As promised, we’d like to announce the giveaway winners for our two running contests!

THE SUICIDE COLLECTORS GIVEAWAY

Our FIVE winners are:

ganstream1
bridget3420
Tiah
Merc
amy

MARK HENRY GIVEAWAY

Our TWO lucky winners of signed copies of Happy Hour of the Damned and Road Trip of the Living Dead are:

Alana Abbott
Marie

Congratulations to all our giveaway winners! You know the drill – send an email to contact AT thebooksmugglers DOT com with your snail mail address, and we will get your winnings out to you as soon as possible. A huge thanks again to David Oppegaard and Mark Henry for the interviews and giveaways, and to everyone for entering!

Have a great Sunday, folks!

To cap off our Zombie Appreciation Week, we bring you an interview and giveaway with the fabulous Mark Henry, author of the recently reviewed Happy Hour of the Damned and Road Trip of the Living Dead. Although it took us a while to read these bad boys, we absolutely loved Amanda Feral’s bitchy, poopy sense of humor, and her insatiable desire for human flesh. Mark agreed to be interviewed here and also graciously has offered a kickass prize to two lucky winners! Giveaway details follow below.

Boys and ghouls, we give you Mark Henry!

The Book Smugglers: Thanks for saying yes to our interview request and for taking part on our Zombie Appreciation Week, Mark.

Mark: You’re most welcome! I wouldn’t miss a chance to appreciate some zombies!

The Book Smugglers: Seattle’s hottest undead debutante is back in Road Trip of the Living Dead. Can you tell us a bit about what to expect from the oh-so-chic Amanda Feral in this new novel?

Mark: While Amanda’s busy avoiding her dying mother, Gil’s luxury resurrection business hits a major snag and his million dollar nouveau vamp client wants his money back and his head on a platter, so the trio skip town with a pack of werewolves on their tail. But where to go? Why it seems it’s Amanda’s destiny to get some closure with her evil mother in Rapid City, S.D. Along the way they encounter a creepy 50’s family, dirt devils, skinhead zombies, tentacle monsters and a trail of mutilated bodies. Eek!

The Book Smugglers: Your stylish take on zombies (well, at least the non-mistake zombies) is a far cry from the traditional mindless hordes of insatiable undead, a la Romero. Why did you decide to create sentient, fashionable socialite zombies?

Mark: I wanted to do a parody of chick lit and have always loved zombies, so I figured, hey what if Samantha from Sex and the City were a flesh-eating ghoul? How would that work? The idea of sentient zombies is not entirely original, either. There are others in horror and fantasy. So I’m just throwing in a little snarky spice.

The Book Smugglers: Now, for your take on zombies: what is the most tasty part of the human anatomy? (In Amanda’s opinion, naturally)

Mark: Amanda prefers the extremities. A nice meaty thigh (or shank, if you will) goes nicely with raw tendon and whiskey chaser!

The Book Smugglers: Your zombies subsist on human flesh and alcoholic beverages. Why alcohol? Granted it makes for a much more fun afterlife, but does the alcohol have some preserving qualities that work for the zombified undead?

Mark: I think “pickled” is a better word. Like Hitler’s brain in some bad Russ Meyer flick. I like to think the alcohol cleanses them, dries up their insides so they’re not leaking pus or something worse. Plus, it was just really fun coming up with drink recipes to scatter through the book. Green Demon, anyone?

The Book Smugglers: Should Amanda or any other non-mistake zombie become decapitated, would that be curtains for her zombie (un)life? Or would she still be alive and kicking, in Death Becomes Her style?

Mark: That’d just about do it. A zombie character does get shot in the head in happy Hour and he’s quite dead at that point. Though, I wouldn’t disregard the reapers ability to heal for the right amount of money.

The Book Smugglers: Since Amanda’s last two relationships in Happy Hour of the Damned didn’t quite work out, will she be canoodling with anyone else in the near future? How about that Ricardo?

Mark: Everyone loves Ricardo and I wonder if it’s simply because of the mentor thing; that he seems to be in control. Because Amanda’s not about finding a man that can control her. Her psyche won’t allow it. That said, there’s definitely an object of her lust in Road Trip and he’ll be hanging around for at least the next two books.

The Book Smugglers: Is Starbucks the harbinger of the Zombie Apocalypse?

Mark: Not this week. If I were to rewrite it, I’d somehow link the infection to toilet paper. That way even the tea drinkers would be done for! I did for the longest time joke that each Starbucks cash register would have my picture on the side, with the direction “assault this man!”

