different perspective on things. Everything is
so much slower and casual down here, there's no rush like up north.
It has impacted me positively because there aren't as many dreary
days that suck your good moods. And no snow to shovel in the winter.
The negative is there are no actual huge seasonal changes at times,
and days blend in together. It makes you want to go out, get a banana
bread beer and hang at the beach instead of writing.

The Blogshit:  You work typically takes place in either New Jersey or
Florida. What dictates the setting of any given piece of work
your write?

Takes place in a real shopping village in Florida

Armand:  I think the main character. Once I get an idea and start formulating
the story, the locale falls into place quickly. There are many stories
that are at least based in both. Tool Shed, for instance, has a NJ guy
inheriting his grandfather's Jacksonville Florida farm. I'm in the midst
of writing contemporary fiction stories called Flagler Fiction Series
which are set in Flagler Beach, Florida… but a couple of characters
are from New Jersey and on vacation. I've also set all my Dying Days
zombie stories in the area, as well. I write about where I know and I
know these two States pretty well.

The Blogshit:  They say you can take the boy out of Jersey but you can't
take Jersey out of the boy. Is there truth in that statement?

Armand: Definitely. I still get an attitude with stupid people and I have a short
fuse. I'm wired most of the time, trying to keep the writing and life
moving at a fast clip. I also still have my Joisey Accent, although these
people have the accent, not me. I say 'you's guys' and talk about
pork roll, egg and cheese sandwiches and still slip and call it iced tea
instead of sweet tea.

The Blogshit:  Do you hope to return to the motherland one day or is your
heart now in Florida?

Armand:  I wish I was visiting more, if only for the food. People from here don't
understand how bad the food really is until they've had Staten Island
pizza at two am, or a Rutt's Hut hotdog or mini-bagel sandwiches in
Brooklyn at 5 am before you head back to Jersey to sleep off a night
at the Limelight or L'Amours. Yeah, I dated myself there. I have many
friends I miss, but I talk to them all the time on Facebook. I want to
someday return as the conquering hero and force people who dissed
me in school to be my peasants and do my bidding… like make me
pork roll, egg and cheese sandwiches.

The Blogshit:  You've been engrossed in a writing frenzy lately. Can
you touch on the boatload of work you have coming out in
the coming months?

Armand:  I'll be heading to NOLA and the World Horror Convention/Horror
Writers Association gala in mid-June. Before then my goal is to finish
off the first 4 serialized releases in the aforementioned Flagler Fiction
Series (the first 10-story arc will be titled Kokomo's Café), and have
Dying Days 3 zombie novella out by June 1st. I should also have the
non-fiction Metal Queens: Models 3 about finished, and I'll be starting
initial interviews for two more non-fiction projects, one about Southern

Championship Wrestling in Florida, and another about Palm Coast
Roller Derby. And about 67 other things I'm currently writing. Plus,
I'll be pitching my horror novel at the convention, which is set in Long
Branch New Jersey.

The Blogshit:  Lastly, as you know, New Jersey is loaded with great
sub shops. Books, Beer and Blogshit is considering opening
our own sub shop. What should we put on "The Armand
Rosamilia"?

Armand: Every kind of meat known to mankind. Drown it in lettuce, tomatoes
and onion, and then lots of salt, pepper and oregano. I'm pretty
boring. I hate all condiments, so no mayo, mustard, ketchup… none of
that crap. And add extra bacon on top. Mmm, bacon…

There he is folks. The writing machine that is Armand Rosamilia. You can find Armand's work at Amazon, Barnes&Noble and Smashwords. He maintains a very active blog at ArmandRosamilia.com and you can find him on Facebook and Twitter.  Keep an eye out for Armand on the Summer of Zombie Tour 2013 where he will be appearing both on Books, Beer and Bullshit AND Books, Beer and Blogshit.

Danger You, Danger Me, Dangerous!

You're reading Books, Beer and Blogshit!  It's the only Blog that hasn't interviewed Armand Rosamilia.  I am your blogger, Mr. Frank.

This installment of The Blogshit features a writer we've not had a chance to feature on the podcast, Mr. Danger Slater.  This guy is so bad-ass he skipped making his middle name Danger and went right for the throat. He is also from New Jersey like the Books, Beer and Bullshit boys so he earns bonus points right there.

He wrote a little ditty called LOVE ME from Jersey Devil Press. LOVE ME is a true gem. Very funny and very fun to read. It features an unnamed god-like being that has the world, nay, the universe at his fingertips and yet he can not find love. So he sets out on a hero's journey in search for the one elusive thing he can't have so easily. Do yourselves a favor and read it before his new book comes out.

Books, Beer and Blogshit took Danger to task in our first official Blogshit interview.  We discuss the writer, the character, the new book and deli food. This is one for the ages. Crack open a cold one and enjoy The Danger Slater Interview:





The Blogshit: Welcome to Books, Beer and Blogshit Danger. It's not nearly as prestigious as the podcast but it's close. How's it feel?

