There Is No Surrender - Only Win Or Lose

SPOILER ALERT
This review is for those who have read or are familiar with the previous books, Zombies Don't Cry and Zombies Don't Forgive, or don't mind knowing some spoilers for them. Zombies Don't Surrender, however, will remain spoiler-free.
SPOILER ALERT

~Zombies Don't Surrender~
A Living Dead Love Apocalypse Story
Book 3
By Rusty Fischer
Amazon ~ Powell's

As the final volume in the Living Dead Love Stories opens, Maddy, Dane, and Stamp are still together, though barely, nestled safely inside the walls of Sentinel City, a stronghold designed to keep Zerkers out—and zombies in.

Maddy trains night and day, hoping to join Vera as a Keeper. Dane has been given Sentinel Support in the form a busty blonde named Courtney. And what of Stamp? Although Maddy’s dad has worked hard to rehabilitate him after his Zerker bite, he’s still not all . . . there.

When Dr. Swift inadvertently allows the zombies’ archenemy, Val, to escape from Sentinel City, Maddy’s world turns upside down. She and Stamp are Vanished—expelled from the safety of Sentinel City, no better than common Zerkers. Dane, a Sentinel now, escapes punishment and is assigned to ensure that his old friends never return.

As Maddy and Stamp stray from the safety of Sentinel City, danger mounts . . . and not just for them. Val has taken up residence in a seaside town and enrolled in another Normal high school. To outwit her and save Seagull Shores from all-out zombie Armageddon, Maddy must face her archenemy once again.

Only this time, she’s all alone . . .


Well, I was right in my last review: things sure go to hell in a handbasket in this one. Unfortunately, in more ways than one. I've been reading and reviewing this series for three years now, thoroughly enjoying Mr. Fischer's upbeat, campy, B-movie style and humor. But all good things come to an end, it seems, and so I delve into the final installment in Maddy's Living Dead Love Story.

Zombies Don't Collate

SPOILER ALERT
This review is for those who have read or are familiar with the previous book, Zombies Don't Cry, or don't mind knowing some spoilers for it. Even the book's cover summary includes spoilers. Zombies Don't Forgive, however, will remain spoiler-free.
SPOILER ALERT

~Zombies Don't Forgive~
A Living Dead Love Revenge Story
Book 2
By Rusty Fischer
Amazon ~ Powell's

Maddy Swift was just a normal girl—a high school junior surviving class with her best friend and hoping the yummy new kid, Stamp, would ask her out. When he finally did, her whole life changed.

On her way to the party, she was struck by lightning and awoke with no heartbeat and no breath in her lungs: the walking dead. When Barracuda Bay’s homecoming turned into zombie Armageddon, Dane helped Maddy and Stamp escape undead.

Now Maddy, Dane, and Stamp have fled to Orlando, where they work at a theme park, hiding in plain sight among warm bodies with their jobs in The Great Movie Monster Makeover Show. But all is not well as the three BFFs of the Living Dead cohabitate 24/7 trying to avoid curious Normals (humans), vengeful Zerkers (bad zombies), and equally lethal Sentinels (zombie cops).

While Dane and Maddy draw closer, Stamp drifts away—straight into the arms of a mysterious blonde with a permanent scowl. The girl puts their whole afterlife in danger, and before long Maddy’s ready to hunt her down to separate her from her head!


Starting off, I gotta get my first complaint out of the way: I couldn't find one time the word "forgive" showed up in the book. Not. A. One! How am I supposed to use book quotes as my review titles if you never say the key word from the title?! (The current review title came from a chapter name.) Now that that's out of the way...

Zombies Don't Guest Blog

The Top-5 Things
Writing About Zombies Has Taught Me
About Writing YA
By Rusty Fischer, author of Detention of the Living Dead

I always love it when a new book comes out because I get to take all I’ve done in the past year and start blogging about it for guest posts! So, this time around, I wanted to apply what I’ve learned while writing about zombies to what I’ve learned about writing YA. And the weird thing is, they’re surprisingly similar.

So here is my guest post on The Top-5 Things Writing About Zombies Has Taught Me About Writing YA:

The First Thing Zombie Writing Has Taught Me About Writing YA:
Watch Your World

When you write about zombies, you have to be very careful with the world you’re building. I learned this the hard way after my debut YA novel, Zombies Don’t Cry, came out and I got dinged by a few reviewers for my zombie science. To me, it was simple: lightning strikes teenager, teenager becomes zombie, hilarity ensues.

