Summer of Zombie Blog Tour - Armand Rosamilia

You're reading Books, Beer and Blogshit. It's the only blog that never gets to Joe McKinney during a balls out zombie blog tour! We are your bloggers, Mr. Frank and Mr. Jeff.

The Summer of Zombie Blog Tour is closing out this time with our final tour post. The Headliner. Armand Rosamilia. In the true spirit of Books, Beer and Bullshit Podcast, this will mark Armand's second appearence on the BLOGshit, thus making him the official mayor of the blog as well as the de facto mayor of the Books, Beer and Bullshit Podcast.

Not only is Armand closing out the SoZBT here on the BLOGshit but you will soon be able to listen to the sultry audio styling of Armand Rosamila on his third  Books, Beer and Bullshit podcast appearance in which will will reflect on the Summer of Zombie Blog Tour as well as catch up on the plethora of Rosamilia literary offerings that have popped up like an outbreak in the past few months.

Read the blog interview and keep your ears peeled for the big big podcast interview coming soon!

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?

Armand Rosamilia: Dying Days 3 just came out, and I am very happy with the progression of the story. I hope the readers feel the same way.

The Mayor's Latest

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

Armand Rosamilia: I will keep writing about zombies as long as I have fresh ideas and new angles to attack it. I never want to write a cliché tale about a bunch of stereotypical survivors trapped in a building. At this point I would quit writing them. Unless I sold a ton of them and became rich, then I'd keep pumping them out.


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


Armand Rosamilia: I try to come up with ideas I haven't seen or read, if possible. Even basic ideas can be well-written and twisted to make it unique. I imagine I'm doing it so far.

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

Armand Rosamilia: My zombies are horny bastards. They don't just want to bite you, they want to violate you sexually. It's a scary concept.


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

Armand Rosamilia: Of course. I have written thrillers, erotica, and recently began a contemporary fiction bunch of stories called Flagler Beach Fiction Series. I try not to limit myself. I'd rather just write a story and then figure out where it fits.

This series WILL shock you!

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?

Armand Rosamilia: I hope it will be positive. Between the movie and TWD I hope more and more viewers become readers, and some of them stay around after the hype has died down.

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

Armand Rosamilia: In any market, I think. But the cream of the crop always rises. Or some cliché like that. There are too many great books being buried under the pile, but I think that is always the case. Readers will find the better ones and word of mouth will help propel them to the top. In the perfect world, anyway.


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

Armand Rosamilia: It will have another lull, and the casual fans will go look for the next big thing, but the small group of rabid fans will keep the subgenre alive. As long as you are a good writer, they will come.


The Blogshit:  We are building a menu for a fictional sandwich shop. Typically we ask what to put on the namesake of you 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?

Armand Rosamilia: The Mando is a pork roll, egg and cheese sandwich on a cinnamon raisin bagel… but then we add two cheeseburgers to either end, and three slices of bacon. MMMM…

When Will This Guy Write A Food Book? 

There he is! Again! Once more! Armand Rosamilia, the mayor of all things Books, Beer and Bullshit. The mayor of all things zombie. The mayor, period!

Once again, be sure to keep riding along on The Dying Days storyline as the plot thickens. In addition take a look at his Flager Beach contemporary fiction series. They are a great demonstration of the versatility that is Armand Rosamilia. There are a billion and a half ways to check out Armand Rosamilia and the tons of words he has to read.  Here are just a few:

Armand Rosamilia's Blog

Armand Rosamilia on Amazon

Armand Rosamilia on Smashwords

Armand Rosamilia on FaceBook

Armand Rosamilia on Twitter

Summer of Zombie Blog Tour - James Cook

Arrgh, matey! Ye be reading Books, Beer and Blogshit. It be the only blog that talks like a pirate even when it's not Talk Like A Pirate Day. Arrrrg!  We be your land lubbin' bloggers Captain Frank and First Mate Jeff.

It's time to pull up anchor and cast off for another round of Ye Olde Summber of Zombie Blog Tour with your featured writer, Captain James Hook!

Wait.

What's that?

Oh goodness, how embarrassing  Folks, we don't have Captain James Hook, we have zombie writer James Cook. Oh well, we're sure he still brings the booty and if you don't enjoy the interview ye will surely walk the plank or be keel hauled or take a long drop with a short stop. 

Here there be words.  Ye have been warned. Arrrrgh!

Abso-floggin-lutely

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?



