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

Life Is What You Make It

Living with anxiety is tough. Add depression into the mix, and life can become unbearable.

As tough as living with anxiety and depression is, talking about it can be just as challenging. There are a variety of reasons why people who suffer from mental health issues don’t talk about them.

1. They want to pretend the problems don’t exist.
2. They are afraid of how people will react if they talk about their issues.
3. They don’t know how to cope with the feelings (or lack thereof), so they can’t/don’t expect anyone else to help them either.

I have used all of these reasons at one time or another, but then I stopped. I’m no longer shy about talking about my anxiety or depression. In fact, I probably talk about it too much (judging from the looks I occasionally get from others: slightly wide eyed with lips pressed together or forehead wrinkled and mouth open like they want to ask a question but never do), but they are both part of who I am.

Anxiety and depression might be hard to live with, but they are nothing to be ashamed of. Millions of people suffer from these ailments, but hiding in the dark won’t make them better or go away.

Because I’ve hesitated in the past talking about mental health, I was always cautious and conscious of how I talked about it in my fiction. I wanted my characters to be troubled, but not too troubled.

That changed when I wrote Humanity’s Hope.

I knew from the beginning that I wanted Caleb to suffer from mental issues. I wasn’t going to be cautious. I was going to have him be debilitated by his ailments.

Now, don’t be confused: I am not Caleb, and Caleb is not me.

Yes, I created him and understand what he’s going through, but he is his own character. He has bits of me in him, but he is not a reflection or representation of how I deal with anxiety or depression. In addition, I’ve never been in a zombie apocalypse, so Caleb is on his own in that regard.

It was important to me to have Caleb struggle with his mental health and be overwhelmed by it because it happens to real people every day. But at the same time, these people (and Caleb) find a way to rise above and survive. They find the strength within to show up and do what they can despite feelings of worthlessness and like they are strangers in their own mind.

Caleb has his flaws (as all characters and people do), but he also has a lot of strengths. My hope is that those who suffer from anxiety and/or depression see some of themselves in Caleb and find the will, desire, and courage to push on.

Life can be tough. Zombies can rise, and the vast majority of the world can get wiped out. Or it can be challenging to get up in the morning and go to work—we all have our struggles. Whatever a person is going through, it can be difficult to understand and cope with, but at the end of the day, we get the chance to make the most of our lives, and we should take it.

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.

A Different Kind of Zombie Story Hero

I love that zombie stories show us tough heroes who rise effortlessly to the challenge. However, I wanted to create a hero who struggles with mental health issues and is unsure of where life is going to take him or if he’ll be able to overcome the next hurdle because then he’d be more human.

I love zombie stories—in all shapes and forms. From movies to TV shows to books to comics to video games, I enjoy watching humans test their strength and resolve against the undead and hopefully come out a winner.

My fascination with zombies began after I watched Night of the Living Dead. I was in junior high at the time (but not at the same time the movie came out), and my dad had it recorded on a VHS tape. I remember feeling creeped out, but not jump-out-of-my-skin scared. I had to watch more. So I did.

George Romero will forever be the father of the modern-day zombie. There were zombie movies before his, but the creatures were often created with voodoo. Romero introduced the world to creatures that rise from the dead to consume the living.

Zombies have progressed since Night of the Living Dead first came out, evolving into fast-moving, sentient, and aware creatures. Some argue that these zombies taint the purity that is Romero’s slow, decaying creatures, but even Romero’s zombies evolve. By the time we get to Land of the Dead, zombies are aware that they are different from humans, and they don’t like that humans kill them. They go on a revenge mission to kill the humans that have been destroying the zombies.

If there’s one common thread that runs through all zombie stories, it’s that the survivors never hesitate to pick up a weapon to fight the undead. There may be questions about whether or not the zombies can be saved and turned back into humans, but no one hesitates killing the zombies if their life is in danger.

A lot of this boils down to survival and the fight or flight choices humans have when faced with danger. I love this aspect of the story. I love that the story shows that most humans will step up to the plate and do what they have to do to ensure we don’t go extinct.

I’ve incorporated this toughness and badassness into a lot of my own zombie stories and the characters therein. It’s fun to imagine a world with tough characters who don’t back down from a challenge. They may be afraid, but they don’t let it show when the going gets tough. 

But what happens after? What happens to these characters when the threat is gone and they don’t have to be tough?