The Book Smugglers: You say that you “traded a career in the helping profession to scar minds with your fiction” – how did that happen? And why write about Zombies? Does that make you a happier person?

Mark: I was a psychotherapist for 12 years and, believe me, that’s long enough for anyone. Probably too long. It might have been different if I lived in a city that wasn’t primarily blue collar, where people paid privately for counseling. But I didn’t and so I had to deal with insurance and government contracts and I really didn’t know anything about either, and it was frustrating and ultimately the practice failed and, frankly, I’m glad. I was only ever happy to be working with the clients and helping, all the other stuff was sheer torture. Anyways, to answer that question on a happier note, I’m way happier writing about zombies. I love them. Probably in a totally unwholesome way.

The Book Smugglers: Can you tell us a bit more about your road to publication?

Mark: My story is so weird and backward that I always cringe when I’m asked. I didn’t get the idea to write until about three years ago. I tinkered around with short stories, mostly literary stuff, and started a novel about teenage suicide bombers in suburban America (a black comedy). I didn’t really have a direction, so I decided to attend a writer’s conference and on a whim signed up for an editor pitch. I spouted off a quick two-sentence pitch on the book that would become Happy Hour. The editor laughed, we talked about urban fantasy a little and she asked me to submit 50 pages. As I didn’t have anything but a short story involving the characters, I started from scratch that night in the hotel room. Three weeks later I had the beginnings of Amanda’s story. A month after that, I had a request for a full, two months later, I’d turned that editor’s interest into a completed novel, acquired an agent to represent it and sold the thing in a three book deal. It’s crazy and totally never happens like that. Feel free to shun me.

The Book Smugglers: In case of a Zombie Apocalypse do you have a plan for escape and survival?

Mark: Nope. I’ll be eaten immediately. But the jokes on them, I’m mostly fat.

The Book Smugglers: You are part of a group of writers called the League of Reluctant Adults – what exactly does it mean to be a Reluctant Adult?

Mark: I’m sure we’d each respond differently to that question. For me it’s a resistance to adopt political correctness or worry about shielding children from the realities of life. I’m perfectly happy to stay in my adolescence for as long as I can. I’m 40 so I’m doing a good job.

The Book Smugglers: As a writer who would you name as your influences or favorite authors?

Mark: My influences really vary across mediums. John Waters is a huge influence, particularly his take on bad taste in humor. Unfortunately, to get it right, it’s best that the author of the filth not be in on the joke, rather it happen “accidentally.” He’s a genius, in a dirty way that I strive for and rarely achieve. King, of course, whose On Writing is probably the most important book about the process because it’s written by someone who actually made a fortune in the business. Plus, he opens himself up in a really vulnerable way. It’s just awesome. George Romero was huge for me. Both Night of the Living Dead and Dawn are these great satirical pieces that also produce genuine scares. Great zombie stuff inspires me. But so do humorous essay collections. David Sedaris is brilliant. Reading him is probably why Amanda drifts into so many asides. Told you. It varies.

The Book Smugglers: Say there was going to be a zombie apocalypse and you can only save ONE movie, ONE book and ONE TV Show - QUICK, NAME them:

Mark: Heathers, Naked by David Sedaris, and Buffy. Wow. I was certain The Stand was my favorite, I guess I opted for funny considering the end of the world was coming, Hmm.

The Book Smugglers: Thanks again, Mark, for the fabulous interview!

MARK HENRY has been making shit up for as long as he can remember; so it should come as no surprise to anyone close to him that he’s finally putting the poo to paper. Having traded a career in the helping profession to scar minds with his fiction, Mark attributes his skewed vision to premature exposure to horror movies, and/or witnessing adult cocktail parties in the ’70s.

You can find Mark online at his website or with a gaggle of other paranormal fiction authors at The League of Reluctant Adults.

Now for the Giveaway:

Mark has generously offered to giveaway TWO signed sets of his books! Two lucky winners will receive a signed copy of Happy Hour of the Damned and the new release Road Trip of the Living Dead apiece!

In order to win, all you have to do is leave a comment here telling us which part of the human body would be your favorite if you were a zombie, and what type of beverage you’d take with it. For example, Amanda’s meal of choice is a meaty thigh, with a tendon and whiskey chaser. The contest will run until Sunday March 1st at Noon PST. Good luck!