James Cook: My latest release is the third volume of the Surviving the Dead series titled, Warrior Within. This novel picks up where the last installment of the series—This Shattered Land—left off. The two main characters find themselves in Hollow Rock Tennessee, a small town that has built extensive fortifications to protect themselves from the zombie hordes. The zombies, however, are not the biggest problem that the people of Hollow Rock face. A rogue militant group calling themselves the Free Legion has laid siege to the town and cut off their trade routes. Gabriel and Eric have been recruited by the town mayor to train a small, highly-mobile expeditionary force to re-open the trade routes and eliminate anyone who tries to stop them. At first, the task seems simple, but soon the two survivors learn that all is not what it seems in Hollow Rock. As the remnants of the Federal Government send supplies and troops to aid in destroying the Legion, they draw the attention of other forces vying for supremacy in the wastelands of North America. What ensues is an action-packed journey into violence, brutality, and the dark side of human nature. Ask yourself this: How far are you willing to go to survive? How hard would you fight to stay alive, to protect those you love? This is what Warrior Within is all about. The characters find out exactly how far they are willing to go to protect the things they hold dear.

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



James Cook: Well, for starters, people keep buying my books. That makes me happy. (joke) All kidding aside, I think it’s a fascinating genre. It opens up a world of possibilities, creates a theme of constant danger, and gives authors a chance to explore a variety of topics. Human nature, relationships, the fragility of life and the human psyche, how people build civilizations, the motivations behind creating and codifying laws—the list is endless, as are the possibilities.



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



James Cook: The characters. Surviving the Dead is not your typical zombie series. Rather than just being endless pages of zombie smashing, the story focuses on the two main characters’ struggle to maintain their humanity in an inhumane world, and to find a place where they can carve out peaceful lives for themselves. Along the way they make friends, and enemies, they laugh, they love, they fight, they kill, and they take damage. Mental, physical, and emotional. They watch people they care about get hurt and killed. They do things that give them nightmares and make them doubt the justice of their actions. They are not perfect, and they make mistakes. I think that’s what has driven the popularity of the series, and what keeps people interested in the story.



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



James Cook: My zombies really aren't all that different. They are mostly your standard Romero shamblers. A few unique attributes that I focus on is their physical strength, how they behave at night versus during the day, and that they are easily distracted.

The strength thing relates to the human body’s pain response. People are actually a hell of a lot stronger than they think they are, but our bodies’ pain receptors stop us from using our strength to its fullest potential because doing so harms our tissues. Zombies could give a pinch of distilled donkey shit about tissue damage. They can use all of their strength, all at once, with no chance of fatigue, and doing so makes them seem superhumanly strong.

The zombies in my books also go quiet at night, at least until they are right on top of their prey. No one is sure why.

Last, my zombies don’t have superhuman focus and concentration. They are dead. Only their base instincts remain. If they can’t see, smell, or hear prey for a long enough period of time, they forget what they were doing and wander off.

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



James Cook: Absolutely. My immediate plans are for an urban fantasy series titled, Jeremiah Cain: Vampire Hunter, and a traditional fantasy series titled, Gladiator of Corsryn.

Jeremiah Cain is in large part a response to my general dissatisfaction with the urban fantasy genre. I’m tired of reading about people falling in love with vampires, and snuggling with werewolves. Since when are these monsters sympathetic characters? Screw that. You’re not going to see Cain getting mixed up in that nonsense. As far as he is concerned, the only good vampire is a dead one. And that same philosophy applies to anything else that goes bump in the night.

Gladiator of Corsryn is, as stated above, a more traditional fantasy series. However, don’t expect elves, and dwarves, and fairies and whatnot. The series was inspired by my love of the old Robert E. Howard Conan novels. Expect lots of fighting, killing, crushing of enemies, seeing them driven before you, and hearing the lamentations of their women.

After that, I may dip my toes into the military or paranormal thriller waters. Time will tell.



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?



James Cook: I don’t think it will have much of an effect at all, really. I think it will be a moderately successful film—assuming it doesn’t suck, and result in a bomb—that really won’t affect the zombie fiction genre one way or the other. People are buying zombie books because it’s an interesting genre. The demand has been there for decades, but it wasn’t met because traditional publishers, who owned the fiction market up to that point, didn’t think it was worth their time. They didn’t think zombies would be a money-maker. To an extent, they were right. Zombie fiction is still, in terms of sales, a very small sub-genre when compared to romance, mysteries, and thrillers. It’s a niche market. That’s what makes it great for self-published authors. People who like zombie fiction tend to consume a lot of it, and this gives first-time writers, or writers who have been writing for a while but are still struggling to find an audience, a chance to start building a readership. I’ve said for years that if you are just getting started in writing, look for an underserved niche market to get your foot in the door. That’s what the zombie genre has done for me, what it has done for others, and what it will continue to do for the forseeable future.



