Book Giveaway: Shattered Lives Series by Rissa Blakeley

Need a post-apocalyptic, new adult, zombie romance series to snuggle up with over the holidays?  We have you covered!

Broken Dreams (Shattered Lives #1) by Rissa Blakeley

Elaina Cooper’s world was turned upside down on what was supposed to be the happiest day of her life. She was about to marry Henry Daniels, the man of her dreams -- or so she thought. Just as she was to walk down the aisle, screams pierced the air.

In the days that followed, questions lingered in Elaina’s mind. Why did Henry seem to know so much about what was happening? And why did she feel like he was keeping secrets from her? Henry knew that his haunted past would eventually catch up to him…in more ways than one. Through all of this, he must face his demons, and Elaina must decide whether she can accept who he is. Henry is determined to fight to the very end to make their sexy, mercurial relationship work no matter what staggers in their path.

Along with their ragtag band of survivors, they must travel south to face Henry’s fears. There will be joys and loss but, in the end, is love enough to hold them together?

Genre: Paranormal Romance, Apocalyptic, Zombies, New Adult
Add to Goodreads.

Shattered Lives Series Ebook Giveaway

We are giving away one ebook from the Shattered Lives series (Broken Dreams, Fractured Hearts, Awakened Desires) by Rissa Blakeley.

To enter, please leave a comment on this post and include your email address so we may contact you if you win.  This giveaway is 18+ and is INTERNATIONAL.  Giveaway ends December 24, 2015 midnight EST.

What would you grab during a zombie apocalypse?

World Zombie Day Giveaway

Happy World Zombie Day!  We'll be celebrating all week with a fantastic book giveaway.

Are you ready for the Zombie Apocalypse?

What better way to prepare for the zombie apocalypse than with braaaaains books?  And just in case the zombie hordes take out the power plants, we are giving a way a physical book for your reading pleasure (Note: this book can double as a weapon, or as body armor.  We have you covered!).

World Zombie Day Giveaway

We are giving away a copy of Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan.

To enter, please leave a comment below and include your email address so we may contact you if you win.  BONUS ENTRY:  Leave a comment on this month's poll October Poll: What is your favorite paranormal creature? for one extra giveaway entry.  This giveaway is open in US mailing addresses.  Giveaway ends October 27, 2015 midnight EST.

Happy World Zombie Day!

The Horde Without End: Bonus Scene + Giveaway

Today we have a release day giveaway and a very special bonus scene for our readers from THE HORDE WITHOUT END by Nazarea Andrews.

Keep reading for a chance to win a $50 Gift Card!

Bonus Scene: The Horde Without End

Live Infection.

Leaving is the only option. It took less than three days for that to become expressly clear to Collin Sanders—three days of staring at the canyon walls, eating shitty MREs and listening to Dustin’s breathing slowly change into that wicked rasp.

Collin knew that sound. He’d lived twenty years with ERI-Milan, and four as a Walker. He knew what a contact infection could do to a body, what damage it would inflict.

Dustin would change—not as quickly as if he had been bitten, but staying here and waiting for Finn to return with Ren was no longer an option.

Once he decided that, on that third morning, as the sun rose and zombies screamed on the cliff top, he felt a weight shift off of him. Sitting still wasn’t natural to Collin, and now he has a plan. Forward momentum, and all that shit.

He didn’t give much consideration to the fact that Finn would be furious. If any thought crossed Collin’s mind as he packed their gear and water and food, it was that Nurrin would be terrified to return and find him missing.

He wonders, not for the first time, if he will be forced to kill his sister’s lover.

She would be pissed, if he did. But in the zombie apocalypse, these things did have a way of happening.

Dustin stumbles out of bed that third morning looking a little grey. “You’re packing sht,” he rasps.

“We’re going to find you medicine. You’ll die if we stay,” Collin says bluntly. He’s at the rough wood table, carving something into the wood.

“What about Ren?” Dustin forces out.

Collin hesitates, the only indication that he has doubts about this. His lips thin, and he finishes carving up the table. Dustin sees the design—four lines slashed in half, an i slashed diagonally.
Dustin stumbles toward the table, and Collin can feel the heat rolling off of him. “Can you get to the cliff top?” Collin asks, seriously.

Dustin shrugs. “I don’t have much of a choice do I?”

