Gospel of the Living Dead

Zombie Baby Review

2012-01-24T21:51:00.002-05:00

Thanks to Infernus Mikey for this fun review of the first DYING TO LIVE!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXrSgiEMnXM

I love when the zombie baby talks!!

Old and New News

2012-01-23T16:51:00.003-05:00

News about old stuff = New interview at Craig DiLouie's blog, revisiting DYING TO LIVE and my other writings.

New news = I just got the first peek at the cover for the Italian edition of VALLEY OF THE DEAD and it looks pretty cool. Not all "Leisure" like (and you know what I mean - skulls with red lettering). Really looking forward to this!

Another Great Write Up for VALLEY

2012-01-11T15:21:00.002-05:00

Maybe everyone took the time over the holidays to read it?

Here's a really nice review that actually quotes from about my favorite scene in the book - it's the Circle of the Heretics (whom Dante equates with Epicureans, which he uses as a synonym for Atheists) and it's the tightest, most succinct theological exchange in the whole book - just one simple question and four simple answers that I think encapsulates pretty much all of Christian ( heck - Human) thought on the problem of theodicy.

I'm wondering if VALLEY will end up being like HISTORY IS DEAD - a consistent, slow but steady wins the race, kind of seller.

New Interview!

2012-01-08T14:41:00.002-05:00

A really detailed one, focusing on VALLEY OF THE DEAD - over at THE ZOMBIE BIBLE! Good questions that made me remember all that went into the concept! Thanks!!

War Horse

2011-12-27T22:01:00.002-05:00

Oddly Dickensian - in that you just have to swallow (repeatedly) unbelievable coincidences - but if you can do that (repeatedly), then everyone's actions, motives, and emotions ring completely true, and draw you in, in a way that doesn't feel manipulative or fake, but very real.

And please note - calling it WAR HORSE is like calling that other movie TITANIC. That movie wasn't about a big boat, it was about the people on it; this isn't about the horse, except as a catalyst for all the human characters. And mind you, that other movie has no other comparison to a film of this quality - Cameron's merely effective at exploiting and manipulating emotions (and, in Terminator esp, at staging real action sequences and not just blowing stuff up, like Bay); Spielberg, at his best, is a psychologist and an artist at playing on a palate of human emotions and eliciting what I think are real and healthful releases of such.

And really, this is one nice piece of dialogue between two old married people, who are sick of one another but still love each other: "I'll hate you more, but I could never love you less."

And finally, old lefty me, how could I not love a film whose message, loud and clear and repeatedly is, "Poor people and horses keep the world running; rich people and war make the world a miserable, wretched place." Never been a big animal fan myself, but I got no problem with that message.

Big Announcement!

2011-12-27T11:16:00.004-05:00

Well, that came quick on the heels of my saying "Big announcement"!!

Nero Press has announced they will be publishing VALLEY OF THE DEAD in Italian! This is so exciting to me, as even since I conceived of the book, I thought to myself how cool it would be for people to read and discuss it alongside Dante's original (indeed, looking over reviews, so far, it may have appealed more to Dante fans than "traditional" zombie fans) - and now it'll be available in Dante's mother language! (And of course, remember all the trouble Dante had publishing his work in Italian instead of Latin, so it's a further vindication of him as well.)

The publisher provided me with this rough translation of the book's description:

"Our first title, for which the contract has been already signed, will be a horror novel by talented american author Kim Paffenroth. In addition to having published several books on the theme of the zombie, Paffenroth is also professor of religious studies at Iona College. The book's title is Valley of the Dead - The Truth behind Dante's Inferno, and in order to get a first taste of what it is, we recommend you to read this article on Alessandro Girola's blog, or pay a visit to Dr. Paffenroth's website.We'll not be revealing the title of the italian edition – for now – and we hope you will find very intriguing discovering how – according to Paffenroth – Dante Alighieri came to write The Divine Comedy, after witnessing during his exile something so horrible that he conceived such an unique Work, destined both to sum up and exceed the literature and culture of the Middle Ages."

This is really a big deal for me and I'm very proud!

Happy Boxing Day!

2011-12-26T11:21:00.005-05:00

Sorry, with all the holiday madness, I forget to even make a pretense of a Christmas or Christmas eve message. But today's pretty quiet! So - Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I guess I'm supposed to give some retrospective on the previous year, and announcements for the new, but I was pretty boring in the past year and that'll probably continue. But, here are some announcements related to my writing.

2011 saw only one major fiction release, but it was (together with VALLEY OF THE DEAD) I think the best thing I've written - DYING TO LIVE: LAST RITES. I feel like I was meant to write about smart zombies and bad people - it's a potent mix for me, and out of it came my favorite character - Lucy, the smart, beautiful zombie with a heart of gold whose urge to KILL is always just barely contained. Sort of a female, sexy, undead Sippowicz - since I always thought that was his appeal: you never knew when he was going to erupt into violence, and you half-hoped he did, but deep down you knew he was a nice guy - underneath all the racism and alcoholism and self-pity and rage; Lucy's the same way - you just have to get beyond (and survive getting beyond) that whole "she's not alive and every minute of ever day all she can think of is killing you and ripping your heart out and eating it"- other than that she's a nice lady!

OTOH, a bunch of nonfiction worked its way through the pipeline into some really nice essay collections on the genre - BUTCHER KNIVES AND BODY COUNTS, TRIUMPH OF THE WALKING DEAD, and GENERATION ZOMBIE all include essays by your humble servant and scholar of religion and all things horrific.

Next year should be a similar output. First, my ghost story, CLOSES AT DUSK, will be out from Belfire Press. Unlikeable characters all around, though again, I hope we sense they have something going for them, if they'd let their better natures prevail. I should finally finish my next zombie novel (I've been bogged down with my day job, mostly in a good way, more on that later) - PALE GODS, to be published by the awesome peeps at Permuted Press.

In nonfiction, I'm editing an essay collection with John Morehead on THE UNDEAD AND THEOLOGY, to be published by Wipf and Stock. I think you'll like it. Though I should note, as I surf the web this morning, I see (or notice once again) there are basically six types of reviews of my nonfiction work:

This is a fan boy book - stay away!
This is a fan boy book - I LOVE IT IT'S AWESOME TO ELEVENTY!
This is an academic book - stay away!
This is an academic book, just what the genre needs to save it from fan boys!
Even though it's a fan boy book, there are still valuable insights in it.
Even though it's an academic book, fans should find some things they like.

So, it's somewhere in there, in the nexus between fandom and detached, academic analysis. (Which is kind of what I'd expect, or what I was shooting for.)

I keep most of my cooking tips and discoveries on my Facebook page, but here's the scorecard for Christmas dinner. I went back to a whole turkey (brining just a breast worked great the first time, but I didn't feel did anything special last time) and it was good. Not the best I've ever made, but good on both taste and tenderness. Nice looking bird, too, very Norman Rockwell in the middle of the table. I try to make something I've never made before, every time I make a big dinner, and this year it was the turn of sweet potato pie. OMG. I don't like sweet potatoes, and I don't like pumpkin pie - so believe me when I say, this was the best thing I ever ate (even though it's somewhat similar to those two things I don't like). Amazing taste and consistency - creamier and ligther than pumpkin, not quite as spicy, but just the perfect blend. I see no reason other than tradition, to ever make pumpkin pie ever again.

So, anyway, back to the previous year as I sign off, since I left you hanging with the reference to the day job. I've been busier it seems with administrative stuff, but the main thing is that I've had two sections of the Honors Humanities Seminar. And in some ways this is more time-consuming than a "regular" class - more papers to read and a lot more reading of primary texts to do each week. I could wing it w/o doing the reading, I know, but OTOH, if I like a reading (like Oedipus or the Gita) then I like doing it again, and if it's a reading I don't like as much (esp Aristotle) then it's good for me to keep trying until I "get" it. (And I did feel this semester like I got a little closer to understanding what Aristotle's trying to do with Reason and prudence and discernment.) So what I'm saying is - that's taken more time than I expected, and so I haven't written as much, but it's been the high point of my teaching, and I think in the long run, all that intellectual stimulation from all those bright students (and they are an exceptionally bright and vivacious bunch this year - a little snarky, too, but in a fun way) will come back into my writing when I take it up again!

Thanks and Happy New Year to all!

PS - Big announcement any day now but I'm not cleared to say yet.

Praise for Triumph of the Walking Dead

2011-12-23T13:09:00.001-05:00

Praise for TRIUMPH OF THE WALKING DEAD! (Like any contributor to an anthology, I immediately scanned the review to see if I were singled out - and though I wasn't, I'd like to think I'm under the general appreciation of "professors who obviously spend a good deal of time away from the ivory tower")

Black December Sale Expands

2011-12-14T17:53:00.001-05:00

Permuted Press has added MORE titles to its big end of the year sale!! Check them out here!!

New Review and Interview

2011-12-11T18:26:00.001-05:00

Over at CASSIE'S HOUSE OF HORROR. A very literate read of the first DYING TO LIVE, and some unusual questions after. Thanks!

HUGE End of the Year Sale for Permuted eBooks

2011-11-29T21:08:00.004-05:00

Check out this huge sale Permuted's putting on, in which they off FIVE new releases, and FIVE classic, Permuted Best Sellers (including my DYING TO LIVE: LIFE SENTENCE) for only $2.99 each in eBook formats, PLUS FIVE more Permuted titles completely FREE in eBook form!

If any of these interest you, and especially if you haven't read the DYING TO LIVE saga past the first volume, now's the time!!

Walking Dead - Mid Season Finale

2011-11-27T23:08:00.002-05:00

Though I'm not really in favor of a "mid season finale" - but it looks like everyone from SNL to AMC has decided that right when I have a month off, so should they! (When really, if anything, I'd need more new television to watch in my down time!!)

No spoilers, except I'll stipulate at the beginning that I'll speak of the necessity of one character's death (and thereby reveal s/he's still alive at the end of the episode).

All right. The glacial pace finally picked up, and the violence finally erupted. All to good effect. But I think, really, to reveal what everyone is really up to, what they "value" or what kind of people they are. And that's good violence. That's the kind of violence that has me sit up, put my drink down, lean forward, and clench my fists. That's effective and they should be commended for it.

I think everything's come together around the "real" central question or issue of the show: The dead (or becoming dead) aren't the real problem - it's becoming a self-serving, narcissistic sociopath like Shane, who masquerades as a hero - that's the real issue, that's the real danger. Of course, how can someone shoot him in the face, w/o becoming a judgmental, self-righteous prick like he is? Quite a dilemma they've gotten themselves into, but I think a fruitful one.

