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Do Zombies Eat Turkey?

10 Nov

Maybe viral zombies do.  How about we find out?

My debut into the world of zombies, Caldera, is due out right around Thanksgiving.  For those of you who are ‘friends’ of mine on Facebook, that may not be news. For those of you who don’t necessarily follow me on social media, now you know.

Caldera

Why go with viral rage zombies rather than the slow moving, classical Romero zombies?  A number of reasons really. The biggest being, they seem to be the most likely to happen in real life. With all of the biological weapons being produced, the new designer ‘drugs’ hitting the streets or even Mother Nature herself culling the herd, what would prevent scores of people, maddened with fever to the point of absolute rage, from hitting the streets to enact random acts of violence? It would soon become pandemic.

One look at how easily ebola crossed the Atlantic and entered our borders and you can see that it wouldn’t take much for something that was fast acting to quickly get out of control. How easily could you pull the trigger on someone who wasn’t technically ‘dead’? If they were infected with a virus and there was any hope of a cure? Besides, slow moving zombies gives fat, out of shape people like myself HOPE that we might be able to survive by our wits. Fast moving viral zombies?  Oh heck no…I’d be the guy clutching his chest as I fell to my knees…a veritable human smorgasbord for the starving, angry masses while others escaped.

Besides, my girls absolutely LOVE zombie books, but other than John O’Brien’s NightRunners…they haven’t really experienced any other ‘viral’ zombies.  So, let’s take away the one big weakness from his nightmare inducing monsters and give the crowd another reason to remember Rule #1…Cardio!

So allow me to invite you to spend your Thanksgiving weekend curled up with a good book.  And if you can’t find a good book, read mine instead. If nothing else, it may give you ideas on what else you should toss into your bugout bag should the Z hit the fan. 😉

 
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Posted by on November 10, 2014 in Uncategorized

 

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NaNoWriMo 2014

01 Nov

For those unfamiliar with the whole ‘NaNoWriMo’, it is the National Novel Writing Month, shortened as NaNoWriMo. It is an annual internet-based creative writing project that takes place during the month of November. The main goal is to write 50,000 words of a novel during the month.

NaNoWriMo focuses on the number of words put down rather than the quality of those words. The program encourages writers to finish their first draft so that it can later be cleaned up and polished as time allows. The main goal is to encourage creativity and bring attention to the written word, encouraging reading.

So, you may ask, why am I mentioning this? For the past couple of years, I didn’t really take part in the program.  I always wrote at my own pace, when I could, as I could. I usually write at night when the house is more quiet and I won’t be disturbed for lengths at a time. My only companion is Boo who keeps me supplied with loud snorts and plenty of methane should my oxygen levels raise too high. Thank God for scented candles…

Some nights I may only be able to focus long enough to write a few hundred words, some nights I can pound out a chapter.  My all time record was a day/night binge when the kids were gone and I was trying to finish a story…I put down twelve thousand words in that sitting. Not something I’d recommend as the quality obviously suffered. My wife tells me I’m a freak. Does that mean that NaNoWriMo will be a ‘challenge’? I have no idea. I’ve never looked at a daily, weekly or monthly output.  But I do know that with seven current projects, using NaNoWriMo as an excuse to step away from distractions like Facebook? It is a perfect opportunity to actually FINISH some of those projects.

Who knows? Maybe if 2014’s NaNoWriMo is a success, I’ll try to top that output next year.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to put on TSO, open MS7 and see if I can’t finish this one so I can jump right into MS8. Then there’s a serial killer story I’d like to work on, a political thriller, a sequel to Corson, a young adult series I’d like to start and a follow-up to Caldera. Plenty of projects…just not enough time.

 

 
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Posted by on November 1, 2014 in Uncategorized

 

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D-Day, T-Minus 24 Hours and Counting

02 Oct

So here I sit.  It is now officially October 2nd.  Softball playoffs are in full swing.  My twin girls are in Regionals and it’s raining cats and dogs. I tell ya, it’s a welcome distraction. Right now I have many irons in the fire and the first installment of the new Monster Squad saga is just a day away. To say that I’m a bit nervous would be an understatement. I can’t help but wonder if the new storyline will hold to people’s expectations. I’m hoping that they’ll exceed them, but you never really can tell.

Things have evolved a bit for the squads.  Unlike the previous saga that takes place back to back, this new story takes place six months down the road.  The dust has settled, things have calmed down and of course, things happened during that time that set the tone for this new storyline.

