The sound of the Bee
Gee’s song, Stayin’ Alive, roars, stirring the dancers gyrating beneath a huge,
glowing, multifaceted, crystal ball, into an even greater frenzy. Everyone in
the room, however, is not dressed in their best painting-the-town duds. This
party celebrates Zombie Disco!
“I better not get thrown into the zombie punch
this week.” Lyn looks pointedly at Mary.
“What, me, I never…”
"Don’t deny Mary avoid,” Patsy suggests diplomatically. Mary tosses an olive eyeball at Patsy that goes over her head and straight into Lyn’s open mouth. Patsy pats Lyn on the back until she stops choking. “Are the Bee Gees Zombies?” Patsy asks innocently. Mary cracks up laughing. And Lyn chuckles herself. “That’s debatable.” Lyn quips.
“What, me, I never…”
"Don’t deny Mary avoid,” Patsy suggests diplomatically. Mary tosses an olive eyeball at Patsy that goes over her head and straight into Lyn’s open mouth. Patsy pats Lyn on the back until she stops choking. “Are the Bee Gees Zombies?” Patsy asks innocently. Mary cracks up laughing. And Lyn chuckles herself. “That’s debatable.” Lyn quips.
The three hostesses look
the part. Patsy, has cleverly lost half her face and it looks pretty gory. Lyn has
lost half her left foot hanging in tattered remnants of bloody carnage. And Mary’s
bosom, well one can’t even think about the horror. If it was all real!
“Seriously, that looks real Patsy.” Lyn gazes at Patsy’s face.
“Hey it almost was, did you see the size of their dog. It’s massive? By the way thanks guys for saving me.” Hampy, Cuddles and Nibby, all look up and pretend they see something that needs investigating as they dash off.
“So are we going to trip the light fantastic ladies?” Lyn laughs.
“What? Trip the who?” Mary frowns.
“She means are you gonna dance?” Patsy answers a bit smugly.
“Why can’t you just say that?” Mary puzzled adds, “And how do you know that anyhow.”
“I’ll
have you know I used to be soooo into disco. Not zombie disco, just regular
stuff.” Patsy flips the tip of her nose back onto her face. "Oliver says the
food is pretty good. It just looks odd. The devilled dragon eggs are just fantastic.”
Patsy eyes the table of foods. “Eyeballs, spider muffins, dirty martinis, a
veritable delight to the palate. That is unless you really are a zombie. Then I
guess it would be real body parts. Do you prefer your liver with or without
onions?”
Mary chuckles and Lyn gives her an olive eyeball. “Eat up, the real zombies like their dinner fleshed out!”
“Seriously, that looks real Patsy.” Lyn gazes at Patsy’s face.
“Hey it almost was, did you see the size of their dog. It’s massive? By the way thanks guys for saving me.” Hampy, Cuddles and Nibby, all look up and pretend they see something that needs investigating as they dash off.
“So are we going to trip the light fantastic ladies?” Lyn laughs.
“What? Trip the who?” Mary frowns.
“She means are you gonna dance?” Patsy answers a bit smugly.
“Why can’t you just say that?” Mary puzzled adds, “And how do you know that anyhow.”
Eyeball caprese |
spider muffins |
Mary chuckles and Lyn gives her an olive eyeball. “Eat up, the real zombies like their dinner fleshed out!”
mini mummy pizzas |
devilled dragon eggs |
The music suddenly stops, it
takes the zombies a moment to realize
Eyeball soup |
Lyn perks up. She nudges Mary. “Ever since Devon wrote that story she has had to have a trio of guards around her the Zombie community all want her to win her over. The Civil Ward zombies, the 1950’s zombies, you name it, every zombie organization there is wants her to join them. You’re losing what’s left of your right hooter Mary. Better patch that.” She hands Mary a large tube of crazy glue and heads to the stage to stop the band from playing. Lyn grabs the microphone as soon as the band stops and yells to the excited and exhilarated mob of fearless, flapping flesh. “Come on people! Those you who still have a larynx let’s hear it for Devon Ellington and her new release, Hex Breaker! “
Devon and her putrid entourage take the stage and begin to raise the roof with their jerky boogying. “Turn up the music Oliver and let her rip! The party is just starting and I for one just hope no one loses their head this evening! Be careful what you eat and no driving if your arms or legs are totally gone. We will get your torso home. We promise! Let’s Disco!
Book Blurb:
Hex Breaker Jain Lazarus joins the crew of a cursed film, hoping to put to rest what was stirred up before more people die and the film is lost. Tough, practical Detective Wyatt East becomes her unlikely ally and lover on an adventure fighting zombies, ceremonial magicians, the town wife-beater, the messenger of the gods, and their own pasts.
“You cut off a man’s head, Ms. Lazarus,” Wyatt East said. “I have to ask you questions.”
