Eamon Ambrose's Blog, page 2

Well folks, it’s finally here! Say hello to Zero Hour Part 4: Survivors, the next instalment in the continuing post-apocalyptic serial. This episode looks at the story from another angle, before linking up nicely with the events in parts 2 and 3, and sees the return of a popular character everyone loves to hate!

I’ll be running a contest on Goodreads from March 9th to 31st for ten signed copies of the Zero Hour paperback, so make sure you’re following me there for a chance to win a copy!

Thank you once again to everyone for their support so far, and please, if you can spare a minute to leave a short review it would mean the world, as it makes the book more visible on the Amazon website.

Hi Everyone.

First things first:

I had planned to release ZH4 today, but I need some more time with it, so I’m holding off until mid next week to release. I just want to be sure it’s right. Thanks for your patience.

With regard to paperbacks, ZH1 is now available from Amazon and Createspace. I’ve priced it as low as I can, but on demand publishing is still quite expensive, so this is really for people who would like a souvenir, as it was this story that started it all. I’ve thought about it a lot and decided I won’t be creating paperback versions of the other parts for the simple reason that I don’t expect people to spend all their money on these as a set. Instead, I’ll be releasing a full novel with all the parts in April, so you can get a print version of the whole series for a more affordable price.

If anyone would like signed copies, let me know, and I’ll figure out a price depending on where you’re from. One thing I didn’t account for with Createspace was their extremely high shipping charges, so rather than buying author copies from them in bulk, it’s almost cheaper and faster for me to buy the books myself from Amazon U.K. and ship them out. The good news is that because it’s quite a small book, the shipping charges from here are pretty low.

Check out my latest interview with Preston Leigh at The Leighgendarium, where I give the skinny on my upcoming projects and give away free signed books!

10 Questions With Eamon Ambrose

Author Will Swardstrom reveals his favourite shorts of 2015, including Zero Hour. Many thanks for the inclusion Will! 

Incidentally, Will’s short Z-Ball was one of my favourites this year. If zombies are your thing, you should really check it out! Source: My Top 10 (Actually 12) Favorite Short Stories of 2015

  For those following my post-apocalyptic serial Zero Hour on Kindle, Zero Hour Part 3: Revelations is now available! Thanks to everyone for their support so far, the response has been amazing. Now, back to work on part 4.

I’ve been through a number of anthologies lately and wasn’t sure what to expect from Uncommon Bodies, but I had read some of the author’s works previously so I was confident that I was in for an interesting experience. Beginning with the jolting tale of sideshow freaks Mary and Millie, Michael Harris Cohen kicks proceedings off nicely, and it quickly becomes apparent that this collection is something special indeed.

Uncommon Bodies is a vivid and diverse collection of weird and wonderful tales of the body, each author lending a unique voice, never afraid to shock the reader, yet still managing to draw them in and see the beauty within the madness, each tale as twisted as it’s character’s, yet strangely familiar, as we stare like uncomfortable voyeurs at those who would find us equally strange. The beauty of Uncommon Bodies is that it forces the reader to question both morality and reality, and every story without exception provokes thought and emotion in the reader.

While every story is exceptional in this collection, my personal favourites were contributions from Laxmi Hariharan, whose gorgeous prose floats from the page in UnTamed, Daniel Arthur Smith’s intriguing tale of a unique tattoo artist From The Inside, with Robb Grindstaff’s short and sweet Rudy And Deidre, and Kim Wells’ Undead Cyborg Girl also worth a mention, as is P.K. Tyler’s compelling tale Daedalus’ Daughter.

A hugely enjoyable anthology for those with open minds who like their fiction left of centre, who travel on the outskirts, those who need no box to think outside of, and if every now and again you like to take a dip in the darkness, this is exactly the pool you need.

Short stories are the new rock n’ roll, and anthologies are the new mix tapes. A huge number of new scifi anthologies are now appearing regularly on Amazon bestseller lists, and while the more popular feature the same old faces from the exclusive Trad Pub Club, authors from the indie community have begun to publish their own anthologies with great success. The key of course, is quality, originality and decent production values.

