Friday, July 10 is release day for Aliens Versus Zombies! Also, new website!

Only 1 day until release!

Special preorder price: $0.99/£0.99 now through Release Day, Friday, July 10. On July 11, the price goes up.

Check out my new website, too: http://MarkTerenceChapman-Author.com.

Aliens Versus Zombies is a most unconventional sci-fi/zombie hybrid (not really horror, but still a zombie story, closer to Warm Bodies in spirit than The Walking Dead).

The end of the world began with a neither a bang nor a whimper, but with pain. March 23, 2033 was the day the Tibetan hemorrhagic fever virus jumped species.

Eighty-two percent of the human race—more than eight billion people—died within six months, screaming as necrotic tissue rotted on the bone. Of the eighteen percent of humanity that survived the pandemic, nearly all suffered through intense fever that resulted in damage to the higher brain functions. They didn’t die, but they also were no longer quite human. Instead, they became ravening feral hordes, forever hunting for living things to eat: snakes, raccoons, people—it didn’t matter. As long as it had a heartbeat, the zombies—for want of a better term—pursued and ate it. Yet, these zombies were not the mindless, shuffling, automatons of horror fiction. They were something else entirely. They were fast, cunning, hunted in packs, and could use simple tools.

The remaining eight-tenths of one percent of humanity—fewer than eight million individuals worldwide—were immune to the virus. However, with the collapse of all governments and military they stood little chance of surviving long-term against almost two billion zombies.

Fourteen months after the plague struck, a Drahtch invasion fleet arrived with more than twenty thousand armed ships, two million ground troops, and a half-million colonists.

Mankind doesn’t stand a chance.

Or does it?

For TWO FREE CHAPTERS, go to my website, below.

Aliens Versus Zombies is available on Amazon in 13 countries: http://smarturl.it/AliensVersusZombies.

To find out more about this and my other novels, go to my old website at http://MarkTerenceChapman.com or my new site (see link above). @MarkTerenceChap

The World Outside the Window now available for Kindle

In addition to the trade paperback print edition, The World Outside the Window anthology is now also available in Kindle ebook format. (Other ebook formats will follow.)

Mark.

"The World Outside the Window" anthology available

I have a sci-fi short story ("Fallen Star, Rising Star") in The World Outside the Window anthology, which is now available on Amazon.

The anthology contains 19 stories by 19 authors, spanning multiple genres, from romance to sci-fi, from paranormal to suspense.

If you love good stories and like to explore different genres, this anthology is a great way to start out the new year.

Here's a blurb and short excerpt for my story:

Blurb:

While playing catch, two boys spy a falling star. When they investigate, they discover that the meteorite is much more than they bargained for. In fact, the fate of all humanity depends on what they do next.

Excerpt:

"Be careful!” Joey cautioned, stepping back. “It might still be ho—”

Paul clutched the shape before Joey could finish his warning. “Nah, it’s fine. Well, it’s a little warm, but not much. C’mere and look at this! It’s so cool!”

He held it out in both hands for Joey to admire. It was roughly baseball-sized, but not spherical—more egg-shaped. Paul brushed off some of the soil that still stuck to it, revealing what lay beneath. The object was multifaceted, like a giant emerald, but unlike any emerald the two boys had ever seen or heard of. The gem glowed with an internal fire, pulsing like a heartbeat, first brighter and then dimmer.

“Here, hold it.” Paul offered.

“Nuh-uh,” Joey replied. “I don’t like the looks of it.”

“Chicken. Bawk-bawk—”

“Shh! Someone might hear you!”

“Yeah? Who? There’s no one around here but us. Bawk-bawk—”

“All right, all right!” Joey reached out and touched the object with the tip of a finger for the briefest instant.

Mark.

Progress on Sunrise Destiny

I just got word this morning that the art director at Red Rose Publishing has assigned a cover artist to my science fiction novel, Sunrise Destiny. The editing is already well under way, so I'm hopeful the book will be out in February.

I also received word from my editor at RJ Buckley Publishing that the anthology (The World Outside the Window) containing my short story "Fallen Star, Rising Star" is on schedule for January release. The ebook should be out in early January, with the printed copies coming in the middle of the month. Both will be available from Amazon initially, with other outlets coming over time. The anthology is also available for preordering directly from the publisher.

I'll keep you informed as I learn more.

Mark.

