Legos + Zombies = Awesome

We all remember building with LEGOS, leaving them lying around, and getting yelled at for said LEGOS being stepped on.

I, myself, still play with LEGOS. My son and I have a mutual understanding.... I build, and he gets to play with the masterpiece. Little is he aware, that I do the fun part.
I have recently scoured stores in order to find the new Batman LEGO line for his birthday. The Batcave is calling my name from the depths of my closet... build me, build me, build me.

Did anyone know there is a whole circuit of people that take their zombie obsession a step further and build LEGO scenes?

I've been a fan or I should say I've "liked" Lego Zombie Apocalypse on Facebook for a while. The pictures they post are amazing zombie scenes.
I wanted to post a few on my blog. Long story short,
they directed me to this guy:

Meet Dave. Yeah Dave.

Dave is not only sporting washboard abs, but he spends a great amount of time creating his own web comic called Bricks of the Dead (BotD).

The comic is about a group of people banding together to survive a zombie apocalypse. There are four frames in an episode. Dave generally publishes an episode every few days, depending on life. I couldn't imagine reading the comic episode by episode... there are a few I have come across that would be killer cliff hangers. But all I have to do is click "next."

Dave was very kind and answered some questions on his interest in this time consuming hobby.

Yep, he plans, writes, builds, shoots scenes, edits with photoshop, and then publishes. I've been reading his comic, slowly, but I get excited when I see LEGO buildings I recognize. I probably shouldn't admit this, but the one above is the Grand Emporium. It's genius really. Makes for a great zombie scene.

Here is an example of a zombie action sequence:

As you can see it zombie action doesn't start until episode 7. The wait is worth it because Stewart, Cheryl, and Shannon crack and wack with a smile on their little LEGO faces. Sam kinda of cowers in the back.

This is a flashlight effect:

Dave does not like doing the flashlight effects, but I thought it was cool. Yeah, that's a zombie in the last frame.

More zombies:

Believe it or not, the zombies are not the best part of BotD. For each episode Dave points out cliches entitled "Zombie Cliche Lookout."
They are very entertaining and funny. It's almost like Dave wrote down every overused zombie stereotype and made a "what not to do" LEGO zombie apocalypse survival guide.
It is worth reading. The site also does reviews, a place for LEGO zombie creation challenges, and discussions for your own zombie apocalypse survival plan.
Stop by BotD, read the comic, and show Dave some love.

It also turns out there is a whole community of these guys creating web-comics from LEGOS... a whole network of LEGO web comics called The Brick Comic Network. Check them out.

Then, you can find people that make custom LEGO figurines with decals:

When I first saw this I couldn't stop looking at it. This LEGO zombie was custom made by eclipseGrax. You may look through eclipseGrax's photo stream here!

A Few Things...

Hi all!

Quick post:

I've been very busy. My apologies. I've been, well, I've been writing. 

I'm working on something and it's consuming. It also has nothing to do with zombies.

I really hope it works out, and I will blog about it in June. Yeah, I know, that's far away, but in the writing world... that is nothing. Just remember, I'm doing it for you. 

I've also been revising the rest of the trilogy. I would like the second installment to be published at the end of this year, and the third next spring. That is what I hope, but I can't promise it.

My son has also started TBall. Man, the coach this time is really intense. Gage happens to be the youngest on the team and not as skilled. Honestly, he's a little athletically challenged... I have no idea where he gets it. *sniggers* He really wanted to play again, but I believe it has more to do with The Sand Lot, and his need to be just like Benny "The Jet" Rodriguez, than his actually love of the sport. Anyway, the coach has set practice three days a week for two hours. That is a lot for 6 year olds. We went to the first practice on Saturday, and Gage seems to like it. 

I'm also working on a special post... It should be live sometime this week, but I have gotten some insight and I'm real excited to share. I might even edit it before I publish! LOL. 

Pimp Your SkullCandy

I found a really cool pin on Pinterest. Yes, I know it is not an original idea... I'm not stealing it... just sharing. I want to share for those of you who don't do Pinterest or haven't seen the pin, well...and to show off my SkullCandy. The blog with the original idea is Craft & Creativity.

I'm going to show you how to Pimp Your SkullCandy. Really it is just putting beads on your earbuds.

 My finished SkullCandy. 

What you need:

Earbuds (any kind will work)

If you use iPod earbuds, you might want to consider weight. I use SkullCandy because they stay in my ears when I'm working out. iPod earbuds get sweaty and slip out, so extra weight probably won't do you any good, if you use them to workout in.