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



James Cook: I don’t think so. In publishing, the cream rises to the top. Those books that are commercially viable—for whatever reason—will find their audience. Those that are not as good will get bad reviews, see poor sales, and eventually fade from the lists. I imagine at some point companies like Amazon and B&N may initiate some kind of bottom line sales quota and start de-listing books that aren't selling, but with the massive volume of server space out there—which is growing all the time—I don’t see why they would need to do that anytime soon. The publishing business is a classic case of the 80/20 rule, which states that, generally speaking, 80% of your business will come from 20% of your customers. If you look at the numbers, this holds true in the literature market. Avid readers, people who read ten or more books a year, comprise the lion’s share of profit generation for publishers. These are people who read A LOT. From a business standpoint, it makes sense for Amazon and other booksellers to have a huge inventory of books for them to choose from. They make money either way, and it costs them very little to keep a book file on a small stretch of hard drive in a warehouse somewhere out in East Bumfuck, Nebraska.



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



James Cook: I think that in years to come, the popularity of zombies may wane a bit due to cultural over saturation. But I don’t think it will ever go away completely. Zombies have become an entrenched cultural icon much the same as vampires and werewolves. Ask yourself this: How long have vampire novels been around? How long have people been reading stories about werewolves? Ghosts? Monsters?

The answer: Decades. Centuries, even. I started reading vampire novels when I was freaking nine years old. I’m thirty-two now, and I still read them. Can’t get enough of them. And there are millions of people out there just like me. Ergo, there are millions of people who like zombies, and will continue to do so for years to come. Furthermore, there are babies being born every day. Children growing up. Adults buying their first ereader. New readers eager for the next action-packed, spine-chilling story. And many of them will turn to zombies for that thrill.

In short, the future of zombies is good. Maybe not as good as it is now, at least not indefinitely, but it’s going to be around for a long, long time. Hell, it already has been.



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?


James Cook: Gunpowder, bacon grease, and the blood of my enemies. Yum.

That is now seven of nine in the SoZBT. What is amazing is that James Cook like all the other writers on the tour has a take on the genre that is all his own. That is what you need to survive in this world of zombie fiction. Adapt or die is the lesson! We hope you decide to check James Cook out if he sounds like your taste.




If you are curious here are a few links you can find James and his work at. Catch you next time Constant Blog Readers!


http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CHRADX8

https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/James-Cook/235140719906589

http://www.jamesncook.blogspot.com/

Summer of Zombie Blog Tour - Bryan Smith

You're reading Books, Beer and Blogshit! Its the only blog that doesn't suck donkey bezels. We are you blogger hosts, Mr. Frank and Mr. Jeff.

We are getting down to the nitty gritty here. This is the next to last week of the Summer of Zombie Blog Tour so it's time to whip out some big guns. A veteran not only of zombie fiction but a muscle in horror as well, Mr. Bryan Smith.

Anybody that knows anything about the genre knows that Bryan Smith is a name that brings quality in writing. He survived the debacle at Leisure/Dorchester and has come out the other side with titles at Deadite Press and Samhain Publishing as well as ventures into self publishing. He has found new life in the digital age and proves he has lasting power.

So here he is, a man who needs no introduction but we gave him one anyway. For your enjoyment, the very talented: Bryan Smith...

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?

Bryan Smith: The Late Night Horror Show from Samhain Publishing, which was released in March.  It features three parallel plotlines set in alternate realities where the worlds of movies are real.  One of these plotlines involves the immediate aftermath of a zombie apocalypse, while the other two involve vampires and backwoods maniacs.

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

Bryan Smith: I've enjoyed zombie films going back to the original theatrical release of Romero's Dawn of the Dead.  My occasional forays into zombie fiction undoubtedly stem from that initial seed of fandom planted way back in my youth.

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

Bryan Smith: I agree there has been a saturation of the market, but this hasn't been a particular concern of mine.  The reason is that while I do write about zombies from time to time, my subject matter mostly involves other horror tropes.

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

Bryan Smith: I haven't written much in the way of what's considered the traditional Romero model for shambling, mindless zombies.  Most of the zombie fiction I've written has been more in a comedic or satirical vein, similar to things like Return of the Living Dead.  Although I do plan to eventually write a more straightforward Romero-esque zombie novel.

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

Bryan Smith: Most of my writing is outside the zombie genre.  Of my 15 or so published books, maybe three of them feature zombies.

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?

Bryan Smith: I believe the effect will be neutral.  The movie will have a successful opening weekend and people will talk about it for a while, but then the hype will fade, as happens with all big Hollywood films these days.  It can't have the same impact of an ongoing cultural phenomenon like The Walking Dead.