Title: Road Trip of the Living Dead

Author: Mark henry

Genre: Urban Fantasy, Zombies, Comedy

Publisher: Kensington Press
Publication Date: February 2009
Trade Paperback: 288 Pages

Stand Alone or Series: Book 2 in the Amanda Feral series

Why did I read the book: We had been saving Mark Henry’s books for our inevitable Zombie Appreciation Week. It was fate really. And I was charmed (ok, maybe charmed is not really the best word….) by Amanda Feral in Happy Hour of the Damned and wanted to read more of her adventures.

Summary: Celebrity party girl Amanda Feral is back from the dead, and hungrier than ever for a good time. With her zombie gal pal Wendy and vampy gay sidekick Gil, this stone cold fox is dressed to kill, on the prowl, and ready to take a big juicy bite out of Seattle’s supernatural nightlife. But what’s a zombie chick to do when her ‘Mommie Dearest’ gets sick? If you’re Amanda Feral, you can either ignore the wicked old witch – or bury the past by visiting Ethel before she kicks it. Amanda’s not thrilled about the idea of crossing three states just to be criticized. But Wendy, who’s always looking for fresh meat, is up for the adventure. And Gil, who just launched his ‘luxury’ resurrection business, needs to disappear because a pissed-off client is out for his blood. First, they pack their stiletto pumps and plasma into a skeevy rattrap on wheels that used to be a Winnebago. Then, with a little help from a Korean-ghost hood ornament, a masochist named Fishhook, and a slew of ‘moderately accurate’ psychics, they hit the highway – their way. Of course, they’ll have to navigate past some neo-Nazi skinheads, a horny dust devil, a hunky werewolf cop (who could pass for an underwear model) and an unsightly horde of supermarket shoppers. But for this glamorous gang of ghouls this trip is about to take a dangerous detour that could give road kill a brand new meaning.

Review:

I had such a great time reading Happy Hour of the Damned and I was really looking forward to reading Road Trip of the Living Dead. And it was an even better experience than initially estimated – because this time I was fully prepared for zombie Amanda Feral and her friends Wendy and Gil. So, instead of being completely scandalised and conflicted when there were moments when I did not know exactly how to react – I mean, some of the things said and done in these books are so politically incorrect most of the time I am torn between laughing my ass off or hanging my head in shame – I relaxed and just joined Wendy, Gil and Amanda for the ride. Pun intended.

The story opens with the three of them sitting at a cemetery chatting and having drinks. Amanda recently found out that her mother Ethel, is dying of cancer and her first instinct is to just ignore the information and move on. We also learn that Gil has set up a new business and is doing very well for himself: he sells deluxe packages to wannabe vampires complete with raising- from- the- grave experience and everything which is why they are where they are right now. Unfortunately things don’t go down very well and the new vampire, who was already some sort of psycho-human before turning supernatural, is now chasing them.

But this is after all, Amanda Feral’s memories and this is the perfect excuse for them to leave Seattle and go find some sort of closure with her mother – possibly kill her in the process. It is all open for discussion. After all, being an undead zombie with an unapologetic look at life has its perks. Anyways, the road trip turns even more dangerous when people start dying on their heels, they run in into some shady characters (ok, shadier – our guys are bad guys, but they are the good bad guys, as they like to say) , a ghost, a hot werewolf (love interest alert!) and one or two people that will become part of the group in a more permanent matter.

It’s all good. There is clearly a series pattern in which Amanda plays the detective – and the mystery on this one is not that bad – whilst dishing highly barbed comments about life and people around her – think Nancy Drew meets Sex in the City but with a bit of rotten condiment on top. There are sequences that are REALLY gross and crude but somehow and I can’t really pinpoint how he manages that, Mark Henry avoids being distasteful by being simply funny. Outrageously so, yes.

But the best of all is and will always be, Amanda. I love her, almost against my will. I mean, the woman is a bitch:

At that thought, I glanced his way, in what I hoped was an expression of empathy. (I’d seen that look on TV before, but mimicry isn’t my strong suit, so it’s hard to say I nailed it or not)

So yes, total, complete bitch: she is snarky, cruel even. A badass, with an ego of giant proportions but who knows her weakness (when she knows something is more she can take or understands she will acknowledge it) and strengths. And in Road Trip of the Living Dead Mark Henry takes her character into a new direction which at first, I was unsure of. But given second thought, I realise the brilliance of his decision: there are some snippets into her past that show how horrible of a childhood the woman had. At first, I cringed because I expected this to become an excuse for her bitchness. But not so. Her past somewhat humanises Amanda to the reader but she, as the narrator, never uses the information to apologise for who she is. That takes guts and makes the character even more sympathetic.

