Shambling in a Winter Wonderland

Coming Nov. 19, my next serial fundraiser story! 

Cover Art by Frr Mallory.  Story at http://skizombies.karinafabian.com

Zombie exterminators Neeta and Ted head to the slopes for a much-deserved break, but when a ski team that died in an avalanche dig themselves out of their snowy graves to finish the competition, it looks like a working vacation after all. 

"Shambling in a Winter Wonderland" will raise money for Operation Homefront. Operation Homefront provides emergency financial and other assistance to the families of our service members and wounded warriors.

Through generous, widespread public support and a collaborative team of exceptional staff and volunteers, we aspire to become the provider of choice for emergency financial and other assistance to the families of our service members and wounded warriors. Where there is a need we do not provide, we will partner with others for the benefit of our military families. 

Once again, I'm asking for donations.  You can donate as little as a dollar.  Every ten dollars aggregate will get the next episode put up.  (I anticipate 19 episodes, based on the lines of "Walking in a Winter Wonderland.") $25 or more will get you a choice of the Neeta Lyffe books, and $45 or more will get you both books.

Regardless of whether you donate or not, you are welcome to read along at http://skizombies.karianfabian.com

Terminal, a Flash Fiction

In honor of the I Left My Brains in San Francisco book tour, I have a short story for you inspired by a photo on Facebook that suggested that instead of searches, x-rays, etc.  We just folks step into a booth that would detonate any explosive devices.  Think I'll have to incorporate it into a Neeta Lyffe story someday.  Remember, you can find I Left My Brains in San Francisco at

Amazon: http://amzn.to/Nzm01L (paper) http://amzn.to/OBBmkL (Kindle)

or from Damnation Books: http://www.damnationbooks.com/book.php?isbn=9781615727643.

Airport Terminal now has a double meaning!

Terminal

by Karina Fabian

Thank you for using TEDDS--the Terrorist Explosive Device Detonation System. Protecting citizens from invasive scans and embarrassing search procedures since 2027. Your feedback is important to us. Should you be innocent and survive the experience, we invite you to fill out a customer service questionnaire, which you can turn in at the customer service department for a free bottled water or large tube of toothpaste! Please remain still while we check for explosive devices... Please wait... Your safety is important to us, thank you for waiting...

We regret to inform you that explosive element three, nitroglycerine, was found in your shoe. The authorities, morgue officer and janitorial staff are en route. If you wish to preserve your life, click the "I Confess!" button on the screen before you and fill out the appropriate form. You will be asked to give a full description of your motivations, names of accomplices, and any religious, social or psychological circumstances that may influence your trial. If you wish to continue with detonation, please press the "I Die Willingly!" button. By doing so, you and any related parties absolve TSA from responsibility for your demise. You will also be given two minutes to craft your message of defiance or choose one from the standard menu. You have ten second to make your selection. Thank you again for choosing TEDDS.

Putting on Zombie Make-Up

This is the tutorial I did last year for the Neeta Lyffe, Zombie Exterminator blog tour. Hope you enjoy it and it helps.



For More Tutorials:

http://youtu.be/DuMt-N0bnww
http://youtu.be/9DzAwvJCHI0
http://youtu.be/_bVMr-JtyaU

Next DragonEye Story coming in Weird Noir

Woo-hoo!  My DragonEye story, "Sins of the Brother" is coming out in Weird Noir from Fox Spirit books! http://www.foxspirit.co.uk/

 “On the gritty backstreets of a crumbling city, tough dames and dangerous men
trade barbs, witticisms and a few gunshots. But there’s a new twist where urban decay meets the eldritch borders of another world: WEIRD NOIR. Featuring thugs who sprout claws and fangs, gangsters with tentacles and the occasional succubus siren. The ambience is pure noir but the characters aren’t just your average molls and mugs—the vamps might just be vamps. It’s Patricia Highsmith meets Shirley Jackson or Dashiell Hammett filtered through H. P. Lovecraft. Mad, bad and truly dangerous to know, but
irresistible all the same.”

Here's a story I was asked to write about its creation.

 

“It’s been done, Kitten.”

I sighed.  Talking to my well-read husband could be like sleeping on a bed of tacks—everywhere you turn, there’s a sharp point. For half an hour, I’d brought up story ideas only to have them shot down.

“Fine, but I need a unique angle for a dragon story.  I want to be in this anthology.”

He shrugged, his deep brown eyes echoing my frustration.  That’s when the kids called us down to watch Whose Line Is It, Anyway.  It’s a comedy improve show, where the actors perform sketches.  Much of the humor flew over the kids’ heads like a Concord, but we loved it anyway, especially when they did the noir skits.

That’s when it hit me:  I could do noir…with a dragon.

