Archive for the ‘apocalypse’ Category

A is for Apocalypse ~ Cover Reveal and Giveaway ~ 26 Authors do A to Z

Posted: May 13, 2014 in Adult Fiction, Anthology, apocalypse, Cover Reveal, giveaways, horror
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About the Editor:
“Rhonda Parrish is a shapeshifter with talents to match her every incarnation-magpie tenacity for picking the shiniest submissions, nightingale notes for crafting tales, and bright, feline eyes for seeking out her photographic subjects. She balances on the knife-edge of darkness and light, a sorceress of both realms.” – Sara Cleto
Amazon Page | Twitter | GoodReads | Blog | Website
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Title:  A is for Apocalypse
Editor:  Rhonda Parrish
Cover Design:  Jonathan Parrish
To Be Published:  August 2014
Publisher:   Poise and Pen Publishing
Genre:  Horror
Content Warning:  Adult Themes
Synopsis:
What do you get when you take twenty-six amazing writers, randomly assign them a letter of the alphabet and give them complete artistic freedom within a theme?
A is for Apocalypse.
A is for Apocalypse contains twenty-six apocalyptic stories written by both well-known and up-and-coming writers. Monsters, meteors, floods, war–the causes of the apocalypse in these tales are as varied as the stories themselves.
This volume contains work by Ennis Drake, Beth Cato, Kenneth Schneyer, Damien Angelica Walters, K. L. Young, Marge Simon, Milo James Fowler, Simon Kewin, C.S. MacCath, Steve Bornstein and more!
GoodReads | Mailing List
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Excerpt
U is for… by Damien Angelica Walters:
My father and I used to stargaze when I was only a few years older than Millie. He taught me the constellations, patiently pointing at each one until I could recognize the shapes without his help.

They were a link to something bigger, something more, but no longer. Now Orion’s Belt mocks me with its precision; Cassiopeia with her beauty, a beauty that will remain even when no one’s left to see.

Once a comfort, all of them, now my enemy.

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Tour wide giveaway
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Print ARC copy of A is for Apocalypse
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Open INTL
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Click on the Rafflecopter below to enter.
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Raffle button

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

To see all of my giveaways click on the lucky horseshoe below!

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Teaser Tuesday’s #63 ~ The First Days by Rhiannon Frater

Posted: April 23, 2014 in apocalypse, horror, Teaser Tuesdays, Zombies
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Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page.
•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

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My Teaser for today is from The First Days

by Rhiannon Frater

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Teaser #1

“Zombies, or whatever they are, definitely shouldn’t exist in a rational, ordered world. It suddenly feels like we’re living in a horror movie.”

Teaser #2

So small.

So very small.

The fingers pressed under the front door of her home were so very small.

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Synopsis

Katie is driving to work one beautiful day when a dead man jumps into her car and tries to eat her. That same morning, Jenni opens a bedroom door to find her husband devouring their toddler son.

Fate puts Jenni and Katie—total strangers—together in a pickup, fleeing the suddenly zombie-filled streets of the Texas city in which they live. Before the sun has set, they have become more than just friends and allies—they are bonded as tightly as any two people who have been to war together.

During their cross-Texas odyssey to find and rescue Jenni’s oldest son, Jenni discovers the joy of watching a zombie’s head explode when she shoots its brains out. Katie learns that she’s a terrific tactician—and a pretty good shot.

A chance encounter puts them on the road to an isolated, fortified town, besieged by zombies, where fewer than one hundred people cling to the shreds of civilization.

It looks like the end of the world. But Katie and Jenni and many others will do whatever they have to to stay alive. Run, fight, pick each other up when they stumble, fall in love…anything is possible at the end of the world.

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How about you? Got a tease? Tell me!

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What’s in your planetary go bag? Evacuation by K.D. McAdams ~ Fun spotlight and giveaway

Posted: March 19, 2014 in apocalypse, Blitz, giveaways, Guest Post, YA
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Welcome to my stop on the Blitz for Evacuation by K.D. McAdams.