That was a question I wanted to explore in Humanity’s Hope, and I looked at it from the perspective that the main character has been deeply and profoundly changed by the zombie apocalypse.

One of the great allures of stories is that they show us how we wish we could be. We know that if zombies were to rise, the situation would be life changing. It’s fun to imagine how we would react, but we might also question our ability to rise to the challenge. We want to believe that we can be tough, unflappable, and able to do whatever it takes to survive terrible threats. That’s why these tough characters are so appealing. 

However, one of the other things that stories do really well is reflect real life back to us and show us ways to overcome our fears and shortcomings. We might not always be tough, and that’s totally okay, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be brave. We also are not going to go into a life-changing situation and not be changed by it—life without zombies rising has proven this to us.

When I conceived the idea of Humanity’s Hope, I wanted to explore how the zombie apocalypse would change a person. While all of us want to believe that we’d still be as strong and tough as we were when faced with zombies, the likelihood of that happening is low. All of us would probably react differently to the situation, but some of us would come out like Caleb: mentally scarred and suffering from PTSD.

Does that make us or Caleb weak? Absolutely not. It makes us human.

Through medical research, we know that soldiers often suffer from PTSD or other mental health issues after being in combat, and they are trained to deal with these types of stressful situations. If they aren’t immune to these problems, what makes us think the rest of us will be?

Where the true strength comes in is how we deal with these problems day in and day out. There’s no doubt it’s a struggle, and it has a profound impact on how we interact with one another and our environment. It may even impact how we interact with our own minds, and that was what I wanted to explore with Caleb.

Humanity’s Hope isn’t exactly a traditional zombie story. Caleb can and has been strong when he needed to be, but most of the narrative focuses on his attempt to return to humanity after all he’s seen and done. We see how the tragedy of watching his family and friends die has impacted him. We see him struggling to understand his world and himself after everything has been turned upside down.

We live in a time and world where mental health is a misunderstood and stigmatized issue. When we hear someone has mental health issues, we automatically assume that they are a danger to others or themselves. Yet, there are more than 200 forms of mental health issues, and most of them are treatable.

My goal with Caleb and Humanity’s Hope was to highlight the struggles someone might go through when dealing with mental health issues and how those issues may have manifested. I wanted to point out that even though these issues can be difficult to deal with, they aren’t impossible to deal with. I also wanted to show that despite Caleb’s struggles, he is a hero.

We all want to live “normal” lives and to be functioning, productive members of society, but the definition of “normal” varies from person to person. Caleb certainly wants to return to a normal life, but how is that possible after the world has been changed and overrun with the undead? Would you be able to return to “normal” after dealing with the undead?

Yet Another Giveaway!

This one is for EPIC YA/NA sci-fi and dystopian. You also have a chance to win a $50 Amazon gift card! Check it out and enter for a chance to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

YABC Around the World Book Giveaway

I am participating in the YABooksCentral.com Around the World in 30 Days giveaway!

There are 45 authors participating from all over the world, from Indonesia to South Africa, Guatemala, the US, UK, Europe, and Australia! It’s an amazing collection of books. Join in on the fun!

For a chance to win, you can enter here.

The book I have entered into the giveaway is Humanity’s Hope. I’m super excited to be part of such an amazing group of authors. I hope you’ll join in on the fun and discover YA authors from around the world!

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.

This book can also be found at Amazon.

The giveaway lasts the entire month of November, but don’t delay. Again, if you want to enter for a chance to win, you can find the link here.

Happy Halloween!

Tomorrow is the most wonderful of holidays. I really enjoy Halloween. It’s so fun to see the kids get dressed up and all of the spooky decorations. We even decorated this year—the first time ever! I’ve always wanted to put up decorations, but it was hard in Wyoming because they would blow away. For about a week here in Nebraska we had to bring the decorations inside because the wind was howling.

My plan is to add to my decorations every year. At one point, I’d like to create some zombies out of old clothes and have them laying in the yard. I think that will be super fun. We can probably stuff them with leaves—there are plenty blowing around! But for the first year, I decided to start slow.

In celebration of Halloween, three of my ebooks are on special for 99 cents. Today is the last day you can get them, so don’t delay! Have a fun, safe Halloween!

Seventeen-year-old Krista must quickly figure out how she's going to survive in the zombie-destroyed world.

