Shana Festa Interview

Here's Daphne

Time Of Death: Induction: Synopsis & Purchase Links

When nowhere is safe to hide, where do you go to escape the monsters? In a few short days, 37 year old Emma Rossi’s hard work will finally pay off. She will don her cap and gown and graduate with a degree in nursing, but not before she loses her first patient and is confronted with a new reality. In Cape Coral, Florida, a storm approaches.  The dead are coming back to life. And they’re hungry. Infection ravages the Eastern Seaboard with alarming speed while attempts to contain the spread of infection fail. Within days, a small pocket of panicked survivors are all that remain of civilization. Fighting to survive the zombie apocalypse alongside her husband Jake and their dog Daphne, Emma comes face-to-face with her worst nightmare. Relying on snarky wit and sheer determination, she is forced to commit atrocious acts to protect her family and avoid joining the ranks of the undead.  Purchase Links Time Of Death:Induction USA Time of Death:Induction UK

Time Of Death: Induction: Excerpt

Officer Donnelly, according to the name badge located over his left breast pocket, pulled himself together and said, “You need to get somewhere safe. The main parts of town have been overrun with…whatever this is.” He waved his gun hand in the direction of the dead body. “Stay inside, lock your doors and do not open them for anyone. And if you can’t stay hidden, if they get in, get in your car and drive.”

“Where? If town isn’t safe, where can we go?” I was shaking all over as Jake helped me to my feet, and my words came out as a stutter.

The cop looked up at me sullenly. “I don’t know.”

He walked back towards his car and was about to say something when we heard the sound of a blood-curdling scream coming from down the street. We all whipped around to face the noise and scanned the neighborhood. The screams continued for a few seconds, then nothing. I squinted to see in the distance and could make out a group of three people huddled on the ground in front of a house at the end of the street. I wiped the rain from my eyes and squinted as the scene came into focus. They were eating someone. Possibly someone we knew. They ripped at their victim like they were digging for buried treasure.

A scream escaped me as I raised my hands to cover my mouth. One of the huddled group snapped its head in the air, cocked it to one side and listened. It angled its neck back, and lifted its nose in the air. A short scream sounded further down the street and the head snapped to the left like a bird seeking prey. The zombie lumbered awkwardly to its feet, and began moving in the direction of the new noise.

The radio squawked from the police car, pulling us all from our rubbernecking trance, and I turned back to Officer Donnelly.

“Watch out!” I screamed.

Four figures had crested the embankment behind him. They were close enough to him that they would be on him in seconds. The first-a female-looked as if she had lost a battle with a wild animal. Wearing nothing but what once had been a pink negligee; her lower jaw had been torn right from her face. Blood dripped down her neck, staining the negligee, and her tongue, now black, was matted to the side of her neck. She emitted a dry rasping moan as she reached for him. He managed to get one shot off, taking her down, before the other three were on him.

He turned, only to land on the hood of his car and plead for help as he attempted to scratch his way over the hood to safety. His grip on the gun failed. It fell to the hood like a brick and slid off the front of the car into the mud. One of the monsters managed to get hold of his kicking legs and dragged him back. Officer Donnelly let out a howl of pain as its teeth sunk into the meaty skin of his calf. I saw his eyes then, staring straight into mine. Begging with an unspoken appeal to for help. Nails digging into the paint of the hood, he disappeared from view as they yanked him off the hood and began to feast.

I stumbled back and nearly fell over Jake as I backed away from the grisly scene. My head moved side to side like a yo-yo and I heard the splash of feet in a puddle to my right. Coming around the house was another one; it was leaning on the house as it walked towards me. One of its arms had been torn off at the elbow and its face was so mangled that I couldn’t decipher gender.

I grabbed Jake’s arm and ran to the front door. Slamming it hard and locking the dead bolt, I slid down to the ground with my back to the door. I was hyperventilating. My vision was blurry and I saw spots. I realized I was sobbing, and Jake had his arms around me making soft cooing noises to calm me down. He held me close and told me everything would be okay.

I shoved him away, fueled by a panicked rage. “Nothing is okay Jake. A man just got eaten on our front lawn. There are zombies running around eating people. So tell me, how the fuck will this be okay?”

Pushing him aside, I stood up and looked through the peephole. “Oh, God, no,” I whispered. A pack of them were heading straight for the door, trailed by a reanimated Officer Donnelly. The lower half of his leg had been ripped off, and the bone was jutting out from below his knee like someone had picked it clean. Daphne started to bark again, this time focused on the back of the house. I picked her up and turned to see a man standing at the sliding glass door. He didn’t try to open it with the handle. He just kept hitting the glass with his head; leaving smears of blood across the clean glass.

Spider web cracks were appearing in the glass and were spreading with each impact. At the same time, the group at the front door was causing the door frame to bow with the sheer force of their weight. “The doors won’t hold. We need to get to the garage!” As he said it, he grabbed me and looked me in the eyes. “Emma, we need to get out of here.”

We ran toward the garage, and made it to the kitchen before the glass door shattered. The zombie was in the house. Mere feet away, I could smell its decaying flesh as we ran for our lives. Blood oozed from a neck wound and it let out a wet gurgle.

Time Of Death: Asylum: Book 2 (Out December 9th)

Out 9th December 2014

The last two months have brought nothing but death and destruction for Emma Rossi. She survived the initial zombie outbreak with her husband, Jake, and their dog, Daphne, but the cost was steep: Sanibel has fallen. In a world where the only constant is change, the group is pushed to their limits before reaching the gates of Asylum, a coastal stronghold in Sarasota, Florida. Once again, Emma must navigate an apocalyptic wasteland filled with relentless hordes of the undead and other menacing horrors that threaten her survival. Only thing is certain. No one is safe from what lurks on either side of Asylum's gates. Asylum may offer more than just safety. Sanity will be tested; and many won't live to tell the tale.

At Hell's Gate Anthology

At Hell's Gate Website

At Hell's Gate (Available Now) When evil overflows from the deepest, fiery pits, the battle will be At Hell’s Gates…Whether you are a zombie aficionado, or you feed on horror, there is something for everyone. We’ve summoned some of the top Zompoc authors, masters in horror, and even some new talent to strike fear into even the most jaded soul. Dare you look, let alone approach, the dreaded gates? Each skillfully crafted vignette showcases previously created worlds in the individual author’s works. If you’ve ever yearned for more back story or ached to learn what happened to a peripheral character; your wait is over.  But, as they say, “Be careful what you wish for”.  Once it has been seen, you cannot go back. And once infected; there is no cure. Purchase Links At Hell's Gate USA At Hell's Gate UK

Finally...

Week Of The Undead Epic Giveaway

Coffin Hop 2014 

Contagious Reads Horror Con 2015 Theme is ZOMBIES!!! 

Panels and Guest announcements will be coming soon! Stay Tuned! 

The Orphans Cover, Blurb & Purchasing Links

Frank Fox knew one thing, that time was not on his side. The love of his life was dying. He was her only chance for a cure. The cure was hell unleashed on society. If you are looking for your next favorite zombie book, check out "The Orphans" it is a intense ride! The Orphans Purchase Links: Paperback Ebook

The Orphans Excerpt