Collin stares at him, and nods sharply. “Exactly.”

Read the rest of Collin and Dustin’s story during the blog tour!

My thoughts:  I love having the opportunity to read bonus material and the opening line of this bonus scene gave me chills.  "Live Infection."  Those two words made my skin crawl.  Do you have a favorite line from The Horde Without End bonus scene?

What did you think of the bonus scene?

The Horde Without End (The World Without End #2) by Nazarea Andrews.

It was supposed to be over…
 
Returning from Haven 18 was supposed to be the end. But nothing is ever easy—and in a world full of zombies, finding the missing is next to impossible. There are breadcrumbs. Tiny clues. But what are a few tiny clues in a world of the dead?
 
Nurrin is desperate to find her brother, but that will mean trusting Finn O’Malley. A man shrouded in secrets, who kills as easily as breathing. And the more she learns about him, the more questions she has. But she has learned one thing—the zombies are changing. Adapting. And this time, the Haven walls won’t keep them out.

Release Date: July 24, 2014
Genre: Dystopian, New Adult, Paranormal, Fantasy
Add to Goodreads.

Thank you Nazarea for sharing this special bonus scene with out readers!

To learn more about Nazarea Andrews and her books, please visit her website.

The Horde Without End Release Day Giveaway

The author is giving away a $50 Gift Card to winner's choice of Amazon or Barnes and Noble and a Zombie Survival Kit!

To enter, please use the easy peasy Rafflecopter form below.  This is a tour giveaway and the winners will be selected randomly by the author or tour coordinator.

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Good luck!

Cover Reveal + Giveaway: The Queen of Zombie Hearts

Today is the day! The cover of Gena Showalter's THE QUEEN OF ZOMBIE HEARTS is here! We're so excited to be able to share this with you as it joins an already stunning set! Ready to see it? First lets take a look at the first two covers in the series!

It all began with ALICE IN ZOMBIELAND...

Then came THROUGH THE ZOMBIE GLASS...

Now get ready to EAT YOUR HEARTS OUT!!!

      

The Queen of Zombie Hearts (The White Rabbit Chronicles #3) by Gena Showalter.

I have a plan.

We'll either destroy them for good, or they'll destroy us.

Either way, only one of us is walking away.

In the stunning conclusion to the wildly popular White Rabbit Chronicles, Alice "Ali" Bell thinks the worst is behind her. She's ready to take the next step with boyfriend Cole Holland, the leader of the zombie slayers…until Anima Industries, the agency controlling the zombies, launches a sneak attack, killing four of her friends. It's then she realizes that humans can be more dangerous than monsters…and the worst has only begun.

As the surviving slayers prepare for war, Ali discovers she, too, can control the zombies…and she isn't the girl she thought she was. She's connected to the woman responsible for killing—and turning—Cole's mother. How can their relationship endure? As secrets come to light, and more slayers are taken or killed, Ali will fight harder than ever to bring down Anima—even sacrificing her own life for those she loves.

Official White Rabbit Chronicles website

On-sale date: Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Add it to your TBR!  Goodreads

About Gena:

Gena Showalter is the New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of the wildly popular White Rabbit Chronicles, the Angels of the Dark, the Lords of the Underworld, and the Otherworld Assassins series.  In addition to being a National Reader's Choice and RITA nominee, her romance novels have appeared in Cosmopolitan and Seventeen magazine, and have been translated in multiple languages.  She lives in Oklahoma with her family and menagerie of dogs, and truly believes love conquers all.

Website/Twitter/Facebook/The White Rabbit Chronicles Facebook

The White Rabbit Chronicles Giveaway:

1 complete set of The White Rabbit Chronicles (first 2 books sent as soon as the giveaway is over and the winner will get the first hardcover of book 3 when it's available!) US/Canada Only

To enter, use the easy peasy Rafflecopter form below.

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World Zombie Day: The Pirate Curse Excerpt

Happy World Zombie Day!

Lend me an ear, and your braaaaaaaaaaaaaains, for a fun excerpt from THE PIRATE CURSE.  In this excerpt, Yuki's dreams are being invaded by, you guessed it, ZOMBIES!

*****

     It wasn’t long before my dreams were invaded by zombies.  Alien birds just aren’t all that interesting.

