News

For years, he's brought the dead to life in books like Patient Zero and Rot & Ruin, so it's rather fitting that prolific author Jonathan Maberry has now teamed up with the legendary George A. Romero to co-edit an anthology set within the early stages of the zombie uprising in Night of the Living Dead. Titled Nights of the Living Dead, the new anthology is now available from St. Martin's Press (check out our giveaway here), and to celebrate, we caught up with Maberry for our latest Q&A feature to discuss his work on the living dead dream project, and we also have a claustrophobic excerpt from his short story "Lone Gunman."

Thanks for taking the time to answer some questions for us, Jonathan. How did the opportunity come about to collaborate on a Night of the Living Dead anthology with the legend himself, George A. Romero?

Jonathan Maberry:...

Life was a living hell for the seven survivors featured in George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead. But how were other people faring on that fateful night? Edited by Jonathan Maberry and Romero himself, a new anthology titled Nights of the Living Dead has been announced for a 2017 release and will follow other survivors in the world of Romero’s classic 1968 film.

Author Brian Keene (The Complex, The Rising) recently shared the news about the Nights of the Living Dead anthology on his website. Keene, who is a contributor to the anthology, posted the project’s impressive author list, which includes George A. Romero, Night of the Living Dead co-screenwriter John A. Russo, the aforementioned Keene (The Damned Highway), Joe R. Lansdale (the Hap & Leonard books), John Skipp (The Light at the End), Jonathan Maberry (Rot & Ruin), Isaac Marion (Warm Bodies), Jay Bonansinga (The Walking Dead novels), and more:

From BrianKeene.

Outbreak: The Mutation Volume Two in the Trend-Bucking Zombie Trilogy, Releases a Deadly, Unstoppable Zombie Horde on the World—Hailed as “A Frightening, Violent, and Gory Un-Dead Story”

Masterfully crafted by Scott Shoyer, The Mutation, the powerful second volume in the Outbreak trilogy, continues to break the stagnant mold of zombie fiction as it ensnare and brings readers along in a deadly last chance attempt to save the world from complete annihilation. The Mutation takes place two years after a deadly virus swept across the world. Not only does Shoyer have his readers follow two groups of people as they fight for survival, but he again takes readers where they have never been before—this time on a horrifying trip inside the minds of the deadly zombies themselves. The Mutation is intense, violent, and brings the genre back from the dead.

From The Press Release

While nobody will deny...

Scott Shoyer's debut zombie novel, Outbreak: The Hunger, is now available from Severed Press and we've been provided with two paperback copies and four eBook versions to give away to Daily Dead readers.

"What starts off as a fun day at the zoo for John and his young daughter Fi quickly turns into a waking nightmare. Now they and a small group of survivors are fighting for their lives against a pack of animals that seem somehow altered.

Was it nature or man who altered them?

In a top secret research facility in Texas lies the answer. But will the scientists and soldiers find the answer before it’s too late and the infection spreads to Man?

No one is safe from the hunger that grows inside!"

Prize Details: (2) Winners will receive (1) paperback copy of Outbreak: The Hunger and (4) winners will receive (1) eBook copy of Outbreak: The Hunger.

How to...

Tom Savini’s Nightmare City remake has met its indiegogo goal, but you can still support it during its final campaign days to help provide the Umberto Lenzi-presented project with more resources. Also featured in our latest round-up is an excerpt from Scott Shoyer's zombie novel, Outbreak: The Hunger, as well as details on how you can watch the first episode of Fox's Wayward Pines ahead of its May 14th debut.

Tom Savini’s Nightmare City Remake: Tom Savini, the Godfather of Gore, is fittingly set to direct and supervise the special effects on the Monsta Worx remake of Umberto Lenzi's zombie movie, Nightmare City. Lenzi himself is associate producing and presenting the project, with shooting slated to begin late this year in Pittsburgh and Los Angeles. In addition to his duties behind the camera, Savini is also attached to play a role in the film, along with...

by Seth Metoyer

MoreHorror.com

The debut Zombie novel from horror author Scott Shoyer has officially dropped. I really dig the fresh approach to the genre that this book brings to the table. Check out all the details below and order your digital or paperback copy from Amazon here.

