12 Days of Christmas With Jonathan Gould

12 Days of Christmas Extravaganza is being brought to you by Peggy at Pawing Through Books, Jennifer at Books and Barks, and myself. 

Each day for the next 12 days each of our blogs will feature a different author. There will be guest posts, interviews and giveaways! So be sure to stop at each blog to join in the fun!

A special thank you to all the authors who are participating and those who have donated prizes!

Merry Christmas!

Today's guest is:

Jonathan Gould

A Very Neville Christmas

I can’t believe it.

Is it that time already? Is the year almost done? Can it possibly be Christmas coming around again?

At this moment, I’m feeling an awful lot like my good friend, Neville Lansdowne.

You probably don’t know who Neville is so I better explain. Neville was finding that the world was moving fast. Really fast. In fact, so fast that he was finding it impossible to keep up with things. And you know what happened to him? He fell off the world completely.

There he was, left on his own in the middle of outer space, watching as the world spun away into the inky blackness.

Ok, you may have already realised that this Neville character is actually nothing more than that – a character. He’s the hero in my novella, Doodling, which is all about what happens to him after he falls off the world.

But that’s enough of a plug, at least for now. Seeing Christmas rolling up again makes me feel a lot like Neville. How did this happen so fast? Where did all the time go? It seemed like only yesterday when a new year was just beginning, with so much excitement and promise. How could it possibly be coming to a close already?

It’s funny, thinking about Christmas from Neville’s point of view, because in the story, he travels to a strange asteroid where he meets a couple who can never stop celebrating. One moment it’s Christmas, the next it’s New Years, then Easter and then Christmas again (with a couple of birthdays to throw in for good order), all in a matter of minutes.

That feels exactly like my year. Where did it go? I had so many plans for the year. I was going to publish a book. Oh yeah, I did that. Then I was going to go out on social networks to see if I could get people to buy it, even though I’d never been near Twitter or Facebook and was terrified at the prospect. Hang on, I did that too. Even had a couple of people buy it. And I also planned to release another book. Wait a second, I think I did that too.

It’s kind of incredible when you think about it. Even though the year has raced by, I’ve still managed to achieve an awful lot.  At least I think I have.

So given that, what better way to end the year than with a massive celebration. So whether you’re a Christmas person or a Hanukah person, (or a Chrismukah person), or a Chinese New Year person or a Festivus person, or even a Venezuelan Alpaca Milking Festival person (don’t ask), make sure to get together with the people you care the most about and have one big, rip-roaring party.

All the best to you all, from me and Neville.

About Jonathan Gould

Jonathan Gould is a Melbourne-based writer and doodler.

He calls his stories "dag-lit" because they're the sort of stories that don't easily fit into the standard genres. Some might think of them as comic fantasies, or modern fairytales for the young and the young-at-heart.

Over the years, his writing has been compared to Douglas Adams, Monty Python, A.A. Milne, Lewis Carroll, the Goons, Dr Seuss and even Enid Blyton (in a good way).

You can find him, still a little bit nervous but no longer shaking in fear, at:

-          His blog: http://daglit.blogspot.com

-          Twitter: @jonno_go

-          Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jonathangouldwriter

Flidderbugs available from:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005K7HKS8/
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B005K7HKS8/
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/85538
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/flidderbugs-jonathan-gould/1105609621

Doodling available from:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005K7HKS8/
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.com.uk/dp/B005K7HKS8/
Smashwords:  http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/85538
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/flidderbugs-jonathan-gould/1105609621

GIVEAWAY

To be entered for a chance to win a ECopy version of Doodling or Flidderbugs please leave a comment with your favorite holiday celebration. Please be sure to include your email so I can contact you if you win!

When you finished here please stop by and see Jenn at http://www.booksandbarks.com/and Peggy at http://www.pawingthroughbooks.com

And be sure to enter the Rafflecopter Form to be in the big Giveaway!  ENTER HERE

Comments Always Welcome!

12 Days of Christmas with Terrence Scott

12 Days of Christmas Extravaganza is being brought to you by Peggy at Pawing Through Books, Jennifer at Books and Barks, and myself. 

Each day for the next 12 days each of our blogs will feature a different author. There will be guest posts, interviews and giveaways! So be sure to stop at each blog to join in the fun!

A special thank you to all the authors who are participating and those who have donated prizes!

Merry Christmas!

