Upcoming Book Release and Blog Tour!

I'm afraid I've fallen off the earth trying to do all the last-minute things in time for the Sept. 13th release of my book, Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter.

Thought I'd share the info her, too, and let the mystery crowd join in the fun!

My book release blog tour starts Today!! 

If you like your mysteries more on the dark side with some zombies - okay, a lot of zombies - then this is for you! Fair warning!

The blog schedule is below and the posts will be on my GirlZombieAuthors blog every day until 9/14. Hope you'll stop by!

This is the release blog tour for Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter.  YAY!  Don't forget to get your copy!!! 
 *** Please order on Sept. 13 - release day - to give the book a boost!!!! ***

About the Book:
Every family has its secrets… 

   One hot August morning in 1892, Lizzie Borden picked up an axe and murdered her father and stepmother. Newspapers claim she did it for the oldest of reasons: family conflicts, jealousy and greed. But what if her parents were already dead? What if Lizzie slaughtered them because they’d become zombies? 
   Thrust into a horrific world where the walking dead are part of a shocking conspiracy to infect not only Fall River, Massachusetts, but also the world beyond, Lizzie battles to protect her sister, Emma, and her hometown from nightmarish ghouls and the evil forces controlling them. 

*** There's also a contest to win 1 of 10 Kindle copies (ends 9/14.). Entrants MUST enter an email as a blog comment or on the rafflecopter to be sent a gift copy if they win. Sorry, no time to hunt you down. No email, no chance to win.  ** And please, review it on Goodreads and Amazon. **

Think you know Lizzie Borden? Read on! Come back here and stop at the daily blog stops. The blog tour schedule is:

Mon. Sept 5 - GirlZombieAuthors – Introduction – A Little About Lizzie
Tues. Sept. 6 - Jaime Johnesee blog – 12 Questions for Lizzie Borden
Weds. Sept. 7 - Jean Rabe’s blog – Lizzie Borden… Dog Lover?

Thurs. Sept. 8 - AF Stewart blog interview

Fri. Sept.  9 - Haunt Jaunts blog – More Lizzie

Sat. Sept. 10 – Stephen D. Sullivan blog - Lizzie Films

Sun. Sept. 11 - GirlZombieAuthors recap

Camille Minichino blog - Why oh why zombies?

Mon. Sept. 12 - Horror Maiden's Book Reviews

Tues. Sept. 13 - RELEASE DAY!!!

Zombies and Toys Review!

 Join the FB Release Party - prizes, guest authors, zombie fun!! (See info posted on my Facebook page and website.)

Weds. Sept. 14 - Lizzie as a Zombie Hunter - Chapter Break Book Blog

 This isn't the end! Get your copy. Share a review. And come back to the GirlZombieAuthors blog or the author website for info on another blog tour starting Sept. 26 with Bewitching Book Tours.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Using My Brain for Halloween

Yes, between all this writing stuff, I am still making miniatures!

Thanks to slave-driver, I mean friend and fellow author Joanna Campbell Slan, I did some more work on some stuff in my favorite holiday, Halloween. (Funny thing is, I've made a bunch of gory stuff in the past for my haunted house (pictured on my website page) and this time, it seems I'm making more "cute" stuff.  I write about zombies and Joanna is creating some freaky and gory stuff. Go figure. :)

Oh, hey, I've done my share of gory before.... I've used my "brains." haa!

Here's a couple pix of some of my Haunted meals I made in the past... yum! Finger sandwich anyone?  

And no, it's not too early to talk about. I've already looked at both Halloween and Christmas stuff at Hobby Lobby!

The good thing about Joanna doing her gory stuff is that is I'll get to try my hand at a bunch of different things since she's come up with some cool ideas!  (Do share!) So I'm gonna try shrinking them down more to fit my yet-to-be-built half-scale haunted dollhouse  (6 inches = 1 foot) that I've been saving and collecting for...  Though I might have to do a book box with her ideas, too.

Here's a bed I just designed and made (for our Halloween book project) and for my house. (Have to get a better pic yet.) It's not spooky as I wanted an "elegant" piece. I will make some other spookier items, of course... 

Right now I'm "brain-storming" an idea... I have the neatest tiny resin ornament of a witch's head, and I think it may just be the right size to attach to a body to make a half-scale witch... I might make a mold of it, too. The face is too perfect not to use!

Faces, heads, bodies, brains... 

