RICHARD BUZZELL
Richard Buzzell’s debut novel ZombieStop Parade has nothing to do with zombies. It’s a story that attempts to capture the passion, the turmoil, and the strife of the struggle against the “gang of spielers” on Wall Street.
Through online media the characters conduct a campaign of irreverence toward the cash-grab mentality. Their street-savvy satire wins them many supporters who view them as heroes of sustainability, but it also draws vitriolic opposition and charges of extremism. There is ongoing debate about the boundaries between committed advocacy and megalomania.
The story unfolds beneath the threat of declining social cohesion and all the ugly possibilities that come with that.
The book was described by Midwest Book Review as: “a unique and timely novel, highly recommended.”
ZombieStop has been adapted for the screen in a screenplay entitled Johnny Nada.
The spirit of ZombieStop is captured in the musical stylings of Bank Man Song (aka the Craps Hookers and Blow song). Video available at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AltIvluLGH8
Jersey Shore satire available at: http://www.zombiestop.wordpress.com
Mr. Buzzell’s latest publication is Ministry of Morgasm, which offers a fresh lexicon of pleasure for those readers sophisticated enough to appreciate its subtle implications.
XAVIER LERET
I grew up like any normal child. I hated school. Was very very bad, hanging out with a gang of delinquents at the local prefabs, underage drinking, getting stoned and discovering that my body reacted strangely when girls were around. One time a friend dared me to set light to the bonfire the local scout troop had built for Guy Fawkes. I think someone had put petrol on it because the pile of wood exploded, setting light to everything near by and nearly killing a punk glue sniffer, called Harold, who was hiding in the bushes.
By some miracle I made it through school with enough qualifications to get to university in Reading, where I studied Film and Drama, went on demonstrations, had my heart broken at least twice and I wrote my first play.
After uni, I struggled a bit before I fell in with a crowd of theatre artists and became a founding member and the Artistic Director of KAOS Theatre. KAOS went on to win some awards, travel the world and I wrote a few more plays and adaptations. My writing included THE FANTASTICAL ADVENTURES OF LEONARDO DA VINCI (a commission for the International Festival of Perth, Western Australia), RENAISSANCE (a Millennium Award Winner), THIRST, ALICE, CALIGULA, SWING and an adaptation of Bulgakov’s THE MASTER & MARGARITA (nominated for the best production on the Dublin Fringe and an Edinburgh Fringe First).
Not only did I write but I also directed much of the work. Directing included THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST (Winner of The Stage Award, Best Ensemble, Time Out Critics Choice) VOLPONE (Nominated for The Stage Award, Best Ensemble), TITUS ANDRONICUS and RICHARD III (nominated for a Manchester Evening News Award).
Somehow, and I have no real idea how I managed to pull it off, I made two feature films. The first, MINE, is about two journalists and their Serbian Militia guides stuck in a Yugoslav minefield. Dark and brooding, MINE was selected as a breakthrough movie for LUFF 2007. My second film is UNARMED BUT DANGEROUS), an ultra violent and controversial flick about a short armed Kung Fu master battling brutal East End Gangsters in an attempt to get his daughter back.
After doing all this I went to Birbeck College, University Of London, to do a Creative Writing MA, which I’m pleased to say I got.
I have just finished writing my first novel, HEAVEN SENT, and am now working on a couple of others.
I read my work regularly at London’s hippest literary salon The Book Club Boutique, deep in the heart of Soho.
I live a fairly quiet life in the countryside just north of London, with my wife and three children.
NOTE: Xavier’s novel Heaven Sent has been temporarily withdrawn from the market pending rewrites. It will be re-released soon.
TERRI GIULIANO LONG
First and foremost, I’m a wife and mom. My husband, Dave, and I have four adult daughters, two sons-in-law, and three grandchildren, Sam, 4, Matthew, 2, and Alexandra, 3 months, and a baby boy, Griffin, on the way. Yes, I married at 10.
Seriously, I did marry young. I completed my undergrad degree in philosophy, Boston College, and my MFA in creative writing, Emerson College, as an adult.
Professionally, I lecture at Boston College, where I’ve taught creative and nonfiction writing for 15 years. I’ve also written copy for marketing, advertising and public relations, edited technical articles for trade journals, and edited a trade magazine.
In Leah’s Wake, my debut novel, tells the story of a family in collapse. Sixteen-year-old Leah, a star soccer player, has led a perfect life. When she meets a sexy older guy, attracted to his independence, she begins to spread her wings. Drinking, ignoring curfew, dabbling in drugs—all this feels like freedom to her. Her terrified parents, thinking they’re losing their daughter, pull the reigns tighter. Unfortunately, they get it all wrong, pushing when they ought to be pulling, and communication breaks down. Soon, there’s no turning back. Twelve-year-old Justine caught between the parents she loves, and the big sister she adores, finds herself in the fight of her life, trying desperately to pull her family together. Will this family survive? What happens when love just isn’t enough?
Years ago, I wrote a series of feature articles about families with drug- and alcohol-addicted teens. The moms talked candidly about their children, their struggles. Their heartbreaking stories stayed with me.
