NSP welcomes Tracy S. Morris!

This morning, NSP has the pleasure of having Tracy S. Morris, author of the urban fantasy/mystery series,Tranquility, with us. Many thanks to her for taking the time to answer a few of our questions.

NSP: Tell us your latest news.

TM: My urban fantasy mystery series, Tranquility, has just been picked up in E-Format by Baen books. You can find the series for purchase at Baen by going to http://www.webscription.net/m-9-yard-dog-press.aspx

The books are available individually for $6.00 each or bundled with the Four Redheads of the Apocalypse series through January for $20.00

You can also find the Tranquility books at their print publisher, Yard Dog Press at http://www.yarddogpress.com

NSP: When and why did you begin writing?

TM: I started writing when I was 12 years old. I was an avid reader since about five years old. My dad used to read books to put me to sleep.

One day he pointed to the page and asked me to read to him. It was slow going, but by the time I was eight, I was reading both Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass on my own. I figured if I could read both books together, which were thicker than my forearm, I could read anything.

When I was twelve, I read a book called The Ordinary Princess. I liked the book, but I thought I could write something just as good. I assumed that writing was simply recording sessions of 'let's pretend.'

So I decided that if I could make a living doing that 'when I grew up' that it sounded much better than having to get some kind of boring job like becoming an accountant.

NSP: When did you first consider yourself a writer?

TM: In high school when I started to work for my school paper, I decided at that point I was a writer. It wasn't that having a paycheck, or a writing credit from a publisher that SFWA recognized was going to make me a writer. Being a writer was something I did and something I was. I think getting paid for it makes you a wordsmith.

NSP: What books have most influenced your life most?

TM: There are so many I could point to. In Journalism, All The President's Men by Woodward and Bernstein really got me excited about Journalism.

The Darkover Novels, which were really my first exposure to what feminism was back in the mid 80's.

(I was one of only two girls born into the fourth generation on a farm of 'strong women.' I never grew up with the idea that you couldn't do anything because you were a girl. You simply did the work that had to be done, regardless of your gender. Mostly because you were the only one around to do it. My aunt ran a tractor and bailed hay because she had to. My dad learned to brush my hair and make French Toast because there wasn't anyone else. A couple of years ago, I tried to pull a Christmas tree out of the attic. It fell two stories and broke every picture frame on the wall that it fell into. When my husband came running, he surveyed the damage and said: You know, you can ask for help. I was absolutely surprised at the concept.)

Other influences -- Terry Pratchett influences me in a huge way. I love comedy and I tend to write like what I want to read. I don't want to be a Pratchett clone (although there are many worse people to ape).

But I tried writing serious fiction, and it doesn't feel as natural to me as writing comedy. Reading Pratchett helped me to find my own voice.

NSP: What book are you reading now?

TM: The stack is a mile high. I just finished Dreadnought, which is the follow up to Cherie Priest's Steampunk novel Boneshaker. I came into liking Steampunk from liking history. The Civil War especially, because I had a great history teacher. I would have overlooked the book series if not for the history angle. Her history is good, and her 'what if' conjecture is nice.

Along the same lines, I also read Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter.

Also good history woven into the fantasy. I honestly hope Steampunk as a writing genre doesn't fade anytime soon. I really love a well-told historical fantasy. And this is a nice departure from the medieval-esque fantasy novel.

NSP: Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?

TM: A lot of the 'new' author sensations are usually people who have been around for a while. Every one that I pick up is new to me. I like to read a lot of small press. Because it's very different from the mass market commercial novels that all read alike. I've just finished James K. Burke's novel Home is the Hunter from Yard Dog Press. He is definitely not a new author, but I haven't know about him nearly as long as Terry Pratchett.

NSP: What are your current projects?

TM: I just finished a first draft on a novel that I want to have published as a Mass Market project. The universe is based on a short story of mine entitled "Fish Story" that appeared in the Esther Freisner anthology Strip Mauled. It is an urban fantasy locked-room mystery.

The primary character is half Lois Lane, half Indiana Jones.

