Wednesday, July 25, 2012



soundcloud.com/jig-n-eddie/zo THOROUGH REVIEW OF AND RT! COMMENT & REVIEW

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Blog of the Living dead: Aftereffects: Zombie Therapy-- The Book Review

Blog of the Living dead: Aftereffects: Zombie Therapy-- The Book Review: Just finished up "AfterEffects:  Zombie Therapy" by Zane Bradey .  The synopsis of this novel is unique, and intrigued me immediately....

Monday, May 28, 2012



Sirens Call Publications releases their first Anthology titled


“Childhood Nightmares: Under the Bed”


Twelve tales of nightmares. Twelve talented authors. One book – Childhood Nightmares: Under the Bed. Delve into the remembered horrors of a child’s mind; where teddy’s morph into monsters and the small sliver of light is enough to reassure you. Just don’t blame us if your forgotten fears well back up to the surface…

Those whispered tales of monsters hiding under the bed, or of the demons lurking in the shadowy corner where we dare not glance for fear that seeing them will make them all too real. Oh, how the innocent landscape of a child’s imagination lends fertile soil to horrors ready to be sown on the slightest of sounds; the tales and the terror they wreak on our youthful minds never quite leaves us.


We asked the authors in this collection to reach into the forgotten recesses of their twisted minds and share with us the tales of nightmares that can only thrive in the hidden corners of a child’s imaginings; the bogeyman under the bed, the outlandishly fiendish creature lurking in the dark, the slight murmur of sound coming from the hall… did you close the door completely?

Explore the myriad terrors that only a child can twist from nothing into some ‘thing’ in the span of a single rapid breath. Do you dare delve into your own memories? Perhaps you’ll start sleeping with the lights on again...


Tell us, who is Under the Bed?



Contributing Authors:  Colin F. Barnes, Nina D'Arcangela, Phil Hickes, Amber Keller,

Kim Krodel, Lisamarie Lamb, John McIlveen, Kate Monroe, Brandon Scott,

Joshua Skye, Julianne Snow, and Jack Wallen



Explore a copy of Childhood Nightmares: Under the Bed as either an eBook or in print format available at:


                Smashwords.com (Kindle, Nook, Kobo, Sony, PDF)

Print:     Amazon.com, CreatSpace.com



Peruse excerpts of selected stories that have haunted us since reading Childhood Nightmares: Under the Bed:



‘The Confession of a Confirmed Has-Been’ - John McIlveen

“I behaved for the first three months. I simply observed the Hansons’ way of life, as I had with the two previous families. In my condition I witness traits and habits often unnoticed by people in a more physical state, like Scott's insistent nose picking and compulsion to wipe his findings on my fireplace, or Bruce’s fixation with himself. If he spent any more time flexing in front of a mirror, I fear he'd get himself pregnant.

I do grant people the privacy of their bedrooms and the facilities, I’m not immoral - though discovering that Karen roams the house in nature's garb when alone was pleasing. I may be dead, but I’m still a man.

My condition is also what allows me to view Kimberly with utmost anonymity. In my spectral cloak, I track Kimberly about the house, watching as she involved herself in childhood fantasies, oblivious to all else. I walked with her through the garden, rejoiced with her, celebrating each discovery with open-eyed wonder. I wallowed in that beautiful youthfulness that fades as we become involved in the trivialities of adulthood…”



‘Excess Baggage’ - Lisamarie Lamb

“And now Nigel could see someone. A small, round man in a pair of white trousers and a deep blue shirt, sweat circles staining his underarms, his stomach straining the buttons running down his chest, down his stomach. The man’s curly dark hair rippled in the sunlight as he bobbed his head up and down. He was peering out of a small gap between two houses. He was smiling, beckoning to Nigel; and when Nigel moved towards him his smile began a grin, all teeth and harmless joviality.

Nigel went to the man against his better judgment. He went against his worst judgment, feeling strangely calm about it all, despite thinking he had wandered far too far, into a bad area. Into the sort of area a tourist shouldn’t go. And he had been caught. He felt rather stupid about the whole thing, and rather sad about leaving Maggie and Bob. But there was a certain inevitability about it all.

