Looking for Reviewers

With the re-release of a couple of my books, I seem to have lost my reviews. I'm looking for people who are interested in reading and reviewing, so shoot me a message! More information about the books is below, and I have pdf and mobi versions available.

If these books don't interest you but you want to check out one of my other ones, let me know! You can find them at my author page.

What happens when humanity's hope rests on the shoulder of a teenager?

Caleb didn’t come out of the zombie uprising unscathed. He’s been scarred—both mentally and physically. The rest of humanity is trying to rebuild, to make the world normal again. Caleb is trying to return to a normal life also, but after all he’s seen, after the loss of his family and friends, the transition is difficult.

The darkness that led him down a path of self-doubt and self-harm has never left his mind. Things only become worse when he discovers he’s immune to whatever makes a zombie a zombie. Fighting zombies was predictable. He knew what to expect. Fighting humans is volatile. They are malicious and treacherous. They won’t stop to get what they want, and Caleb has to figure out exactly what that is.

Does being immune to becoming a zombie still make a person human?

Caleb tried to live a normal life after the uprising. He moved into the city, found a home, and worked a job. He yearned for days full of tedium and schedules. Instead, he discovered he was immune to becoming a zombie, and his life was turned upside down.Fear and uncertainty have replaced normalcy.

Caleb no longer knows if his immunity makes him human or something else … something monstrous. He knows who is after him, but to find out what his captors want and what he is he'll have to play their game and give up his freedom. His sacrifice may or may not lead to the answers he desperately craves.

Some Things to Share

This post is a bit late because I was waiting for some news so I could share. The first is that I did an online interview, and you can listen to it here. If you click on the orange text near the top of the blog, it will download the player.

In addition, I have re-released the first two books in my Saving Humanity YA zombie series. They even have lovely new covers. Currently, they are only available as ebooks, but soon they will be available as paperbacks. Links are below. Enjoy!

Humanity's Hope

Edge of Humanity

Happy Release Day!

Today is the day! Edge of Humanity, the second book in the Saving Humanity series, is now available for your reading pleasure! You can find it on Amazon and other online retailers.

Book 2 in the Saving Humanity Series 

Does being immune to becoming a zombie still make a person human? 

Caleb tried to live a normal life after the uprising. He moved into the city, found a home, and worked a job. He yearned for days full of tedium and schedules. Instead, he discovered he was immune to becoming a zombie, and his life was turned upside down.

Fear and uncertainty have replaced normalcy. Caleb no longer knows if his immunity makes him human or something else…something monstrous. He knows who is after him, but to find out what his captors want and what he is, he’ll have to play their game and give up his freedom. His sacrifice may or may not lead to the answers he desperately craves.

The publishing of this book marks the 13th fiction book I've had published. 13! To celebrate, I'm giving away signed paperback copies of all of my books to one lucky winner. You can enter the contest below. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

That Moment When the Passion Comes Flooding Back

I’ve been struggling for the past several months. Well, honestly, it’s probably been closer to the vast majority of this year. I lost my motivation and desire to write, even though every so often I was able to put some words on the page. It’s been incredibly slow, but there has been some progress made.

At the end of last week, I had an amazing day. I actually wanted to write, and the words flowed from me like water. I felt energized and excited and motivated. It felt good. It was beyond good. It was euphoric!

Writing is a weird thing for a writer. On one hand, we want to be able to do it every day to feel normal and productive and accomplished. But the words don’t come easily to us every day. Some days are worse than others, and that can make us feel like failures or hacks. When the words don’t flow freely, I definitely feel like a failure. I wonder if I’m even supposed to be a writer, and this spiral of shame, guilt, and lack of motivation begins. I try to push through those moments, but sometimes it doesn’t always work.

The days that the words do flow freely are magical. They are what sustain writers and keep them moving forward. For me, it feels like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders and this is what I’m supposed to do. I no longer feel like a hack, and the only feelings that drifts through me are excitement and wonder. Yeah, those days are amazing. They definitely bring back the passion and desire to want to write.

I’m currently working on the third book in the Saving Humanity series. As of now, it’s called Finding Humanity. While I still have a long way to go, the path is getting smoother. It doesn’t feel so hard to write right now, and I’m going to hang on to that for as long as I can.

As a reminder, the other two books in the series are Humanity’s Hope (available now) and Edge of Humanity (coming this fall). In total, I plan on having four books in this series, so after Finding Humanity, I still have one more to right. Fingers crossed the passion is still there.

My Mind Has Just Been Blown

As I sat down to write this post and tell all of you wonderful readers about my upcoming release, it dawned on me that the book I have coming out this fall will be my 13th novel. 13 NOVELS! I can’t believe it! I’m fairly certain this calls for a celebration, and I’ll think about what to do.

Side note: I also have three nonfiction books floating around, but 13 novels? Where did I find the time to write all of that?

In the meantime, let me continue this post by telling you about Edge of Humanity, which will be coming out this fall. It’s the second in the Saving Humanity series. Humanity’s Hope is the first book.

This series holds a special place in my heart, mainly because Caleb isn’t a typical hero and I can relate to him on a variety of different levels. My goal with these books is to show that people who have been damaged by tragedy and mental issues still have a place in this world, even if they don’t always see their worth and have a hard time being “normal.” I’m excited for you to read about Caleb’s latest adventure.

If you haven’t started this young adult zombie journey, Humanity’s Hope is available for 99 cents on Kindle. Go check it out!

What happens when humanity's hope rests on the shoulders of a teenager?

Caleb didn’t come out of the zombie uprising unscathed. He’s been scarred—both mentally and physically. The rest of humanity is trying to rebuild, to make the world normal again. Caleb is trying to return to a normal life also, but after all he’s seen, after the loss of his family and friends, the transition is difficult. The darkness that led him down a path of self-doubt and self-harm has never left his mind.

