My article over at Indie Inside has gone live!
I’d mentioned that I’d written a brief article for Pat Douglas, a fellow author, over on his website, http://indie-inside.com. It has gone live now, and I hope you’ll click on the full link and head on over there: http://indie-inside.com/the-joys-of-the-other-stuff-guest-blog-w-patrick-dorazio/. For anyone who has become a writer and believes that when they get published that they can just sit back and bask in the glory of being famous, this article is for you. It’s also for anyone else who ever wonders how you can get the word out on a writing project. Whether you self-publish, get with a smaller publisher, or manage to swing for the fences and get with one of the big publishers out of New York, much of the promotional work responsibility is in your own hands. There is tons you can do to help promote your stuff, and my article goes over just a small smidgen of that. So pleased check it out…it might make you cringe, but perhaps it will bring a smile to your face…because I tried to be funny (just a little bit-probably failed, but give me a B for effort).
A cool website to check out.
Just a quick note here on a website a friend and fellow author, Pat Douglas, has put together. He gets a lot of traffic there because he puts up interesting articles and all kinds of cool stuff, along with promoting his own writing, naturally. An article I wrote will be appearing there tomorrow, and I hope any new or aspiring writers find it interesting. Just a few thoughts on the writing world in general and promotion in particular. You can check out articles from plenty of different folks in the writing world there. Just hit the link and mark it as one of your favorites: http://indie-inside.com/
Guest Blog from author Kody Boye!
Every once in a while I get the chance to do something fun because of this writing and reviewing gig I have created for myself. No, I haven’t gotten a space on the next commercial flight up to the international space station, but that would be cool, wouldn’t it? But unless I become a bajillionaire, or they start giving those away for free, I am out of luck on that account.
Nope, that ain’t happening, but something pretty cool is occurring here on my blog. Kody Boye, a young and talented author who has impressed me with his skill with the written word (well, part of it is jealousy, since he is less than half my age and probably has written three times as much stuff as I have thus far in his brief career), suggested that we do a blog swap to promote the release of his new book. What is a blog swap? Well, I’m glad you asked! It is just what it sounds like. One blogger writes a post for the other blogger and vice versa, and then they post them on their respective blogs. So Kody has handed off a post that he wrote specifically for me, and I have done the same for him. I can’t tell you when my babbling will appear on his blog, but you should definitely pop on over there and check it out, and not just for my words, but for his, because Kody is a diverse talent who has written horror, fantasy, and in plenty of other genres. Most recently, Kody’s book, Sunrise, has been re-released after he did some major overhauling of this zombie apocalyptic tale. I read the original version and had the privilege of reading the reworked version not too long ago. Let me just state for the record that Kody wrote Sunrise originally well before he was eighteen. In many ways, it was obvious with that first version how young he was. Kody saw things in a certain way that I think was unique and was coming from the mind of someone who had experienced a lot in a short time, but still had some growing up to do. But don’t we all, even into our forties and beyond? In some ways, losing the haze of youth is both sad and necessary, and as such, the changes with the revised version of Sunrise reflected those changes in Kody. Compare the two versions side by side and you will see how Kody has changed as an author and as a person over the past few years. His writing is crisper, sharper, and inevitably, filled with more of the harsh tones of reality we face in this world and the world of adults. My review of Sunrise will follow this post later tonight, but for now, please enjoy Kody’s simple and eloquent analysis of zombies below, along with the cover of his book. -PD
Zombies: What they Represent and How They Parody the Living
There is much debate as to what zombies represent in the media and fiction. Some say they are a result of our lesser reptilian conscience coming to life in the most stressful of situations; others say that they are meant to reveal the most intimate flaws that exist within each and every one of us. To a writer, zombies can mean many things. Life, death, the present, the future, the past, what happens to us after death and just where our minds (or our ‘spark’) go—we have begged to question just what it was that happens when our physical bodies cease to exist for millennia. Why, we would not be human if we did not think on such things, as it was with higher conscience we evolved to walk as we do now.
To me, zombies are simple.