Danger Slater: Oh, it feels pretty prestigious to me. Most of the time I’m just a normal kind of dude who likes to sit around in his underwear on a Tuesday afternoon and smear garlic hummus across his chest while porn blasts from the television set in the background as I fill my asshole to the brim with burnt popcorn kernels and audibly sob. So any attention I receive feels nice. Thank you for inviting me here.

The Blogshit: Typically people use Danger as their middle name. You've put it right up front. Can you talk about the name?

Danger Slater: Yeah. My middle name is Arthur. Not nearly as exciting.

I’m under the impression that it comes as no surprise to anyone that Danger isn’t my given name. Like I’ve said before, I have cool parents, but they’re not THAT cool. Mainly I wanted a name that would a.) be memorable, and b.) properly encapsulate what I’m trying to do with my writing. I don’t think anyone is picking up a Danger_Slater story and expecting The Sun Also Rises. At least I hope not. The danger is the writing itself. I try to keep it fast-paced, unpredictable. I try not to worry about things like decorum or taboos or even proper technique when I write. Just to be as entertaining and thoughtful as possible.


When I first started calling myself Danger a few years back, right around the time I got my first story published, I thought everyone was gonna make fun of me. I mean, I didn’t know if I earned the title. I never jumped a shark tank on a motorcycle or had sex with a blender or any daredevil shit like that. But everyone I talked to said they liked the name. That it fit. No one laughed at me at all. Even my family calls me Danger now.

The Blogshit: I've read your book, LOVE ME, and loved it. The protagonist, a nameless, hapless, god-like being who wears a viking hat is one of the greatest characters I've had the pleasure to read. How did you come up with this character?

Danger Slater: Thanks, man. That means a lot to me.

I just love to write in the voice of a pontificating moron with an overinflated sense of hubris. Like Ignatius Reilly in A Confederacy of Dunces. It’s a lot of fun to look at the world through those kind of goggles. The Narrator of LOVE ME is a patchwork of sorts. He approaches the world with a certain amount of innocence and naivety, but at the same time, he identifies himself as the most important person in it. It all revolves around him. I opted not to give him a name or any sort of bodily description (aside from the grandiose proclamations he makes about his own strength, good-looks, penis size, etc.) because I wanted the person reading to see themselves as this guy. Everyone has moments where they flip back and forth between confidence and humility, happiness and sadness, joy and fear, thinking you know everything and thinking you know nothing. Sometimes you can feel these conflicting emotions at the same time. So I tried to stuff it all into one guy who’s hyper-aware of his surroundings. Who’s hyper-aware of himself. Who is everyone and no one and understands everything and nothing, all at the same time.

It sounds more complicated than it is. He’s basically an egomaniacal idiot. Sort of like me.

The Blogshit: You have a new book coming out soon under Rooster Republic Press, what can we expect to find in between the covers of that one?

Danger Slater: SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS! Yes, a new book!

It’s going to be called DangerRAMA! (talk about an inflated sense of hubris) and it’s a collection of 3 unrelated novellas all packaged together under one cover. As for what to expect? The usual: time travel, blood and gore, deviant sex, hamburgers, science gone mad, pop culture, religion or lack thereof, body integrity identity disorder, outer space, art, whale songs, explosions, dinosaurs, and of course, plenty of tasteless jokes.

The three novellas are titled as follows: KNIGHTS OF THE WHITE CASTLE, SOMNAMBULANT, and ME & ME & ME & ME & ME & ME & ME & ME.

Rooster Republic is great. I thank them for reaching out and letting me be a part of their family.

Rooster Republic Will Be Showcased  in Episode 18

The Blogshit: Are there any other writing projects on the horizon we can look forward to?

Danger Slater: Well there are always pieces of sporadic short fiction coming out from time to time. Anyone interested in keeping up can friend me on Goodreads or Facebook or check out www.dangerslater.blogspot.com

As for big projects, I just finished a book, so I suppose I’ll be starting another one. I mean, what else is there to do?

I’ve also got a blog called Nicolas Uncaged, which I post on once every 1-2 weeks. The premise to that is I’m watching every Nic Cage movie in chronological order (there’s a lot of them) then, using the film as an inspiration, I write whatever I want. It’s incredibly asinine. You can find that at www.nicolasuncaged.blogspot.com.

The Blogshit: Books, Beer and Blogshit thinks you're a writer to watch rise to greatness, what young guns does Danger Slater think we should be keeping an eye on?

Danger Slater: For me, the Tall Tales with Short Cocks anthology series from Rooster Republic are an excellent showcase to find both emerging and established bizarro fiction. I’m honored I got to be in one of them. They are jam packed with funny, interesting, fucked-up and mind-bending stories. There’s this dude, Douglas Hackle...man, his short fiction is pitch-perfect. Such a simple and twisted point of view. I’m jells. Jells means jealous, as I believe the kids are saying. Anyway, he’s the shit. Check him out.

The Blogshit: We are thinking of opening a sub shop one day. What should we put on a Danger Slater Sub Sandwich?

Danger Slater: Dynamite and bananas.

Danger Slater

So there he is, Danger Slater. I can't stress enough how good LOVE ME is.  Grab it. Hope you enjoyed Danger because he WILL be on Books, Beer and Bullshit when his new book DangerRAMA comes out this summer!  Keep your ears peeled!