For the Love of Death by Tamara Rose Blodgett
(Death #7)
Publication date: September 5th 2014
Genres: Adult, Dystopia
Synopsis:The year is 2049 and in the new dystopian order, the Randoms have risen to the top like cream. Earth faces dire consequences because of the Helix Complex and their illicit use of mass-sterilization. Many who could have children, were made into mules from the virulent Zondorae concoction of 2030.
Now middle-aged, Death’s children do their best to move forward in a world where technology and paranormal powers collide in a mix of tragedy and circumstance. Zombies have been raised for the slave trade by those Randoms in power.
Paxton Hart and Parker’s twin girls are grown and on the radar for those that understand how critical they are for the future. The tight-knit circle of friends continues to network for solutions to the depravity that has taken hold.
Can the original group right a tremendous wrong? Will the new generation of Randoms find a solution for propagation, or will their power base cannibalize those who choose harmony instead of greed?
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“Hello?” Gramps voice bellows into the phone like falling gravel.“Hey Gramps, it's Caleb.”“I know who it is. I've got caller ID as part of my bundle, ya know.”Caller ID. The most archaic thing on the planet.Jade's lips quirk, easily making out his side of the conversation.“He needs another ear replacement,” she says quietly. I nod, putting a finger to my lips.“Right. Listen, Gramps... Deegan and Paxton are MIA. Ya know where they are?”Jade and I stopped at two kids. Felt like ten. There wasn't enough protection in the world for our kids as Randoms. We still worry.The open line buzzes. “Both the kids were here. Pax and I changed the oil out on the Camaro...”Good, Pax needs that connection.“There was a little incident with Deedie.”Jade covers her mouth with a hand, eyes wide. I wrap her forearm with my hand.Images flow.She nods, taking a shaky inhale.“What's going on?”“Clyde brought her. Some ruffian is trying to vamp her psychic energy right out of her.”“Brad Thompson,” Jade says, throwing her arms down by her sides, color spreading across her cheekbones.I'm so pissed it should be illegal. I can feel my old friend Rage come knocking. I concentrate on my breathing.I hate some of these Randoms. My prejudice is worse than everyone's because I was part of the problem.Now we have abilities in the few kids who are left that aren't catalogued. Like trees, they have all kinds of branches.This shitty Null is also a Drainer. Our government won't give them a name but us leftovers will.What Thompson is doing is illegal. His father is also the head of the sanctions. He pulls every undead legislation he can.The prick.Jade plucks my sleeve and I take my free hand and cup the back of her head. “Is she okay, Caleb?” She worries at her lip with her teeth.Gramps says, “She's okay, Caleb—just shook up.”A breath whistles out of me.“Okay. So here's the $64,000,000,000 question: where are she and Pax?”Silence.I hear Gramps do a swipe of his face with his palm. Deep exhale.“Should've been home 'bout now, son.”Jade shakes her head. “They're not,” she whispers at my side.“They're not, Gramps.”I don't ask why my zombie, Clyde happened to be corpse-on-the-spot for Deegan. I don't ask why her Null guard was absent. I don't ask any of that.Instead I ask, “Gramps...”“I'll find her.”“And Pax?”“You don't worry about him. He needs to figure out his own way about Ali, son....”AUTHOR BIO
Tamara Rose Blodgett is the author of forty titles, including her NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY bestselling novel, A Terrible Love. Tamara writes a variety of dark fiction in the genres of fantasy, science fiction, romance and erotica. She lives in South Dakota with her family and is an ardent reader who enjoys interacting with her readers.