The one advantage humans have is that the zombies hate humid environments, so they're migrating west to escape its deteriorating effects. The survivors plan to construct a wall at North Platte to keep the undead out, and Krista has come to Nebraska to start a new life.

Zombies aren’t the only creatures she has to be cautious of—the other survivors have a dark side. Krista must fight not only to live but also to defend everything she holds dear—her country, her freedom, and ultimately, those she loves.

Join Krista in her quest to survive in this thrilling apocalyptic novel by Pembroke Sinclair.

Find it on Amazon.

It has been 500 years since Aelana has been home, and a lot has changed in that time--including her. As a half-dragon, half-human hybrid, she has been traveling the universe destroying worlds. Both anxious and excited to return, she wonders what she will find. Her memories of home are filled with pain and loss, especially for her first and only love. She knows he won't be there, but will his memory? Will her anguish remain?

What waits for Aelana on her home world? Find out in this exciting urban fantasy novel by Pembroke Sinclair.

Find it on Amazon.

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.

Find it on Amazon.

Young Adult Sci-Fi and Fantasy Giveaway

Books, books, some more books, and the chance to win a Kindle Fire!

I’ve teamed up with 30+ fantastic young adult sci-fi and fantasy authors to give away a huge collection of novels to 2 lucky winners, PLUS a Kindle Fire to the Grand Prize winner!

You can win my novel Humanity's Hope, plus books from authors like A.J. Culey and Blake B Rivers.

Enter the giveaway by clicking here: bit.ly/2tW9lMU

Good luck, and enjoy!

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.

It’s Here! Humanity’s Hope Is Finally Here!

Humanity’s Hope is finally available in ebook form—and it came early! Originally, it was supposed to be released on July 27th, but the process went swimmingly, so it’s now on Amazon.

I’m super excited for the book to finally be out. I’ve been chomping at the bit to share Caleb’s story for a long time. This book is the first in the Saving Humanity series.

In addition to this new release, I also figured out how to reduce the prices permanently on a few other of my young adult books. I’ve been meaning to do this for a while, but kept forgetting. I get distracted very easily.

Anywho, for those who are interested, you can now get the Road to Salvation series ebooks for just under $4.00. This isn’t a special. This is their new, permanent pricing. The books include The Appeal of Evil ($1.99), Dealing with Devils ($0.99), and Good Intentions ($0.99). 

My writing has been a bit of a roller coaster recently, so having these upswings makes me feel really good. I’m still plugging along on the third Ifs book, and I have a narrator working on the audiobook for Life After the Undead. I’m getting a lot accomplished.

As usual, I want to thank all you amazing readers for supporting me throughout my career. Without you, I wouldn’t be able to do what I do.

The Holiday Threw Me Off

I hope everyone who celebrated the 4th of July had a fantastic holiday! I had a great time hanging out with my family, and my fabulous mother-in-law came out to visit. The boys got to light off fireworks for about a week, so they were super excited. Personally, I was not sad to have the fireworks end—and neither were my dogs!

Normally, I post on Wednesdays, but the holiday threw me off this week, so you get this post on Thursday. I thought about not posting anything, then I decided to throw some words onto the page.

Exciting things are happening around here. I’ve been working on the third installment of The Ifs series. It’s still going fairly slowly at the moment, but at least it’s going. For a while, I wasn’t doing much work at all—and that was incredibly depressing. Slow or not, I’ll take what I can get.

Humanity’s Hope is scheduled to come out at the end of the month. I still don’t have a date yet, but from the way the publisher was talking, it shouldn’t be long. When that happens, all my other zombie books will go on sale. Don’t worry, I’ll remind you when that happens.

It’s hard to believe that it’s July already. In a way, summer is half over. I hope you have or are on track to accomplish everything you want to accomplish. My only goal was to start writing again, and I have.

Humanity’s Hope…Coming Soon

I received word from the publisher earlier this week (or maybe it was late last week; I can’t remember, my days have been screwed up) that Humanity’s Hope will be published by the end of July. I don’t have a date yet, but I should get one soon.

It’s hard to believe that a year ago I signed the contract with Stitched Smile Publications for them to put out my next young adult zombie series. So much has happened since then. It’s crazy!

I’m looking forward for this book to come out. I hope all of you enjoy it as well. As usual, I will keep you informed of when it’s available.

Until then, check out my recently self-published middle grade novels, The Ifs and The Ifs Return. You might just enjoy them.

Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction Giveaway

Today, I have a fun surprise that I’d like to share with you.

I’ve teamed up with 45 post-apocalyptic sci-fi book authors to give away a huge collection of novels to 2 lucky winners, plus a Kindle Fire to the Grand Prize winner!

You can win my novel Humanity's Hope, plus books from authors like S.B. Sebrick and Ann Christy.

Enter the giveaway by clicking here: bit.ly/post-apoc-apr17

Good luck, and enjoy!

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.

Seriously, Zombies Are Fun

Lately, I’ve been working on the sequel to Humanity’s Hope.  I’ve been making some really good progress. As of this blog post, I’m ready to start Chapter 15. At one point, I wasn’t exactly sure where the story was going, but after some brainstorming in the shower, I figured it out. I’m super excited where it’s headed.

There are so many fabulous things about zombies, but I think my favorite is the fact that they are fictional. This is great in many aspects, including the fact that we don’t have to fight them off on a daily basis. But the other point of this is that I can make them be anything I want. And that’s exactly what I’m doing in my book.

I’m super excited to get the words on the page and get this first draft done. Sometimes I lament not being able to write faster or that I can’t hook the computer up to my brain and think the story, having the words magically appear on the screen. Sigh. One day, maybe. Until then, I’ll just keep doing it the old fashion way.  

Humanity’s Hope should be out some time in the beginning of the year. I’ll let you know for sure. Until then, I’ll give you a little teaser of what you can expect. Enjoy!

One Nation Under Zombies

Caleb sprinted across the dirt road. His leg muscles burned. He was barely able to get his feet off the ground. The backpack slammed into his lower back with every step—the straps dug into his shoulders. As he approached the low wall, he slid into a crouch, turning so his back would contact the stones first. The pressure of the backpack pressed into his ribcage—squeezing the air out of his lungs. He pressed his lips together and let the stream flow out of his nose. He tried his best to keep it silent—a task that proved difficult with every pant. His lungs screamed for air. He wanted to draw in large, gasping breaths, but they would be too loud and attract unwanted attention. The undead were just on the other side of the wall, unaware of his presence, and he intended to keep it that way.

Caleb’s gaze drifted back to the road and fell on his sister, Nina, and Len, his chemistry partner from school. They ran toward him as fast as they could with their heavy backpacks that hunched them over. Or perhaps it was an attempt to make themselves smaller, so they were less noticeable—Caleb couldn’t tell. They slid up to the wall on either side of Caleb and attempted to control their breathing.

This was a terrible place to hide—they all knew it. It was too open, too exposed, but there weren’t any other choices. The squat wall was right at the edge of a fallow field, across the dirt road they had been traversing in the hopes of finding civilization. They found the wall in a vast, rural landscape. The three of them were lucky there was something. They had come around a bend in the road and up a small hill, and there they were—zombies—shuffling aimlessly through the countryside. Caleb had to suppress his shocked gasp. They came out here because the urban areas had become too dangerous. There were too many zombies. The supplies had either been pillaged or were too difficult to get to. The country was supposed to be their hope, their salvation. So far, it wasn’t. The farmhouse was still ways away, about 50 yards. At least that was what Caleb assumed. He was horrible at judging distances. It didn’t matter anyway. With the zombies in front of them, the house was as accessible as another planet. But they couldn’t stay out in the open, either.

The look on Len’s face reflected the turmoil Caleb felt inside. His eyes were wide, his face red from exertion. His head was cocked to the side, his jaw muscles tight. The look asked: “What do we do now?” Caleb had no answer.

When they set out that morning to look for food, they had told themselves the zombies had been confined to the cities. Why? Because they had to believe something. They had to think there was still a chance.

Caleb lowered his gaze to the ground. There was no way to respond to Len’s silent question. They just had to wait it out—make their move when they got the opportunity. Caleb glanced over his shoulder at his sister. She slumped against the wall, her legs sprawled out in front of her, her chin resting on her chest. His stomach tightened as he took in her pose. She wasn’t going to be able to move quickly from that position. She needed to be ready. Yet, he felt for her. What was the point of being ready if it meant they had to keep running? His legs shook underneath him as he held his crouch. It would have been such a relief to plop onto his butt and take the weight off his legs. He could’ve placed his arms around Nina’s shoulders and pulled her close. They could have relaxed in their misery. Instead, he gently backhanded her arm. When she looked at him, he thrust his thumb into the air. With an eye roll and deliberate movements, Nina moved into a crouch, removing the gun from the back of her waistband.