From The Press Release

Scott Shoyer, a local Austin, Texas author with a wicked mind for horror, has just had his debut zombie novel, Outbreak: The Hunger, published by Sev-ered Press. Shoyer’s novel was released on April 14, 2015 and is now available in paperback and eBook formats.

Outbreak: The Hunger is a fast-paced, gory look at events leading up to the outbreak of a zombie virus. This virus, Shoyer promises, is one you haven’t seen before. The story unfolds from the perspective of two separate groups of people: An elite group of soldiers acting “Above Top Secret” that try to identify and stop the outbreak,...

Evil Jester Presents is a slick new comic book from Evil Jester Comics. And knowing that a great story is the foundation for a great comic, the creators gathered tales from four hugely successful authors as the basis for the first book.

The twisted stories are written by none other than New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Maberry (Marvel Universe vs. Wolverine, Rot & Ruin), international bestselling author William F. Nolan (Logan's Run), Bram Stoker Award Winner and international bestselling author Jack Ketchum (Red, The Girl Next Door) and Bram Stoker Award Winning Author Joe McKinney (Dead City). The artwork is provided by multiple artists who have illustrated for Marvel, DC, Dark Horse and Idw.

For more visit the official Evil Jester Presents website, "like" Evil Jester Comics on Facebook and follow Evil Jester Comics on Twitter (@EvilJesterComic).

From the Press Release

Evil Jester Comics has released its inaugural comic book,...

FEARnet is proud to present brand new fiction from Nightmare Magazine. Once a month, we'll be featuring a story from Nightmare’s current issue. This month's selection is “Halfway Home” by Linda Nagata. Please tell us what you think and enjoy! "Halfway Home" by Linda Nagata The airliner’s safety brochure was like every other I’d seen: laminated and perfect, showing a large jet afloat in calm water, the emergency chutes deployed with inflatable rafts at their ends awaiting the arrival of passengers after a perfect water landing. “Those diagrams are terribly optimistic,” the woman in the seat beside me said, eyeing the brochure as our plane climbed away from Manila. She spoke masterful English, clipped with a Filipino accent. “Let’s hope we never have to test that theory.” I turned to her, intrigued. We were seated in the coach section, two women, strangers, traveling alone to Los Angeles.

JournalStone Publishing (Jsp) President, Christopher C. Payne is pleased to announce the signing of multi-year contracts with multi-award-winning, celebrated authors, Joe McKinney and Lisa Morton, each, respectively, for the publication of six new novels. Joe McKinney will be writing a currently undisclosed three-novel series as well as three stand-alone novels. Lisa Morton will be writing two three-novel series, the first of which, Netherworld, involves Lady Diana Furnaval, who is on a mission to close … Continue reading →...

–JournalStone Publishing (Jsp) President, Christopher C. Payne is pleased to announce the signing of a contract with award winning author, Joe McKinney for the publication of his new novel, St Rage, tentatively set for release in August of 2014.

About the Book: Her memory is a blank. Texas State Trooper Mark Bowles finds her wandering in the wreckage of a 160 car pile up, crying for her missing children. Bowles tries to unravel the mystery … Continue reading →...

Lost Girl of the Lake by Joe McKinney & Michael McCarty

(Bad Moon Books)

Lake Livingston: August, 1961.

Mark Gaitlin is 15, the son of one of the wealthiest men in Texas, and on the most boring summer vacation of his life. His days are filled with the pomp and circumstance of country club life, while his nights are a parade of one embarrassment after another at the hands of giggling teenage girls.

