Book Review: Zombies from Space…and Vampires by Angela B. Chrysler

These images were taken from Amazon.com for review purposes under fair use.

Spoiler Free Summary: Zombies from Space…and Vampires is an urban paranormal story by Angela B. Chrysler. NOTE: If you follow my blog, you know that Angela is the captain of the Shush Brain, of which I am a loyal member.  Also note, this book features characters near and dear to my heart, Weeches, Angela’s twist on zombies. You can take this review with however much salt you want, but consider this my disclaimer. Aria was just finishing up a night and talking to her father when a UFO flew overhead. The zombies attacking were unusual, right up until the vampire kidnapped her. Aria winds up on the ship full of a wonderfully ridiculous (and yet somehow familiar) crew. Zombies was a bit of fun Angela did on her blog that took up steam. It started as her just finding cool ways to write us Slush Brainers into the world, and evolved into this story.

Character:  Aria is a solid character. I’d label this at YA hoping Angela is OK with that. Most stories that feature a young woman (Aria is 19), fall into that category. She’s  a solid character to build around. She’s the one sane person in this madhouse of a story, and that makes her charming. Where everyone else is Level 11 zany, she’s the one normal spot in the book, which ups the conflict and provides an interesting backdrop to the story. As I mentioned above, every character in this book was inspired by a member of the real life Slush Brain. I’m biased here, but the cast is just a lot of fun.

Exposition: There’s a bit more here than usual, but you need to explain how alien zombies and vampires managed to pop up in modern day earth. It’s done with decent pacing, and there’s plenty of action to offset it.

This image was used in a previous post. It was given with the author’s permission.

Worldbuilding:  This is solid. At least, it’s effective because the characters just roll with things. In a story like this (good, wacky fun with mayhem), it’s most effective when the characters behave as if they’d always expected this sort of stuff.  In that regard, it reminds me of Slither.  That’s not an insult. I LOVE that movie for the same reason I enjoyed this book. When everything is impossibly, hilariously hard to believe, everyone acts like it’s the normal, which helped Aria’s character and conflict.

Dialogue: This was top notch. Honest and real. Most of the effective character building was done through dialogue.

Description:  This had most of the description in the right parts: action and mayhem. Though the characters are also very clear in the imagination. I honestly just loved seeing these characters come to life.

Overall:  This has a bit of a cliffhanger, but the story is episodic in nature, so it’s to be expected. Every now and then, a reader needs a story that’s just good times and cool, zany action. This is that book. I enjoyed it, and I’m hoping to see more from the story.

Thanks for reading,

Matt

 

The April Book Cover of the Month Bracket Begins!

Happy first everyone! It’s time to kick off a new bracket.  If you’re curios or new, check out the Book Covers for December, January, February, and March.

April’s bracket has 30 new covers.  Age of Myth is fighting more than I’ve ever seen a cover fight. Michael J. Sullivan finished with the top most votes in the semifinals, which earned him yet another shot in this month’s bracket. Frank Dorrian’s To Brave the End was last month’s runner up, so he gets another crack at the bracket as well.

As always, I’d appreciate it if you tag the authors and artists if you know them. I try to tag or friend every author I can, but sometimes it’s hard to track someone down. Max participation is a huge deal to me. The more people who vote, the more recognition these authors and artists receive, and I want this to be as legitimate as possible.

If you are the author, I feel the need to let’s remember some basic guidelines.  1) Please feel free to message or contact me at any time. 2) Please feel free to like, share, text, ask for support, and call everyone you know. I absolutely want max participation. However, if you’re going to offer giveaways or prizes, please offer them for voting, not just voting for you.

Also, while your summoning your army of voting soldiers, please make sure you ask them to vote in every match. Part of the idea of this is to get exposure to as many artists and authors as possible. By all means, if you can get 1,000 people to vote for your book, do it. Just please also send some eyeballs to the other matches.

