Tag Archives: amwriting

National Talk Like a Pirate Week on the Bookshelf Battle Blog

By:  Special Guest Pirate, Captain Deathbeard

Capt. Deathbeard, translating English into Pirate all week long on the Bookshelf Battle Blog

Capt. Deathbeard, translating English into Pirate all week long on the Bookshelf Battle Blog

ARRRRRR!!!

Avast, ye scurvy 3.5 readers!  I be Captain Deathbeard and at the request of Bookshelf Q. Battler, my mates and I be taking control of this blog for an entire week of lessons on how to talk like a pirate.

National Talk Like a Pirate Day be scheduled for Saturday, September 19, but we pirates say our history is so rich that one day alone will never do.

So all week long, we’ll be givin’ ye landlubbers a crash course on how to stop talkin’ like the lily livered lassies that ye are and how to talk like a real bonafide scally wag of the seven seas!

If ye 3.5 got any common phrases and/or statements that ye’d like to see translated into piracy talk, submit it in the comments on the briney deep below, or sail on over to the port of Twitter, where the birds doth fly to our blog host in the name of @bookshelfbattle

In the meantime, Bookshelf has given us a series of everyday parlance regarding certain situations that he’d like to see translated.  Check back here every day and we’ll educate ye.

Thank ye for readin’ and thank ye Mr. Battler for givin me crew and I this opportunity.  I know ye be workin on the preparations for ye upcoming October zombie apocalypse, so I’m glad we can give yon book nerd a week off.

In conclusion,

ARRRRRRRRRR!

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Things That Really Frost My Ass – People In My Way at the Store

Hello 3.5 Readers.

“Things That Really Frost My Ass” with Uncle Hardass

Uncle Hardass here, reporting from the afterlife.

It’s been awhile since I’ve written on my good for nothing nephew’s blog.  I don’t want to encourage him with this writing horse shit.

You’re a writer, BQB?  Woopitty doo.  You can string together words and sentences.  GUESS WHAT?  You’re not special!  Get a job!!!  The salt mines are always hiring!

Anyway, where was I?  You know what really frosts my ass?

When you go to a store and you need to get one thing.  Just one little thing.  It’s all you need.  The trip should be quick and simple.

But when you get to the store there’s some goddamn jackass right in the way of the product you need.

And it’s never something that a lot of people need thus it makes sense that someone’s there.

It never happens when I need milk or bread.

But if I need my limited edition hemorrhoid cream with kung-fu grip applicator tip, sure enough there will be some old broad with her ass parked in front of the hemorrhoid cream with kung-fu grip applicator tip display, just whiling away the hours trying to figure out which brand of the stuff she should get.

I never know what to do in such a situation.  I know exactly what I want.  Do I say, “Excuse me” and barge past her and take it?  Do I be a gentleman and wait for her to make her selection?

Do I perform some hybrid move where I stand there but cough so as to remind her that other people are waiting and the world does not revolve around her, so she should either hurry up and make a choice or move her fat ass along?

It’s shit like this that makes it so I never want to leave my house.

That happened to me all the time when I was alive but I should also mention that it happens in the afterlife too.

The afterlife is just like being alive.  Seriously, no one is enlightened or more intelligent for having experienced life on Earth.  Everyone’s just as big a dumbass as they were when they were in the physical realm.

And here’s something else that really puts the cheese on my wiener.

I won’t bother a person when they’re in the store making a selection, even when the odds against a person needing the same obscure product that I require are unlikely and yet there the person’s stupid ass is, blocking my egress to my product of choice.

YET, God forbid I might ever need a minute to make up my mind about something because if I take more than two seconds, some numbnuts will be up my ass like a runaway colonoscope, acting like I’ve committed a treasonous crime for not getting out of the way.

Here’s a list of some of the other things that put a bur in my britches:

