In these Troubled Times...

Nothing like a zombie flick to make you feel like things aren't so bad!

http://io9.com/5070243/war-and-social-upheaval-cause-spikes-in-zombie-movie-production

Almost Done Slush

I was hoping to get all the way through before I leave for a religious studies conference tomorrow, but I don't think I'll make it. But I'm close:

10 TBR
53 maybe
205 rejected

Thin Them Out

The ZombieFest chapbook, co-authored by Julia and R.J. Sevin and some other guy, is now available for those who could not make it to the con:

http://www.creepinghemlock.com/thinst.html

I will also have copies available at future con appearances, so hit me up.

Panera Bread

Another food tip: If you're at this establishment, try the French Onion soup. I found their rendition better than many I've had at much more expensive restaurants.

Unhand that Woman!

The gal's a real sport, you got to give her that - standing so close to big, gross me!

I get to sell my zombie books in the Dawn of the Dead mall, next to a smart and pretty woman like Julia: how exactly could my life get better?

Back from ZombieFest!

What a great time! Sold a bunch of books! And among the many fascinating fans and colleagues I saw, there were these standouts:

the charming Ken Foree
the colorful Joe Pilato
the lovely Julia "A, B, C" Sevin
the talented R.J. "ZOMG I saw THE hallway!" Sevin
the enthusiastic Dr. Pus
the friendly Steve North
the youthful Travis Adkins
the highly-classified J.L. Bourne
the loud Bowie Ibarra
the quiet Zombie Diva
the camera-wielding Michael Arnzen
the burger-loving Greg Lamberson
the hair-brushing Gary Braunbeck
the patient Lucy Snyder
the tidy Tim Waggoner
the prolific Scott Johnson
the knowledgeable John Joseph Adams
the witty Max Cheney

Wow, that's more people than I thought I saw this weekend! I hope to see more next year!

Great Interview

With John Joseph Adams, whom I just saw this weekend at ZombieFest:

http://www.johnjosephadams.com/the-living-dead/?p=82

ZombieFest Chapbook!

It's official - RJ and Julia Sevin got the chapbooks printed in time! Here's the cover!

These will all be signed by all three of us and available for the first time at ZombieFest 08!

Now, I have to finish packing and head out later this evening.

Midweek Slush

18 TBR
53 Maybe
197 rejected

Dare We Hope?

http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/calculator/

Come on, somebody bring me back down to Earth. Remind me how they're going to disenfranchise voters and steal the election (again). Otherwise I might dare hope in Democracy again, and I'm already getting pounded for writing about smart zombies who don't kill people. If I get too optimistic, I'll write about them following gummi bears to the land of Rainbo brite where they have tea with the Smurfs.

The Slush Lake Draining Slowly

25 TBR
52 Maybe
191 rejected

Deadlines

Just as a point of interest: I've been doing the subs in the order in which they arrived. The deadline for the anthology was August 31. I started reading subs from August 31 yesterday. There were 41 sent in on that day.

Winter Frights Available for Preorder

http://www.bn.com/

and

http://www.maguspress.com/

Stories by

Michael A. Arnzen

Kealan Patrick Burke

Eric Christ

James S. Dorr

JG Faherty

Darren O. Godfrey

Michael McBride

Joe McKinney

Lisa Morton

Kim Paffenroth

Stephen Mark Rainey

Bev Vincent

Monday Slush

37 TBR
48 maybe
183 rejected

Please, God, no more zombie sex stories. Please. I mean, I didn't want to rule them out in the call for subs, and one even went in the maybe pile, but man they're hard on my noggin and tummy.

Oops, right after I write that - guess what I turn the page to?

A great, big zombie... umm... how do I put this? Let's just say, after all those descriptions of bony, brittle male undead members, I thought I was a hardy, steeled veteran. But I now know an adequately vivid description of the undead female pubis can be even worse... Urp. Blech.

Trash Pickers! Like Zombies!