Well, for a lot of people, they wanted more; much more. As in: How, exactly, did lightning make her a zombie? What kind of zombie is she? Why can she talk? Etc.

So whether you’re writing about zombies, vampires, werewolves, faeries, kingdoms, dragons or just your normal, everyday, non-monster teenager, watch your world. Know what color your main character’s best friend’s hair is. It sounds silly, but how many times has an editor popped me by saying, “Rusty, last chapter she had red pigtails, now she has raven black long hair. Which is it?”

The more you know your world, the more real your characters become for you and your readers.

The Second Thing Zombie Writing Has Taught Me About Writing YA:
The Story is the Thing

I love writing about zombies. I love writing YA. So it’s only natural I’d love writing about YA zombies. But there’s a point, I think, early on, where subconsciously you think, “Well, this is about zombies; that’s enough!” I mean, yes, every story has a plot but there is SO much more to writing a zombie book, a YA book or ANY book than just the hook of trying to write a zombie mash-up book or “Twilight for zombies” or whatever.

Writing in a really cool genre isn’t enough to pull off a really cool story. You have to start with the story and then, for me anyway, the genre has to come second. For me, zombies aren’t a genre anyway. They just happen to be what I write about. And young adults are the characters, the people, I most relate to so they’re who I write about.

But it’s really easy to get so caught up in a trend, or as in the case of zombies, a tidal wave and think, “Man, if I just make those vampires I was going to write about zombies instead, I can have this to a publisher by the end of the month…”

But if you’re really going to write about zombies, they’re not just interchangeable monsters you can swap out with, say, vampires or werewolves. They’re a different breed and you have to know and respect that breed. Just like YA; it’s not just “kids,” it’s a very specific, very sophisticated audience with certain rules and lingo and all the rest.

And above all, zombie lovers, YA readers and YA themselves, demand a good story. Something rich and alive with characters they care about and an arc they can follow and get invested in and feel a little sad about when it’s all over. That’s not just zombie or YA writing; that’s any writing.

That’s good writing…

The Third Thing Zombie Writing Has Taught Me About Writing YA:
Know Your Niche

So, I learned this one pretty fast: not all zombie books are alike. Did you know this? I did not. You see, when I set out reading YA zombie books, I read the first three I could get my hands on at the time, which would be: You Are So Undead to Me by Stacey Jay, Zombie Queen of Newbury High by Amada Ashby and Never Slow Dance with a Zombie by E. Van Lowe.

Now, if you’ve ever read any of these three books, you know they all are a very specific type of tongue in cheek, funny, zany, teenage drama type of zombie book, which fit perfectly with my sensibilities. So naturally, those were the types of books I was drawn to read and the type of book I initially wanted to write.

But… but… lots of zombie publishers, readers, reviewers, agents, bloggers, fans and so on like another type of zombie book; a gorier, straight-up dystopian end-of-the-world Walking Dead type book. And they’re quick to let you know it, too!

I never thought “cute” would be a derogatory term, but it is to certain reviewers when they come upon a certain zombie book about a certain sentient zombie who can, you know, drive and go to school and wear berets to cover up the lightning scar on the top of her head.

So, yeah, it’s not your job to write solely for reviewers but if you don’t want to be shocked when/if you get slammed for your very specific type of writing, know what you’re writing going in. Know your niche, live it, breathe it, inhabit it.

Know if it’s gory or cute, funny or clever, dark or lighthearted, and own it. Don’t just know your niche, but own it. Me? I’ve kind of settled into this place where a lot of people describe my books as “B-movies in print.” Now, a lot of serious writers might get ruffled feathers to be described that way, but I love it. Why? Because that’s exactly what I’m going for.

Confidence is a really underrated writing skill that is constantly ebbing and flowing. The more you know and own your niche, the more confidently you’ll write in it.

The Fourth Thing Zombie Writing Has Taught Me About Writing YA:
Know Your Publishers

You would think it’d be easy for a zombie writer to approach a zombie publisher and get… zombie published. I mean, you publish zombie books, I write zombie books, let’s get together, yeah, yeah, yeah.

But for every zombie publisher, there is a personality. Some really, really like gore; some like no gore. Some won’t touch YA; some won’t touch certain types of YA. Some like “Romero” zombies, some “28 Days Later” zombies, lots don’t like “sentient” zombies; the list goes on and on.