I love discovering a new author and another exciting book.

The author has a really fun guest post and there’s a giveaway for a chance to win your own copy of Book One or Book Two of The Seamus Chronicles.

Pack your bags and let’s go.

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What’s in your planetary go bag?

Food, water and a 3-D printer may be keys to survival

 

What if Earth was going down the tubes and you had to Evacuate the planet? What would you put in your go bag?

Thanks to the Mayan apocalypse and the popular Doomsday Preppers show on National Geographic the concept of a survival “Go-bag” has gained mainstream understanding. Survival experts can debate the best contents for one of these go bags but in general they contain food, water, security and some protection from the elements. The idea is that when civilization goes down the tubes you grab the go bag on your way out the door and use its contents to survive.

Here on Earth a go bag has to help you get by. Get by until order is restored. Get by until you can make a supply trip to a safe place. But if you have to leave Earth you can’t just get by, you have to start over. You could bring plenty of stuff, but what happens when you run out? Even if you brought enough of something to last your lifetime what would your ancestors do?

Our world is littered with finished goods. Even after an electromagnetic pulse or a collapse of the world financial markets if you needed a nail, screw or fastener you could find one with just a few minutes of looking. You may have to recycle or up cycle it from a previous use, but it’s there. Even a straight or flat piece of wood is only a few miles away from the places in America where most people live.

Imagine building something without screws, nails or dimensional lumber.

Many of us are familiar with assembling things from furniture to power tools, but can you manufacture anything? Given a tree, can you make a straight board? The earliest pieces of steel are four thousand years old, but could you smelt ore?

Following directions from Ikea doesn’t mean you can make furniture.

There are a few things I’m on the fence about; seeds (would they grow?), weapons (will they work) and a bicycle (can it carry enough?) for example. Given unlimited space these would certainly make it but space will be tight. For the purposes of this exercise lets assume you are leaving Earth in Nissan Maxima; doors, windows and trunk have to close. What do you bring?

You need to figure out all the firsts. The first mill, the first sewer system, the first farm all things that won’t fit in your bag. So in addition to food and water here are five things that I would bring if I had to bug out from Earth and start over on another planet.

  1. A tent. The new planet will likely have a different weather system and you’ll need to protect against hot or cold.
  2. Basic hand tools. Hammer, shovels, axes etc.
  3. A hand crank or pedal generator for electricity
  4. A 3-D printer. You can make some of the core pieces needed to build almost anything.
  5. A tablet loaded with manufacturing how-to documents; How to build a sawmill, How to build an iron mill, How to make plastic etc.

What would you bring if you had to bug out from Earth and start over on another planet?

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Evacuation by K.D. McAdams (The Seamus Chronicles #2)
Publication date: March 7th 2014
Genres: Post-Apocalyptic, Young Adult
Synopsis
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They have only one chance for survival, leave… the planet.
The virus that wiped out most of the human race is adapting to defeat the vaccine and kill the survivors. There is a government response protocol but it will kill them too, it involves a nuclear winter. The NASA scientists believe they can leave Earth and achieve faster than light travel, but Seamus doesn’t want to slog through space. He knows that to survive they have to go somewhere fast. To save them all he needs to invent a warp drive and evacuate the planet.
Purchase: Amazon ~ B&N
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AUTHOR BIO
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K. D. McAdams writes stories  about young people who make choices with their heart and not their head. ‘Don’t talk to strangers’ is the most common phrase in our house, I  have failed several art classes and I can’t remember what I ate for  breakfast. I have a son that loves to talk to strangers, my daughter is  an incredible artist and I have another son that is a stickler for  details with a near eidetic memory. We nurture our kids everyday with  advice and information but deep down they all have an element of nature  that overrides our nurturing and influences their choices. Kids who have the courage to follow their instinct and make their own choices are the ones who make life memorable.
Author links: Goodreads ~ Blog ~ Facebook ~ Twitter

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I have one ebook copy of Annihilation, Book #1 or Evacuation, Book #2, winners choice, to giveaway  (International)

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To enter:

Please leave your email address so I can contact you if you win and answer this fun question:

“What’s the most important thing you’d pack in your Planetary Go Bag?”