Jain snuck a look at her watch. Two and a half hours in the interrogation room. Dennis was running out of time. Jain looked up at Wyatt, watching him pace back and forth across the room, and folded her arms on the table.
“I understand that, and I’m willing to answer anything, but we need to get to the hospital or Dennis will wind up in the same shape as Mike.”
“I understand that, and I’m willing to answer anything, but we need to get to the hospital or Dennis will wind up in the same shape as Mike.”
“Headless?”
“If we don’t get to him in time.”
“Since you’re the one who decapitated Mike, I’m not so sure I should let you near Dennis.”
“If you let me near him fast enough, I won’t need to decapitate him.”
“So you admit that you would?”
“If necessary.”
“And why would it be necessary?”
“By the time I separated Mike’s head from his body, there wasn’t anything of Mike left. I saw it snuff out. He was completely under his handler’s control. Whoever his handler is.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Wyatt slammed his palm on the metal desk.
“Detective East, your carefully planned gestures don’t intimidate me. I deal with much more dangerous factions every day than annoyed cops.”
“Maybe you should give me some information about who you really are and what you really do and I won’t be such an annoyed cop.”
Bio:
Devon Ellington is a full-time writer who
publishes under a half a dozen names in fiction and non-fiction. Her
plays are produced in New York, London, Edinburgh, and Australia. Her
work appears in anthologies including PERFECTLY PLUM! ARDEUR, GHOST
STORIES OF THE MOGOLLON RIM, and FULL CIRCLE. Within the hundreds of
articles published over the years, she covered the Triple Crown for
twelve years for FEMME FAN, and articles appeared in WOW- WOMEN ON
WRITING, THE CRAFTY TRAVELER, SAVVY GAL, VISION, and HAMPTON FAMILY
LIFE. She wrote four serials in four genres under two different names
for eighteen months. She works as a fiction reviewer, freelance
business writer, and teacher online and in-person, with students all
over the world.
Website:
http://www.devonellingtonwork.com/
Ink in My Coffee, blog on the ups and downs of a writer’s life:
http://devonellington.
Jain Lazarus site:
http://hexbreaker.
Billy Root’s blog:
http://billyrootblogs.
(Note: Billy is a supporting character in the series, and a fan favorite)
***GIVEAWAY***
Hi Devon, welcome to your party - what an intriguing excerpt! Your book sounds a fantastic read.
ReplyDeleteGood Morning Devon - Sister Hostesses! How exciting - eyeball soup. I've got to try some of that. I do like my half face :)
ReplyDeleteGood Morning Patsy (Lyn hugs her sister hostess) Well, I guess having only half a face saves on makeup LOL! :)
ReplyDeleteIt certainly does and half the time to apply! Does it make me half as smart - I wasn't doing too well in that department before! Oh Well! I'm off to sample more of these Zombie foods!
ReplyDeleteHow did you do that with your foot?
ReplyDeleteYou aren't even limping? And I think your face is awesome Patsy. And my boobies never looked cooler!
Yo Devon, how's the food look?
The food is spectacular! Thank you so much! We are gonna Monster Mash until all our body parts fall off! ;)
ReplyDeleteHi Mary dear sister hostess, my you and Patsy manage to look good even with all that 'Kensington gore'!
ReplyDeleteHopping around on one leg is actually quite easy, once you get used to it.
Devon, I have to admit this food tastes a lot better than its appearance would appear!
Yes, let's do the mash, let's do the monster mash!
Very cool, Devon. Love your excerpt and the sound of your book.
ReplyDeleteIt's been a long time since I've done the monster Mash, but I'm joining you in the fun! Boogie on.
Hi Patrice, thanks so much for joining the party, hey, this monster mash boogie is fun - bit tiring with one leg though! lol!
ReplyDeleteHey Patrice! Great to see you here - your costume looks very pretty, you have a whole face and everything. You must be the one that gets devoured by the monsters!
ReplyDeleteYou know, when people overuse Mac cosmetics, they look just the same as the walking dead!
ReplyDeleteLove the contortions you all manage in the dancing!
We played "monster mash" for the trick-or-treaters last Halloween - and that's when my new black kitten made her public debut. She was the belle of the neighborhood (and still is)
Purring is my favorite kitty sound.
ReplyDeleteAnyhow, I'm walking a bit lopsided,since one side has been lopped. The other one appears to begin to rot as I stare at it.
Fascinating! Hey, what was in that zombie punch? I feel a craving for rare roast beef. Or maybe even...
Purring is my favorite kitty sound.
ReplyDeleteAnyhow, I'm walking a bit lopsided,since one side has been lopped. The other one appears to begin to rot as I stare at it.
Fascinating! Hey, what was in that zombie punch? I feel a craving for rare roast beef. Or maybe even...
comment forwarded from Traci Hall who can't comment for some reason.