Zombies represent the most primal instincts within humanity. The animalism presented in their actions, their conscience and desires are what take us back to that fateful age when, thousands of years ago, all we craved was food and survival. We were, however, driven by instinct to protect ourselves. Unlike zombies, we have always had fear to inhibit and hold us back. It is not without reason that as children we are afraid of the dark, as during the night it is said that monsters will rise from under the bed to destroy all that it we feel is safe, and it is not without consequence that we are afraid to commit actions that would otherwise land us in severe trouble. That is perhaps the most terrifying thing about the zombie. Their no-holds-barred, unrestrained behavior when they attack their prey is akin to a predatory instinct that we have long since evolved away from. Sure—we may still hunt our prey on occasion, but we most often do so with simple guns and ammo, possibly even bows and arrows should we be willing to return to our former roots in our ways of hunting. There are very few occasions when we actually physically hunt our prey with tooth and claw—which, to the rest of the animal kingdom, seems outrageous. We were created as omnivores for a reason, to find and seek and hunt and kill the prey and foods that we eat. It is terrifying to think that, once upon a time, we were no more than animals, which is why, in my opinion, people are afraid of zombies. It is not about a lack of conscience, the loss of memories or even the desire to kill those we love—it is the return to animal roots that make them the most frightening.
Kody Boye’s zombie novel, Sunrise, is now available on Smashwords.com and on Amazon in paperback formats (with Kindle forthcoming.) You can find more about him and his future projects by going to KodyBoye.com.
Look What I Found on Amazon!
This is sort of a repeat of a previous post, with a minor tweak. Look What I Found, from Norgus Press, is now available on Amazon! My short story, “VRZ”, can be found within its pages, along with a bevy of other wild tales of found devices and unique and magical items. My tale deals with virtual reality and the extremes one man will go through to experience the ultimate deadly rush.
Here is the description from the back cover of the book:
We spend our lives going through our paces surrounded by things of magic and mystery, but sometimes choose not to open our eyes to see them. The world around us still has places that are yet to be discovered. There are people that we pass on the street that are not what they seem to be. There are objects with untold powers that are only waiting to be found. We train ourselves to look at the norm.
The stories within this anthology examine those mysteries and the excitement of discovery that awaits those who dare to tread. The members of society that look a little deeper. Those who long to say, “Look What I Found!”
Just click on the image from the front cover below to be sent on over to the website link.
Monkey Faced Demon Blog reviews Beyond the Dark
For some odd reason, I thought Mr. Jonathan Moon had already reviewed Beyond The Dark and posted it. I think it’s because he did conduct a fun interview with me several months ago, and I guess I must have thought it was all rolled up into one particular segment. But as I get older, my head gets a bit mushy, so forgive me. So this review comes a bit later, but all the sweeter for it, since it is so very complimentary of the story. Like many reviewers, Jon digs the last installment in my trilogy, stating that it is the best of the three, which is always cool to hear for me, because I tend to agree. So without further ado, check out Mr. Moon’s review right here: http://mrmoonblogs.blogspot.com/2011/09/mr-moons-reviews-beyond-dark.html.
Dollar Bin Horror Reviews Beyond The Dark!
The review keep rolling in, and so far, it seems that everyone has agreed that Beyond The Dark is the best book of the trilogy. Dollar Bin Horror has taken their swipe at it, and they seem to enjoy the rapid pace of the action taking place in the final chapter of the saga. That seems to be a consensus: there is no real stopping point to take a breather, and that was how I intended it. I let the audience perhaps catch their breath a bit at times in Into The Dark, but this last piece of the puzzle moves at a clip that keeps things popping the whole time. So check out the review, and my thanks to Rhonny Reaper and the rest of the folks over at Dollar Bin for having read my trilogy and writing reviews of all three books. They’re great people over there with a terrific website, so don’t only take a look at this review, but everything else they have to offer: http://dollarbinhorror.blogspot.com/2011/05/dollar-bin-horror-spotlight-beyond-dark.html
New review for Beyond the Dark up at Living Dead Media
Another review has been posted for Beyond The Dark, this one over at Living Dead Media. Their reviews for Comes The Dark and Into The Dark were very positive over there, so it was quite flattering to read that this was their favorite book of the three. I feel that way myself, so I’m pretty thrilled that I’m not the only one who thinks so. You can check out the review here: http://www.livingdeadmedia.com/zombie-books-and-fiction/250-beyonddark.html.
I would like to thank Living Dead Media for taking a chance on a newby author and their willingness to not only read my first book, but all three of my books. Having the opportunity to get the word out to the folks who check out their website for zombie related stuff is priceless.
So if you have been waiting to check out Beyond the Dark, read the review and then pick up the book! That is, of course, if you’ve already read the first two books in the trilogy. 😉
“Collabthology: Kindle of the Dead” is now available!