Today's guest is:

Terrence Scott

What Christmas Means To Me

By Terrence Scott

You know, Scrooge didn’t have it completely wrong. Neither did Cratchit have it completely right. They were just opposite ends of the same spectrum. From the crotchety old miser who avoids emotional entanglements and uncomfortable social gatherings, to the heart-of-gold, see the best-in-all-of-us through rose-colored glasses, uber-happy family man, these extremes have always bothered me. Especially in the sense that the basic premise of the Chuck Dickens’ story (I call him Chuck) was having to choose which you are, or want to be, with most (if not all—including Scrooge himself) choosing jovial, uplifting Team Cratchit as the clear winner. I don’t subscribe to that, of giving me only two options to choose from, neither of which particularly fit a profile I care for. I’m going to invoke my ‘Oppositional Defiance Disorder’ condition right here and take a stand.

This is what makes the Christmas holiday so confusing for me on an emotional level. See, I’m in my apathetic, don’t-really-care-that-much-for-humanity, just-stay-out-of-my-way-and-don’t-drink-the-last-of-my-Diet-Dr.-Pepperlifestyle. It’s comfortable, it’s quiet, and mostly it’s not a club many want to join. And that would be just great—except I have a daughter...a six-year-old daughter. One who is simply enraptured with the entire holiday experience.I’m talking from the wonder of Santa Claus to the magic of The Nutcracker. To baking cookies and breads, to decorating the tree till there’s nary a pine needle still visible. This conflicts greatly with my cynical, sarcastic let’s-make-fun-of-everything-sacred nature. Oh, does it conflict.

Since that is a foreign concept to me, and I am unsure how to deal with the flood of such emotion, this leaves me little choice but attempt to bring her down to my level. However, despite my best attempts to break her spirit, to crush her belief regarding a gravity-defying old fart in a red suit, she remains ever positive and on that constant edge of total euphoric freak-out over the prospect of an endless supply of presents and candy come the day after December 24^th.

            Leading up to the fateful day, we engage in the requisite plethora of holiday-themed movie fare. We’ve watched the Rankin-Bass, stop-motion; Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, television specialad nauseam, punctuated by my witty observations about how Santa is just a total butt (he really is, just watch), how all the females in the movie were meant to stay at home (Rudolph’s mother and Clarice), and how Hermey is the only elf that uses styling product in his hair. And aside from my eerily accurate impression of Rudolph, as played by Hannibal Lector, saying, “Well, hello Clarice.”she nevertheless remains undeterred in her goodcheer and enthusiasm for the holiday.

I’m baffled by this. After all my musings and observations on why one should take a shoulder-roll into the holiday season with a grimace, she refuses to agree. She has that 6-year-old vision of the future, that perspective yet to be tainted by reality.

And I’m jealous of that.

Yes, I know, I have a few years on her. A few years of disappointment and understanding of how jarringly harsh the real world can be and how fictional characters, though fun to fantasize about (yes, 1977, Lynda Carter, Wonder Woman, I’m talking about you) are not the basis for how you structure your life. It does not strike her odd in the least that a good portion of her calendar year revolves around some fat-man breaking and entering.

She currently makes the leap from one fictional-based character holiday to the next without hesitation. From the Thanksgiving turkey to Santa and Rudolph, to the Easter Bunny, Leprechauns—pretty much anything she can get her head around and can figure a way to make a craft out of, she will. Her unwavering enthusiasm is impressive, and I’ve come to believe she is adopted as I don’t think I had that as a kid, which means she more than likely doesn’t come from my bloodline.

It’s been so long since I’ve been able to view things through those narrow, though enviable, lenses, that I must admit I’m envious. Long gone is that sense of wonder, of constant excitement, of overwhelming anticipation for a single day of the year. It’s been replaced with stress over required social gatherings, faux declarations of good tidings, and unexpectedly high expenditures in the realm of gift-giving. None of which are hideous endeavors, they’re just simply outside my circle of comfort.

            My daughter has an amazing ability to combine the fantastic with the practical. The idea she can randomly send a letter to Santa, simply by shoving it in an envelope (which she made herself), labeling it “Santa – North Pole”, and having no doubt it will reach him without getting lost (not to mention have him know who it’s from and where that child is located in the world without a return address) is quite phenomenal. That somehow the messages she’s been attempting to contact Santa with via snail mail, texting, smoke signals, and mental telepathy have managed to get through and have been translated into the wondrous bounty found under our treeonChristmas morning. A bounty she’s been dreaming about and drooling over from the 12-months of television commercials and Happy Meals that were beyond her financial reach. And that’s where I think the catch comes in, where my difficulty in whether I’m Team Ebenezer or Team Bob.