Now more than ever, publishers seem to be getting really, really particular about their brand. Particularly zombie publishers. I’ve had a lot of publishers send out really nice rejections that say things like, “You know, we know this would sell well and it’s ‘hot’ right now, but it’s just too violent for our current line…” Or not violent enough. Or too funny, or not funny enough, etc.

Of course, I’m no fan of rejection but this process has really taught me to fine-tune and tailor my submissions much more personally than I have in the past. I’ll really get to know a publisher (or agent) before submitting now. I’ll follow them on Twitter, “friend” them on Facebook, subscribe to their blog, etc., just to get the drop on what kinds of books they put out, how often, how they promote them, where they promote them, etc.

Knowing as much as you can about a publisher before you submit isn’t cutting edge news, but now more than ever it’s a prerequisite for getting published, be it in zombies, YA or gardening books.

The Fifth Thing Zombie Writing Has Taught Me About Writing YA:
Zombies — and Kids — Just Want to Have Fun

Probably the most important thing writing about zombies has taught me about writing YA is to have fun. Yes, I said zombies, YA and “fun” in the same sentence. I’m not even saying to have slapstick, wearing a clown nose fun (unless that’s your thing), but if you’re writing at all, it should be fun.

If you’re writing about what you love, it should be fun. If you’re writing a 60,000-word YA zombie novel on deadline, it should still be fun. You have to have fun with your writing, no matter what you’re writing about.

Am I saying every day is going to be daisies, wine coolers and lollipops? Heck no. But even so, the idea you’re working on should be fun, crafting a really clever line of dialogue should be fun, capping off another chapter should be fun and writing “the end” at the bottom of the last page should be fun.