But the piney woods above Lake Livingston are dark at night, and hold many secrets for an impressionable youngster on the cusp of becoming a man. And one night, after skinny dipping in the lake with a mysterious local girl, Mark Gaitlin’s life takes a crazy turn into the fire and brimstone religion of backwoods snake handlers and abandoned villages haunted by old family secrets. If he can survive the snakes and the ghosts and his own family’s dark history,...

By Eric Shapiro, MoreHorror.com

Full disclosure: Peter Giglio is a friend of mine. The fact is, however, that our friendship grew as a result of our mutual respect for each other's creative work. I don't tend to get too close to people whose work I can't stand; the two things usually go hand in hand.

But not only is Giglio a killer author and screenwriter, he's also just about the hardest-working guy in genre fiction, and his output in words over the past couple of years has well surpassed my own over the past decade. Add to this the fact that he gets quality whenever he's up at bat, and we've got something of a force of nature on our hands.

I've long viewed interviews as an unsung art form, so here I am making art with Peter Giglio:

1) One thing I love about your fiction is that there's a very grounded,...

Dana Fredsti is writer and an actress with a background in theatrical sword-fighting. She has appeared in Army of Darkness and her love of the undead has resulted in Plague Town, a zombie novel that will be published this month.

We found out that she was interested in writing an article for Daily Dead and thought it would be interesting for aspiring writers. Continue reading to learn about how she got started writing zombie stories, how her stories have changed, and why there is still plenty of room for new zombie fiction:

“One of the questions I get asked a lot in reference to Plague Town is why I chose to write about zombies, especially when the market is so apparently glutted with books and anthologies on the subject. Haven’t zombies jumped the shark?

For those of us in love with stories and movies about flesh-eating walking dead, there...

At long last the names of this year's Bram Stoker Awards have been revealed by the Horror Writers Association. In addition to the 12 new Stoker Award winners, the Hwa also gave a one-time Vampire Novel of the Century Award. Read on for the details.

Before we get to the list of honorees, it must be noted that Richard Matheson's classic novel I Am Legend won for Vampire Novel of the Century. We must consider that this could also be considered for Zombie Novel of the Century should that award ever arise, as we all know what an influence I Am Legend had on George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead, the origin of the modern zombie.

For more info on this year's Bram Stoker Award Winners, visit the official Horror Writers Association website.

From the Press Release

At long last the anticipation is over. The Horror Writers Association...

Redrum Horror is a brand new genre publisher based in Austin, Texas, with two new titles already available: The Red Empire and Other Stories by Joe McKinney (Dead City, Apocalypse of the Dead, Flesh Eaters) and Attic Clowns by Jeremy C. Shipp (Cursed, Vacation).

The collectible line of trade paperbacks feature numbered spines and eye-catching original cover art. Future titles will include Deadbeat by UK cult horror icon Guy N. Smith (Night of the Crabs),… More...

I finished Joe McKinney's The Crossing: A Zombie Novella a day or so before going to see the new Liam Neeson movie The Grey. (Not exactly a feel-good combo, I know.) I was completely absorbed in the movie at the time, but as I sat down to review my notes in preparation for writing this review, I began to realize there are a couple of striking similarities between the two. Both are examinations of how people react in hopeless situations, and both conclude that we don't always confront such situations in ways that are noble and heroic. Sometimes we just get scared – and fear can be a paralyzing emotion. In The Crossing we meet Samantha, a young reporter who embeds herself in a walled-off portion of America...

Another year is coming to an end. Where does the time go? Seems the older I get the faster the time goes and there is no surer sign than that of me getting into the E-Reader game.

I finally broke down and bought a Kindle this year and no the world didn’t end. In fact I am very happy I did. I will first and foremost always love the feel of a real book; the fragrance, the crisp clean pages being turned and the weight of it gently held in my hands.

The Kindle has allowed me to read the back catalogs of many authors I love that I wouldn’t have otherwise been able afford to do. Plus, a lot of publishers and authors are sending me Kindle books for review, which is a lot better than Pdf’s. As I had to print the Pdf books out.