Maybe it's the upcoming release of Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter that has me getting in a Halloween mood early!  Coming Sept. 13!  

Yes, I've got Lizzie Borden and zombies on the brain 24/7. (Brains, get it? haa!) Ok, I'll stop. 
I just can't help myself. 

Birthing A Book...

Many of us have shared the roller coaster ride of birthing a book.

First there's the idea, and working on it. And working on it. And... 

Then subbing, and subbing, and...

No, my keyboard isn't stuck. That's how it's gone. ha! Mostly it's not a process for the weak. It can be discouraging, but if you really love your project, and believe in it, you keep at it unless you decided to self-pub it.

Then once it's accepted, it's another edit and another after the X times you already read it.

Then as I said on my previous post, you still think of stuff to change!

The best part though? Seeing it come to life. Seeing that cover being formed.

That's where I'm at now with my upcoming book, Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter.  Coming soon - Sept. 13!!!  !!! 

 ***** Wanna see the cover???? Just released! See my website!! 

Yeah, you read it right. I know, it's a bit scary sounding, I suppose, compared to most of the books on this blog. At least I know I fit in somehow with the word Killer in the blog title. ha!

You can't help what comes to mind and what you decide to write about. I've always been fascinated by history and older crimes like Jack the Ripper and Lizzie Borden. Maybe it's the endless unanswered questions associated with such crimes...  

Having read years of Stephen King books, horror doesn't bother me. I admit I don't like a lot of the modern slasher movies, but I don't mind a good suspenseful scary movie And I love reading horror, maybe since I can fill in the blanks myself, in my own way. 

So, when I started reading and looking at the Borden autopsy photos (which , of course, would be tons worse in full color), it got me thinking... and I realized another, perfectly plausible explanation could be made for why she might've committed the crimes. Yes, it's horror and gore and zombies, but there's also a unique mystery running through it with Lizzie and her sister uncovering the pieces to the puzzle...


I'll share more details as they come along. For now, here's more about it: 

Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter

           by C.A. Verstraete

 Every family has its secrets…

One hot August morning in 1892, Lizzie Borden picked up an axe and murdered her father and stepmother. Newspapers claim she did it for the oldest of reasons: family conflicts, jealousy and greed. But what if her parents were already dead? What if Lizzie slaughtered them because they’d become zombies?

Thrust into a horrific world where the walking dead are part of a shocking conspiracy to infect not only Fall River, Massachusetts, but also the world beyond, Lizzie battles to protect her sister, Emma, and her hometown from nightmarish ghouls and the evil forces controlling them.

Zombies and Plot Bunnies

Please help me welcome fellow mystery writer Alice Loweecy today as she discusses hobbies that can help you survive the zombie apocalypse.  Now this I have to hear!

My writer friends and I discuss many subjects: Plot bunnies, cooking, shopping, books, chocolate vs. wine. One topic that comes up more often that any of us would expect is the Zombie Apocalypse. Not as a storyline, but as a survivalist exercise.

We make lists of essential skills required to survive longer than 24 hours. Of the core group of people who might not get their brains munched. Of who we’d let into our fortified bunker and why.

The first time we did this, we were surprised at the way some of our hobbies turned out to be useful skills when the ravenous horde is at our heels and a double-barreled shotgun stands between us and getting allowed back into our shelter. You know, in case one of us got nibbled and is hiding it. Or in case I’m the slow one that could be tripped so the rest can escape. I don’t want to be the expendable one.

Speaking of shotguns, more than a few of us are skilled with gun, rifle, knife, sword, and crossbow. Everyone knows you have to nail a zombie in the brain to stop it from munching on yours. I’m good with a Glock (with a little refresher practice) and with bow and arrow. One more reason not to trip me during the mad dash to safety!

One of my friends is an excellent seamstress. When zombies overrun the mall, we have to make our jeans last. Another is a forager. He can make a nutritious, tasty meal out of plants in the woods I couldn’t identify on a bet. My ZA bunker would definitely include the guy who can tell which mushrooms are poisonous and which can go in the sauté pan. A few of us knit. Sweaters don’t repair themselves, especially when your skin has dodged a mouthful of rotting teeth because your favorite cardigan took one for the team.

I’m a gardener. My backyard boasts a 200-square-foot vegetable garden and my deck is covered with potted herbs. When the ZA hits, it’s going to be difficult to head to the grocery store. And those apples and peppers and tomatoes are all going to rot in a matter of weeks. I carry over seeds from one year to the next, so when I run from the horde, the first thing I grab as I leave my house behind is my seed cache.

