New Review for Zombie Complex

One of the biggest challenges for an independent author is getting reviews.  However, they've been trickling in for Zombie Complex:  The Battle for Chattahoochee Run.  Today, I learned that Zombie Complex was reviewed by Susie of Bookworm Reviews and earned 5 out of 5 stars.  The work of book reviewers and book bloggers is especially valuable since they read plenty of books and let authors know how we are doing in comparison with others in our genre and the book universe.

I tried hard to make the characters real in Zombie Complex and the reviewer appreciated it.

Now this book shows how a real zombie apocalypse would have gone down, forget what Hollywood shows you 'Zombie Complex: The Battle for Chattahoochee Run' by Alexander Pain shows how real people try to stay alive. (Read the whole review on Bookworm Reviews.)


Of course, good reviews also pose a challenge.  They add motivation to my writing efforts and they  challenge me to keep quality high!

Reviews help Zombie Complex take off!

The Hand - Flash Fiction translated into French

With all the fine translators available on the web, I was wondering what one of my flash fiction stories would look like in French.  I thought readers in France, Quebec, and in the French-speaking world might enjoy joining my zombie apocalypse.  Thus, I chose to translate my short short story, The Hand, using the free SYSTRAN translator online.  Here is the resulting fiction de zombi!

Photo by BKleinWiki [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], from Wikimedia Commons

La Main

Quelque chose morte était au milieu de la rue.  Elle avait attiré un meurtre entier des corneilles affamées. Ils picotaient à elle, poussaient des cris perçants à l'un l'autre, et combattaient au-dessusde elle. C'était une main humaine. J'ai regardéautour pour un humain. Mais, personne j'ai vudésormais l'ajustement cette description.

J'ai combattu de retour ma bile. Je n'ai pas ditn'importe qui. Karen conduisait. Vijay était dans ledos essayant désespérément d'arrêter lesaignement de Charan. J'ai maintenu mon doigtrépertorié le long de la glissière. J'ai maintenumon museau dirigé vers le bas. Nous avons dûatteindre l'hôpital. S'il y avait toujours d'un. 

Is "Zombie Complex" related to "The Walking Dead"?

As a zombie enthusiast, I often tweet about The Walking Dead.  I am an enthusiastic fan and it is my favorite television show.  However, my novel Zombie Complex is not related to The Walking Dead franchise in any way.  My novel is not fan fiction.  It is my vision of how a zombie apocalypse might affect a neighborhood much like mine.  As I think about a zombie apocalypse, I have a vision of how it starts and how it might end.

When I compare music by Cold Play and U2 or Lady Gaga and Madonna, I definitely see similarities.  I think everyone does.  So I'm certainly not going to deny the influence of TWD.  The show sparked my interest in the entire zombie genre.  My view of what zombies can do and how they might look is heavily influenced by The Walking Dead.  I have also been influenced by the classic Romero vison of zombies, World War Z, and movies like I Am Legend.    But, I really wonder what might be going on in the minds of zombies.  I've explored this topic in my short stories "Dog Walk of the Apocalypse" and "Zombie Cage."  When a dead person comes back as a zombie, I can't help but speculate what mind be going on in their brains once the blood begins to flow and the synapses begin to fire.  As an independently published author, I can also touch on themes of diversity and globalism that are scrupulously avoided on mass market television platforms.

When it comes to The Walking Dead, I don't watch season previews and I won't read the comic books.  As a fan of the television show, I want to be surprised when I watch the show.  I avoid spoilers like the plague.  I am just as excited as any other fan.  I also like elements of Fear of the Walking Dead.  However, I am at least 30+ episodes behind on watching that show.  It was interesting to see how people in California might survive.  Growing up in the South, it is hard to see how zombies could take over our region.  It is also hard to imagine how Californians would stand a chance.  But, the fun of the zombie genre is that it allows us to explore different people and different scenarios to answer those questions and more.

Merry Christmas

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday and a Merry Christmas.  Enjoy your time with family and friends.  I'd like to share a few of the Christmas graphics that were developed by my fellow authors in my writing group:  Wolfpack Authors. 

If you are looking for something interesting to read, go to twitter and follow #WolfPackAuthors and you'll find interesting books and short stories covering everything from the apocalypse to erotica.

You really can't go wrong with anything from the pack.  Many of the authors are highlighted on the Fauph Talk Fiction. 

You can learn about many others on the Indies United Publishing House.  If you have time this holiday, take a break and immerse yourself in the short stories and books by my fellow Wolfpack and independent authors.

Flash Fiction: Thirst.

"Do you think the water is still good?"
"Well, babe, it still comes out of the faucet."
"But, are there zombies floating around in the water at the treatment facility?"
"Heck, are people even working at the treatment facility?"
"Maybe we should boil it?"
"Definitely!"
"Will that take care of zombie parts floating around in the water?"
"I don't know, babe."
"Can we use bleach to purify our water?"
"Yes."
"How much bleach do we use?
"I don't know."
"Why didn't you learn this stuff before zombies were a thing?"
"I don't know."

Photo by National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) from USA [CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0) or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Click here for more Flash Fiction on this blog.

Answers about water in an emergency:

Grid Shutdown:  How Long Will The Water Last?
Top 5 Easiest DIY Water Filters You Can Make At Home
Emergency Disinfection of Drinking Water

Zombie Lymeric: Zombie from Atlanta

There once was a zombie from Atlanta,
who ate the brains of a mall Santa,
his stomach churned,
his insides all burned,
and he had to drink lots of Mylanta!