A final note to authors and artists: I currently have links to the books’ Amazon pages. If you’d prefer I switch that link to sign up for your newsletter or like your social media page or whatever, just send me the link and let me know. I want this to help you. I want this to be as helpful as possible, so whatever you need me to do to facilitate that, just let me know.

Since we’ve been going, I’ve been evaluating how the participation has been. A few authors mentioned that it can be pretty exhausting having a 22-day-long tournament.  So I’m going to try a few new things.  This month, I’m simply trying to reduce the amount of time in the tournament.  This torment will run from today to the 14th.  I’ll do something different next mont.  I’d like your thoughts and feedback as to which way is best.  My goal is to have a fun, honest, meaningful competition that helps everyone. Your feedback will make that possible.

Round 1 will go from today to May 4.

The Sweet 16 will run from then to the 7th.

The Elite 8 will take it from there until the 10th.

The Final 4 runs from the 18th to the 12.

The Finals will go from the 20th to the 14.

I hope you keep having fun. Please, vote, share, and discuss as much as possible.

All you have to do now is head over here to vote!

Thanks for reading,

Matt

Some Dream-Come-True Moments

The B2B Cyber Convention just wrapped up. I’ve been super busy these past few days, but I wanted to take a moment to share some things (one of which was truly amazing).

The first is a story I’d like to share with you all.

I’m a creature of habit. I do my laundry on the same day. I eat at the same place every Friday. I work the same schedule every day. I like routine. The thing about routines though is you tend to have this expectation that every day, week, and moth will work out exactly the same. Most times, when there’s an interruption to my routine, I’m actually quite difficult to deal with.  But sometimes, it’s just wonderful.

Every other Friday, I go to the same place to cut my hair. I eat at the same place as I do every Friday. I check to see what movies are out that I might want to see. I stop by the book store in the mall just to see what may have gotten released without my knowledge.  That’s when I head over the my hair place.

This particular Friday, I arrive to find the woman who does my hair isn’t available for  awhile.  I don’t think much of it. I arrange a time later that evening with her. I’m about to head out to knock a few items off my to-do list when someone taps me on the shoulder.

One of the other employees caught my attention and pointed to the woman he was working with.  The woman smiles and points at me.

“Aren’t you that author?”

(PAUSE)

You see, my whole life, I’ve always wanted to be, “That Author.” That identification may be on the top three list of things I want to put on my tombstone.  When The Journals of Bob Drifter was first published, my sister bought me a personalized pen.  When she gave it to me, I told her it was a life dream of mine to have someone approach me and ask for my autograph.

So when Karen asked me that question, she quite literally made one of my life’s dreams come true.

(RESUME)

A picture of me and Karen after the autograph!

I don’t really remember much after that. My euphoria made it pretty hard to think straight. I said yes.  She said that she’d recognized me from my book (Journals). Since I’m a regular at Rafet’s (the place I get my hair cut), I thought to plop a copy of the book there so people could read it while they wait for their haircuts. Now, that book has been there since Bob got published (two years now).  Turns out, at least one person had been chipping away at it!

So we chatted for a while. She told me the book really grabbed her attention. We exchanged contact information, and, yes, I gave her an autograph.  I originally gave her an autograph on a sheet of paper (which I tell my students to always have on their person). The establishment actually gave her that copy of the book, so I later signed that one and grabbed a selfie with Karen.

The world is a wonderful place sometimes. A guy can just be going about his day, and suddenly God smiles on someone. The little things are usually more special than the big. That moment will fuel my dream to be a “successful” author for quite a while.

So to those of you a little earlier in their journey than I am, I say you have to remember it’s a marathon. You have to work. It’s not an overnight thing. This isn’t the realm for instant success. But if you keep at it, and you’re consistent, you’ll get these little moments that mean so much. My sales are still right about where they normally are, but I found a fan and a new friend. If you’re reading this, Karen, I say again, Thank you!

That was how my weekend started! I posted on Friday about the Brain To Books Cyber Convention 2017.

