Meet the Awesome Author - Sara Brooke

Today, I'm very happy to host an amazing new voice in horror.  Author Sara Brooke is taking the world by storm and is giving horror readers a fresh, unique perspective into the genre.

I'm very excited to share with you that my new horror novel, The Zyne Project, is now available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble in eversion. Bram Stoker Award-Winner Joe Mckinney calls it "A Zombie outbreak like no other...Medical Research hasn't been this frightening since Michael Crichton!" I hope you get a chance to check it out and appreciate your support.
- Sara

Travel around the internet with Sara Brooke as she hangs out with some cool bloggers. Stops include reviews, guest posts, special excerpts and giveaways of Sara Brooke’s complete library. To stalk Sara and find out where she will be next, head over toFreeBookDude.com for a complete listing. 

The Zyne Project Synopsis:
Six people agree to participate in a first-of-its-kind clinical trial. They’re ready to change the face of science, but they’re the ones who start changing. As each subject succumbs to the horror of the trial, they begin to turn against each other…and discover the nightmare within. What was supposed to be a medical breakthrough is turning regular people into something unimaginable. And there may be a deeper truth even more frightening than the beastly evolution occurring...

And now, a few words from Sara:

What scares me – Author, Sara Brooke

A reader recently told me that she had to read my novels with the lights on in her bedroom, and that each night she suffered from insomnia because she kept on thinking about all of the scary stuff she’d ingested. She then looked at me with tired eyes and asked, “So, what scares you?”

Now, she isn’t the first person to ask me this question.  Being a horror novelist, people expect you to be immune to fear and revel in the unknown.

I’ll agree that my preferences are scary movies and books, but that doesn’t mean I don’t get scared. Quite the contrary. 

Many things frighten me.  

Zombies, for some reason, frighten me.  I think their untamed nature to sneak up on you when you least expect it, the fact that they’re dead and decaying, and their ability to convert you into a mindless, drooling creature – still scares me.  Shows like “The Walking Dead” and others are interesting reminders of how fragile our society is.  If part of our carefully crafted world moves out of place, then what we know as normalcy disappears.

Supernatural horror frightens me as well. I’ve had many occurrences throughout my lifetime that lead me to believe that there is more out there than meets the eye.  In my mind, it is foolhardy to think that life is as simple as it appears through a 2D or 3D lens.  Enough eyewitness documentation exists to suggest that we are not alone, and that the dead sometimes do watch over us.

Sometimes, fear is akin to being a believer in the things we can’t quite understand or describe fully (without feeling a little silly).  People who are not afraid of ghosts, demons, or the possibility of something from another dimension, often don’t believe in those things either.  So, it is easy to be fearless, when there’s no chance of anything happening.

Again, I’ve had these phenomena happen to me, so I do believe.  And I use my nightmares and experiences to help craft different novels.

What doesn’t scare me?

I’ve never been frightened by slasher movies.  First of all, they’re always the same.  You start out with a group of people and slowly, but surely, one person wanders off (usually to take a piss) and is killed.  Then the next person is killed, and the next.  Honestly, I can’t understand why these films are so popular.  They’re downright boring and use the same formula every time.

So, no…I am not afraid of Friday the 13th or Halloween movies. Well, maybe when I was 11 or 12 years old, but definitely not now.

One crazy thing that haunts me (and maybe I have a disorder of some type) is leaving the console light on in my car and draining the battery.

You may think I’m nuts, but that’s happened to me before and it sucks.  

At the time, I had to find someone to jump the car, and then take it to the shop and that is a nightmare in itself.  So, every time I park my car somewhere, I’m always double-checking to make sure the lights inside aren’t on. Sometimes, I’ll even walk away and then come back to the car to check.

Is anyone else afraid of this?  I certainly hope so…otherwise I’ll have myself committed.

What scares you?

If you are terrified of zombies, medical contagion, and a chaotic nightmare that unravels quickly – give The Zyne Project a read…I think you’ll find what you’re looking for.

Thank you for the post, Sara!

If you want to follow Sara on the remainder of her blog tour - the dates and websites are listed below.

Friday, December 28 - My Cozie Corner
   Review of 'The Zyne Project'

Tuesday, January 1 - Zombie A.C.R.E.S.
   Interview with Sara Brooke

My Thoughts on the Newtown Massacre

I get asked often why I write horror and the answer is really quite simple - to face the demons inside my own head. What kind of demons, you may well ask. Those demons that come with being a human being. They are the things I fear, the things I'd rather sweep under the rug and never confront. Horror allows me to do that in a safe way, it allows me to write those fears in a way that I can deal with them and not hurt anyone in the process.

With that said - No monster, no horror that I can conceive of can compete with the evil monsters that walk daily among us. As this latest shooting has once again proved, monsters exist in the real world and they may live next door to us, down the street or be a part of the groups we hang out with. We just don't know - until their evil is revealed.