Even if Nigel couldn’t quite remember why…”



‘Timothy’ - Joshua Skye

Quivering from fear, her teeth rattling in her little head, hands trembling, she stared into the deep darkness to catch any movement; the twinkling of an eye perhaps. Anything to let her know where he was, out there in the darkness. There was nothing for a long time.

“Where are you?” she muttered in a squeaky voice. Something moved in her peripheral vision. She turned. Fast, but not fast enough. Perhaps it was nothing more than a shadow that had just blended with the dark. “Timothy, you stop it. You stop it right now.” She tried to sound like her mother, to mimic her authoritative tone, but it hadn’t worked. Her voice had cracked and it trembled with her apprehension. “I know it’s you,” she whispered, more to herself than to him.

She started to cry, she couldn’t help it. Her tears streamed down her tiny face and there was a lump forming in her throat. She had to fight to swallow; she had to fight to breathe.

Timothy began to mock her. “Timothy, please. Stop it, Timothy! Go away, Timothy.” The sinister, scratchy voice seemed to come from everywhere, the shadows, the darkness, under the desk, from behind the stuffed animals, under the bed…”



Wait more? Please visit the Sirens Call Publications web site for an extended preview available for download.

Saturday, May 5, 2012

The Zombie: Undead vs. Contagion

 

The classic George Romero film “Night of the Living Dead” breathed life into our understanding of what a zombie is. Romero captured all of the basic human elements of fear. His monsters were the embodiment of that which we fear the most. The fact that we see the zombies literally rising from the grave in a cemetery, not just figuratively, reflects our mortality. When I watched this film as a kid it struck the same chord for me as the proverbial things that go bump in the night.
The feeling of hopelessness, being outnumbered, and overwhelmed combined with the threat of becoming one of the monsters after death cultivated our heightened sense of being the prey (or simply…made us consider what it would be like to be the prey, for a change). We are so far up on the food chain and so disconnected from the natural order of things that we have no real connection with being the hunter or the hunted anymore. Romero was able to tap in to our primal fears, capture our imagination, and allow us to put ourselves in the place of the characters.
A thick fog of desensitization fell upon our society in the years after Romero’s work of art. Films were colorized. Stunts, visual effects, and computer generated graphics caved in our imaginations and left the work up to our eyes and ears rather than our minds. We became unafraid of the proverbial boogeyman. This was a gradual process at first, but with the explosion of technological advancements, the film industry’s ability to illustrate demons and ghouls in vivid detail ruined the public’s ability to be entertained by a good story if it lacked the new enhancements of the digital age.
I don’t mean to say that none of the movies made with these elements are good, although I do personally enjoy classic films over most of the flashy modern versions. What I will point out is that if you took away the glamorous high definition gore and graphics and compared them side by side to the classics, many of them would not stand a chance. The technological advancements in the film industry are more often used as a crutch than they are an augmentation to a well developed story.
Where did we go from there? In reverse, I believe. The zombies of our past were turned into something people could finally be afraid of again. They were given life. We saw the birth of the contagion zombie. Society became too smart and desensitized to fear something that they couldn’t believe in, such as corpses rising from their graves to walk the earth and devour the living. The nightly news was filled with more terrifying stories than our theatres, until someone had the idea to combine the two. With pandemic after pandemic being broadcasted over the airwaves by credible government agencies, threats such as H1N1, bird-flu, and SARS became the new monster under the bed. It scared us, because we became able to place ourselves in the role of the victim. Once again, our good friend the zombie, albeit in a much different form, came back to haunt us.
Where are we headed, now that this virus-infected zombie format appears to be the norm? Are we doomed to watch this storyline be regurgitated and enhanced by computers until it no longer registers on our fear meters? I hope not. I don’t think history is repeating itself in this way. In fact, I think it is quite the opposite. It has been a pleasure to watch the excellent writers behind the Walking Dead series bridge the gap between these two opposing characteristics. By going back to the age-old “undead” zombie, yet utilizing the raw talent of make-up artists and filming techniques, we have been able to witness a new hybrid. This is, first and foremost, a good story with a well developed plot and a strong set of characters. The special effects teams and film crew do a fantastic job of augmenting a great story, without stealing the show. When the two come together, it becomes a best of both worlds scenario.
Another unsung set of heroes who are bringing us back to our roots are the independent film makers. Many of these films are made with a low-budget or, at times, practically no budget at all. Revenue is generated for filming through campaigning with various social media outlets and good old-fashioned fundraising efforts. I like to think that it’s the hard work, dedication, and the fact that this is a labor of love for these folks that are the reasons why many of these films are so great. By having limited resources, we see creativity at is best. I can only imagine that George is proud of these efforts to take us back to a place that could have been so easily lost.