Not only do I grow veggies, I cook with them. It’s going to get pretty tense in the bunker as we wait out the ZA. What better way to pass the time than trying my homemade sauce or salsa or tabbouleh? And for those who like Bloody Marys, fresh tomatoes for tomato juice. After adding up all my skills, I’m pretty impressed with my chances of making the bunker-worthy cut.

I write private-investigator mysteries, and I don’t see a Zombie Apocalypse in my MC’s future. But she can fire a Glock and she grows veggies. Hobbies may not save her life—unless all that stands between her and a psychotic killer is a row of Ghost Pepper plants. I might feel a moment of sympathy for a psycho killer who’s just had a handful of Ghost Peppers smashed into his eyes.

Hmm… plot bunny!

Baker of brownies and tormenter of characters, Alice Loweecey recently celebrated her thirtieth year outside the convent. She grew up watching Hammer horror films and Scooby-Doo mysteries, which explains a whole lot. When she’s not creating trouble for Giulia Falcone-Driscoll, she can be found growing her own vegetables (in summer) and cooking with them (the rest of the year).

Be sure to check out Alice's new mystery, Nun Too Soon, A Giulia Driscoll Mystery available now from Henery press! 

Purchase it here! 

Is there a reason why we become “cat people”?

I know I creeped out a few people last week with my post about corpse brides.

If it makes you feel any better, this week it’s my turn to freak out. That’s because I've learned that a strange parasite is trying to get cozy with our cats. And the bug might be capable of affecting human behavior.

I discovered this odd bit of news when I spoke to my daughter, who is doing some research into the Toxoplasma parasite. Toxoplasma is excreted by cats. The parasite can be found in cat litter. (It’s the reason why women shouldn’t clean the cat box while they’re pregnant.)

It turns out that in most infected people, the Toxoplasma parasite is fairly benign. Which is a good thing, because up to half the people on the planet carry the parasite’s tiny cysts in their brain (ugh). But Toxoplasma causes birth defects in fetuses, and I’ve also heard that it can cause blindness if the parasite migrates to your eye (so much for being benign).

Cats are the natural hosts for the parasite, which gets very crafty in its attempts to reach a feline. Research has shown that when a rat is infected with Toxoplasma, the rat’s brain is altered so that the rodent loses its fear of cats. The infected rat becomes much more likely to get eaten by a cat, and then—voila!—the parasite has reached its target host.

Some research I read about suggests that even human behavior can be affected by the Toxoplasma parasite.

A parasitologist (who knew such a field existed?) once reported that women who are infected with Toxoplasma tend to be more extroverted and caring—to what end, is not known. My personal theory is that perhaps the parasite is trying to make us take better care of its feline hosts.

I’m freaking out about the possibility that the bug might affect human behavior, because everyone in my family loves cats.

As a clan, we like dogs just fine. But we’re nuts about cats. For example, I have an aunt who has nine indoor kitties. She also feeds and takes care of dozens of feral cats.

My sister is another fierce protector of all things feline. She has appointed me executor of her estate on behalf of her two cats. I have precise instructions for where and how they’ll be cared for if they outlive her (her will even includes funding for a long-term kitty haven).

Then there’s me. My husband calls me a “cat whisperer.” When I see or hear a cat on the street, I’m magnetically drawn to it. I’m strangely drawn to it, I’m thinking now.

Our familial tendency to adore cats and care for them makes me wonder—could it be that we’re all infected with the Toxoplasma parasite, and we’ve been passing the bug down through the generations? Maybe the parasite has altered our brains to make sure that we take excellent care of its host, Mr. Cat.

Bottom line: Is a bug pulling our strings?

Technically speaking, I’m not even sure that a parasite is a bug (science teachers, help me out here). But I’m sure it looks like one under a microscope. I’ll bet it looks really disgusting, too.

The whole thing makes me think about some signs my relatives have hanging all around their houses. The signs say things like:

“The cat owns the house. We just work here.”

Things may be worse than they know.

We might all be working for a damned bug.

Update on treatment

I had a question from Sheila about treatment for toxoplasma. There are treatments available for the parasite (primarily with antibiotics), but--and this news won't reassure too many people--the treatments may not cure "latent" cases, where the brain cysts are just hanging out, biding their time. Also, some species are evidently exhibiting immunity to the treatments. Here's more from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxoplasmosis#Treatment