Update
Let’s see if I can bring together enough brain cells to write this coherently enough.
i have been working approximately 240 hours per month, with minimal days off, for the last 4 months. Because of that work, most everything in my life has suffered tremendously in one way or another.
As for my writing, that has taken a serious hit. Serious enough that my writing has actually been non-existent.
Fortunately, I came up with a solution. I have invited a man by the name of Neil Blankenship to join me in a joint writing venture. Neil excitedly said yes, and as soon as I push through a prior commitment, Neil and I will be working on one of my projects, Slow Burn.
Other than that, I am simply working towards a boat, and once I have it, the insane hours will come to an end.
thanks for your patience!
Pavlov’s Dogs, free this weekend
FREE this weekend! PAVLOV’S DOGS by David Snell & Thom Brannan for Kindle. Go download it to read now or later for nothing–zero, zip, gratis! Get your copy here.
“It really is a case of a book which feels very much like it needs to be adapted into a movie, as it offers action, drama, scares, gore and a well-paced story which readers are going to love.”–Horrornews.net
Even if you’re not planning to read the book right this moment, we’d greatly appreciate you getting a copy as it will boost the Amazon rank and make the book more visible. If you’re logged in to Amazon it just takes a single click!
Where have I been lately?
Well, unfortunately, work has been taking it’s toll on me. I have been working with only two days off this entire month, and I am about ready to slap someone just for breathing.
Not only does that kind of a work schedule take a toll on my personal and physical life, it also takes a toll on my writing time. I have made no progress the past several weeks on any of my writing projects.
What am I working on?
Well, I have a zombie novel titled Slow Burn that is SO CLOSE but still so far away.
I am working on a military sci-fi novel with Eric Brown that is fast approaching the halfway mark.
And I have the start to a second Avery Nolan adventure that has been picked up by TwinStar Media.
But none of them are progressing because I am nothing but a zombie myself.
Fortunately, I have a new motivation in my life, and one that requires money. Right now, the only way to make more money is to sell another book. Now if I can just stop working such ungodly hours I can even crack one of my books, maybe I will get somewhere.
Thanks for your patience, there are good things on the horizon.
Tony
Crypticon Seattle, WA May 25, 26, 27
Just a reminder that if you find yourself in Seattle, Washington this weekend, I and my fellow Permuted Press authors will be attending the largest horror convention in the NorthWest, Crypticon.
Also in attendance will be celebrities like Don Coscarelli (Phantasm), Danielle Harris (Rob Zombie’s Halloween), Doug Bradley (Hellraiser), Sonny Landham (Predator) and Dee Wallace (E.T.). Other artists attending include Robert Elrod (artist), Lyle Perez (author and Rainstorm Press), and many more.
http://www.crypticonseattle.com/
Hope to see you there!
Tony
Convention Time Again!
I will be attending Crypticon May 25-27 at the Seattle Hilton Conference Center near the Sea-Tac Airport.
Joining me will be fellow Permuted Press authors Eloise Knapp, Jessica Meigs, Peter Clines, Timothy W. Long, Gareth Wood, Craig DiLouie, Scott M. Baker and David Snell. Another of my friends Lyle Perez will be there as well selling his books.
As of right now, the guest list for Crypticon reads like this: Doug Bradley (Pinhead), Dee Wallace Stone, Don Coscarelli (Phantasm), Sonny Landham (Predator), Ricou Browning (Creature from the Black Lagoon), Marilyn Burns (Texas Chainsaw Massacre), Richard Kiel (Jaws from 007), J. LaRose (Saw III), and others.
I will be signing and selling copies of my book Kings of the Dead, and will just be looking to have a good time visiting with other fans of the horror genre.
Stop by and say Hello!
Soteria Leather, Portland, Oregon, Round 2
Soteria Leather, partially taking it’s name from Soteria, who was the Greek goddess of safety, and of deliverance and preservation from harm, is a fairly new holster maker located in Portland, Oregon. The name Soteria is even more fitting when you consider that it is a company owned by a young lady named Cerisse. Now, there might be some of you reading this that are saying, “Wait a minute! Was it not just a few days ago that you were posting something about the customer service of this company?”
Yes, I did, and as you will notice, that post has been removed. Not only have I worked out my issues with the owner of the company, as you can see above, I have received the holster that I had originally desired.
As you may or may not know, my desire for a holster was because of the Smith and Wesson 686 .357 magnum revolver that is in my possession. While I did not buy it new, it is basically new and in unfired condition, despite having the original style hammer and lack of a safety locking system which places it as being manufactured before 1996. I’ll tell you, there is nothing like holding a 686 in your hand. Sure, it will never replace my higher capacity automatics as my primary weapon, but I would never feel under-gunned going into the darkest parts of the planet with this on my hip (as long as my primary is a long gun, but that’s another story).
So, let’s talk about the holster. This is the Thrasos model, and as you can tell by the name, the trend of taking Greek spirits or gods and goddesses as the names of her products is a running theme. Personally, I think that is quite cool and shows a sign of intelligence and thought that goes into her work. Thrasos was the Greek spirit of bold, or rash action and insolence. It’s a fitting name for this outside the waistband holster, as well as fitting of me and my recent actions, a little rash and insolent, definitely.