Friday, April 20, 2012


Zane Bradey's short story "The Watcher" featured in this month's The Sirens Call. The cost of a subscription is $6 for 6 issues. They are a great group with an awesome product. 

http://www.sirenscallpublications.com/ezine.htm

Monday, April 9, 2012

Carole Gill Official Author Blog: Monster Face Off By Julianne Snow!

Carole Gill Official Author Blog: Monster Face Off By Julianne Snow!: I am so honored to be stopping on Carole Gill’s site as a part of my book tour for Days with the Undead: Book One. As a huge fan of hers, I ...

Sunday, April 8, 2012

The Dirty Rotten Show: The Dirty Rotten Show - ep9 - 3.31.12

The Dirty Rotten Show: The Dirty Rotten Show - ep9 - 3.31.12: The Dirty Rotten Show - ep9 - 3.31.12 WOW! This  has got to be the most unprepared group of slackers ever to walk the face of the earth! Di...

Friday, April 6, 2012

The Leaky Quill: Jaguar Sun Book Tour Podcast!

The Leaky Quill: Jaguar Sun Book Tour Podcast!: Hi everyone! I'm so excited to be hosting what is by far the most exciting stop on the tour! To celebrate the end of the first week, I...

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

The Zombie: Undead vs. Contagion

The classic George Romero film “Night of the Living Dead” breathed life into our understanding of what a zombie is. Romero captured all of the basic human elements of fear. His monsters were the embodiment of that which we fear the most. The fact that we see the zombies literally rising from the grave in a cemetery, not just figuratively, reflects our mortality. When I watched this film as a kid it struck the same chord for me as the proverbial things that go bump in the night.
The feeling of hopelessness, being outnumbered, and overwhelmed combined with the threat of becoming one of the monsters after death cultivated our heightened sense of being the prey (or simply…made us consider what it would be like to be the prey, for a change). We are so far up on the food chain and so disconnected from the natural order of things that we have no real connection with being the hunter or the hunted anymore.  Romero was able to tap in to our primal fears, capture our imagination, and allow us to put ourselves in the place of the characters.
A thick fog of desensitization fell upon our society in the years after Romero’s work of art. Films were colorized. Stunts, visual effects, and computer generated graphics caved in our imaginations and left the work up to our eyes and ears rather than our minds. We became unafraid of the proverbial boogeyman. This was a gradual process at first, but with the explosion of technological advancements, the film industry’s ability to illustrate demons and ghouls in vivid detail ruined the public’s ability to be entertained by a good story if it lacked the new enhancements of the digital age.
I don’t mean to say that none of the movies made with these elements are good, although I do personally enjoy classic films over most of the flashy modern versions. What I will point out is that if you took away the glamorous high definition gore and graphics and compared them side by side to the classics, many of them would not stand a chance. The technological advancements in the film industry are more often used as a crutch than they are an augmentation to a well developed story.
Where did we go from there? In reverse, I believe. The zombies of our past were turned into something people could finally be afraid of again. They were given life. We saw the birth of the contagion zombie.  Society became too smart and desensitized to fear something that they couldn’t believe in, such as corpses rising from their graves to walk the earth and devour the living. The nightly news was filled with more terrifying stories than our theatres, until someone had the idea to combine the two. With pandemic after pandemic being broadcasted over the airwaves by credible government agencies, threats such as H1N1, bird-flu, and  SARS became the new monster under the bed. It scared us, because we became able to place ourselves in the role of the victim. Once again, our good friend the zombie, albeit in a much different form, came back to haunt us.
Where are we headed, now that this virus-infected zombie format appears to be the norm? Are we doomed to watch this storyline be regurgitated and enhanced by computers until it no longer registers on our fear meters? I hope not. I don’t think history is repeating itself in this way. In fact, I think it is quite the opposite. It has been a pleasure to watch the excellent writers behind the Walking Dead series bridge the gap between these two opposing characteristics. By going back to the age-old “undead” zombie, yet utilizing the raw talent of make-up artists and filming techniques, we have been able to witness a new hybrid. This is, first and foremost, a good story with a well developed plot and a strong set of characters. The special effects teams and film crew do a fantastic job of augmenting a great story, without stealing the show. When the two come together, it becomes a best of both worlds scenario.
Another unsung set of heroes who are bringing us back to our roots are the independent film makers. Many of these films are made with a low-budget or, at times, practically no budget at all. Revenue is generated for filming through campaigning with various social media outlets and good old-fashioned fundraising efforts. I like to think that it’s the hard work, dedication, and the fact that this is a labor of love for these folks that are the reasons why many of these films are so great. By having limited resources, we see creativity at is best. I can only imagine that George is proud of these efforts to take us back to a place that could have been so easily lost.

