For those who haven’t heard yet, I’m sorry to tell everyone that we lost beloved zombie horror author Todd T.W. Brown to a heart attack not long ago.
What can be said at a time like this?
Condolences to his family, friends, and fans. He’ll be missed, and remembered fondly.
R.I.P. Todd.
I’m trying to get all my ducks in a row, going over my notes and bookmarks, to get you up to date on everything I’ve been reading. I’m working on my HOUSEMATES post now, and I have so many things I want to talk about. I’m sitting here, laughing at myself, because my notes are… extensive, to put it lightly. But, I’m also having an idea…
These notes that I take while reading, you’d laugh if you saw everything I write down. Highlighted sections that made me giggle, OMGWTF moments, maybe something that made me think of something, I keep it all. After boiling everything down, I’m really not saying much to you at all, not a whole lot more than an extended synopsis in some cases.
It’s because I don’t want to post spoilers. You wouldn’t be here if I did! You’d be pissed, the authors would be even more pissed, and there would be a crowd coming for me – with torches and pitchforks – in no time.
But, here’s the thing… I want to talk about these books – more than just “Hey, this book kicks so much ass!! Five stars, go get it!” I want to discuss the characters I’ve just met and spent so much time with. I want to talk about plot twists, and places I’ve visited. AAANNND… I want to know how you feel!
I think that I’d like to open up a discussion page, and the more I think about it – I’m thinking I might know exactly how I want to set things up.
For you, it will be easy. I’ll put a link right at the bottom of every review. If you want to discuss something else, I’ll have a main discussion page set up, with the titles I’ve reviewed on BBB so far. Just click on the title you want. If I don’t have something set up yet, you can just comment or e-mail me, and I’ll be all over it a.s.a.p.!
I’m probably going to be doing this very soon, but I’m curious if you’ll participate.
Have you read something Because I’ve recommended it? Will you come back to discuss it? What if you’ve already read it? Will you click the link to see what other people have to say, maybe comment?
Disagree with me and my recommendation? Come back to say I suck!! Haha! Seriously, come back & tell me what you didn’t like about the book, or the author.
Let’s get more interactive!
Until next time…
P, L, & N ~
sg
I’m sharing a ton of links in this post, click everywhere!
Starting off with something fun, 12 Signs You’re A Banned Book Reader is from Epic Reads. I hope that everyone is like me and loves to see LISTS about STUFF, and that will help get more hits for this post, which will lead to more serious links about Raising Awareness and What You Can Do To Help!
12 Signs You’re A Banned Book Reader – From Epic Reads
1. You couldn’t care less about pigeons, doves, seagulls, or canaries, but you know it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.
2. You read dystopians before Katniss was even born.
3. You don’t judge people on whether they’re a good witch or a bad witch.
4. You had a nervy spaz and almost duffed up a div for proposing to ban a book, even if it contained nunga-nungas or nuddy-pants. And you know exactly what that sentence means.
5. Speaking of nuddy-pants, sometimes you have dreams where you lose your clothes and you don’t understand the big deal.
6. And somehow, you still manage to sleep through the night to have those dreams, even after looking at this cover.
7. Because you realize that sometimes the most realistic fiction is the scariest (but all the more reason NOT TO BAN IT!).
8. Let’s face it––censorship really gets you down. Good thing books are your CRUTCH.
9. And sometimes you’re so engrossed in reading you leave a light on in the attic.
10. Economics, econometrics. . . it’s all just fancy ways of saying INTERESTING THINGS TO READ.
11. You know that sometimes your greatest friends are only in your life for a short time.
And, Thinking of all my awesome blogger buddies…
12. But mostly you just hang out with a bunch of WILD things!
This last century the top ten most frequently challenged and banned books:
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Ulysses by James Joyce
Beloved by Toni Morrison
The Lord of the Flies by William Golding
1984 by George Orwell
The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner
Project Censored – The news that didn’t make the news
AASL – BANNED WEBSITES AWARENESS
To raise awareness of the overly restrictive blocking of legitimate, educational websites and academically useful social networking tools in schools and school libraries, AASL has designated one day during Banned Books Week as Banned Websites Awareness Day. AASL is asking school librarians and other educators to promote an awareness of how overly restrictive filtering affects student learning.
This is a video from Khaled Hosseini reading a passage from his frequently challenged novel, The Kite Runner. The Kite Runner, was the 6th most frequently challenged novel in 2012 for homosexuality, offensive language, religious viewpoint, and being sexually explicit; and the ninth most frequently challenged book of 2008 for offensive language, sexually explicit, and unsuited to age group –
#FunFact
Four of Stephen King’s books are on the top 100 Most Challenged Books:
#49 Cujo
#81 Carrie
#82 The Dead Zone
#95 Christine
Shadow Girl may crash this shin-dig!
Lee gives you a little info about QRB, and… he’s just so fun & adorable to watch!!
Visit terrordaves.com for the latest Horror Hosts and Happenings!
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
Zombie Anthology
Working title: Feast or Famine
Publisher: TBD
Deadline: August 1, 2013
Anthology Theme: There are individuals known as survivalists, or now known by the recently coined term: preppers. These people are making preparations to ensure their safety and continued existence in the occurrence of a catastrophic disaster or event. But what happens when the SHTF? Really? You will have a population of have and have nots. Those who were ready and prepared and those who are caught unaware and panicked. The struggle for available resources will be another catastrophic event in and of itself as humans fight to either defend and retain what they have established or to take what others had the foresight to store and prepare.
This is the end as we know it. For some, life and death hinges on acquiring basic human needs, while for others life is good, if not better in accordance with their due diligence.