Homecoming - Heath Stallcup

Questions that went unanswered in MS4 will slowly start being addressed. People have asked what happened with Mitchell and the blonde haired girl?  Why would Laura so suddenly act like she can’t wait to get away? Why…well…you know what?  Not everything will get answered in MS5, so I’m not going to start here.  Some won’t be addressed until 6.  Or 7.  Or…at all? Yes, I read a lot of the reviews and the constructive criticisms I took to heart and have tried to apply to my writing.  I’ve also tried to apply all of the lessons that my editor has taught me.  I know I have a lot more to learn. Heck, I still consider myself ‘the new guy’ so I am always looking to learn.  Anything that can help me hone my craft and provide you, the reader, with a better experience, I intend to employ.

This last quarter will be a hectic one. MS3 coming out on the 3rd.  Whispers being repackaged and coming out in an exciting new box set in time for Halloween. Forneus Corson coming out in November.

Forneus Corson

MS6 was originally slated for March, but it looks like it’s being bumped to New Years and Caldera (originally slated for New Years) will most likely come out some time between now and January. Early December maybe? I’ll leave that up to Todd. All in all, very exciting and a very busy time of year.

Wayward Son Cover

For those of you who follow my Facebook page, you noticed we had to rework Caldera’s cover.  Although I really liked the original artwork, while the story was on hold, somebody else came out with another book with an almost identical cover. It happens. Sometimes more often than we’d like. But rather than cause confusion (both authors run in the same circles), I felt it best to just have a new cover created. Enter Jeffrey Kosh to save the day.  I gave him a brief overview of the story and he put his creative genius to work.  I got a brand new cover that captures the story even better than the original.

Cover New No Glare

Now, I’ll admit, at first I was pretty upset and needed to vent.  My inner five-year-old needed to throw a hissy fit. So, I did what any grown man who tends to behave like a toddler does… I went to my room (a Facebook group that I belong to) and threw a tantrum. Once I got it out of my system, I was feeling much better. I actually woke up today intending to delete the thread and call it done.  But who should stumble upon it? Yeah… the other author. He took it all in good fun though. Luckily, he’s a better person than I am and didn’t take offense.

So, there you have it.  What’s been happening lately, what’s in the works and what’s planned for the near future.  For those keeping score, MS7 is nearing the halfway mark and I try to do as much as I can every night.  Whether it’s a single line or a complete chapter.  But, as we all know by now, things in this business can be very fluid and I’ve learned to go with the flow.  Things happen and they can happen quickly. So these plans are all tentative. I still like to share them as we make them to give you something to look forward to.  Meanwhile, I need to get ready to head back to the ballfield…and get back to writing.  As of now…I’ve got little to nothing to fall back on.  All of my reserves will be out there.  Which, in some ways, is  a good thing.  In others…it’s a bit scary.  No time to dilly dally…nose to the grindstone and all that.

Until tomorrow my monsters…until tomorrow. 😉

 

 

 

 
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Posted by on October 2, 2014 in Uncategorized

 

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Quick Update

03 Aug

Things are fluid.  Much like life, no matter how much we plan and plot, things happen and monkey wrenches are tossed into the best laid plans.  Meh.  Take it in stride or your blood pressure goes up.  When you have a houseful of kids (and now grandkids) you soon learn that things get broke, other things get spilled, things come up missing and NOBODY did it.  If I ever find this invisible person named ‘Nobody’, I think I’m going to wring his neck.  Until then, he’ll continue to get the blame piled on his poor unfortunate soul.

Is there a point to my rambling?  Ha!  You should be so lucky.  Actually, yes, there was.  I’m finding a pretty consistent theme to the questions being asked.  Whether via email, Facebook or posts here on the blog.  What’s next for the Monster Squad?  Will there truly be a ‘next’ book in the series?  The answer is YES.  MS5 Homecoming has been sent to my editor and I’m in the middle of MS6.

Homecoming - Heath Stallcup

MS5 is planned for a September-ish release.  As we’ve all come to realize, it could be early, it could be later.  MS6 has been renamed from Snapback to Wayward Son.  The story took on an interesting twist and although the original title could have worked, Wayward Son is much more appropriate. I have a feeling that MS7 will probably take the title Snapback.

The compilation of the first four was placed on a back burner for a while.  Things at WHC weren’t what was expected and interest in a hardback compilation seems to have dwindled somewhat.  Will it still happen?  Perhaps in time, but there isn’t a huge push to make it so.