And my God - how many times will that asshole ask for credit for what he's done (and enjoyed doing, too, I might add)? It's my baby! I saved you! I saved Carl! I didn't mean to leave Rick behind, and besides - he's just not cut out for this! Gimme, gimme, gimme! Wah, wah, wah.

Or, put more positively, I think the show now revolves around the question of how to be a leader (and the related question of democracy, as everyone marginally supports the idea that everyone gets a say). I don't think there's any question that Rick wins in this contest, in the abstract, but he's got to prove himself in the concrete, nitty-gritty of day-to-day existence:

Herschel: "I'll decide what what needs to be done for the community, because I'm older and wiser than anyone else."

Shane: "I'll decide who lives and who dies and how we live, because the rest of you dumbass weaklings just aren't up to the task!"

Rick: "I'll take point, I'll be drained dry of blood, I'll go out in the woods or into a zombie infested city to look for people who probably aren't even alive anymore; I'll even look the other way and pretend I don't know my so-called 'friend' has been boinking my wife, and her baby might be his, because otherwise the rest of you will just start fighting each other and we'll all die."

Yeah, Rick doesn't have a lot of competition in the leadership race.

Now, the other race that's heating up is the "Who gets to Shoot Shane in the Face in the Real Season Finale?" race! I like that race a lot! Rick remains the logical choice, but I give you others:

Carl: That'd be stone cold and so, so satisfying. That'd be the ultimate rejection of Shane's way of "life" (which is only a way of death and meaninglessness). That'd be the ultimate "Fuck you, I'd rather die than live the way you do, get away from me and my mom."

Lori: Similar to Carl's motives, but tainted by self-interest, guilt, and her desire to undo her mistake of hooking up with him.

Dale: I would've bet on him previously, and maybe he'll pull it together, but his speech tonight makes it sound like "no," he just can't do it.

Andrea: I don't think she'll pull the trigger, but I do think her loyalty will be crucial in the weeks to come. She's made it clear she admires Shane, but she also doesn't have all the info; maybe she'll side with him even when everything's revealed. She seems so damaged that it's conceivable. But maybe she was just vulnerable to his ripped-body, alpha-male protector charms, like Lori.

Glen: That'd be a "wow" moment. But they're building him up as quite the unexpectedly assertive guy who's sick and tired of being pushed around.

Maggie: The preview for the next episode made it look like a possibility, or I wouldn't have mentioned it.

Herschel: Another big "wow" moment if it could happen - the pacifist who won't kill zombies decides the living, macho asshole needs to be shot? Like Lori, tainted with revenge and selfish motives, but it'd be satisfying.

And, I think, we're all now pulling for...

DARRYL! - the racist, redneck criminal with a heart of gold shoots the handsome, psycho cop because it needs to be done? Yeah, that'd be a great finale!

So, I think you can tell, I'm rooting for Carl or Darryl!

Five Years?

2011-11-25T12:18:00.001-05:00

I had not realized it was the Five Year Anniversary of my blog, until I glanced at the sidebar and saw the archives go back to November 2006! So there you go!

Snag yourself one of my zombie novels for the gift giving holidays this December! I'm especially happy with how VALLEY OF THE DEAD turned out (also an announcement relating to that will be coming soon) and the "emotional armageddon" (as one fan called it) of DYING TO LIVE: LAST RITES.

Thanks!

Metal Gods

2011-11-18T11:25:00.003-05:00

JUDAS PRIEST! My gosh that was a good concert.

Books You Need This Holiday Season

2011-11-11T13:27:00.003-05:00

First, a great and very detailed review of TRIUMPH OF THE WALKING DEAD. You really need this volume as you watch Season 2 each Sunday!

(And scroll back through my blog entries for the contest to win your copy!)

And then, you really, really need Carole Lanham's short story collection THE WHISPER JAR. She has an amazing voice and you'll love these stories.

Hanging on Between What and What?

2011-11-06T19:56:00.004-05:00

I was looking at tonight's cable guide and saw this description for episode 4 of Season 2 of THE WALKING DEAD:

"...the episode features Shane making a deadly sacrifice while the group tries to hang on between living to die or DYING TO LIVE" (Emphasis added. Slightly longer description and links here)

An interesting way to put it, surely!

New Interview and Book Giveaway

2011-10-31T11:54:00.004-04:00

New interview with me over at Freelance and Fiction Blog. Check it out!

New book giveaway! Leave a comment here to this post, from now until November 16, and be entered to win a copy of TRIUMPH OF THE WALKING DEAD!

Thanks!

Low Prices on Books

2011-10-29T11:59:00.002-04:00

This Halloween (and anticipating the gift-giving holidays of December), please consider checking out these Kim Paffenroth titles, available now at deep discounts:

The new TRIUMPH OF THE WALKING DEAD, with the final essay by me, is available at the publisher's website for only $10.47. (It's only a little more at Amazon, so if you had their Prime and could get free shipping, it'd be less there.) The publisher is also doing a free giveaway over at Goodreads if you want to try to score a book that way.

VALLEY OF THE DEAD (probably my favorite thing I've written, or tied with the third D2L volume for favorite) is on a deep discount to $8.33 over at Amazon.

The original DYING TO LIVE is on a huge discount at Amazon, all the way down to $5.84. How can you go wrong?

Deep Discount

2011-10-26T23:10:00.002-04:00

On the original DYING TO LIVE at Amazon. Stock up, give as gifts, but please consider buying some at this crazy low price.

Not in Ohio

2011-10-18T12:13:00.002-04:00

(I meant to post this sooner, but I can't post from my work computer for some reason)

I will not be able to attend this con in Niles, Ohio, as previously announced. I very much doubt anyone was going to go just to see me, but if you were, I heartily apologize and hope we can meet and talk at a future con.

Huff Po!

2011-10-17T22:19:00.002-04:00

I get a mention in the set up of a Huff Po piece on monsters and religion. The reference to GOTLD is kind of just a throwaway, but once the author gets going, he has some nice ruminations on how treacly and non-threatening most modern religion (or spirituality, I dare say) has become, and how that leaves out something we yearn for, even as we dread it.

Walking Dead

2011-10-17T00:42:00.004-04:00

Great season opener. I think it was all us fans could be hoping for - delivers the gross outs, but is still mostly about the human characters and their interactions and drama.

Minor factual / tactical peeves:

Why does the church still have ELECTRICAL power (for the bell)?

How does a woodchuck skull , intact, fit down a human esophagus?

(Recurring problem) - How do you get spattered all over your face with zombie blood and not be infected?

Why would Andrea still be noisily trying to put the gun together, when she knows how imperative it is she stay quiet, and she knows she has no clue how it goes together?

Where is Tyrese?!

ADDED (after several people reminded me) - That's an RC type cross in a church that was labelled "Baptist."

But as I say - these are minor quibbles - the proof is in how we love and care (or hate and wish ill upon) the human characters. I'm wondering if they're gearing up for Shane not being killed, they're making him seem so sympathetic (and Lori such a bitch toward him).

And I think so far at least, Season 2 is in line with my analysis in this awesome essay collection you should run out and get to read as you're watching the series. The whole first episode is occupied with protecting children (at huge risk to the rest of the group), re-establishing marital bonds, and getting rid of Shane as a threat (as non-violently as possible, so far). The only possible exception is that Dale looks like a bit of a pill, whereas in the comics he's heading toward hooking up with Andrea.

The whole church thing was interesting, if a little heavy handed. No one remarked on why zombies were there, worshipping Jesus, and I think that would've been the more interesting part, rather than having a couple of the human characters go in and say (rather predictably) "Why God?!"

Fan Mail

2011-10-13T12:41:00.003-04:00

I still get some. Some stand out, especially if they involve talking about my books as gifts (either given to a beloved who's into zombies, or received from one) or connecting them to a larger project of education and self-discovery. The one I received yesterday had both elements and was a really touching story. I cleared it with the writer, who goes by the online name DEADERIS, to quote from it:

"The first zombie book I ever read was Dying to Live - it was a Christmas gift from my boyfriend our first year together. He has since bought every book in the series for me. I spent our first anniversary crying over The World is Dead. I credit you for my ravenous hunger for written zombie literature. If I hadn't read your book, I may not have gotten so hooked on the genre in the first place."

As I told her, that is the nicest email I've gotten this week, and it makes me feel good about what I do and the effect I have on people.

Upcoming Appearance and Amazon Reviews

2011-10-10T13:32:00.003-04:00

I'll be at the HALLOWEEN HORROR EXPO in Niles, Ohio, all day (11am - 9pm) on Saturday, October 29, 2011. So stop by and get some signed books! (Note - Jack Ketchum was kind enough to sign a bunch of copies of his story in THE WORLD IS DEAD anthology, and I'll have them there.)

Also, I have just a few copies of THIN THEM OUT (the chap book I wrote with Julia and RJ Sevin) - my first attempt at "smart" zombie POV that I've since done a couple more times. If you'd like one, post a review of one of my books (I'd love to see VALLEY OF THE DEAD and DYING TO LIVE: LAST RITES get some more attention) on Amazon (or elsewhere) and send me an email (kimpaffenroth@msn.com) claiming the review, and I'll send a chapbook your way (until I run out).

Thanks!

New Interview

2011-09-28T12:34:00.001-04:00

Over at Dark Discussions podcast (along with many others from this year's Horror Realm). Check it out!

Back from Rochester!

2011-09-26T09:49:00.003-04:00

A new con up there, fairly well attended, though eclectic in its mix of vendors, guests, and visitors, so very hit and miss on whether any particular customer who walked up might actually be interested in my kind of books (or books at all, for that matter).

Met the fabulous and friendly voice actor Eileen Stevens, who ably acted as navigator to the armory (one big weird building - I mean, it was HUGE and Medieval looking).

Lots of kids in cosplay, which I don't usually see so much of at the cons I usually go to.

Had fantastic SE Asian food again at Jasmine's Asian Fusion (right next to the hotel).

But, home now and recovering!

Back from Horror Realm

2011-09-19T14:11:00.004-04:00

These whirlwind tours are wearing me out. Way too much driving.

But in between - a great trip and con.

Started with a visit to my colleague Dr. Eric Plumer of the University of Scranton. That included our usual visit to the magic that is Coopers - an incredible seafood restaurant in a most unlikely place.

At the con itself, had a nice visit with Dr. Pus and his fellow Twisted Librarians!

Melanie Stone, along with Josh Masters and Alyssa Ruggiero of Still Breathing Productions stopped by and were very kind and generous in expressing their appreciation of my work.

My run of great Southeast Asian food ran out - the Vietnamese restaurant across from the con hotel, although it had great service and atmosphere, struck out on food.