The Zombie Apocalypse has arrived. Will it be feast or famine?
We are accepting short stories, poems, recipes, and artwork for this anthology. Written items should be edited to the best of your ability but they will be reviewed for any missed grammatical or sentence structure errors. In the case of glaring errors or obvious oversight, content change may be encouraged. Artwork should be submitted in a quality resolution jpg file no larger than 500×750 pixels.
Written submission requirements:
Must be a member of ZombieFans.com http://zombiefans.com/
All entries must be in a .doc or .rtf file.
12 pt., Times New Roman font
Single spaced
Indent paragraphs
Approximately 5,000-10,000 words
Author’s name and email, story title, and word count must be on first page.
Only unpublished stories will be accepted
Artistic submission requirements:
Must be a member of ZombieFans.com http://zombiefans.com/
Color or black/white images will be accepted
jpg file
No larger than 500×750 pixels
Author/Artist rights:
Rights remain with the author/artist. Upon submission, it is understood the item will not be published or shared elsewhere by the author/artist until after the Anthology is released. After publication, we encourage the author/artist to share their work as much as possible.
Compensation:
Creators of accepted items will receive a copy of the anthology, invitations to any events pertinent to the Anthology, and samples of promotional or marketing materials created for the Anthology.
Publisher rights:
1st publishing rights
The right to use the item as long as there is demand for the Anthology
The right to refuse an item which does not meet our standards or requirements
The right to edit accepted written work for grammatical and sentence structure errors
The right to encourage content change if there are glaring errors
The right to use the author/artist name and parts of accepted items for marketing and promotion purposes
Please submit your work to: evesurvival@hotmail.com
For questions or comments visit the Anthology discussion on Zombie Fans:
For additional technical background groundwork see James Jackson’s group: Prepping 101: The Basics http://zombiefans.com/group/prepping-101-the-basics
Email matt@mattshawpublications.co.uk for further information
So far he’s had a lady who is scared of ventriloquist dummies (he said that was fun) and another lady who wanted to be part of her own Peter story (also great fun for him). (Before you ask, no… I wasn’t smart enough to think of commissioning my very own Peter story.) He is currently waiting for the completed questionnaire from the third victim…
People seem to like this though. For a small fee – they get their own personalised story and access to all other personalised stories, including ones he’ll be writing in the future. (For instance, if you order your own, you’ll have access to Suzanne’s story: AN UNEXPECTED DATE)
HARRY POTTER – THE MOST BANNED BOOK IN AMERICA.
This blog entry is generating some great discussions! I hope you’ll come by to join the conversation.
I won’t block or ban, I love hearing all sides & viewpoints ❤
I received an early copy of GIVING UP THE GHOST from Dan in February. Right when I started it, my dad died. I read it on the plane, going to the funeral. I know this might sound strange to most of you, but, this story helped me get through the next few days! I took much comfort in it. Odd place to find peace, in a horror novel, but I did! The story is excellent! I cried, I laughed out loud, I got angry… I fell in love with these characters.
Gerry Sheffield is a real piece of work. Can’t keep a job, can’t stay any sort of sober, and he has always relied on his parents to bail him out of the trouble he can’t seem to keep himself out of. A grown man who won’t take responsibility.
After a particularly nasty bender, and a run-in with his landlord, Gerry is calling his parents, again – not asking for help as much as demanding their help. After all, they are his parents. It’s their job to look out for their son.
His parents, Margo & Bill, are at the end of their rope.
They’d always tried to help their son. The college tuition that was wasted, the car repairs, the down payment on his now ex-wife’s house, everything. They’re out of patience, and they’re almost out of means. After 27 years, they decide – no more. Clean up your self, clean up your act, put on your big-boy pants & cowboy the fuck up.
The following morning, Gerry gets two checks.
One is for his rent & a thousand bucks for the month.
The second… a great big really check from his dad.
This is it. No more. Sink or swim.
Gerry actually makes a whole-hearted attempt, one last shot to make something of his life, to make his father proud! But, within a day, any chance of walking the straight & narrow is blown. He’s actually made things far worse!
Self righteousness mixed with self pity doesn’t make a good combination. So, once again convincing himself that his problems are all because of someone else, Gerry’s anger helps propel him into calling his parents, to blame Bill & Margo for every single thing that has ever gone wrong in his entire miserable existence. It is bad. He finally says the things that make his parents turn their backs, close their hearts and lock him out. He’s gone too far this time. Realizing what he has done, Gerry’ s hurt eventually gives itself over to hate. And, Gerry lands himself in jail. Again.
Read GIVING UP THE GHOST to find out how far Bill & Margo willing to go to get Gerry to change his ways.
After death, is there anything they won’t do?
GIVING UP THE GHOST by Dan Dillard will be available June 1’st
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Demon Author
Paranormal Erotica at it’s finest!
This will be available for free download on May 23-24! But, with a 99¢ price tag – you can grab it before then!
Pomba Gira Mysticism. Creole Voodoo. The zombie apocalypse. Sex, drugs, magick.
Meet Pierre von Minzle and Mary Moore. They are the Adam and Lilith, definitely not Adam and Eve, of today’s zombie apocalypse. Fables of the Reconstruction is a playful yet graphic sexual adventure consisting of what might have been, combined with what possibly might be happening now. It contains Pomba Gira mysticism, Creole voodoo and the seeds of the zombie apocalypse set in Victorian London’s notorious Whitechapel District. Sex, magick , zombies. This ain’t your daddy’s shotgun zombie story. Mature content warning
The Bloody Book Blogger 