*an e-book of this novel was provided by Permuted Press.

Author: Kevin J. Burke.

The Last Mailman is a zombie genre book from Permuted Press, which was recently re-released November 8th. This is author Kevin J. Burke's first novel and this book is one part action read and one part comedy. Unfortunately, the comedy is left behind in the first half of the book, but there are still some tongue-in-cheek moments later. Overall, this is a fairly average novel set in a zombie apocalypse as Burke tries to find his style in a action packed first outing.

The Mailman enters the undead riddled landscape to find possible survivors. Usually, he just finds more zombies as an infection has spread across the globe. There are infertility issues too. So, fertile men are recruited to do the deed with the mostly willing. Meanwhile, a cure for zombie bites has been discovered in Atlanta,...

Halloween Spirits – 11 Tales For The Darkest Night

Edited by Lisa Morton

Table Of Contents

Introduction by Lisa Morton

Someone to Carve the Pumpkins by Kealan Patrick Burke

Carrion Man by Joseph Nassise

The Devil Came to Mamie’s on Hallowe’en by Lisa Morton

The Gunner’s Love Song by Joe McKinney

The October Girls by Scott Nicholson

Trick or Die by Rick Pickman

Thursday by Simon Janus

The Outlaws of Hill County by John Palisano

Bones Lie Quietly Now by Nate Kenyon

Coming Home by Maria Alexander

Almost Paradise by Jeremy Shipp

About the Contributors

When Lisa Morton says she is editing and releasing an anthology for Halloween, we in the horror realm take notice. Lisa has been called one of the foremost expert on all things Halloween in the world and I would have to agree with that summation.

Not only does she know Halloween inside and out,...

The Red Empire

by Joe McKinney

Bad Moon Books

Hell to Pay

The Red Empire is the U.S. Army’s secret weapon against insurgents the world over. A gigantic colony of inch long, super-intelligent fire ants, The Red Empire is capable of fighting any enemy, no matter where they’re hiding. But when the military transport tasked with delivering this weapon washes out in a flash flood along the Texas-Mexico border, and the ants are loosed upon the countryside, no one is safe. The Innocents Amy Bloom and her daughter are returning home during the worst of… More...

The Red Empire by Joe McKinney

Bad Moon Books

Hell to Pay

The Red Empire is the U.S. Army’s secret weapon against insurgents the world over. A gigantic colony of inch long, super-intelligent fire ants, The Red Empire is capable of fighting any enemy, no matter where they’re hiding. But when the military transport tasked with delivering this weapon washes out in a flash flood along the Texas-Mexico border, and the ants are loosed upon the countryside, no one is safe. The Innocents Amy Bloom and her daughter are returning home during the worst of the storm. They come home to a darkened ranch. But they aren’t alone. An escaped federal prisoner named Ricky Fallon has taken shelter from the storm in their home, and he’s looking for some hostages to provide a little insurance against his recapture. Hanging by a Thread Now the two...

Acclaimed indie publisher Creeping Hemlock Press, publisher of the Stoker-nominated anthology Corpse Blossoms, announces Print Is Dead, a new imprint devoted to the best in original zombie fiction.

“These guys know more about the undead than I do… and that’s saying something, because I’ve been hanging out with zombies for as long as I can remember.”

-George A. Romero

“This is the best of modern zombie fiction. If you want the best, you need to read the stuff these guys are putting out at Print Is Dead. It doesn’t get any better than this.”

-Joe McKinney, author of Flesh Eaters… More...

*full disclosure: an e-book of this novel was provided by Wild Wolf Publishing.

Authors: John Russo, Tony Burgess, Shaun Jeffrey, Rod Glenn, Iain McKinnon, Matt Hilton, David Dunwoody, Wayne Simmons, Bowie V Ibarra, Joe McKinney, Remy Porter, A P Fuchs, Thomas Emson and Eric S Brown.