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

Bryan Smith: I would never tell anyone not to write something they truly feel motivated to write.  And obviously there are many people who want to read zombie stories.  As long as the public hunger for this type of fiction is there, people will keep producing them.  The sheer amount of zombie fiction out there is kind of overwhelming, though, and attrition will likely occur at some point as a natural consequence of that.

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

Bryan Smith: With The Walking Dead continuing to set new ratings highs, I think interest will remain high for both cinematic and literary zombies for a some time to come.

The Blogshit:  We are building a menu for a fictional sandwich shop. Typically we ask what to put on the namesake of you 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? 

Bryan Smith:  Turkey, pepperjack cheese, onions, jalapeno peppers, spicy mustard.  Pretty basic, but that's what I order every time I go to a sub shop.

Ladies and Gentleman that was Bryan Smith. He may have been short on words here but rest assured that is not the case with his fiction. Mr. Smith is a bit more elusive than many of the other zombie authors on the tour. With good reason as a heightened level of fame most surely requires a greater level of privacy. Fret not, he is still readily available to follow. Check out his bio and points of interest below.

Bryan Smith is the author of several mass market horror novels from Leisure Books, including House of Blood, Deathbringer, The Freakshow, Queen of Blood, Soultaker, Depraved, The Killing Kind, and The Dark Ones. Samhain Publishing and Deadite Press are now my primary publishers. My first release from Samhain is due in 2013, while Deadite is reissuing my old Leisure titles. I like beer, loud rock and roll, horror movies, Britcoms, a bunch of the usual stuff.




Bryan Smith on Facebook
Bryan Smith on Twitter
Bryan Smith's "The Blog That Dripped Blood"
Bryan Smith on GoodReads

Summer of Zombie Blog Tour - Kirk Allmond

Your're reading Books, Beer and Blogshit! It's the only blog that hasn't covered the topic of beer even though beer is in the title. We are your misguided bloggers, Mr. Frank and Mr. Jeff.

The Summer of Zombie Blog Tour mayhem continues. This time we talk to Kirk Allmond, who has what maybe the most unique take on the zombie angle of any of the blog tour authors. Kirk Allmond is not only a zombie fiction writer but he is also a survivalist. That is what he brings to the show.

Let's learn about what a man who is first and foremost a prepper does to prepare for the zombie apocalypse, because it IS coming people, it is coming...


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?

Kirk Allmond:  I just released Declaration of War, the 5th book in the What Zombies Fear series. I’m excited about it because it let me write something I've been looking forward to for several years, Max fighting zombies! Max Tookes is 3.5 years old in the first book. In Declaration of War, we skip forward 12 years, to Max being almost 16, and getting to exercise his lust for zombie slaying.

The Blogshit: What is it about zombies that keep you writing in this genre?
Kirk Allmond: Zombies will continue to evolve. The original zombies were reanimated corpses, brought back to serve a voodoo priestess. Then along came Romero, with the supernatural “Hell has filled up, and the dead walk the earth” zombies, evolving them from singles to groups and hordes.

A few years later, we get Resident Evil style mutation zombies, and “28 Days Later” style rage-zombies.

Next we have World War Z (The movie, not the book) style hordes that are somewhat cooperative and ant-like in their behavior and are fast and agile.
There are a couple of things that make something a “zombie” to me. The first thing that all zombies have in common is that absolutely relentless assault. Zombies have no fear. They don’t pause or hesitate, they always drive forward. Second is hunger for flesh. Zombies may or may not eat brains, but the relentless assault is always fueled by an insatiable hunger for human flesh. The final thing that makes a zombie to me is the necessity to destroy the brain in order to kill them.

You may be able to injure a zombie, you may be able to slow them down by taking their legs off, but you cannot kill them without destroying the brain. As long as those three things are there, it’s a zombie. The shape, and specific characteristics can change and evolve, and that’s what I love about zombies.



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

Kirk Allmond: I think about zombies all the time. I maintain the world’s largest zombie preparedness website, Zombiepreparedness.org. I often add pop culture references, current events, and modern storylines in to my stories to keep things different.

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

Kirk Allmond:  In What Zombies Fear, the zombies are caused by a brain parasite. The more parasites the host is infected with, the more areas of the brain the zombie can control. In a strong infection, the zombie can regulate cellular regeneration (They don’t rot) and even speech. In the most severe infections, the parasite can control areas of the brain that humans don’t use. (Because we only use 10% of our brain.) In those “super zombies,” they can run at extreme speed, regenerate in seconds, and sometimes it’s even worse.

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

Kirk Allmond: I do. I have a WIP in progress called “The Colcoa Tailings” that is still post-apocalyptic, but much more sci-fi.