While that is in the editing stages, I'm beginning to work on the third novel in the Tranquility series. It's going to be a lot of fun.

David, the doctor from the first two novels is going to have to deal with seeing his ex-fiancee again. I'm playing with a little bit of unreliable narration in this one. In his imagination, she's like Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct. While to everyone else, she's like Reese Whitherspoon in Legally Blonde. When she vanishes, David isn't sure whether he is responsible or not, since he's been fantasizing about killing her from the moment that she shows up.

NSP: Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?

TM: I think you can probably look back on the when and how question for the answer to this.

NSP: Do you have any advice for other writers?

TM: I ask other writers this question a lot, since I run interviews with authors on Tuesdays on my own blog. Most writers seem to have the same answer. Since it's a good answer, I'll just parrot it here: Apply your rear to a chair and your fingers to the keyboard.

Seriously, almost all writers will sooner or later meet someone who will tell them "I have thought about writing." What that person is really saying is "I would be a writer, but there are so many other things that I make a priority over writing." Writers write. They go without things like television or sleep, or even a clean house in order to write. And it makes them happy to do so. If you can't say this about writing, maybe you should consider finding a different hobby. One that will give you this kind of burn.

NSP: How has your environment/upbringing colored your writing?

TM: The town that I based the Tranquility series on is my home town. It's a nicer version of my home town. One that is seen through rose colored glasses, but it's still my home town. The druggist in the town is loosely based on my grandfather's best friend, who was a druggist in this town. He is probably the character in the book who is the most based on one person. Everyone else is changed slightly.

I've had a weird life. My parents got divorced when I was five. And I spent one week with each parent from the point when I was five through my senior year of high school. At that point, I got a license and a car, and simply chose to live at my mother's house because it was most convenient.

Books sort of became a place to go when I was bored. So if I went fishing with my dad, step-mother and aunt, I brought a book. If I was sitting with my dad while he worked on a car, there was a book. If I was in my room at my mother's house with nothing to do, I retreated into a book.

NSP: What genre are you most comfortable writing?

TM: I think I like fantasy and mystery because those are the types of books that I like to read the most. Some of the earliest books that I can remember devouring are the Nancy Drew books and the Pern series.

I never liked the teen angst books (they weren't called YA when I was a teen) because they were very much driven by existential dilemmas that I never had in my own experience as a teen. I didn't have to choose between two dates for the prom, I didn't have to worry that my best friend stole my diary and passed it around school. I thought most of the books of that stripe were silly. If I was going to read silly, I would take my brand of silly with dragons in it and the fate of the world at stake.

Urban fantasy has been fun to read and write because it combines that fantasy feel with the mystery genre. Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden solves mysteries just like Nero Wolfe, but he also interacts with fey, werewolves and vampires.

NSP: Are there other genres you would like to try?

TM: I have thought it might be fun to write straight mystery or historical novels, but any time I start something like that, I usually end up throwing in some fantastic, quirky elements.

NSP: What do you see as the influences on your writing?

TM: I think I've pretty well covered that at this point.

NSP: What tools do you feel are must-haves for writers?

TM: Anymore, a computer is a must. You need it for everything from word processing to social networking.

NSP: How do you develop your plots and characters? Do you use any set formula?

TM: It varies from plot to plot. For Tranquility, I outlined to help keep me on track. Bride of Tranquility and this new project were discovery writing type projects. But I already had a pretty good idea of where they were going.

NSP: What is your work schedule like when you're writing?

TM: It varies. I try to write about 1,000 words of original fiction daily.

I like to write a first draft longhand, and then type it. I've found that I refine and add to the story as I type.

NSP: What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

TM: Quirk is a good way to describe my writing. I like to write quirky, oddball characters with interesting tics. For example, the main character of this new project thinks of herself as being like some kind of weird offspring between the Clampetts (from The Beverly Hillbillies) and The Munsters.

NSP: Anything you would like to add?

TM: You can find me on the internet at http://www.tracysmorris.com

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Again, thanks to Tracy. And be sure to check out her new e-book offerings, Tranquility and Bride of Tranquility.