Starting with the leather of the holster, it is clear from first glances that great care goes into the selection of the leather used. There is nothing second rate about it, it is free of undesirable markings that are frequently found on thinner and cheaper leathers that come from Mexico or parts unknown in Asia. The artisan makes uniform and clean cuts in the leather she uses as there is not a spot visible on my holster that tells me she might have almost rethought a cut or two.
As you can see from the photo above, she takes great care in designing her holsters as to aid in the ease of holstering your weapon when the time comes. What impresses me the most is that she is able to do this without the aid of metal inserts or additional slabs of leather. I have already been practicing drawing and replacing my weapon and have found no real issues with getting the revolver back in the holster. Ideally, you should be able to do this with one hand, and that is exactly what I am able to do. Her stitching is nice, tight, and clean. Yes, there were a couple of spots that she pointed out to me that needed a little heat applied to it, but that was only because she was doing everything in her power to get the holster to me in a certain timeframe. Other than those little spots, the stitching is every bit as tight and clean as any Galco, Bianchi, Milt Sparks, etc. holster that I have ever owned.
My first thought when looking at the holster in person was, “Oh crap, those belt loops look way too small!” I have worn a Wilderness Instructor gun belt for years, and it is significantly wider than your typical dress belt out there. Shame on me, I should have had more faith in the artisan, as when I slid the straps around my belt at home, it was an absolute perfect fit. Speaking of fit, since it was my revolver that she used as a mold for this holster, it is a perfect fit, and damned if it doesn’t look good all wrapped up in the dark brown leather.
My main purpose for wanting this holster was as a range holster. When out shooting, I always like to have a weapon on me that is fully loaded with good defensive ammo, and the 125gr jacketed hollow point .357 magnum round is still more than effective, and damned hard to beat by any standard, despite being around since 1934. Let me tell you, Elmer Keith knew what he was doing. Anyway, Range Holster was the primary intent of this holster, but I am pleased to say that not only do I have a product that will fit my needs, it will also fit the bill for a concealment holster. No, a large frame revolver such as my 686 is not the ideal concealed carry pistol, but it will certainly do the job if I ever need to send my auto out for some work. Besides, can you imagine the look on the BG’s face when you whip out something that big and shiny? Like the old saying goes, “Beware the man with one gun, he likely knows how to use it”, can certainly apply to a man carrying a revolver.
In the end, there were lessons to be learned on both sides of this transaction. Neither party feels bad about how the transaction ended, and I for one will be in touch with her for a holster for my wife’s Glock 19 in the near future. Also, I will definitely be keeping my eyes out for some horizontal magazine holders….and a flashlight holder……and an iphone case…….
And most importantly, I will be looking forward to many more wonderful designs by Soteria Leather which are sure to come. For being so new at this, she shows an old eye to her work.
Tony
Avery Nolan: Private Dick of the Dead *FREE* E-book
My Hard Boiled/Zombie novella e-book, Avery Nolan: Private Dick of the Dead is currently being offered for free at Amazon for the Kindle. If you don’t already have a copy, now is the time to get it. Oh, and do me a favor if you download it for free, please leave a review, it’s the least you can do.
http://www.amazon.com/Avery-Nolan-Private-Dick-ebook/dp/B005AZHQJS/ref=zg_bs_157312011_14
I was interviewed at Zombiephiles.com
That is correct, I was interviewed by Astradaemon over at Zombiephiles.com to go along with her Five Star review of Avery Nolan: Private Dick of the Dead.
Yes, Avery is still out there, chugging along like the little engine that could. Sales are slowly climbing and last month was its best month ever.
Interview with Marc Vietor, Narrator of Kings of the Dead – Audio
As you may know by now, my first novel, Kings of the Dead was picked up a few months back by audible.com for distribution as an audio-book. Some of the questions I was asked included, will you be doing the narration, and do you get to choose who does the narration? Well, the answer to both of those was no, I had no say in the process and it all fell into Audible’s more than capable hands. After a time, the audiobook was ready for release, and I got my hands on it, and to say the least, I was very pleased with the narration.
Narrated by a gentleman by the name of Marc Vietor, I was able to see Kings of the Dead come to life in a way I had personally not been able to experience. To have someone not just read the book to you, but to do so by bringing emotion and further depth to the characters I created was an emotional experience for me. I quickly located Marc Vietor and inquired as to whether he would be willing to submit to a brief interview about his job and processes. Not only did he reply, but he was happy to comply with my interview request.
And with that, here is my interview with Marc Vietor, narrator of Kings of the Dead:
Thank you for taking the time to do this interview with me Marc, I am sure my most dedicated fans would love to learn a little more about you. So, I would like to start by asking you to take a moment and introduce yourself to my readers, basically tell them who you are and maybe a little about your background?
I’m an actor and director living in New York on the Upper West side. I came to New York from California to attend drama school at Juilliard and have remained here. I grew up in San Francisco and then came back east to go to college at Yale and grad school at Juilliard. I work mostly on stage. I’ve appeared on and off Broadway and in a few TV shows, including “Law And Order”. I’ve also appeared on the Onion News Network online.
