Earth's End Edited by Rebecca Besser

Dale Eldon here with spooky, twisted, and yet endearing, Rebecca Besser. Yes she is a permanent resident here on the Eldon blog, but can you blame me? It's authors like Rebecca who make this blog thrive.

Today we focus on the anthology, Earth's End. Not only is this collection Edited by Rebecca, but she has a story in the anthology as well. I am currently reading this wonderful tome, and I have to say that it oozes with quality, and is a must have for Sci-Fi/horror readers. Okay, more on the review later on. Now give you *cue spooky music and sound effects*, REBECCA BESSER...

Rebecca Besser

Earth's End, a Scifi Apocalyptic anthology, is being released by Wicked East Press in Jan 2012!

My story, “The Olden Gears,” is included in Earth's End. Here's an excerpt from my story:

"He drove faster, but everywhere he looked there was more destruction.

With numb fingers, he reached over and turned on the radio to see if there was any news about what was going on; it took him a couple of minutes before he could find a radio station that was still on the air.

“...Overnight the world has been bombarded with attacks by the elderly. On every continent, in almost every country, they’ve taken lives at will, showing no mercy...”

Looking out around him, he tried to decide how he was going to make it home. Almost every street was blocked off by accidents, and everywhere he looked, someone was being slaughtered; his attention focused back on the radio as they continued.

“...Medical experts are saying the cause of the outbreak and behavior in their elderly patients is linked to the chemical compound used in the ‘lubrication’ of the ReGen ‘parts’ surgically implanted; the chemical was supposed to act as synthetic blood. Once it leaks into the real blood system, it targets certain parts of the brain and triggers uncontrollable, aggressive behavior...”" ~ The Olden Gears by Rebecca Besser - Earth's End

Would you like to win a free copy of Earth's End???

On March 1st I'll be having a drawing to give away a copy of Earth's End signed by me (I'm also the editor). Everyone who comments on my Earth's End post at one of the stops on my tour will be enter into the drawing (one entry per person, per blog), so you have a chance to win at every stop along the way. The very last post of the tour will be on my blog and will announce the winner (on March 1st). So, stop by as many blogs as you possibly can to increase your chances to win a copy of the book!

I will announce each posting on Facebook and Twitter. So, if you aren't my friend or following me...you better start if you want to win. ;)

If you would like to purchase your own copy look for Earth's End on Amazonor Barnes and Nobel!

Interview


What do you do for fun?

Bec: Relax, watch movies, do crafts, shoot guns, and hang out with my family!

What was the most challenging part of writing this story?

Bec: Finding time to do it. I edited the anthology...and wrote my story last, after everything else was done. If worst had come to worst, I wouldn't have had a story in the antho, but I found time.

I'd had the idea from the beginning, when I originally came up with the idea for the collection.

What did you learn from writing your story?

Bec: That I want it to be longer! I plan to expand it to novella length.


Do have any current projects that you are working on?
Bec: I'm wrapping up my online serial, Nurse Blood, and then I'll be writing the first book in my zombie novel series: The Hunger Plague.

Out of all the death scenes that you have written, which is your favorite, and why?

Bec: That would be in Hall of Twelve, where a girl literally chokes/lacerates herself to death on barbed wire. Panic can be your worst enemy sometimes.

Rebecca's Bio

Hi, I'm Rebecca Besser, a wife, mother, editor, and full time writer, and the author of "Undead Drive-Thru" a zombie novella. I write fiction, nonfiction, and poetry for various age groups and genres. I've been published over 140 times in various publication.

I'm a graduate of the Institute of Children's Literature. My work has appeared in the Coshocton Tribune, Irish Story Playhouse, Spaceports and Spidersilk, joyful!, Soft Whispers, Illuminata, Common Threads, Golden Visions Magazine, Stories That Lift, Super Teacher Worksheets, Living Dead Presents Magazine (Issues 1 and 2), The Broke One, The Stray Branch, and The Undead That Saved Christmas and the Signals From The Void charity anthologies. I'm also a contributor to multiple Collaboration of the Dead projects. I have multiple stories in anthologies by Living Dead Press, Wicked East Press, NorGus Press, Pill Hill Press, Hidden Thoughts Press, Coscom Entertainment, Knight Watch Press, and one in an anthology by Post Mortem Press. I also have a poem in an anthology by Naked Snake Press.

To learn more about me feel free to visit my website: http://www.rebeccabesser.com/ or my blog: http://blog.rebeccabesser.com/

You can also find me on Facebook: MY PAGE or MY PROFILE

I'm also on Twitter under: @BeccaBesser

Faith, a short story by Kim Curly

Kim Curly is one the sweetest people I have ever met online. She has a kind heart, and a smile that you would expect to see in a priceless portrait. Kim also is a wonderful scribe with a new shorty from the nthology, "Earth's End". I give you Faith, by Kim Curly.

~Dale Eldon


By Kim Curly

Excerpt from Faith:

"Throwing the door open and entering, she found herself in a makeshift lab; test tubes, microscopes, and petri dishes sat on a granite counter top. Further into the elongated room, an autoclave rested in a corner. She came to a set of swinging doors and pushed through them, entering another room, which was much smaller than the first.

