Hi
everyone!
I’m
baaack! This time I wanted to show you my twisted zombie story. For the
traditionalists this may seem very- let me see if I can remember the quotes I
got in a few reviews. Oh yes.- ridiculous, childish and unrealistic. Apparently
they didn’t think zombies could exist in a funny kind of romance.
In
my defense when you write fiction I thought all those things were up for grabs.
In the world I create I can do what I want. I know that some things are
basically “written in stone” like vampires drink blood and have some kind of
sensitivity to light, Greek gods live on Olympus and that sort of thing. To
change that stuff could hinder your
reader’s ability to get into your
story.
Anyway,
my zombies are zombie-like. Their flesh falls apart, the move steady but slow
and they eat flesh to change others into zombies. The story around it is a
romance. Two guys in a long term commitment taking a road trip to move across
country to make a better life for themselves. It’s a light horror mixed with
funny situations and hope. If you like that than I Love You to Death is for you.
To start their lives
anew, Mike and Bill are leaving the chill winters of Chicago behind for the
warm breezes of San Fernando Valley. On their cross country road trip they
experience different foods, cozy country towns and…zombies??
Excerpt:
Mike
grunted and turned off the main highway following the dirt road that led into
the small town. Bill’s mouth dropped open at its appearance. A quick shift of
his eyes showed him that Mike’s expression mimicked his own. Having grown up in
a major city like Chicago neither of them had ever seen a ‘small town’. It was
like something straight off of television. Mike drove pass Scooter’s general
store, Bob Cat’s hardware and Mick’s gas station all on the same block. They
stopped at a four way stop and continued down the street to pull up in front of
Ellie May’s Diner. The buildings were weather beaten and dull looking against
the dusty sidewalks they rested on.
“Are
you having a Mayberry moment, too, or is it just me?” Bill asked Mike with a
laughing grin.
“Man!
I’m half expecting the inside of the building to be in black and white.”
Mike
roared with laughter as he left the vehicle. Bill followed and they went
inside. The inside looked just as Bill suspected it would. A long marble-like
counter with red top stools expanded to the left and right before them as they
entered. Two men who appeared nothing alike in coloring or facial features, yet
they both looked like they could easily go by the name Bubba, sat at the
breakfast bar eating. To their left and right were booth tables, but only the
left side had occupants.
Bill
figured the bells on the door were there to alert the only waitress he saw to
new customers into the establishment, but it also brought the ‘Bubbas’ and
everyone else’s eyes in the diner to them as well. So many heavy gazes on him
at once, no matter how vacant, made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.
Bill turned to Mike, but before he could say anything he headed toward a seat
for them. Bill picked up pace behind him and slid into the booth across from
him.
“Okay
so how far off course are we?” Mike asked.
“Well,
we crossed the Utah state line a few hours ago so…” Bill paused to spread the
map across the table. “We were here. I remember passing this town,” he started
trailing his finger over a windy red line, “Then we—“
“Then
we veered off track to take a picture and got lost,” Mike chimed in.
Bill
narrowed his eyes and twisted his lips, but Mike’s cheesy grin defused his
anger.
“Anyway,
as I was saying…” Bill looked back at the map, but his assuredness faded as he
scanned the paper. “Huh, I don’t know where we are, but we need to find the way
back to I-15 so we can hit Vegas before going into Cali.”
“You
are right here, honey,” a voice declared as a pale finger with a bright red
nail came down on the map.
Bill
and Mike’s head turned at the same time looking up. A woman with dark brown
hair twisted into a tight bun at the base of her neck, large flushed cheeks and
bright crimson lips to match her finger tips stared down at them.
“You
are in beautiful Blakely, Utah, population one hundred thirty-seven counting
Becky’s new baby and home of our famous green bean and mountain oyster pie.”
“Becky
had twins, Mabel,” one of the Bubba’s corrected aloud.
“Thirty-eight,”
Mabel amended with a quick smile.
Bill
looked across to Mike. He didn’t see the disgust he felt on Mike’s face, but
his features were screwed up in apparent confusion. Bill turned his attention
back to Mabel.
“Green
bean and moun—“ Bill started.
“Don’t
knock it till you’ve tried it, hun,” she quipped cutting him off. “What can I
get you all to drink?” she asked pulling a small pad from the front pocket of
her red and white checker board apron.
“I’ll
just take which ever cola you have,” Mike told her.
“Uh-huh
and you,” Mabel said pointing at Bill.
“Do
you have organic products?”
The
woman’s bushy eye brow rose as she looked down on him. Mike turned away to
smother a laugh. Bill swallowed hard and licked his lips.
“I’ll
just have water,” he modified.
Mabel
nodded and wrote on her pad. “Be right up. I’m Mabel in case you didn’t hear.
The menus are by the window,” she told him indicating the direction with her
pen before walking away.
“I
was afraid to ask if they had bottled water. She might have stabbed me
with her pen or something,” Bill said trying to fold the map back into a
carrying position.
and all online distributors
Jaxx