Giveaway ends April 2nd

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Thanks so much to Xpresso Book Tours for this exciting event.

Xpresso Book Tours

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

To see all of my giveaways click on the lucky horseshoe below!

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Zombies and Disney Land? Apocalypticon ~ Super Book Blast and Giveaway

Posted: March 17, 2014 in apocalypse, Book Blast, giveaways, horror, Humor, Zombies
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I can’t wait for you to get a look at the cover art for Apocalypticon! It is so awesome.

The creepy castle in the background and the hand coming out of the ground. And what’s that in the hand? Such excellent work.

I sure wish I’d been able to read this before the blast.

Check out the synopsis, enjoy the peek inside the book, and don’t forget to enter the giveaway.

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Synopsis

 

Three years have passed since the Jamaicans caused the apocalypse, and things in post-Armageddon Chicago have settled into a new kind of normal. Unfortunately, that “normal” includes collapsing skyscrapers, bands of bloodthirsty maniacs, and a dwindling cache of survival supplies. After watching his family, friends, and most of the non-sadistic elements of society crumble around him, Patrick decides it’s time to cross one last item off his bucket list.

He’s going to Disney World.

This hilarious, heartfelt, gut-wrenching odyssey through post-apocalyptic America is a pilgrimage peppered with peril, as fellow survivors Patrick and Ben encounter a slew of odd characters, from zombie politicians and deranged survivalists to a milky-eyed oracle who doesn’t have a lot of good news. Plus, it looks like Patrick may be hiding the real reason for their mission to the MagicKingdom…

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Buy Links

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Get a peek inside Apocalypticon

Ben ripped off a fresh, cleanish strip of blanket and wrapped it around the hand. Patrick whimpered as he pulled it tight and tied it off. “Next time the world ends, let’s make sure we’re stocked up on peroxide and bandages,” Ben said.

Patrick glowered at the first aid kit, which lay open on the hood. Its contents included, and were extremely limited to, six Band-Aids, four cotton swabs, a bottle of Tylenol, some nail polish remover, a packet of Midol, a travel box of Clorox Handi Wipes, and a roll of Tums. “Who packed that thing?” Ben asked. “Pee Wee Herman?”

“The really scary part is, that’s the kit we had in a house with a five-year-old. Criminy. We’re lucky 20 fold-up accordion snakes didn’t pop out when we opened the lid.” He picked up the Tylenol with his good hand and struggled with the lid for a while before turning it over to Ben. “Help. It’s childproof.”

He couldn’t tell if he really had a fever, or it if was a phantom sickness, but he wasn’t taking any chances. The most benign injury could turn fatal without basic medical supplies. And a half-inch hole through the hand was not a benign injury. If the alcohol didn’t kill the infection, he’d lose his hand. That’s a surgery he didn’t want to think about undergoing with full sedation, much less in the backwoods of Mississippi while buzzed on a bottle of Canadian Mist with Ben as his surgeon. He checked the bandage and made sure it was tight. The wound seemed to have stopped bleeding, at least, though he seemed to have lost feeling in his three middle fingers. He didn’t take that for a good sign. “We need real medical supplies,” he said. “Because I am not letting you cut off my hand.”

“What’s the point of even having a machete if we’re not gonna use it?” Ben complained.

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Author Clayton Smith

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Clayton Smith is a sometimes-writer, sometimes-napper based in Chicago, where he uses neither his bachelor’s in journalism nor his master’s in arts management. He is often calamitous, and good at bacon. He lives with his impressively tolerant wife.