The first cool thing was how many more authors I met. I got to hang out more with Joshua Robertson, who I met a few months ago and got to know a bit better when his book Anaerfell was up for Book Cover of the Month. I also met so many other cool authors: My internet is really acting up, so I can’t really link them all like I want.  But just a few are: Heidi Angell (she’s not THAT kind of angel), Richard White, A.L. Mabry, Suzanna J. Linton (a fellow Dragonriders of Pern fan), Tim (again, my internet isn’t letting me find his last name), and Joe Compton. I PROMISE I could go on for days. I don’t know how many panels or group chats I did. What I DO know, is I’ll be adding a page to this website soon. I’ll add those videos, because they’re fun for readers, writers, and authors trying to figure out marketing.

Angela B. Chrysler and I had an idea at about the same time. I’d been trying to figure out a use for Youtube, and so she created Nerd Rage, which will be a monthly Youtube event we do. We’ll film them the last Saturday of every month. There may be a time or two we can’t all make it, but for the most part, there’ll be a handful of us just needing out about whatever topic Angela pulls out of a hat. (No, I mean that literally.) If you can’t wait for me to get around to loading what videos I’ve already been a part of, you can look at those and everything else here.

Which leads me to my last thought of the day. I’d mentioned that one of the events I was taking part in was a covers war. I’m very proud to announce that Caught won the cover war for horror and thrillers! I have to admit, I campaigned pretty hard to win. I was a big fan of my cover, and I wanted it to get recognized. It turns out, a bunch of my Facebook friends and a few of my Author/Wordpress friends (Hi JR! Hi Corey!) came to offer me support! Look, it’s basically just bragging rights, but it’s like I said, the little things make all the difference sometimes. So I wanted to end this post with a huge thank you for that support in giving that cover some love. Thank you all.  Now, I have a short story to revise, another short story to write, two books to write and a series to get started on. All by 2018.  So…I’m off.

Thanks for reading,

Matt

 

Brain to Books Cyber Convention and Book Expo 2017

So today kicks off a fantastic online event. Brain to Books is hosting it’s 2017 cyber convention, and I’m lucky enough to be a part of it.  The event goes from today until the 9th. So it’s pretty much a weekend of online frivolity.

What’s going on? Pretty much everything. I mean, I have to line everything up so I don’t miss JUST the things I’m participating in.  This virtual convention is pretty much a book convention without the costumes. (Actually, I’m probably wearing a costume, you just can’t see it).

At any rate, I’d like you all to take a look at the events I’m involved in. Please feel free to participate and share whatever you see.  I’m personally most excited about the panels (See below).

So, what am I up to this 3rd annual Cycon?

Author Showcase: This is where you can see all the authors involved.  There are a BUNCH of talented authors participating, including most of (if not all of) my beloved friends aboard the Slush Brain. You can click the above link for the entire list. If you’re looking for yours truly, I’m located in the 2017 Horror Showcase. This is because I think Caught fits best in that section. You’ll see Bob around there, too.

Book Expo: Letting people know what books are out there is important. This breaks the books down by genre.  You can see book blurbs and covers for all those books (and mine).

Character Tournaments: Sal, the main character from Caught, has landed himself in a character tournament.  I love these. It’s just natural nerd discussion. Who would win in a fight? You can head over to the link and vote for all the characters.  I don’t know how Sal would do against some of these guys, but I like his odds in Round 1.  Just as with my Book Cover of the Month, I only ask that you vote and vote in every match.

Book Cove Bracket: Speaking of book cover brackets, B2B has one of those as well.  Caught is lined up in the Horror category.  I’ll be paying close attention to the winners from each category.  I love my own project, and this looks to be like a good time.  I’ve seen some of the brackets already, and they look great! So do a guy a favor, and send some votes his way?

Panels: This is just awesome.  So Angela, Captain of the Slush Brain, Mistress of the Web Sea, Queen of Online Conventions (and the brain behind Brain to Books), set up a bunch of panels.  I’m in a fair number of them.  We talk about Anime (Naruto), Book Covers, Fantasy Fiction and Magic Systems, Doctor Who, and a lot more.  Just head over here, to get a look at all the panels.  This was so fun to do, and I hope you all take a minute or two to see some of the topics of conversation.