What was it that got you into providing narrations for audio books?
I auditioned for an audiobook company – Audible.com – about five years ago and have been recording fairly steadily ever since. When I was growing up in California, my parents only allowed me to watch TV on the weekends, so I spent a lot of time listening to the radio. I developed a love of radio plays and narrated stories that I’m sure helped me with my narrating now.
Is there any one particular book out there that you would consider to be highlight of your career if given the opportunity to narrate?
I would love to narrate a comic novel, something by David Sedaris or David Foster Wallace. I recently narrated a fantastic book called 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami.
With Kings of the Dead being part of the zombie genre, I have to ask, are you a zombie fan, or was reading Kings just another job? (And no offense taken if it was just a job)
I am a huge fan of the zombie genre, which I know has been on the rise for a few years. In general I am a big fan of horror and fantasy – generally leaning more toward horror. I loved reading Kings Of The Dead not only because it was well written and full of classic zombie adventure – including a cool back story for the rise of the zombies – but also because the characters were more three-dimensional than most zombie books and emotions run high.
What is your favorite book genre?
I love sci-fi, fantasy and horror to read aloud. I usually read nonfiction when I’m reading for myself.
How do you prepare yourself for narrating a book?
I read the book through once, then I go through it a second time with colored pens, marking up and distinguishing the characters. Each character has a different color and is recorded in a book – a “bible” that I use to keep track of the voices of each character. This is helpful if I’m doing a series and have to re-create a character from an earlier book.
How long does it take you to narrate an audio book on average? I know the final running time on Kings was close to 7 hours, but having done some audio work myself, I know the actual recording time was much greater than 7 hours.
My narrating speed is slightly above average. It usually takes me an hour to record forty minutes of a book. This is slightly higher than the desired standard for narrators which is 2:1. Of course certain books are more challenging than others and can sometimes take longer.
With Kings of the Dead, it seemed to me like you really captured the emotions I was trying to express with my writing. Is there anything you look to, or use for motivation when trying to capture the moment as presented by the writers?
I generally try to lose myself in the characters as much as possible, which is why I don’t start working on “acting” the book until after I’ve read it through twice and have an idea of how the characters express themselves. I don’t use any particular acting techniques, and I don’t use my own experiences as much as I try to imagine someone else’s.
Do you have anything scheduled for the future that you would like to share with us? (Stage, film, TV, notable books?)
My next project is going to ba a play here in New York, but I will probably also be narrating a new book as well. Unfortunately I don’t have any say in which books I get to narrate. Sometimes I audition for them and other times they are assigned to me. I tend to get books that have many characters and which require a variety of dialects, like detective novels, fantasy adventures, sci-fi and horror.
Again, thank you for the great narration. It was truly interesting to have someone read my work to me. I originally wrote Kings of the Dead in 2009 and pushed it out as a self-published author. After a year of sales, Permuted Press came to me and asked me if I would like to sign a contract, all I would need to do is extend the book. So after adding an additional 30% to the original story, and all of the edits and rewrites, I have been through my own book multiple times. So to be able to sit back and have someone read it to me? Well, I have to tell you, it was a little more than emotional in a couple of spots.
Thanks again for the kind words, Tony. I loved reading your book and I’m delighted that you felt that I did it justice. Have a great Christmas!
Thanks again for the narration and the interview Marc. If you would like to find more of Marc work, you can find a list of his narrations on Audible.com
And of course, Kings of the Dead can be found here.
David Moody’s Autumn: Disintegration
If you have ever read one of the many interviews I have done over the past couple of years, you would have read that I have been a fan of the zombie genre for close to 30 years now. I grew up watching the movies and continue to do just that. One aspect of the zombie genre that I did not click with until somewhere around 2003 or 2004 was the literary side. Yes, you read that write, a zombie writer that did not read his first zombie book until sometime in the last decade.
Come on, you have to admit, there was not a whole lot available for us back in the “old” days. If there had been the selection we have available to us these days, I would have likely been reading a lot more of the genre before that time.
When I did discover the literary side, I found two books and immediately ordered them both from Amazon. Autumn by David Moody, and Monster Island by David Wellington. I remember very distinctly breaking into Autumn first and becoming hooked not only on the universe that David had created, but also on Davids particular style of writing. I wanted more, and I acquired more (including first editions of the next two books The City, and Purification) over time.
To say I have been a fan of David Moody and his work for several years now would surely not be a stretch of the truth. And yes, before anyone asks, I am a fan of David Wellington and his work as well, but this blog post is about Mr. Moody and his latest release, Autumn:Disintegration
Several weeks ago, I had a chance to watch the movie version of Autumn, and I immediately sent a tweet to David. I had followed him for a while but never really communicated with him. Anyway, I tweeted David and said I had just watched Autumn, and I was sorry the filmmakers had done to his book what they had done, and that as soon as I win the lotto, I will gladly buy back his film rights and do the movie right this time.
I got a response from David, and I thought that was pretty damn cool.
A short while later, I was able to get my name in the hat for a free copy of Disintegration, and I thought that was pretty damn cool as well.
