So, I want to lead this off with a thank you to a very special reader: Caroline Harmon. (President of the That Ghoul Ava fan club...I know, Ava has a growing fan club!)
Caroline is not just an Ava fan, she also loves the DEAD series and recently sent me about thirty or so pictures to use in an upcoming DEAD book. Not only that, but Caroline comes from a long line of "carny folk". Now, since I have no idea if that is the PC term, I am going to say it anyway with confidence that Caroline would not care either way.
Caroline has the distinction of basically running the That Ghoul Ava Wastebook page. My friends all know that I do not surf that outlet (for reasons mentioned a billion times). She promotes the page, drags people in, and basically is like a puppy with a sock. Now, I don't know what that means exactly, but my point is that she is tireless in her Ava love. It is for this reason that I am pleased to announce that she will have a lifetime spot on the Ava Beta team. Also, she will be gifted with the audio version of every Ava adventure. It is a small thing really, but it is the best way I know to say thank you to such an incredible and helpful person. And the stuff she sent me for the upcoming DEAD book...absolutely awesome!
Now, I want to share a few titles that you have to add to your "MUST READ" list:
First, the ultimate parody for the indie writers (readers will love it as well!) in the zombie genre, a clever short titled Return of the Night of the Walking Dead.
My review read as follows, "This is hilarious. The writer did an exceptional job of spoofing the Indie Zombie book scene. If you have read OR WRITTEN a zombie story, you must read this. It has some vulgar language, but it all fits perfectly. Everything from crappy editing to weak character development is made fum of in this neat package."
But my front runner for best of 2014 is a short titled Survival. This book is listed as the first of a series and if Rhonda Hopkins can keep up this sort of pace for a full-length novel...be prepared to lose a lot of sleep.
Those are just a couple of (very different) titles. What are some of yours. Also, unlike others, I will also be treading on some toes with a list of some of the disappointments of the year when it came to books that I read. Sorry, but there has to be balance.
I am in fangirl heaven right now. So happy! Ava is awesome. She deserves a big fan base. Eventually her fan page will get that base!
ReplyDelete'Carny folk' ... I had to stop reading the blog because I was laughing so hard when I hit those words. It works, no worries. I'll email you some verbiage to give it an actual carnival flavor. Smells sorta like cotton candy or deep fried anything...on a stick.
I loved That Ghoul Ava, too. It was such a fun story, and she's got to be in my top 5 favorite characters in fiction.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with you on Rhonda Hopkins' story, Survival. She's a seriously talented gal.
Cheers Y'all!
Wow! Thank you so much, Todd. I can't tell you how much your comments about Survival and your encouragement mean to me. All I can say is I am very grateful. :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Greg! You rock, too! :-)
Congrats, Caroline! I love Ava's character and the Dead series, too. Actually, I love all of Todd's books I've read so far. He's pretty cool, huh?