Road Trip of the Living Dead as its predecessor Happy Hour of the Damned is not for the faint of heart. It requires a certain laissez faire attitude from the reader who in turn will be recompensed with extravagant humour , scandalous behaviour and the certain promise of good times ahead.

Notable Quotes/ Parts: OK, so Thea in her review of Happy Hour of the Damned talked about poopy humor…I will add insult to the injury…..an inset from Amanda

A Confession
One Word to Wendy and I’ll Kill Ya!

Yes. I have some tampons.
I know I get on Wendy for her Twix habit, but I can’t give up coffee. How is it even possible to do that? And really, it’s Wendy’s fault for getting me back into it. She’s the one that told me about using Depends to eat whatever we want.
I just took the idea to its next logical step.
Of course, there is the pain to deal with; undead diarrhea is a bitch. But for a quick caffeine fix, an OB Ultra does the trick quick nicely.
Don’t tell.
I’ll only deny it.

Additional Thoughts: COME BACK TOMORROW FOR AN INTERVIEW WITH MARK HENRY AND A CHANCE TO WIN SIGNED COPIES OF HIS BOOKS!

Verdict: I am a fan of this hilarious series and of Amanda Feral. I will keep coming back for more.

Rating: 8 Excellent

Reading Next: Angel’s Blood by Nalini Singh

Title: Happy Hour of the Damned

Author: Mark Henry

Genre: Urban Fantasy, Zombies, Comedy

Publisher: Kensington Press
Publication Date: March 2008
Trade Paperback: 288 Pages

Stand alone or series: Book 1 in the Amanda Feral series (currently 2 books strong).

Why did I read this book: I’ve actually had this on my TBR since it first came out last year–only I repeatedly put it off because Ana and I wanted to save it for Halloween week, then when we didn’t have enough time during Halloween week, we decided to save it for Zombie week. So, finally, here we are, and just in time for the release of book 2 in the series, Road Trip of the Living Dead.

Summary: (from Amazon.com)
Seattle. One minute you’re drinking a vanilla breve, the next, some creepy old dude is breathing on you, turning you into a zombie. And that’s just for starters. Now, the recently deceased Amanda Feral is trying to make her way through Seattle’s undead scene with style (mortuary-grade makeup, six-inch stilettos, Balenciaga handbag on sale) while satisfying her craving for human flesh (Don’t judge. And no, not like chicken.) and decent vodkatinis.

Making her way through a dangerous world of cloud-doped bloodsuckers, reapers, horny and horned devils, werewolves, celebrities, and PR-obsessed shapeshifters–not to mention an extremely hot bartender named Ricardo–isn’t easy. And the minute one of Amanda’s undead friends disappears after texting the word, “help” (The undead–so dramatic!) she knows the afterlife is about to get really ugly.

Something sinister is at hand. Someone or something is hellbent on turning Seattle’s undead underworld into a place of true terror. And this time, Amanda may meet a fate a lot worse than death…

Review:

Irreverent. Rapacious. Hilarious.

This is how I would describe Mark Henry’s debut novel, Happy Hour of the Damned. Bitchy socialite Amanda Feral has an appetite for sexy men, strong cocktails, and, oh yes, human flesh. After acing her last advertising pitch at work, Amanda finds herself trapped in an elevator with a creepy guy who breathes on her (eww). The next thing she knows, she slips on an empty donut box, cracks her head on the oil-slicked parking lot pavement, and wakes up as a new member of Seattle’s undead. As a newborn zombie, Amanda has some serious issues to deal with: how to prevent her boyfriend from noticing her cold undead-ness; how to get makeup strong enough to cover up her gray dead flesh (and look every bit the hot mama she is); where the next undead hotspot will be; how to satiate her neverending craving for humans. With her new friends Gil (the typically gorgeous and completely gay vampire) and fellow fabulously hot (and equally bitchy) zombie Wendy, Amanda takes Seattle’s underworld scene by storm. When one of the crew’s other regular drinking buddies sends Amanda a text message saying “Help,” and turns up missing, Amanda has her hands full trying to stop a nefarious scheme to bring about the actual zombie apocalypse.