Wild Wolf Publishing released Holiday of the Dead in a Kindle format April 20th, 2011. This is by far the largest anthology of zombie short stories that this reviewer has ever seen. With 38 stories and thirty plus authors, there is no way that your appetite for undead fiction will not be, at least temporarily, satisfied. This novel also includes a special bonus short story from Night of the Living Dead writer John Russo and a script excerpt from the upcoming sequel to Pontypool. There is a lot of material to sink your teeth into here and thankfully, the settings e.g. Christmas Time, Bank Holiday,...

What if you went on a holiday and you found an undead apocalypse waiting? Would this be the best vacation ever, or something more mundane? If you like to imagine the unthinkable, then you might like the latest release from Wild Wolf Publishing titled Holiday of the Dead.

This latest, and possibly biggest, zombie anthology contains thirty-eight "holiday themed zombie stories" (Wolf). Several notable authors are taking part in this collection, including: John Russo, Tony Burgess, Shaun Jeffrey, Rod Glenn, Iain McKinnon, Matt Hilton, David Dunwoody, Wayne Simmons, Bowie V Ibarra, Joe McKinney, Remy Porter, A P Fuchs, Thomas Emson and Eric S Brown. At over 500 pages, this novel could keep you engrossed in rotting Santas for some time to come. All the thrilling short stories included in this paperback are listed below.

The tagline:

"The zombie apocalypse can really put a downer on your holiday…"

An overview of themes and settings:

"Theme parks,...

*Full disclosure: the Kensington Publishing Corp provided a paperback version of this novel for review.

**Here by some spoilers.

Author: Joe McKinney.

Flesh Eaters is Joe McKinney's third novel set in the Houston area, where several hurricanes have left residents without their homes and most of their hope. This title recently released in paper back form (April 5th, 2011) and the novel's plot puts two families squarely against each other, while a zombie styled apocalypse threatens to wipe both clans from the face of the earth. The result is a triple threat, as a natural disaster, moaning cannibals and bank robbing police officers each vie for your engrossed attention.

However, there is a central difference between Eleanor, a police sergeant and Mark Shaw, a career officer and captain. The latter character, while honourable in his attempts to save survivors, is centrally motivated by avarice. Eleanor is less externally motivated...

Authors: Lisa Mannetti, Steven W. Booth, Harry Shannon, Rob Fox, Calie Voorhis, Stephanie Kincaid, Matthew Louis, David Dunwoody, Bev Vincent, Richard Jeter, Joe McKinney, Michelle McCrary, Boyd E. Harris, Nate Southard J.L. Comeau, Bob Nailor, Lee Thomas, Mitchel Whitington, Steven E. Wedel, Mark Onspaugh, and Morgan Ashe.

Dead Set: A Zombie Anthology is the first zombie compendium that this reviewer has sunk his teeth into. A diverse collection, this novel hosts over twenty short stories of everything undead. Released March 15, 2010 by 23 House, this is a well edited novel from zombie researchers Joe McKinney and Michelle McCrary. Dead Set: A Zombie Anthology is full of tales involving flood waters carrying zombies to those uninfected, those infected recovering from the zompocalypse and strange men using the re-animated for their very own sick desires. All of the excitement occurs in five sections, titled: Origin, The Plague Begins, In Dubious Battle,...

April 5th is a date to get excited about, as the zombie plague continues to run rampant in the state of Texas. Joe McKinney's upcoming horror fiction novel Flesh Eaters will release on this date and Flesh Eaters is part of greater series. Also included in this zombie epic is the first novel Dead City (Dead City 28Dla Review Here), Apocalypse of the Dead (Apocalypse of the Dead 28Dla Review) and now Flesh Eaters.