Remember, anyone interested in guest blogging here at NSP, just drop us a line at nspbooks@live.com

An Interview with author Gina Ranalli

Again, thanks to Eric S. Brown for bringing us another terrific interview. This time, we are honored to have Gina Ranalli join us at NSP Books.

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Gina Ranalli is the author of several novels, including Praise the Dead, House of Fallen Trees, Suicide Girls in the Afterlife, Chemical Gardens, Wall of Kiss, Mother Puncher, Sky Tongues, and Swarm of Flying Eyeballs. Her collection, 13 Thorns (with Gus Fink) won the Wonderland Book Award for Best Story Collection of 2007. Her short stories have appeared in numerous publications including Bits of the Dead, The Beast Within, Horror Library Volume 3, and Dead Science, among others.

Gina lives in Washington state where she is working on her next novel. Visit her online at www.ginaranalli.com

ESB: Wow, you have a lot of books out there. When did you start writing?
GR: I started writing as a kid. I still have the first "story" I ever wrote. It's called "Horses" and it's truly terrible. I was seven years old.

ESB: What got you into writing?
GR: Well, at first it was just a way to entertain myself. I had a lot of crazy ideas in my head and in order to get them out, I put them on paper. It was a great cure for boredom and very therapeutic. Still is.

ESB: Is there one book that's your favorite above the others?

GR: One of my own? House of Fallen Trees is definitely my favorite. I think I pulled off some genuinely creepy things with that book. I got the mood and the atmosphere right. I'm pretty proud of it.

ESB: Do you see writing as a career or a hobby for yourself?

GR: I see it as both. I like to be paid, obviously, but even if I didn't I'd be doing it anyway. Maybe not for publication, but I'd definitely still be writing, no matter what. I tend to get a little insane if I'm not working on something.

ESB: What advice would you give other writers on any level?

GR: It's a cliche, of course, but reading everything you can get your hands on is still the best advice for anyone wanting to write. Beyond that, it's pretty simple: just write. Write as much as you can as often as you can. Work harder at it than anyone else you know. Always push yourself.

ESB: Praise the Dead sounds like a truly cool concept for a Z novel. How did you come up with the idea?

GR: Thanks! So many things came together for that book. I've always wanted to do a classic good vs evil book and I also really wanted to write a book with a kids as the protagonist and antagonist. And, I'm inspired by the story of Joan-of-Arc and wanted to incorporate a little bit of that in as well. So, those things combined were the genesis of the book.

ESB: If you could hang out with any zombie writer (and yes, only a zombie writer) for an evening, who would it be?

GR: Hmm. Wow. Just one? I don't know if I can answer that. I'd like to hang out with most zombies writers, probably.

ESB: Do you think the zombie genre is still growing?

GR: It doesn't seem like it's letting up at all. I hope it continues to grow, especially if writers and film makers figure out ways to play with the genre and change it up a bit. As long as creators continue to do new things and explore the boundaries of where they can take it, I think zombies will be around for a while more. Like ghosts or any other sub-genre, as long as it's kept fresh (no pun intended) it'll do fine.

ESB: Who are your heroes in the writing world that you look at as peers and just go, if they can do this, so can I?

GR: There are way too many to mention by name. In a way, anyone who writes a good book is a hero of mine, because it's not an easy thing to do. There are thousands of terrible books, but if a writer can make me care and entertain me, I'm a happy camper. If I close a book and think the writer told a really great story, that person becomes my hero, at least for a while.

ESB: And lastly, what are you working on now?

GR: Right now I'm working on a new horror novel. I don't want to give too much of it away, but it's called Dark Surge and it should be out sometime next year from Dark Regions Press. It's simultaneously been both the hardest book I've ever worked on and the most fun. It's full of creepy-crawlies and I think people will really enjoy it.

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Make sure you pop by www.amazon.com and check out Praise the Dead along with Gina Ranalli's others works. You won't be disappointed.