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?

Kirk Allmond: I’m not really sure. I have a fear that World War Z is going to be Brad Pitt’s Ishtar. There are so many parallels between the two movies. At $400 million (And Counting) it’s going to have to be a HUGE movie to return the investment. I’m worried that if the first mega zombie movie flops, Hollywood will say “Zombies are dead,” and blame the genre rather than poor film making.



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

Kirk Allmond: I think that everything zombie helps. Every zombie story is a little bit different, appealing to different people, not every zombie story is for everyone. I think there is plenty of room in the genre.



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

Kirk Allmond: Zombies will always endure. Even if the hero’s beat all the undead, all it takes is one zombie to start the apocalypse over. The same is true of zombie fiction. They may die off a bit in a few years, but all it takes is one great zombie story to bring the entire genre back.



The Blogshit: We are building a menu for a fictional sandwich shop. Typically we ask what to put on the namesake of you 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?

Kirk Allmond: Post apocalypse, bread will mostly be crusty sourdough style bread. It’s easier to make, my grandmother had a jar of sourdough starter that was her grandmothers, it was almost 100 years old, and still made delicious bread. There will have to be smoked meat on it, because we’ll have to worry about preserving meat without refrigeration. We’ll have to grow as many of our own vegetables as possible, and tomatoes are one of the easiest, most versatile, and most nutritious vegetables to grow. Lastly, it’ll have to be spicy, because heavy spice hides the taste of meat that is a few days past its prime. So I’d say my zombiefied sandwich is a bacon, lettuce, and tomato on sourdough with spicy mayonnaise.

Kirk Allmond maintains a plethora of web sites dedicated to his writing and preparedness awareness interests. They can all be found and navigated to easily enough by visiting KirkAllmond.com

Be sure to check him out. In these bloggers opinion, he is the most interesting author on the tour. Take that for what its worth.

Summer of Zombie Blog Tour - Mark Tufo

You're reading Book, Beer and Blogshit! It's the only blog that doesn't burn out your retinas with louder then life color schemes! We are your blog hosts, Mr. Frank and Mr. Jeff (of the wildly popular Books, Beer and Bullshit Podcast).

The Summer of Zombie Blog Tour extravaganza continues here with our fourth participant and he's a heavyweight in the genre. Mark Tufo has made a big name for himself in zombie fiction. His INDIAN HILL trilogy and ZOMBIE FALLOUT series land Mark Tufo at the top of the charts on Amazon.com. He has a variety of other stories as well including Tim and Tim2 which have been getting a lot of buzz lately.

We handed Mark Tufo our SoZBT interview questions. Much to our delight he did not toss them in the garbage and get on with his life. Instead he answered them with great delight in hopes that you too, Constant Follower, would find him engaging as the rest of us do.

We've wasted enough of your time so let's let Mark waste the rest of it. Enjoy the Mark Tufo Zombie Blog Tour interview:

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?

Mark Tufo: I just released Tim 2 it is a zombie book through the eyes of a self-aware zombie. The reason we need to be excite about it is because it centers around the socio-economic eccentricities of a world power on the decline...okay I’m just kidding, because it’s a dark, gory ass story about a character that has almost no redeeming qualities.

Pennywise Eat Your Heart Out

The Blogshit: What is it about zombies that keep you writing in this genre?Mark Tufo: I've tried Z.A. (zombies anonymous) to get over my addiction, but it runs deep. Ever since I was seven and my babysitting cousin thought watching Night of The Living Dead might be a good idea. I’ve been hooked ever since.

The Blogshit: With the saturation of zombie fiction in the current market, what do you do to keep your writing fresh and relevant?Mark Tufo: It is my ever evolving characters and the interplay between them that I believe keeps folks coming back for more.

The Blogshit: What makes your zombies stand apart from all the others?Mark Tufo: Umm I don’t think my zombies necessarily are abundantly different from a myriad of others walking amok out there. I do have some of them mutating as the books go on, but again they are not vastly different from Mr. Romero’s vision. It goes back to the characters that are fighting them, that is the difference.

The Blogshit: Do you write (or plan to write) outside the zombie genre?Mark Tufo: My first series of books (Indian Hill 1-3) were actually in the sci-fi realm. I also have two others (Callis Rose and The Spirit Clearing) that are more in the mainstream horror genre.

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?Mark Tufo: Don’t get me wrong I love WWZ (the book) but those things flying around that screen are about as much zombies as my dog Henry (an English Bulldog) is.

The Blogshit: Is there a need for attrition in the zombie fiction market? Mark Tufo: Is it glutted? Sure. But the audience will do the attrition. I’d never be the one to tell someone they shouldn't pursue their dream and write a book.

