Some days the evil loose in the world can’t be beaten by two fists, a trusty sidekick, and a pump shotgun.
Some nights reek of deep time, musty tombs, and creatures spawned from beyond the stars.
When monsters attack, you need heroes with a strong moral compass...and a little supernatural help.
Adventures in the Arcane contains four fantastic stories of pulp heroes, werewolves, pirates, and wizards. Prepare to be thrilled! A Syndicate Production featuring the work of Mark Boss, S. Brady Calhoun, Lou Columbus, Jayson Kretzer and Tony Simmons.
PANAMA CITY
— I never dream about zombies, which is surprising given how thoroughly the
creatures have saturated our media and culture.
I don’t need to run down the list of movies, TV
shows, books, comics and video games that use them as fodder for storytelling. Or
remind you that “The Walking Dead” is one of the most popular series on TV. But
did you know:
•The Centers for Disease Control used a “zombie
outbreak” to explore how people can prepare themselves for longterm survival in
the event of a fast-moving contagion. >>Read the PDF<<
•Ace Hardware created a “Zombie Preparedness Guide”
to suggest tools and supplies do-it-yourselfers should have on hand for
emergencies.
•University
of Michigan epidemiology students
learned how to handle a disaster via a zombie response drill.
And that’s just scratching (and clawing) the
surface.
Yet I never dreamed about zombies — except this one
time when I did. I awoke from the dream only seconds into it, as I came to
realize that I was not only surrounded by the undead, but I was one of them. I looked
around at the carnage, realized what my future held ... and woke up, thinking,
“This would make a cool story.”
Seeking to understand the dream, I did what anyone
in this day and age would do, which is consult Dr. Google. He (or possibly she)
said that such dreams indicate a person is feeling disconnected from others and
“your own inner landscape,” whatever that means. The proper response to such a
dream includes looking at aspects of my life and determining how “to reconnect
and feel whole again.”
Thanks a lot, Dr. Google.
My way of reconnecting with myself is to write,
because I don’t know what I’m thinking until I write it down and sort it out. I
chose to meet the dream head-on, exploring its meaning as fiction. That
required figuring out how to relate a tale from the point of view of a zombie —
a conscious being with no conscience, who sees living humans as food and other
zombies as competition.
I’m a pretty imaginative guy, but that stretched
even my brainpan. The effort was disturbing, distressing, and ultimately
cathartic in many ways — in that by playing out these various narrative
scenarios, I could share how dangerous such a mindset would be, and how it
could bend even the most selfless people in its orbit to become frightening
beings as well.
The sad truth is that we all know someone like that
(well, maybe not as extreme) — out for themselves only, at the expense of
everyone else around them — sinister, manipulative, secretive and destructive.
And sometimes it feels like the only way to beat them is to become them.
The result, for better or worse, is my new novel,
“This Mortal Flesh.”
It has been out in ebook format since Feb. 7, and is
now in paperback. We’re celebrating the launch with a gathering at St. AndrewsCoffee House and Bistro 5-7 p.m. Saturday. Host James Pigneri is prepping some
finger food and refreshments, and his baristas are concocting a couple of
specialty zombie potions for the evening. >>Check out the event page here.<<
We’ll have some “live” zombies on hand to creep you
out and take photos with you.
Stop by and say hello. Pick up a book, if that’s
your thing. Tell us what you think will happen on Sunday’s season finale of
“The Walking Dead” (check out my friend Brad
Milner's "Blogging Dead" entries to see what he thinks will happen).
Just don’t be a zombie. And don’t let them ruin your
life.
It ain't the cover o'the Rolling Stone, but I'm not complaining.
Panama City Living magazine came out this week with a story titled "Read Local Authors" by my friend, Lou Columbus. Lou took some great photos for the article, which focuses on me (specifically, "This Mortal Flesh") and our mutual friend Michael Lister (and his new novel, "Innocent Blood").
Lou is a talented film maker/videographer and writer; he's a top reviewer at Amazon.com, reads for audiobooks and short stories, writes short fiction, and now can add magazine writer to his resume.
This is as good a time as any to remind everyone that we're celebrating the print debut of "This Mortal Flesh" at a book launch event this Saturday, March 28, from 5 to 7 p.m. at St. Andrews Coffee House & Bistro, 1006 Beck Ave., Panama City.
Enjoy food and free refreshments, have your photo taken with "live" zombies, and hear the author reading selections from the novel. Commiserate over the impending zombie apocalypse, and speculate how The Walking Dead will end its fifth season on Sunday.
Here's the book trailer (also by Lou Columbus), in case you've missed it:
Did I mention the book got noticed by the folks over at Lousy Book Covers? Having taken a look at other covers on the site, I'm pleased to say that mine has to be one of the best of the worst. And since there's no such thing as "bad publicity," all that matters is that people notice, talk about it, and get out the word — I hope.
Finally, a request: If you have read the book, then please go to the Amazon page and take just a minute or two to give it some stars and write a short review. Reviews help boost notice to the book, which boosts sales. Which means I'd owe you a solid.
My friend, Lou Columbus, a videographer, writer and audio story narrator, created this trailer for my most recent novel, "The Book of Gabriel: An Endtimes Fable."
He used footage from this shoot on the shore of St. Andrew Bay, as well as found footage, and a photograph of Marisa, on whom I based the personality and image of the angel Joy; the text shown on the background of each scene is taken from the book and corresponds in some way to the scenes being depicted. I think he did a great job.
I hope you'll watch the trailer (1 minute) and check out the book, which is available in trade paperback and Kindle editions from Amazon.
It's the story of Gabriel Jones, a man at the end of his rope who finds himself drafted into a celestial war, fighting fallen angels and heavenly hosts on the side of Shekinah, the female aspect of God. They take some advice from Cain, the first murderer, who lives outside of Eden Gardens State Park. Borrow a ride from Elijah, who likes cars with flames on the side. Meet the Watchers who hover in the night sky over Gulf Breeze.
Dream of new lives in other worlds, and awake to find them true. Step through a door into the torture rooms of Hell, and walk the wilderness with Lilith, first wife of Adam. Stand on the edge of the world, part the sea, and raise the light of hope in a world where Lucifer is lord of all.