Then a few days later, a friend of mine posted a link to an interview done with David where he not only mentioned my publisher, Permuted Press, but he also mentioned me and two other Permuted authors by name, and I about passed out. It’s not that I am some bleeding fanboy that can’t hold myself together, it’s that someone I respect, respects me enough to have mentioned me. Hell yeah that was cool.
So, I received my copy of Autumn: Disintegration, and just finished it this evening. As I started the book, I was thrust immediately back into the Autumn universe with little to no introduction to the who’s, the how’s, the what’s, the when’s, and the why’s. This was clearly another tale in the Autumn series and not intended to be a stand alone novel. No sir, this one was written for the fans of the series and the writing shows it.
David dives deeper into his descriptions of the bloated and putrified decaying corpses that cover the landscape, sometimes quite literally, than he has in the past. If you have a weak stomach, too bad, Moody has little compassion for that concern in his readers as he pushes the envelope wide open for how much bile he can bring to the back of your throat with his descriptions of the corpses. I’m not kidding you, there are times you can almost smell it he has described it so well.
I don’t think highly of reviews that spoil the hell out of a well written tome, so all I will say is the book starts with a group of survivors that find themselves forced out of their stronghold because of their activity, only to find themselves in the stronghold of another group of survivors. Only thing is, this group of survivors has chosen a different tact of survival, that being silence, potential starvation and simply trying to outlast the dead.
Honestly, if I told you any more than that, it would result in nothing more than spoiling it. Seriously, just do yourself a favor, and go pick up a copy of this book.
For David, in case you come across this blog post, I have one question for you: When did you ever find yourself face down in eighteen inches of putrified corpses? I only ask because you wrote about it so well, you could only know from experience, and that’s just nasty.
Oh, and one more thing David, thank you. Thank you for being an inspiration, your respect, and for the Autumn universe.
Tony Faville
David Moody’s Autumn: Disintegration on Amazon
Happy Thanksgiving
I can’t really lie to you, those words have very few sincere meanings for me these days. To me it just means a simplified turkey dinner with my wife at home.
I have no family in the immediate area, although my wife does have family that lives a little over 100 miles North from us, but in spite of having been down here in Portland for the past 12 years there has never once been an invitation of any sort around the holidays.
I do have a daughter, that is married and living her own life, and this holiday, among many other holidays and personal celebrations, tend to be marred by the status of our relationship. My daughter was poisoned by her mother over the years to the point that I have been able to be a part of her life for just a few of the past 17 years. Fact is, I have not even seen her in over 3 years now, not a record length of time in our tenuous relationship, but certainly growing worse with every passing day.
Don’t get me wrong, I love my daughter and miss her with every beat of my heart, but after the past 17 years I do my best to live without hope that things will change. It has been my experience that living in hope that maybe this thanksgiving, or this birthday, or this random day will be the day she finally grows up and sees me for the man I am instead of the man her mother has told her I am, is nothing more than a heartwrenching unrequited wait.
So, my wish out there for those of you with children that love you, is to treasure every single moment you have. To never lose sight of things and let anger destroy the relationship you have. To be thankful for every precious minute you have with your child, for you never know when, or how they will be taken from you.
Have a happy thanksgving.
Tony Faville
Run…
Born from the first zombie dream that ever woke me up without a smile on my face, and nurtured by the inspiration from my experiences at ZomBCon last weekend.
Yes, you read that right, I am currently writing a new novel and at the rate I am going, I expect to have the initial draft completed by the end of November. Allowing time for a rewrite, edit, and another potential rewrite, it should be done sometime after the first of the year. I will be running it by Permuted Press, but just because they published one of mine, does not mean they will publish the next one. Time will tell.
Meanwhile, I will be focusing on writing, so that gives you time to get out there and read all of the other books available from Permuted Press.
Go! Do it! Now!
Thank you!
Tony
ZomBCon 2011 After Action Report
As you already know, I was invited by my publisher, Permuted Press, to attend ZomBCon in Seattle, Washington this past weekend. As Julius Caesar said in 47 B.C., Veni, Vidi, Vici.
I tend to think I had a little better time than old Julius did.
What happened? Well, let me tell you in a rather roundabout way.
Friday morning I arrived in Seattle and hooked up with my publisher, woke his ass up would be a more appropriate way of putting it. Shortly after checking into the hotel we moved the books from my vehicle to what we assumed would be our table. While riding up in the elevator, I realized the gentleman standing in the corner was none other than JARLATH CONROY, McDermott from Day of the Dead 1985. After politely introducing myself and shaking his hand, we got the boxes situated and moved on from there. While waiting to speak to someone, I recognized another person, and again politely introduced myself to JUDITH O’DEA, Barbara from Night of the Living Dead, 1968.