I make a decent enough living that if I want to get something during the year, say an XBOX, pornography, or a jumbo size 55-gallon barrel of Absolut Vodka, I can. I’m not hindered by the prospect of waiting for and hoping that on Christmas I get any number of these things. So, that has changed the excitement in opening gifts. I get what I want, when I want. I’m lucky, and not beholden to Christmas or my birthday, and so do not experience the same thrill my children enjoy. But that’s okay—they do. And I get to see it.

While that is an exceptional thing to experience, it nonetheless conflicts with my core being. I’m like Rain Man: I’m not good at processing emotion, no matter if it’s good or bad. So I have to compensate in other ways, by down-playing the more wrenching aspects or pretending outright that they don’t exist. Not all of my techniques are productive.

            My daughter and I have a constant test of wills. One that’s been growing more intense every year, and we’re getting to the point of it being a nuclear holocaustshy of Thunderdome every time we have a conflict, because to say we have differences in opinion is putting it lightly. These ‘differences’ usually lead to heated and monosyllabic ‘debates’ on who is the parent and who is the child. Unsurprisingly, often there is no clear-cut winner in the matter. This also occurs on an almost daily basis, and usually over the most insignificant of events. But come the holiday season, with the lights and music and the food and anticipation, everything gets ramped up, heightened to a Spinal Tap11. Which means she has less tolerance for anything deviating from the norm, less tolerance to humor that may conflict with her prime objective. Making jokes like we’re having reindeer for dinner (hamburgers) or we’re going to wait until the day after Christmas to get the Christmas tree because we’ll get a really good deal, tend to elicit less raucous laughter and more angry facial expressions riddled with the occasional obscene gesture. I’m usually scolded by my wife for such witticisms, which makes it difficult for me because that’s how I keep my emotions under wraps: through inappropriate and ill-timed humor.

And so the conflict, the confusing emotional tug-of-war between the extremes of Scrooge and Cratchit pull at me during the holiday season. I am incapable of displaying the goodwill Bob Cratchit imbues, that my daughter so fully embraces. And yet, cannot completely embrace Scrooge as that approach gets far fewer women into bed (my wife hates this joke.)

I think I probably relate more to Bobby C’s wife, Mrs. Cratchit. Dickens didn’t even give her a first name he thought so little of her more realistic, middle-of-the-road perspective.Subscribing to neither a Scrooge nor a Bob point of view.

I get that. I can identify with that.

Now if I can just get the rest of my family to feel the same, maybe we could contain Christmas and all Christmas related cheer to a single day of the year so I won’t feel so uncomfortable.

---

Terrence Scott's Links:

http://screamingdanzig.com/

http://twitter.com/screamingdanzig

http://www.facebook.com/screamingdanzig

Books by Terrence Scott:

When you finished here please stop by and see Jenn at http://www.booksandbarks.com/and Peggy at http://www.pawingthroughbooks.com


And be sure to enter the Rafflecopter Form to be in the big Giveaway!  ENTER HERE

Comments Always Welcome!

12 Days of Christmas with Susan Denney

12 Days of Christmas Extravaganza is being brought to you by Peggy at Pawing Through Books, Jennifer at Books and Barks, and myself. 

Each day for the next 12 days each of our blogs will feature a different author. There will be guest posts, interviews and giveaways! So be sure to stop at each blog to join in the fun!

A special thank you to all the authors who are participating and those who have donated prizes!

Merry Christmas!

Today's guest is:

Susan Denney

Listening to Christmas

I think short stories are perfect for the holiday season. We’re all busy and we have limited time, but we still need to feed our reading habit. So a good short story is perfect. And if it’s about the holidays, it’s even better! All of these stories are in the public domain and you can download them for free. The short stories are available at Project Gutenberg (http://www.gutenberg.org/ ) and can be read online, printed out or downloaded to your computer, Kindle or Nook.

Here are a few of my favorites:

“Christmas Every Day” by W. D. Howells. (In Christmas Every Day and Other Stories http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/22519 ) Long before this story was mentioned in The Christmas Box by Richard Paul Evans, it was a Christmas Eve tradition in our family. We always read this as part of our night before Christmas celebration. In this frame story, a small girl asks her dad for a story. And he tells what happens when another little girl wishes for it to be Christmas every day. As in The Princess Bride, the little girl interrupts her dad from time to time as he tells what mayhem is created by the wish. The results of her wish are satisfyingly horrible and, of course, it ends happily.