I love the wonderful, crass bitch that is Amanda Feral. The biggest strength of this novel lies in Mark Henry’s hilarious voice, and his almost blasé way of pushing the envelope with his characters. Amanda is probably one of the snarkiest, refreshingly bitchy characters in Urban Fantasy today–think Carrie Bradshaw meets Regina George from Mean Girls. She’s unapologetically rude, thrust into a glamorous new life-after-death and loving it (as a bulimic human, Amanda’s weight problems have been solved in her zombie status). There are some moments when we catch glimpses of Amanda’s softer side:

I remembered daydreaming about becoming the fifth in their elite group, stalking the halls like jungle cats, trailing fear and jealousy. It was never to be, of course. Four years together and never closer than twenty feet. I used to wonder what they did outside of school. What amazing adventures were entitled to the most popular? I thought they could probably do anything they wanted. I fantasized that they each held a license to torture, maim, kill, or at least, mock, shame and denigrate.

Could I be reliving this fantasy? Was that the real reason for gathering this particular group of killers, albeit far more glamorous than Carly and her bitches could dream of? Where did such a desperate longing for companionship come from? Had it been there all along?

This passage along with allusions to Amanda’s relationship with her cold mother also seem to shape why she is such a materialistic ass today. But that’s not really the fun with her character. The beauty of Amanda’s character is that while she does care about her girls, she’s an unrelenting, superior, haughty biatch. Even as a human, she was shallow as hell, faking her resume to get a job at a top ad agency–and yet she’s not completely vapid a la Paris Hilton–she’s worked hard to make her success and her partnership, which is something. The other two main characters, Wendy and Gil, are Amanda’s girls through and through–equally bitchy and elitist, as the best, hottest socialites are. The interactions with these three characters, boozing it up together are hilarious good fun.

Amanda and Wendy, circa 2080

The whole book drips with acid snarkiness, a dark parody of brand-happy chicklit with a healthy dose of (literally) poopy jokes and morbid humor. I can’t count the number of times I sat, book in hand, jaw wide open, completely scandalized. How does a zombie have sex? With a crazy amount of lube. How does a zombie eat anything other than human? By keeping a pair of Depends (that’s adult diapers) handy. Mark Henry’s take on zombie lore is intriguing, more in a sort of “Death Becomes Her” type of vein (once a zombie, always a zombie–if you get a scratch or a broken bone, you cannot fix it without industrial glue and paint). And, like the best zombies, Amanda and Wendy binge together, luring in vagrants, adolescent runaways, skeevy college losers, etc. Another cool twist is that zombies can drink alcohol–which makes for much more fun evenings out.

While the characters and ‘world-building’ (as it were) are wonderfully fresh, as an actual story, Happy Hour of the Damned isn’t quite as entertaining. The plot of the novel jumps from present day to back when Amanda was first made a zombie, then jumps back to the present and plays with two sort of unrelated “main” conflicts–Amanda’s missing friend and a larger conspiracy. Both of these conflicts feel underdeveloped and awkwardly cobbled together (one of these conflicts is completely unnecessary). I honestly found myself wanting to read more about Amanda’s early days as a zombie and how she became accustomed to her new life and friends as opposed to the less engaging mystery storyline. Not that the central conflict was bad, but I felt it could have been developed in a later novel, or perhaps had the book been longer and less sporadic in the conflict narrative, it would have been much more effective.

These plotting issues aside, I loved the tone of this book and found it incredibly entertaining. I’ll be back for seconds. Definitely.

Notable Quotes/Parts: Poopy humor at its absolute finest.

I found Wendy in the bathroom, behind the vibrating stainless steel walls,shaking with the pulsing bass. She was shitting her bowels out, into a rarely used club toilet. I didn’t envy her position, but I imagined it well, hunched over and rocking. You know the drill…

“I’ve got a real impulse control problem. I feel like one of those damned mistakes.” A low belch echoed from Wendy’s rotting bowels, filling the room with a pungent sulfur scent mixed with earthy death, a zombie meat fart.

And zombies on the prowl…

“We’re gonna eat this asshole, right?” Wendy was locked on target, and assholes were totally on the list. In fact, let this be a warning: there are those among you who view exposed vehicular feet as an invitation to dine. Don’t let a need to be lax while driving be your death sentence. Actually, that goes for passenger feet, too.

“Well, you can have the asshole, but, yeah–” I stopped in mid-thought, remembering the dirty feet, then quickly added, “Heads.”

“Fuck you! You got heads last time. Besides I know what you’re thinking and those feet were nasty.”

“Okay, okay, split down the middle then and I’ll get our next one on my own.” She sighed at this and seemed to relax into the seat. Wendy appreciated nothing more than an easy kill, particularly if I was the one doing all the work.

Verdict: Chicklit gets zombified in this awesomely gross, funny novel. Happy Hour of the Damned is a guilty pleasure, and I cannot wait for the sequel.

Rating: 7 Very Good