News

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The Zombies Have Arrived

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I figured this being Good Friday and all, an announcement of a zombie novel would be more than appropriate, right? Anyway, The Dishonored Dead is now available. Here are the details.

Description:

In a not-so-distant future, the world has devolved and most of the population has become the animated dead. Those few that are living are called zombies. They are feared and must be hunted down and destroyed.

Conrad is one of the animated dead. A devoted husband, a loving father, he is the best zombie Hunter in the world. But when he hesitates one night in killing a living adult, his job is put in jeopardy. Instead of being outright dismissed, he is transferred to a program so secretive even the Government would deny its existence — and where Conrad soon learns a startling truth about how his own son might be in danger of becoming a zombie.

As living extremists become more emboldened and blow up a Hunter Headquarters, as a power-hungry Hunter becomes more enraged and will stop at nothing to gain absolute power, Conrad begins to question not just his profession, but his own existence. And before he knows it he is on a journey of self-discovery, remembering a past he was forced to forget, and soon finding himself not only a hunted man, but a man who must now save both his son and the entire world.

The Dishonored Dead is a 100,000-word zombie thriller that includes the 3,000-word short story “In the Land of the Blind,” which won 10th Annual Chiaroscuro Short Story Contest and was the inspiration for the novel.

Advance Praise for The Dishonored Dead:

“The Dishonored Dead is one of the most original and gripping zombie novels I have ever read, offering a glimpse into the life of a zombie in a world turned backwards, where zombies live and humans are feared. Highly recommended!”

— Jeremy Robinson, author of Instinct and Threshold

Purchase the e-book at:

Linkage:

More e-book formats coming soon. For now, enjoy.

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Noogle Knock At ChiZine

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ChiZine has recently gone through a major revamp, and to celebrate, this month they're offering a mega-issue, an issue so large that they're releasing sets of fiction and poetry every week. The stories and poems in this particular mega-issue have been donated by previous contributors. Some are rare reprints, others are originals. So far they've published work by Neil Gaiman, Tom Piccirilli, Stewart O'Nan, and many more. This week includes fiction by Mike Carey, Brian Hodge, Nancy Kilpatrick, Lee Thomas, Richard Thomas, and me with a strange little story called "Noogle Knock." Seriously, people, this one is strange. Enjoy, and if you can, consider donating to help keep ChiZine going.

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The Calling Official Release Day

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While it's been live for a little bit, today is The Calling’s official release day. What does this mean exactly? Nothing, really. E-books don't necessarily have to have release days, not like regular books. But over the course of a week and a half, there's one thing I've learned -- novels sell a hell of a lot better than short stories and novellas when it comes to e-books. At least for me. The Calling has already sold more units than any of my other e-books combined, and the number keeps going up. I want to thank everyone who's purchased a copy so far, and those who are planning to purchase a copy. After all, I launched this at a 99 cent introductory price, people!

Description:

When eighteen-year-old Christopher Myers’ parents are murdered, something is written on his bedroom door, a mark in his parents’ blood that convinces the police the killer has targeted Christopher as the next victim. To keep him safe, he travels away with his estranged grandmother and uncle to the small town of Bridgton, New York. And it’s in Bridgton that he meets an extraordinary young man who has come with his father to stop an unrelenting evil. Soon Christopher learns of the town’s deep dark secret, and how his parents’ murder was no accident, and how he has been brought to Bridgton by forces beyond his power—forces that just may threaten the destruction of all mankind.

Purchase this e-book for $0.99:

Advance Praise:

“The Calling is a powerful, gripping and terrifying novel, the sort that possesses your whole life while you’re reading it; it’ll stalk you through the day, and inform your dreams. Swartwood has delivered a novel that will become a classic.”

— Tim Lebbon

“Robert Swartwood’s The Calling is a diabolical rocket sled of a psychological thriller. Told through the vivid, almost druggy point of view of a young man on the edge, tangled in a web of tragedy and surreal horror, Swartwood’s novel gets under the skin and stays there. Highly recommended.”

— Jay Bonansinga

Linkage:

The Calling will, at some point, be made available at other e-bookstores such as the Kobo and Sony. For now, if you have one of those e-readers and want to read The Calling, you can download the appropriate format at Smashwords and just transfer the file.

Over the next two weeks I'll be going on "tour" to help promote The Calling. I mentioned how I plan to release a few more e-books this year, but don't worry, I don't plan to "tour" for all of those too. But The Calling is the first novel I'm releasing, and it's my true first novel, so it holds a special place in my heart. A big thank you to everyone who was kind enough to host me at their blogs for a day. Here's the schedule:

  • 4/5 - Joe Schreiber
  • 4/6 - Z. Constance Frost
  • 4/7 - David B. Silva
  • 4/8 - Barry Napier
  • 4/11 - Tim Lebbon
  • 4/12 - Kip Hanson
  • 4/13 - Maurice Broaddus
  • 4/14 - Samuel Rippey

I decided to take the 15th off, as it's officially Tax Day here in America, though the IRS apparently pushed it back to Monday, which is also unfortunate for some, as that's when I'll be doing a live reading here at my website.

Yes, you read that right: I'll be doing a live reading here at my website. It starts at 7 pm EST and will go for about a half hour to an hour. I'll read some of The Calling and then take some questions that are submitted via the comments section of the post. Plus, I will make an exciting announcement. Oh, and to create some good Internet viralness, a few cute animals may make an appearance too. Isn't technology great?

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You Could Learn A Lot From A Dummy

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The March issue of PANK has gone live, featuring a slew of writers and poets, including me with my story "Crash Test Dummy." The story is literally about a crash test dummy. It was also a runner-up last year for PANK's second annual 1,001 Awesome Words Contest. So be sure to check it out. Below I have posted two videos. If you don't enjoy the story, I hope you at least enjoy one of them.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5h2NF2xMYI

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIbcqgXh5-4