New YA imprint, upcoming releases and other news from NSP Books

E-Volve Books for Young Adults

Naked Snake Press would like to announce the addition of the imprint called E-Volve Books. We will be considering speculative and fantastic fiction specifically for young adults. And we are extremely pleased to say that Derek Clendening's The Vampire Way will be the first release from the E-Volve Books line, schedule for April 2011.

The website will be going live in a couple of weeks so check here or the main NSP Books website for updates.

Authors of YA fiction, get those manuscripts ready. E-Volve Books will open to submissions on January 1, 2011. Detailed guidelines will be posted here in the coming days.

Upcoming releases from NSP Books

The "re-birth" of Naked Snake Press is really coming together! In addition to Derek Clendening's The Vampire Way in spring 2011, his novel The Between Years will be hitting the shelves in December 2010. Stay tuned for more information as the release date draws nearer.

Coming in November, we have two poetry releases. First is The Ultimate perVERSEities from Kurt Newton, followed by ChemICKal Reactions from Karen Newman.

Late November/early December brings us Martin Kier and the Dead from everyone's favorite "zombie guy" Eric S. Brown. NSP Books is very excited to have Eric on board once again.

December also brings us Poe Little Thing: In Space No One Can Hear You Scream, an anthology of horror/sci-fi flash and poetry. Everyone awaiting a response on their submission to POE should hear something by the end of next week. Apologies for the long response times--we never anticipated such a flood of terrific submissions.

Finally, the NSP Books blog is still open to anyone who would like to guest. Just send along your writing or horror-related article, promo, interview, review, etc. If you are an author or artist who would like to request an interview, email us and we will get some questions to you.

Contact me at nspbooks@live.com with questions or comments. We are currently closed to all submissions, unless requested. We will re-open to novel submissions on January 1, 2011 for the NSP Books, E-Volve Books and another themed collection (theme to be determined).

A chat with Craig Spector

Many thanks again to the awesome Eric S. Brown for bringing us horror icon Craig Spector this morning. Enjoy!

It's not often one gets to speak with one of their childhood idols much less full-out pick their brain in an interview, but I am getting to do just that today. The amazing and iconic Craig Spector made the time to chat with me about his life, career, and where he's headed. So whether you're a fan of The Book of the Dead (greatest Zombie anthology ever!), his other groundbreaking work like The Light at the End, his new movie Animals, or his music, you should enjoy this interview!

What's it like to be an icon in the world of horror? I mean seriously folks credit you (along with Skipp) as creating a whole new genre (Splatterpunk).

CS: In a word? Gratifying. Fun. The folks who credit us thusly are correct in that we did: along with, independently and simultaneously, David J. Schow (LA), Richard Christian Matheson (LA), Clive Barker (UK).... others were of course heavily catalytic to what was then first called, "The New Horror" -- Joe Landsdale, Ray Garton. But once "Splatterpunk" took off as a word-slash-marketing hook and became a "movement", it was slightly different. It would be good, some 25 years later, to correct the historical record: i.e., Schow has been marketed as "inventing" Splatterpunk. He did not: he came up with the word in a conversation we were all having over drinks at a convention, to the great delight of us all. But in the end, Schow created Schow, which is plenty. He did not invent Skipp & Spector.

Now of course the word has a life all its own -- like Frankenstein's monster busting out of the lab and rampaging the countryside. I've seen links to skatepunks in Germany who call themselves "Splatterpunks", and I'd bet five Euros they never even HEARD of the books. Such is life, ha! It's a mutable term. Designed to instigate. And apparently, doing quite well with it, even a generation later.

What got you into horror in the first place and what writers inspired you?

CS: I was weird from birth. I just somehow managed to convert my own strangeness into a career skill. I mean, really, do I LOOK like a guy who was destined to work in a cubicle? The writers who inspired me as a child were Ray Bradbury (The Martian Chronicles), Kurt Vonnegut (Welcome to the Monkey House) and Edgar Allen Poe (The Complete Works of...) I read them all the summer I was eight years old.