Heading down the elevator, I again ran into someone else I recognized, my dear friend ROBERT ELROD, a wonderful artist and all around hell of a guy. We eventually got the tables all straightened out as the Permuted Press authors started to trickle in…people such as PETER CLINES, BOWIE IBARRA, JASON HORNSBY, CRAIG DILOUIE, DL SNELL, the lovely and amazingly talented ELOISE KNAPP (seriously, the girl reeks of talent, be prepared to follow her pending meteoric rise) and TIM LONG. As we set up, I realized that I would be sitting next to JUDITH O’DEA for the entire weekend. My inner fanboy was clawing his way out of my chest….but only long enough for me to break the ice further with her and talked to her. Little did I know, I would spend the next three days being able to talk to her about anything that happened to come to mind. She was incredibly warm, gracious, inviting and friendly, something we discussed at length. I eventually gave her a copy of my book and she in turn gave me a signed photo. When she asked me why I chose the picture I did (a full color of her sitting in a makeup chair), instead of one of the more iconic scenes, I could not lie to her and told her because she looked beautiful in it. Yeah, sue me, I’m a flirt and she is an amazing lady.
I also met TOM SAVINI in the hotel lobby. Now, to be fair, I have heard horror stories about SAVINI. I don’t know if it’s just my approach, but he was very friendly with me, and responded very graciously to what I had to say.
Anyway, long story short, the rest of the day was spent talking to the wonderful attendees of the show, the hard working Volunteer Horde, my fellow authors that made me feel as if I were sitting at a table with a group of family or friends instead of the relative strangers we all were, and the multitude of celebrities passing by our table.
I took an opportunity that day to talk to JOHN AMPLAS from Day of the Dead, Martin, Knightriders, etc, MICHAEL GORNICK from Dawn of the Dead, DAVID EMGE, Flyboy in Dawn of the Dead 1978, and the even more beautiful now than she was 26 years ago, LORI CARDILLE, Sarah from Day of the Dead 1985. I actually spent a lot of time talking to her and based on her interest, I gave her a copy of my book. She offered me a signed photo and wrote a beautiful note to me. Then she reached under her table and pulled out a small book, signed it, and gave it to me. It was a tale of her survival from years of abuse as a child. I did not realize until the next morning what it was when I read it. (Saturday I went back to her table and talked to her about being a survivor myself, as she hugged me she told me I was her brother and that she loved me. Yeah, I know, WAY personal, but WAY cool to me.)
SID HAIG, Captain Spaulding from House of 1000 Corpses stopped by our table and said, “You guys are a bunch of writers? I can’t even write my own fucking name!”
That evening as she waited for me to come pick her up, my wife waited outside the front of the hotel with our dog and was approached by JENNY SPAIN, Dead Girl from DeadGirl. Since I was kind of directly responsible for Jenny having received an invitation to ZomBCon, she spent some time talking to Heather before inviting her up for a glass of champagne with her and Sean Patrick Flannery. Heather said no, she was waiting for me.
Now, when Heather relayed this to me in the car, I told her, “What the hell is wrong with you?! Go! You can have dinner with me at any time!!”
I do believe that the next time this opportunity arises, I will get a text from Heather telling me to F-Off! I am having a drink with ……. And she is welcome to do so!
Saturday was even more of the same from Friday afternoon. Celebrities, fans, attendees, writers to now include IAIAN MCKINNON (ever met a Scot in a kilt, dread locks, and an amazingly outgoing personality and smile to match? NO? You should!), volunteers, great book sales, camraderie of all sorts, etc, etc, etc. SID HAIG stopped by the table several times throughout the day, typically yelling at us, “You’re writers, why aren’t you writing?!” At the end of the day he returned one more time and said, “Fuck it!” and started acting like he was writing. We asked him what he was doing and he said, “What you should be doing, writing!” We said, “Bullshit, that’s acting!” I laid back in my chair and told him, “This is is writing Sid!” He looked over at me, grinned and said, “Bullshit, this is writing”, and started acting like he was typing on a computer. All told, SID HAIG is a hell of a guy.
BILL MOSELY, Otis from The Devils Rejects walked by and I said hello to him, and told him Otis was the man! He stopped and said, “Just remember one thing, WE ARE FUCKING DEAD!!!” I personally know better than asking when a sequel to The Devils Rejects is coming. =)
JENNY SPAIN stopped by my table quickly, I got to say hello and get my picture taken with her. If you ever see the picture, I am the ugly guy standing next to the incredibly beautiful brunette. I stupidly forgot to get down to her table and get a signed blu-ray of DeadGirl from her. That’s okay, one is on the way.
As I sat there on Saturday afternoon, having the best birthday I have had in years, I hear a voice to my left, calling out to me. I turn to find JUDITH O’DEA sitting there smiling at me just before she broke out and sang Happy Birthday to me. I kid you not. Do you even have to ask if this made my day? My year?
That evening I broke away from the pack and had dinner with my wife, ROBERT ELROD and LYLE PEREZ. Thanks for dinner guys!
Later that night, all of the Permuted authors, and additional friends including the lovely ADRIAN and JONATHAN MABERRY joined us as BOWIE IBARRA hunted down enough glasses to share a toast from a 40oz bottle of Rogue Dead Guy Ale. Again, thank you BOWIE, I can’t wait for the next toast.
Sunday morning it was back to the con for more celebrities, more fans, attendees, book sales, etc. I sent out a Tweet early that morning and said that the first person that mentions my tweet gets a free copy of both of my books. Not only did the lovely TONYA grab my books, but she also bought a copy of each book available from the remaining authors at the table. Sweet!