Things only become worse when he discovers he’s immune to whatever makes a zombie a zombie. Fighting zombies was predictable. He knew what to expect. Fighting humans is volatile. They are malicious and treacherous. They won’t stop to get what they want, and Caleb has to figure out exactly what that is.

Things Are Looking Up

Last week ended on a high note. I finally got another job, which I start next Monday. It’s not a stay-at-home position I was hoping for, but it will pay the bills. The boys and I have made me being in an office work before, we can certainly do it again.

I received word that Life After the Undead is a finalist in the Wishing Shelf Awards. That was pretty exciting, and it made me feel fantastic! I’m looking forward to the feedback I get from the kids. I can’t wait to see what they liked/disliked about the book. After all, readers are the reason I write.

Speaking of readers, I received the ARC copy of Humanity’s Hope over the weekend. I’m currently looking for reviewers, so if anyone is interested, please shoot me a message.

I’ve been making progress on Edge of Humanity. There’s still a lot to do, but it’s getting closer. I’ve had some ideas pop into my head for some new stories, but I told them they had to go away. I already have a list of projects I need to work on.

I’ve been struggling quite a bit these last few months, but it’s nice to feel like there’s finally a light at the end of the tunnel. I knew the bad times wouldn’t last forever, but when I was in the middle of them, they dragged me down quite a bit. My schedule is going to change, but I’ll learn to adapt.

All in all, I’m looking forward to the new adventure that will be my life. Normally, I’m a planner and I like to have things laid out in front of me, but that hasn’t seemed to be working out so well. Now, I’m just going to see where I go. There’s a sense of freedom in that decision—and a lot of fear that I’m trying to overcome. I’ll let you know how things go.

Slowly Making Progress

Well, I finally got Edge of Humanity typed. I’m now going through and doing the next round of edits, which takes just about as long as the initial step. Since the story is still bare bones, it needs fleshed out, so there’s still a lot of writing to do.

My original plan was to do two chapters a day, but life has decided that’s not going to happen at the moment. It’s been a major struggle to do any work on the story. I’ve gotten through Chapter 5, but there’s still a lot of work to do.

Not that I have a deadline for this story. Heck, Humanity’s Hope isn’t even out yet. Telling myself that doesn’t really help with my motivation. Humanity’s Hope will be out at some point, and I prefer to have Edge of Humanity waiting in the wings, but I just can’t find the desire.

It won’t last forever. Soon, I’ll get my butt back in gear and get to work. I just need a little break right now.

If you missed the cover reveal for Humanity’s Hope, have no fear! I’ve included it in this blog post. I’m really thrilled with how it turned out. I think it look mahvelous!

The Second Book in the Saving Humanity Series is DONE!

Last week, I finished handwriting the second book in my latest young adult zombie novel series. Yes, you read that correctly: handwriting. I handwrite the vast majority of my books. There’s just something magical about putting a pen to paper. I really enjoy writing that way.

However, on the negative side, it does have a tendency to make my wrist hurt. But, at the same time, typing can do the same thing. I guess it is just destiny that writers will end up with carpal tunnel. Hazard of the profession, I suppose.

When I transfer the story to the computer, it’s an editing step. I usually add and delete as I type the story out. Each chapter gets its own file, which is then printed out. I edit those chapters, then combine the chapter all together. Then, there’s another editing step—or several. I would like to tell you how many editing steps it goes through, but it honestly depends on the story and what it needs.

It can be tedious and time consuming. However, the hard part has been done. The bones of the story have been put on the page, and editing is my chance to flesh the story out.

I can’t tell you how incredibly excited I am to have this story done. To be honest, I didn’t think I’d ever get it written. My life had taken such a crazy turn for a while there, I didn’t know if I’d have time to work on it. Then, I didn’t feel like writing. There were times I literally forced myself to pick up my pen and write. It sucked, but then after a few minutes, I got into my groove. That felt really, really good. I didn’t realize how much I needed to escape into my fantasy world. It helped put my real world into perspective.

I’m sure you’re wondering what the title of my new work is. Well, if you’re subscribed to my newsletter, you already know (speaking of my newsletter, if you haven’t signed up, you should. I’m doing a special offer for subscribers for the month of February). If you don’t subscribe, you’ll just be learning it now. Are you ready for it? The second book in the series is called Edge of Humanity.

The first book is Humanity’s Hope. Here’s the blurb for it.

Caleb, a 17-year-old boy, survived the zombie uprising, but he didn’t come out of the ordeal unscathed. He’s been scarred—both mentally and physically. The rest of humanity is trying to rebuild, to make the world normal again. Caleb is trying to return to a normal life also, but after all he’s seen, after the loss of his family and friends, the transition is difficult. The darkness that led him down a path of self-doubt and self-harm keeps trying to creep back into his mind.

Things only become worse when he discovers he’s immune to whatever makes a zombie a zombie. Fighting zombies was predictable. He knew what to expect. Fighting humans is volatile. They are malicious and treacherous. They won’t stop to get what they want, and Caleb has to figure out exactly what that is.

*Trigger warning: attempted suicide

Humanity’s Hope should be coming out any time in the next few months. I don’t have a definite date yet, but I’m not worried. It’s going to happen, and it’s going to be amazing! I’m having a cover reveal on the 17th, and I can’t wait for you to see what it looks like. I really, really like it.

And speaking of covers, I promised to let you know when Finding Eden’s new cover was done. Well, it’s finished. I really like this one too.

It has been another great week related to writing. I like it when that happens. It inspires me. It makes me look forward to editing Edge of Humanity. It’s going to be fun.