“How Santa Claus Came to Simpson’s Bar” by Bret Harte. (In Mrs. Skaggs’s Husbands and Other Stories http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2597 ) So many Christmas stories drown in sentimentality, but this one has enough tongue-in-cheek humor to make the touching story acceptable to me. Simpson’s Bar isn’t a saloon but a mining camp in the California Sierras which has been cut off from the world by flooding. When “The Old Man” comes into the Thompson’s store and invites the fellows to his house for some card playing and drinking on Christmas Eve, they discover that the old man’s son Johnny is doing poorly. Bret Harte paints a vivid picture of life among rough men in harsh surroundings.

“The Kid Hangs up His Stocking” by Jacob A. Riis. (In Children of the Tenements http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/21583 ) Set in the tenements in New York City of the 1890s, boys in a group home realize that the smallest of their number has hung up his stocking on Christmas Eve. I think you can imagine what happens next. You can almost see the boys in their newsboy caps and knickers as Riis captures their dialect.

“Reginald’s Christmas Revel” by Saki (H. H. Munro).) (In Reginald http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2830 ) Wickedly funny, this short story is about Reginald’s Christmas visit to an English country home. When you’re fed up with holiday sappy stuff, this is the story to put you back on track. If you’re not a complete Anglophile, you need to know that Boxing Day is December the 26^th.

You may not know about a fabulous resource for audiobooks. I have had a lot of fun recording for Librivox ( http://librivox.org/  ), an organization which provides free recordings of books in the public domain. They have a number of Christmas collections of short prose and poetry that you may download. You can hear me reading “Christmas Every Day” (http://librivox.org/librivox-2006-christmas-short-works-collection/) in their 2006 Christmas Collection. 


Susan is the author of :

Resistance is futile. 

Shy, demure, reserved Lurleen couldn’t possibly be more different than her gregarious, sassy, sarcastic twin, Lurlette. One is your kind stereotypical schoolteacher and the other is a man-eating adventuress. Whether they take you cruising in a Miata or busting out of a kidnapper's shack on a John Deere, you’re in for one riot of a ride. The novel moves you to compassion then spins you into comedic circles.

“I don’t see how someone can be broke with a diamond the size of a Cheezit on her finger.” 

Lee Landry is exasperated with her identical twin sister. Lurlette has just shown up in Texas with eighteen matched pieces of luggage and no visible means of support. Lurlette is married to multibillionaire Horatio Alger Chang, a software CEO, who lives in San José, California. When Lurlette realizes her marriage is over, she decides to move in with her sister. And even though Lurlette has brought jewelry, clothes and a Cézanne still life with her, she doesn’t have any cash. And the diamond on her hand is the Maharani Red, one of the largest red diamonds in the world with a price tag of 2.3 million dollars. 

Lee is a teacher at the only high school in San Pablo, Texas. She has a small condo, a small car, and a small retirement fund. She has never married but has a crush on a fellow teacher who has never asked her out. 

Lee has never understood why she and Lurlette don’t get along. Now that Lurlette is back, she knows her quiet life will be disrupted and that her bank account will suffer. What she doesn’t know is that her love life, her career, and her future will be forever changed.

Susan would be happy to Kindlegraph that for you.


Read my review of Snarky & Sweet HERE

GIVEAWAY

To be entered for a chance to win a Kindle version of Snarky and Sweet please leave a comment with your favorite holiday story. Please be sure to include your email so I can contact you if you win!

When you finished here please stop by and see Jenn at http://www.booksandbarks.com/and Peggy at http://www.pawingthroughbooks.com


And be sure to enter the Rafflecopter Form to be in the big Giveaway!  ENTER HERE

Comments Always Welcome!

Review of Snarky & Sweet by Susan Denney

Snarky & Sweet: A Romantic Comedy about Twins, Texas and a Big Red Diamond by Susan Denney

Published by Diva an imprint of AWOC.COM Publishing

Good Reads Synopsis:

Resistance is futile. 
Shy, demure, reserved Lurleen couldn’t possibly be more different than her gregarious, sassy, sarcastic twin, Lurlette. One is your kind stereotypical schoolteacher and the other is a man-eating adventuress. Whether they take you cruising in a Miata or busting out of a kidnapper's shack on a John Deere, you’re in for one riot of a ride. The novel moves you to compassion then spins you into comedic circles.