I chose to get an autographed photo from JARLATH CONROY and ANTONE DILEO that morning, and both men were absolutely friendly and thanking me for helping make the weekend so great. As I waited for my photo with ANTONE, we talked and guess what he told me as he hugged me, thanking me for the photo, he too is a survivor. We stood there talking for several minutes before he hugged me again, and as he rubbed my head, he too told me he loved me and called me a brother. These guys are KILLING ME!
Finally it was time for the Permuted Panel at 1pm. I sold out of my books, headed to my first con panel, and had just too much fun for the next hour. JONATHAN MABERRY said afterwards that he considered it one of the best panels he has attended. Thank you my friend!
It was time to leave so I said my goodbyes to my fellow writers and friends and headed to the car. As I approached the parking garage, JUDITH O’DEA was walking towards me, we wished each other a fond farewell as she clutched my hand and said, “Thank you so much Babe, I look forward to seeing you again.” With one last injection of awesomeness, we climbed into our vehicle and headed south towards home, feeling maybe a little like we were driving away from “home” as we went.
So, that was a good part of the weekend. I am sure I left someone out, but there was something awesome happening almost every minute of every day and that would make it impossible to think of everyone and everything. Just know this, I thank you all, and hanging out with thousands of friends on my birthday made what is usually a dark and drunken day, a whole lot better.
Thank you all for such an amazing experience, see you at the next one!
Tony Faville
Zombcon 2011 is over…..
and it was an absolutely amazing experience.
With that being said, pay attention to this space for a tale of how everything went at the show, what I did, who I saw, what I sold, etc, etc.
Just know this, it was the best birthday I have had in years.
Tony
ZomBCon, Seattle, Washington October 21-23, 2011
That’s right, we are now just one week away from attending ZomBCon at the SeaTac Hilton Hotel in Seattle, Washington.
My publisher, Permuted Press, has purchased several tables for my fellow Permuted authors and myself where we will be selling and signing copies of our books.
I will have copies of Kings of the Dead, and my latest, Avery Nolan: Private Dick of the Dead, on hand for me to sign and you to purchase.
On the last day of the Con, October 23rd at 1:00pm, there will be a Permuted Press panel, which I will unfortunately not be a part of. ZomBcon decided that since the panel is only an hour long, there would only be room for four authors. So, three of the Permuted authors have been asked to sit this one out. Yeah, don’t worry, it makes no sense to me either.
Anyway, since October 22nd is my 42nd birthday, I hope you can stop by and say hello at the very least.
Thank you!
Tony Faville
Dead Island, Xbox 360, my thoughts so far
So, here is the deal, I, along with a lot of other people have been patiently waiting for Dead Island for a good, long time now. Well, it finally released this past Tuesday and I have been giving it a run through for the past several days.
My initial thoughts, until today were:
1. A lot of zombies
2. A beautifully rendered setting
3. Decent enough game play
4. Repetitive missions, get me this, find this person, get me this, and repeat
5. A lot of video glitches
6. Slow frame rate if too much going on the scene at one time
Now then, what happened today? A problem that is affecting a LOT of players, and one that should have NEVER been allowed to reach the public.
Okay, here’s the deal, you are sent with an armored truck to get it turned into a “tank”. So you drive across the island to a mechanic. Fight off the zombies, talk to the mechanic and he toughens up your truck for you.
Yeah, that is what is supposed to happen.
Here is what really happened. I make it to the workshop where the mechanic is, fight off and kill all of the zombies, and nothing happens. Let me repeat, NOTHING happens. I drove off, came back, killed the zombies that respawn, and still nothing.
I go into my options menu to take a look at things, and my buttons are not working like they should, RB is acting like B, X is taking me out of the window, etc.
Okay, so I exit the game to the Xbox dashboard, figuring it just needs a soft boot. When the game loads up, it has loaded me into an area I have not been to before, it shows the previous mission is done, I cannot continue on any further missions because nobody will talk to me and no doors will open. Oh wait, and there is my truck, in a pedestrian courtyard, and it is all screwed up (visual rendering is screwed up). That’s okay, there is my truck, again, in another area, all visually screwed up.
Since this is obviously a major flaw, I completely reboot the Xbox. Yeah, same deal, new area, not supposed to be there, can’t do anything, and my truck is screwed up.
Fortunately, this has happened to others, and so I learned that I had to find a warehouse, kill all the zombies, then activate a fast travel option from a map on the other side of the wall. Yeah, the glitches are so bad, you have to take advantage of a glitch in the glitch in order to escape from the glitch.
Geezus!
See what I meant when I said they should be ashamed that this thing made it out to the public? There is no way in hades that their beta team or their programmers were not aware of this error.
So, my opinion? Wait for the patch to come out before ever thinking about it, if at all.
Tony
Kings of the Dead, coming soon from Audible.com
Yes, you read that right, Audible.com has picked up the audio rights to Kings of the Dead and will be making it into an audio-book.
I have zero control over any aspect of the recording, all I have to do, is cash the check.
Keep your eyes and now your ears open for it in the near future.
Thanks for your ongoing support.
Tony Faville
Avery Nolan E-Book Price Drop
Due to less than stellar sales, I have decided to drop the price of Avery Nolan: Private Dick of the Dead to the too low price of .99 for the e-book version for the Amazon Kindle and Barnes and Noble Nook.