Here is an example of an indie film project worth taking a look at. I’ve had the pleasure of watching this grow from its infancy into what I am confident will be a horrifically great finished product.
http://www.indywood.co.uk/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0902292/

Saturday, March 31, 2012

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Have You Heard My Book Review: After Effects:Zombie Therapy by Zane Bradey

Have You Heard My Book Review: After Effects:Zombie Therapy by Zane Bradey:    Dr. Victor Frenzel lives a normal, quiet life with his wife Barbara. They are very much in love and that's what makes her death even hard...

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

A Starving Writer's Work: Zombie Fresh Body Spray

A Starving Writer's Work: Zombie Fresh Body Spray: Do people cringe when you walk by? Do flies follow you wherever you go? Maybe it's time you tried: It's the 1st deodorized body spray for t...

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Thank you Jackie Miller from mytowerofbooks.blogspot.com

Review: VIA  http://mytowerofbooks.blogspot.com/2012/03/review-aftereffects-zombie-therapy-from.html   From Jackie Miller @MyTowerofBooks

I found this book via Twitter and decided it sounded pretty awesome and worth a shot for the small price of $.99. How could I possibly resist?

This is a little gem of a zombie book that must be read! The premise is that the masses are infected and zombies are roaming and eating whoever they can lay hands on . . . BUT then a cure is administered and these individuals are 'cured' and sent on their merry way. We learn the stories of a few of these people as they are going to zombie therapy with Dr. Victor Frenzel. But this is no ordinary therapist and he's got his own agenda while 'helping' his patients. Each individual story that we hear from Dr. Frenzel's patients will pull you in and make your heart race and maybe make you go 'Eww' at some point too. I read it in one sitting and couldn't put it down.

Aftereffects was a gorey, thought-provoking, zombie-y, heart-pounding adrenaline rush. And pure genius. I loved it from start to finish. It's not a very long read and that would be my only complaint. This first book ends with the door wide open for a sequel which will hopefully be out sometime this year. You zombie fans should give this one a try!

Friday, March 16, 2012

Put Your Undead Hands Together and Welcome Horror Author Julianne Snow...




My name is Julianne Snow and I kill zombies. Literally. Okay… Not literally, but in literature. I’m currently on my first virtual book tour in support of my newly released book Days with the Undead: Book One. It’s about Zombies so if you like that sort of thing, consider giving it a read. Now back to the task at hand –




"As soon as Max started the craft’s engine, a noise came out of the woods to our backs. As I hurried to release the moorings, I ordered Ben and Bob to get the rest of our gear and themselves into the boat as soon as possible. I remember thinking, feeling almost intuitively that we didn’t have time to waste.