Clayton’s previous works include Pants on Fire: A Collection of Lies and the comedic play Death and McCootie, which debuted at the 2013 New York International Fringe Festival.

Links: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Amazon 

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Giveaway

Clayton will be awarding a $25 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour, and a $25 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn host.

Click on the button below for more fun stops on the blast. And don’t forget to comment. The more you comment, the more chances to win!

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

To see all of my giveaways click on the lucky horseshoe below!

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Eye Spy Book #3 in The Famished Trilogy by Annie Walls ~ Living With The Dead Cover Reveal and Giveaway

Posted: March 10, 2014 in Adult Fiction, apocalypse, Cover Reveal, giveaways, horror, Romance, Zombies
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Before we get to the cover reveal and giveaway for Living With The Dead, I thought I’d show ya’ll the first two books in this most excellent series. Get ya warmed up and those endorphins flowing for the revealing. Check them out!

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Amazon / B&N / Amazon UK

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Amazon / B&N / Amazon UK

Go HERE for my 5 STAR reviews of both of these!

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And now for Living With The Dead!

Book #3 of The Famished Trilogy ~ Coming Soon!

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Synopsis

For three years, life is strenuous for Kansas Moore as she travels with her team and saves more people from the clutches of the revolutionists. On the downtime, they bide time by constructing and enlisting for their own cause.

When the general assigns her to search for a missing loved one, she turns to the team and what they find overturns everything they’ve learned so far.

In this dramatic conclusion of the Famished Trilogy, things are not what they seem and comfortable living is far from reach.

***This book contains graphic violence, intense language, sexual situations, drug use, and is intended for a mature audience.***

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About Annie Walls

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Annie Walls writes dark and urban fantasy outside of Nashville, TN. She’s currently earning her BA in English with a concentration in writing. Being a horror buff and a zombie apocalypse enthusiast is only the start of what makes her tick.

Links

Goodreads ~ Website ~ Facebook Fan Page ~ Twitter

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Giveaway: An ARC of Living With The Dead

Click on the rafflecopter below to enter.

Raffle button

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

To see all of my giveaways click on the lucky horseshoe below!

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They’re back! Recruitz by Karice Bolton ~ An Apocalyptic Giveaway and Flash Sale

Posted: February 17, 2014 in apocalypse, Book Blast, giveaways, horror, New Release, Zombies
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Recruitz has only been available for a short time, so some of you may not have heard of it yet.

Karice has written a post-apocalyptic zombie tale that’s something new for me. The zombies are supposed to be finished, but guess what!! They’re back!

You can get your copy for only 99 cents! A special price and a great buy during the tour. Get yours HERE.

Read on to get a peek inside the book and enter the giveaways! Oh yeah! There are two!

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RecruitZ by Karice Bolton (Afterworld #1)
Publication date: December 27th 2013
Genres: New Adult, Post-Apocalyptic
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Synopsis
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Scientists are the new rock stars. The infection has been contained for nearly three months, and the world is celebrating. But humans are still dying. Rebekah Taylor has seen it firsthand. Her husband was killed right in front of her by the very creatures that humans were told they no longer had to fear.
Rebekah is determined to find out who is responsible for the death of her husband and the obvious cover-up. Fueled with revenge, she begins to find answers that lead to one frightening conclusion. The apocalypse might be over, but the battles are just beginning.
Purchase Links:
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A peek inside Recruitz
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I gripped the console as I watched the twitches and spasms of the zombies’ movements closing in on us. They were everywhere…the grass, the sidewalk, the driveway. There was no mistaking the rotting, grey flesh that exposed the muscle and bone of the undead. They were something I’d run from countless times, but this time we had nowhere to run. The undead had us trapped. They would rip us to shreds in an instant.

“I think some of ‘em are new,” I said, turning my attention back to Gavin.