Perler Beads

If you don't know Perler beads, well they are those beads you use on the little peg boards to make pictures, then melt them with an iron.

Use an exacto knife. It was easier to maneuver than a regular razor blade because of the pointed edge. You will use A LOT of beads and A LOT of time, but I think the end result is cool.

Put the beads on in your very own pattern with your own colors. You could even do a pair for every holiday. 

 TA-DA!!!

I am currently pimping my USB ports for my iPhone and Nook. Sweet.

Words of Wisdom

Rock on the Range 2012

Rock on the Range 2012

May18th, 19th, and 20th

Columbus, Ohio

Crew Stadium

More Info!

New Gift Page

Just wanted to post about my new page. I noticed that my zombie gift guide, the one I posted during the holidays, is my "most popular" post. 

I get about 25 post views a day, just for that post. That is a lot for a past post.

I decided to make a page of Zombie gifts. It's published at the top or you can click here. I added a few things, and I will keep adding as I find cool stuff.

If you have something you would like me to add, just say so... as the page is high traffic and could possibly get you a few sales. 

Be sure to look at the new stuff I added!

Happy Valentine's Day!

So, it's Valentine's Day. It is one of those days you either love it or hate it. 

Me? I don't really care either way. I show the people I love, how much I love them everyday... no matter what. It doesn't matter if you are single, dating, or married... someone loves you.

If not, well... there are always cats.

Now for the vampy post. I was going to do a Vampire Zombie post, but I figure Holly from Holly's Horrorland wouldn't want me tainting the Vampire Soiree with zombies. I did leave all of my zombie minions Valentine's greetings to the right. ------->

I've decided to list my most favorite vampires... because they are worth mentioning. I'll give a little bio, and why I absolutely love them. No, it's not Lestat de Lioncourt, Vlad the Impaler, or David from the Lost Boys... that would be original thinking. Not that they aren't fab vamps or anything.

Count von Count

For those of you who need to know, Count von Count is the Muppets interpretation of Bela Lugosi's Count Dracula.

One! Ah, ah... Two! Ah, ah... Yes, he is the muppet that lives in the creepy cob-web infested castle that he shares with many bats and a cat. He counts them. He actually counts everything, and hasn't aged a day since I was three years old...Haha! He also has a car that sort of resembles the Batmobile if memory serves.

Why I love him? Not only did this vamp practically raise me and teach me to count, he turned me on to vampires in the first place. I really can't blame my weirdness on him... that started way before I learned to count.

Jean-Claude

Jean-Claude is a vampire from Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series. There are a total of 20 books in the series and the 21st is coming out in June. I've been reading these books since I was a teenager (yes, loooong time). 

There is really a lot to Jean-Claude, I mean, 20 books worth. Hmmm, let's see... he's French and over 600 hundred years old. He is master of the city of St. Louis. He owns several businesses that includes a strip club (Guilty Pleasures), a comedy club (The Laughing Corpse), a circus (Circus of the Damned), and a Dance Club (Danse Macabre). He is the head of his own vampy line and has his very own vampire hunter human servant (Anita Blake). Oh, a perk and a reason I love this series... Anita is a necromancer and raises the dead for a living. 

This is Anita from the graphic novels. Jean-Claude:

Anyway, Jean-Claude has all kinds of cool vampy powers... he can call wolves (he always has werewolves hanging around), he can fly, he can make people "feel" things with his voice, he feeds off lust and sex, of course all the super human abilities, he can "rise" early (before sunset), he can mask his age from other master vampires, and a lot of other stuff that takes 20 books to develop. It would also take a long time to explain.

Why I love him? Well, He is a master of manipulation, and knows how to take the stick out of Anita's ass. He comes across as mysterious to people that don't know him. 

Not to mention, he is walking, talking undead sex on legs. Sure, he can bite me anytime.

If you haven't read the series, I'd give it a go... it has everything... from vampires, zombies, all types of wereanimals, ghouls... lot's of action. 

Bubba

Bubba comes from Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse series. This is another series I've been reading for years. If you watch True Blood, well, you won't know who Bubba is. Bubba is an "implied" character. The man from Memphis. He is Elvis. Harris does not come out and say it's Elvis as a vamp, but you just know.

The story: Bubba was turned by a big fan that noticed he still had a little spark left. The drugs in his system did funny things to his turn and made him "slow" as a vamp. Bubba needs to be watched and is told what to do... he also loves cat blood. He is sweet and looks out for Sookie, who in turn becomes friends with him. He brings a nice wit to the southern vamp series. I also like to think turning into a vamp caused some of his youth and vibrancy to come back.