     These were total Romero zombies, lurching along in search of tasty brains.  I avoided the shambling walk of the nearest zombie and searched for a weapon.  Right on cue, a shovel materialized, but not in my hand.  The potential weapon was up the street, leaning against a coal shed.  This would have been awesome except for the half dozen zombies hanging out by the shed moaning “braaains, braaains” like a broken record.

     This dream was giving me two options.  I could attempt to run past the zombies and grab the shovel or forget arming myself and run in the opposite direction like flying monkeys were hot on my tail—flying zombie monkeys.

     I hesitated, unsure of what to do, and that’s when things got weird.  Well, weirder.  This dream was already up there on the bizarro scale.  The zombies were surrounded by feathers, I assume from grazing on the local bird population, but there were no longer any living plovers in sight.  Apparently, zombies have a mega big appetite.

     After consuming all the tiny bird brains, the zombies turned to larger prey.  This zombie town that had appeared on an empty alien world was suddenly filled with screaming humans.  Don’t ask me how.  I’m guessing dream logic is pretty flimsy.

     All around me zombies grabbed at the humans, trying to munch their brains.  But none of the zombies came toward me, which kind of ticked me off.  I mean, here I was standing in front of them with a perfectly tasty brain and nobody wanted to eat me.  I glowered at the zombies and the humans.  It was like high school all over again.  It just didn’t seem fair.

     I stomped over toward the shed, ready to work out my frustrations with the shovel, but was stopped by a tap on my shoulder.  A zombie was standing behind me, decaying eyebrow raised, holding a cracker topped with a dollop of brain.

     “Pardon me, do you have any Grey Poupon?” he asked.

     I put my hands on my hips and narrowed my eyes.

     “No, I don’t have any Grey Poupon,” I said.  “I’m fresh out of condiments, but I do have a question.  What is so wrong with me? I mean, not that I really want you to or anything, but why don't you want to eat my brain?”

     He opened his mouth to answer, but I never learned what the zombie was going to say.  He wobbled, trying to catch his balance, as the ground at his feet churned.  A huge beetle burst up through the earth, raining soil on our heads.

     The zombies and the humans scattered, leaving me with a seven foot tall dung beetle.

     “Why would I want to eat your brain, child?” she said.

     "Um, never mind," I said.  "Bad dream."

     "Dreams hold knowledge, little one, they are never bad," she said.

     "Okay, right, I'll keep that in mind," I said.  I sighed, wondering what my dung beetle spirit guide could possibly want.  "So, um, what are you doing here in my dream?  Wait.  Is Cal okay?"

     "Do not worry, child," she said.  "Your wolf is safe.  This is about you.”

     I let out a shaky breath.  Cal was safe; there was nothing to worry about.

     “So, um, is this about the zombie dream,” I asked.  “Because honestly, I could use some dream interpretation on that one.”

For more info on The Pirate Curse, and a chance to win your own copy and an Amazon gift card, be sure to visit our The Pirate Curse Release Party page.  Looking for an autographed copy of The Pirate Curse?  Check out this giveaway over on Goodreads.

Q+A with Michele Vail (Undeadly)

Please welcome today's paranormal guest author Michele Vail.  Michele is the author of Undeadly.

EJ:  When did you begin writing?

Michele:   I knew I wanted to be a writer from a young age. I started penning stories and poems around the age of 12. I loved reading and my English and literature classes were my favorite subjects. I was the typical diary-writing teenager, too, and soon my angst and worries found their ways into fictional tales and poetry.

EJ:  What brought you to the paranormal genre?

Michele:  I love stories with supernatural elements. Ghosts, vampires, werewolves, witches ... I loved it all, even before paranormal became so popular within fiction markets. My most recent fascination has been with zombies and reapers, and that's how Molly and her world came about. I wanted to answer the question, "How do you become a reaper?" I really enjoy ancient Egyptian mythology, and I thought: Making mummies is really close to making zombies, right? So that's where my zombie-making mythology begins.

EJ:  If you could be any paranormal or have any one supernatural talent, what would it be? Why?

Michele:  Wow. This is a difficult question to answer. I would like to be able to clean the house with a twitch of my nose--much like Samantha from "Bewitched." Immortality would be great, too, simply because I would like to see how the world progresses with technology. I think there may come a day when we can fix the troubles that plague our world ... creating a place where no one goes hungry, war is irrelevant, and chocolate becomes an official food group.