There were some clean-looking zombies staggering toward us, their flesh mostly intact. That made no sense. The outbreak had been contained for months. There should be no freshly infected roaming around. Everyone had been vaccinated. The only stragglers evading capture had been around awhile, so their bodies were beat up badly by the time they were caught. Not these.

“Let’s hope not,” he murmured, not bothering to look out the window to confirm nor deny my suspicions.

“We can’t run. They’d totally get us before we got away,” I said, hoping he’d correct me, tell me that we had a chance.

He didn’t.

He slammed his fist into the steering wheel and looked over at me. When the outbreak happened, we never looked back. We were always on the move, running from the disease that took our families and friends. That was the key to survival. Never stay in one place. Always stay on the move. Now we had nowhere to move. I glanced over at Gavin and saw the fear in his eyes. Even with everything we’d encountered, his eyes had never held this amount of terror.

“Babe, whatever happens…”

“Knock it off,” I said.

“We have nothing to fight them with, and a horde this size needs a distraction.”

“Don’t you dare,” I hissed, shaking my head. The fear was pulsing through me at an unstoppable rate. “We didn’t live through the outbreak

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About Karice Bolton
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Karice Bolton
Karice Bolton lives in the Pacific Northwest and is a writer of Young Adult and New Adult books. She loves to read anything and everything. She also enjoys baking, skiing, and spending time with her wonderful husband and two English bulldogs.
Books currently available: *Beyond Love Series: Beyond Control (Book 1) Beyond Doubt (Book 2) Beyond Reason (Book 3) – Feb. 28th *Afterworld Series: RecruitZ (Book 1) *The Witch Avenue Series: Lonely Souls (Book 1), Altered Souls (Book 2), Released Souls (Book 3) Shattered Souls (Book 4) *The Watchers Trilogy: Awakening (Book 1), Legions (Book 2), Cataclysm (Book 3), Taken Novella (Watchers Prequel) *The Camp
Karice would love if you stopped by her blog or FB page to find out the latest news on giveaways and upcoming releases, or you can just send her an email. She loves hearing from her readers and responds as soon as she can.
Author Links:

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There are two giveaways!

First giveaway

$10 Amazon Gift Card and a zombie kit (includes an I Heart Zombies tee and some other zombie goodies)

Click on the rafflecopter below to enter.

Raffle button

And the second giveaway!

I have one ebook copy to giveaway.

Just leave your email address so I can contact you and answer this question:

“Do you think you could survive the zombie apocalypse?”

Xpresso Book Tours

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

To see all of my giveaways click on the lucky horseshoe below!

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Stop in and enter to win a copy of Resurrection by Laury Falter

Posted: February 13, 2014 in apocalypse, Blitz, giveaways, horror, Series, YA, Zombies
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I have more zombie awesomeness to show ya!

I know! I’ve been inundated by zombies lately. What can I say. Gotta luv em!

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Resurrection by Laury Falter (Apocalypse Chronicles #2)
Publication date: January 18th 2014
Genres: Horror, Post-Apocalyptic, Young Adult, Zombies
Synopsis

The second and final installment in the two-book series, Apocalypse Chronicles…a dystopian romance about five high school seniors who set out to cure an apocalyptic world of a contagious infection.
Bestselling author Laury Falter finishes off this two-part series–a dystopian romance filled with an electrifying plot, a powerful romance, and unexpected twists.

Purchase: Amazon ~ B&N
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A Tease for ya!
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“You underestimate how I feel about you,” he said, his voice low and deep with emotion. “And when you are in danger, regardless of the threat I might face, always and without fail, I will risk myself to ensure you survive.”

“Do not jeopardize yourself for me again, Harrison.”

He looked up and fixed his eyes on the horizon, this time smiling sardonically at his thought. When he voiced it to me, his arms fell away, he slung his backpack over his shoulder, and he began the climb down the access hatch. “You forget, Kennedy,” he said, “I am the jeopardy.”