The Blogshit: What do you see in the future of zombies, both on the page and off?Mark Tufo: Personally I’m thinking WWZ the movie might be the peak in this cycle of zombie love. Like anything in life it waxes and wanes. The market is getting saturated with movies, books and now television shows, folks can only take so much in before they begin to tune it out...for now.

The Blogshit: We are building a menu for a fictional sandwich shop. Typically we ask what to put on the namesake of you 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?Mark Tufo: I would like a green eggs and spam sandwich (on ciabatta) Nothing says rotten flesh like green and a meat-like substance.

Mark Tufo Moonlighting As The White Flava Flav

So there he is folks! Mark Tufo, zombie writer to the stars (I'm sure at least one D level celebrity has read his work at the very minimum). We've read many but not all the writers on the Summer of Zombie Blog Tour. Mark Tufo is one we have regrettably not delved into as of yet. You can bet your bottom dollar that these bloggers are going to plunk down for Tim2 as it comes highly recommended by fellow Tourer, TW Brown (as can be heard in his podcast interview in Episode 16 of the Books, Beer and Bullshit Podcast). Do Mark, yourself and us a favor and grab some Tufo.

Now for a bit of Mark Tufo biography courtesy of the man himself as well as contact and purchasing links so you can get the goodies. Check out his web site and blog they are both uber professional looking and friend him on FaceBook, as always very accessible.

Hi my name is Mark Tufo and this is my small bio slash zombie homage. First off trying to boil your life down to a few paragraphs is like trying to get out of the house with a newborn in under 5 minutes. Those of you with kids will understand the reference. Speaking of which I have three, thankfully they are mostly grown at this point which has allowed me to pursue a writing career. I grew up a blue collar man in a blue collar family, after a stint in the Marines and then the more dangerous Post Office, I decided to educate myself and get one of those cushy white collar jobs. Well I got a few, damned thing was though I couldn’t hold on to them. Kept getting laid off. It was during these down times that I began to write, it was a way to cope with the stress of having a family that was becoming more and more difficult to support.

My wife and I put out the first Zombie Fallout book in February of 09, there was huge fan-fare, ticker tape parades and maybe even some hyperventilating from the one fan that bought the book that month. Didn’t matter much that wasn’t why I had written it in the first place. I wrote a zombie book because I’ve always been fascinated with the genre. Ever since I was 7 years old and my cousin who was babysitting thought watching Night of the Living Dead would be a good way to while away the time. I’d never been so scared and enthralled at the same time in my entire life. I devoured all things zombies, movies, books, comics. Didn’t matter much. And then during one of my lay-off periods, my wife dared me to write one. (Mostly so I’d leave her alone) And I haven’t looked back.

The Zombie Fallout series is 6 novels and 1 novella long, with Zombie Fallout 7 due in October. I have the Timothy series which is written through the eyes of a zombie (not for the faint of heart - and don’t eat and read it - you’ve been warned). And there is also the continuing saga of The Book of Riley, a zombie tale told through the eyes of Riley an American Bulldog. I don’t always write about the quasi-dead, but they’re never far from my brain! (Horrible pun but fitting - Thank you for taking a few moments to learn a little about me)


Please check me out here.Mark Tufo on Amazon.com  or marktufo.com or even on FaceBook!

Summer of Zombie Blog Tour - Julianne Snow

You're reading Books, Beer and Blogshit! It's the only blog that has satanic messages in it when read backwards!  We are your bloggers, Mr. Frank and Mr. Jeff.

We are one third of the way through our Summer of Zombie Blog Tour interviews. Since three times is a charm we figured we'd bring on a sparkling bauble of an author, Ms. Julianne Snow. That's right, this zombie fictions stuff isn't just for the fellas. Julianne Snow is showing the ladies can get it done with grit and gore as well. And maybe, just maybe be more bad ass then the boys in the process.

She's fairly new on the scene but she is one to keep an eye on. Let's tear into her brain and see what's inside. Good Readers, we present to you without any commercial interruption The Books, Beer and Blogshit interview with Julianne Snow.

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?

Julianne Snow: You absolutely need to be talking about Days with the Undead: Book One. It’s the first in a series and it follows the journey of group of (semi)prepared individuals as they move away from the point of outbreak. There are tonnes of things inside the pages to get excited about. There are zombies, though admittedly they are never referred to as such; death; mayhem; perfectly flawed characters’ moments of hope’ moments of despair; and undead chipmunks. Yes, you heard me correctly. Undead chipmunks. I dare you to look at a chipmunk without shuddering after reading my book.

High Five, Bro!