Somehow I knew that noise was being made by them.


The noise we were hearing is hard to explain. It was like the sound of a stampede of cattle, only softer, more ominous. Ominous only because we know that only a significant number of the Undead would be able to make that much noise. The sound waves pushed at us, allowing us to feel their approach. If this is what it felt like to be on the front line during wars fought on the battlefields of old, I now understand what it must have felt like to stare down your enemy as it marched forward. You knew they were coming."

  

The Hallmarks of a Credible Zombie: A Purist’s Perspective

Credibility. That is an important word. There are a multitude of Zombie archetypes out there at the moment, and who is to say what is credible or not? While I write, I am a purist and that’s something I cannot hide. Please note the title again - everything that I plan to include in here is going to be from that purist standpoint. While I can appreciate each of the different archetypes, they are outside of our scope today. One might wonder what the hallmarks of a credible Zombie may be. For the most part they fall into four related but unique categories. Let’s begin by discussing the first.

Human versus Animal: From the purist standpoint, a credible zombie was once human. Sure, animals may be infinitely creepy, but it the breakdown and takeover of humanity that speaks the most. In Days with the Undead: Book One, I do break this rule slightly but when you read it, you can certainly see how effective that can be. The psychology of this can be demonstrated by the fact that as we stare into the faces of the Undead, all we see is ourselves reflected back at us. A bloated, putrefied and decomposing version, but it’s a reflection of our faces all the same. Part of the thing that makes the Zombie such a formidable enemy is that reflection of humanity. It’s not recognizable in intent but it is in form. Someone famous once said that our greatest enemy will be ourselves…

Mobility, Speed and the Effects of Decomposition: This next aspect is one that many factions debate intently. My knowledge of how the human body works and what happens after death makes it impossible to believe that there is no way a credible Zombie could move quickly or in a coordinated manner. That’s just fact. Dead tissues are meant to decompose; that is the natural order of life. Even in the unnatural order of the Undead, decomposition is still something that has to occur. As the tissues, tendons and muscles start to break down, it’s going to have a direct effect on how easily a body can move. Once tissue dies, there is nothing that can halt the natural process of decomposition forever. The process of embalming can certainly slow it down via the act of preservation, but nothing can halt it all together. The longer the living dead walk the earth, the greater the extent of decomposition that one would expect to see. Without the natural order in an unnatural situation, nothing is going to make much sense. There are certain things we have to bank on and this is one of them.

Lack of Sensory Deprivation: The classic archetype always comes equipped with an uncanny compass that cleverly seeks out humanity. It’s against the natural order of death but… The Undead have a unique way of changing some of the rules on us. For some reason they can see, they can hear, and they can track you without fail. This distinct lack of sensory deprivation is what makes the classic, purist archetype a greater reflection of humanity. This may seem in direction opposition to the effects of decomposition but it is important to note that while decomposition is a natural factor, a Zombie’s left over sensory abilities are a supernatural factor.

Insatiable Need to Destroy: What makes any zombie a force to be reckoned with? It’s the relentlessness with which they pursue the living, reducing it to all that is horrible and destitute. It’s this insatiable need to destroy that defines their existence. The classic Zombie consumes everything though not necessarily in the classic definition of the word. Not only are they driven to consume flesh but they eat away at the tissues of humanity and of hope. They gnaw away at it until there is nothing left. It’s that facet that makes them ultimately so dangerous - once our humanity is gone, what really separates us from them? Nothing. The scary thing is that the sense of hope never dies until the last possible moment. Humanity will always believe that it can outsmart and escape its weaker and slower counterpart and this example is no different. If you’ve ever seen Romero’s original Night of the Living Dead, I’m sure you’ve thought to yourself - why didn’t they just run when they had the chance? Why did they let them close in before attempting to escape? It was the misjudgment of an adversary (read humanity) that caused them to wait. We react only at the last second not fully realizing that being proactive would have saved our lives. We react only when the foe is coming at us in increasing numbers. One or two are never an issue, but one or two hundred of the shambling corpses always prove to be.