Back from HorrorFind

2011-09-05T10:45:00.002-04:00

And another year for good attendance at the con! Sold a lot of books - some to new fans, who bought the first D2L, and a lot to returning fans, who picked up D2L2 or D2L3. Thanks to you all!

Thanks to Brian Keene for organizing the author activities.

I hung out with the newly returned Kyle Johnson and Doug Warrick - welcome back!

We can now file "Gettysburg" (along with "Reno" from my last trip) in the file of "Unexpected Places to Have Excellent SE Asian Food." Reno had lots of Vietnamese restaurants and the one we tried was great; Gettysburg only had one Thai restaurant downtown, but it was the best Thai I've had in a long time.

Tony Tribby of Dead Bat Designs was also there. We went to middle school together way back at Seneca Ridge.

Horror Find Weekend

2011-08-28T20:57:00.003-04:00

I'll be there this weekend, arriving late on Friday, at my table Saturday and Sunday!

I'll have a couple special guests with me! It's a surprise, but let's say they're the biggest Rowdy Roddy Piper fans that will be at the con!

Contributor Copies

2011-08-24T13:26:00.003-04:00

Came in the mail yesterday!

I should have copies at HORRORFIND!

Back from World Con

2011-08-22T19:52:00.005-04:00

Had a great time in Reno, delivering my paper to a good sized crowd (I'd say 35 or so). Very intelligent questions after.

While there, did a lot of good tourist stuff. I was there with a friend from high school, Bill Lebeda, whom I hadn't seen in a couple years (him living in CA and all).

The downtown casinos were kind of deserted (less so on Saturday night, but even then, pretty thinly attended).

The Harrah's Car Museum I thought was an amazing collection, at least through the 1950s. Well curated and presented.

While thinking what to do in Reno, I suddenly remembered (I have no idea where I first heard it) that the Bonnie and Clyde death car was somewhere nearby. So we drove out to Verdi, NV and saw it. I have to say - when you walk around from the passenger's side (which is where you probably first see it, since it's facing the main doors that way) and see the full scope of damage on the driver's side - that's a pretty jarring experience. I mean, that's overkill in a really concrete way.

Then it was off to Virginia City, NV, for their touristy stuff (museum and train ride) and some great shopping for Christmas gifts. (I hate always seeing the same generic stuff at the mall and love to bring home something unusual and save it for Christmas and/or birthdays.)

Came home to a great review of GOTLD at The Crawl Space. Thanks!

Warrant

2011-08-12T12:14:00.002-04:00

Lead singer dead of unknown causes today.

And it reminds me of something, and I'll use my blog to ask, even though it's a very long shot.

I got a mix tape from a student years ago (in fact, my third year teaching, out of a career now of 18 years). It was all hair metal, which even at that time was a bit "retro" or nostalgic. "Cherry Pie" was the first track. It was a very thoughtful gift. The student was Liz Guidi and none of my Net searching skills have ever found her since. So if she or someone who knows her stumbles on this - say "hi." Thanks!

Summer / Fall Appearances

2011-08-09T14:22:00.004-04:00

I thought I should put them all together in one post!

I will be giving a paper at the WORLD SCIENCE FICTION CONVENTION in Reno, August 17-21, 2011.

Panels and a table at HORROR FIND WEEKEND, September 2-4, 2011.

Panels, readings, and a table at HORROR REALM, September 16-18, 2011.

ROCHESTER SCI-FI ANIME CON, September 24, 2011

Halloween Horror Expo, Niles, Ohio, October 29, 2011

Guest!

2011-08-08T20:48:00.001-04:00

I'm thrilled to announce I'll be a guest at this fall's

HALLOWEEN HORROR EXPO!!

I hope to see all my fans from Western PA and Eastern Ohio there!

Lucy

2011-08-08T15:33:00.001-04:00

One of the most common requests I've gotten is to write backstories for my D2L characters - especially Milton and Lucy. It looks like the Lucy one might happen soon. I'll keep you informed!

Walking Dead

2011-07-23T13:42:00.000-04:00

Season 2 SDCC Trailer - and it looks un-frickin' believable.

Also Not Zombies

2011-07-19T10:29:00.002-04:00

Saw the last Harry Potter film last night. Hard to know where to go with a review, as all of it's pretty self-evident at this point, isn't it? The whole thing's darker than it has been. (Though the filming effects to create that are often quite subtle and effective - I found Professor McGonnigle's haggard look especially effective, as indeed how everyone looked sort of grey and washed out most all the time.) The story is about love and sacrifice. Good triumphs. You're crying at several points for major characters who've been killed. Etc. So let's take all that as given. It's everything you expect at this point.

Now, I'm in an ongoing debate (there's really no debate, since I'm right this time) as to whether or not Harry "really" dies. (And this is one point where the film does flub - it makes it look like he's faking it and Mrs Malfouy covers for him [more on the Malfouy's below, but suffice it to say it ruins the whole scene].) My wife insists he can't "Really" die. Now, I don't want to insist on the reality of his death merely to bring the film in line with the obvious Christ figuration at that point - but rather, to take the whole paradigm a step back. Either Jesus or Harry (or Osiris or Asclepius or whoever) has to die in his/her respective story, or s/he's not much of a hero, hasn't made much of a sacrifice. Now my daughter took the next step of the argument (which is more debatable than whether or not he "really" dies): she said that if he dies but he knows he's coming back, then that doesn't really count as dying. Now that's a fair point, and I'd say it's a big part of my dissatisfaction with the Gospel of John: Jesus seems a little too confident that everything'll work out, and therefore I don't see his sacrifice as sincere, I don't see him undergoing enough, it's all too easy (cf. The Garden in Gethsemane scene, which to me is almost as important as The Cross). But in a way, Harry's story is intrinsically set up better than Jesus' (gasp away, any Evangelicals who are still with me), as there's no danger of Harry having such certainty. He's got some talisman that's supposed to work - but in their world, magic seems to be slightly less reliable than technology is in ours: it's always going wrong or having some unforeseen consequence. And he's got some ghosts (or really, as he suspects, his imaginations of some ghosts) telling him it'll be okay - but what would that prove? (Especially as two of the people involved, Dumbledore and Snape, have lied to him every day of his life so far - no matter how great their motives, that's got to erode one's confidence in what they say.) So, I think he has to really die, and he clearly only has some very vague hope (like us) that death is not all there is. That's what makes the story so beautiful.

Now, speaking of Snape (who was, I'll admit, my favorite character from Day 1). The more I think about the ending (and I thought it when I read the books a couple years ago), the more I can't see my way to Harry ever being as well adjusted as he is in the postscript. Consider the Oedipal dynamics he is being asked to accept at the end. His biological dad was pretty much a dick (and the film barely puts a nod to him in the ghost scene - it's all about his mom). In the naming of the next Potter, the complete dismissal of James is made complete, in preference to the two surrogates.

But his two surrogate dads have their own psychic baggage, to say the least. They've been planning his death for decades - and while they're thankfully "flexible" (like the Elder wand - ha, phallic symbol that's still "flexible" - get it?) about their plans and eventually come to see that Harry has to cooperate in his own death, that's still a lot to be asked to accept, and you couldn't get any closer parallel to Laius. Oh, plus, from another dysfunctional family foundational myth - Harry's like an Abel psychically attached to his Cain - he has to see the world through the eyes of the man who wants nothing other than to murder him. So, no, the whole postscript seems like a tacked-on kind of cop-out to me (never mind that the whole thing is REALLY there just so Harry can have a surrogate to finally hook up with a surrogate who represents both Ron and Hermione - sorry, not to gross anyone out, but that's clearly how the end is set up). I'd be happy if Harry doesn't just spend the rest of his life drinking himself to death; I don't know that we could realistically expect much more.

Oh, finally, also on the postscript. What is it with trying to rehabilitate the Malfouy's? (And I'm not 100% sure, but it seemed to me last night to be done more in the film than I remembered in the books.) The mom helps save Harry; they all slink off at the height of the battle; then Draco is on the platform in the postscript? How awkward is it at your high school reunion to see someone who beat you up once in the hall? I can't think that someone who tried to kill you for years (and only failed due to incompetence, not lack of trying) would get along much better with you. Again, it seems like a cop out, like once you say "Voldemort is the ultimate evil," that then all lesser evil characters are excused. Just because Voldemort is an 11 on an evil scale of 1-10, and the Malfouy's come in at an 8 doesn't let them off the hook. Comic villains or henchmen should still get their comeuppance.

All right, so to sum up: all my quibbles notwithstanding, this remains one of the most pyschologically and morally complex and honest things I've read in the last 10 years, and the film adaptations didn't do much to dull that vision.

Not Zombies

2011-07-15T15:02:00.002-04:00

But as many of you know, it's one of my favorite books - MOBY-DICK.

I just got an email about this interesting project based on Melville's work - artist Matt Kish's 552 drawings, one for each page of the book. I think it sounds really cool - both as to how the artist produced it, and the finished product.

Check out Matt's blog about the artistic process, too.

Comic Con

2011-07-15T12:10:00.001-04:00

Nice list of zombie related activities at Comic Con - check it out!

Also, please note to add, on Thursday afternoon, the signing and giveaway of TRIUMPH OF THE WALKING DEAD at the Ben Bella booth.

World's Best Zombie Sites

2011-07-12T10:08:00.005-04:00

GOTLD doesn't deserve to be Top 10, I don't think, since it's mostly about me and not a general zombie meta site, but there are plenty on the list that are devoted to one work or artist or author, so why not give GOTLD a vote? Thanks!

Zombie Top Site List

My Best Book, My Free Book

2011-07-11T16:44:00.003-04:00

I really believe DYING TO LIVE: LAST RITES is the best thing I've written. At the least, it's my favorite. I cry every time I reread the ending. (And I don't mean sniffling - I mean sobbing uncontrollably.) I'm thrilled that most all the reviews I've seen agree (and even some of those that don't agree as to the overall quality, agree as to the emotional impact).

So here's some incentive, in this terrible economy, for you to experience this book. RJ sent me a really HUGE pile of this other really good book I helped write - THIN THEM OUT. (The cover is slightly different on this reprint edition, and it is NOT signed by RJ and Julia.) I mean a HUGE pile.

So, until the end of JULY, buy DYING TO LIVE: LAST RITES in any format, send me some kind of proof of purchase (to my email - kimpaffenroth@msn.com), and I'll send you a copy of THIN THEM OUT.

It's that simple. It's not even a contest, just a freebie!