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

Julianne Snow: I love the genre. I have since I was a young girl and caught a showing of Romero’s Night of the Living Dead at the age of six. Since that moment, I’ve sought out as much of the Zombie related media that I could – books, movies, video games. I consider all of it research because you never know when you’re going to need to think fast.As for what keeps me writing in the genre – that’s simple. I have a number of stories in my head that need to be written down. I don’t choose them, they choose me. Could I set these tales against a less apocalyptic backdrop – more than likely, but it certainly wouldn’t be as much fun!

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

Julianne Snow: I read a lot of Zombie fiction, but I know there’s no way I could read it all. That being said, my stories aren’t just about the zombie and the apocalypse. I write about flawed people and how they would react. I write about ordinary circumstances made extraordinary by the situations that unfold as they arise.

The Days with the Undead series is written as a first person narrative mainly comprised of journal entries. There is no dialogue and the format truly reads as a non-fictional account. I have received compliments and criticisms for the style I chose, but in the end it’s the way the story comes to me. I take you inside the main characters head and show you the world through her eyes. It’s intense and gritty and by the end, you’d swear you were there with her through it all.

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

Julianne Snow: That’s an interesting question – my zombies don’t stand out when compared to others. They’re just zombies. But my story does stand out from others. It’s not told in the typical style. Days with the Undead gets into your head and messes with it. It’s super intense and delivers moments of epic savagery right alongside distraught hopefulness.

The Blogshit: Do you write (or plan to write) outside the zombie genre?
Julianne Snow: I do write outside the genre and have had pieces of short fiction published in anthologies and online magazines. I also have plans for longer works too. Now to find the time to write them all…

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?

Julianne Snow: I believe the effect will be a positive one. I loved Brooks’ World War Z and I cannot wait to see it on the big screen. I’m very interested to see how they’re going to fill in the blanks that Brooks left and if they’ll leave it open for a sequel.

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

Julianne Snow: As long as there are readers hungry for the stories, I see no reason to limit what they have access to. There are a lot of talented writers creating within the genre and voracious readers will eventually weed out what they won’t give a second chance to without needing our help. That’s the beauty of the written word – we can write it, but we need the readers to read it.The Blogshit: What do you see in the future of zombies, both on the page and off?

Julianne Snow:  I see dead people…Fictional dead people. The genre is going to follow the typical cyclical trend of popularity to obscurity to popularity again. There will be the mainstays that never change and many of the addicts (myself included) will worship greats like Romero forever.
Oh and unfortunately, I see the Zombie Apocalypse as inevitable. One day, a few cells will align and the world will never be the same.
The Blogshit: We are building a menu for a fictional sandwich shop. Typically we ask what to put on the namesake of you 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?
Julianne Snow: Brain, Lung and Tomato on toasted marble rye with a side of intestines covered in a head cheese and liver gravy. Mmmm delicious!

What a woman! We suggest you check in on Julianne's work and see what it's all about. We are sure you won't be disappointed. We've added a brief bio on Julianne and a set of links to various ways and means to get your eyes on her work:

It was while watching Romero's Night of the Living Dead at the tender age of 6 which solidified Julianne’s respect for the Undead. Since that day, she has been preparing herself for the (inevitable) Zombie Apocalypse. While classically trained in all of the ways to defend herself, she took up writing in order to process the desire she now covets; to bestow a second and final death upon the Undead. As the only girl growing up in a family with four children in the Canadian countryside, Julianne needed some form of escape. Her choice was the imaginations of others which only fostered the vibrancy of her own.

Days with the Undead: Book One is her first full-length book, the basis of which can be found in her popular web serial of the same name. Along with many zombie shorts published on her blog, she has a story in Women of the Living Dead as well as two zombie pieces; a standalone short and a collection releasing the summer of 2013. Julianne’s second novel in her Days with the Undead series will also be released in 2013. Stay tuned!

Social Media Links:

Twitter: @CdnZmbiRytr

Facebook: Julianne Snow

FB Fan Page: Days with the Undead

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/cdnzmbirytr/

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/110149434437717424445/posts

Goodreads: Julianne Snow

Amazon Author Page: Julianne Snow

Blogs: Days with the Undead & The FlipSide of Julianne & The Randomness of Julianne

Days with the Undead: Book One

Synopsis:

It’s a journal of survival.

Five people set out to escape the Undead who have risen too close to home. Join the emotional and physical struggle as they began on the third day after the awakening of Brooks VanReit, as they are recorded from the point of view of Julie, a former pathologist and part-time survivalist.

Each entry is geared toward helping those who want to help themselves and maybe give a few that don’t a swift kick in the ass. Join our group of survivors on their journey through these Days with the Undead.