Caleb focused on the weapon in his hands. It was there so often, it was like an appendage. He rarely noticed it anymore. But neither of the guns would do them much good; there weren’t enough bullets to take out the threat. Even if they fired their remaining rounds, all it would do was draw more zombies to their location.

Caleb turned his attention away from his gun and stretched up to look over the wall. As soon as his eyes broke the surface, he scanned the area before sinking back down. His heart pounded against his ribs, his throat tightened. An undead lumbered close to the wall—too close. One wrong move or sound and they were spotted. He licked his lips and felt the sweat slide down his spine. If they stayed quiet, the zombies would keep moving. They just had to wait it out.

A low, soft grumbling filled the air. At first, Caleb wasn’t convinced he’d heard it. It was so low, he could have imagined it. He had hoped he’d imagined it. But then Len wrapped his arms around his midsection and squeezed. The rumbling grew louder. It was hard to hide the sounds of hunger. Caleb’s eyes grew wide. He shifted his stance so he could explode onto his feet.

The rotted hand reached over the wall and swiped the air between Caleb and Len. There were no other options. All of them sprang to their feet. The crowd of rotting flesh was converging on their position. Caleb extended his arms and lined up his sights. The crack of the gun echoed loudly in the country air; the corpse slumped onto the wall. All three of them jumped over the wall and ran toward the house. The path took them directly toward the zombies; they had to be fast enough to get by them.

Caleb’s extremities tingled with adrenaline, his footsteps thumped rhythmically on the hard, dry ground. He sucked in long gasps of air, but his lungs still burned for oxygen. He caught glimpses of the other two out of the corner of his eyes. The undead drew nearer. Their arms outstretched, waiting to snag their prey. Caleb zig-zagged across the field. He ducked under a pair of arms, then shouldered a zombie out of the way. Its bones crunched against his shoulder, teeth gnashed close to his ear, driving him forward with more urgency. The house grew larger with every step he took. Almost there.

A short yip followed by a grunt sounded behind him. He risked a glance over his shoulder. Len stumbled then fell. Caleb’s heart leapt into his throat. He skidded to a stop, turning to help his friend. Caleb was about to step toward Len, but he was stopped in his tracks. The action caused him to lose his balance. His arms flailed through the air to keep Caleb from falling over. An incessant, strong tugging kept him from moving forward. He turned to see Nina jerking on his backpack. Her eyes were wide and glistening with tears. She bit her bottom lip and shook her head violently. Caleb glanced again at Len, who reached for Caleb, his mouth open in a silent plea, tears running down his cheeks. Caleb reached toward him. Len’s plea turned into a scream as a zombie bit into his calf. A dark ring of blood stained his jeans and grew larger. Another zombie latched onto the fingers of his extended hand. The crunch as it bit through his bones rattled in Caleb’s skull. He pulled his hand into his chest.

Caleb turned at that point. There was nothing more he could do. His sister grabbed his wrist, and they ran into the house. They took the stairs two at a time and headed into a bedroom on the right. After closing the door, they scanned the area, checking under the bed and in the closet. Clear. His sister collapsed face first onto the bed. From the way her body shook, Caleb could tell she was crying. He leaned back until his pack connected with the door. His legs gave out, and he slid to the floor. Pulling his knees to his chest, he wrapped his arms around his head and tried to disappear into himself.

And then there were two.

Looking at the Bright Side

Friends, I’m going to be honest, this past month as been a real challenge. I’ve been trying to rediscover my confidence and keep the depression from debilitating me. I’ve sent out so many resumes, I feel like I’m holding my own ticker tape parade.

The job application process reminds me a lot of the publishing process. Three-fourths of the time, I don’t get any response from the places I email. If I’m lucky, I’ll get an automated message that says they’ve received my information, but that’s usually all.

One place I applied to sent me an incredibly passive-aggressive email. I had been on the fence about whether or not I was actually going to apply. I found the posting on a job board site, and it raised several questions in my mind. I went to the company website to find the answers, but they weren’t there. I decided that I would shoot an email to their address. All I wanted to know was if they had a minimum/maximum amount of work they expected to be done every week, how I would get paid, how I would choose my assignments, and a question about a stipulation they had in their contract (which was mentioned in the job posting).