Top Ten Permuted Titles of All Time

2011-07-10T09:19:00.003-04:00

As of June 2011 the top selling Permuted Press books of all time (Permuted only sales, not including other editions):

#1 - DAY BY DAY ARMAGEDDON by J.L. Bourne
#2 - DYING TO LIVE by Kim Paffenroth
#3 - PLAGUE OF THE DEAD by Z.A. Recht
#4 - THUNDER AND ASHES by Z.A. Recht
#5 - EX-HEROES by Peter Clines
#6 - EDEN by Tony Monchinski
#7 - THE UNDEAD edited by D.L. Snell
#8 - HISTORY IS DEAD edited by Kim Paffenroth
#9 - DYING TO LIVE: LIFE SENTENCE by Kim Paffenroth
#10 - EMPIRE by David Dunwoody

Top 10 bestselling Permuted Press eBooks to date (excluding co-published editions) as of June 2011:

#1 EX-HEROES by Peter Clines
#2 THE INFECTION by Craig DiLouie
#3 DYING TO LIVE by Kim Paffenroth
#4 DEAD EARTH: THE GREEN DAWN by Mark Justice
#5 DYING TO LIVE: LIFE SENTENCE by Kim Paffenroth
#6 EDEN by Tony Monchinski
#7 THE UNDEAD edited by D.L. Snell
#8 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A WEREWOLF HUNTER by Brian P. Easton
#9 DEAD EARTH: THE VENGEANCE ROAD by Mark Justice & David Wilbanks
#10 EMPIRE by David Dunwoody

Facebook vs Blogging

2011-07-09T11:30:00.002-04:00

I realized I'd never stated my policy on Facebook vs blogging (a policy that's only evolved over the last couple years, so maybe that's why - it's not like I had a "mission statement" to begin with). My blog is for the whole universe. I have no way to control who sees it. So in a way, it's kind of bland, and I've made a concerted effort in the last couple years to make it pretty much 100% self-promotion. It's what it's there for - to pimp my stuff, to be blunt. I don't announce much personal here at all.

If you're my "friend" on Facebook - well, I know we're not really "friends" in any deep sense (though some of my real friends are on Facebook), but I assume one or the other of us has sought out the relationship at some point, and I assume a greater conncetion, and therefore I post a lot of personal stuff. Nothing too personal, and probably nothing too interesting, but I'll post what I'm cooking, what I got at the Farmer's market, what music I'm listening to, or what I read in the NYTimes that morning. That final point brings us to one thorny issue: I think if you follow my blog for the last couple years (after I got careful about what I post), you have no idea what I'm like personally or politically. If I reveal any of my habits or opinions (as I do on Facebook) it becomes pretty clear pretty quick that I'm an inveterate Lefty. I never go on someone else's FB page and pick a fight - I don't even leave a comment. The handful of conservative "friends" I have on there can post anything they like and they'll never hear a peep from me. But I will post a few left wing rants on my FB page. Not many, but sometimes.

But anyway, the other thing you've missed if you don't follow me on Facebook (except I see one mention on here): I've been fascinated by Lady Gaga for a few months now. So let me leave you with a couple links for your edification and introduction to the Gaga World:

The PAINKILLER / JUDAS mashup. This is more tribute than parody and I love it, since I love both songs.

The EDGE OF GLORY video. Gaga looks far more normal in this video (yes, Xena-like dominatrix outfit is "more normal" for her) and it's kind of fun, though a very tame video compared to her others. It looks like she's smiling and enjoying herself (in that self-conscious way that famous people can ever seem "comfortable" and "just being themselves").

Audible Zombie Books!

2011-07-05T16:15:00.002-04:00

The next phase of Audible’s fabulous ZombieFest promotion is now up and running!

Starting today, and over the next 4 weeks, they'll be releasing a new title. Each of these is being made available in audio before it comes out in book form!

7/5: Ex-Patriots by Peter Clines

7/12: Acheron by Bryon Morrigan

7/19: The Undead Situation by Eloise J. Knapp

7/26: Hissers by Ryan Thomas

As an extra-special attraction, each of these 4 books contains an original bonus short story ! Especially for this promotion, Peter Clines has written a wonderful series of 4 interconnected stories called The Junkie Quatrain. So by buying all 4 novels, you’ll also get the complete Quatrain at no extra charge !

Please visit Audible's ZOMBIEFEST and check out their titles!

Theology and the Undead

2011-07-03T17:32:00.004-04:00

Awesome horror blogger John Morehead and I have finished with the CFP and going over the proposals, and we've chosen the lineup for an upcoming essay collection on THEOLOGY AND THE UNDEAD (along the lines of Open Court's "_____ and Philosophy" series). It will include essays by -

Arnold T. Blumberg
Jessica DeCou
Hannah Gilbert
Vicky Sue Gilpin
Joe Laycock
Jarrod Longbons
John W. Morehead
Ashley John Moyse
J. Ryan Parker
Brian Solomon
Beth Stovell
Andrea Subissati

Publisher and release date TBA in the weeks to come.

San Diego Comic Con

2011-07-01T18:20:00.004-04:00

Alas, no I can't make it out to that coast this summer. BUT...

On Thursday, July 21, Smart Pop—the pop culture imprint of BenBella Books—will give away 50 advance print galleys, plus 100 advance electronic galleys, of their upcoming release Triumph of The Walking Dead: Robert Kirkman's Zombie Epic on Page and Screen during a signing with the book’s editor, award-winning author and anthologist James Lowder (Prince of Lies, The Book of All Flesh), and contributors Scott Kenemore (Zombie, Ohio), Steven Schlozman (The Zombie Autopsies), and Ned Vizzini (It’s Kind of a Funny Story).

Triumph of The Walking Dead is an essay anthology exploring the hit AMC television show and comics phenomenon, featuring contributions from an all-star line-up of creators and commentators well-known to zombiephiles. The full list of contributors:

Kyle William Bishop

Jonathan Maberry
Arnold T. Blumberg

Lisa Morton
Jay Bonansinga

Kim Paffenroth
Craig Fischer

Brendan Riley
Kenneth Hite

Steven Schlozman
David Hopkins

Kay Steiger
Scott Kenemore

Ned Vizzini
Vince A. Liaguno

The signing and giveaway will take place at the Smart Pop booth, B-4, in the San Diego Comic-Con exhibit hall, from 3 - 4 p.m on July 21, 2011.

Additionally, booth visitors can enter to win a signed print of Rafael Kayanan’s cover illustration.

Film Festival

2011-06-30T10:46:00.001-04:00

Please check out the site for the Corspedance International Horror Film Festival, and consider submitting a film (if that's your thing) or attending (if you're in the area).

And Thus We Come Full Circle...

2011-06-26T20:09:00.002-04:00

File under "There are NO Coincidences":

1) My favorite band? JUDAS PRIEST

2) My first "big" professional and publishing success: my book on JUDAS, entitled JUDAS: IMAGES OF THE LOST DISCIPLE

3) The first new music act I've really gotten into in a long time (probably since Green Day or Drowning Pool): LADY GAGA.

4) Her new hit: JUDAS

5) The inspiration for the song (according to her MTV interview): An ex who betrayed her and whose favorite band was JUDAS PRIEST

So, remember kids - NO COINCIDENCES. All fate, 24/7. (But, you only know it is after the fact.)

Be Sure to Order Your Copy!

2011-06-25T11:48:00.004-04:00

Of the awesome essay collection, TRIUMPH OF THE WALKING DEAD, edited by Jim Lowder and with an essay by me and many other fine folks! And if you're going to San Diego Comic Con, you should see a display for it at the Ben Bella booth.

While you're stocking up on your horror essay reading, check out the trailer for Vince Liaguno's BUTCHER KNIVES AND BODY COUNTS (also with an essay by me on the less well known Tobe Hooper film THE FUNHOUSE).

Finally, and with copies now shipping, try GENERATION ZOMBIE from McFarland, edited by Stephanie Boluk and Wylie Lenz, with another essay by me!

Didn't really realize how many essays I'd done last year until they all came out at the same time!

Veni Vidi Vinci!

2011-06-25T10:55:00.002-04:00

And I'm finally back from my long trip to Italy. I can't post every detail, and I'll be thrilled to talk about any details on Facebook, but I thought I should give an overall recap here.

There are several recensions of this travel log. This is the shortest - really just an itinerary. I've left out return trips (I went to the Campo di Fiori, Pantheon, and the Corso most days) and regular events (such as class). Excuse any misspellings - I've Anglicized some things but not others, I'm sure.

Friday, May 20 - Arrival; Pantheon

Saturday, May 21 - St Andrea della Valle; St Luigi dei Francesi; Campo de Fiori; Piazza Navona

Sunday, May 22 - St Peter's Square; Pope blessing the crowds; Ponte San Angelo; Bocca della Verita; Trevi Fountain

Monday, May 23 - Santa Maria sopra Minerva; Sant Ignazio

Tuesday, May 24 - Colosseum; Forum

Wednesday, May 25 - Basilica di San Paolo fuori le Mura

Thursday, May 26 - Ara Pacis; Via del Corso

Friday, May 27 - Palazzo Barberini

Saturday, May 28 - Leonardo da Vinci exhibit

Sunday, May 29 - Museo Nazionale Palazzo Altemps; Spanish Steps (bottom)

Monday, May 30 - Roman synagogue; Capitoline Hill; Largo Argentina

Tuesday, May 31 - St Peter's

Wednesday, June 1 - San Clemente; Forum museum; keyhole

Thursday, June 2 - Palazzo Pamphilj; Via Margutta

Friday, June 3 - Vatican Museum; Sistine chapel

Saturday, June 4 - catacombs

Sunday, June 5 - Orvieto; Florence

Monday, June 6 - (Florence) Duomo; Santa Croce; Galileo Museum; Ponte Vecchio

Tuesday, June 7 - (Florence) Borgello; Santa Maria Novello; Casa di Dante

Wednesday, June 8 - (Florence) monastery; Academia (Michaelangelo's David); city market; Uffizi gallery

Thursday, June 9 - Venice; Rialto Bridge; Grand Canal

Friday, June 10 - (Venice) watched garbage barges work; Campo Santa Margherita; Santa Maria Gloriosa; Piazza San Marco; Doge Palace; Museo Correr; Basilica San Marco

Saturday, June 11 - (Venice) Accademia museum; back to Rome

Sunday, June 12 - (rest)

Monday, June 13 - (rest)

Tuesday, June 14 - Galleria Borghese

Wednesday, June 15 - Capitoline Museums; Ara Coeli; view from midpoint of Vittoriano

Thursday, June 16 - Piazza de Populo; Ponte Milvio

Friday, June 17 - Vatican museums (more thoroughly, took 3.5 hours)

Saturday, June 18 - Ostia Antica; Pyramid; non-Catholic cemetery

Sunday, June 19 - Villa Borghese; Bioparco

Monday, June 20 - Capuchin crypt; Spanish Steps (top)

Tuesday, June 21 - Castel de San Angelo

Travel and Upcoming Appearances

2011-05-15T13:02:00.004-04:00

I'll be in Rome from May 19 - June 23. Nothing zombie-related (that I know of) going on there.

