To kick off the Halloween Blog Hop, I've interviewed J.L. Murphey about her views on Halloween and her book Zombie Apocalypse: Redemption. It's a great pick for this Scare-ific Holiday. Read more to find out how you can win your very own free copy of Zombie Apocalypse by J.L. Murphey.
Author Bio
J.L. Murphey lives in the Golden Isles of Georgia with her husband. She has four children and seven grandchildren. She is an author and free lance journalist. She continues her thirty-year love affair with writing and storytelling.
Weston: If you don't mind talking about it, what's your worst nightmare?
Murphey: My worst nightmare is the same one I wrote with characters in my book. I only truly get nightmares when I'm ill and actually wrote it into a similar scene in Zombie Apocalypse: Redemption.
"In my feverish mind, I can see them playing outside in the sunshine on the swing their great-grandfather had built between two cherry trees. Two girls, with black hair and the spitting image of me and the other the spitting image of her father, they are laughing as they play. It is a hot, cloudless day. The sun beats down on us all with the heat of a thousand suns. I called to them in for lunch. The pair chased each other inside.
"I see him in the distance and knew him instantly...my beloved. He waves at me and I run to him. As I closed the distance between us, I stop and look at my husband. He looks back with dead eyes, his throat ripped out with the tissue dangling, and old, dried blood covered his shirt and pants. He lunges at me biting and ripping my flesh from the bone. I screamed and screamed again."
Weston: Interesting point you make. I could easily see this sort of scene played out in a movie. In your opinion, what's the best scary movie rule to live by?
Murphey: Don't walk alone in the dark.
Weston: Well, I believe that's one many people have taken to heart. Maybe it will keep them safe when all the ghouls and vampires come out this Halloween. Maybe we should even install daylight bulbs in the street lights. I'm actually surprised I haven't seen that mentioned somewhere. Now, Murphey, this might be a little personal, but what's the scariest thing that has ever happened to you?
Murphey: This one is hard to answer given my past: Being shot and left for dead, or being held at knife point and having my throat cut, or being in a building as a bomb went off, or trying to board an airplane with scorpions raining down on me...you decide.
Weston: Wow! You've had quite the exciting life. I'm sure your fans would agree when I say that this is a better place with you in it. But I noticed that you didn't mention Zombies. Considering your book is about them, when the Zombie Apocalypse comes, how do you think the Zombies will move?
a. Slow and Staggering
b. Fast and Running
c. Ones that are crippled will move slow; rest will move fast.
Murphey: a. Slow and Staggering- after severe decomposition has set in and b. Fast and Running- when freshly dead of invigorate by the consumption of brains.
Weston: What about your loved ones? Could you decapitate your zombified spouse, boyfriend, or girlfriend?
Murphey: You betcha! They are technically no longer alive (heart beating, blood flowing) so it's not like murder.
Weston: I hope you're right. If not and I have to kill my wife when the Zombie Apocalypse comes, I could wind up with an eternity of hell even if I do end up in heaven. Murphey, there's been a lot going around about Armageddon and such. Would you be prepared? Which category would you fall into if it came to the end of the world as we know it?
a. Nope. I will be One of the First Casualties
b. I'm Not Prepared, But I Can Hold My Own
c. I Have Supplies to Last for 6 Months or More. I Can Wait Them Out.
Murphey: I have supplies to last for 6 months or more. I can wait them out.
Weston: Sounds like you've got everything settled and have more than enough life experiences to draw from and horrify us all with your literary imagination. I hope readers and fans pick up a copy of your new novel. It should be a great read and perfect for this Halloween.
Here's a a brief summary of Zombie Apocalypse: Redemption by J.L. Murphey. It's a thrilling book and I've even included an excerpt.
Synopsis
Dr. Donna Cairn is a genetics researcher for the Center of Disease Control. When the CDC issued the Zombie Apocalypse Alert, she discounted it as a way of advertising hurricane preparedness. When a conspiracy buff working with her in the silo speaks to her about the debunked Hapgood theory of Earth Crust Displacement, she again discounts it as just that some wacko, paranoid rambling. But when radiation levels after the Japanese earthquakes starting rising, all bets were off.
Simple dog bite patients are dying from a mysterious fever. Bodies start coming up missing from the morgues across the globe. When the death count reaches over one quarter of the world’s population dying due to this new plague, the CDC sends their best virologist, Kit Seger, to help Donna in her quest of finding the virus in her converted missile silo laboratory in Nebraska.
The dead have risen and hunger for human flesh. She never believed in zombies before, but now she believes in them. Can she and Kit find the cure before mankind becomes extinct? How do you cure people who are already dead? And better yet, how do you kill the dead?
Can it be that Donna’s unborn niece and nephew are the answer? With the earthquakes rumbling, zombies at the gate, and time running out will they find what they are looking for? Man can only hope.
Excerpt from “Zombie Apocalypse: Redemption”
The overhead light flicked on and it was the farmer. The farmer yelled something in German as Eckerd stood and turned facing the man. For the briefest second he stared at the man, and then he launched himself upon the farmer. The man fell backwards as Eckerd pummeled the man’s chest with his fists. The farmer’s head struck the ground and tilted at a strange angle and a trickle of blood stained the corner of his lips. Still he grabbed the man’s shoulders and shook him like a terrier with a toy. Just to make sure the fight was out of him; he picked him up and flung him against the far wall. The satisfying sound of body hitting wood was music to Eckerd’s ears.
Eckerd sank his teeth into the farmer’s upper arm and was rewarded with the warm spurt of blood. He licked his lips and feasted until warmth flooded his cold body. He ripped another mouthful of flesh and gulped it down. His clothing now covered with the gore of his meal he ran his jacket sleeve across his mouth. A low, sinister growl issued from deep within him. After the meat turned cold, he approached the house. His consciousness filled with an insatiable appetite, an unquenchable fury, and one goal in mind...more.
Zombie Apocalypse: Redemption by J. L. Murphey
Genre- Suspense/Horror
Smashwords ISBN: 978-1-4661-4582-5
ISBN-13: 978-1463781460
ISBN-10: 1463781466
Zombie Apocalypse: Redemption can be found at:
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/79723
http://www.amazon.com/Zombie-Apocalypse-Redemption-J-Murphey/dp/1463781466/
https://www.createspace.com/3663514
You can even see the book trailer at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byUpPnOxm50
Thanks for visiting and remember to post at Angel Haze's blog if you'd like your chance to win free copies. Just post on her blog and mention the novels you'd love a copy of for your chance to win. Have a great Halloween and tune back in on October 11th for an interview with Angel Haze herself where we'll discuss her popular books and views on this creepy holiday.
Interview by Weston Kincade ~ Author of Invisible Dawn and A Life of DeathLabels: Author Interviews
