Everything Is Cancelled! Time To Crush The TBR Pile.
You know things are taken to a whole other level when all sports are cancelled. We’re talking billion dollar industries, canned for the foreseeable future. Wow. I mean, if was told to quarantine myself, I was looking forward to afternoons watching the Mets spring training games.
For better or for worse, whether the chain of reactions are rational or ill-advised, this is the way the world is going to be now. I’ve washed my hands raw (because I work with the public and don’t want to bring anything home to 3 of the 4 high risk people in the family), tapped elbows and now am locked in an office as we practice some heavy duty social distancing. It’s all a very good excuse to ignore people, especially the ass wads who try to ruin your day.
Our favorite movie theater just closed for the next few weeks. The St. fucking Patrick’s Day parade is kaput. I’m sure the bars will be temporarily shuttered by next week. We need to learn how to make our own toilet paper if we’re ever going to carry on.
The Shea lair s stocked up on beer and wine. And whisky. And peanuts. Plus a smattering of other food stuffs. Is there anything else we’d need?
Through all of the madness, I see this as an opportunity. For some, it’s a golden chance to stay home with no pressure to go out and do a thing, veg on the couch and watch TV until their eyes bleed.
Me? I’m looking forward to catching up on my reading. Oh, and writing. Started a new book and I can really put a dent in it this weekend.
Here are some of the books I’m hoping to dive into as coronavirus drags on. What’s in your TBR pile?
Celebrate Alien Covenant with Black Site : A Short Story of SciFi Terror
Alien has been and will always be one of my favorite scifi AND horror movies. Whenever a new installment comes around, I get in a genre-blending mood. (And yes, I did like Prometheus…it appealed to the wannabe archaeologist in me)
Not too long ago, author Michael Patrick Hicks asked me to read his latest short story, Black Site. Like a glass of 25 year old scotch, it hit the spot and made me all warm inside. I was more than happy to provide the cover blurb : “A sharp crackling exploration of man’s hubris and science gone wrong. This is Frankenstein for the new millennium.”
The cover is phenomenal. It reminds me of a lot of the incredible covers for Alan Dean Foster in the 80s, who coincidentally did the novelization for Alien. I have to ask Michael if that’s just a happy coincidence.
About the story…
For fans of H.P. Lovecraft and Alien comes a new work of cosmic terror!
Inside an abandoned mining station, in the depths of space, a team of scientists are seeking to unravel the secrets of humanity’s origin. Using cutting-edge genetic cloning experiments, their discoveries take them down an unimaginable and frightening path as their latest creation proves to be far more than they had bargained for.
All this for only 99 cents! Click here to get your copy today and remember, in your living room, everyone can hear you scream.
I Kill In Peace Early Reviews & A Giveaway
The countdown to the release of my novella, I KILL IN PEACE, has begun! April 12th is the big day, and the early reviews are starting to come in. Now, I knew this book was going to get pretty strong reactions, both good and bad. It’s out there, kinda like me, dealing with some delicate subjects. In fact, there were times I wasn’t sure Samhain would even touch it with a ten-foot pole. Thank you to my former editor Don D’Auria for giving it this chance. A writer will be hard pressed to find an editor who champions their creativity and vision more than Don.
So, what are people saying?
From uber reviewer Michael Patrick Hicks : “Of the handful of titles I’ve read from Hunter Shea, I Kill In Peace easily stands at the top of the stack as my hands-down favorite. It’s bloody, it’s violent, it’s mysterious, and it’s wickedly entertaining from start to finish as Shea hurtles readers from one crazy kill to another.The way Shea strips back the layers of his big reveal is completely terrific, and I Kill In Peace may be his most masterful bit of writing to date.”
Or how about this one from The Examiner : “What started off to be an interesting story got a much stronger pay off than I had expected and shows just how good a storyteller Shea really is. I Kill in Peace is a rare treat that is sure to thrill not only Shea’s fans but also fans of horror in general and is further proof that Shea is a talent that deserves to be read by a much wider audience.”
Now, either the book isn’t as crazy as I think it is, or Michael and Josef from The Examiner are truly demented, in which case I welcome them to the asylum.
I KILL IN PEACE was written over the feverish course of 3 weeks just after Christmas in 2014. It starts in a small Maine town (the same one I call my home away from home) and ends up in a very, very bad place. I remember at the time pondering all of the evils in the world and wondering how we – meaning humanity – could ever get our heads extracted from our asses. What if there was a way to right all our wrongs? What would happen if someone dared to take that first step?
You can pre-order I KILL IN PEACE directly from Samhain for just $2.45 (the ebook is priced at $3.50). Or grab a copy at Amazon so it can be delivered as soon as the clock strikes midnight on April 12th.
Or you can answer this simple question to be eligible to win a signed copy. I’ll announce the winner on April April 4th. Here it goes – If you could change one thing in this world, albeit it violently but guaranteed you won’t be caught, what would it be? (I foresee a lot of Trump jokes) Just post and answer in the comments section and I’ll draw a winner from there. Good luck and dig out that kill list!
Hunter Shea 