A year ago (or there abouts), I agreed to be a part of a project that would bring together around twenty different authors in a collaboration effort to write a zombie book. Each of us would take on the responsibility of writing a chapter of the book, until we got to the half-way point, and then we would mix it up and write another chapter each to finish the book. It would be a chance for each of us to build upon what anyone who had written chapters before us, and try to keep things cohesive while messing things up, killing off beloved characters, and putting those who survive into some really crazy situations.
We are now halfway through the project. In an effort to raise the funding so that once this magnum opus is complete, it can be published, the coordinator of this project, Matt Nord, came up with the idea of creating an anthology of short stories written by the various authors involved in the project. He would also put the first five chapters of the collaboration in this anthology, in an effort to wet the future audience’s taste buds for this project. So what we have is something that Matt has called Collabothology. Despite this odd word, it is a great little project, and here is the description of it:
Collabthology. Is it a real word? Yes. Will you find it in the dictionary? Probably not, unless you get one that I’ve found a scribbled the word “Collabthology” into.
But that’s besides the point. What you hold in your hands is an anthology chock-full of fan-freaking-tastic horror stories (note that while most are zombie stories, not all are) from a ton of names you probably know as well as some new writers you may not know. Either way, you are in for a treat!
This anthology is also my attempt to introduce the public to the world of the Collaboration of the Dead. At the end of this anthology are the first 5 chapters from the Collaboration of the Dead, a novel featuring over 20 of the best and brightest writers in the horror/zombie genre. Each writer adds a bit of themselves to the story and makes it their own.
Collabthology features stories by Patrick D’Orazio, Gerald Rice, Mike Mitchell, Rebecca Besser, John McCuaig, Brandon Cracraft, Jeremy Bush, Ken Goldman, Lorraine Horrell, Marius Dicomites, Jamal K. Luckett, Douglas Hackle, Cassie Shaver, C.H. Potter, T.W. Brown, Tony Schaab, Suzanne Robb, Mihai Boc, Ben Langhinrichs, Michael S. Gardner and Matt Nord, poetry by Carey Burns, Karime Limon and Matt Nord and sample chapters from Collaboration of the Dead from Matt Nord, T.W.Brown, GNBraun, Zombie Zak and Stephanie Kincaid.
So, for those of you who don’t know what Collaboration of the Dead is, this will be your first taste of what we are about! Bon appetit!
And so, I am proud to be a part of this project, both the collaboration itself and this anthology. If you are looking for an opportunity to check out some interesting and varied horror stories, and want to see a bit of the collaborative effort some of my fellow authors have put to paper at the beginning of the book that will hopefully come to fruition in the next year or so, swing by Amazon and pick up your copy of Collabthology. Just click on the image below, and it will get you there. 
The Dark Trilogy is now on Kindle!
Just a brief while after it hit smashwords, my trilogy is now on the kindle! I am pretty thrilled about this one because it is FINALLY on the kindle, without the errors that the faced the original release of Comes The Dark that led to my publisher and I agreeing not to do any more kindle releases until the entire trilogy was ready to go. And now, it is ready to go!
Here is the description:
Patrick D’Orazio’s Dark Zombie Trilogy (Comes The Dark, Into The Dark, and Beyond The Dark), was originally released on the Kindle in an unedited form under the first book’s title, Comes The Dark. It is being re-released with the entire trilogy as it was meant to be read: edited and expanded, with additional chapters not appearing in the original Kindle version, along with the Dark Stories that have appeared in the author’s blog that provide a full fourth book of additional stories about many of the secondary characters appearing in the trilogy, including Megan, George, Jason, Michael, and Ben. The Dark Trilogy, Revised, Expanded, and with Additional Stories is over 250,000 words of an intense saga of the zombie apocalypse.
The end came with a whimper, not a bang. The mysterious virus came out of nowhere and engulfed the world in a matter of days. Everyone who was infected seemed to die…and rise again. Governments collapsed, armies disappeared, and entire civilizations turned to dust as the human race tore itself to pieces. Jeff Blaine had a good life: a beautiful wife, adorable children, and a nice house in the suburbs. He liked his job, loved his family, and spent his lazy suburban Sundays out on the deck, barbecuing with the neighbors. Things were perfect until everything fell apart. And no matter how hard Jeff tried, he could not spare his family from the horrors scratching at the door. Now, with his family gone, his life in ruins, the only thing left is raw anger and pain. As the world continues to sink into darkness, Jeff does as well. So he ventures out into the desolation with no better plan than to destroy as many of the monsters that stole his life away before they destroy him as well. But soon Jeff will discover other survivors unwilling to give up. They will force him to decide whether or not to give in to the venom that gnaws at his soul. Should he continue to fight to survive, or succumb to the things in the darkness?