For those of you who don't know, I LOVE Elvis! I constantly think about Elvis as a zombie. Okay, not constantly, but it has crossed my mind. I was ecstatic about Bubba's character. I was also majorly pissed off they left him out of the show.  (>_<)

I found a picture some fan did, that I love:

Elvis. With FANGS!

Post Edit**** I forgot to put in the reason they call him Bubba!!! My apologies. I wrote this post running on my 25th hour (writer's schedule). They call him Bubba because whatever went wrong in his transformation made him a little kooky. He goes bat-shit crazy if someone calls him Elvis, unless he is in a "mood." Sometimes he will dress up in his sequin suits and sing his heart out. He must be watched at all times because it is not commonly known he was turned into a vampire. Hence all of the tabloid "Elvis sightings."

I thought the whole idea of Bubba's character was genius. I'm also a little envious I didn't think of it first, but I don't write vampire fiction. =/

There you have it, my vampy post. Who is your favorite vampire?

Please visit Holly's Horrorland for a list of vampy participants.

Okay, I can't help it:

You think those are zombie cupids? Cool idea, though.

Happy 200th Birthday, Charles Dickens!

The English novelist was born on February 7th, 1812. 200 years ago.

Considered the greatest novelist in the Victorian period, he remains popular. His fame knows no bounds as his novels are still in print.

There is much to Charles Dickens, as he lived in London most of his life, the other he had spent a great deal traveling... including two visits to America and Canada for months each time. After his first visit to America he pumped out, A Christmas Carol. 

That is where we all get "BAH! HUMBUG!"

He also wrote the ever popular Great Expectations and A Tale of Two Cities. Most of us Americans had to read these in high school. 

Me? Bah! Humbug! I enjoyed the movies. I've never been a Dickens fan, but I do have a friend named Charles Dickens. He kind of looks like this:

Without the hair! 

I'm kidding... they look nothing alike, and have nothing in common besides the name.

Violence to Shock... A MUST for Me in Literature

I have been speeding through books for my 2012 Reading Challenge. That might be why my blog posts aren't up-to-par. My sincere apologies. I read through my list of blog ideas, and I'm gonna be a bloggin' like a maniac.

I also noticed I have been reading quite a few chick lit books. This is usually not my style, and as soon as I noticed this, I had to revert back to my "go-to" book, which is:

A Clockwork Orange

Not many people share my love for this book, including the author himself. I don't know why I read this over and over. Okay, yes I do. Besides the reckless violence, Alex, who is one of my favorite all-time characters, is highly intelligent. I suppose I relate to him on some weird psychological level. Struggling with the "devil" and "angel" inside of ourselves. He doesn't really begin to suffer or see the error of his ways until he starts running into people he has wronged after his alleged "sentence." It. Is. The. Worst. Feeling. Ever. Any 12 step program would be a nightmare.

Any-hoo, the made-up slang makes this book uh, clearer? I guess what I'm trying to get out is, despite the language, it is understandable. I loved it. Still do. The whole book was well written. All 21 effin' chapters. (Only 20 chapters were published in America originally)

The violence. Ah, we already know I like violence... no matter the type, as long as it is fiction... I mean, come on, to name a few more on my list of fave's: Fight Club, Slaughter House Five, Battle Royale, The Cat's Cradle, A Child Called It, Exquisite Corpse, The Dice Man. Yeah, I guess I kind of go for shock value. 

Is there any shocking violence in my books (The Famished Trilogy)? Well, I'm going to say there are quite a few publishers (I know this through their submission guidelines) that probably wouldn't think twice about publishing my books because of the content. No, I didn't bother with a query letter.

A fellow author and co-owner of No Boundaries Press actually described my book as "in your face" violence. 

This made me very happy and mushy inside.

My sister, who is a chick lit master, adores the "love story" within The Famished Trilogy. She is to Jane Austen as I am to Edgar Allen Poe. 

She is to Pride and Prejudice as I am to Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (LOL! Inside joke between her and I, couldn't help it). 

Anyway, her excitement also made me happy. It was more than I expected.

Me? How do I feel? Well, my excitement with publishing is over. Now I am completely terrified. No going back now. I'm jumping in the deep end. Head first.

Rare Disease Awareness Month

I've had to remove the photo from my blog and accidentally deleted this post! I will be re-writing soon!