My heart breaks for the families of the 27 dead in Newtown - I have cried nearly as many tears over this tragedy as I did after 9/11. I, like I'm sure many others, found myself glued to the television screen watching the events as they unfolded that afternoon. Then I couldn't take it anymore. I shut off the TV and bawled like a baby.

So I turned to Facebook to see if my friends were feeling the same grief that I was. Many were, but many were not. Some were angry - which is fine, I was angry also. But some made me disappointed to know them. Status updates were flying - pushing this social agenda or this religions hate-mongering. Pointing fingers at this 'right' or that one. I had to turn that off also. It was just too much for my already bleeding heart.

I don't know what the solution is to this kind of problem we have with people with guns deliberately going out to kill everyone who crosses their path. Something is lacking in the moral fiber of these people. And I'm not talking God, religion or any type of faith. I'm talking about being human - with compassion, empathy, respect and humanity to one another. That is basic to being human, or least I've always thought so.

I do know that the only 'person' to blame is that young man who picked up those guns. Mentally ill or not - he was the responsible one. You can blame the guns if you want, you can blame the 'lack' of God or the 'will' of God if you so choose. You can choose to blame the media, television & movie violence, what ever - bottom line - he picked up the guns. I choose to believe in personal responsibility.

Comparing this mass shooting to others only takes away from this one. Our focus should be on these families right now that are facing a Christmas without their loved ones and whose future Christmas' will never be as happy as they should be.

It's time to tone it down. Hug your kids, grandkids, brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews. Evil exists and no matter what laws are passed - it always will. Use your words for the benefit and uplifting of others - quit trying to turn everything into a us versus them mentality. This is a tragedy beyond believe, let's quit treating it like many treated the election cycle this year. We don't need more hate in the world.

But for me, thinking I'm going to stay off my newsfeed on Facebook - seeing people act like rabid dogs only serves to break my heart more. Instead, I think I'll wrap gifts for my grandkids and bask in the love I feel for them and my children. And maybe write a bit.

The Next Big Thing

Recently, author Matthew Darst (author of "Dead Thing" available on Amazon) asked me if I'd like to participate in The Next Big Thing. What is The Next Big Thing? It's a ten question author interview.   When this blog roll began, the idea was to tag five other others to do the same next week.  Well, being the rebel that I am (and since most authors I know have already done this), instead I am going to give links to the authors I've read and loved their work.  Hope you don't mind :)

THE NEXT BIG THING!

What is the working title of your next book?

The Profiler - at least at this point.  May change as I go along.

Where did the idea come from for the book?

From the Bob Berdella case in Kansas City, Mo in the 80s.  It was the first time I had actually met a serial killer, although at the time I didn't know that.

What genre does your book fall under?

Serial killer fiction/horror/thriller - any of those will do.

What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

I rarely think about that.  The only time I did was for my novella Vengeance Is Mine and that was only because I did adapt it to a screenplay.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Ordinary people are rarely ordinary.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

Self.  I like being in control.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

It's a long way from finished, only about 20,000 words in at the moment.  Hoping to have it complete by the early summer.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

William Cook's "Blood Related" and many other serial killer books.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

Curiosity inspired me to write this as I was intrigued by what went on in a serial killers mind.  But without my wonderfully supportive husband, Kevin, I wouldn't have had the nerve to write or publish anything.

What else about the book might pique the reader's interest?

Lots of research into serial killers.  Although Bob Berdella first captured my attention, I've now read hundreds of different bios and the reader will be able to identify the elements of many of them into my killers.

The following authors, in no particular order) are my favorites and I will read just about anything they write:

Billie Sue Mosiman

Bryan Hall

John Paul Allen

Jeffrey Kosh

Jaime Johnsee

William Cook

Paul D. Marks

Armand Rosamilia

CW LaSart

RJ Parker

Richard Schiver

Terry's Thoughts and Threads: Beneath the Tor by Kat Yares

What an absolutely stunning and wonderful review of Beneath the Tor!

Terry's Thoughts and Threads: Beneath the Tor by Kat Yares: Kat Yares' novel, Beneath the Tor , is a compelling retelling of the beginnings of Christianity. Her inclusive version recalls many w...

Just a Few Updates

For those with Amazon Prime memberships, my book Beneath the Tor can be borrowed for free for the next ten days. After that, that option will be gone. So if you planned to do this, now is the time.

Have updated the blog with pages for each of my books - follow the links at the top and you can find individual descriptions along with where to buy them in one easy format. Might make life easier for all of us :)

In other things pertaining to the written word - after all the work to get both Beneath the Tor and The XIII out this fall - I'm taking a slight break over the holidays. Beginning in January, I'll be returning to my horror roots writing a new serial killer novel currently titled The Profiler. Have had this one in mind for a long time and I think it will be fun to write.

On the publishing side of things - I have completely branched out. After the 14th, all of my books will be available in almost any eBook format you desire and at whatever retailer you choose to use. I think this is the wave of Indie publishing - all eggs in one basket is no longer the way to go.

On the personal side - this little break does give me time to read and review other books. I have a ton waiting for me on my Kindle and now, I'll actually have a chance to read at least a few of them.