Another story coming soon

I just received a contract for my short story, Harvey-467 Makes a Bride. It'll be published as an ebook by the publisher (Red Rose) that's releasing my novel. So that makes a novel (Sunrise Destiny), a short story (Fallen Star, Rising Star) in an anthology (The World Outside the Window, from RJ Buckley Publishing), and a stand-alone story, that will be published within the next few months.

So far, 2009 is looking good. 8^}

Mark.

"The World Outside the Window" anthology coming soon

Good news! I have a short story (Fallen Star, Rising Star) coming in an anthology called The World Outside the Window. The book will be published in January 2009 in both paperback and Amazon Kindle ebook format, but it's already available for pre-ordering. The anthology consists of 19 adult fiction stories by 19 authors, many of them published novelists. The stories run the gamut of fiction, from romance to horror, from suspense to sci-fi and fantasy. (My story is about two adolescent boys who discover a meteorite that turns out to be so much more.)

The collection has an interesting premise (which is well-illustrated by the cover). From the jacket blurb:

Imagine, if you will, a building of unknown origin. A building in which there are many rooms, each with a window that looks out upon a courtyard and a scene beyond.

In each room a person sits, staring out the window at the same people and objects that everyone else sees from their windows. Yet, as we tell our stories of what we see, we learn a basic truth of the universe. We learn that even though our eyes survey identical scenes, our minds take us to places that only we as individuals know and remind us of stories that only we can tell.

Outside the window we see a winding country lane leading into the distant countryside. We see two boys, perhaps 10 or 12 years old, tossing a baseball to each other. A girl of maybe 7 or 8 swings on a schoolyard swing set, while two lovers walk hand in hand along the side of the road. A ramshackle old mailbox sits on a slanted post, and nearby there is an old car, possibly from the ‘50s - appearing to be in good running condition. We see a church steeple and an older woman walking along the side of the road, seemingly headed for the church. A young soldier stands still, his face is pensive, and it is plain to see that he has much on his mind. Two men are in a heated discussion about something, but from inside our window we can only guess at what is causing their turmoil. Nearby a beautiful girl sits on a park bench, weeping. An old dog lies on the grass, peaceful and serene, watching a puppy frolicking through a flower bed. As day changes to evening and then to night, we see a twinkle in the sky. A falling star, perhaps a starship?

Yes, the characters are there for us, waiting, making no comments that will give us any clue as to who they are or what they may be doing. They are waiting for us to cast them in their roles, to give them direction. We can use one or all of them. We can make them walk down the country lane, drive the car, or follow along behind the woman as she heads for the church. It is our world to create, and we have total control of everything in it. Whatever happens, we make it happen. Loves, lies, war or peace, death or life, shackled to earth or bound for the stars, it is in our hands to decide their fate.

We sit at the window, taking in the complexity of the scene before us and after a few hours of pondering, we sit back and relax as we use our mind’s eye to peer into a world that we will shape into anything we wish it to be.

Slowly, we begin. We pick up our pens and write our stories of the world outside the window.

So every story in some way ties to the characters we see in the courtyard outside the window.

Here is the Table of Contents for the book (subject to change before publication). There may be some other authors you know there:

FALLEN STAR, RISING STAR – Mark Terence Chapman
MISERY LOVES COMPANY – Pamela K. Kinney
ROSE’S QUESTION – D. K. Christi
SMILE – Anthony Waugh
THE SILVER LINING – Rebecca Buckley
THE BLACK ROSE – Woodrow Walker
SAYING GOODBYE TO MISS MOLLY – Morgan St. James
THE SPLIT MIND – Robert A. Meacham
NEAL’S NOEL – Jay Osman
THE MAILBOX – Larry L. Evans
STRANGE DREAMS – B.W. Philpot
ONLY THERE WAS NO WIND – Jim Wilsky
AUSTIN, MY HERO – Tory Lynn
ETUDE & SMOKE RINGS – Lana M. Ho-Sheing
TWILIGHT – Matthew Alan Pierce
THIS TIME FOREVER – Erin Gordon
SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY – Curtis M. Hendel
HOUSE ARREST – Richard Lord
KILLING FROST – E. Don Harpe

Noticing that my story comes first, I'd like to think that's because it's the best and the publisher wants to put our collective best foot forward. But who knows? Still, it's an honor to go first. I imagine a number of prospective readers will pick up the book, read the first page, and make a purchase decision based on that. So it'd better be good.

Of course, the publisher would want the last story to be good too, to leave a good taste in the reader's mind. And the middle stories need to be good, so the reader doesn't get bored before the end. And...aw, heck--they all have to be good. Just read 'em. You won't be disappointed.

Mark.