Later, in teen years -- Harlan Ellison, Stephen King, Anne Rice, Robert Anton Wilson (the Illuminati Chronciles)... but then also, Hugh Prather, the ENTIRE Time-Life Science series (upon which I taught myself to read when I was four....)

Other inspirations -- since I was arguably the amongst the first purely post literate generation -- TV, Movies, Rock and Roll... spent a LOT fo hours stoned and reading liner notes to Prog Rock LPs.... Creepy and Eerie comix, UNDERGROUND comix -- Crumb, Rodriguez, etc..... and just being generally rebellious and weird. Twilight Zone, Outer Limits, Night Gallery on TV. The movie The Fearless Vampire Killers (Polanski) i saw when I was 8, by myself, along with Logan's Run and Dalton Trumbo's Johnny Got His Gun. You do the math.

You've done so much in your career, is there any one thing that really stands out for you as your defining moment?

CS: So many. There are moments that define your life -- some very large, some very very small... but they all resonate within you. Some are "public" -- oooh wow, sold my first book! My first movie! My first best-seller! Others -- at least with me, as I am wired -- are very private. The moment a woman touches your heart so deeply you suddenly realize, My God the world is a better place simply because she is in it. Falling in love. Having your heart broken and shredded. Rising up, to love again. Your first moment of true, real violence. Your first moment of true, real sacrifice. The moment, ever coming, of your death. The death -- natural and otherwise -- of people dear to you. This is NOT just shit you see on TV, kids. This is your life, your death, your fucking soul. Make the most of it.

At this juncture, I live by a very simple -- note, I said simple, not 'easy' -- credo: Work hard. Love harder. Take no prisoners. Leave it better than you found it.

If you read that last bit and feel me, perhaps we are tribe. If not, what can I say? Have a nice day. Go to the mall or something.

Does it ever bother you how much some fans go crazy over The Book of the Dead anthology you edited and cite you as part of their inspiration for becoming writers themselves?

CS: Are you high??? Bothered?????? It's my JOB and MISSION in life to poison young minds, of ALL ages. You're NEVER too late to be infected by the insidious seductive toxin that is ME. People tell me that, I'm like, HA! GOTCHA! Now go use this power only for good....

And one more Book of the Dead question, can you tell us a bit about how you came up with the concept and the story of how it all fell into place?

CS: Actually, there's a GREAT John Skipp interview link up on YouTube and also at Crossroad Press http://splatterpunk.crossroadpress.com/. He tells the story beautifully. You're online. Go listen. It's cool. Oh, and then: BUY an eBook! Support the Arts, ya buncha wankers!

OH -- and if you're STEALING shit online? Music, movies, books, whatever? KNOCK IT OFF!!! You're stealing bread from the mouths of the artists you love so much. Grow a conscience. Karma and gravity are not just good ideas, they're the fucking LAW. SUPPORT the artists you love. Quit downloading freebies and fucking STEALING.

To those of you who don't? My thanks and admiration.

If you could change any one thing in your career, what would it be?

CS: There are a few dumb moves I made that I wish I could un-ring that bell... but mostly, I've been pretty happy amidst the insantiy intrinsic to this line of work and BEING. I am who I am. I live my own life on my own terms. I'd like more money, success, etc., but to me that's simply a measure of how deep an IMPACT I'm making on the culture. I just want more. Of everything.

You do SO much more than write. Could you share with us about your passion for music and other talents?

CS: I began life as an artist. My mom was a kinda famous artist in VA and my dad was a college professor at Old Dominion University when I was growing up, so I grew up amongst intellectuals, artists, and assorted creatives. I became a musician at the age of 13 -- tried guitar when i was 8, but saw The Who play on Ed Sullivan and the next day put on a mock performance in the backyard on the picnic table and concluded the finale of the show by SMASHING my cheap-o Sears guitar into splinters.

Got serious about it at 14, and it grew from there; by 16 i was playing with Skipp in a band in PA, The Philadelphia Children's Orchestra (PCO), which you can still find a Fans of PCO page on FB and even HEAR old tracks on reverbnation! I went on to get a degree in music from the Berklee College of Music -- which I got INTO with no formal musical education and completed the four year program in three years, thank you very much.:)

My final semester at Berkley I came up with this odd idea: what if there a vampire in the subways? The rest, as they say, is an odd bit of cultural history.