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Synopsis
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HAVEN, Apocalypse Chronicles, Part I
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On an ordinary day in early September, Kennedy Shaw leaves for school unaware that within a few minutes the world she knows will be gone – succumbed to an outbreak of epidemic proportions. After finding a safe haven inside the security of her enclosed high school, she learns that four others have survived, one being a bold, mysterious transfer student from Texas whose unruffled demeanor harbors more than a cool interest in her. As they struggle to survive the dead fighting their way inside, will Kennedy discover there is more to life than survival? And will she and the others find a way to live in this terrifying new world?
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Author Laury Falter
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Laury Falter is a bestselling  author of young adult romantic suspense and urban fantasy. She has three series out: the Guardian Trilogy, the Residue Series, and the  Apocalypse Chronicles.
Find out more news and information about Laury and her novels on her:
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I have one ebook copy of Resurrection to giveaway.

International.

To enter, just leave your email address so I can contact you if you win and tell me something squeamish about zombies!

Ends February 28th.

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Thank you to Xpresso Book Tours for this fun tour and to Laury for her giveaway.

Xpresso Book Tours

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

To see all of my giveaways click on the lucky horseshoe below!

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Can there be love in an apocalypse? Undying by Valerie Grosjean ~ Review and Giveaway

Posted: February 11, 2014 in apocalypse, Blog Tour, giveaways, reviews, Zombies
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My blog seems to have been plagued by zombies lately.

And they’re back!

Undying is a tale of zombies and love.

Check out my review and enter the giveaways.

Yep, two giveaways!

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Undying by Valerie Grosjean (Undying #1)
Publication date: September 29th 2013
Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult, Zombies
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My Review
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It should have been a normal day. Instead, Christian is attacked by an undead co-ed. He manages to escape unscathed, but not so his roommate. The campus is overrun with zombies and Christian can only think of one thing. Iris.

Iris is back home, 80 miles away, and unaware of the coming apocalypse. Christian’s plan is to get Iris and take her to his family’s farm. There’s plenty of food and weapons and all of the people he loves will be safe.

But planning and doing are two different things and a life and death situation had to be made.

When I realized the story was written from Christian’s point of view I was curious how that would go over. A woman writing from a males perspective had to be challenging, but the author nailed it. Christian’s thoughts and dialogue, even his reactions were all male.

I liked Christian, but felt he was a little too whipped over Iris. She’s not even his girlfriend. She’s dating someone else and doesn’t care for him that way. But he’s hopeful he can make her see him differently and young love is relentless.

As for Iris. At first I didn’t care for her one way or the other. I did start to know her, and by the end, I had a feeling I would like to know her better. She didn’t deserve the cards she was dealt.

There is a secondary character, Reno, who made a big impression. As this is the first book in the series, I’m hopeful Reno races back into the story later on.

For you zombie fans, there’s plenty of action and gore. There should be. This is a story about zombies, and they eat people.

But it’s also a love story. Young love, unrequited at the time, but that makes it all the more poignant.

I found myself not only hoping these characters would survive, but also hoping they would come together.

The ending is a cliff hanger, as I expected, with this being a series. It was a tough one too. I thought about it afterwards. Wondering what would happen, how could anything good come out of this tragedy, and one mystery that I needed an answer to. I’m looking forward to finding out.

4 Stars

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Synopsis:
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This is a story of love . . . and zombies.
When eighteen-year-old college freshman Christian discovers his dormitory is crawling with the living dead, he knows he has a problem. But once he learns the whole country is overrun by the flesh-eating horde, he must race to protect what matters to him most.
Sixteen-year-old Iris, the girl he loves, is stranded eighty miles away, alone and completely unaware of the gruesome threat surrounding her.
Christian’s plan is to evade the zombies, drive the distance to rescue Iris, and get them both to his family farm—where there are guns, fuel, and everything else they’ll need to survive. His mission seems simple: Get the girl, get to the farm, and stay alive.
Things get complicated when Christian is forced to make an unthinkable choice between Iris and his family. Someone he loves must die, and he must decide.
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AUTHOR BIO
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Valerie
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Valerie Grosjean is the author of the young adult novel UNDYING. She grew up on a Nebraska farm. After college, she married and moved to Northern California, where she lives with her husband and their two young children. Her obsession with zombie movies inspired UNDYING, her first novel and the beginning of the Undying series.
Author Links:  Goodreads ~ Facebook ~  Website
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Signed paperback copy of Undying