Links for Purchase:

Amazon: US, Canada, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Japan, Brazil

CreateSpace (Print)

Smashwords (Kindle, Kobo, Nook, Sony)

Barnes & Noble

Kobo

Apple

Summer of Zombie Blog Tour - TW Brown

You're reading Books, Beer and Blogshit! It's the only blog that keeps Todd Brown and Armand Rosamilia battling over most appearances on a single internet venue. We are your bloggers Mr. Frank and Mr. Jeff.

Welcome back to the Summer of Zombie Blog Tour 2013. This time around we are playing by the rules and with good reason. We are taking author TW Brown to task and being a two time veteran of the Books, Beer and Bullshit Podcast, we know that Todd holds back no punches. TW Brown is nothing if not brutally honest and it shows in his answers to our nine questions.

TW Brown has appeared twice on the Books, Beer and Bullshit Podcast (much to Armand Rosamilia's chagrin.) He is featured in both Episode 7 and Episode 16 of the podcast. Have a listen after you read his interview here.

So we present to you, TW Brown taking on the Books, Beer and Blogshit Summer of Zombie Interview. It's in your face!

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?



TW Brown: My newest release, May 30th, is Dead: Confrontation, the sixth book in the DEAD series (however, the fifth Zomblog, Zomblog: Snoe’s War is out late June so…). I think it is the best one yet and it really does finally give the reader a chance to catch their breath. This was the longest entry of the series and is almost big enough in paperback format to be used as a weapon if the zombie apocalypse does kick off…so it has multiple uses.

As for what is inside, Steve’s continuing story, the Geeks, and all the Vignettes. A few of the story lines come to their end for better or worse…and I have a character named George Rosamilia…so that’s fun.

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



TW Brown: I think you can write a good zombie story that goes beyond a bunch of people being torn apart. I think it gives you the opportunity to delve into the human psyche and peel some layers like a big onion.



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



TW Brown: Quality. It sounds brash, but the reality is that there is a lot of stuff out there…I like to give the zombie fan a bit more credit than so many people seem to think they deserve. I think lovers of the genre are ready for some meaty stuff with intricate storylines and a cast of characters that rival some of the classics in horror like The Stand. They want character growth and development…and fallibility.



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



TW Brown: Well, there are the “cry-baby” zombies…I think that I was one of the earlier people who toyed with the idea of immunity. The bite is not a death sentence and that allows for me to play with some of the emotional aspects.



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


TW Brown: I do. I actually started outside the genre with my time travel-ish story, Dakota. In addition, I just released my first full-length story in the horror/comedy series That Ghoul Ava and The Queen of the Zombies.

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?


TW Brown: That will depend on if the movie turns out to be another Ishtar. If it is done well, whether it sticks to the actual book or not is irrelevant, then t will be a nice little bump.



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


TW Brown: I think there already is. I've seen a few names drop by the wayside. Too many thought that this was a quick ticket to fame and fortune. Like so many other people who think lottery tickets are a sound retirement savings strategy, they just did not get the big picture. Contrary to what many people believe, this is actually work. In fact, I spend more hours at work now than I ever did when I was an office jock. The get-rich-quick folks are scurrying back to the safety of their “real” jobs now that they understand this is kinda hard.



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


TW Brown: I think it has gone past the “fad” stage and is fully entrenched in mainstream like never before. This has the added benefit of bringing more people in to take a look. Also, with graphic novels and the cable channels all coming on line, I think a few guys will hit that “winning lottery ticket”. And if I had to name names, I would say John O’Brien and Mark Tufo are leading candidates. Tufo has Spike TV written all over his Talbot story



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?



TW Brown: Bacon, salami, pepperoni, ham, swiss cheese, wasabi mustard, red onions, tomato, and avocado.

There it is folks, TW Brown sugar coats nothing and we love that about him. Check out TW Brown's Zomblog and DEAD series. Both are solid franchises in the realm of zombies. Before we go we would like to give you a bit more info on TW Brown and all the places you can find him. Once again, like most if not all of the authors on the tour, Todd is very approachable in social media so don't hesitate to follow, like and comment with him on Facebook, Twitter and his blog.




Todd (TW) Brown is the author of the DEAD series and the Zomblog series. He is also the editor for May December Publications with numerous anthologies to his credit as well as the full length works of authors such as Mark Tufo, John O' Brien, Chantal Boudreau, Robert Dean, and Bennie Newsome.

You can begin your search of his available titles here:
http://www.amazon.com/TW-Brown/e/B00363NQI6 or get even more in tune by visiting his blog: http://twbrown.blogspot.com/