I still do music, still do art -- my solo CD, SPECTOR: RAW, is coming out in the next few months, and art-wise I've formed an collaborative venture called LexSpex studios with my girlfriend and art partner, Lexia Marie, based out of Germany but with US contacts opening.

But my real, true life goal. A cult. I want a cult. No Kool-Aid, but cool. Memberships currently being considered. If you are an atheist, I WILL buy your soul, if you're selling... let's haggle.

And finally, what are you currently working on?

CS: Good lord.... okay. I just finished a new screenplay for The Light At The End, which is out Oct 31 2010 in eBook, everywhere. Author/screewriter Philip Nutman (Wet Work, the screenplay for The Girl Next Door) are at work on "Project X"; we'll finish tomorrow. I have a new novel and screenplay, TURNAROUND, which is not horror but "meta": a dark twisted romantic black comedy cum meta thriller set in Hollywood, which I'm working on now. More coming all the time. "The Writer's Cut" of ANIMALS, currently out on DVD on Netflix, Redbox, and wherever fine family entertainment is sold... if you're the Manson Family.

Go to www.craigspector.com and scratch beneath the flash page and you'll find plenty; friend me on Facebook and you'll find more. I hope you do.

Or, alternately? Don't. Go to the mall or something....

Interview with Stacey Graham of The Zombie Dating Guide

Welcome to the first in a series of guest blogs for NSP Books. To kick things off this beautiful Monday morning, we have zombie-author Eric S. Brown's interview with fellow zombie author Stacey Graham.
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New author Stacey Graham staggered into the zombie racket after her first short story, "Eye of the Beholder," was released in the zombie romance anthology Hungry For Your Love [St. Martin's Griffin] and followed by another short in the anthology The Undead That Saved Christmas. She is the owner/editor of An Army of Ermas, a humor site showcasing the talents of over 25 humor writers specializing in the style of Erma Bombeck. The mother of five young daughters, Stacey can be found huddling under her desk muttering about a Girl Scout field trip that went horribly wrong or at least that's how she describes herself. Stacey is also the author of the Zombie Dating Guide, for which she is currently seeking a publisher, and was recently featured on "AOL's City's Best" as an expert in the ways of Undead love. Thankfully, she found the time for a brief chat about love, zombies, and the world of writing.

Eric: So what got you interested in zombies and horror?

Stacey: I've always had a bit of the dark side lurking, even in my humor bits, so when the opportunity presented itself to explore it fully, I staggered toward it. I've always felt that zombies had a quirky sense of humor, even if they don't get the joke the first time.

Eric: How did you come up with the idea for the Zombie Dating Guide and who is it designed to help?

Stacey: While writing "Eye of the Beholder," I wanted to expand the idea further than the submission guidelines allowed for that anthology. With so many self-help books on the market, I thought poking fun at the lovelorn Undead would be a great way to show that though they no longer have a pulse, zombies still could get jiggy wit' it. The Zombie Dating Guide isn't that bad of a dating handbook for Breathers either, though you'll have to substitute "eyeballs" for other body parts in some sections.

Eric: I hear you're also a mom with a large family. How do you find the time to juggle AND write?

Stacey: Vodka. But when that runs out I rely on the minutes snatched while the girls are in school and don't spend playing Princess Barbie. My four-year-old gets upset when I hog all the tiny shoes.

Eric: What do your friends and family think of your writing? Are they supportive?

Stacey: They thought I should have been writing all along. My husband takes full credit for any writing success that comes my way. I remind him that if I hadn't had my head in a toilet during pregnancy five times it may have moved a little quicker. I am lucky to have a rabidly supportive core of writer friends that keep me going. I have no doubt they'd poke me with stick if I slacked off a little or quit after a few rejections.

Eric: Do you see writing as your career or a fun hobby?