So to sum everything up, the purist version of the Zombie is one that reflects humanity in form and moves at reduced speed with little coordination as it is decomposing. They supernaturally retain quite a few of the senses they had while human, and have an insatiable need to destroy. I could maintain that the purist archetype is the scariest one, but I’ll leave that up to you to decide.



Press Release - Days with the Undead: Book One by Julianne Snow

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.
ISBN: 1468007998
ISBN-13: 978-1468007992

Available in print and digital formats.
Purchase Links - Print:
Purchase Link - Digital:

About the Author - Julianne Snow
It was while watching Romero's Night of the Living Dead at the tender age of 6 that solidified Julianne’s respect of 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. The horror and forensic/crime thriller genres top her list of favourites, but she can never turn down a good science fiction, fantasy or mystery read.
Julianne appears in the anthology Women of the Living Dead with a story entitled The Living Dead at Penderghast Manor. Look for her short stories in future anthologies. 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.
Date Released - February 29th, 2012

Monday, March 12, 2012

Thank you Melodee Miller for the kind blog!

Today, I would like to direct the spotlight to the author of Aftereffects: Zombie Therapy, Mr. +Zane Bradey!

Far from a fearful character as the notion of zombies conjures, Zane Brady is one of the kindest souls you'll ever meet. Born in Michigan, just outside of East Lansing, where he still lives with his beautiful wife and six little zombies, horror has always been his genre. His early writings were short stories, published in anthologies and young fiction magazines. He was even more successful with literary fiction, but his heart has always been in the horror classics, and his mind, has always been on zombies. In 2011, he set out to write his first zombie novel, "Aftereffects: Zombie Therapy," and he is now reaping the rewards of its tremendous success. Congratulations Zane!

For more about "the zombie guy" and his new book "Aftereffects: Zombie Therapy," visit http://www.zanebradey.com/index.html
Home Aftereffects Zombie Therapy Zane Bradey Author
One day you are an average citizen, carrying on with everyday mundane tasks, the next, you are a fiendish zombie looking to tear off, and eat the flesh of every family member, friend, neighbor, and st...
Thank you Nathaniel Connors for the 5 star review!

Aftereffects: Zombie Therapy (From the Case Files of Dr. Victor Frenzel)

I read Zane’s book in one day, that’s how locked in I was to the story. So many zombie stories deal with the present, but Zane brings us a world where zombies have been cured, and those that were once infected, assimilated back into their lives and society.
Following the work of psychiatrist Dr. Frenzel, his patients relive the vivid and grim details of their brief cannibalistic lives and deal with the emotions and reality of the atrocities they have committed. Each patient brings in a new gut-wrenching perspective of the lives destroyed by the infected and keeps the reader anticipating each new case file.
Zane Bradey has definitely added an entirely new chapter and view of the zombie apocalypse! If you’re a true zombie enthusiast you have to read this book.
You can download on your Kindle at Aftereffects: Zombie Therapy (From the Case Files of Dr. Victor Frenzel)

http://nathanielconnors.com/?page_id=43

THE DARKEST HOUR 03/12 by THE DARKEST HOUR | Blog Talk Radio

THE DARKEST HOUR 03/12 by THE DARKEST HOUR | Blog Talk Radio

Saturday, February 25, 2012

The Leaky Quill: I'm Taking the Plunge!

The Leaky Quill: I'm Taking the Plunge!: JAGUAR SUN BLOG TOUR APRIL 2 - APRIL 20 KINDLE GIVEAWAY WITH JAGUAR SUN GELASKIN FREE DOWNLOAD DAYS ON Visit My Tour Pag...

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Random Horror: Rage!

Random Horror: Rage!: Being fairly new to the reviewing game, I was anxious to see what would be revealed from the first ever screener I had been sent. That sc...

Monday, February 6, 2012

Tom H's Blog of Horror: Upcoming Horror Web Series!

Tom H's Blog of Horror: Upcoming Horror Web Series!: Twenty Five missing people since 1980.... The disappearances always led to a dead end, no suspects and no arrests… Nobody has ever ha...