Undying Book Mark

Click on the rafflecopter below to enter.

Raffle button

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And the other giveaway!

Win an ebook copy of Undying – International

Leave your email and answer this question –

“What’s your weapon of choice against a zombie?”

For more reviews and giveaways, follow the tour by clicking on the banner below.

Xpresso Book Tours

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

To see all of my giveaways click on the lucky horseshoe below!

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Freakin Fridays #27 ~ The Monster Man of Horror House and Days With The Undead ~ Reviews

Posted: January 25, 2014 in apocalypse, Freakin Friday, horror, reviews, Supernatural, Zombies
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Freakin Fridays!

Freakin Fridays is my own little meme. I’ll be posting about books, movies, and all things scary.

Feel free to join in and do your own Freakin Fridays posts!

Tune in every Friday. Get your scare on!

Let’s have some fun!

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With the new year here, I’ve started  implementing my new plans for my blog.

While I’ll still be doing my memes and posting for book tours and giveaways, I’m going to be doing a lot more reviewing.

I asked you to help me with this. Below are the 5 books I’ll be reviewing for the 5 Fridays in January. You’ve let me know which one you want me to review first. The book with the most votes for my first 2014 Freakin Fridays review was The Little Mermaid of Death!

There is a link further down in the post for my review if you missed it.

Your next pick was Spooky Short Stories. You can check out my review further down in this post.

And your next pick was The Monster Man of Horror House which I’ll be reviewing now along with the next choice Days With The Undead!

I had a glitch and had to miss my Freakin Fridays post last week so making up for that now.

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The previous week’s choices!

The Monster Man of Horror House

by Danny King

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My Review

Every town has one. That mysterious person. A recluse. You can’t help but listen to the rumors about him.  His very aloofness invites it.

John Coal has been having trouble with a group of teenage boys. They pull pranks, destroy property, and torment him. At first, he’s at a loss, wondering, “Why me?”

Then it hits him. He’s that creepy old guy in the creepy house. The odd one that everybody whispers about. People cross the street to avoid contact.

The gang of boys continue to plague him so he figures he’ll give them what they believe. He’ll be the monster man.

So he sets the bait, making it easy for the boys to get, and adds one more thing to entice them further into the house. Then he springs his trap and the boys end up in his cellar, scared and shaken.

Who knows what horrible plans he has in  store for them. They should have minded their own business.

John Coal has quite a history. He’s dealt with things we only dreamed about in our nightmares. Drawing on his past experiences, he goes to extremes to teach these boys a lesson.

The author threw me for a loop from the moment John trapped those boys. I didn’t have any idea whether John was just a grumpy old loner or something else. I quickly found out. I can see why he’s called the monster man now.

I had to stretch my imagination a bit about the elaborate trap John set. But as I learned about his past, it became easier to believe and them I was all in to the end.

A good read for a dark and stormy night.

3 Stars

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Days With The Undead

by Julianne Snow

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My Review

This was a bit different for me. The story is narrated by Julie as an ongoing journal on the internet. She is recording everything that has happened to her and her 4 friends starting three days after the outbreak,  as they go on the run, seeking someplace safe from the zombies.

Right away, I liked how the author addressed people’s reactions to the news of the flesh-eating outbreak. Many just went about their daily lives. That is, until the zombies came calling.