I will be giving a paper at the WORLD SCIENCE FICTION CONVENTION in Reno, August 17-21, 2011.

Panels and a table at HORROR FIND WEEKEND, September 2-4, 2011.

Panels, readings, and a table at HORROR REALM, September 16-18, 2011.

ADDED: ROCHESTER SCI-FI ANIME CON, September 24, 2011

Swedish Zombies!

2011-05-15T12:58:00.002-04:00

My interview over at SWEDISH ZOMBIE.

Plus, a bonus - a review of THIN THEM OUT over at SWEDISH ZOMBIE as well!

Thanks!

Audio Book Versions!

2011-05-10T14:04:00.005-04:00

Audible.com has now launched the first phase of ZOMBIEFEST!

The ‘home’ of the promotion: http://www.audible.com/mc/zombies

The following titles are featured:

· TWILIGHT OF THE DEAD + AFTER TWILIGHT: WALKING WITH THE DEAD by Travis Adkins (Narrated by Rachel Botchan, Kevin T. Collins, and LJ Ganser)

· THE INFECTION by Craig DiLouie (Narrated by Peter Ganim)

· EX-HEROES by Peter Clines (Narrated by James Snyder and Khristine Hvam)

· VALLEY OF THE DEAD by Kim Paffenroth (Narrated by Victor Bevine)

· DOMAIN OF THE DEAD by Iain McKinnon (Narrated by Karl Miller)

The page also has a link to a form where zombie fans can ask the ‘zombie experts’ questions about zombies for which they’re dying to get answers. (Or un-dying.)

Fans have until May 31 to submit their questions; the best ones will be selected, and the answers will be posted as part of an Audible.com promotion in July.

I personally can't wait to hear how VALLEY sounds!!

Not Just IKEA!

2011-04-30T14:49:00.002-04:00

And Swedish fish! And Volvos!

Now Sweden has a zombie blog HERE AT SWEDISH ZOMBIE, including this review of the first DYING TO LIVE (which I can only make out the 3.5/5 rating for, and a few scattered words that are German cognates). The blogger contacted me and he'll be posting some more reviews of my work, and he also wanted an interview. So I'm making headway into the huge Swedish zombie market!!

Easter Update

2011-04-24T19:48:00.003-04:00

Nothing major today. I got my lawn chair out of cobwebs and hosed it off, should there ever be a warm day this spring. Had to stand outside at church, where it's always SRO on Easter. So I really looked at the statue of Mary. Now, I don't think statues have to be historically accurate (I doubt the Buddha was a ripped but androgynous slab the way he's depicted), so I don't really want a statue of Mary to look like a teenager. But I'd think an icon should convey the message or purpose behind the figure - for example, the Buddha looks serene, and he taught us how to be serene ourselves. So I'd think Mary should look passionate, ecstatic, devoted. But this one just looks like a Stoical, 60 year old lady. Reminded me of my grandmother. No expression whatsoever. I was really rather amazed at how ugly it was, now that I looked closely.

Well, other than that, it was a fine day to be outside, and always nice to see the old place filled to overflow. Bland sermon, but I think they're all bland (except when I find them downright offensive or misinformed).

Then back home for cooking, where I have to say - best turkey I ever made. I have got this brining process down, and it rocks the bird. Stuffing was awesome too (and since the kids stopped eating stuffing, I can now put mushrooms in it, which is fine with me). And the glop I made out of the canned cranberries was almost as good as the relish I usually make out of the fresh. So one of my best holiday meals ever.

2011-04-23T12:22:00.003-04:00

Big box of German books arrived on the door step this morning and they look great! Had to save them from the pouring rain outside, however!

I especially like this line on the back copy: "Sind Zombies doch die besseren Menschen?" - JA!

Please visit FESTA VERLAG for all your horror fiction in German!

And if you're in the States and you'd like a copy of eithe the original D2L or D2L2 in German, please let me know and I'll bring some to the next con. It's not something I normally have in the car, but I'll be sure to bring copies for interested readers!

Easter Sermon

2011-04-22T12:44:00.003-04:00

Not that I'd ever preach one (the poor congregation - I'd feel so bad for them that they had to listen to me, that I just wouldn't be able to continue), but if I did, it'd go something like this.

I was, through one of those circuitous routes by which the Lord works (in this case, Lady Gaga and her critics), thinking of what it means to be a "holy fool." And I remembered lecturing on one of the relevant passages last week (1 Cor 1:18-24):

"For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart." Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God."

Christ was the ultimate "holy fool." He did profoundly foolish things, by earthly standards: preach to those who wouldn't listen, feed and heal those who could not repay him, suffer and die for those who didn't ask for or deserve or appreciate or even know about such sacrifice, forgive those who tortured and killed him. And He did all this when there was no advantage to himself - unlike a "regular" human martyr, his eternal bliss was already assured and could in no way be increased (or decreased, or altered) by what he did. That's the very definition of a sucker - doing hard, painful stuff that he didn't have to do, with no benefit to himself. And for those of us who feel truly grateful for that act (and who don't just mouth the words), what can we do but try also to live according to such "foolishness," if we claim to follow this man? And how often do we fail to do so, and fall back on the "wisdom" we're immersed in from birth: look out for #1, be careful, don't be too trusting, God helps those who help themselves, nice guys finish last, etc., etc., et fucking cetera.

But, what sometimes gives me hope, for myself and others, is that no one lives according to earthly "wisdom" all the time, because all of us feel real love, however fleeting or imperfect it is each time. Every one of us puts the interests of another ahead of our own and gives everything we have, does everything we can, for another person - be that a lover or parent or child or student or friend. Again, we fall back into our bad habits often and painfully, but we have these glimpses of life-giving, life-changing "foolishness." All of us have these, and often enough that we need never lose hope for ourselves or our species.

So that's my hope for everyone, because everyone can be a fool in this good sense and needn't follow that one particular practitioner of it, Jesus of Nazareth, or believe anything I or anyone else claims about Him: may you know the limits of earthly "wisdom" and reject its false promises of comfort and fulfillment, and instead feel foolish as often as you can.

Chiller Theatre

2011-04-22T11:58:00.002-04:00

CHILLER THEATRE next weekend - the biggest assortment of random people who've been famous for all different things at any point in the last 50 years!

I 'm going to stroll through next Friday evening. I won't have a table or be a "guest" - just walking through. But if you're going to be there and you'd like to buy any books, please let me know so we can arrange to meet, and also so I can be sure to have the books you want in the car. Thanks!

Mortal Kombat

2011-04-20T13:32:00.003-04:00

No, not the video game. (I never played, really, though I'd watch kids at Notre Dame sometimes, with the big finishing or friendship moves - the latter sometimes cracked me up, like the first time I saw the paper dollies one, for example.) The kind where you're shooting emails and in long phone conversations with someone in middle management in Topeka who's trying to get you to go away at the lowest possible transaction cost to him/herself in terms of time, and least cost to the company in terms of cash.

I have a mixed record so far. After a nightmarish stay at Motel 6 (where stays don't get too much better than "not uncomfortable"), I filled out their online complaint form. No phone call or response from them, no acknowledgement even. Then three weeks later, a voucher in the mail came for one free night at ANY Motel 6. Good job guys!

Two years ago, I was in endless phone conversations with Marriott after their awful catering at the 2009 Stoker Awards. (I thought it was awful.) They were very polite and detailed, asked a lot of specific questions about what was wrong with the food, claimed they'd retrain the entire hotel staff. But no money for me in the deal. Not thrilled with that, but I guess if future guests are happy, I shouldn't be too upset.

Well, this time it's La Quinta's turn, after they kicked me to the curb on the second evening of a two-night stay, claiming my reservation was for one night only. When I proved that no, it was for two nights, it says right here on every piece of paper you've given me, then they had to pay for my hotel elsewhere, but it was a pretty big hassle, driving to the other hotel (with all my belongings in a trash bag) and then back in the morning for the conference. We'll see what they say!

Book o' Skulls

2011-04-11T22:47:00.004-04:00

Pimping for my friend's book of skull drawings. Here are some of the places it visible (or available) on the Net:

At MONSTERS 4 EVER

At the web home of our good friends ZOMBIES AND TOYS

Over at the SKULL A DAY blog

New, Lower Price!

2011-03-29T16:55:00.003-04:00

For DYING TO LIVE: LAST RITES over at Amazon - 28% off list, so for a mere $10.76 you can read the newest in my series about smart zombies and bad people! (Though zombies are people too, you know!)

Butcher Knives and Body Counts

2011-03-27T11:39:00.004-04:00

Due out this summer from DARK SCRIBE PRESS!

(Little essay by me on THE FUNHOUSE, which is why I'm announcing it here.)

German of D2L2!

2011-03-26T14:42:00.003-04:00

The German edition is up on their website HERE AT FESTA VERLAG!

Impulse Purchase

2011-03-25T09:12:00.002-04:00

For you - not me! (I have enough of those at Amazon!)

THIN THEM OUT as a Kindle - for 99 CENTS! Delivered instantly! You can be reading this story I wrote with Julia and RJ Sevin NOW! You should be, in fact.

Most Hated Villainess in Film

2011-03-24T13:19:00.004-04:00

This is part of an LOTT-D roundtable this month on Villainesses.

I am trying to avoid "Favorite" or "Best" Villainess, as I don't think that's how I feel about her. I've picked Nurse Ratched from One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest. The combination of fears of immasculation, castration, medical horror, the indifference of a bureaucracy, and then all topped off with the hero's feelings of guilt and complicity in Billy's death - she's got it all. Never mind the hair. The only gal I think would come close would be Annie in Misery, but there at least we get the satisfaction of her being killed. Nurse Ratched is victorious, barely scathed by McMurphy's attack. My parents were kinda cheap and would never pay for a babysitter, so I ended up seeing lots of R-rated movies as a kid. Most I have no recollection of whatsoever. But the scene when they open the door and see Billy splattered all over the walls of the cell - that left me traumatized for the rest of my life.