Will there be a YA spin-off of the Monster Squad?  As of now, it is only in the planning stages.  All of the ingredients are there.  MS5 & 6 lay the groundwork for a young adult series to spring from the original, but it isn’t etched in stone.  A different YA series has been discussed since Phoenix was originally published but the idea lost steam until recently when it was revived during a brainstorming session.  Totally unrelated to the MS storyline, this YA series would be centered around a shape-shifting family that still had to deal with common problems that most families see touching their lives in one way or another.

Caldera is sitting at the editor’s and the second in the trilogy is now only a few chapters into the story.  Things will have to be revamped in the storyline to prevent appearing as if it is stealing ideas from popular TV shows. Shortly after Caldera II – Return to Yellowstone was begun, certain TV shows aired that paralleled a lot of ideas that were highlighted in the story.  Rather than try to explain why there were so many coincidences, I thought it better to simply rewrite the story and omit anything that gave the appearance of being another person’s idea. So, it’s back to almost the beginning.

I know, that isn’t much in the way of ‘updating’ but honestly, not a lot has been happening.  I slacked off this summer.  Took it easier.  Dealt with things other than writing.  Now, it’s almost time to put the nose to the grindstone and get caught up.  I have to have MS6 & 7 to MDP by September.  And they have to measure up.  I need to have Caldera II to Todd by then as well.  Something tells me that I probably won’t make that one.  Not since I had to delete the better portion of the story.

Stay tuned.  Things are constantly changing, but I’ll keep you up as they happen.

Heath

 
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Posted by on August 3, 2014 in Uncategorized

 

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My Plea To You

24 Apr

I’ll try to keep this short and sweet.  Nobody likes to read through tons of unnecessary verbage so…

If you have read ANY of my published works and could take a few moments from your busy schedule to leave a review at Amazon, I would be eternally grateful.  You know (especially if you’ve read through my mind spew here) how important reviews are.  I also know how valuable your time is.  That is why I hate to ask, but I feel compelled to at the same time.

I’ve put up a standing offer at my Facebook author page for those who leave an honest review and then contact me with their address, I will send them their choice of either a silicon wrist band or some bumper stickers.

wrist bands

Bumper Sticker

I know it’s not much, but it’s my way of saying thank you for taking your time to do something to help me. Especially at this time of year.  I realize that the school year is winding down, summer ball is gearing up, kids are excited for summer, parents are trying to make plans for summer vacations, etc.  It’s a busy time.  Taking time from your busy schedule for something like this just means that much more.

For those who can, thank you.

Heath

 
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Posted by on April 24, 2014 in Uncategorized

 

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Tipping Point

16 Apr

I really didn’t like my last entry.  It definitely felt like a ‘blog filler’.  This place is supposed to be my little place on the interwebs to come to be closer to you, the reader.  A place where I keep you up on how things are going, what’s new and what’s happening. Since nothing was new but it had been so long since my last entry, I felt compelled to put something up anyway.  The result didn’t sit well with me.

Since then, little has changed.  But the ‘little’ that has is still kind of cool to me.  So I thought I’d share it with you.

First, I’ve reached the tipping point on MS5.  Things are definitely picking up and will be accelerating quickly as I reach the cliffhanger conclusion of this installment of the new saga.  Old friends may or may not survive this next offering.  As many of you came to discover, nobody is safe.  There was a reason behind the losses in MS4.  It may not be apparent, but they are there.  I got a lot of hate mail over those deaths.  I’ve also gotten a LOT more negative criticisms over the last two books, as well.  I’ve actually debated coming here and trying to address them, but…that’s not what this blog is about.  I’ve stated before, the story told itself.  I just typed it.  There are reasons for why things happened the way they did.  We don’t have to like them.  I didn’t like them, how can I expect others to?  Anywho…

Second, I made a new friend.  A new friend that SHOULD play Laura Youngblood if the Monster Squad ever got made into a movie.  Well…if she’s close to six foot tall, she should.  It’s kind of funny, but we hit it off like old high school buddies.  She decides to help me ‘dress up my site’ and when I see a current picture of her.  I nearly fell over.  When I write of Laura…THAT was the face I saw.  It was spooky. Because when I say it was Laura, I don’t mean ‘she kind of sort of looked a little like her if you turn the picture sideways and squint a little…’ No.  I mean, it was as if somebody reached inside my head, pulled the Laura Youngblood file, yanked her photo from her service record and then posted it on Facebook.  Weird, eh?  Well, it was pretty cool, anyway.  Because this gal is really sharp and she’s going to make my website look really professional.  Rather than just a blog, it will have a splash page.  For those of you who are techno-stoopid like me (she had to explain it to me, too) it’s like a portal page with neat graphics and hyperlinks to my blog, links to my books and other stuff like that.  I don’t want to say any more about it because she may scrap the whole idea and go a completely different way.