What I got back was mind boggling.

The person basically commented that if I had sent in my resume, and if it had looked promising, they would have sent me a document that answered all my questions. They then said that they didn’t understand what I was asking with my minimum and maximum question, so they weren’t even going to bother trying to answer it.

The tone of the email irritated me, and if they were just going to say things like that, why would they waste time emailing me at all? I emailed back, apologized for forgetting to include my resume, and included it then. I’m fully aware it was a moot point, but still. As you can imagine, I’ve heard nothing back. But at this point, I don’t think that’s a bad thing.

For another company I applied to, I made it to the second round, and they sent me an email with information about the next steps I needed to take. In those steps, it mentioned that I had to pay $50 for a background check. Now, I knew a background check was involved, it said so in the job post, but I was confused as to why I had to pay for it. The company is reputable, I Googled them and did my due diligence, so I figured I would send an email and ask.

A week later, I received an email asking if I was still interested in the position because they had not received a response from me. This one came from a person (I assumed because it had a name in the Sent From line, as opposed to a generic HR email), so I responded and re-asked my question. A week later, I received a response that my account had been deactivated because of lack of activity.

This whole process has been so frustrating. I’m fully aware that we are in December and that Christmas is right around the corner, so I’m sure most companies don’t want to hire anyone right now. They want to be able to spend time with their families, but if they can get everything in place, they can start looking at new hires after the New Year.

I know I need to be patient, and I’m doing my best. One of the things that is helping me keep my head above water is thinking about all the good things that are happening right now.

One of those is being able to spend time with my boys. They have asked me several times to join them for lunch at school, and I’ve had the time to go. I know that won’t last for long, so I’m taking advantage of the opportunity while I can.

I get to be totally immersed and involved with their sports. My mind isn’t wandering to how much work I have to do when I get home. I just get to be with them. Which also means I have time to veg out and watch TV with them at night.

I’ve had time to write. This has been instrumental in helping me feel better. When I get super frustrated, I get to maim, kill, and devour people in my story. It really aids in reducing stress. I’m on Chapter 8 of the second book in my new young adult zombie novel, and I’m really enjoying where the story is going. It feels so good to be creative.

I’ve been in contact with the publisher about the cover for Humanity’s Hope. I’m not exactly sure what I want, but working together, I think we’re going to come up with something amazing. I can’t wait to see what it is.

I’m this close to having the biography done. After inputting a few more edits and getting another proof of the book, that baby will be done. It feels great to know that it will soon be out in the world.

Yes, times have been tough lately and I’m in a dark place, but there are shards of light trying to break in. I’m doing my best to let that light in and focus on the good things.

Life Changes in the Blink of an Eye

For the past few months, I’ve been struggling to find time to do anything besides work. Then, like that, I have nothing but time. So what have I been doing with my new-found time?

Well, I go through a range of emotions on a daily basis—from anger to sadness to hurt to annoyed to worried to acceptance—sometimes in multiple cycles. I’m trying to stay optimistic and look at the bright side, but it’s been difficult to do. I worry a lot about what the future is going to bring.

One of the things I’ve done to try and cope with the situation is look at it like a rejection. As an author, I’m used to getting rejections. I’m used to people telling me no. While it’s distressing for a while, it usually motivates me to pick myself up and move on. I can mourn the rejection and be upset by it, but it doesn’t define me. It’s not who I am, and it drives me to prove that I can be so much better.

It helps looking at it from this perspective, but my self-confidence and self-worth have been shaken. My pride has been wounded.

I’m not one to sit around and do nothing, but there’s only so much I can do right now. I’m doing what I can and hoping for the best. If you want to send some good juju my way, I’ll happily take it.

So far, I’ve gotten up every morning and worked out, then showered and got on the computer. I’m trying to keep a schedule so I don’t fall into a funk. I feel like I should take this time to clean parts of my house that never get cleaned, but I’m working up to that.

Since I have so much time on my hands, I’ve been able to get through edits for Humanity’s Hope and get those sent back to the editor. It felt good to do something productive. Perhaps I can use that momentum to make up for the last few months and get some more writing done. Perhaps this is a good time to look into marketing and PR.

Above all else, I need to keep my head up and realize that this doesn’t define me. Rejection of any sort doesn’t define me; it only makes me stronger and more determined. Sure, it’s tough and I might cry every so often, but I can’t give up.