Blurb:
Marked
for death, Alexis accompanies her lover, Yeron, and four survivors of a zombie
invasion on a search for the renegades who created a chemical that induces a
zombie-like state. On the way, ravenous flesh-eaters attack Alexis’s team; one survivor turns on her. She
realizes too late that the renegades have been tracking her every move. When officials capture
her, she becomes deathly ill. Can DNA splicing save her? Will Yeron’s attempts
at rescue jeopardize all their lives?
Professional Blurb:
When Blood Reigns has the voice of a lover and
the sting of a scorpion. Barbara Custer writes with keen perception and sharp
imagination. ~ Charles Gramlich, Author of Midnight in Rosary
Trailers:
Author Bio and Links:
Barbara lives near Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, where she works full time as a respiratory therapist. When she’s
not working with her patients, she’s enjoying a fright flick or working on
horror and science fiction tales. She’s published Night to Dawn magazine since 2004.
Other books by Barbara include Twilight Healer, City of Brotherly Death,
Infinite Sight, and Steel Rose;
also novellas Close Liaisons and Life Raft: Earth. She enjoys bringing
her medical background to the printed page, and then blending it with
supernatural horror. She maintains a presence on Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter,
and The Writers Coffeehouse forum. Look for the photos with the Mylar balloons,
and you’ll find her.
Visit her at:
Excerpt:
Under
a sky dark as tar, Shively and his gang
left through the rear exit of Jackson Hospital. The power blackout cloaked the
surrounding streets in shadow. Shively and Tyrone led them through an alley
parallel to Jonasville Street, where the hospital was. Alexis stayed close to
Yeron, teeth gritted, with Johnny to her left, and behind Shively. Mark
followed close behind her. Despite Johnny’s and the others’ assurances that
they could control Mark, she found herself shivering. She felt his intent stare
on her, the way she had ten years ago right before he threw her on the couch.
“Brrrrrrr.”
She rubbed her arms, moving closer to Yeron.
The
warm May air carried a stench like that of rotting tomatoes. At the end of the
block, the full moon splashed silver over the buildings and bushes. Yesterday
they had slaughtered an army of emaciated, wasted people who smelled like they
were many days dead, monsters that had trashed Jackson Hospital’s research
floor. They knew more lay in wait; the offensive odor betrayed their secrecy.
Unease
festered in Alexis’s stomach. A creepy feeling nagged at her, like someone had
eyes on her, biding his time, planning a surprise attack.
She
glanced toward Yeron. The soldier in him had replaced the lover: squared
shoulders, head erect, jaw muscles tight, and mouth closed. His ruby eyes
shifted right and left. With the invisible eyes on her came an overwhelming
sadness. Don’t be ridiculous, she scolded herself. It’s not like he’s
snubbing you at some party. He’s watching out for trouble and you should, too,
so pay attention.
Still,
the feeling of being watched lingered.
Aw
oooooooooo! AWOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Alexis
let out a yelp, and this time, she did
latch onto Yeron’s elbow as if they
were dancing at a party. The howling continued, loud and plaintive.
“Listen
to that.” She nudged his shoulder. “Those woods are crawling with dead and
their stink’s drawing the dogs.”
“The
dogs smell Kryszka renegades.” Johnny’s voice faltered. His wide blue eyes
remained fixed on their surroundings. “I don’t like this.”
“Whether
you like it or not, deal,” Shively told them.
“That’s
right.” Mark’s voice raked her with freezing contempt. “We’ve had enough of
your whining.”
Alexis
stiffened, then set her lips in a grim line. Damn, I’m not spending the next
several weeks listening to Mark’s shit.
With
her telekinesis at the ready, she whirled upon Mark and unleashed a surge of
psychic energy. Mark stumbled, fell against a brick wall, and then landed in a
heap. He doubled over, one hand rubbing his right arm.
“Cut
the shit, asshole,” she warned him.
“Whoa!”
Johnny brayed nervous laughter. “She
socked it to you.”
“Bitch
nearly broke my arm.” Mark scowled, struggling to his feet.
“Next
time, she might hurt you bad.” Tyrone’s solemn face shone with sweat. “If I
were you, I’d shut it.”
Mark’s
mouth worked like a guppy’s, and in the moonlight, his face reddened. Tyrone
held his finger to his lips. Mark kept
quiet.
The
howling continued, sending liquid fear racing through Alexis’s veins.
“Of
course, the dogs will howl,” Yeron said. “This street smells gamey.”
“The
animals sense danger, too.” Alexis hugged her tunic around her shoulders. She
had Yeron to thank for looting the plasma guns and uniform after his compound
exploded. “Weekly World Reporter had
a big article on dogs and how they smell scent.”
Yeron
did not comment. He continued staring ahead, his face impassive.
“I’d
like to give those creatures a nice, long, dirt nap.” Johnny scowled. “Too bad Weekly
World didn’t give us an easy way to make it happen.”
“Do
not worry, honey.” Yeron smiled and
stroked her hair. “I will not let you face those creatures alone.”
“Be
quiet, all of you!” Shively darted a withering glance over his shoulder.
“There’s something weird ahead.”
Shively
reached into his backpack for his binoculars and flashlight. Alexis and the
others stopped and kept quiet. All eyes were on Shively. There was no sound
coming from the houses; most of them were
cloaked in shadow. No streetlights, thanks to the power outage. The dogs
continued howling, long, melancholy wails. No other sounds could be heard except for the crickets. The air
thickened with its rancid odor. Alexis slid her fingers around her plasma gun.
Knees bent, she braced herself for an exchange of gunfire.
“Where
at?” she asked.
“The
back alley.” Shively pointed and moved to his left.