There’s honestly too much going on to go over in one blog, but there’s so much.  There are giveaways. There are blog hops and genre tours. It’s pretty much endless.

I hope you check out these events and get to know these authors the way I do.

Thanks for reading,

V/R
Matt

Sojourn in Despair: The 1st Draft is Done!

An incredibly rough and unfinished sketch of Elele. This image is property of M.L.S. Weech.

I’ve been talking about my progress on this project since my first blog post. I was lucky enough to be invited to participate with some amazing authors in an anthology. I finished the discovery draft of Sojourn in Despair over the holidays, and I just wrapped up what I call the first draft.

What this means is it’s finished, and it’s in English.  I feel very good about it, and I think the story itself is fantastic!

What’s next though is something big. I always try something different every time I write a project. I’ve always had AN alpha reader. Ben is my best friend and brother in law. He reads EVERYTHING I write (poor guy).  But I expanded my alpha reader pool to a few others.

Alpha Readers to me have always been people I can go to with questions about concepts or ideas. I don’t know the first thing about a lot of things, so I find alpha readers who are knowledgable in some way about some aspect of my story.  This story’s topics are: The Jewish religion, mathematics, and evolutionary theory.

That said, if there’s someone out there with a PHD in either math or evolutionary theory, I’d appreciate an email in that regard. I’d be overjoyed if someone with expertise in those areas could give this a glance and make sure I don’t look foolish on a scientific level. I have one alpha who’s looking at it for math, but no one to look at the science of this planet or its species.

As of now, I have five alpha readers. Each bring something unique and specific to the table.  They’re all offering invaluable feedback that I’ll put to use in my second draft (the draft before it goes to the editor for developmental review).  Two of those alphas are our very own Jenn Moss and Quintessential Editor. So if you’d head over to their sites, give them some likes, shares, and follows, I’d appreciate it as they’re REALLY helping me out.

I just wanted to share my joy at this most recently finished project before I start my next one (because that’s sort of what I do).  What’s that you ask? The layout and design of The Journals of Bob Drifter so I can re-release that book at a lower price with another edit done.  I’ll keep you all posted.

Thanks for checking in and all the support you’ve shown me. I hope you’ll all preorder Caught or snag a copy of it Jan. 28!

In any case, thanks for reading.

Matt

 

Fun and Games are coming!

$100.00 Amazon Gift Card Newsletter Sign-Up Giveaway

Enter for a chance to win and then join us 16 December 2016 for additional prizes. The winner is announced 18 December 2016.

Join the HMS Slush Brain Blog Hop this holiday!

• Angela B. Chrysler
• C.L. Schneider
• Matthew W. Harrill
• Adam Dreece
• Chess DeSalls
• Kylie Jude
• T.H. Morris
• MLS Weech
• J.K. Norry

Summer Indie Book Awards

Earlier, I announced via Facebook that The Journals of Bob Drifter has been nominated into the Fantasy category for the Summer Indie Book Awards.  This, I felt warranted a lot.  Here’s a list of all the nominees.

First:  I can’t tell you what an honor this is.  Whatever happens, just the fact that enough people liked my book and nominated it means the world to me.

(TANGENT)  I talk to my friends a lot about my writing.  They know what an effort I make just to keep myself relevant in the indie publishing world.  It’s a lot of work, and marketing isn’t what I want to do with my life, it’s just what I have to do if I want my books to sell.  If given the choice between the New York Times Best Seller List or ten readers who absolutely loved my book, I’d go with the ten.

I want people to like my stories way more than I want my stories to sell.  Don’t get me wrong, I’d much rather have a million sales with just as many positive reviews from happy readers who liked my book.  It’s ridiculous to think EVERYONE who reads my book will love it, but I’m proud to say most of the people who’ve read Journals at least like my book. Heck, most of them even love it.  That’s worth a lot in and of itself.

