First Bad Review

Despite what my critics say, I am not naive or egotistical enough to think that everyone will love my writing.  Everyone's tastes vary.  Recently I got my first bad review (that I know of).  Since I've posted all my good ones, I think it's only fair that I post those that are not so complimentary. 

The review is of "Last Flight of the Bismarck"from Machina Mortis: Steampunk'd Tales of Terror.  The reviewer, Bufton's Blog, said:

"The first story, ‘Last Flight of the Bismarck’ by Scott Baker, didn’t really do it for me. In many ways, despite the inclusion of a zombie menace, this was the closest to a pure steampunk tale (whatever that is) in the collection, but I was left feeling distinctly underwhelmed. Again, I not sure if I was expecting something else, but it seemed like Baker had thrown in half a dozen steampunk standards, added a liberal dash of the undead, and unleashed the resulting concotion onto the page. Whilst it was hardly a bad tale, it failed to hit my buttons in any meaningful way."

Contest Giveaway Winners Announced

I am very pleased to announce that the winners of the zombie anthology giveaway are Beth Dixon and Kim Mixon Hill. Beth won trade paperback copies of Machina Mortis: Steampunk'd Tales of Terror and Hunger Pangs, and Kim won the e-book versions.  Congratulations to the winners.  I hope you enjoy the anthologies. 

Only Two Days left To Enter the Giveaway; New Prize Added

There are only two days left to enter the contest to win a copy of Machina Mortis: Steampunk's Tales of Terror, Hunger Pangs, or Dead Water.  To enter, just follow my blog and like my author's Facebook page.  You can check out the details of the giveaway here.

Also, Zombie Fans has sweetened the deal.  To help promote the anthology Hunger Pangs, stories about cannibalism during a zombie outbreak, they are offering a twenty-five dollar gift certificate to Applebee's restaurant to enhance the fine dining experience.  One winner of Hunger Pangs will be randomly selected to win the gift certificate.

Good luck to everyone who enters.

Machina Mortis: Steampunk'd Tales of Terror Ia Available as a Trade Paperback

Machina Mortis: Steampunk'd Tales of Terror is available as a trade paperback from Amazon for only $11.69.  And the Kindle version is only $3.49.  So pick up your copies soon. 

Giveaway Contest: Machina Mortis, Hunger Pangs, Dead Water

Are you thinking to yourself, "Wouldn't it be awesome if someone wrote a steampunk story involving zombies?"  Or have you ever prayed for a living dead apocalypse so you could join in the fun and satisfy your curiosity about the taste of human flesh?  Or are you just craving a good, old-fashioned slow-zombie story?  If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you came to the right place.

In honor of Zombie Awareness Month, and to celebrate the recent publication of my latest zombie-related short stories, I am sponsoring a giveaway of two trade paperback and two e-book versions of the anthologies Hunger Pangs (which contains my short story "The Hunger") and Machina Mortis: Steampunk'd Tales of Terror (which contains my short story "Last Flight of the Bismarck"), as well as two e-book versions of my zombie novella Dead Water. 

The rules are simple.  Follow my blog and like my author's page on Facebook (if you already have done that, then you are half-way there).  Then leave a comment under this posting or on my Facebook posting saying you would like to enter, and please let me know if you have a preference of which anthology/novella you would like.  The contest will stay open until 31 May, at which point I will randomly choose the winners and will contact you for mailing information.  One set of books will be given away on each site, so you double your chances of winning.  This contest is open to everyone.

I know you're all chomping at the flesh, so hurry up and enter.  And good luck. 

I Thought Retirement Was Supposed To Be Relaxing?

Last week I had planned on getting a lot of writing done, but life got in the way.  Last Monday, not only did the sale of the house Alison and I wanted to buy fall through at the last moment, but one of my rabbits crossed over Rainbow Bridge.  Ghiridelli, who was over nine years old and had been with me since 2005, passed away of old age.  He had seemed happy every time I visited him at the bunnysitter, and had been eating and drinking fine all weekend, but my bunnysitter noticed a rapid weight loss over the weekend.  I was going to go over Monday night to see him, but he passed away peacefully in his sleep that afternoon.  He is greatly missed.

Despite everything, I did make some headway on Rotter World II, and I completed and submitted my story for Fringework's Raus! Untoten! anthology.  I'm getting ready to begin the final revisions for Hell Gate, my young adult novel, and have been prodded by a literary agent to begin working on my World War II Nazi occult novel.  Also, once Machina Mortis is out in trade paperback, I will be running a contest involving my latest zombie short stories. 

And hopefully in the next few weeks, once we finally find a place and get settled, I'll have some news on conventions and book signings. 