So…that’s what’s new.  I’m still pushing against the September deadline, but I think it will be good.  Hopefully, I can get this saga pounded out while it’s all still somewhat fresh on my mind and then hand it over to Todd to polish.

Ooh…yeah.  Okay.  I wasn’t going to say anything about the other novels that have been kind of standing by the wayside while I concentrated on the MS series…but.  I sent Corson to a different publishing house for consideration.  No…I’m not upset with MDP.  Let’s quash that rumor before it ever gets started.  But the fact is, they’re swamped.  And it’s just not a high priority.  I understand that.  In fact, I’m okay with that. I talked with Denise and she’s given me her blessing so I feel good about the move with that one.
I also got the opportunity to submit both Whispers and Caldera to an agent via a friend of mine.  A real agent that deals with the big NY publishers.  While I’m not holding my breath, I am hopeful that they are well received.  After all, Whispers is my personal favorite and Caldera is my missus’ favorite. I have no idea how long it will take to hear back on those two, but I’m daring to hope.  The agent is just the first step.

So, that wraps up everything.  Unless you want to know about how well supper went?  We decided to use our new grill tonight.  I made steamed carrots and steamed corn, cheesy squash and grilled sirloin.  Chicken for the girls because that’s their favorite.  Then we had…huh?  Oh.  You don’t care?  Okay.  I can take a hint.

 
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Posted by on April 16, 2014 in Uncategorized

 

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Spread Too Thin

22 Feb

Well, as I announced in my previous blog post, to get the creative juices flowing, I began working on a second story in tandem with the fifth installment of the Monster Squad, Homecoming.  I think I opened a can of worms.  Although the two stories were beginning to form up nicely, more and more ideas began popping into this echoing cavern of a noodle of mine.  The problem?  The ideas had nothing to do with the two stories I was working on.  They did, however, have to do with another story that I wanted to make into a trilogy…or a short series.

What to do??
Why, start a THIRD story as well.  All while doing some minor editing on the first three MS stories and putting them back to back and restructuring the chapters in them for a little World Horror Con surprise.  And breaking ground on a fourth little project that had been bouncing around in my head just so it would quit ricocheting off other ideas and really throwing me for loops.

So now, when I sit at my computer, the first major decision is…which one of these can of worms do I want to stick my hands into?  Which story is calling to me?  I had to draw a line in the sand.  No more.  No matter how many ideas flow from this stupid mind of mine, there is simply no way I could create them all.  I wish I could…believe me, I do.  There are stories just itching to pour forth, but my old arthritic hands can only pound out so many words at a time.  And not all of the stories are worth the effort.  At least, not to me.

Hmm.  Is it a focus problem?  Is it a time management problem?  Or maybe it’s just a sanity problem…too many alternate realities jockeying for pole position?  Regardless, it alleviates one problem.  When I sit at my computer and my brain draws a blank on a particular project, I can quickly switch to another and see if anything comes to mind.  While I absolutely DETEST doing things this way, I fear that at least for now, it’s how I’ll have to operate.

So there we have it.  The inane ramblings of an inane storyteller.  Oh yeah…I think I’m going to drop the whole ‘author’ thing.  Some people take the title way too seriously.  I don’t want to be one of those people.  So, I think I prefer the title ‘Storyteller’.  I feel it fits better.
For now, anyway.

 
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Posted by on February 22, 2014 in Uncategorized

 

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Strategies

11 Feb

I’m trying something new.  I sort of had to.  I’ve been working on MS5 and it’s been an uphill battle the entire way.  This is unusual for me because the characters had literally come to life previously.  They told their own story.  Even after I had decided that the story was finished and I was moving on to other pastures, snippets of their continuing lives continued to bombard my mind at odd times.  Like, while driving.  Or in the shower.  Or while talking on the phone.  Key scenes of what ‘should happen next’ flooded my mind while I tried to write other stories.  My wife was right (again).  I should have written it down…because now that I’m actually trying to WRITE MS5…blank.  My mind turns into a wasteland and I can literally hear the winds blowing between my ears.  If I close my eyes, I can see tumbleweeds scampering across the dank recesses of my mind.