* I received this book from the author to review. I was not compensated for my review. All opinions are mine. *

My Turn:

This is a sweet romance that is suitable for all. I found this to be an interesting and fun book to read. The main characters, twins - identical in looks only, are well developed and likable. Well one starts out likable and the other kind of grows on you. They are easy to get to know and feel like friends. The sibling rivalry mixed in with family responsibility was well rounded and I thought rang true. 

The plot is about one sister who marries "well' and lives in California coming home to her twins home in small town Texas to file for divorce. Lurlette, though she grew up in this small town, does not really fit in. She comes home with 18 suitcases, a huge red diamond ring, drives a Ferrari and flirts shamelessly to climb the social ladder or to get her way - whichever is needed. Lurleen, known as Lee, is a high school French teacher who lives comfortably in a condo and drives a Miata. Even though she has no idea how Lurlette's things will fit in her condo and really isn't looking forward to her sister living with her, Lee welcomes her sister home. She helps her find a place to store her expensive things, buys her what she needs, and lets her borrow her Miata until the Ferrari arrives. She even confides her interest in a male teacher at the high school. Lurlette, intent on her divorce and finding the next Mr Money, decides she will help her sister with her romance and will also get a job subbing at the high school. When she is seen kissing the principal everyone thinks she is Lee. This is just the start of the Lee's headache.  As Lurlette's marriage is crumbling, Lee is getting to know her brother in law a bit more. And Lurlette seems to be getting a little too chummy with Lee's teacher friend. Will Lee get her teacher or will Lurlette steal him away? Things speed up when, due to newspaper articles about Lurlette's visit, Lee gets kidnapped. When the bumbling kidnappers realize their mistake they go back to kidnap Lurlette too. 

Ms. Denney writes with much humor. She brings you into the small town circle of friends. You   get to know everyone important to Lee. Chang, Lurlette's husband, is also brought in when he comes to Texas to rescue the women. Lee's impression of Chang is one of a busy, wealthy man who perhaps neglected his wife for business. It is totally based on her idea of what a wealthy man is like. I really liked that the author took the time to let us get to know Chang and see how wrong that idea was. 

This was a fun book to review and I am looking forward to more books by Susan. When I finished this book, at 2:30 in the morning, I actually gave an audible "awww!". If you are looking for a sweet, funny, clean, fast romantic read this is the book for you. It has no language or sex issues so it is great for the YA crowd or those who don't like their romance books spicy.

                                                                GIVEAWAY

Susan Denney is offering this fun book to one lucky person this Christmas. You may leave a comment below or look for her guest post this afternoon and leave one on it, telling us your favorite holiday story. Please remember to leave your email so we can contact you if you win.

Be sure to look for Susan's guest post this afternoon! It has some awesome information on FREE audio books, including some awesome Christmas books! 

Comments Always Welcome!

Review of Game by Phil Truman

Game by Phil Truman

Published by  Buoy Up Press

Good Reads Synopsis:

Year in and year out the football powerhouse Hert City Trojans import a ringer to fuel their championship charge, but their luck is about to change. In the small backwater town of Tsalagee, first-year coach Donny Doyle knows the only way he can fulfill his promise to unseat the Hert City juggernaut, is to beat them at their own GAME. But in his own recruit, the mammoth and powerful, yet troubled and ominous Leotis McKinley, Doyle finds more than he bargained for. Truman’s character-rich novel GAME spins an energetic tale around the intensity of small-town high school football in America. And yet, amid the fast-paced drive of the story, lies an account of the human spirit struggling through adversity and finding victory. Readers of any age or gender will feel the triumph, honor, and glory that comes from the…GAME. 

* I received this book from the author to review. I was not compensated for my review. All opinions are mine. *

My Turn:

This book is really a departure from norm for me. As such I thought it was going to be a difficult book for me to read let alone review. It is one that I would really consider to be a "guy" book. I like sports. I like football. Chicago Bears are my main team. Yes I lived in Chicago. Now Seattle Seahawks are my second team.  College ball goes to University of Kentucky. Yes I am a home town kind of girl. So I do enjoy watching the games.  I just don't generally read sporty books.

So I was pretty much thinking what am I going to say? Imagine my surprise when I liked this book. Yes I do still think of it as primarily a guy book. But now it is a book that can be shared by a couple. So go ahead and read it with your guy. 