Machina Mortis Is Available as an E-Book

Machina Mortis: Steampunk'd Tales of Terror, published by Fringeworks Ltd., is now available in e-book format (the print edition should be available in a few weeks). You can order a copy at Amazon.

For me, this is my first foray into a different genre, but I am pleased with "Last Flight of the Bismarck," about an adventuress battling steampunk zombies in a German airship over New York City.

There are also some great stories by fantastic authors you will want to check out.  Below is the description of the anthology from Amazon:

Within these pages you will find many different aspects of the horrific side of Steampunk. In “Last Flight of the Bismarck” by Scott M. Baker, the world is threatened by technological zombies with only two young adventurers standing in their way. The threat is more subliminal in Salena Moffet’s “Bedlam” where it’s hard to determine what is reality? “The Thumping in the Basement” by Tonia Brown considers the matter of limb and organ replacement and the ethics, or lack of, behind it. Stories like Nancy Jackson & Marie Andrews’ “Clockwork Carousel” take us to new realms of horror. I dare anyone to look at a circus carousel the same way after reading this unnerving tale. Victorian settings are used in two very different tales. “Whitechapel Transfer” by Theresa Derwin connects the hideous crimes of Jack the Ripper with futuristic Steampunkish technology while “The Garretton Ghoul” by Christine Morgan finds another community rocked by a series of mysterious and gruesome murders. Buck Weiss contributes a terror filled adventure in “The Black Banshee” that features two amateur sleuths of which I am sure we will read more about soon. So too is A. J. Sikes’ tale, “The Three Blind Men”, which sets the stage for more tales of technological terror. Taking us into the future is Nathan Robinson with “The Last of the Bad Few” which gives a different spin to the technological horror of Steampunk. And, as a contrast, “Nothing but a Dog: A Trio of Travellers Tale” by Travis Sivart brings us back to an Old-World European view of horror… with a dash of Steampunk added for good measure. These stories represent an ability to look beyond a genre’s preconceptions and create new horizons. These writers are explorers in a wild, new land and, before us, they lay a vast vista of exciting, and terrifying, possibilities.

So please check out the anthology, and be sure to post a review on Amazon.  

Update on "The Last Flight of The Bismarck"

Good news with regards to "The Last Flight of The Bismarck," my steampunk zombie short story that was scheduled to appear in Machina Mortis: Steampunk'd Tales of Terror.  As many of you know, KnightWatch Press had prepared the anthology for publication, but was unable to fulfill its obligation due to unforeseen circumstances.  Rather than leave his authors hanging, the editor passed along the publication rights to Neon Moon Publishing who, it was my understanding, was going to print and distribute the anthology for KnightWatch Press.  However, several months had passed, and none of the authors involved in the project had heard from Neon Moon Publishing and it looked like the anthology was dead.

Thankfully, Fringeworks has now picked up the anthology and is shooting for an early April publication date. I will keep you posted as events develop. 

What's Coming Up in the Future

I am taking a much-needed break from filling out retirement paperwork, transitioning my replacement, and getting the house ready to sell.  Right about now I'm thinking that surviving a zombie apocalypse would be easier.  But in a few weeks, this will be all behind me and I can concentrate full time on my writing.

So what is on the writing front for the foreseeable future? 

My copies of Hunger Pangs: Dark Confessions will be arriving soon, so be on the lookout for a give away.  I will also be bringing copies of the anthology with me to the conventions I'll be attending.  If you can't wait, you can still purchase a copy on Amazon.

Publication of Machina Mortis, the steampunk horror anthology, has been delayed because the original publishing house has closed.  However, I was assured that another publishing house has picked up the rights to the anthology and will soon be distributing the book.  I'll keep everyone posted.

I'm getting into the groove again with the sequel to Rotter World, and hopefully will have the first draft done by spring.  This novel is much darker than the first book, and will deal more with the negative effects of a societal breakdown.  But for you zombie purists, don't worry.  There will still be plenty of gut munching action and terror, as well as a sick new twist to the Zombie Virus. 

I have my beta edits back for Hell Gate and will begin the final edits on that once I've completed the sequel to Rotter World.  I am really excited about this book; I think it's my best work yet.

As for conventions and book signings, those are pretty much up in the air because of my hectic schedule.  Me and fellow author/fiancee Alison Beightol will be attending the SpookyMayhem Convention in Orlando this May.  I am also planning on returning to Infect Scranton and ZombiCon in Fort Meyers in the autumn.  Plus, once I get settled in Florida, I hope to do some book signings in the local area.

And finally, I will have a special treat coming up in the next few days, something I have not done before and that will add a touch of class to my blog. 

That's it for now.  My New Year resolution is to try and post more, but I think we all know what happens to such resolutions.