My husband and I have four daughters, now adults. When I began writing In Leah’s Wake, they were teens. Most families experience conflict during their children’s teenage years. We’re no different – though, thankfully, we experienced nothing remotely like the problems and challenges the Tylers face in the book.
As a parent, I knew how it felt to be scared, to be concerned for your children’s future. Although I didn’t think about it at the time, I now see this as a primary force driving this story. My work with families, my personal experiences and core beliefs – all of this played on my conscious and subconscious mind, and ultimately emerged as this book.
Jodi Picoult fans tell me In Leah’s Wake reminds them of her work. I’m not sure she – or I – would agree, although we both write family stories with topical interest. For me, it’s a lovely compliment.
TESS HARDWICK
Tess Hardwick is a Women’s Fiction novelist. Her first novel, Riversong, published by Booktrope Editions, is set in a small town in Oregon. Featuring a sweet second-chance romance, it is sprinkled with food, humor and intrigue. Like her main character in Riversong, Tess Hardwick grew up in a small town in Oregon but now lives in Snoqualmie, Washington with her husband and two young daughters. Her second novel, Duet For Three Hands, also published through Booktrope Editions, comes out in November 2011. Set in the 1930’s, it is a moody romantic story about forbidden love, racial tension and the dichotomies of the Great Depression.
Gregory G. Allen
I have been a story teller since childhood and started out writing for the stage with my first musical produced when I was 14. I’ve since published Proud Pants, Well With My Soul, Patchwork of Me and a children’s picture book on autism awareness called Chicken Boy: The Amazing Adventures of a Super Hero with Autism. I love to write and contribute articles to many sites including www.broadwayworld.com
I’m honored to have won awards for my work such as the NY Book Festival for General Fiction, the International Book Awards for Women’s Lit, a finalist in Reader’s Favorite Awards, Indie Lit Awards, and the USA Best Book Awards. My children’s book was also the MeeGenius Publishing People’s Choice Grand Prize winner.
People believe that every author should easily be defined in a certain genre. I don’t subscribe to that particular way of thinking. Readers should be able to enjoy contemporary fiction that may have shades of mystery, intrigue, romance, or a multitude of other elements that combine into fascinating and thought-provoking stories. I hope to continue creating stories that make readers question things about their own lives. Stories that do not always go exactly where one expects, but can still aid in a reader’s escape.
I’ve been praised for taking chances in my writing and with my characters – pushing the envelope with them. One of the nicest reviews I believe I’ve ever received. I’ll take it.
http://www.gregory-g-allen.com/
Jacqueline Gum
When I wrote Confessions of a Corporate Slut the title wasn’t nearly as off-putting as it seems now. I believe I’ve been caught in the 50-Shades wave and there’s an assumption that pornography is somehow involved. Nothing could be further from the truth.
A woman’s role in marriage has been in a state of evolution since Adam and Eve. But the 70s and 80s were a confusing time. Most women had traditional role models in their mothers and grandmothers who were the typical stay-at-home moms of the era.
But the feminist movement was steaming ahead with a clear message that women could “have it all.” During this time, there was a segment of women who blended those philosophies by becoming “professional” corporate wives.
In this story, Roberta Wendall sells her successful company, and applies her business acumen to the growth of her husband’s company. Working unpaid and behind the scenes, her advice is sought by her husband’s minions and even industry professionals who are aware of her role. At the same time, she masters a specific skill set by becoming the ultimate hostess to his many business associates.
She’s unaware that her much directed creation of her husband’s image, resulting in the dynamic growth of his company, is chipping away at her very substance.
It isn’t until he surreptitiously dumps her that she realizes that she created a world for him, yet is left standing outside the gates peering in. Divorce, to her, was like being fired from a well-earned executive position.
Her journey is filled with irony and wry humor as she slowly comes to grips with the knowledge that she was complicit in her own destruction.
While Confessions of a Corporate Slut deals with the complexities of the life of a corporate wife, the backdrop is based in a corporate environment and highlights the unique way it colors the professional woman and her view of marriage.
I was born, raised and educated throughout the Midwest and began writing as soon as I could hold a pen. I regularly wrote stories to my mom and dad and though encouraged to pursue writing, I found myself at the University of Cincinnati, College of Business. My career was spent in a male dominated industry (heavy duty restaurant equipment) where I managed to successfully navigate a sea of testosterone.
A sane woman wouldn’t choose writing novels as a vocation. But though steeped in angst, writing feeds my soul. I used to arrange flowers but now I derive great joy in arranging words. The idea is that people might cry or laugh as they connect to them.
My first novel, Confessions of a Corporate Slut was published in January 2008. The title is metaphorical…tongue in cheek for smart women who give away their intellectual property for free…to benefit a spouse. Its publication preceded the very public stories of Silva Spitzer, Elizabeth Edwards, et.al. Midwestern Review gave it a 5 star rating.
Haunting Tryst, a short-short story, was published by Bewildering Stories, an online literary magazine, in 2009.
I am currently seeking representation for The Accuser’s Burden, my second novel, (short listed for the William Faulkner 2012 Words and Music Competition: Novel) and actively writing my third novel, The Flame Dame Chronicles.
I blog weekly; the topic Where’s The Justice
http://jacquelinegum.com (buy buttons on home page for Amazon and Barnes & Noble)
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