Alice Hearts Welsh Zombies, an urban fantasy/comedy/adventure novel for ages 14 to 104, by local author Victoria Dunn will be available the evening of Saturday, June 16, 2012 from 7-9 pm in Ottawa at the Collected Works Bookstore 1242 Wellington Street West, Ottawa, Ontario.
This release is a month ahead of anywhere else in North America!

To celebrate, Victoria Dunn is hosting a Zombie Beauty Contest at the book launch. There will be prizes, free food, a zombie song written by Trevor Strong of Arrogant Worms fame, and readings from Alice Hearts Welsh Zombies. We are going to be there to judge the costumes (along with Typical Lydia of Ottawa Horror)and support this great event, so come out and win some stuff, and beat the presses on this book!

Dead Souls
Edited by Eric Beebe
Postmortem Press
(Available in both print and electronic versions- see below)

Greetings Rotting Readers,

Zombiequeen here with another book review.

The anthology is a great way to sample authors…kind of like a buffet, you can taste a bit of everything, and this book has a LOT of variety!
Dead souls is an anthology featuring 17 morbid morsels of zombie goodness from various authors that have recurring themes of love, family, loyalty and the ties that bind (and sometimes gag). It makes one examine what one would do if our ones we loved came back from the dead…and they were kind of hungry! Favorites for me included Push Button, Get Bacon – (a young girl’s search for her autistic brother) ; A Day in the Death (on the job with personnel) and Juice (an act of desperation that goes horrible wrong). The stories were so captivating, I ALMOST put down my martini! …ALMOST. If you pick up this book, I’m sure you will find something to gnaw on, there’s something for everyone here!

Featured authors include: Matthew Ashcraft, Joseph Williams, Paul Anderson, M Shaw, Kenneth W Cain, Robert Essig, Andrew Risch, KT Jayne, Suzanne Robb, RJ Reising, Jessica McHugh, Anton Cancre, Ginny Gilroy, Jackie Gamber, Thomas Malafarina, C Bryan Brown, and Jason Downes. With an Introducton by zombieinfo.com favorite Jonathan Maberry!

Available in both print and electronic versions, and check out Postmortem Press for more great books! (HERE)

Overall the Zombiequeen thinks this tasty tome is worth 4 bloody eyeball martinis!

Want it? Buy it!

I’m the Zombiequeen, and this topic is Dead…and Buried!
-ZQ

It Came From the Kitchen
Monstrously Delicious Celebrity Recipes From Dracula, Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, Assorted Aliens and Beyond!
By Geoff Isaac & Gordon Reid

Greetings Shamblers! The Zombie Queen here again with a book that brings together two of my favourite things – cooking and movies!
It Came From the Kitchen is collection of recipes and recollections of industry faves (writers, actors, directors, special affects) from Sci-fi, Cult and Horror films. Filled with stories and food from the stars, filmography and fun facts this cookbook is a devilishly delicious read.
Highlights for me were the introduction by Ingrid Pitt , P.J. Soles Banana Pancakes, Vincent Price’s Risotto and Ray Bradbury’s Peach Kuchen. I spent several hours poring through it and have even made a few of the fantastic recipes. Even if you don’t cook, this book is worth buying…AND it will teach you to cook, so… you know, win-win. You can tell that the authors Geoff Isaac and Gordon Reid are real fans of the genre and did a lot of research for this fun book. Hope to see a sequel! (Zombieking interrupts- ‘Anything that keeps her feeding me is a-ok in my book… and it also keeps me from eating cheerleaders and girl guides!’)

Want it? Get it here:

The Authors OFFICIAL BLOG HERE

As for my rating, I have to give this another 5 out of 5 eyeball martinis… 2012 has had a great start on reviews so far!

I’m ‘the Zombiequeen’…and this topic is dead, and BURIED!

-ZQ

Vanishing Hope
by Tobin Elliot
Burning Effigy Press

Greetings Shamblers! After a hiatus the Zombie Queen is back from the grave and ready to party in 2012! …or at least get back to doing the book reviews.

My first review I can dig up for 2012 is Vanishing Hope by Tobin Elliot. This micro-press story is brought to you from the fine folks at Burning Effigy Press (including Rue Morgue alumni Monica S. Kuebler!).

The first half of the story presents us with a young girl (Talia) unhappy with her current lot in life. She feels that the arrival of baby sister Alex ruined everything and drove her dad away. She hates the fact that she has to compete for the attention of her mom, and wishes Alex would just disappear. Well, be careful what you wish for! This story takes a dark and twisted turn when Talia finds a book (or does it find her?) that helps her develop her already creepy nature as she plays out her revenge on any and all who displease or disagree with her.

Dark, delicious and maddeningly short (I wanted to read SO much more about Talia’s exploits!) It felt like I some kind of reading addict lining up to a new dealer in Tobin, and the first hit was free. I was craving MORE! This is the first published book by author Tobin Elliot and I am definitely looking forward to reading more of his work. Rumor has it that Burning Effigy may have a full length novel coming out from Tobin, so keep your eyes out for it at www.burningeffigy.com!

So, what should I give a micro story with a maximum impact? 5 out of 5 eyeball martinis of course!

I’m ‘the Zombiequeen’ and this story is now dead…and buried!

-ZQ

The Zombiequeen returns! Been very busy reading while I was away, and I’ve got some great stuff for you here, and coming up… so let’s not sit around here and rot… let’s get to it!

Brains by Robin Becker

Harper Collins http://www.harpercollins.com/books/Brains-Robin-Becker

College-professor-cum-zombie Jack Barnes is a different breed of undead—he can think. In fact, he can even write. And the story he has to tell is a truly disturbing—yet strangely heartwarming—one.

Convinced he’ll bring about a peaceful coexistence between zombies and humans if he can demonstrate his unique condition to Howard Stein, the man responsible for the zombie virus, Barnes sets off on a grueling cross-country journey to meet his maker. Along the way he recruits a small army of “super” zombies that will stop at nothing to reach their goal. There’s Guts, the dreadlocked boy who can run like the wind; Joan, the matronly nurse adept at reattaching decaying appendages; Annie, the young girl with a fierce quick-draw; and Ros, who can actually speak. United they embark on an epic quest to attain what all men, women—and, apparently, zombies—yearn for: equality.

Brains is a smart and sassy take on the sentient zombie leading a bunch of misfits on a doomed journey to meet their maker (the creator of the zombie-making virus) and convince humans that they can co-exist with the living dead. The characters are engaging and the story is humorous and full of sarcasm, pop culture references and spot on social commentary with brain munching and bullet-dodging action mixed in . A great ghoulish read that leaves you wanting more!

I give Brains 4 out of 5 bloody eyeball martinis!

I’m the Zombiequeen…and this review is DEAD and BURIED!

-ZQ