Contest winners and news from around the blogosphere

 

First things first. I have a few contest winners to announce so let's get right to it. The magic hat has been consulted and...

*Randy Newnham wins a copy of The Vampire-Kitty Cat Chronicles by Ray Rhamey

and

*Barbara E. wins a copy of Dying Light by D. Scott Meek

 Next on the agenda is the big announcement for our 3rd Rule of Bite Club contest. There were quite few really good submissions which made for a pretty tough decision making process (something I'm not very good at to begin with). So after much deliberation the new rule for Bite Club is:

Read Free, Bite Hard- sent in by jmspettoli

Because I had such a rough time choosing, and I really liked this next one,  I have decided to include a bonus rule and the winner will get some author swag and a couple of books that I happen to have  waiting around for a good home. So our new 4th rule will be:

One BITE at a time- sent in by iamthehmic

Congrats to all the contest winners! Please send me mailing information and I will get these books sent out as soon as possible. 

And now for some news...

*Our very own Jen D. is doing a 30 day meme over at her blog Not Now...I'm Reading so if you're not afraid of a little petty theft, stop by and check out her answers to all sorts of book related stuff. Day 1 and I was already adding new books to my shopping list. Thanks Jen:)

*Ever wanted to name a book? Well, here's your chance. Tyr Kieran took the last 18 months and wrote a vampire book exclusively using Facebook and Twitter posts. The idea was to create an impromptu story with no prior planning, letting the reader have a front row seat to the writing process. I haven't had a chance to read this little endeavour but the idea is certainly intriguing. Here's a quick summary:

Riddled with torments from his past, Iames walks through the night in designed invisibility. He's been able to survive for centuries under the safety of an inconspicuous and solitary lifestyle. But just as the anguish and the monotony begin to overwhelm, his past resurfaces in a whirlwind of events and emotions. Bitter-sweet reunions lead him to the brink of death at the hands of a bloodthirsty Lycanthropic horde. And yet a greater evil stalks them all with an insatiable desire to kill any being they deem ?unnatural?. Follow Iames in this intense night of violence and discovery, as he fights for peace within and without. Will he be forced to relive past failures or can he help his fellow Vampires find a path to survival?

You can read the book and enter the naming contest at the Tyr's website.

*It's time to vote for your favorite book covers! Abigail from All Things Urban Fantasy is hosting her annual cover contest and I predict the competition will be fierce. You can vote by clicking here.

*Don't forget to watch the finale of The Walking Dead on Sunday. This episode promises to be a doozy! This sneak peek vid should tide you over for the next couple days.

That's all folks! Have a happy weekend! 

Walking Dead episode 5

They called this episode Wildfire but I have unofficially changed that title to Resistance because these folks have a serious aversion to making the tough choices required when one survives a zombie outbreak. They seemed to have decided on a protocol for if someone in camp gets attacked and bitten, but when it actually happens they all fall apart...and suddenly the rules have changed. Everyone recognizes the need for rules and leadership so why can't they stick with the program? Emotions are such a tricky thing. This episode was quite emotional, something I find rather odd for a zombie show and that demonstration of humanity is why I keep watching. Daryl seems to be the only one that can detach himself from the task at hand and just get it done, although we know this attitude costs him. He's growing on me more and more with each new episode. Damn hillbilly:)

Tough questions for the week (my answers are listed in red):

1. Would you have let Amy wake up like that before killing her?

I actually thought the Amy situation was one of the most selfish acts I've witnessed so far, especially since it seemed to have been done out of guilt. Waiting until your dead sister reawakens as a zombie is probably not the right time to apologize for all your mistakes. I kept waiting for Amy to chomp on her face.

2. How would you react if a member of camp turned up bitten?

Absolutely no clue what to do! Killing seems so wrong but watching someone suffer like that is outrageous. Can you imagine how that feels knowing that you are a few hours away from becoming a walker? I'm glad they finally realized that the decision belonged to Jim and Jim alone. I wanted to cry for him.

3. Would you dig graves?

No. I thought the burning of bodies was actually quite honorable. Isn't that how the Jedi handle death?

Walking Dead reminder

Just a reminder that the Walking Dead episode 4 post went up yesterday!

Walking Dead: Episode 3

In case you missed the show on Sunday or just want a refresher, check out this highlights video from Tell it to the Frogs (episode 3):



Thoughts on this episode:

At first I was a little disappointed in the family reunion back at the survivor base camp because I guess I was expecting more fireworks or something. How come nobody in the camp raised an eyebrow about the long lost husband, or the fact that she was just recently canoodling somebody else? Maybe I watched too many soap operas back in the day or I read too many books, but I was expecting more drama there, more questions. However, I was shouting a big I told you so to my husband when it was revealed that jerkface partner guy was the one that told Rick's wife he was dead. I just knew he was hiding something.

The fact that zombies are getting closer to camp made me realize that the group isn't as prepared as I would have hoped. They need to take a big trip into town, snag some serious gear (especially some of those crossbows) and start making a serious plan. A better defense strategy is in order since these walkers are running out of city options and apparently retain enough logic to know that they need to spread out.

And can I just say again...zombies are creepy and scary!

Did anything in particular stand out for you? Highs/lows? Expectations for next week?

For all things Walking Dead (recap, videos, games, bios etc) visit the AMC website.