New Review

2011-03-24T09:05:00.003-04:00

Very detailed (but no spoilers!) review of the original DYING TO LIVE - over here at the HORROR ZINE! (Hard to believe any regular visitors here don't already own a copy, but maybe someone new will wander in!)

Freebies

2011-03-23T16:57:00.003-04:00

I think we'll keep this simple. If you've read DYING TO LIVE: LAST RITES and you post a review to Amazon or your blog or website, please flag it to me here or on my FB. (Yes, it could be a negative review, but then why would you want a free book written by me?) The first five I hear of will get a FREE copy of

THIN THEM OUT - the great zombie story I wrote with Julia and RJ Sevin

OR

ORPHEUS AND THE PEARL bound with David Dunwoody's NEVERMORE

OR

SHROUD MAGAZINE #5 with my story, "BUDDHA IN THE BOX"

Thanks!

Survival of the Dead

2011-03-20T00:41:00.002-04:00

It being on Netflix (which I finally broke down and bought two weeks ago), I finally saw it.

I guess I should lead with the good news: not as bad as many reviews indicated. Doesn't make your eyes bleed or cause cancer.

On the plus side: gorgeous filming and composition of shots. The fall colors, the ocean, the horse - all were breathtaking. Decent acting by horror movie standards. The mercy-killing scenes were really quite emotional.

On the big side of minuses: the foregrounding of family dysfunction while zombies mill around outside has been part of Romero's work since NIGHT. But this seemed to take it to a ridiculous extreme. (And with no real justification for it - we're totally left to imagine what set this off.) The action sequences were way too slapstick: comedy wasn't sprinkled in to make the gore more shocking - every kill had to be the most ridiculous, Road Runner type absurdity that could be imagined. And each fight scene follows on a scene of emotional suspense, so the tone is wildly uneven and frutstrating. And tactical things just didn't make sense (even by horror movie standards). In the space of a couple minutes, a group of five armed people in a zombie infested world splits into five individuals in a way that leaves you yelling at the TV. And perhaps most frustrating to me, Romero takes something that he nods to several times in other films (DAWN and LAND for certain) - the valuelessness of paper money in this scenario - and makes it a central plot device. Why in the world would the protagonists be so obsessed with it at the end of the film, having undergone everything they have, and even highlight it in the final voiceover? If the point is that they are so shallow and stupid as to still value paper money, then it just contributes to another deep problem Romero has (esp in DIARY) - unlikeable protagonists. But by the end I'd started to think maybe the survivors were better, and then I get hit with that.

So I have to say, in conclusion: if family dysfunction in front of a zombie apocalypse backdrop is what you're looking for (and I think it's a fine, interesting, engaging scenario), THE WALKING DEAD is just doing it so much better than this. If it's undead comedy, SHAUN OF THE DEAD or ZOMBIELAND does it much better. If it's social criticism, then DAWN is the best, but others have followed suit. This is just a weird confusion of all those, and it leaves you frustrated and shaking your head.

NickC Scores the First LAST RITES Review!

2011-03-15T18:59:00.002-04:00

Over at his blog - ANTI-BACTERIAL POPE! Check it out!

Interesting observations from someone who reads a lot of horror. I agree about the emotional depth of this one, it was what I was trying for and I'm glad it came out.

Electronic Version(s) of D2L3

2011-03-15T17:07:00.002-04:00

Electronic versions of DYING TO LIVE: LAST RITES are now available at SMASHWORDS. So if that's how you get your reading material, please check them out!

Disaster Relief

2011-03-12T10:28:00.008-05:00

No, no "Tsunami Anthology." I think this'll be a lot quicker, and I hope more effective.

It's not exactly a "sale" - it's more like those tote bags you get when you donate to PBS. Except it's a lot nicer than a tote bag (not that there's anything wrong with PBS tote bags).

Donate to the Red Cross for their earthquake / tsunami relief. The link is HERE.

Forward their email acknowledgment to me at kimpaffenroth at msn dot com. (You can just delete everything after "Thank you for your gift".)

I'll send the first FIVE people (sorry, I didn't get that many author copies in the mail yesterday, so I have to cut it off at FIVE) a free book (signed or personalized to their specifications). They may choose from

DYING TO LIVE: LAST RITES

The new edition of ORPHEUS AND THE PEARL with Dave Dunwoody's NEVERMORE.

DYING TO LIVE: LIFE SENTENCE

DYING TO LIVE: A NOVEL OF LIFE AMONG THE UNDEAD

The anthology THE WORLD IS DEAD

My nonfiction THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE: CHRISTIAN FAITH AND THE CLASSICS OF TV SCIENCE FICTION

I'll post an update here as soon as I've gotten the five. Thanks.

New Interview!

2011-03-12T01:51:00.003-05:00

Harkens back to some discussion of the first DYING TO LIVE, but it's a nice talk about zombies and what makes them fun!

Box o' Books!

2011-03-11T22:22:00.002-05:00

My author copies of DYING TO LIVE : LAST RITES were just delivered! They look fabulous! Mostly because of the great cover art, but the ad in the back for PRINT IS DEAD (a new imprint of CREEPING HEMLOCK PRESS) is also a nice touch!

And that means - just in time for LUNACON, where I have a signing on Saturday! Stop by!

DYING TO LIVE: LAST RITES on AMAZON!

DYING TO LIVE: LAST RITES at B&N!

Generation Zombie

2011-03-10T17:43:00.002-05:00

McFarland has unveiled the cover for the upcoming collection of essays on the undead and popular culture, Generation Zombie: Essays on the Living Dead in Modern Culture. So check it out, and click HERE TO ORDER.

Belfire Press Ebook Sale

2011-03-09T18:43:00.004-05:00

This is Read an E-Book Week, and all Belfire and Needfire titles are now discounted 50% at Smashwords (using code RAE50) until March 12th.

New Interview

2011-03-09T12:15:00.001-05:00

Thanks to Eric S. Brown for taking the time to talk with me about my writing! The interview is up here at Naked Snake Press.

Triumph of the Walking Dead

2011-03-03T13:34:00.004-05:00

Got the go ahead to announce the preliminary lineup for this essay collection:

WALKING DEAD essayists

Kyle William Bishop
Southern Utah University English professor, author (American Zombie Gothic: The Rise and Fall (and Rise) of the Walking Dead)

Arnold Blumberg
Instructor University of Baltimore, author (Zombiemania, The Big BIG LITTLE BOOK Book)

Jay Bonansinga
Author (The Black Mariah, Frozen, co-author with Robert Kirkman of upcoming Walking Dead novels)

Brendan Deneen
Editor, film producer, publisher (former Director of Production & Development for the The Weinstein Company, editor on the Walking Dead novel trilogy for Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin’s Press)

Craig Fischer
Professor Appalachian State, comic scholar (The Comics Journal, The International Journal of Comic Art)

Kenneth Hite
Game designer, writer (Zombies 101, Trail of Cthulhu)

David Hopkins
Educator, comic book author, essayist (Karma Incorporated, Emily Edison, Webslinger: SF and Comic Writers on Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man)

Del Howison
Author, editor, actor (Dark Delicacies, When Werewolves Attack)

Scott Kenemore
Author (The Zen of Zombie: Better Living Through the Undead, Z.E.O., The Art of Zombie Warfare)

Jonathan Maberry
New York Times bestselling author (Patient Zero, Dead of Night, Rot & Ruin)

Lisa Morton
Author, screenwriter (The Castle of Los Angeles, The Lucid Dreaming, A Hallowe’en Anthology: Literary and Historical Writings Over the Centuries)

Kim Paffenroth
Professor of Religious Studies, zombie scholar (Gospel of the Living Dead: George Romero’s Visions of Hell on Earth, History is Dead, Dying to Live series)

Brendan Riley
Professor Columbia College Chicago, author (Journal of Popular Culture, The Amazing Transforming Superhero.)

Steven Schlozman, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, Lecturer in Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, author (The Zombie Autopsies: Secret Notebooks From the Apocalypse, Psychology Today)

Kay Steiger
Editor of Campus Progress, author (The Atlantic, Bitch Magazine, In These Times)

Ned Vizzini
Young adult author (It’s Kind of a Funny Story, Be More Chill, and Teen Angst? Naaah...)

COVER By
Rafael Kayanan
Artist Conan, Star Wars, Amazing Spider-Man, The Immortals

EDITED by:
James Lowder
Editor, author (Curse of the Full Moon, Prince of Lies, Books of Flesh series)

New Interview

2011-03-03T13:09:00.002-05:00

Check it out! Some different questions, and I even reveal the title and contents of my first story, WATERWORKS, written way back at Seneca Ridge Middle School. (The only surviving copy of which I found in my father's papers when he died a few years ago.)

Audio Book of VALLEY OF THE DEAD

2011-03-02T13:25:00.002-05:00

I just got back from recording the Prologue to VALLEY OF THE DEAD, which will be done as an audio book from the fine folks at Audible. Check out their offerings now at their website. VALLEY will be out from them later this year.

It sure was an interesting process. You sit in this tiny (phone-booth sized) box, with the walls and ceiling made of small (1") pyramids of black foam. The text is in front of you, on a music stand, and the microphone is about 4" from your face. You wear headphones, mostly to hear the sound person in the other room, who coaches you on which words you're eliding or running through too fast. You do hear your own voice on the headphones, though he had to turn it down for me, or I'd talk more softly, because my voice sounded too loud to me at first. You can stop and restart anytime, as it's all electronic and he just takes it back to whatever point at which there was a problem.

So, interesting!

Stoker Award 2010 Finalists

2011-02-28T11:32:00.002-05:00

Here they are!