ReplyDeleteShe wants you to,"save her some of the eyeball caprice."
What fun! Enjoying your cyber-party.
ReplyDeleteMy, you are a scary lot. And, I mean that in the...er...nicest way.
ReplyDeleteHex Breakers sounds like a shivery read and I love the cover.
KT
Ooh some new visitorsw! Hi everyone! I agree about the cover, KT, isn't it gorgeous! *hic* anyone seen any mead around? This dirty martini thingy is OK, but ...*hic*
ReplyDeleteMaybe the mead will help you grow your foot back. Hmmmm. I'd need something considerably stronger, don't you think?
ReplyDeleteNancy Jardine said...
ReplyDeleteHello Oliver,
(and the ladies of R&T)
I just can't wait to meet you in a few weeks. I'm really looking forward to sharing a really neat little cocktail with you since they're my absolute favorite!
*kisses and waves*
Hi KT - glad you stopped by. *cyber wave* Stop by the food and gorge! Lots of weird...er...good food over here!
ReplyDeleteAny excuse to let the zombies out to play...
ReplyDelete"Release the Chaos Dragon!"
Thank you for such a fun party and featuring such a great book. Really looking forward to the next books in the Jain Lazarus series.
We served the eye in the soup at our HalloWedding several years ago - it was a great hit!
This party is fun! I'm just curious, Devon, are you a Fleshtones fan? Their "Hexbreaker" is one of my very favorite songs (and albums) of all time, so the title of your book caught my eye to say the least! And it does look very cool.
ReplyDeletevitajex(at)aol(dot)com
KT and Killion, so glad you could stop by!
ReplyDeleteI'll kiss Oliver for thanks, as soon as I'm sure my lips won't fall off.
Vitajax -- I came across the mention on Google the other day -- I'll have to go to the website and listen to the song. Maybe I'll have a new theme song for the series!
Mary, Hywela Lyn, PL -- I'm having such fun with you!
Welcome everyone! The dragons must be sleeping already!
ReplyDeleteDevon you are a terrific author! See you in the morning! Wonder if my body parts will grow back???
Hey, there is one handsome zombie over in the corner. Is he taken? Cause I feel like he might like a girl like me. Ahem...
ReplyDeleteHi Killian, KT and 'Vitajex' so glad you could join us.
ReplyDeleteWe're enjoying having you as our special guest so much, Devon and your book sounds wonderful. We wish you many, many sales.
It's really late in this dimension so I'm going to find a nice quiet hole in the ground to creep into until tomorrow. I'm sure this party's going to last all weekend, so party on folks, let the martinis flow and the dancing continue!
Goodnight all - Mary, where do you find all these guys?
and Suzanne, good to see you! Passing another round of drinks around!
ReplyDeleteZombies have body parts falling off them, right?
ReplyDeleteCan I follow handsome Oliver or that divine Wyatt around in case he loses his head or uh... other body part, if I'm lucky?
Congratulations!! You are an amazing teacher!
ReplyDeleteHi Kim, hi Nina, lol, falling masculine body parts. It wouldn't be the first time Sharon's divine Oliver lost his head! Can't speak for Wyatt though!
ReplyDeleteI took a tiny little vacation with no internet and I missed the party?? Sounds like it was a culinary adventure and the dancing must have been something else . I love the monster mash.
ReplyDeleteLove those foods. They'd be great at a Halloween party! I hope you have recipes on your website or in the book.
ReplyDeleteHi Shelley, don't worry, our parties go on over the weekend. There's still plenty of food left, and Nancy, I think Devon has some links to where you can find those creepy - I mean delicious - recipes!
ReplyDeleteLove zombies! That eyeball soup cracks me up. LOL. What a fun feast and party!! Wow you have a busy life. Great book blurb. Sounds like something I would enjoy reading. Will have to add it to my books.
ReplyDeleteSue B
katsrus(at)gmail(dot)com
MMMM, spider muffins! Now I'm hungry. Very hungry. :-)
ReplyDeleteHi Sue and Bonnie, so glad you could come. Help yourself, plenty of eyeball soup and spider muffins to go round!
ReplyDeleteHow nice a day it is! My boob grew back. Little lopsided but what the hey. Lyn has her foot back, Patsy her face and yet the party still continues!!! There she is Donna Summer, as a ghost, singing Love to Love YOU!!!
ReplyDeleteI hope those olives are really olives...
I am hiding my boobs and body parts. ROFLMAO. Warm here again. I could use one of dirty martinis. Sure hope they are real olives. LOL.
ReplyDeleteSue B
katsrus(at)gmail(dot)com
Well, it's nice we're all 'normal' again! Lyn winks at her sister hostesses Mary and Patsy and waits until the manic laughter dies down.
ReplyDeletePass the dirty martinis sue - you can have the olives, I don't fancy 'em!