Second: One thing I beg all of you to do is to head over to the link above and like their page.  Sign up to vote.  Anyone who tries to recognize anyone should receive as much support as possible.  I humbly request all of you do so with this organization.

Third:  Voting begins Sept. 1.  You can sign up for online voting here. I’m not sure how the voting will go, but I know it’s scheduled to run until Sept. 11.

Now for the really important part.  Let’s talk about awards.  I can not begin to express how competitive I am.  If there is a human being out there who likes winning more than me, I don’t think I’ve met the individual yet.  The more I want to win, the more ridiculous I get.  But winning for the sake of winning is altogether meaningless.

I want as many people to vote.  I want everyone who’s ever read a single nominated title to vote, but the only books you should vote for are the ones you’ve read and truly loved.  I’m talking, “If you were stranded on a desert island and could only bring one book (aside from the Bible.  I’m a terrible Christian, but I’m not THAT poor a man of faith.) which one would it be?”

I don’t know if you’re aware of the Hugo Awards, but year after year it seems there is more and more controversy surrounding what should be the most respected award of its kind.  This is heartbreaking to me.  I LOVE the Hugos.  I’ve read the first four, and every Hugo winner since 2010.  I’ve voted twice.  This is because I only vote in categories where I’ve read every book nominated.  I have favorite authors, but I don’t vote for my favorite author; I vote for the story I think best encompasses what I feel the Hugo represents.  Some years, I luck out and have time to read them all; some years, I don’t.

In this situation, there are simply too many for that to be an even rational, much less reasonable demand.  However, I’ve looked at the list twice, and I personally nominated three of the books, and I’ve read at least five.  I’m not asking you to read them all, though I hope you’ll give all the nominees a chance.  Just think, a lot of people thought these books worthy of an award.  I myself plan to update my TBR list accordingly.

This isn’t me campaigning for you to vote for my book.  I know EXACTLY how many people have a copy of my book.  If they love it and vote for it, I’m honored.  What I’m asking is that you vote, and you vote for the one book you love above others (see the aforementioned standard).  Next year, the eligibility requirements will shift.  I intend to try and read the nominees just as I do the Legend and Hugo awards.   (NOTE:  By some happenstance, I usually end up reading the Legend Nominees well before the voting begins.)

As I said, I’ve read at least five of these books, and they’re good books, a few are even great.  I have a lot of sayings around my students.  The most relevant one today is, “I don’t want to be the best; I want to be the best of the best.”

In the Navy, I was a pretty decently decorated and recognized mass communication specialist.  The biggest honor of my career was frocking (translation:  I got to put his new rank on his collar) on of my former students to petty officer second class.  (Hi Scott!).  This is closely followed by the opportunity to put pins (Um…cool Navy medals that mean they know a lot of stuff) on the two young men I deployed to Afghanistan with.  In fact, everything I brag the most about was how hard I worked to help others earn promotion and recognition.  I want to be a part of something great wherever I go.  The Slush Brain is an AMAZING group of equally AMAZING authors.

What does this mean for this award and others?  Well, if I win, I want it to be because the people who read my book though it was the best book they read out of whatever other nominated books they’ve read.  If I lose, I want to purchase the winner’s book, read it, and say, “No wonder!  This book is AWESOME!”  (Yes, I realize I don’t have a very big adjective lexicon.)

So instead of rallying for votes.  I’m rallying for readers.  Read these books.  Read one of them.  Read ten.  Whatever book you vote for, buy the other books from that same author.  I’m honored to be a part of the indie author community, and I want others to see how wonderful (found another adjective) their work is too.  Support SIBA by liking their page, reading what nominated books you have the time to read, and voting, not for the person you like the most, but for the book you like the most.

Once more, I’m honored to be nominated,  I’m overjoyed to see a few dear friends also received nominations (Hi Cindy! Hi Angela!).  I wish all the nominees the best of luck, and I wish all of the voters happy reading.

Thanks for reading,

Matt