Tomorrow is Throw Out Day, when the garbagemen pick up odd sized and shaped items. (Unfortunately, still they don't pick up the really impossible to get rid of things like tires.)

So today my son wants me to take him and his friend somewhere. My car is full of various things, including my daughter's violin. So I take some items out and set them in the driveway, thinking to pick them up and take them in when I get back in ten minutes.

But as I drive away, I remember it's Throw Out Day, and how the trash pickers come the night before and pick through the trash for anything useful. And I look in the rearview mirror and see the rusted out pickup already approaching my driveway.

I throw the car in reverse and go rocketing back the 200 feet to the driveway - where a trash picker already has the violin in his clutches! So now I'm in tug of war with some toothless mountain person over a violin!

Fortunately, Pa in the pickup truck told Jr. that he had seen me pull out, so that yes, this probably was my violin and he should let go.

Whew!

Slushy Weekend

47 TBR
44 maybe
177 rejected

D2L2 Worst "Review"

Continuing my tradition of posting to the worst review of each new book I put out, here's this month's installment! From the Amazon page for D2L2:

"you have got to be kidding me....I am a HUGE fan of Zombies and I like them dumb and hungry...I dont mind if there are fast ones or slow ones, climbers or runners but zombies that can remember, fall in love and play the violin.....YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME.............I had to finish the book because my wife says that I buy too many zombie books but I would rather fold laundry than finish this....... "

If you don't like smart(er) zombies (I mean, the poor dead guy's not a nuclear scientist, he just remembers stuff out of order and jumbled), then yes, I suppose you should pass on this.

End of the Week Slush

58 TBR
42 maybe
168 rejected

Night-Mares Haunted Attraction

In Montvale, NJ:

http://www.night-mares.com/

I'll be signing books there tonight, after I see all their scary stuff!

Partisan Post

But with humor!

http://www.palinaspresident.com/

As funny as some of the old JibJab stuff.

GOTLD on Oldspeak

A libertarian blogger and columnist did a long interview of me a few weeks ago, and it's up:

http://www.rutherford.org/Oldspeak/Articles/Interviews/oldspeak-Paffenroth.html

Slush Update

Sorry, got distracted with my little story for RJ, then my agent wanted some more substantive changes to my manuscript for Valley of the Dead.

The World Is Dead update:

65 TBR
41 maybe
162 rejected

2k Word Throwdown!

The awesome duo of RJ and Julia Sevin asked me to pen a short story for a chapbook to be sold exclusively by them at ZOMBIE FEST (http://www.theitsaliveshow.com/zombiefest2008/home.htm). I was doing lots of other stuff, like ALBACON, and the weather's been incredible, so I wanted to take my daughter out to a hayride and haunted house and corn maze, but I sat down tonight and banged out a 2k piece that I think rocks in its own undead way. We'll see what they say!!

ZOMG - I LOVE RACHEL MADDOW!

Sexy, smart, fesity, irreverent.

She just spanked David Frum like a rented mule.

I'll be watching more regularly. We need this.

Sometimes "Judas!" is a Compliment

I've often said so! (Back to my first major published work.)

But this really is a good one:

http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2008-10-10/the-conservative-case-for-obama

Let's keep hoping!

Slush Update

71 TBR
41 maybe
156 rejected

Back from Fencon - to the Slush!

Just got back from Fencon. Shared a table with the lovely Gabrielle Faust. Lee Thomas stopped by several times and chatted. I was on a couple panels that were pretty nicely attended, though the one on apocalypses took the whole topic a little TOO literally (like they really thought that any of these things were really going to happen - I *think* they made an exception for zombies, but maybe not).

Back to the slush:

77 TBR
39 maybe
152 rejected

Sterben zum leben

(I'm actually not sure if it should be "zu" or "zum" - my German's pretty rusty)

I just signed to have Dying to Live produced in a mass market German edition, with Festa Verlag - http://www.festa-verlag.de/

Yay me!