This latest novel takes place in a flooded Texas, with protagonist Eleanor doing her best to save her family and a small group of survivors. Each novel takes place in the same fantasy, and disease written environment, with each book following a separate group of survivors. Read more on the harrowing plot line for this upcoming release below!

The synopsis for Flesh Eaters is here:

"They Rise...out of the flooded streets of Houston, they emerge from plague-ridden waters.

*A review copy of this novel was generously provided by Joe McKinney.

Author: Joe McKinney.

Dead City is Joe McKinney's first novel and this book started at least a four book trend, with Apocalypse of the Dead, Flesheaters, and King Zombie to follow. Published first in 2006, the version reviewed here is a 2010 re-release, with chapters from Apocalypse of the Dead added. Dead City follows Aristotle's three unities: unity of time, unity of place and unity of action. The unity of the material is not in question, but the novel's lack of deeper characterizations, or insights into the central protagonist are. Some fans will enjoy all the simple run-and-gun, in a zombie filled San Antonio; however, this reviewer started to wonder what the greater purpose was, in all the violence.

Eddie is a beat cop, with a young family. He is on duty when the usual bums and low-lifes turn into man-eating vessels.

*A review copy of Apocalypse of the Dead was graciously provided by author Joe McKinney for review.

Author: Joe McKinney.

There is a running joke here at 28Dla.com of reviewing the sequels of books and then, this reviewer goes back to look at the original. This strange trend continues. This zombie lover read the bibliography on author Joe McKinney's website and there, this title was listed first, Apocalypse of the Dead. However, Apocalypse of the Dead is, of course, the second book in a series, which is led by Dead City. McKinney will follow-up these two novels with Flesheaters releasing in April, 2011 and Zombie King in 2012. This is an epic zombie novel series, with Apocalypse of the Dead introducing a large, diverse group of characters. The connections between these survivors become more obvious as the zombie plague, spreading across the United States, corals everyone into a Jim Jones,...

The Horror Writers Association has announced the nominees for the 2009 Bram Stoker Award, honoring superior achievement in horror literature:

Superior Achievement In A Novel

Audrey's Door by Sarah Langan (Harper)Patient Zero: A Joe Ledger Novel by Jonathan Maberry (St. Martin's Griffin)Quarantined by Joe McKinney (Lachesis Publishing)Cursed by Jeremy Shipp (Raw Dog Screaming Press)

Superior Achievement In A First Novel

Breathers by S. G. Browne (Broadway Books)Solomon's Grave by Daniel G. Keohane (Dragon Moon Press)Damnable by Hank Schwaeble (Jove)The Little Sleep by Paul Tremblay (Henry Holt)Superior Achievement In Long Fiction"Dreaming Robot Monster" by Mort Castle (Mighty Unclean)The Hunger of Empty Vessels by Scott Edelman (Bad Moon Books)The Lucid Dreaming by Lisa Morton (Bad Moon Books)Doc Good's Traveling Show by Gene O'Neill (Bad Moon Books)Superior Achievement In Short Fiction"Keeping Watch" by Nate Kenyon (Monstrous: 20 Tales of Giant Creature Terror...

San Antonio, Texas, is getting down with the bloody goodness this weekend, August 27-30, with their second annual Horrific Film Fest. For three days, horror fans, and fans of movies in general, can show up to meet horror icons, watch independent and high-budget horror flicks, and basically have a bloody good time. Attending this year's festivities are Bill "Leatherface" Johnson, Tony "Michael Meyers" Moran, Brant "The Demon" Bumpers, Ari "Jason Voorhees" Lehman, and Michael "Too many credits for a witty nickname" Berryman. Also attending will be authors Joe McKinney and our own Scott A. Johnson. Also Benjamin Martin, the sound effects editor of Steven Spielberg's "Taken" series will be in attendance.

The festival is crammed with film showings and seminars about film-making. More than twenty films make up the schedule over three days, culminating the "Horrific Award Ceremony" on Sunday from 4pm to 5pm.

The festival kicks off August...