EJ:  Tell us why readers will enjoy your new release.

Michele:   It's fun! Imagine a world just like ours only zombies and ghosts are commonplace. You can get a zombie made the same way you might order a custom suit or a flower arrangement. You can purchase machines that harness ghost energy, so you can have after-life servants. Or in the cases of movie stars and rock musicians, dying doesn't mean your career is over. Thrown into the mix is Molly, who has the ability to make zombies, but finds out she has a larger destiny and a secret past.

EJ:  If your book(s) were being made into a movie, who would you cast for the leading roles? Why?

Michele:   I think Taylor Lautner should turn in his werewolf fur and go reaper. He'd make a great Rath, the boy who is preparing Molly for her eventual transition into reaperhood (and you know, saving the human world in the mean time). As for Molly, Jennette McCurdy has the right kind of attitude and look (I love her as Sam on "iCarly").

Undeadly (The Reaper Diaries #1) by Michele Vail.

The day I turned 16, my boyfriend-to-be died. I brought him back to life. Then things got a little weird...

Molly Bartolucci wants to blend in, date hottie Rick and keep her zombie-raising abilities on the down-low. Then the god Anubis chooses her to become a reaper-and she accidentally undoes the work of another reaper, Rath. Within days, she’s shipped off to the Nekyia Academy, an elite school that trains the best necromancers in the world. And her personal reaping tutor? Rath. Who seems to hate her guts.

Rath will be watching closely to be sure she completes her first assignment-reaping Rick, the boy who should have died. The boy she still wants to be with. To make matters worse, students at the academy start turning up catatonic, and accusations fly-against Molly. The only way out of this mess? To go through hell. Literally.

Thank you Michele for joining us here today at From the Shadows!

To learn more about Michele Vail and her books, please visit her website.

Rot and Ruin Zombie Giveaway Winner!

Congratulations Christy winner of our Rot and Ruin Zombie Giveaway at From the Shadows!  Christy will receive a hardcover copy of Rot and Ruin by Jonathan Maberry.

Thank you to all who entered.

Didn't win?  Be sure to check out all of our fab giveaways (links on our sidebar and below our blog header).

**All giveaway winners selected using Random.org**

Rot and Ruin Zombie Giveaway

From the Shadows is giving away a hardcover copy of Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry to one lucky winner!

Rot & Ruin (Benny Imura #1) by Jonathan Maberry

In the zombie-infested, post-apocalyptic America where Benny Imura lives, every teenager must find a job by the time they turn fifteen or get their rations cut in half. Benny doesn't want to apprentice as a zombie hunter with his boring older brother Tom, but he has no choice. He expects a tedious job whacking zoms for cash, but what he gets is a vocation that will teach him what it means to be human.

*Rot & Ruin Zombie Giveaway*

To enter, please leave a comment on this post including your email address (so we may contact you if you win).  You do not have to be a follower to enter (though I always appreciate a follow!).  This giveaway is to US mailing addresses only.  Giveaway ends May 4th midnight EST.

Book Review: The Fall

The Fall (The Rift, book 1) by Robert J. Duperre.

An ancient evil, trapped in the ruins of a lost Mayan temple for centuries, has been unleashed. It takes the form of a deadly virus, one that causes violent insanity in the living and the recently departed to rise and walk. It spreads around the globe, throwing the world into chaos and war. As it progresses, those in the States who find themselves far away from the epicenter watch it unfold with unbelieving eyes. From Washington D.C. to Dover, New Hampshire, regular people are hurled into an existence outside their control, left to deal with catastrophic situations that they find themselves unprepared to handle. Life becomes a nightmare, and that nightmare is spreading.


Move over old-school zombies, there's a new evil in town.  The Fall is the first book in the epic horror series The Rift.  Duperre whisks the readers to an archaeological dig in Central America, but this is not your typical Indiana Jones adventure.  Things go terribly, irrevocably wrong and an ancient undead evil is unleashed on the world.  I should warn you that if you have any insect phobias you will be scratching away before the first chapter is over.  That scene *still* gives me nightmares...and that was only the beginning.  The author then pulls the reader into the lives of regular people experiencing the heart-pounding terror of discovering the undead that now plague the living.  The creatures of The Fall are fast, deadly, and leave a path of gore and fear wherever they go.  Duperre's new take on zombies and the undead is both refreshing and terrifying.  The Fall is a masterful work of horror that will have you sleeping with the light on for many nights to come.