Superior Achievement in a NOVEL

HORNS by Joe Hill (William Morrow)

ROT AND RUIN by Jonathan Maberry (Simon & Schuster)

DEAD LOVE by Linda Watanabe McFerrin (Stone Bridge Press)

APOCALYPSE OF THE DEAD by Joe McKinney (Pinnacle)

DWELLER by Jeff Strand (Leisure/Dark Regions Press)

A DARK MATTER by Peter Straub (DoubleDay)

Superior Achievement in a FIRST NOVEL

BLACK AND ORANGE by Benjamin Kane Ethridge (Bad Moon Books)

A BOOK OF TONGUES by Gemma Files (Chizine Publications)

CASTLE OF LOS ANGELES by Lisa Morton (Gray Friar Press)

SPELLBENT by Lucy Snyder (Del Rey)

Superior Achievement in LONG FICTION

THE PAINTED DARKNESS by Brian James Freeman (Cemetery Dance)

DISSOLUTION by Lisa Mannetti (Deathwatch)

MONSTERS AMONG US by Kirstyn McDermott (Macabre: A Journey through Australia’s Darkest Fears)

THE SAMHANACH by Lisa Morton (Bad Moon Books)

INVISIBLE FENCES by Norman Prentiss (Cemetery Dance)

Superior Achievement in SHORT FICTION

RETURN TO MARIABRONN by Gary Braunbeck (Haunted Legends)

THE FOLDING MAN by Joe R. Lansdale (Haunted Legends)

1925: A FALL RIVER HALLOWEEN by Lisa Mannetti (Shroud Magazine #10)

IN THE MIDDLE OF POPLAR STREET by Nate Southard (Dead Set: A Zombie Anthology)

FINAL DRAFT by Mark W. Worthen (Horror Library IV)

Superior Achievement in an ANTHOLOGY

DARK FAITH edited by Maurice Broaddus and Jerry Gordon (Apex Publications)

HORROR LIBRARY IV edited by R.J. Cavender and, Boyd E. Harris (Cutting Block Press)

MACABRE: A JOURNEY THROUGH AUSTRALIA’S DARKEST FEARS edited by Angela Challis and Marty Young (Brimstone Press)

HAUNTED LEGENDS edited by Ellen Datlow and Nick Mamatas (Tor)

THE NEW DEAD edited by Christopher Golden (St. Martin's Griffin)

Superior Achievement in a COLLECTION

OCCULTATION by Laird Barron (Night Shade Books)

BLOOD AND GRISTLE by Michael Louis Calvillo (Bad Moon Books)

FULL DARK, NO STARS by Stephen King (Simon and Schuster)

THE ONES THAT GOT AWAY by Stephen Graham Jones (Prime Books)

A HOST OF SHADOWS by Harry Shannon (Dark Regions Press)

Superior Achievement in NONFICTION

TO EACH THEIR DARKNESS by Gary A. Braunbeck (Apex Publications)

THE CONSPIRACY AGAINST THE HUMAN RACE by Thomas Ligotti (Hippocampus Press)

WANTED UNDEAD OR ALIVE by Jonathan Maberry and Janice Gable Bashman (Citadel)

LISTEN TO THE ECHOES: THE RAY BRADBURY INTERVIEWS by Sam Weller (Melville House Publications)

Superior Achievement in a POETRY collection

DARK MATTERS by Bruce Boston (Bad Moon Books)

WILD HUNT OF THE STARS by Ann K. Schwader (Sam's Dot)

DIARY OF A GENTLEMAN DIABOLIST by Robin Spriggs (Anomalous Books)

VICIOUS ROMANTIC by Wrath James White (Bandersnatch Books)

Got Ten Bucks to Spare?

2011-02-28T07:27:00.002-05:00

All right, in this economy, many people don't. But even if you're in that group, don't despair - I'll be announcing some contests in the next couple weeks and, like Charlie with the Golden Ticket, you'll have a chance to make your wildest dreams of more zombie mayhem come true in 2011.

But, if you do dig under the sofa cushions and in the ash tray of the car and manage to come up with $10.08, then please consider DYING TO LIVE: LAST RITES, available for pre-order (and shipping in just a couple weeks) at B&N at this huge discount!

Here are what some other zombie authors had to say:

“Delivers a gritty dystopian nightmare that runs a crazy zigzagbetween the gross, the touching and the carnivalesque. A master ofthe genre, Paffenroth gives us equal parts horror and socialcommentary in a tale that crackles with startling insights about thehuman condition.”—Alden Bell, author of The Reapers Are the Angels

“Last Rites is Kim Paffenroth at his absolute best. There isintelligence here, and injustice, and heartache, and even love.Paffenroth has made a name for himself by challenging readers’expectations of what the zombie story should be… But this time,he’s taken his message not just to our heads, but to our hearts aswell, and the result is a haunting book you will not soon forget.”—Joe McKinney, author of Dead City and Apocalypse of the Dead

“Are the dead still people? A craftsman of the genre, KimPaffenroth offers his literary take on the zombie apocalypse withDying to Live: Last Rites, combining flesh-ripping gore with athoughtful view of what it means to be human.”—Craig DiLouie, author of The Infection

Cataclysm = Global Warming?

2011-02-26T20:21:00.002-05:00

It came to me the other night - the World Of Warcraft expansion, Cataclysm, might be intended as an allegory for global warming. (Yes, you know how I like to sniff these out in popular culture!)

Consider this (I include observations on pre-Cataclysm game play, just to set up how the game world uses lots of real world references):

The WoW world is divided between two super powers, neither of which has a pure record on either human rights or environmental issues. (The one power, The Alliance, is just better-looking, in general, with better dental care.)

Overlapping with these is one race, the Goblins, who seem pretty clearly the industrialists / capitalists of the world - everywhere they go they strip mine, deforest, drain lakes, and build armies of robots to protect their assets or to carry on their plots. When they give missions to players, they never have military objectives (unlike quests given by Horde or Alliance NPCs) - they always want you to steal or acquire some materials for their latest project, or sabotage the competition.

The only other group (that I can recall) that has significant overlap and interaction with both superpowers is called the Cenarion Circle. They are basically Green Peace with weapons. Any mission they give players will be about saving animals or plant species, killing intrusive species, assassinating members of the foresting or mining cartels, or finding samples of rare plants.

Okay, on to Cataclysm: A giant fire-breathing Dragon has broken free and caused massive damage all over. The most visible is that huge parts of the coastal areas are now underwater. The place that looked like Monument Valley, Thousand Needles, is especially striking, as it now looks like Lake Powell, with mesas sticking up out of the water of a vast lake. Several cities now exist with their buildings half-submerged but still inhabited. This cataclysm is said to cause a rupture within the elements of their world themselves.

Now, the allegory would be perfect if the industrialists had set the Dragon off, but as far as I know, that is not hinted at anywhere. He's just a bad dragon. But flying over all these people up to their knees in water, while standing in their city streets, sure looked like a global warming scenario to me.

New Book of Sketches

2011-02-24T12:56:00.001-05:00

From awesome artist Bill Lebeda (he did the cover for GOTLD!).

Check it out over here at Zombies and Toys!

Borders

2011-02-21T11:10:00.004-05:00

For those who haven't followed me for a long time, I used to work there, from 1997-2001. (Yes, it overlaps with my teaching job at Villanova - you can tell how much professors make to start.) With ChrisI and MichaelG and Christine (there were a lot of Christines there, for some reason - I think all my bosses in the Ebar were named Christine) I worked at Store #30, Bryn Mawr, PA. It's not on the closing list, but both of the stores where we live now are being closed.

Author Brian Keene on his blog reports of lots of bad stuff, including bounced paychecks. Michele Lee is a Borders employee and is blogging daily about the end of her store. She encourages people to come buy stuff. Exactly as she describes in her post, I remember the store as a very pleasant place to work (though there was some hanky and panky in the store room, or so I'm told, and definitely some herbal recreation on the loading dock). Our son was very small and he'd love to play with the styrofoam peanut dispenser. All our children's books are from there, as are all my CDs (I'd only just thrown out the turntable and bought a CD player in 1997). I'd chuckle every time in the bathroom, as the industrial soap they bought was labelled "KIM-CARE" and I thought - "Wow! Soap just for me!" Oh, and it was the closest I came to being unionized (and lefty me really should've been a union member at some point in my life): ChrisI was standing outside my class one day with the petition and I signed it, but it never got to the next step.

I'll stop by the Scarsdale store tomorrow and see what's left.

Dead Island Trailer

2011-02-16T17:41:00.001-05:00

Wow. Has me shaking and almost crying. This looks amazing. (I don't play first person shooters, but still - amazing story in this clip.)

Acheron

2011-02-13T13:21:00.002-05:00

Fellow Permuted Press author Bryon Morrigan has updated his website to give more info on his highly-anticipated, upcoming release ACHERON. Check it out here!

D2L3 and VALLEY OF THE DEAD

2011-02-13T12:59:00.003-05:00

And, silly me - I forgot the all important info on how to pre-order D2L3! (That'd help - actually selling books, not just looking at the nice cover!) Here it is on B&N at 32% off!

PRE-ORDER DYING TO LIVE: LAST RITES AT 32% DISCOUNT!

And while I have you here, let me also say - VALLEY OF THE DEAD is my favorite thing I've published so far. (D2L3 will be in contention for that when it comes out.) It's the novel only I could write, to be frank: if there's a Venn diagram, the little sliver where "zombie novelist" and "person who know Dante's Inferno really well and has read it a dozen times" - that's a set w/ only one occupant, me. This is NOT a typical zombie mash-up: this is a zombie story that Dante fans will love, or this is a Dante story that zombie fans will love - it goes both ways.

Anyway, I post because Greg Hall posted his review on Amazon (he put it up elsewhere a few months back, but I saw it on Amazon this morning):

The Funky Werepig loves VALLEY OF THE DEAD.

And if he or I have convinced you - ORDER VALLEY OF THE DEAD AT AMAZON!

Thanks!

D2L3 Full Cover

2011-02-12T20:51:00.002-05:00

Two Best Things I've Ever Seen

2011-02-06T19:14:00.002-05:00

I've been keeping blog posts mostly to writing updates, but you have GOT to see these two videos! You owe it to yourself!

LEGO Machete trailer!

LEGO Metal Fantasy!

Another Non-Fiction Announcement

2011-02-02T14:19:00.002-05:00

This one's further along in the editorial process, but I think there are also more in the queue ahead of it over at McFarland Publishing.

