by E. Van Lowe
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I’m baaaacck!
Hi zombie horde.
In case you don’t remember me, I am E. Van Lowe. My novel, Never Slow Dance With A Zombie helped launch the September Zombies blog back in 2009.
I haven’t had a zombie project out since then, but those zombieless days are about to end, and I am sharing all my exciting zombie news with you here first. That’s right, this is an exclusive.
Those of you who follow my blog (and if you don’t shame on you) may remember me mentioning the YA paranormal series I took to market late last year.
The series is called Hollyweird. It is about young Kristine Golden, a fifteen year-old necromancer who can raise the dead and lay the risen dead to rest. Poor Kristine has an unnatural relationship with all things dead. It’s both her gift and her burden. The series takes place in and around Hollywood California. I am announcing here that the first two books in the series have been picked up by a dynamic new publisher—Writeworks Publishing. Writeworks is launching a Young Adult imprint and wants my new series to be the flagship for their new line. How cool is that?The title of each book in the series is a take on a famous movie title, like Mommy Deadest. Here’s where the zombie stuff comes in. The title of the first book in the series is The Zombie Always Rings Twice, my take on the famous James M. Cain title. And yes, a zombie does ring twice with devastating consequences. Look for the book around April or May, and if it’s not coming fast enough for you, go to the Writeworks Publishing website and demand it. I’m waiting to do the edit… That ought to speed things up ;-)
But wait, I have another zombie project in the works. This one is really weird. I love women’s fashion, and I wanted to do an illustrated project that featured zombies and fine fashion. A natural combination, right? I want the book to have some full color illustrations along with black and white.
A few days ago, I was pitching it to a friend with an imprint deal. I told him it should be a coffee table book, because who doesn’t want a book filled with women’s fashion and zombies on their coffee table... Okay, maybe that’s just me. My friend looked at me kinda weird and then smiled. I don’t know if I am going to get my wish. I will keep you posted.
In the vein of Never Slow Dance With A Zombie, the book is a send up of the fashion industry. And get this, it takes place in Paris in the 1920s. It is my take on what men make women put their bodies through in the name of high fashion. It is called The Fashion Zombies of Marseilles. I have not closed the publishing deal for this book, yet. I don’t even have an illustrator yet. What I do have is an excerpt.
Here it is, just for you, the unedited excerpt:
The Fashion Zombies of Marseilles
by E. Van Lowe
…Henri sat in his workshop on a rainy Saturday night, sipping Scotch with his trusted assistant, Robespierre. He muttered darkly. “The House of Ledeaux, she is doomed.”
Meanwhile, six hundred and sixty-two kilometers from Paris, the coastal city of Marseilles was having a problem of its own—zombies. A zombie infestation that had started in the hills of the Seventh Arrondissement spread into the city proper. Zombie hordes could be seen roaming up and down the Canebière, terrorizing tourists and shop keepers alike. The government had declared Martial law on the city of Marseilles. Zombies were to be shot on sight, and then beheaded.
To keep from being shot and beheaded by the military, most of the city’s residents took refuge elsewhere, away from Marseilles, waiting for the day it was safe to return. Only a few dozen stubborn citizens remained.
That one city’s nightmare could be the answer a man’s prayers may seem strange, but that is how it is with serendipity. Serendipity is always serendipitous. It was indeed serendipity that Robespierre suggested he and Henri attend the cinema to forget their troubles.
The cinema generally annoyed Henri, but Robespierre felt the old designer needed something to take his mind off his crumbling empire, and so they went. It was even more fortuitous that news of the zombie uprising was featured on the evening newsreel as they sat waiting in the darkened theater for the start of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
“Those poor, poor people,” lamented Robespierre, staring up at the screen. “Losing loved ones, and then having to leave their homes.”
“Who cares about them,” muttered Henri through the darkness. “I have my own problems.”
The shaky news camera was focused on rag-tag bands of zombies slogging through the streets of Marseilles, attacking anyone who got in their way. For a few seconds the camera settled on a particular zombie, a young woman of sixteen or seventeen. Her skin was the color of parchment paper, her lifeless eyes, black coals sunken deep into their sockets. She was so terribly thin her joints bulged as if she had rickets.
At the sight of the girl, Henri sat bolt upright, transfixed to the screen. Her clothing had been ripped to shreds, and yet the tatters hung on her bony frame with an amazing grace. The rags flowed like a sail in the breeze as she shambled down the Canebière. She was a sight to behold.
Henri’s breath caught in his throat. “She is sublime,” he rasped.
“Who?”
“The girl,” he breathed in raptured response. But the camera had rested on her for mere seconds, and by the time Robespierre focused, the girl was gone.
“All I see are zombies.”
“Yes,” Henri replied, his mind a dither. He had seen a vision, the most breath-taking creature he had laid eyes upon in many years. It was as if he’d witnessed the coming of Our Lady of Lourdes, for he knew in that moment, the vision he beheld just a sort time earlier, would change their lives forever.
I hope you enjoyed that little tid-bit. I will keep you informed on the book’s progress. If you’d like to have a look at what I have going right now, my newest novel, Boyfriend from Hell just came out and the reviews have been excellent. Please go to my website where you can download a free sample.
Peace.
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Guest post created for September Zombies event by E. Van Lowe, author of Boyfriend from Hell, just released last month
© 2011. All rights reserved.
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by E. Van Lowe
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by E. Van Lowe
-my review
Win a copy of this book!
Open to all.
Offer ends: October 16, 2011
TO DO: (3-parts)
1. At least ONE of the following:
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or
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2. Tell me what you did and where.
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* image sources E's pics, zombie heels
* header image source