Because you know why? When you’re having fun, when you’re really enjoying the genre you write in, the characters you write about, the world you’ve built and the story you’ve decided to write, your readers will have fun as well.

~~~

So there you have it; a few years into this whole YA zombie paranormal genre writing scene and I hope I’ve learned a little more than a lot. I’ve tried to share just a glimpse of what I’ve learned in this guest post, and I hope it helps you no matter what genre you write in! I’d love to hear what you’ve learned on your own writing journey. As always, comment boxes are open below…

PS: And thanks, Vicki, for letting me stop by and bend your readers’ ears for a little bit. I hope I’ve helped!!!

Yours in YA,

Rusty

About the Author

Rusty Fischer is the author of Zombies Don’t Cry, as well as several other popular zombie books, including Panty Raid at Zombie High, Detention of the Living Dead and the Reanimated Readz series of 99-cent living dead shorts.

Rusty runs the popular website Zombies Don’t Blog. There you can read more about Rusty’s work, view his upcoming book covers and read – or download – completely FREE books & stories about… zombies!

You can also check out my reviews of Detention of the Living Dead, Ushers, INC., Vamplayers, and Zombies Don't Cry here at The Wolf's Den. And a HUGE thanks to Rusty!

We Are Dead - Scratch That, Rewind - The Living Dead

~Detention of the Living Dead~
By Rusty Fischer
Amazon

Maxine “Max” Compton is in detention when the outbreak starts; so are several other students when Max’s best friend Brie storms in – chomping on the thigh bone of their favorite Home Ec teacher, Ms. Watkins!

Brie is a zombie, and quickly starts biting everyone in the room—even her best friend, Max!

When the class realizes what happens, it’s too late; they are all zombies—and they’re no longer alone.

Now a thin gray man in a white lab coat is testing them; making them read, and once they can no longer read, the zombies are led from the room, never to be seen again.

One by one the zombies stop reading, all but a few of them, Max included. Oh, and that cute thug she’s been crushing on for years, Cory Winthrop!

That’s when Max learns that there are good zombies, and bad zombies. And if she’s to survive, she has to pick a side.

Who knew Detention could be this hard... or last forever?


I've read and enjoyed a number of Rusty's teen humor/romance/horror stories, so when Decadent Publishing e-mailed me about his latest book, I jumped at the chance.

You've no doubt seen the surge of supernatural, and specifically zombie material these days. And really, a lot of it is the same. Zombie outbreak occurs, main characters try to survive while slowly but surely they get picked off one by one... It's a pretty bleak outlook, to be sure.

But Rusty chooses a different point of view. What happens after the bite, the turn? What if death isn't the end? And what if the heart keeps working even after the heartbeat stops? His zombies still pack the bite, but a few still keep their brains even after their organs shut down—and not all of them are friendly. So now our protagonists have to deal with learning the ins and outs of being undead, defeating their menacing, bloodthirsty foes, and still contend with teenage hormones.

This particular outbreak happens in the small coastal town of Catfish Cove, Florida. Max has just gotten detention with an assorted bunch of misfits when the Principal comes on the school's TV announcement system screaming about zombies, only to be promptly chowed down upon moments later. Max's best friend, Brie comes into the room a few seconds later, chomping on a severed limb of her own, then decides to share with the class. Max and the rest awake a few minutes later to find themselves under the supervision of a shady Proctor and a lot of armed guards who aren't too stingy with their tasers.

Oh yeah, and the kids are all zombies now.

When Posting, How Polite is Too Polite?

Fabulously Young ePubs: When Posting, How Polite is Too Polite?
by Rusty Fischer

I was entering a few book giveaways on Goodreads.com the other day (yes, I’m officially hooked on that “giveaway crack”) and whenever I came across a compelling new (to me) YA book, I would click on the author’s website or blog to check it out.

It was a really nice way to get to know more about some fellow YA authors and I ran across one in particular who was a grade-A, hmmm, how should I put this? A grade-A… personality. And I mean that in the epically most awesome way ever.

Seriously; she had attitude to spare and it was such a… revelation. I think she was ranting about some bad review or another and just really going to town; about readers, writers, publishers, the whole ball of wax. It was great to read because I was like, “Wow, she said what she really wanted in a really honest and unvarnished way… and no one’s running her out of town with pitchforks and torches!”

Personally, I try to come off as very polite, non-feather-ruffling and generally a helpful, nurturing kind of guy. Part of that is the teacher in me; I was trained to be politically correct, helpful, nurturing and generally stay in control of my emotions in front of a class full of kids.

Part of that is just me; if you meet me I pretty much am polite, helpful, calm, even-keeled, etc. But it’s not ALL of me. Drive with me for five minutes and you’ll hear enough cussing to get an NC-17 rating. Stick around while I read a bad review and you’ll hear a whole lot more! And I certainly have VERY strong feelings about writing, reading, reviews, bad reviews, publishing, agents, eBooks, print books and more.

I just always figured I should avoid sharing that hardcore, personal or angry or venting or rant-y stuff with my young, impressionable readers. Then I remembered, most YAs don’t exactly flock to my blog! (Come to think of it, most adults don’t either!) And even if they did, wouldn’t they prefer getting the “real” me versus the watered down version?

It’s not that I’m some big, fat phony when I post. I’m always honest, but I’m generally… polite. I don’t swear or foam at the mouth or rant and rave and, well, would it be so terribly bad if I did once in awhile?

So, I dunno, reading that YA author’s blog the other day was a real revelation. It kind of made it “okay” to be me, or at least a little bit more like the real me.

I don’t think I’ll be swearing and ranting and raving like this one author, but she’s far from alone. I know of several YA author blogs where writers, readers, even reviewers are quite frank, fun, wise, sarcastic, sassy and with plenty of… personality.

So what do you think? How polite is too polite? Or should bloggers abide by a certain “code” and keep themselves to themselves? Comment boxes are open; fire away!"

Yours in YA,

Rusty

~~~

My Reply:
I'm in the same boat as you are. I try to be as polite and tactful in my posts (even my negative ones) while still infusing my personality in what I write. Whenever I read over something of mine and go "Ooh, that's a bit harsh," I delete and re-write it in a less-harsh way.

At the same time, I enjoy reading a couple other blogs that don't hold back anything. They think it - they write it. Sometimes I agree with them, and sometimes I can only wince as books I love get flaming tomatoes thrown at them.

I think that by all means, you shouldn't censor your thoughts or emotions. If something pisses you off, and you think it's worth posting about it, go right ahead.

But most importantly, you still need to tailor your posts to the audience you want to attract. Language, content, and subject matter should focus on them. If you want a blog that can be read by teachers, parents, and teens, you're probably going to be a lot tamer than, say, just writing for high-school/college age.

Most importantly, and I think all writers know this (or will eventually), you can't appeal to everyone. You gotta do what you know how to do, and what you like to do. If you prefer your writing to ruffle feathers, and enjoy reading the responses of such, go for it.

