Zomblog 05: Snoe's War
Zomblog:
Snoe’s War
TW Brown
Zomblog: Snoe’s War
©2013 May December Publications
The Split-tree logo is a registered trademark of May December Publications LLC.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living, dead, or otherwise, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
This book is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of the author or May December Publications.
Printed in the U.S.A.
Dedication
Greg Carrico, Carol, Wills, J. Thorn, Rhonda Hopkins, The Loving Memory of Doris Hopkins, Selina Maeder, Wanda Beers, Jamal “Morgue” Luckett
An introduction you should read…
One of the first things you will notice is a departure from the blog/journal format. With Snoe being captured at the end of book four, it did not seem reasonable for her to have a journal. To that end, I took some liberties that I hope will be acceptable and enjoyable to you…the reader. After all, this series is for you.
That brings me to what I think is an exciting announcement. The next book in the Zomblog series will be the final one. For many of you, this will be like saying “farewell” to a friend. Because of that, I am opening the door for you to have your voices heard. I will include up to three “fan-fiction” stories at the end of the final installment. If your story is selected, you will be notified by email. I will have to send you a formal contract that allows for your piece to be included. So what am I looking for? Well, many of you have proven over time that you know some of these characters better than I do. To that end, I am inviting you to center a story around anybody from the
Zomblog
universe. The only rule is that you can’t alter the “reality” of that universe. So…Sam stays dead…you get the picture. Now, I may not hear from anybody. And some of you may be thinking “I’m not a writer.” To that I say “Bollocks!” Just have some fun. You will get a free copy of the book BEFORE it is released to the public (signed if requested). What have you got to lose?
Additionally, I have included something special at the end. One of the things writers do on occasion is try out “new” things. Believe it or not, I do actually write more than just the zombie stories that I am best known. I got my start writing comedy material for a few morning radio shows “back in the day.” To that end, I am developing a new series that I bill as a horror/comedy. The series is called
That Ghoul Ava
. It began as a short that became two shorts (which I condensed into one offering that was made available ONLY in ebook form). On April 1, 2013, I released the first full-length Ava novel titled
That Ghoul Ava & The Queen of the Zombies
. Since I have heard from a few of my very devoted readers that they do not (nor are they likely to ever) use an ereading device due to their love of holding a physical book, I have included the ENTIRE short,
That Ghoul Ava: Her First Adventures
, as well as an excerpt of the new Ava novel. So, if you are holding a physical copy of this book in your hand, I did this for you. (Plus, honestly, I think this Ava series is gonna be a blast. Let me know what you think.)
Now that I have that out of the way, I wanted to take a moment of your time. I realize that many will skip this part, but I hope more will read on. I am baring a bit of my soul here and sharing something that I feel is special.
This book was written during Camp NaNoWriMo in April of 2013. For those not familiar, NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writers Month. During that time, the goal is to write 1,667 words per day and complete a 50,000 word novel. (50,000 is considered the official minimum word-count length for a novel according to some sources.)
In April, I embarked on my annual fundraising effort for The Offices of Letters and Light (the official non-profit that oversees NaNoWriMo). Last year I set a goal of $500 and reached it. This year, I shot for the moon and put forth a loftier goal of $1,000. As I write this intro, I am less than $90 from reaching that goal.
What I want to share here is the fact that a single individual is responsible for $750 of that total. Now, the donor wishes to remain anonymous and I will respect that wish. However, I also wanted to express my thanks. The folks in the Offices of Letters and Light are calling me on the phone, emailing me, and even having me as a guest on a video conference. But the reality is that I didn’t do anything other than write a few blog posts and set up an account with the folks at StayClassy.org that make the fundraiser page happen.
I am always amazed each and every day when I sit down to write. I can do what I love because you all read these books. The
Zomblog
and
DEAD
series may not rake in the “Big Bucks” when compared to some, but they do well enough to let me do this as my regular job. That is because of people like YOU. And my being the top fundraiser for the good people who bring literacy to young and old in the form of reading and writing programs is also because of YOU. I just want to thank you all for allowing me this wonderful life that I have.
On to other things...
Yes, there is one final book in this series yet to come and then I put
Zomblog
to rest. However, I still have my
DEAD
series for those of you who have yet to discover it. Also, I have recently released the first full-length novel for my
That Ghoul Ava
series. I bill it as a horror/comedy. It is my respite from the often dark world that I paint in my post-apocalyptic worlds. You will find an excerpt at the end. I hope it tickles you enough to investigate the actual book.
As far as this series is concerned…I actually expect to hear from a few people. This has gotten away from zombies and become more about the people trying to rebuild a world that was wiped out. That is a conscious choice on my part. Seriously, this series is not about zombies…never has been. It is about people. Some good…some bad.