Some of the towns they passed through were untouched, while others were ravaged. They had to be careful not only of the zombies. There were pirates out there, goons who would as soon shoot you as help you. They want what you’ve got, plain and simple.

While telling her tale, Julie begins relating each of her friends stories. What happened to them when the outbreak occurred and how they came to be together.

If you are going to survive, you have to get tough, keep your group small, and keep moving. No stopping to help anyone, and no letting someone join the group, no matter what.

It’s easy to think, but harder when they’re faced with some choices.

Zombie fans know that things happen. Not everyone can survive. You expect losses.  But don’t you wish it didn’t have to be that way?

By writing this as a journal, Julianne did an excellent job. I was actually picturing the scenes, nodding at some things, and hoping the zombie apocalypse stayed what it is. Fiction.

You can learn a lot about surviving the apocalypse by reading Julie’s journal.

I was going to give this 4 stars but the ending bumped it right up to 5! I read it several times and it floored me.

5 Stars

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Your previous choices were:

Spooky Short Stories

by Kathryn Meyer Griffith

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My 5 Star Review

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Your first choice!

The Little Mermaid of Death

by Kevin Richey

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My 4 Star Review

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And for next week!

#1

Cold Blood

by Donna Ansari

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As the winter holiday season descends on New York City, vampire Emma Hammond is anticipating celebrating with Tammy and David, her witch and werewolf roommates. But when an odd Christmas ornament unleashes waves of the undead from her neighborhood graveyard, Emma finds herself as an unwilling shield between ravenous zombies and an unsuspecting city. Even worse, despite having everyday dealing with supernatural creatures, Emma finds that she has an unnatural aversion to the shambling dead, and must get to their source and stop the invasion before she’s forced to cancel her holiday party!

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Stay tuned for February. I’ll be giving you some new choices!

Monday Minis #21 ~ Drop Dead Tavern

Posted: January 14, 2014 in apocalypse, horror, Monday's Minis, reviews, Zombies
Tags: , ,
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Welcome to My Monday Minis.

This is where I review short stories and flash fiction.

For today I’ll be telling you about Drop Dead Tavern

by Chad P. Brown

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My Review

You’d think after watching Walking Dead nothing would shock me.

This short story should have come with a warning. “Brace yourself.”

All Kent wants is a bottle to swill away his grief. To forget about the loss of his brother, the zombies gnashing around, and his loneliness.

He pulls his bike up to the tavern and after making sure the coast is clear, he enters.

Aah, right there amid the broken bottles stands one survivor. Looks like he’ll sleep good tonight. Maybe there’ll be no dreams.

Suddenly, he’s confronted by a boy. He looks like a street urchin, filthy and haggard.

Once Kent establishes the boys trust, he gets his story.

Any zombie fans would love this short tale.

It didn’t take me long to read it, but by the end it felt like forever. Like those dreams you have where you are running and running and never seem to get anywhere.

I must have been lulled somehow, because what happened in that tavern really tore me up.

Without fluff or wasted words, Chad got right to the matter, dragging me in.

You have to remember, this is a zombie apocalypse. It ended leaving me torn and wishing there was more. I really liked Kent and wondered what would become of him.

4 Stars

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About Chad P. Brown

Chad P. Brown was born in Huntington, WV. Once he outgrew his childhood fears of haunted houses, clowns, and toy monkeys with cymbals (although those still creep him out a little bit), he discovered a dark love for writing and an affinity for macabre and eldritch matters. He holds a Master’s in Latin from Marshall University and is an Affiliate member of the Horror Writers Association. In October 2011, he released his first horror novel, The Jack-in-the-box. He has appeared in the anthologies SPIDERS (August 2012 by May December Publications) and Gothic Blue Book Vol. 2 – Revenge Edition (October 2012 by Burial Day Books). His current projects include a recently released zombie novella, Messiah of the Zombie Apocalypse, and various short stories, as well as a dark fiction novella, The Pumpkin House, which is in submission.

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