Alexis
and the others hustled after him. An acrid smell wafted from a garage near a
doctor’s office. The buzzing came next. The garage appeared intact, but the low
beam from Shively’s flashlight washed over a corpse. Swarms of flies buzzed
around its skeletal legs and the two blood-spattered bushes that concealed the
rest of the body.
Please tell us a little something
about you.
I’ve enjoyed horror and science fiction since I was in high school back in
the 1970s. My favorite was
Dark Shadows,
the Hammer films, and years later, Stephen King. I dabbled in writing in my early
twenties but didn’t begin writing in earnest until the 1990s. By then, I’d
fallen in love with Stephen King’s books, and I fantasized about writing
similar tales. So I began writing horror fiction straight away, and later, when
my work got into the small press magazines, an editor encouraged me to submit
science fiction. Most of what I write today is a cross-genre – horror and
science fiction, for example,
Steel Rose and
now,
When Blood Reigns. Night to
Dawn published some of my tales before the former editor retired. I’ve
been editing the magazine for the last twelve years, and I’m publishing books
through the NTD imprint. When I’m not working on my projects, I enjoy a great
fright flick. Sometimes I’ll try a new recipe—it never gets too warm for
baking. And of course, there’s my balloon collection. Sometimes you’ll find me
at the stores, chasing and being chased by Mylar balloons.
What motivated you to become a
published author?
Because finances had prohibited my schooling in the early years, my writing
lay dormant until I went back to college in the late 80s. My mother died in
1990, and my instructor encouraged me to try creative writing as a way to
handle my grief. I sent in my first team with the horror / SF genre, and I’ve
found writing very helpful in enabling me to process my grief.
What
is the most difficult part of writing for you?
Writing those “slow” but oh, so important
scenes are the worst for me. I’m a pantser at heart, and I’ve never been able
to follow an outline. I gave it the college try, but the best I can manage a
general sense of the plotline with a satisfying ending. For example, I wrote a
scene where two men are caught dragging a woman to a zombie pit. I loved
writing the drama of the rescue that followed. But then it occurred to me: what
led up to her being kidnapped? Was she lured or seized against her will? Where?
This is where I’ve got to try and tame the pantser in me, and write a
convincing scene of what happened before the her abduction.
Pick
a character from your book and describe one of his/her strengths and one of
his/her weaknesses?
Let’s go with Alexis. She’s makes a true
blue friend and fellow soldier—so often she’ll run into danger to save her
teammates. And when Yeron is badly injured, she crawls through an underground
hallway to find help, despite multiple cuts and wounds. When her travels take
her to a Kryszka compound, she befriends the governor and other people there.
At times, though, she lets her emotions get the better of her, and she’ll act
impulsively, which almost costs her life.
What
is your favorite part of your book?
I can’t say that When Blood Reigns has any one favorite part, but I get a lot of
chuckles reading through the scenes that involve Johnny. Some of the things he
said and did – the humor – cut through the tension between everyone holed up at
the safe house. There’s also one scene I like because it speaks well of protag
Alexis – when she crawls through the Kryszka’s compound hallway searching for
help for her beloved Yeron despite her own serious injuries.
If
you could spend a week anywhere, where would you go and what would you do
during that week? Let’s start with activities. Day 1. Go to
an outlet mall. Day 2. Go for a ride on a hot air balloon. Day 3. Get a
treatment at the hotel spa. I’d dedicate days 4 and 5 to rest, but on those
respective evenings, I’d like to take a tour through a deserted town and look
for ghosts. Day 6. Back to the spa. Day 7. Take a leisurely train (or plane)
ride home. Where would I like to go? Any place or time that enables me to do
these activities in a warm, dry climate.
What
genre do you like to read and who are some of your favorite authors?
I favor the horror and science fiction genre. Some of
my favorite authors include Jonathan Maberry and Stephen King. However, I will
read other genres from time to time because I feel it’s a great way to study
character behavior under different circumstances. Being familiar with different
genres may enrich the characters in the genre you write.
If
you could have any wish granted, what would it be?
I’d like medical science to come up with a cure for
Parkinson’s, the disease that took Mike, as I’d hate to see this happen to
others. I don’t want just a cure but a way to reverse the damage left by the
disease. It’s a gigantic ask, but…
What
are you currently working on and when can we expect your next book?
I’m working on a sequel to When Blood Reigns, but I’m
still in first draft – writing goes slowly when you work a day job. So the
plotline is under wraps. You can expect more zombies, renegade alien soldiers,
and this time out, an introduction to new characters.
What
advice would you give an aspiring author?
Read as many books as you can, both your genre and
others to get a feel for characters and what makes them act out. Assume that
your first draft will become history when revising begins. And before you send
any book out for submission or self-publication, hire a good editor.
Fun
Facts
Favorite
food – Italian pasta with meatball sauce. I have to use
gluten free, but a good brand will taste like conventional pasta.
Person
you’d most like to meet – I’d like to meet agent Donald Maass,
author of Writing the Breakout Novel.
He understands what makes characters tick. He conducts workshops for authors. Writing the Breakout Novel helped me a
lot with Steel Rose and When Blood Reigns, and I plan on using
it for future works.
Favorite
type of movie: one
with a character-driven plot. Make me care deeply enough about the
characters, and you’ll have my attention, no matter the genre. Of course, with
horror or SF, the stakes go up when the monsters attack.
Favorite
pastime – Going to an outlet mall. This happens when I’m on
vacation, and on vacation, sometimes I check the budget at the garage (or bus
station).
Something
you like about yourself – I have a compassionate streak – for
example, I cook meals for the Aid for Friends.
Favorite
type of music – oldies, like the Beach Boys
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