As an author, there is nothing more frustrating than having a good story that sits there, not selling for one crazy reason or another. Here’s hoping that this story does not have to sit there and languish any further with this price drop.
Thanks,
Tony Faville
Avery Nolan: Private Dick of the Dead, Now Available
That’s right, you read that correctly. Avery Nolan: PDotD is now available in most formats.
Here’s the deal, it costs $2.99 for e-books and can be found at http://tinyurl.com/ANPDotDAZ (Amazon) and http://tinyurl.com/ANPDotDAZUK (Amazon UK) for the Kindle, http://tinyurl.com/ANPDotDBN (Barnes and Noble) for the Nook, and http://tinyurl.com/ANPDotDSW (Smashwords) for multiple e-book formats.
Due to the lengthy review process over at Smashwords, I will let you know once it is available for the Apple iBooks, Kobos, Sony and Diesel e-book stores.
While the paperback has not gone live on Amazon.com yet, it can be ordered by going to this website http://tinyurl.com/ANPDotDCS (Createspace) for a cover price of $6.99. This website is actually what makes me the most in royalties. After all, that is the reason people write, is to be able to sell a product and make a little money once in awhile. We are not all out there to give our work away for free, unlike the people that undersell themselves and their work for .99. I will let you all know as soon as the paperback goes live on Amazon.
I will, as soon as I receive them, be selling signed copies for $10 shipped. Yes, it is going to be $6.99 at Amazon and Createspace, but that is before shipping. For a flat $10 you get a signed copy of the book shipped directly to your door. I will be primarily using PayPal for this, but I am also set up to take direct Credit Card payments, just email me for details.
So, there you have it, $2.99 for ebooks, $6.99 for paperbacks, $10 signed and shipped straight from me (paypal: tfaville )
What exactly is Avery Nolan: PDotD? Well, it is a novella at 37,000+ words, and is a homage to the pulp fiction/hard boiled detective dime store novels of the 1950′s and 1960′s. You get dames, KGB, FBI, zombies, broads, police, and a smoking, drinking, cussing, hard fighting private dick named Avery Nolan. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Thank you,
Tony Faville
Where is Avery Nolan?
Well, Avery Nolan: Private Dick of the Dead has been edited, formatted and covered.
In other words, he is just about ready to go.
Even though I am choosing to self-publish the title, there are still several steps in the process to help make sure I am able to provide you with the best product I can provide. As of right now, I am waiting on the review process on three of the sites I will be selling it through. Then, once the main review process is complete, I need to order a proof copy and review it for errors. If I find anything that needs fixed, then I need to fix it, order another proof, again review for errors, and then if all is well, approve the proof. 2 to 3 days after that the book should be available for purchase.
With that being said, during that time, it may become available at one or more sources as an e-book. Cool, feel free to snatch it up if you like. My intention is to wait until it is available at all sources and then make one general announcement and push instead of the typical trickle as it becomes available.
As for now, since Avery Nolan: Private Dick of the Dead is considered a novella, at 37k+ words, I will be selling the paperback at a $6.99 cover price, the e-book will be sold at $2.99, and signed copies will be available from me for a flat $10 shipped. I do ship USPS priority mail, and it winds up usually being faster and cheaper than if ordered elsewhere….plus, it’s signed! Keep your eyes on this website for details.
So, just a little bit longer and it will be available. Once it hits, I hope you folks enjoy the story as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Thanks,
Tony Faville
An open letter to my best friend, Jhett Blaque, Rest in Peace
Today, I said goodbye to my best friend.
When I first got you, you were only eleven months old, and at that gangly stage for a beagle pup just getting ready to cross into adulthood, much like most teenagers. Your name was Jett, and the people we got you from had bought you because you were “so cute as a puppy”, and knew nothing about beagles. You were never properly socialized, and were basically a world class spaz.
Since your primary coloring was black, including most of your face, we made a slight change to your name, Jhett Blaque, in hopes of adding a little class to you.
I don’t think it ever helped, nor did it matter to you.
You were hyper, selfish, did not like to play let alone ever take to any toys, and you were never interested in learning tricks.
Try as we might, you would never do a single trick. Until we brought home our dachshund Daisy a couple of years ago and started teaching her tricks. Man, you old sumbitch, you learned how to roll over then.
Did you ever try teaching a mini-dachshund to roll over while a selfish old beagle is rolling right over the top of her to get a treat?
You rarely listened. You barked all the time. You would crap in your crate if we took longer while out than you thought we should have taken. You loved to go on rides but would literally freak out during the ride and make it intolerable. You ate more cat shit than the cat could produce. You dug in the trash every chance you got. You would wait until I left the room and then you would get into everything. You would bark at your mom, and you even nipped at her several times over the years.
Let’s talk about your relationship with mom. You tolerated her and considered her to be second class. To the point where I could be downstairs, playing a video game or some other unimportant task and you would go upstairs to mom and let her know you needed to go outside and go to the bathroom, downstairs. She would tell you to go ask dad and you would come downstairs, look at me, then go right back upstairs and pester mom some more. She was home with a horrible flu one day, and woke up from basically being passed out to find you straddling her hip, humping her for all you were worth. You preferred mom to feed you, but would growl at her if she didn’t put your food on the floor fast enough. When she would leave the house, you would not even acknowledge the fact she was gone.