The tabletops here were cluttered with Bunsen burners, beakers, flasks, and microscopes. She stared at the mess, not sure of what she was looking for.

Curiosity eventually got the better of her, and she leaned over a microscope, searching for a clue. Her eyes widened in surprise at the sight: blood samples showing human and lion compounds stared her in the face–an intermingling of the species. She turned away from the eyepiece, as she’d just witnessed proof that the Atlanteans had, in fact, been trying to make an animal/human hybrid.

She swore under her breath, casting glances around the room, when her eyes lit upon what she’d been hunting for. Clutching the thin piece of metal she’d taken from the man, she took three giant steps to the door, inserted the key, and turned the lock. After she heard a dull click, she pushed the door handle down, and was met with an awful stench as she opened it: a mixture of urine, fecal matter, and iron.

There were oil lamps in this dungeon area, casting odd shadows on the walls. Steel bars separated her from whatever, or whomever, lay in wait in the darkness.

A moan escaped from something, or someone, in the cage closest to her, adding to her anxiety."

The Interview:


What do you do for fun?

Fun....hmm. Nope, don't see any fun around here. *snickers* Okay-lets see: when I have time, I love going to Seattle. It's such a diverse atmosphere, I wish I could go there everyday. My favorite spots are Pike Place Market (love taste testing all the food and soaking up local color!), Seattle Aquarium, Space Needle, Ye Olde Curiosity Shoppe.

I myself have gained more friends from the writer community than any other, how has being a writer impacted your relationships with other writers? I totally agree with you, Dale! I've felt welcomed right from the start in the writing community. Although most of us have "lives" outside our writing world, only writers can understand other writers. LOL I find that other writers are nurturing, helpful, enthusiastic, encouraging. Yeah, I like it here. *sits down in the Writers World and gets cozy*


What was the most challenging part of writing this story?

Resisting the urge to include every bit of research information I'd gathered. I just kept wanting to add more and more, even though there isn't room. I lost count of how many books and maps I used on this one.


Who is your favorite author and why?

I guess I'd have to say Stephen King. I began reading his books when I was about nine years old. As a young reader, I was reading Mr. King's books to be scared. Now, I can appreciate the whole concept of the story. He's very good at capturing the reader right from the beginning and keeping them in suspense all the way to the end. Mr. King includes all kinds of details, and you're never sure where they might (or might not) pop back up in the story. I don't want an author to give me the answers right from the get-go. I want to go on the journey with the characters and feel what they're feeling. I get that feeling when I read a Stephen King book.


Who is the amazing artist for the cover?

You can thank Jessica A. Weiss for the cover art- I love it! The clawed hand, grasping the earth in its clutches is very ominous, isn't it? Check out more of her work at WICKED EAST PRESS


What did you learn from writing your story?

I learned that it is perfectly fine to throw out sections/characters from your story! I felt vindicated and liberated when I cut a huge section out, and got rid of a character. Think of it as a "spring cleaning" for your story. Why keep the clutter that bogs you down, when you're able to move more freely without the obstacles in the way?


What spurred your interest in writing?

This is a tough one, as there's so many influences that steered me towards writing. I guess what spurred me on to writing most was when my kids started getting busy with activities and I had to shuttle them around. There was lots of "free" time for me to sit, and I just didn't know what to do. Around 2002, my daughter told me to write a story down that I'd made up for her when she was little. So, I did!


Do have any current projects that you are working on?

The aforementioned children's story! My daughter has been after me for nearly 20 years to get this done. So, I better make it a good one, right? This is a kids fiction novel, kind of dark and bleak. The main theme is an old one: everyone should look past their differences and get along with one another. But, this story has mythological creatures and ties to the human world!

What made you decide on horror/Sci-Fi?

I had to think really hard on this one, and I know the answer: my parents. I can remember watching movies with them, like "Forbidden Planet," "War of the Worlds," "When World's Collide," "Frankenstein," "Dracula," etc. Most of my weekends were spent watching these movies, plus "Godzilla" and "Gamera" (how could you not love a flying turtle?). I guess I'm going with the concept of writing what you know. I'm just a sci-fi/horror geek girl at heart.


What can we expect to see from you in the near future?

I've got binders filled with story ideas, but I'd really like to focus on my kids novel for now. However, as long as I've got story ideas and people who want to read them, I'll keep at it, as long as I'm able!

Thank you so much for having me here, Dale! I really appreciate all your support. And thanks to all the readers who took the time to check up on me! *waves*


Kim Curley began her writing journey in 2008, taking an online course titled, ‘How to Sell Your Fiction Novel.’ With the encouragement of a friend from work, she enrolled in a correspondence course and became a 2010 graduate of the Institute of Children’s Literature of West Redding, Connecticut. In 2009, she became a member of SCBWI-Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. Although she enjoys writing children’s lit, her goal is to branch out and write for adults as well. She prefers writing fiction/fantasy, to provide escapism for readers everywhere. “I write what I would want to read, when I get the chance to read.” A housewife and mother, she resides in the Pacific Northwest. Her story for Wicked East Press Sci-Fi/Apocalypse Anthology, “Earth’s End,” titled, “Faith: An Apocalypse Story,” is her first published piece for a book.

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