Stacey: What started off as a hobby is quickly turning into a great (and hopefully long-lasting) career. I'm fascinated with the business of publishing as well so as I expand my writing, I'm learning more about how each writer/agent/editor/reader is vitally important. It's the circle of life, baby.

Eric: What are your dreams a writer?

Stacey: To help other writers succeed as well as myself. It's no fun being there if your friends can't enjoy the journey with you. There are many talented writers that may not get the exposure they deserve so I make it a point to encourage as many as possible to keep submitting and working on their craft. And, of course, zombie domination.

Eric: Tell us about your first mass market Z short story and how that came about?

Stacey: A bit of blind luck and a bizarre sense of humor got "Eye of the Beholder" onto shelves. I answered an online call for submissions through the e-publisher Ravenous Romance for zombie romance. Being a humor writer - and not romance - I still gave it a go and was lucky enough to be chosen for inclusion. The editor/agent sold the print rights to St. Martin's Griffin and Hungry For Your Love was released September 28, 2010. I'm thrilled to be with bestselling authors and seriously, the finest group of writers a girl could begin her career with.

Eric: What are you currently working on?

Stacey: Along with promoting The Zombie Dating Guide, I'm finishing the proposal for The Girls' Ghost Guide plus working on a collection of short ghost stories. I've been a ghost hunter for over twenty years and have always worked in the field in some way through coordinating local tours, my website - Wee Ghosties :: A Beginner's Guide to Ghost Hunting [http://weeghosties.com] and its sister blog, Ask a Ghost Hunter [http://askaghosthunter.blogspot.com].

Eric: Where can people find your work?

Stacey: Along with Hungry For Your Love [http://us.macmillan.com/hungryforyourlove] and the release of my story, "And to All a Good Fright" in the charity zombie anthology The Undead That Saved Christmas [http://amzn.to/aEZbgD] you can find me herding the crazy people at An Army of Ermas [http://anarmyofermas.com]. Careful - they bite. The Zombie Dating Guide's website is hopping with new dating tips and haiku. Undead Fred is always looking for new questions to answer for his advice column [http://bit.ly/agYUan]!

Eric: Is there anything us "breathers" need to know about zombie sex?

Stacey: It can be gooey. Bring a wetnap.

Eric: Can Zombies be passionate and romantic?

Stacey: I think of zombies in the same class as drunken college boys. They're messy, drooling and slightly odiferous but if you can straddle a keg and karaoke to Rebel Yell, you’ll have a great time with both.

Eric: Do you ever write hardcore, violent Z fiction like my own work or the 2004 Dawn of the Dead remake?

Stacey: I haven't... yet. I'm more of a horror-lite girl though I have been known to take a hammer to jack-o-lanterns that give me the stink-eye. He had it coming.

Eric: And lastly, where can we find you on the web?

Stacey: My website: http://staceyigraham.com for updates and cupcake/granola recipes. Facebook: http://on.fb.me/cLP9jp. Twitter: @staceyigraham. Zombie Dating Guide Twitter: @zombiedatinggde. Zombie Dating Guide website: http://zombiedatingguide.com. Zombie Dating Guide on facebook: http://on.fb.me/cWYF4F. I am the social media QUEEN!

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That's that. Be sure to check both Eric's and Stacey's work. Thanks so much to both of them. Remember, if anyone wants to be a guest blogger here at NSP Books, we're open to just about anything--reviews, interviews, news, articles, shameless self-promo. Shoot it to me at nspbooks@live.com and we'll get it up. No pay, but a little free exposure never hurt anyone...

New Release from NSP Books

Yes, I am slow updating the ol' blog, but things are happening here at NSP Books. First, we have a new release to talk about. It's a collection of short horror fiction by Donna Burgess (yours truly) and is now available at only the coolest online book sellers.

We are offering a $2.50 discount through Amazon until the end of the month on the print edition.

Use coupon code: 3PC2ATJM.

For Kindle lovers, it's a steal at $2.99 (316 pages).

Other huge news coming in the next couple of days, so stay tuned.