Tag Archives: ChiZine

The ‘Geisters by David Nickle spotlight

Posted by Jessica ( frellathon ) on June 18, 2013 1 comments

I’m pleased to share another CZP publication, The ‘Geisters by David Nickle. Today is magical release day so you can get your paws on it and when you see the cover omg you will so want to. The blurb is just outstanding. I’m dying to read it. David is a great guy to work with and CZP does nothing but high quality reads and covers for us readers to enjoy so yeah enjoy, you can rave to me after.

My thanks to David Nickle and ChiZine for allowing me to share such great reads.

The 'Geisters cover

 

The ‘Geisters

by David Nickle

When Ann LeSage was a little girl, she had an invisible friend—a poltergeist, that spoke to her with flying knives and howling winds. She called it the Insect. And with a little professional help, she contained it. And the nightmare was over, at least for a time. But the nightmare never truly ended. As Ann grew from girl into young woman, the Insect grew with her. It became more than terrifying. It became a thing of murder. Now, as she embarks on a new life married to successful young lawyer, Michael Voors, Ann believes that she finally has the Insect under control. But there are others vying to take that control away from her. They may not know exactly what they’re dealing with, but they know they want it. They are the ’Geisters. And in pursuing their own perverse dream, they risk spawning the most terrible nightmare of all.

The ‘Geisters also has a theme song boom! It can be downloaded at Kari Maaren

Lyrics:The ‘Geisters

Don’t misunderstand
What I am wanting here.
People call us a cult,
Say we yearn for control,
Exercise that control through fear.
But everything that I’ve done,
Everything that I want to do
Is explained by the pure,
Purifying emotions
I always have felt for you.
You say you had no choice?
Well, you should rejoice.

You have power beyond
What I have ever seen.
I worship that power
Through your total subjection;
There is no in between.
If I left you alone,
How could anyone call that praise?
I enslave you because
I respect you so much.
I’m respecting you with my gaze.
Despite what’s happening here,
My motives are clear:

I did it for love.
I did it for you.
It’s strange that you claim
You didn’t want me to.
In the end, this will be
Win-win…well, mostly for me.
But come on: you gotta agree,
I did it for love.

Okay, I’ll admit
I aim to dominate
You, for if you are mine,
If your greatness is bent
To my will, then I must be great.
You should be very proud,
For clearly, you have been sent
To provide me the means
To start on the path,
The path to enlightenment.
I am quite under your spell.
You say it hurts you? Oh well.

I did it for love.
I did it for you.
It’s strange that you claim
You didn’t want me to.
In the end, this will be
Win-win…well, mostly for me.
But come on: you gotta agree,
I did it for love.

[Bridge]

You have made it clear
That you are quite upset.
You have bided your time,
Taken bloody revenge,
But I’m not discouraged yet.
For the more you rebel,
The more satisfied I will be
When I finally break you.
Believe me, I will.
You are meant to belong to me.
You had better give in.
It’s clear you can’t win.

Sure, evidence suggests
That you have won this round.
I’m surrounded by corpses,
Lying twisted in pain
In a wretched heap on the ground.
It is sweet that you think
That you have the power here.
See, since you are mine,
Your power’s mine too.
I’m revelling in your fear.
You should really have guessed
You’re built to be possessed.

I did it for love.
I did it for you.
It’s strange that you claim
You didn’t want me to.
In the end, this will be
Win-win…well, mostly for me.
But come on: you gotta agree,
I did it for love.

I did it for love.
I did it for you.
It’s strange that you claim
You didn’t want me to.
In the end, this will be
Win-win…well, mostly for me.
But come on: you gotta agree,
I did it for love.
I did it for love.
I did it for love.

Credits:

“The ‘Geisters” was written and performed by Kari Maaren: www.karimaaren.com

It was based on THE ‘GEISTERS, a novel by David Nickle: chizinepub.com/books/geisters.php

It was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Devin Melanson of the Pond Studio: www.thepondstudio.ca

The video was shot and edited by Carlos Parra: carlosparra.ca

The novel’s cover art is by Erik Mohr: www.erikmohr.com

James Marshall interview, author of Zombies Versus Fairy Featuring Albinos

Posted by Jessica ( frellathon ) on June 2, 2013 2 comments

How delightful to be sucked in by a title alone. When you add a book to your TBR list just because the title grabs your attention and makes you go damn I need to check that out you know you’ve got an author you need to pester into an interview. Success!

James kindly agrees to let me poke around his noggin. In addition to his awesome sounding How to End Human Suffering series that I’d love to read his book Lets not let a little thing like the end of the world come between us is one that I simply must read.            Zombies Versus Fairy Featuring Albinos was released May 15th by ChiZine publications.

My great thanks to James.