Another challenge is to portray an eighteen-year-old girl with some sense of reality. Sure, I have one roaming about the house, but I don’t understand her any more than I do Quantum Physics. What I hoped to do is make her a product of a world that is void of malls, social media, and all the other distractions. So, if she seems a bit “too smart” or whatever; imagine how she grew up. This is a world very different from our own.
Unlike books one and four in the series, there will hopefully be a bit of closure here. If you deiced to continue on with the series (and obviously I hope that is the case) and want to see how it all ends, book six will be out (hopefully) in October of 2013 and wrap the story in a nice bow. No spoilers…but I do have one more big event planned for our heroine.
My thanks to you all and I await/encourage your reviews. Believe it or not, they make a difference. And I am always surprised when some folks make a fuss when I do respond. Seriously, you all are why I do this to begin with…why would I NOT take the time to let you know that I appreciate your reviews (good or bad).
On with the show!
TW Brown
ZOMBLOG:
Snoe’s War
That Ghoul Ava sneak peeks
That Ghoul Ava: Her First Adventures
That Ghoul Ava: and the Rogue Vampire
That Ghoul Ava and The Queen of the Zombies
The Escape
What a crazy year! I know that I have a lot of catching up to do. I am sitting in camp with my pencil and a log book that will act as my journal. (The world has been dead for over two decades and one of the first things that people started making is writing material…I credit my father, Samuel Todd for that because of the success of his book.)
I wish I could have kept a journal these past months, I just know that I will be forgetting something…or a bunch of somethings. After all, you try writing down everything that happened to you in the past year, see how much you remember.
Needless to say, that cold morning where I walked into Dominique’s camp and surrendered, there was no way I could keep a journal. I did actually try while I was locked up, but it was discovered by Bruno and confiscated. (Bruno is what I called the monster of a man who was assigned to guard me, I never did learn his real name.)
When Dominique found out that I was keeping a journal…she got really mad. But that is getting ahead of the story. I guess I should start at the beginning—the day I surrendered was a day that would change my life and that of many of the people I know and love. Some for the better, many for the worse. Even with how things are turning out, I did what I felt had to be done at the time.
Was it the right choice?
Some will say yes, others would disagree. Of course they are probably dead and don’t get a vote. The losses that I—that
we
all
—suffered, might not seem worth it when they originally happened. After all, even people who say that they are “willing to sacrifice for the greater good of humanity” don’t often expect that they will end up on the casualty list.
I think one of the most difficult things about sharing this will be when I have to look at my mistakes on paper. How many of you want a tally sheet of all the things you do wrong staring you in the face for the rest of your life? And since I already know that at least three people will be reading this besides myself, that is three people who get to look at what I have done.
I guess, before I go much farther, I need to say this one thing up front. This is not going to be an apology. I did some things that I am not proud of, but they were necessary at the time. Or at least I felt that way then. I have always heard that hindsight is twenty-twenty. I never knew what that meant. (And actually, Mama Lindsay had to explain to me about eye exams and how they were graded back in the Old World since we don’t have people who specialize in just a person’s eyes. What a waste!)
So when last I wrote, I hand given my journal over to Felicia and Bob. Then, I walked down to Warehouse City where Dominique claimed to be holding my mom. I thought it was a bit dramatic for her to paint the message on a flag, but I would soon learn that, if nothing else, Dominique enjoyed the dramatic.
As I came out of the trees and started towards the gate, you would have believed that a herd of zombies was approaching. All of a sudden, there were people running up to the towers and aiming every weapon at me!
Two rows of soldiers lined up and one person came out dressed in all black. They marched to the gate and stood there waiting for me to arrive. The closer I got, the more trouble I suddenly found myself in when it came to not busting out laughing.
One of my problems is that when I get really nervous or angry, I laugh. And I don’t just mean a little giggle. I am talking about tears coming down my face, can’t hardly breathe, unable to speak. By the time I was about twenty feet away, I could not hold it back. I started laughing.
And that is how I met Dominique DuBois, self-proclaimed President of New America.
***
“Just what do you find so amusing?” the figure dressed in all black that stepped away from the two rows of soldiers who had crossbows cocked and trained on me asked.
I tried to answer, but every time I opened my mouth, the laughing just seemed to get worse. Finally, I did the only thing that I could; I pointed. That did not go over very well. I could see her face turn an even deeper shade of red. And that is when I took my first really good look at Dominique.
She had some nasty scarring on her face. Nothing to the extent of Jenifer, but it was gruesome looking none the less. As she got angry, the scar tissue turned a shade of purple. That only made me laugh harder.
“What is so funny?” Dominique demanded.
I honestly tried to stop laughing, but as is usually the case, the harder I tried to stop, the worse it got. That only made her angrier. She stormed over to me and got right in my face. I could smell something that reminded me of rotten fruit on her breath.