My story "In the Land of the Blind" won the 10th Annual Chiaroscuro Short Story Contest and was published at ChiZine in 2004. It was reprinted just last year in the first volume of The Best New Zombie Tales, edited by James Roy Daley. Most importantly, it was the inspiration for my forthcoming nontraditional zombie thriller The Dishonored Dead.
Wait -- what?
That's right, I have a zombie novel. It was written many years ago, though, before the zombie craze really hit. And it was well-received by publishers but ultimately passed on because it's not your typical zombie novel (i.e., no flesh eating) and so not marketable to the typical zombie reader. Here's what it's about:
In a not-so-distant future, the world has devolved and most of the population has become the animated dead. Those few that are living are called zombies. They are feared and must be hunted down and destroyed.
Conrad is one of the animated dead. A devoted husband, a loving father, he is the best zombie Hunter in the world. But when he hesitates one night in killing a living adult, his job is put in jeopardy. Instead of being outright dismissed, he is transferred to a program so secretive even the Government would deny its existence -- and where Conrad soon learns a startling truth about how his own son might be in danger of becoming a zombie.
As living extremists become more emboldened and blow up a Hunter Headquarters, as a power-hungry Hunter becomes more enraged and will stop at nothing to gain absolute power, Conrad begins to question not just his profession, but his own existence. And before he knows it he is on a journey of self-discovery, remembering a past he was forced to forget, and soon finding himself not only a hunted man, but a man who must now save both his son and the entire world.
“The Dishonored Dead is one of the most original and gripping zombie novels I have ever read, offering a glimpse into the life of a zombie in a world turned backwards, where zombies live and humans are feared. Highly recommended!”
— Jeremy Robinson, author of Instinct and Threshold
Yes, yes, The Calling isn't even released yet (soon, people, soon), but here I'm presenting a new e-book: In the Land of the Blind includes the original contest-winning story, as well as the prologue and first three chapters of The Dishonored Dead. Available for 99 cents here:
- Kindle (US)
- Kindle (UK)
- Smashwords
Formats for the Nook, Kobo, and Sony readers coming soon, though both Nook and Kobo use the epub format, which you can purchase at Smashwords and transfer onto your device now.
Or, as always, you can pay with a tweet or Facebook post.
Enjoy.