I highly recommend The Fall (The Rift, book 1) to readers of urban fantasy, speculative fiction, paranormal suspense, apocalyptic, dystopian, and zombie fiction and especially to fans of horror.  The Fall may appeal to fans of Richard Matheson, China Mieville and Steven King.

Sensitive reader warning: contains violence, gore, and terrifying illustrations.

Source: Provided by the author or publisher for honest review.

Read more about author Robert J. Duperre in his interview here at From the Shadows.

The Fall on Amazon.
The Fall on Goodreads.

Guest Author Interview: Rhiannon Frater

Please welcome today's guest author Rhiannon Frater!  Rhiannon is the author of The Living Dead Boy: A Young Adult Zombie Novel, The Tale of the Vampire Bride, The Zombie-Wilson Diaries, Pretty When She Dies: A Vampire Novel, and the As the World Dies zombie trilogy including The First Days, Fighting to Survive, and Siege.

EJ:  When did you begin writing?

Rhiannon:   I began telling stories when I could talk. I tried to write as soon as I learned my ABC's.  I began writing novels when my mom gave me a typewriter around the age of 12.  I have always had a vivid imagination.

EJ:  What brought you to the paranormal genre? 

Rhiannon:  I write about what I fear.  I suppose writing horror is a way of containing my fears by weaving them into a narrative.  I tried other genres, but nothing felt right until I began to write about monsters.  It all sort of clicked.

EJ:  If you could be any paranormal or have any one supernatural talent, what would it be?

Rhiannon:  Probably the ability to fly since I dream about it so much.  I think it would be a very liberating and handy skill to have. When you don’t want to deal with someone or a bad situation, take a nice little flight away from it.  Also, it would really save on airfare!

EJ:  Tell us why readers will enjoy your new release. 

Rhiannon:  I am promoting two of my books right now: The Tale of the Vampire Bride from the Library of Horror Press and The Living Dead Boy and the Zombie Hunters from the Little Library of Horror Press.

The Tale of the Vampire Bride is a beautiful, richly gothic horror tale about a young English aristocrat who chaffs against the constraints of  the society of the Regency period in Europe and becomes the bride of a very terrifying vampire.  It is all about her quest to find her freedom.  It is a horror novel, but it has elements of romance, suspense, and a sense of humor at times.

The second book is aimed at a much younger reader.  I wrote it for my nephews and nieces who are zombie fiends.  It is all about a twelve year old boy who is a huge zombie fan suddenly facing the zombocalypse.  He valiantly tries to keep his three year old brother alive as well as his friends.  It was a real challenge to write a novel that my nine year old niece could read and love as well as my adult audience that liked my zombie series, As The World Dies.  I am very pleased how it turned out.

EJ:  If your book(s) were being made into a movie, who would you cast for the leading roles? Why? 

Rhiannon:   So far all my books, but The Living Dead Boy and the Zombie Hunters, have been optioned, which has made me really ponder this question.

For Lady Glynis in The Tale of the Vampire Bride, I think Rachel Hurd-Wood would be lovely. She has the look and she’s a wonderful English actress.

As for the children in The Living Dead Boy and the Zombie Hunters, I’m sure my nephews and nieces would love an audition!

The Living Dead Boy: A Young Adult Zombie Novel by Rhiannon Frater.

Josh Rondell is twelve years old and known as the "living dead boy" due to his rampant love of all things zombie. As the head of the Zombie Hunters Club, he's obsessed with preparing for the zombocalypse.  Though no one around him really believes that zombies will one day rise to devour the living, Josh is convinced it just might happen.
When zombies do shamble into his schoolyard, Josh finds himself the leader of the dwindling band of zombie hunters, and he is charged with protecting them all. Josh's baby brother, his closest friends, and the love of his young life try to survive as the undead take over their town.
Trapped in his treehouse and surrounded by the dead, will Josh be able to save them all?


Thank you Rhiannon for joining us here today at From the Shadows!

To learn more about Rhiannon Frater and her books, please visit her website.

A Zombie Story for Christmas

I just found the perfect gift for my friend N who absolutely loves Zombies, 'I am Scrooge: A Zombie Story for Christmas'.