And, oh yeah, I’m going to use The Zombie Feed to publish zombie books! Yes, there are plenty of other zombie publishers out there. Yes, they’re a dime-a-dozen. But I love zombies as a creature and concept. I want to do the books because I want to publish stuff that has more of a pulp/action feel. Apex isn’t the proper forum for this, but TZF (The Zombie Feed) should do just fine.

The first anthology will be titled simply The Zombie Feed. I’m going to make you visit the site to get the guidelines.

I might invite two or three zombie masters into the anthology, but in general it’s an open call.

Would you be interested in being my roommate?

Requirements:
1) I must know you.
2) You don’t find CPAP machines to be creepy. I do, but I have to wear one when I sleep.
3) While the odds of accidental nudity are slim, it is a possibility that you will have to be prepared to confront.
4) You don’t leave your dirty undergarments in the bathroom after your morning ablutions.

Meet the requirements? Then send me an email and we’ll talk.
jason at apexbookcompany dot com.

I’ll also have Apex T-shirts hidden away.

As for me, this is my first GenCon. I used to be all into gaming conventions because (surprise! surprise!) I used to be a gamer. Origins in Columbus, OH, was Mecca for me. I’m hoping I can deny the call of the games and not get hooked into another expensive hobby!

Anyhoo, look me up. Hope to see you there.

I mean that in a good way. I’ve never work on anything so rewarding and fun. And by ‘rewarding’ I’m not talking financially, though I’m finally not losing my shirt. I mean giving myself a feeling of self-accomplishment, that I’m doing something positive in the world. Probably sounds corny, but there you go.

All the same, I do think it’s healthy to keep a person’s interests varied. So occasionally I’ll venture a step or two outside the Apex comfort zone. For example, Dark Futures. Now there’s The Zombie Feed.

What is The Zombie Feed?

First, the url: http://thezombiefeed.biz.

I’m a zombie fan. One of the defining images of my childhood was Bud and the gang ripping out the Colonel’s innards during the horrific climax of Day of the Dead (you can blame my mom for letting me watch the movie). I’ve watched zombies be the new ‘hotness’ for the past five years. Now I want to play.

Ebooks are currently hot, as well. So I thought why not combine the two?

At The Zombie Feed you can purchase a subscription to receive 52 zombie short stories for just $15. Alternatively, you can buy separate stories that have run in the feed for $1.00.

The Zombie Feed is a separate beast from Apex Book Company. They’re not related businesses, but to keep my accounting simple The Zombie Feed is under the Apex Publications corporate banner. I do expect to occasionally cross-promote and link to each site from the other.

I’d like to ask the 15 readers of this blog a few small favors.

1) Consider subscribing to the feed. Failing that, follow the blog. Traffic is good!
2) Blog or tweet about the Feed
2) Suggest zombie reprints for me to pursue for the Feed. Doing a story a week means I’ll always be, uh, hungry for zombie stories. If you have a suggestion, just leave it in a comment below!

Thanks!

Anyways, I’m going to redesign the site. Update the pages. Start posting to the blog. I promise. Give me a few days.

Until then go bug the hell out of Maurice Broaddus.

Book layout/design
Proofreading
Short story critiques

I can also do fun blogging, if anyone is interested in a skill such as that. Blogging for dollars!

Rates:
Story critiques–$1 per 250 words
Proofreading — $25 per 40,000 words
Book layout/design — Varies…generally $75-$150

jason at apexbookcompany.com

My night hours…well…those will have to be shared in private conversation.

If you get a chance and live in or around Nashville, TN, then by all means check out Hypericon!

I’m going to list some reasons why you’ll enjoy this story:
1) Giant purple alien heads that explode in zero-G

Actually, that should be all the reason you need.

For ordering information just visit the M-Brane SF website.

Here’s a teaser:

November in the Romanian Alps was not a place to be. Who cared if her forefathers had bled on the same ground five hundred years ago? She had bled on toilets, in a subway car, on other people, on fields marked with satanic symbols, and none of that had counted for shit. She kicked her boot into the dry rut of road, sending a little flurry of dust and snow scattering away.

Smith had dropped her off fifty miles inside the border of Bulgaria and Romania. It was there they parted ways. She went north, into hell. He went east. No doubt he’d be looking to score some Italian tail, drinking cabernet, and saying those stupid little Italian phrases of love to whatever underaged princesses he’d find whoring themselves in the hostels. The testosterone reeked off of him, practically gagging Aspen on the helicopter ride to the dropoff point. No doubt he’d doped up on enough testosterone to get him through a whole season of love.

There was no promise of Italian love for her, just the likelihood of brutal rape and possible death.

Well, I know better.

Whatever the case, I do know this–Mo*Con is helluva a convention. Alethea Kontis brings the world’s best baklava, there are catered dinners, and you get to hang out and commiserate with famous horror authors like Brian Keene. All of this happens in the basement of a church. You have to love a horror convention that is held in the basement of a church.

If you’re within driving range of Indianapolis this weekend, do yourself a favor and pop in at Mo*Con.

Jeff Carlson.

If you follow my posts over on the Apex blog then you know how high I hold his work in esteem. From his adrenaline pumped award winning short fiction to the triumphant Plague Zone trilogy, he’s one of the best authors of dark SF in the business. He’s an extremely busy guy (he recently became an international bestselling author so he’s got publishers pressuring him for more more more books) so I figured it was a long shot to get him to read DARK FUTURES to blurb.

I asked. He said ‘Send me a printed ARC and I’ll try.’ I sent the ARC.

Today I received a great blurb. Not only did he love the book, but he also gave us this awesome blurb that will adorn the front cover of my anthology:

“Hold onto your head! Editor Jason Sizemore loads a shotgun with futuristic stories, puts the barrel against your brain and pulls the trigger… Standouts in this sf anthology include James Reilly’s “Terra Tango 3,” Jennifer Pelland’s “Personal Jesus,” and Michele Lee’s “Meat World.” These stories are cutthroat, sinister, sometimes lonely and always disturbing.”
—Jeff Carlson, international bestselling author of Plague Zone

Thank you, Jeff. I’m glad you enjoyed the book!