Thanks, Rusty!

Fabulously Young ePubs
Zombies Don't Blog

This Bites - Metaphorically Speaking Of Course

~Vamplayers~
By Rusty Fischer
Amazon ~ Powell's

At the Afterlife Academy of Exceptionally Dark Arts, the vampires in training follow one of two tracks: they become either Sisters or Saviors. Of course, everyone wants to be a Savior, swooping into infested high schools in matching red leather jumpsuits and wielding crossbows, putting down swarming vampires with deadly efficiency.

But Lily Fielding is just a Sister—a Third Sister at that, a measly trainee. When Lily and her two Sisters, Alice and Cara, are called out to their latest assignment, she figures it's just another run-of-the-mill gig: spot the Vamplayer (part vampire, part player), identify the predictably hot, trampy girl he's set his eyes on, and befriend her before the Vamplayer can turn her to do his bidding.

Finding the sleek and sexy Vamplayer, Tristan, and his equally beautiful and popular target, Bianca, is easy. And when Lily meets the adorably geeky Zander, she too falls under love's spell. But this assignment turns out to be trickier than most when the Third Sister must battle the baddest vampire of all.


I started this one pretty late. In fact, it was after 2am, and I was only planning on reading for an hour or so, until I got tired. I ended up reading the whole thing right then and there. I could not put this book down.

You Might Be A Zombie If...

~Zombies Don't Cry~
A Living Dead Love Story
Book 1
By Rusty Fischer
Amazon ~ Powell's

Maddy Swift is just your average high school junior. Good grades, but not too brainy. Preppy, but not obnoxiously so. And definitely not buying this whole "Cursed Home Ec Class" theory her best friend's pushing on her. Sure, three deaths in three months is tragic, but her dad's the coroner and all of them were ruled accidental. End. Of. Story.

Besides, who can worry about curses when there's a new transfer to drool over? Stamp Crosby is currently the most sought after guy in the school, so Maddy's a little more than surprised when she's able to snag a private conversation twice in one day. And she's downright shocked when he goes so far to ask her out. Hey, she may not believe in curses, but no one said anything about knocking good luck!

Thing is, there may be something to this curse thing. Cause if getting a bolt of lightning to the skull and waking up without a heartbeat is normal... But if coming to terms with her new undead status wasn't enough, Maddy's got a father to fool, a Zombie apocalypse to prevent, and a date to find before the Fall Formal! What's a Zombie to do?


It's a habit of mine to search my library for new authors as soon as I learn of them. When Rusty contacted me to review his latest e-book, Ushers, Inc., I performed my traditional search and was surprised and excited to see a book in the system. Zombies Don't Cry was currently on-order, but after reading and loving his last book, I had to get my hands on this one ASAP. And I'm glad I did.

Ushers Are Hot!

Disclaimer: I received this book from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.

~Ushers, Inc.~
By Rusty Fischer
Amazon

When the streets are full of bloodsuckers, werewolves, zombies and ghouls, where will you turn? The cops don't know how to stop them, the Army's pretty much given up and even the Marines are stumped when their bullets and grenades fail to stop the onslaught.

Have no fear, Ushers, Inc. is here! Four high school movie ushers, who collectively have seen over 42,000 hours of B- and C-horror movies know just what to do.

Did you know copper pennies can stop a zombie in its tracks? Did you know garlic paste is twice as effective on vampires as garlic cloves? Did you know werewolves are absolutely petrified of seeing a Hershey's kiss? Abby Cooper, Head Usher, does.

So, when it's the monsters versus the monster hunters, who you gonna call?  Ushers, Inc., that's who!


First tip: Don't read the prologue if you don't want spoilers! Yes, it offers a cute little preview of the fun and excitement that is to come, but it also reveals the outcome of the final chapter. So, trust me on this one, just start on chapter one and if you're not instantly hooked, just wait until chapter four—that's when the real action starts.

And by action, I mean the most hilarious, cheesy, B-movie antics you ever could have dreamed up. Fans of the SAW franchise should shop somewhere else, because this horror is more akin to that of Fright Night, Big Wolf on Campus, or the original Night of the Living Dead. Not that the stakes aren't just as high for these characters—no one wants to be a werewolf's next snack—but let's say that the suspense, monsters, and gore are kept to a B-movie budget and thus Ushers, Inc. is pretty kid-friendly.