The latest, compiled and edited by author Chris Pourteau, is Tails Of The Apocalypse, an interesting take on the apocalyptic genre which features animals as the protagonists, and humans as secondary characters. While some may consider this a somewhat silly idea, (I have to admit, this even warranted a raised eyebrow from me at first)  a taster of the first “tail” from David Bruns quickly lays the foundation for a stellar line up of varied and well-crafted short stories from an impressive list of some of the most talented authors on the indie scene.

As the collection unfolds, it’s hard not to be impressed by the standard here. It would have been very easy for these stories to be overly schmaltzy, and rely on the “Old Yeller” school of sentimental overload, but where Tails Of The Apocalypse stands out is by doing the exact opposite. The animal characters are portrayed with immense respect, but hurled into horrifying situations that test them to the extreme, and as with many animals, the unconditional loyalty of some is their greatest trait, despite how they might have been treated by others, and despite all the authors involved being animal lovers, they are first and foremost post-apocalyptic writers and are not afraid to take both their characters and readers to the darkest of places.

Standouts include contributions from Nick Cole, who makes a welcome return to the world of his post-apocalyptic masterpiece The Wasteland Saga, as well as those from Chris Pourteau himself, E.E. Giorgi, Todd Barselow, Jennifer Ellis and Michael Bunker, but to be honest this is just down to my personal taste. It’s hard to pick favourites from this collection, as the standard really is that high.

More importantly, when you purchase a copy of Tails From The Apocalypse, $1 from every copy sold until the end of 2015 will be donated to Pets For Vets, which matches shelter dogs with military veterans. Personnel train the animals as special companions for veterans suffering from emotional trauma, like Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and it provides a valuable service for veterans, as well as finding homes for needy shelter animals who would otherwise be euthanised, so it’s a win-win for everybody involved.

As announced in Variety Magazine in the last few days, USA Today bestselling author Michael Bunker has inked a deal with Jorgensen Pictures for his self-published sci-fi novel Pennsylvania.

The novel follows the exploits of young Amishman Jed Troyer, as he embarks on a trip to a new world as a colonist hoping to carve out a new life as a simple farmer as part of an emigration program, but once he arrives things start to awry, making Troyer an unwilling pawn in a dangerous war.

Bunker himself, who lives off-grid in a plain community in Texas is on screenwriting duties and the movie will be produced by Stacy Jorgensen.

It’ll be interesting to see how this adaptation pans out, as the novel, which could best be described as Total Recall-meets-Witness has gained legions of fans since its release and even spawned several spin-off novels and an anthology from other authors, as well as a prequel of sorts, Brother, Frankenstein released this year.

Check out this brilliant blog post from Michael giving the lowdown on the deal.

As anyone who reads this blog regularly knows, I am a big fan of Michael Bunker and as an indie author myself now, it’s very encouraging to see hard-working writers get the credit and success they deserve in what can be a very tough business. Good luck Michael!

If you’re looking for a short bedtime scare this Halloween, here’s my pick of some of the best new indie talent around!

A Monstrous Place by Matthew Stott

Gaiman fans will love this novella. A dark, fantastical journey into a truly monstrous place.

Vampire by Peter Cawdron

Peter Cawdron’s take on the Dracula legend is creepy and innovative and a welcome boost to the genre.

Kamika-Z by Christopher Boore

 Christopher Boore’s short is a jarring tale of the early days of an apocalypse where zombies have been weaponised. Fast and deadly, with a killer ending.

Tales From The Canyon of the Damned by Daniel Arthur Smith

Daniel Arthur Smith has a new series of scary shorts starting with this terrible tale of tentacles. Read at your peril.

Z-Ball by Will Swardstrom

Will Swardstrom’s football zombie short is a fitting end to this scary weekend. Tense and scary. And sporty.

Magenta by Bob Williams

Bob Williams’ Magenta is a quick and creepy story with a twist in the tale.