Just click on the picture below and it will send you on over to Amazon so you can pick up a copy:
Beyond The Dark is now on Amazon!
Well, that didn’t take long. Beyond The Dark has now appeared on Amazon, so if you were waiting for the opportunity to check it out there, it is ready to go!
Just hit the picture and it will take you to where it is on Amazon.
Woo hoo!
Beyond the Dark is now on Createspace!
I am excited to announce that Beyond the Dark has made its way over to Createspace! That means that in about a week or so, it will be up and running on Amazon. I don’t have a locked down date on the trilogy coming out on Kindle and Smashwords, but that too will be occurring soon.
So if you are anxious to snag the last book of my trilogy in paperback, head on over to Createspace and check it out. Just click on the picture below and it will take you right over there. Of course, if you want to wait for it to hit Amazon, I will be posting here as soon as it is up and running over there as well.
Beyond the Dark is up on Smashwords!
The paperback version of Beyond The Dark, as well as the entire trilogy on Kindle and Smashwords, is coming soon, but the final book of my trilogy is up and running over on Smashwords now for $2.99! So please check it out.
The proof has been ordered for the paperback, so as long as it looks good, that version will be up and available very soon. I will keep everyone posted on it as details unfold. The entire trilogy in ebook form will follow shortly thereafter, and details on that will also be forthcoming.
Until then, here is the description on Beyond The Dark. Just click on the picture to be sent over to the link on Smashwords to pick up your copy now!
The dead have risen, and their hunger for the flesh of the living is insatiable …
It has been six weeks since the virus engulfed the world. Everyone who was infected died, and then rose again. Governments collapsed, armies fell, and civilizations turned to dust as the human race tore itself to pieces.
The living are in danger of becoming extinct …
Jeff Blaine has witnessed the annihilation of his family and everything that mattered to him. When he steps outside his home for the first time since the world died, he meets Megan, George, and Jason, three other survivors who force him to accept that there may still be a reason to fight and live to see another day.
It doesn’t take long for the quartet to stumble into a trap set by a group led by the charismatic Michael. While he promises a safe haven from the undead behind the walls of his makeshift fortress, the loyalty he and his cronies demand may be too high a price for Jeff and the others to pay.
Daylight is fading for humanity …
When a routine supply run to a nearby town turns deadly and the ghouls walking the street track the living back to their hideout, the mettle of the meager band of survivors will be tested as they are forced to face the onslaught of the undead.
Even as they flee, and their world falls deeper into despair, Jeff and the others must find a way to defeat not only the undead, but the hatred that threatens to cripple their souls. Because the only way anyone will survive is if they can find their way beyond the dark.
It slithers towards the light, from Beyond The Darkness…it is almost here!
Well folks, the short delay on Beyond The Dark is almost at an end, with the formatting being completed tonight on the book, there is very little else to do but to put the cover and back cover together and wrap it around a proof, make sure it looks like it should, and then get it out there!
In addition to the final book of my trilogy being released very soon, the Kindle and other ebook form of the entire trilogy will also be released. It will be entitled The Dark Trilogy: Revised, Expanded, and with Additional Stories. I know it is a mouthful, but just call it The Dark Trilogy, for short, heh. My publisher and I have discussed price points for this electronic release and agreed upon $4.99, which will be for over 250,000 words, including the three books plus every last story that appears in the Dark Stories page of this blog…and another little one that doesn’t appear here as well. 250,000 words is a hefty sum, so that price should be a pretty decent one for the zombie fans out there who have e-readers.
I would say that Beyond The Dark should be ready for createspace within the next couple of weeks (and I think perhaps sooner), and then amazon maybe a week or so later. The kindle version should also be available very soon.
For any of you good folks reading this who haven’t checked out any of my trilogy, check out the first three chapters of Comes The Dark, which I have moved to its own separate page for easy access. It will give you a taste before you buy. And then, feel free to hit up my bio page and you can click on the links showing both Comes The Dark and Into The Dark, with Beyond The Dark to soon be joining them.
For now, here are copies of the front cover of Beyond The Dark and a rough up of the back cover as well. Stay tuned, more will be coming soon as the release happens!
Patrick D'Orazio's Blog 