If I left home without you? God forbid. You would bay the saddest of bays you would ever hear for the first hour or so. Then you would turn into an asshole and start doing everything you know you were not allowed to do, because what was mom going to do to you?
As soon as I would return, you would simply drop your ears, rounding out your head and give me those puppy dog eyes as if to say, “What?” or “I missed you daddy!”
When I had my surgery in 2002 I actually tried talking my doctor into letting me stay one more day in the hospital because I was actually afraid that my dog was going to hurt me, simply because you will have missed me and love me so much that in your exuberance, you would unintentionally hit me in my incisions. My doctor said no and told me to go home. When I got home, mom helped me upstairs and into bed before letting you in from the garage. When she unleashed the hound, you got out of her grasp and made a beeline upstairs, and all of a sudden hit the brakes at the bedroom door.
You stopped, and you looked at me on the bed, and laid down with your head between your paws, with the saddest look on your face I had ever seen.
Mom made it upstairs before I could coax you up on the bed. When you finally did, I could not even feel him get on the bed you did it so gently. You stopped at my feet, sat down and looked up at me. I told you to come see me, and you low crawled up the bed beside my body, sniffing as you went. As you approached my tummy, you stopped, and went back and forth from looking at me, to sniffing my bandages.
You never did anything to hurt me.
As “stupid” as you were, I could tell that you knew there was something wrong with me.
In the list of most important things you ever gave me, was unbridled unconditional love. No matter what my mood was, I always knew you would be there to snuggle up with me, or up against mom, so you could look at me. Yeah, seriously, you would lay with her, but watch me without blinking, scared to death I would disappear.
I remember a business trip I had to take to St. Louis several years ago. I was gone for three or four days, and came home before mom was off work. I came into the house and found you on the couch. Your head shot up and you looked at me, and then you melted off the front of the couch onto the floor and pissed himself. Daddy was home.
During the time we had you, it was a very difficult time for me and the relationship, or lack thereof, I have with my daughter. She hated me, she did not want to spend time with me, she wanted me to change who I am as a human being, and to this day she still feels that way. Fifteen plus years of that behavior is not just a phase someone will eventually grow out of.
Meanwhile, you looked upon me like I was the greatest thing since sliced bread. You looked at me with the looks I so desperately desired to get from my daughter but never have.
Yes Jhett Blaque, you were a royal pain in the ass in more ways than one, but you loved me.
For that, you will always be with me and I will be eternally grateful for the love you gave, without ever asking for anything in return.
I love you buddy.
May you rest in peace,
Daddy
P.S. I am sure in your special way, you loved your little sister, because I know she loved you.
Avery Nolan: PDotD is done!
Yes, you read that correctly, I have finished Avery Nolan: Private Dick of the Dead and have sent him off to my editor.
Cover art is currently being worked on, and once it is edited, then I will have some minor formatting work to do before I can get it online and for sale.
It will be available in paperback and ebook, and as of right now I am thinking the pricing will be $5.99 and $2.99 respectively.
There will also be a very limited run of hardback copies for the people that helped fund the project.
For those of you just hearing about Avery Nolan, it is my homage to the Pulp Fiction / Hard Boiled Detective dime store books from the late 1950′s and 1960′s. With that in mind, it is NOT a full size novel, but would be considered more along the lines of a novella at around 31-32k words. I never set out to make it anything more than it is, and for me, I am very happy with the end results.
Look for announcements of availability soon.
Thank you,
Tony Faville
New Interview by Nicole Ireland
A new interview has been posted over at http://nicoleireland.com/2011/06/07/an-interview-with-kings-of-the-dead-author-tony-faville/
Nicole actually came up with some new questions, and it was a pleasure being able to answer them for her.
If you do not know who Nicole Ireland, she is the author of A Second Chance, which is a wonderful short story available over at http://www.amazon.com/A-Second-Chance-ebook/dp/B004WG5L66/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1307564104&sr=8-2
Thanks Nicole!
Tony
Thank You!
Just a quick note to my backers to let them know the process of my project and what I have been able to accomplish with your backing.
I have acquired a replacement computer, I went with a used iMac that I was able to find on Craigslist for more than $400 under typical resale value. This particular iMac has double to memory and double the hard drive space it originally came with, and is still covered by the factory warranty, at least for a few more months.
I have downloaded Scrivener and gone through the process of porting my existing work into the application, did some rewrites, and worked on a new chapter for a little bit last night. Everything is working beautifully, and I am excited to be able to get back to work on the project.
Avery Nolan: Private Dick of the Dead is coming along nicely, and those people who have been able to read the first four chapters of rough draft love where I am going, and what I have done so far. My plan is to have it finished by the middle of June and send it off to the editor. Once she slashes through it with her red pen, then I will finalize the edits and rough draft. That should take us close to the end of June, which means the cover art should either be done, or be very close to done.
If all goes well, the final product should be available by mid-July, with a solid emphasis on should.
Again, thank you for your support, it is truly appreciated.
Tony Faville
