Wednesday, August 4, 2010

DEADTOWN Beach Giveaway!

Today Nancy Holzner will be stopping by. She is giving us a guest post, and a giveaway. I'm going to be reviewing DEADTOWN soon so stay tuned for that. Until then enjoy this awesome guest post, and prize. Thank you again Nancy :)
&  this is all part of Zombie Month, a month long event on this blog, look for more reviews, guest posts, and prizes in the near future.

Deadtown (Deadtown, #1)



Got Zombies?

In the past year, zombies have exploded--sometimes literally J-- in popular culture. Examples abound: ZombielandPride and Prejudice and ZombiesJennifer’s BodyPlants vs. Zombieszombie walksa film adaptation of World War Z in the works (starring no less than Brad Pitt) . . . and I’m sure you can easily think of a dozen others. Everywhere you look, there are more zombies lurching around than you’d find at a George Romero retrospective.

People who love zombies love a good scare. Zombies embody many deep-seated fears, especially the fear of death. A rotting zombie is a visceral reminder of the fate what happens to the physical body after death. A zombie is a corpse that won’t stay where it’s supposed to, out of sight and out of mind in the grave. Instead, it attacks the living, wanting to consume them and make them what it is. They’re relentless and persistent and driven by instincts that we’d like to think we’ve got under control. Zombies are like us, but not like us, and they mean us harm. That’s scary.

Perhaps because they scare us, zombies can also serve up some chuckles with the horror. It’s a way of laughing at our fears. Shaun of the Dead is a classic blend of humor and horror. The Zombie Survival Guide is a pitch-perfect parody of other survival guides, and books like I Kissed a Zombie And I Liked It and Zombie Queen of Newbury High spoof teen paranormal romance. Mark Henry’s Amanda Feral series is hilarious. When corpses acting like normal human beings--with an undead edge--there’s a lot of potential for comedy.

The zombies in my Deadtown urban fantasy series touch on both fear and humor. Here’s some background: Three years before the first book begins, a plague blasted through downtown Boston. The virus mowed down all humans in its path, killing hundreds of people within minutes. Paranormals, who were just starting to emerge in human society, were immune, and they helped out the norms by dealing with the corpses that piled up inside the quarantine zone. Three days later, the virus had mutated to something harmless--and its victims began to rise.

Deadtown’s zombies aren’t the kind you usually encounter in horror films. They have intelligence and can speak, but they’ve changed in other ways: They have spongy, gray-green skin and red eyes. The sun damages their skin, turning it orange and pitted, so they’re active at night and sleep during the day. Although zombies are hard to kill, they don’t heal. And they’re always hungry. They can eat whatever they want, but they’re never quite satisfied. And the scent of human blood sends them into a frenzy of hunger that makes zombie-human relations more than a bit awkward at times.

Deadtown has other paranormal creatures besides zombies. The main character, Vicky Vaughn, is a shapeshifter based on Welsh mythology. Her kinda-sorta boyfriend Kane is a workaholic activist lawyer (and a werewolf). Her roommate is a vampire, and the owner of her favorite bar is . . . well, no one’s quite sure, but he’s definitely not human. The first zombie you meet is Tina, who was zombified at fifteen and insists on dressing and acting the way she did before the plague.

Why zombies? A zombie plague seemed like the perfect event to force norm society to deal with the emergence of paranormals. If you wake up one morning to find that two thousand of your citizens have returned from the dead, you can’t exactly ignore them. How would people respond? I imagined that initial euphoria—people realizing their dead loved ones weren’t dead after all—would turn to suspicion and fear, as it became apparent how just how much the reanimated zombies had changed. One issue that Deadtown explores is how people try to control what they fear, as Boston’s humans and zombies try to figure out how to live together.

And now for the contest! When Deadtown released last December, Publisher’s Weekly wrote that the book “would be a great beach read if it weren't coming out in the middle of winter.” Seasons change, and now that we’re in the middle of summer, I thought it would be fun to do a Great Beach Read giveaway. Here’s what you can win:

·        A signed copy of Deadtown
·        A beach towel
·        A sun hat
·        Hibiscus straws for your fave tropical drink
·        A beach bag to hold it all

To enter, just leave a comment telling us about your favorite beach read—it can be a book, an author, or a whole genre. Do you like to bring zombies with you to the beach? Or do you prefer romance, science fiction, a mystery, a thriller, or a good literary novel? If you were heading out to the beach right now, what book would you grab?

Because of postage costs, I have to limit entries to commenters from the U.S. and Canada.

---Thanks so much Nancy that is an awesome prize!

26 comments:

D Swizzle said...

My favorite beach read is definetly the Max Ride series. It's ridiculous in the best way.

danielleeloko78@aol.com

Stacey Smith said...

Well I would take the book that I'm about to start two day I read the one that goes whit it and now I'm going to Start reading Touch of Darkness By Christina Dodd I love Paranormal Romances
I follow this blog by GFC
I'm from the USA
sasluvbooks(at)yahoo.com

Katrina said...

I am normally a sci fi fantasy kind of girl but I like to bring classics like jane eyre to the beach!
ykatrina at hotmail dot com

My Life With Books - Jennifer K Jovus said...

I would like to read the sequel to The Summer I turned Pretty by Jenny Hann, It's Not Summer Without You.

But at this point, I would read anything as long as I am on the beach.

Kjovus(at)gmail(dot)com

throuthehaze said...

Anything by Gena Showalter would be perfect for me to read at the beach

throuthehaze at gmail dot com

Linda Henderson said...

While I love paranormal, I would probably take something more relaxing like a contemporary romance.

seriousreader at live dot com

♫♥✿Chas @ LovLivLife Reviews✿♥♫ said...