Meet Vern: an undersized dragon working off a geas from St. George to regain his dragon greatness.  Vern lives on the wrong side of the Interdimensional Gap and works as a professional problem solver for people on the right side of Good but the shady side of Law.  Vern first appeared in “DragonEye, PI” in Firestorm of Dragons, and has been in two published novels and numerous stories since.  He’s uptight, cynical, and sometimes, very funny.  

But not in the case of “Sins of the Brother.” Patterned after the 1954 movie, World For Ransom, Vern has to solve a kidnapping while protecting the kidnapper.  Rather than a femme fatal, Vern’s doing it for a friend who sacrificed his life to protect Vern in the past.  The romantic tension is replaced by the tension between Corsican twins, and the political backdrop of two worlds—one of magic, one of technology--forced to get along.

I hope you enjoy the story, and if you like it, you’ll check out Vern’s website at http://dragoneyepi.net.  There, you’ll find a list of his books and stories, plus his newsletter and blog.

Ten Random Facts about I Left My Brains in San Francisco

1.  There have been attempts by various groups to rename the Tenderloin district because the name means a chunk of meat.

2.  The building where Neeta and Ted stay is not a YMCA like in the book, but is a retail store.  I looked at it with Google Maps for an hour to get a good feel for the building.

3.  Before I could write I Left My Brains in San Francisco, I had to come up with the characters and episodes of Zombie Death Extreme—Bayou.  Some of that is on the website at http://zombiedeathextreme.com.  I think I may novelize it later.

4.  When Roscoe said Marcel was a cad, I had no idea how true that was.  I was VERY surprised at his behavior later.  I’m telling you—there are dark corners in an author’s mind.

5.  I originally intended to have a casino attack in this book, but it wouldn’t work.  I intend to write about zombies in Reno someday.

6.  The zombie attack when Neeta and Ted start dating is in “Wokking Dead” in The Zombie Cookbook.  It’s actually the first Neeta Lyffe story.

7.  For those who read Neeta Lyffe, Zombie Exterminator:  Remember the Cameron that Roscoe waxed poetic about in the episode where they faced animatronic zombies that looked loved ones?  That’s the Cameron Luke wanted to go see in Reno.

8.  Ted’s unusual family is a nod to Caprica, which was a short-lived Battlestar spin off.  One of the main characters was in a group marriage.  However, I have known people in California who are in “multiple” living together relationships; they just keep it on the down-low—hence, the “cousins.”

9.  I asked a biochemist and a geneticist to write Dunbar’s lines and told them to be as academic as possible. I love the results.  I also had chemical engineers help me with the refinery.  I love having brilliant friends with crazy imaginations!

10. Someone reminded me that in Mad Max, Thunderdrome used pig feces to produce methane to supply the town with energy and fuel.  I was not thinking of that at all, and in fact, had postulated that they were using something other than methane, which is too volatile for cars.

Find I Left My Brains in San Francisco at:

Damnation Books: http://www.damnationbooks.com/book.php?isbn=9781615727643

 

Amazon: http://amzn.to/Nzm01L (paper) http://amzn.to/OBBmkL (Kindle)

More about it at http://zombiedeathextreme.com

 

Zombie Artist George Silliman

Today on the I Left my Brains in San Francisco virtual book tour, I bring you my cover artist, George Silliman.  George has done both covers for the zombie exterminator books.  Welcome, George!  To start, can you tell us a little about yourself?

I am a 39-year-old self-taught artist living in New York. My specialty is horror but I do venture out into other genres from time to time. I confess to having an endless passion for drawing and painting. I'm willing to try anything that allows me to experiment and further my boundaries as an artist. My fondness of horror influences every piece of my work. 

I'm currently on the art staff of DAMNATION BOOKS and LNC STUDIOS. My artwork over the years has been published in many magazines and book covers. You can also visit me on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/george.silliman

1. You paint a lot horror themes. What is it about the subject matter that attracts you artistically?

There are no limitations in horror. You are only limited by your imagination. I feel drawing horror-related pieces is a good stress reliever from the everyday things that can stress a person out.

2.  Why zombies?  What do you find the most fun about drawing zombies?

This isn’t the first time I’ve been asked this question...there really is not an easy answer. I guess you can relate it to something like dressing up for Halloween. It’s fun ! Zombies are something that has stuck with me throughout my art career and I get asked to do them a lot. It’s something I never get tired of drawing.  There are a lot of possibilities for a zombie drawing.

3.  What’s the biggest challenge of drawing zombies or monsters?

This is a good question. When working for a publisher or author I find that sometimes putting their ideas onto paper can be challenging. I also find drawing something that has a lot of action the hardest for me.

4.  What would be your dream assignment as an artist?

My dream assignment would be doing what I love with free artistic expression and getting paid for it. With that said, I will be drawing for as long as I can foresee regardless of pay. Art is something with in me. Part of me.

You can view George Silliman’s art at: http://georgesilliman.daportfolio.com