ZVF cover

 

In a PERFECT world where everyone DESTROYS everything and eats HUMAN FLESH, one ZOMBIE has had enough: BUCK BURGER. When he rebels at the natural DISORDER, his marriage starts DETERIORATING and a doctor prescribes him an ANTI-DEPRESSANT. Buck meets a beautiful GREEN-HAIRED pharmacist fairy named FAIRY_26 and quickly becomes a pawn in a COLD WAR between zombies and SUPERNATURAL CREATURES. As Fairy_26 flies him between her tree-branch apartment in FAIRYLAND and an aircraft-carrier PIRATE SHIP in a zombie-infested DYSTOPIA, Buck Burger struggles to make sense of it all and remain FAITHFUL to his OVERBEARING wife. Does sixteen-year-old SPIRITUAL LEADER and pirate GUY BOY MAN make an appearance? Of course! Are there MIND-CONTROLLING ALBINOS? Obviously! Is there hot ZOMBIE-ON-FAIRY action? Maybe! WHY AREN’T YOU READING THIS YET?

 

  • Please tell me something about you that no one knows.

My dad doesn’t think I’m funny.

  • What are you reading now?

Unfortunately, I’m not reading anything right now. I try to avoid influences when I’m writing. It’s the worst part. I really miss it and I have a lot of author friends whose books I really want to check out.

  • What is your work space and writing routine like?

My work space is totally barren. Again, I try to avoid influences. I want everything to come from within. Of course things make their way in from without. But they have to be important to stick with me. I’m not saying this is the way other people should do it. It just works for me.

  • How do you spend your time when you’re not writing?

I play guitar for eight hours a day and I have for two or three years now. You’d think I’d be really good but I’m not. I don’t even play songs. I practice scales and strumming patterns and picking techniques. I don’t know that I could entertain with my guitar playing but I like doing it.

  • Is there a genre you haven’t yet written but would like to try?

I’m interested in the genres of science fiction and action / thriller. I think it’s mostly because my dad likes them and it’d be nice to write something he’d like.

  • How did you pick the titles for your novels and how long did it take you to come up with them?

Usually there’s a line that sticks out. But it was a little different with NINJA VERSUS PIRATE FEATURING ZOMBIES and ZOMBIE VERSUS FAIRY FEATURING ALBINOS. I was just trying to cram in as many keywords as possible.

  • Please tell me about your novel Let’s Not Let A Little Thing Like The End Of The World Come Between Us.

It’s actually a collection of short stories. One is about a young couple that chases forest fires. Another is about a young woman in a cult. One is about a man who witnesses a shooting. They’re all “literary” stories. I wanted to show that I could do that “high art” stuff before I turned to genre fiction. It’s a good book. You should definitely check it out!

  • Please tell me about your How To End Human Suffering series.

The first book in the series is NINJA VERSUS PIRATE FEATURING ZOMBIES. It’s about a sixteen-year-old pirate and spiritual leader named Guy Boy Man. He’s the only living human who can see zombies everywhere, controlling everything. While he rallies others to his cause, which is to end human suffering worldwide and in his high school, Guy struggles to maintain a relationship with a cute, pink-haired girl named Baby Doll15 who has a unicorn that follows her everywhere.

The second book in the series is ZOMBIE VERSUS FAIRY FEATURING ALBINOS. It’s about a depressed zombie named Buck Burger. With his marriage crumbling and a prescription for an anti-depressant in hand, Buck meets a beautiful green-haired pharmacist fairy named Fairy_26. He quickly becomes a pawn in a cold war between zombies and supernatural creatures.

The How To End Human Suffering series is a mash-up of the real and online worlds. To learn more, please visit www.howtoendhumansuffering.com

  • What do readers have to look forward to next?

To keep up with me, please follow me on Twitter @james_marshall and friend me on Facebook: www.facebook.com/authorjamesmarshall

  • Are you all stocked up and prepared for the apocalypse?

No. I’m not even equipped for regular life. 🙂

 

NVPFZIn a world where ZOMBIES control banks and governments, only one young man sees the way things are and emerges from the CHAOS and destruction: GUY BOY MAN. While he tries to end human suffering worldwide and in his high school, Guy Boy Man meets a cute PINK-HAIRED girl named BABYDOLL15 who has a UNICORN that follows her everywhere. An EPIC ROMANCE begins, but forces BEYOND THEIR CONTROL are intent on keeping the young couple apart. One of those FORCES may–or may not be!–Guy Boy Man’s closest friend, a handsome African-American NINJA named SWEETIE HONEY; another could be four EXOTICALLY BEAUTIFUL, genetically engineered and behaviorally modified EASTERN EUROPEAN GIRLS; yet another, the principal of their HIGH SCHOOL . . . not to mention an impending standardized test known as the ZOMBIE ACCEPTANCE TEST! Will Guy Boy Man find a way to be with Baby Doll15 in a WORLD WHERE EVERYONE IS DOOMED to become either zombies or zombie food !! Ninja Versus Pirate Featuring Zombies is part Napoleon Dynamite, part The Matrix, and ALL AWESOME. It’s the first book in the How To End Human Suffering series.