What to do, what to do??

Start a different book instead, that’s what.  And of course, the ideas start flowing again.
So, for the first time, I’m trying to write two different books at the same time.  Even though Caldera isn’t scheduled to be released until March, I’m working on the followup to it now and it has gotten the creative juices flowing once more.  After sitting at my computer screen and drawing a blank for so long, I’ve found that getting the story down isn’t such a chore.  It’s still slow going since I’m bouncing between two stories now and I’m constantly having to remind myself what occurred in the past, at least the creative juices are flowing again and progress is being made.

As pappy used to say, do what you gotta do to get it done.  If it means writing two stories to get one out, then so be it.

 
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Posted by on February 11, 2014 in Uncategorized

 

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Bits of Tid…er, Tidbits?

21 Jan

Is there really a point to this late night blog entry?  Sort of.  Kinda, but not really?  Most of my blog entries are at such odd times.  While most ‘bloggers’ try to time their blog posts to where the most people will see them, I write mine when I can.  You see, I have a new full time job.  It’s as a full time Grumpy to my youngest grandson, Poot.  Yes, that is his name.  I know it is, cuz I gave it to him.  Sometimes being a grandpa has its perks.

Anyway, with mom having to reenter the work force and daycare rates being so high, I got voluntold that I get to watch him.  At 5 months old, he and I have a lot in common.  We both have few teeth, little hair, we cry a lot, have strange smells that emanate from our bodies and we both can be pretty whiny.  Really, we’re about even at the moment. While I’ve got him beat in that I’m not in diapers, he has me beat in the ‘cuteness’ department…but that’s sort of subjective.

And apparently, we both have the attention span of a fruitfly because I almost forgot the point to all of this.  Due to my new full time employment, my online presence will be greatly diminished.  Okay, it will be almost nil.  Unless it’s late at night.  Same thing goes for my writing.  But, since I did most of my writing at night anyway, that part won’t really take a beating.

Since I was roaming the halls of this blog tonight, cleaning up a few corners, updating the ‘Works’ page by adding Amazon links to COD, (which came out a day EARLY for those paying attention) and just generally making things a little more presentable, I thought I’d drop a line to those few who frequent here and let you know…I may not be around as much as I used to be.  I still intend to meet the deadlines as set forth by my publisher.  At least, I will do my absolute BEST to meet those deadlines.  We still have Caldera penciled in for a March release.  We’re still planning on May for MS4 Blood Apocalypse.  I’ve got folks looking at Forneus Corson to see if there is some way to salvage it.  I’m currently working on MS5 The Return, and we’re hoping for a January release for it.  It won’t be until 2015 that things really get messy.  By then, I’m supposed to have a new release every couple months…alternating between an MS story and (hopefully) the Caldera line.  That is FULL-TIME writing.  So unless I can figure out how to teach Poot the in’s and out’s to a word processor…I may need to invest in a Velcro wall and a special suit for the little guy…and some noise cancelling headphones.

 
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Posted by on January 21, 2014 in Uncategorized

 

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MS3 Target: Monday!

17 Jan

If you’re one of the few who have been waiting for the release of MS3, Coalition of the Damned, your wait grows shorter.  The target release date is set for Monday.  But, if we’ve learned anything over the last year, we know that sometimes things happen.  So, if it doesn’t happen Monday, please, let’s keep the hate mail to a minimum.  Angry mobs with pitchforks and flaming torches, please try to be just a little more patient.  Besides, I’m not really sure if two people cursing in my yard shaking a pitchfork is REALLY considered an ‘angry mob’ these days, but hey, I’ll call it what it’s meant to be.

Either way, as announced before, we’ve included a wee peek into the world of viral infected zombies at the end of this one.  With luck, come March, you’ll be able to dive into a whole new world where man has fallen from his perch at the ‘top of the food chain’.

Caldera

Caldera is my first dive into the zombie infected pool and it’s my hope that you’ll enjoy it enough to allow it to be my next series.

So, with that said, enjoy your weekend, wrap up whatever else you may be in the middle of reading and get ready for the third installment in the Monster Squad series.

 
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Posted by on January 17, 2014 in Uncategorized

 

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