I’ve been following Michael Hebler’s Chupacabra Series from the beginning and I’m always anxious to read the next book.
It may be a bit until I get my hands on Dawn of the Chupabara, but Michael did send me the cover art, along with some characters bios, an excerpt and he even took time to answer a few of my questions. Not that I didn’t hound him a bit. I can’t help it. I love this series!
Check out my Interview with Michael!
Hi Michael. I just wanted to remind you that I’m still waiting for Dawn of the Chupacabra! Not to rush you or anything, but…. LOL Just kidding, kind of.
I know. I’m sorry. The fourth book turned out to be more of a monster than I originally intended.
Since I haven’t got my hands on it yet, I was hoping you could answer a few questions about it?
Of course. I would love to, but you know me and how protective I am of my twist and plot details. J.J. Abrams would be proud.
The other books take place in the old west. Will this one too?
Partially. Dawn of the Chupacabra is a prequel to the trilogy already released. It begins in the final year of the American Civil War and spans through a couple of years thereafter, which is well into to the start of the “Old West” era.
A prequel? Other than the chupacabra, will there be many familiar characters?
A couple. I hope readers will have that sense of familiarity with the book. The story also answers some lingering questions from the previous entries. And although [Dawn] will continue to have a lot of the same fun action (as demonstrated in the excerpt), I will advise that this book will be the most brutal in series thus far.
You mentioned familiar characters, is that face on your cover anyone we’ve met before?
No. He’s new. And I can’t say who.
And what plans to do you have for the rest of the series? Will it advance in time?
Yes. [Dawn] will be the last novel set in the 19th century. Book 5 entitled, Return of the Chupacabra, leaps into the 1990’s at a time when we discover what happened to the creature after the end of [Legend].
And how many books are you planning for this series?
There are six currently, but I won’t be a JKR and say nevermore. I’m just anxious to explore some of my other ideas. In fact, I’ve recently decided to take a year off of the Chupacabra Series to concentrate on finishing a novella I’ve been writing off and on for the last 15 years called, The Ghost of Christmas Past. I also want to write a fan-fiction novel based on a popular horror film series, which I’ll do under a pen name. Don’t ask which film series because I won’t tell, but if fans of the Chupacabra Series comes across it, they might be able to figure it out. I hope to release both in 2016.
Does that mean Return of the Chupacabra will not be released until in 2017?
That’s my hope and dream. I have the story outlined already so I don’t see why not.
Thanks so much for the fun interview Michael. I’m thrilled about your other stories too. They will do nicely while I’m waiting for Return of The Chupacabra!
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Are you ready to see the amazing cover for Dawn Of The Chupacabra?
Are you sure?
Positive?
Okay.
Here
You
Go!
Excerpt
Again, lightning pierced the night, followed by an earth-shattering rumble. In that abrupt moment, Jeremiah’s previous assumptions had been confirmed. The kitchen had been ransacked. Burlap sacks lay torn, drained of their contents. The cooler doors hung wide open with the evidence of broken jars and dishes at the foot, but before darkness settled back into place, he caught sight of a lamp that sat on the counter, undisturbed.
A memory awoke of light beaming through the kitchen’s orifices when last here. The matches would be somewhere near, and unlike the sticks inside the house, these would have remained dry. Patting the counter, Jeremiah found them in no time. He struck a flame and discovered a large ale barrel, untouched by time or wildlife. An overwhelming pungency of lime assaulted his sense once he removed the lid. He dipped his hand into the water then pulled out two eggs. They were two-years-old at best, but the solution of lime water would have kept them from rotting. He broke the tip and drank its slimy filling. Yep, still fresh, though citrusy, and could use a bit of spice.
Jeremiah rummaged through cupboards and soon discovered a shelf of airtight tin canisters. Inside the first was salt. The next was thyme, and then paprika, cayenne, and cumin. Thrilled by his findings, Jeremiah cracked the top of his other egg then sprinkled a pinch of salt and cayenne before he sucked it down.
By his own doing, Jeremiah’s skin crawled. His feeding hadn’t sounded too dissimilar from the creature’s, but his slurping was not his only reminder of the beast at that moment. The pounding rain on the slate roof had masked the demon’s arrival. And what had felt like a bullet to his neck was none other than the elongated leech that drained the blood from his veins.
Jeremiah twisted to the window where it perched and bore its beady eyes into him as intensely as its tongue, but unlike its previous attack, Jeremiah did not hesitate this time. He reached for his sickle and swung. The might behind his strike would have sliced the tongue in two had the blade been sharp, but the attack was not in vain. The curvature of the steel hooked around the appendage and yanked it from his neck.
The beast reeled in its tongue then bounded inside. Jeremiah gripped his knife when the thing knocked him against the counter. The blade fell to the floor, leaving no chance of slicing its throat a second time.
Face-to-face, once again, Jeremiah twisted his head, hoping it would discourage the slimy projectile from entering his eye, when his focus rested on the set of spice canisters he pulled from the cabinet.
He reached for the tin of cayenne then closed his eyes and held his breath before flinging a wave of the spicy powder into the creature’s face. After a short delay, the thing released its hold to shriek and flail throughout the confined enclosure. Keeping his eyes closed, Jeremiah slid beneath the protection of the counter and crawled towards the exit while the monster ripped through the kitchen like a deadly tornado. Its agony sounded severe. He had succeeded in getting away, but at the cost of pissing it off even more.