LOL!! I just love the theme.

Since I live surrounded by beach and spend most days- morning, noon and night there I would say anything. I read mostly PNR and UF so whatever I have in had I take there.


But in honor of Nicholas Sparks I did read The Last Song there and even posted pictures of me reading at the beach on my blog. I am sure a read a few other of his there as well but I cant be certain which ones!=)


The beach is a great place to read. The sun and the breeze offer a tranquil setting. I joke that I need a waterproof ereader or a book of some kind. Between the beach and pool- it's an everyday thing.


lllinthe808[at]gmail[dot]com
I am a follower.

♫♥✿Chas @ LovLivLife Reviews✿♥♫ said...

BTW, will you be emailing winners for this one or shall we check back? I normally log the contest I enter by ending date. Is there an ending?

Would you email me to lmk? Aloha!


lllinthe808[at]gmail[dot]com

debbie said...

I would probably take the latest stephen king book to the beach.
twoofakind12@yahoo.com

Kimberly B. said...

Hi Nancy! Thanks for stopping by!
I actually have a difficult time reading at the beach, because the glare of the sun off the pages hurts my eyes. But if I did read there, I'd probably pick something either fast-paced or light-hearted, like an urban fantasy, cozy mystery, or YA novel. Maybe even something with mermaids or selkies in it--seems appropriate!

Anonymous said...

Hi, everyone! There are some great suggestions for beach reads here. I haven't read any Max Ride books, but I love D Swizzle's description of them as "ridiculous in the best way." :) I also agree with those who pick romance, whether paranormal or teen or contemporary or whatever--those are perfect for the beach. It's funny Katrina mentioned the classics, because I've burned out a bit lately on fantasy and just picked up (of all things) a Thomas Hardy novel. But overall, I agree with kjovus that being at the beach is the important part--if I'm there, I'm happy to read just about anything. :)

Katy said...

Everyone I will post the winner on the blog, good question Chas! I'll also try to E-Mail you if I can locate your your address easy if you left it, but even if you didn't I will hunt it down lol. Thanks for all the great comments. Nancy, also great guest post My little cousins play a game called Plants VS. Zombies all the time.

Anonymous said...

Ooh, Chas, I envy you getting to live by the beach! Sounds idyllic. Kimberly, I've got ghost-pale skin, so I'm always under a beach umbrella trying to avoid getting burned. Reading in the shade is definitely easier on the eyes!

Anonymous said...

Also, I just wanted to thank Caitlin for inviting me to help celebrate Zombie Month. Reading all these opinions about beach reads is a mini-vaction in itself! :)

Cathy M said...

My beach reads are usually a bit lighter with some humor. Currently have Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich up next on my tbr pile.

caity_mack at yahoo dot com

Meredith said...

It I were headed to the beach right now, I'd be considered crazy because it's so terribly hot here! But if I were going on a slightly cooler day, I'd probably grab an Outlander novel, or I have The Host sitting on my shelf--something big enough to keep me there for a good, long, relaxing day!

meredithfl at gmail dot com

Nicole said...

If I was headed out to the beach right now I would take a good contemporary romance with me. Maybe Nora Roberts, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Susan Mallery, or Rachel Gibson. Always great to relax with!

Meggle said...

I love sci fi and urban fantasy. I can't get enough of Jim Butcher's Dresden Files series and I just finished a post-apocalyptic zombie novel called The Reaper's Are the Angels by Alden Bell which was very good.

Anonymous said...

Meredith brings up a point I hadn't thought of--I do like my beach reads to be big, fat books. No fun running out of story when you're just halfway through the day! :) (I hope temps cool down where you are.)

@Cathy M, I like humor, too, and Evanovich always delivers.

@Nicole: Yes, romance definitely makes a great beach read.

@Meggle: Dresden Files fan here, too. I'll have to look for the Alden Bell novel you mention--it sounds interesting.

Thanks again to Caitlin for inviting me! It's been fun talking beach reads. If you think Deadtown might be a fun book to take along to the beach, you can read the first chapter at my website (just click my name). I also just put up the cover for Deadtown's sequel, which (of course) is coming out next winter. :)

Becky B. @ Bibliognome said...

I love reading books that are a mix or horror and humor at the beach. The latest book I've read that would make a good beach read is Feed by Mira Grant, it has horror, some funny parts and zombies:)

Stephanie said...

My favorite beach reads are cozy mysteries and humorous books.

Skk25@aol.com

alana said...

I've always preferred the beach at night time so reading was never very practical. lol When I'm at the park though, I really enjoy reading anything by David Sedaris. The humor is great and I don't get as sucked in as I do with fantasy books.

skyla11377 said...

Vampires are always a beach worthy read. Maybe it's because they can't be in the sun so there is irony in it. What would make it even better would be for the book to be a romance to boot. A really hot book in the summer sun is kinda a great combo because you can always take a dip in the water if the books makes you too hot....lol. A Lara Adrian Midnight Breed Series book or a J.R. Ward Black Dagger Brotherhood Series book fits that description to a tea.

skyla11377(At)AOL(Dot)Com

Cathie said...

I've never read at the beach....I might bend my book up. But on hot days I enjoy a light read, like an easy romance or I'll pick a classic and just dive into it.

lovemybabysquid at yahoo dot com

Melissa said...

If I were leaving for the beach right this minute, then I'd pick up Harmonic Feedback by Tara Kelly because I'm reading it together with a twitter friend. However, if it was just a regular, any day at the beach kind of day, I think I'd choose either some YA historical literature or some YA romance.

melissa {at} yabookshelf {dot} com

Aik said...

My favourite beach read would be Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs! It's so cute, sweet and adorable!

aikychien at yahoo dot com