Phil writes in such a way that you feel a part of the story. I felt the pain of the players in the opening scene. I felt the agony of defeat. I could picture the game in my head. It was like being at my high school games or attending a UK game. Later on you feel the excitement of winning. Through out it all you feel as though you are there. Not just with the game moments either. When the author wrote of the cafe and the people drinking coffee, talking football and placing bets, it was like deja vu. Part of the story takes place in Vietnam. The author wrote in his extremely realistic style. I have never been to war. My son has. I have heard about it from him. I have also read it in other books and seen it on my screen, both movies and reality. I believe Mr. Truman has written some of the most heartbreaking, heart pounding and realistic war scenes that I have read. At times I felt tears rolling down my face reading it. I also felt my heart swell with pride at the men portrayed and their bravery. 

This was an amazing book for me. Going in not expecting to like it and coming out loving it shows what an excellent job Phil Truman did writing this. The book is filled with action  so it moves along quickly. But not so quick that you cannot get to know the characters. You will know and care for them deeply. This is an inspiring book. There is no adult themes, (aside from war and violence), in it so it is perfect for high school football fans. It is a great book for either sex and one that mothers and sons can share and talk about. This book would make an awesome gift for football fans. It is small town football at its best. 

Phil is giving a copy of this book to one lucky person. All you need to do is leave a comment here or on his Christmas guest post, found HERE. Please tell us your favorite tradition and be sure to leave your email address so we can contact you if you win!

Also by Phil Truman:

Phil also invites you to visit to his personal sites:

http://philtrumanink.com/

http://philtruman.blogspot.com/

He is a Good Reads Author: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1407524.Phil_Truman

Comments Always Welcome!

Review of Among The Living by Timothy W Long

Among The Living by Timothy W Long

Published by Library of the Living Dead Press

Good Reads Synopsis:

Mike works for a small news paper in Seattle. He has everyday problems just like everyone else: a delusional ex-wife who mourns the loss of their son with pills and a bottle of booze. An attractive co-worker he wishes he could pursue but fears her rejection. Kate has a dark secret. Outwardly she is a perfectly normal woman with perfectly unnatural needs. Kate is a budding young serial killer who lures men to hotel rooms for a night of kinky sex, and a date with her razor sharp knife. Grinder sings for Corpse for a Day, a heavy metal band on verge of making it big. He rejects the idea so the band can keep their occult lyrics and originality in tact. Lester is content to smoke and drink the day away while the outside world descends into chaos. When the National Guard cuts off his neighborhood he and his beautiful girlfriend hide out and wait for the madness to pass. Who will remain Among the Living?

* This book was purchased by me. All opinions are mine. No compensation was received for the review.*

My Turn:

I enjoyed this zombie book. As it opens with how the virus gets started and then concentrates on its first few days of progress I was a bit surprised. Happily. A lot of the ZBooks I read are already in the panic of the spread or take place once it has been in effect for weeks. Starting at the beginning and staying there made this book refreshing to me. 

Among The Living is told through several different eyes. Mike, Kate, Grinder and Lester are a few. I really enjoyed the view of a recently turned Z in Alice and Ken. I appreciate that the author told the unfolding story with all the ranges of thoughts and emotions: the curiosity of the news of a "gas leak" that has evacuated a neighborhood, the skepticism of the news cast regarding it, the "not my problem" attitude, the disbelief of the reports of the virus bringing the dead back, that soon changes into confusion, fear and outright panic when the proof, and soldiers, are before their eyes. Reading the slowly dawning horror really made the book realistic sounding. The author also had humor sprinkled throughout the story. Such as when Lester and his girl Angela see a friend of hers in Zmode. Marlene the zombie is carrying her Coach purse with her. Angela decides she wants it since Marlene doesn't need it anymore. She promises Lester a good time and so off he goes to get the purse from Marlene. I thought it a pretty humorous chapter. Actually I thought Lester and Angela were pretty funny. Maybe it was the alcohol and weed. Theirs not mine.   There are also interludes which tell short pieces of things going on in the city. 

All of the characters actually had reactions that I could visualize as being real reactions. Not from very bright people but then not everyone is bright.  Also do be prepared to dislike people in this book. You don't like everyone you meet in life so why will you like everyone you meet in a book ? This is not an actual account of real life so I read it as a fantasy escape. If you are looking for a book to be absolute fact, well I don't think you should be reading a Zbook. Yet. 

I found this book to very entertaining. It is a fast read. Lots of action in it with some romance, sex, (some graphic), definitely violence. As stated there is alcohol and weed use. Adult language too. The author does not flinch away from including children in the drama. Which is realistic because children are not excluded from outbreaks, violence or general bad things in life. All in all this is a Zbook I give 5 stars to and would recommend to anyone who likes Z's.  I am looking forward to reading more from this author.