jamesmarshallJames Marshall’s short fiction has appeared in numerous Canadian literary magazines: PRISM International, The Malahat Review, Exile, The Literary Quarterly, and Prairie Fire. One of his stories was nominated for the National Magazine Award for fiction, the M&S Journey Prize, and it was a finalist in the 22nd Annual Western Magazine Awards, 2004. A collection of his short stories, Let’s Not Let A Little Thing Like The End Of The World Come Between Us, was published by Thistledown Press in 2004, and it was shortlisted for both the 2005 Commonwealth Writers’ Prize (Caribbean and Canada Region) in the “Best First Book” category, and the ReLit Award for short fiction.

James can be reached on his web site / Facebook/ Twitter / Goodreads
His books are available in ebook and print

Teaser Tuesday – Rasputin’s Bastards by David Nickle

Posted by Jessica ( frellathon ) on May 21, 2013 None comments

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Rasputin's Bastards

One of the publishers that I <3 so much is Chizine. They have such unique great reads books that should be on everyones radar.

Rasputin’s Bastards is no different.

 

The telephone conversation he had just before he got on the trans-Atlantic flight to New York, not two days after the first, had a remarkably different tone to it:
“You weren’t fuckin’ kidding.” Bucci was giggling, like a kid who’d just found pirate treasure. “It’s there all right.

Westlake Soul by Rio Youers review

Posted by Jessica ( frellathon ) on January 1, 2013 2 comments

ChiZine publications have been extremely generous with me, sending me many great books for review not to mention wonderful content to share with you all. The first of theirs that I have read is Westlake Soul a fantastic well written novel that I am pleased to have as my first post of the year and a review no less.

Westlake

 

Have you ever read a book and been so impressed with what the author has done that you totally are at a loss as to writing an appropriate review. Westlake Soul is quite the character. As the story is told exclusively from Westlakes’s point of view we get to know him quite well.

Westlake is a good man but Westlake is trapped inside himself. The once active man surfer champ who has it all a family, money and a beautiful woman who loves him and he too loves, now he is in a vegitative state. He drools on himself he has to be washed and has his adult diapers changed, he now depends on others to care for his body. His mind however is more active than ever. His head injury resulting in him being a genius superhero. He can travel the world in an instant all on mind power. He knows things and can now even communicate with the family dog the only one who knows he’s still in there and not just an empty shell.

What does a superhero who can do anything but get his mind and body back into sync do when time starts to run out? When his arch nemisis ( what every superhero has one ) Dr. Quietus comes for him, can he find a way out. This is a powerful impressive story, character focused but story rich, deep, witty, charming and highly entertaining.

This story is original, the characters Westlake obviously in particular is so well written and he Westlake makes this story. It is one that simply must be read.

All superheroes get their powers from somewhere. A radioactive spider bite. A science experiment gone awry. I got mine from a surfing accident in Tofino. The ultimate wipeout. I woke up with the most powerful mind on the planet, but a body like a wet paper bag…” Meet Westlake Soul, a twenty-three-year-old former surfing champion. A loving son and brother. But if you think he’s just a regular dude, think again; Westlake is in a permanent vegetative state. He can’t move, has no response to stimuli, and can only communicate with Hub, the faithful family dog. And like all superheroes, Westlake has an archenemy: Dr. Quietus – a nightmarish embodiment of Death itself. Westlake dreams of a normal life – of surfing and loving again. But time is running out; Dr. Quietus is getting closer, and stronger. Can Westlake use his superbrain to recover… to slip his enemy’s cold embrace before it’s too late?

Teaser Tuesday – Westlake Soul by Rio Youers

Posted by Jessica ( frellathon ) on October 29, 2012 2 comments

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

“Euthanasia is illegal in Canada, Mr. Soul”

“So enduring a quick, merciful death is illegal,” Dad said. “But allowing someone to starve for an indeterminate amount of time is perfectly acceptable?”

 


“All superheroes get their powers from somewhere. A radioactive spider bite. A science experiment gone awry. I got mine from a surfing accident in Tofino. The ultimate wipeout. I woke up with the most powerful mind on the planet, but a body like a wet paper bag…” Meet Westlake Soul, a twenty-three-year-old former surfing champion. A loving son and brother. But if you think he’s just a regular dude, think again; Westlake is in a permanent vegetative state. He can’t move, has no response to stimuli, and can only communicate with Hub, the faithful family dog. And like all superheroes, Westlake has an archenemy: Dr. Quietus – a nightmarish embodiment of Death itself. Westlake dreams of a normal life – of surfing and loving again. But time is running out; Dr. Quietus is getting closer, and stronger. Can Westlake use his superbrain to recover… to slip his enemy’s cold embrace before it’s too late?