Jeremiah crawled outside and into the mud before opening his eyes or taking a breath. He glanced back into the kitchen for a mere second only to be continually surprised by the thing. Not only could it cling from wall to wall to ceiling, but the beast had a ripple of spikes that stretched down its back to a tail that he had not yet observed. No doubt, this beast was like nothing he had ever seen or heard before. There was something special about this one-of-kind creature, and judging by its tenacity for him, Jeremiah had a feeling it wasn’t acting of its own cognizance, but serving a master.
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Character Bios
NOAGUNUM “ATRACO” (age unknown)
This Pniese Indian was thought to have died as a young boy during the white man’s genocide of his people, but Noagunum lived to become a daring and skilled assassin in his youth. The settlers gave the nickname “Atraco” (Latin for “dark”) to their unknown perpetrator; not only for his ability to keep hidden in shadows, but for the dark heart he carried for any white man, woman, or child. Once too old to retain the stamina of a hunter, Atraco retired to the land of his nation in an incessant search for a curse that would cause their mass extinction.
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*****
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ADAM JOHNSON (12) is one of the youngest sniper’s to come out of any Union state. At his previous age, Master Adam went from one of eleven Johnson family members to the only living. While playing alone in the storm cellar, he cowardly watched a squadron of graybacks overtake his family’s ranch then proceed to rape and murder his sisters, brothers, and mother on their front porch. To this day, Adam continues to be haunted by his cowardice, having ignored a faultless opportunity to save his gimp father from the soldier’s extensive torture and eventual slaying. Burdened by the weight of regret, Adam and his dead-eye joined his fellow countrymen as a highly proficient sniper in hopes of filling his bottomless pit of grief with Confederate blood.
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*****
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ALICE SAMPSON-STEBBINS (18) – Alice is as feisty as she is stunning. Country born to a small Dutch family in the Ozarks, Alice had found friendship in two neighboring boys, Jeremiah Whiting and Martin Stebbins, whom she lured her into her mischievous clutches and consistently helped get into trouble. At the end of her tomboy days, Alice developed feelings for one of the two boys, Martin, which flourished into love. To her relief, her feelings were reciprocated in folds and the two formed a union of marriage before her husband left to fight for the Confederacy. Alice awaits the day for her husband’s return. Should he survive, her hopes are to start a family that same day.
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*****
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ELIAS & SILAS STEBBINS (14) – Identical twins, Elias and Silas, perceive war as nothing less than glorious. Raised in a large and loving family, their eagerness to become a soldier once reaching their father’s approved age of fifteen, is amplified by their elder brother’s stories of battle. After war, both boys hope to marry beautiful women, but that is where their identities split. Confident and noble, Silas holds onto aspirations of staying in the Ozarks and taking over their father’s furniture business while Elias, ideological and adventurous, dreams of heading to the Alaskan frontier to live a lavish life bathed in its riches.
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*****
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CHRISTOPHER HOUSTON “KIT” CARSON (57) – “Kit” was a non-fictional American frontiersman. The few paying jobs he had during his lifetime included fur trapper, wilderness guide, Indian agent, and American Army officer. Carson became a legend in his own lifetime via biographies and news articles. Exaggerated versions of his exploits were the subject of dime-store novels. Of all his notable achievements, Carson’s supervision of Fort Nichols’ construction is the most relevant to ‘Dawn of the Chupacabra’, a stronghold to protect travelers on the most dangerous part of the Cimarron Cut-off of the Santa Fe Trail from raids by the Kiowa and Comanche Indians.
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Author Michael Hebler
Prior to becoming an award-winning author of his dark fiction Chupacabra Series, Michael was a full-time international film publicist who had worked on multiple titles for Walt Disney, Pixar, Lionsgate, Lakeshore Entertainment, Warner Bros., Summit Entertainment, and the 2013 Academy Award-winning Best Foreign Language Film, “La grande bellezza” (The Great Beauty).
Born in the early 1970’s in Los Angeles County to a salesman and homemaker, Michael dreamed of following his passions for entertainment and storytelling by acting. It was while studying theatre arts at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, California, did he realize his penchant for stories were better suited on the page rather than the stage. But creating tales with suspense, laughter, and heart is not Michael’s only love. Hebler also enjoys volunteering in his local community, as well as aid in the capture/spay/neuter/release feral program.
To date, Michael’s publications include NIGHT OF THE CHUPACABRA, CURSE OF THE CHUPACABRA, and LEGEND OF THE CHUPACABRA (Books I, II, & III of the six-part Chupacabra Series) as well as his first publication, THE NIGHT AFTER CHRISTMAS, a holiday picture book for believers of any age. Michael’s fourth book in the Chupacabra Series, DAWN OF THE CHUPACABRA will be available in print and for ebook on October 13, 2015.
Michael currently resides in Southwest Florida.
Author Links:
Email:
Michael also in the beginning stages of organizing a newsletter. If you would like to be included on the list once it’s up and running, you can email Michael at the link above.
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Last week I shared the new cover art for Night Of The Chupacabra.
I also reposted my review and Michael offered an awesome giveaway!
Here’s what you can win.
One Winner of either:
1) a signed paperback copy of the new edition (USA only) OR 2) 4 ebooks (Night of the Chupacabra, Curse of the Chupacabra, Legend of the Chupacabra, and an ARC of Dawn of the Chupacabra when it’s ready sometime this summer) (choice of formats: MOBI, EPUB or PDF)
Go HERE to enter.
Giveaway Ends June 8th.
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For all of my giveaways click on the chupacabra below.