Generation Zombie: Essays on the Living Dead in Modern Culture. Edited by Stephanie Boluk and Wylie Lenz

"Introduction: Zombie as Metaphor" by Stephanie Boluk and Wylie Lenz

"White Zombies in the Black Republic: William Seabrook's The Magic Island, American Capitalism and Early Horror Film" by Gyllian Phillips

"Radio Zombies! Horror Radio and U.S. Colonial Ambivalence in the 1930s and 1940s" by Chris Vials

"Lost Bodies/Lost Souls: Night of the Living Dead as MIA Narrative" by Karen Randell

"Slowly Shambling up Mount Improbable: Evolution in Romero's Dead Films" by Sean Moreland

"Pedagogies of the Undead: From Bare Life to Whatever Resistance in George Romero's Zombie Films" by Tyson Edward Lewis

"Soft Murders: Motion Pictures and Living Death in Diary of the Dead" by Randy Laist

"Gray is the New Black: Race, Class and Zombies" by Aalya Ahmad

"Like, Dead and Live Life: Zombies, Digital Culture, and Queer Sociality" by Shaka McGlotten

"Zombies as Internal Fear or Threat" by Kim Paffenroth

"Group Psychology and the Analysis of the Zombie: From Suggestion to Contagion" by Phillip Mahoney

"The E-Dead: Zombies in the Digital Age" by Brendan Riley

"Rhetoric Goes Boom(er): Agency, Networks, and Zombies at Play" by Scott Reed

"Lego, Handcraft, Edible, and Pin Up Zombies: How Flickr Community Members Use the Zombie Metaphor" by Trevor Owens

"Cyberpunk and the Living Dead" by Andrea Austin

"We Are the Zombie: Danny Boyle's Infected and John Wyndham's Triffid as Metaphors of the Political, Social, and Philosophical Structure of Postwar Britain" by Nicole LaRose

"The Groping City: The Zombie Cozy in Graphic and Film Adaptations of John Wyndham's The Day of the Triffids" by Terry Harpold

Non-Fiction Announcement

2011-02-02T13:52:00.003-05:00

I will be contributing an essay to the upcoming volume

Triumph of The Walking Dead: Robert Kirkman's Zombie Epic on Page and Screen

To be released by BenBella Books, for their Smart Pop line

Edited by James Lowder

Projected release date (to coincide with Season 2) is October 2011

And Tomoview Is Back

2011-02-02T11:42:00.002-05:00

For those of us who howled to the reviews (and sometimes flames), it's great news that

TOMOVIEW IS BACK!

Zombie Music, Zombies in Space!

2011-02-02T09:56:00.003-05:00

Check out the zombie inspired songs of Aaron Stoquert - eery and crackly-sounding!

And I love when the NYTimes takes zombies seriously! (A.O. Scott has had a couple reviews of zombie films that I think were very insightful and definitely took the genre and the individual film with the seriousness it deserved.) Here's their take on Dead Space 2.

And here's the hilarious promo trailer with middle aged women hating on the game. And the lady who says "This game is an atrocity" looks just like Ms Soto from Broad Run High School - and that's exactly how she'd put it, too (she loved big words, god bless her, and she was a great teacher!).

The League of Tana Tea Drinkers

2011-01-29T20:09:00.001-05:00

Not only have I been remiss in adding new members, but when I was fiddling with my blog a while ago, I deleted all my links by mistake. But I've now got all my fellow members of the League of Tana Tea Drinkers back on the sidebar, and I'll give them a blog entry here today as well. Check out all their cool blogs!

The League of Tana Tea Drinkers

(Horror Blogs of note)

Dinner With Max Jenke

Dr. Gangrene's Tales From the Lab

Drunken Severed Head

Evil Amp

Evil On Two Legs

Fascination With Fear

Freddy In Space

Goblin Books

Good, the Bad, and Godzilla

Love Train for the Tenebrous Empire

Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Movies

Monster Land

Monster Magazine World

Moon is a Dead World

My Monster Memories

Mystery of the Haunted Vampire

Planet of Terror

Reflections on Film and TV

Too Much Horror Fiction

Uranium Cafe

Vault of Horror

Zombos Closet of Horror

True Grit

2011-01-24T09:58:00.002-05:00

Finally saw it. (Have been too sick the last couple days to do any useful work, so I thought I wasn't wasting any "real" work time by going finally.) Conflicted over it. Trying to think why.

First, there's the whole thing (that I mentioned somewhere, I think on Facebook) that the original is the only John Wayne movie my father ever liked. Now, that's a lot of movies to rule out. (He had a lot of prejudices against stars and directors, see below.) He loved westerns in the abstract, but it was hard to find any specific ones he liked, because his criteria were so many and so strict:

No happy endings.

The protagonist should preferably die at the end, but whether he does or not, whatever he accomplished can't be redemptive, or even particularly helpful. If it benefits the townspeople at all, they should be amply shown (in my father's interpretation, at least) to be so uncaring, ungrateful, or unaware of the protagonist's deeds that it can still be read as completely futile.

No cute kids.

No sidekicks.

The protagonist can't be a nice guy, and esp. NO JIMMY STEWART! EVER! (some of these rules transcend genre)

Violence = there could be some, but it had to be pretty subdued. He was quite a prude when it came to violence and found Peckinpah and Eastwood appalling.

The protagonist has to sleep with lots of women. Basically however many are in the cast of an appropriate age, preferably. Any hint that the protagonist is chaste or might have some scruples takes us back to "no nice guys" rule above. (Deep down, it was the only disagreement we ever had over The Prisoner TV series - #6 didn't get enough ass, and that diminished him so thoroughly in my father's esteem that he could never take him as heroic or admirable.)

Should be "closing of the West" setting, though not with any nostaligia, nor with any preference for what came after - just more of a fatalistic acceptance that "That's the way it is, chum: no more buffalo, no more Indians, no more gunfights - no more YOU. If you want to kill some people while you shuffle off to die, that's fine." (Sheesh, these are depressing when I actually write them down)

Now, as you might imagine, with those rules, there isn't much left. I'd say if strictly applied, we'd be down to

High Noon
Treasure of the Sierra Madre
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Lonely Are the Brave (no one's ever heard of it - but I do highly recommend it though it is unrelentingly grim)

And then, breaking several of the rules (as well as having Wayne in it) - True Grit.

Well, I guess we'll never know the answer to why he made an exception for that one. (Sorry, didn't mean to lead up to some big epiphany - it really is just a cool conundrum, I think.)

Now, the new one. I have to say, the girl's character was wanting. Not in acting, surely - the whole thing was well acted, and with the Coen Bros usual skill at presenting enormous, breathtaking vistas in the background, paired against up-close, dirty, spitty scenes of violence (there's a lot of spit in one scene, and it's not even a violent one). The scene in the cabin - you're pretty sure it'll end badly, but what happens is just so... so... filthy. But we know so much about the two male leads, and I have no idea why the girl knows law codes, why she's so fiercely determined to avenge her father (knowing nothing much of their relationship at all, except they went coon hunting once), or why she then lives her life unmarried and fairly dyspeptic toward the whole human race. Imagine Saving Private Ryan if, after they save Ryan, he goes home and is pretty much a misanthrope and loner, and then thinks back to whether the other men's sacrifice was worth it. (And yes, I find the ending of that movie too rosy by half, so I'm using it as an example at the other extreme, not a model.) So I did feel a bit let down at the end.

Oh, and why did everyone over-enunciate everything? Not just the elevated diction, that was also distracting, but saying every word clearly and with no contractions: "I did not. Know. That. Man." Sounded really weird and took me out of the experience throughout.

P&E Readers Poll

2011-01-13T11:06:00.001-05:00

I'm not 100% sure it's eligible (since it was first published as a limited edition in 2009 - and I've emailed P&E to ask), but if you feel like voting for VALLEY OF THE DEAD, go over here to the P&E website and click on it! Thanks!

D2L3 Cover!

2011-01-11T14:46:00.002-05:00

Awesomely awesome! And up for pre-order at B&N now at 1/3 off - so order now!

New Years News Recap

2011-01-06T11:31:00.002-05:00

Since these all landed on my desk recently, I thought I'd put them all together into one post!

Nice review for the new edition of ORPHEUS AND THE PEARL (and Dave's novella NEVERMORE, too) over at this book blog.

Another great review for the German edition VOM UBERLEBEN UNTER ZOMBIES.

And the biggest news - Audible and Permuted just announced that TEN Permuted titles will now be released as audio books, with VALLEY OF THE DEAD among them!

Happy New Year!

2010-12-31T11:12:00.003-05:00

Busy with holiday stuff for the last couple weeks, and also making more Facebook posts for miscellaneous, little updates like what I had for dinner or whatever. But the blog needs an end of the year recap, I suppose, together with prospects for 2011.

So, let's see how it goes!

For 2010:

The TPB of VALLEY OF THE DEAD was released to great reviews.

DYING TO LIVE was re-released in a new edition. (Some fans have asked if there was new material: the short answer is "no." If you want complete accuracy: I corrected some typos and took out two lines of dialogue that I regretted in the original.) So if you still shop at those "real" bookstores, run down there and get one before they're gone! (And from all recent news, it looks like B&N and Borders are in a race to be gone before my book sells out - so "they" in that sentence is ambiguous!) If, OTOH, you shop online, Amazon still has it for one-third off the cover price.

ORPHEUS AND THE PEARL was re-released by the nice people at BELFIRE PRESS, bound together with Dave Dunwoody's new novella NEVERMORE.

VOM UBERLEBEN UNTER ZOMBIES, the German edition of DYING TO LIVE was released by FESTA VERLAG to such robust sales that they immediately signed up for DIE TRAURIGKEIT DER ZOMBIES (DYING TO LIVE: LIFE SENTENCE).

On the academic side, AUGUSTINE AND PHILOSOPHY came out from Lexington Books.

So, not a huge year, but chugging along!

And coming in 2011:

DYING TO LIVE: LAST RITES will be out sometime in the spring, and it is already up for pre-order over at the B&N site, so click over and buy your copy (it's on a huge pre-order discount of 1/3 off right now).

FESTA VERLAG will release the German edition of DYING TO LIVE: LIFE SENTENCE (DIE TRAURIGKEIT DER ZOMBIES).

The Russian edition of VALLEY OF THE DEAD will be out from OLMA MEDIA.

My first (so far, only) non-zombie novel, CLOSES AT DUSK, will be published by BELFIRE PRESS sometime later in 2011.

On the academic side, AUGUSTINE AND PSYCHOLOGY should be out in late 2011.

There you go!

First Blurbs!

2010-12-18T16:36:00.003-05:00

For the much anticipated Dying to Live: Last Rites!

"Last Rites is Kim Paffenroth at his absolute best. There is intelligence here, and injustice, and heartache, and even love. But most of all, there is a delicious irony, for Paffenroth’s zombies are in fact the good souls we all want to be…that we all believe we can be. They have lost their lives, yes, but in giving up their mortality, they seem to have gained a humanity the rest of us can only approximate. Paffenroth has made a name for himself by challenging readers’ expectations of what the zombie story should be, and Last Rites is no exception. But this time, he’s taken his message not just to our heads, but to our hearts as well, and the result is a haunting book you will not soon forget. "

- Joe McKinney, author of Dead City and Apocalypse of the Dead

"DYING TO LIVE: LAST RITES delivers a gritty dystopian nightmare that runs a crazy zigzag between the gross, the touching and the carnivalesque. A master of the genre, Paffenroth gives us equal parts horror and social commentary in a tale that crackles with startling insights about the human condition. "

- Alden Bell, author of The Reapers Are the Angels

"...insights about the human condition" - I think that's what great literature is about. (No, not that mine is "great literature" - but it's got glimpses of what makes some literature great, in the hands of a greater, more accomplished artist.)