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Zombie Romance; Death-Style
Did you read that title?No one could love a zombie.Well, I do. And so do a bunch of other peeps, apparently. Zombie fiction isn't all post-apocalyptic, disease carrying, mindless brain eaters. (Some of my zombies do get distracted by a tidy meal of brains. But that's for another guest post.)As I write this, FOR the LOVE of DEATH is getting ready to blow up on Amazon for all the hordes of readers to descend and devour.I'm all for that.Is the Death Series about zombie love? Oh yes. But it's a bunch of other things too. It's dystopian. Dark fantasy ( a soft sort of horror, but horror nonetheless). Death is also suspenseful, witty and coming-of-age. My main demographic of readers is females ages 25-34. After that? It's post-60. Isn't that something? I never thought a teen male-POV would interest anyone except... you got it: a teen male-POV. Then Death got its teeth in the readers. Guys discovered it, middle-aged women (I'm one of those so no diss there, girls), teens and older people. Yes, I said elderly. They read and everything. (That's tongue in cheek, lest I get hate mail.)What makes Death different? For starters, it's male POV. And there's just not much lit out there that is. There's even less from a teen boy's POV. I didn't know any better. I have four sons who complained endlessly about all the “drivel” of chicks who thought they could write like a guy thought.So this chick thought: why not? It's certainly harder to speak from a teen girl's POV as there aren't any of them galloping around the house. I went for it, and the rest is history.I thought I'd “grow” the teens through high school and be done at book six. But they kept talking, and readers kept asking for Death (I love how that sounds). Now they're all grown up with some kids of their own. It's a futuristic setting so I've taken liberties with some of the characters as you'll see if you begin the Death odyssey. I know it's a little weird, but my fave character is the MC's grandpa, “Gramps.” You ever meet anyone that knows who they are to the marrow? And they're simply indifferent to change or compromise? Filter-less? Yes, that's Mac O'Brien. And I simply can't seem to “retire” him. I also adore the MC zombie, Clyde. He died in a post-depression America and has not let his principles slide. He and Mac get along great.I threw romance in Death #7, parallel earths, horror, action, comedic dialog, agony, drama and suspense. The pace is fierce (I guess I'm not terrific at slow pacing), and some resolution takes place, along with questions.Does Deegan's zombie survive? Will Paxton save his Gram? Is Brad Thompson and his dad going to corrupt another earth through Zombie slaving? It's a new earth with the same problems. Where there's power, there is also greed. I had a terrific time writing Death. So much so, I'm already devising a Death 8. Since Death 7 is a spin-off; a case of the “stales” shall not be had.Book one, Death Whispers, is currently in audio production and I have to say, it was in the top ten surreal experiences of my life to listen to my own words. What I really got out of listening is how mature DW is in some respects. It captures the changes teens experience on the chasm of near-adulthood. Death began as a YA crossover series and is now firmly in the new adult/adult genre. Fans of dystopian, hard sci-fi, paranormal romance, fantasy and action with snappy dialog should dig death.If you're looking for a unique narrative, jam-packed with action and fast pacing, Death just might be for you. Especially for if you have a crush on zombies....
Hybrid Authoring
Indie?Traditional?Hybrid?What on God's green earth are all these new monikers for authors now? Well, we're a secret club, making these classifications as difficult as possible to figure out for our readers!Ha! Just joking. Actually, until a few years ago, it was pretty straight forward.You (the author) wrote a really cool story, sent it out to a million agents, hoped someone gave a care, and got published by one of the Big Five publishing houses.Sounds reasonable.Not.I wrote my first book in 2007, and was so inspired by TWILIGHT. I know there's readers out there rolling their eyes so hard in their collective heads it's like a seizure. I hear you, I do. But Twilight was a big deal. Why? It helped put YA paranormal romance on the map; big time. Did you know that Fifty Shades is fan fiction based on Twilight? Yeah. Twilight was revolutionary. I loved it. I wrote Blood Singers and finished it after reading that book. I was too chicken to send it out so I put BS in a drawer. Then I hit on the idea for Death Whispers and did get brave enough to send it out. I fully expected a ton of rejections. I got a few (lol). Then there were agents who made helpful comments (yay!). Then one agent wanted a partial (that's about 50 pages).I was stoked like a chimney on fire.Then he was like: revise this hard and I'll look at it again.I was crushed! What? He doesn't like my “baby?”Well—yeah. But the good news? The really great news? He gave me hope. I revised the MS hard (like a good girl). The day before I was going to send him the entire thing, I heard about Amanda Hocking. A chick that was truly brave had tossed her stories on Amazon. I was riveted.Could I do that?Yes.So I did.Self-publishing changed my life. A homemaker of twenty-five years that always wrote stories can [now] do it as a job?But was I really a writer if I didn't get pubbed from a Big Five?Yes.It sure felt real when I was working 40-60 hour weeks, at a minimum. Then Hubs encouraged me to write under a pen name. He made it up himself (super-sexy). I wrote a lot of titles under that name.Then A Terrible Love came out under my pen name and made the New York Times list. I about died. (I had an agent by then.) She phoned and told me, because the magic reaches their ears first.Did I feel like I was a real writer then?No. I felt like I was a writer in 2007 when I finished Blood Singers.Then Simon and Schuster picked up ATL and had me write two more books. That's when I became a “hybrid.”I'm not the only indie who went on to get a traditional book deal from a Big Five publisher.I've done both now, and love the hybrid thing. It diversifies an author. That said, I am completely pleased to self-publish and enjoy the freedom the Amazon platform provides.I dig a guest post that breaks down the mystique of a profession. And that is the case with writing. It's a cool job. But like any job, it's hard work. Now we have Amazon and our dream of storytelling can be realized whether it be through self-pubbing or traditional.Being a hybrid is a wonderful thing.
--25$ Amazon Gift Card + paperback of For the Love of Death
Open to US/CA/AU/GB/UK; ends September 15th
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