  • When I’m driving down the road and some dipshit bicyclist in tight shorts cuts across my car and assumes I understand what his moronic hand signals mean.  Here’s a hand signal for you, assface!
  • People who talk in the movie theater.  Specifically, dirtbags who ask “What have I seen that guy in?” as well as the shit heads who then proceed to rattle off said actor’s entire filmography.
  • People who post pictures of their kids on social media every five seconds.  People, your children are ugly mutants and the quicker you stop deluding them into thinking they’re special the better – not just for you and them but for the rest of society as well.
  • The knowledge that whenever I wash my car, a damn bird will inevitably dive-bomb a juicy white turd spray all over it 3.5 seconds later.  My pristine car is like ex-lax for winged creatures.
  • Idiotic parents who insist on giving their little girls names as if they were cowboys in a frigging Louis Lamour novel.  I’m sorry, but the only time your name should be “Dakota,” “McKenzie,” or “Hunter” is if you’re either driving a herd of cattle across the great plains or you’ve just been deputized and ordered to track down a dangerous stage coach robber.
  • When I call for customer service and I can’t speak to a person and I ask for help and the damn robots are so advanced that they try to help me.  It gets worse when I finally end up speaking to a real person only to discover the robot was an improvement.
  • That miserable degenerate who will honk at you if you take more than 2 seconds to move after a red light.  I’m not joking.  Green – HONK!  I’m sorry, your majesty.  I didn’t realize I was in the way of your coronation procession.
  • Whenever I get a roll of lifesavers and there’s only one red one and one orange one and then a million other differently colored ones that NOBODY WANTS.  I swear to Christ, if some rat bastard where to ever make a bag of hard candies called “Just Orange and Red Lifesavers,” not only would they make a goddamned fortune, but the entire world would be fat as hell because no one would be able to stop sucking on those delicious red and orange candies.  Shit.  Maybe that’s why they don’t do it.  You need a pineapple one to slow you down once in awhile so as to prevent an obesity epidemic.
  • When a woman has a dog and refers to herself as the dog’s “mommy” or worse, to her husband as the dog’s “daddy.”  Gertie did that shit to me all the time when I was alive and I’d tell her, “Listen, Gert.  Unless you can provide me with scientific evidence that that dog popped out of your cooter then stop calling yourself its mother.”

That about does it for this list of things that really bend me out of shape.  3.5 readers, if you can think of something that twists your knob, share it in the comments below.

And remember – stop encouraging BQB with this writing crap.  Dreams are for losers, unwashed hippies, and other assorted lowlives.

Real men get jobs at the salt mines and that’s all there is to it.

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The Writer’s Battle: Self Publishing and Why I Miss The Man

Hello 3.5 Readers.

Yeah I know

Yeah I know “The Man” looks like Informant Zero. Shutterstock ‘aint cheap, nerds.

Ahh, my younger days.  That magical, pre-techno revolution time when I was able to blame my lack of a writing career on a mysterious, mythical, “man” or “The Man” as I called him.

Have you ever heard of “The Man?”  He’s everywhere, you know.  No one knows who he is or what he looks like, but everyone who isn’t where they want to be is certain this rapscallion is standing in the way.

Yes, 3.5, back when self-publishing meant you took the scribbles you made on a legal pad and sent them through the photocopying machine, I was able to sit back and blame my failure to become a published author on The Man:

BQB 1.0 (Before Self-Publishing)

Well, I might as well not waste my time writing because it’s not like The Man is going to allow anyone as sophisticated and subversive as I am to get published!  Pass the Dorito bag and get me my video game controller!

I don’t know who I was bossing around there. My entire life,  I’ve never known anyone willing to fetch me snacks or video game implements.  Sad really.

In other words, I felt better.  It wasn’t my fault.  It was The Man’s fault.

You youngsters might find that difficult to believe but keep in mind this was all in the days before social media, back when if you took a picture of your lunch and walked around showing it to everyone, they’d all call you an asshole.

Where are you, The Man?

Oh how I miss you, now that the self-publishing revolution is here.

Without my precious scapegoat, here’s what I go through now:

BQB 2.0 – Post Self-Publishing

I’m tired and I miss my precious video games but now I must attempt to follow my longstanding dream to become a published author now that The Man has been overthrown by technology!

Without The Man to blame, I have to come to terms on all the reasons why I blame myself for my lack of writing success:

REASON #1 – I’m Not Good Enough

That will enter my brain from time to time, then I’ll see a scene on TV that will inspire me to persevere.

CASE IN POINT:  On Game of Thrones, Tyrion was kidnapped by slaver traders who threatened to sell his dwarf appendage to a dwarf appendage merchant because in Westeros, dwarf appendages are thought to bring good luck.

MY RESPONSE:  Where’s my laptop?  George RR that sea captain hat wearing SOB is making a mint off this shit. Surely, I can come up with something half as witty as lucky dwarf appendages and at least make a little beer money.

Oh The Man.  How I miss you.  You used to keep this thought at bay:

REASON #2 – There Isn’t Enough Time

There is and there isn’t.  If you want to work all day and then come home and work all night, then yes, you’ll find time to write a novel.  It’s up to you if you want to work all day AND night and not do something crazy like sniff some fresh air, take a walk, or go to the bathroom.

The Man used to make me feel better on wasting all that precious writing time in the bathroom.  Now I just sit there on the bowl, cursing myself for losing those few precious moments of productivity that could have been spent writing.

Where have you gone, The Man?  Where have you gone?  I need you back:

REASON #3 – There’s No Assistance Available

CORRECTION:  There used to be no assistance available.  Now, thanks to self-publishing, there’s a whole cottage industry of editors and cover artists waiting to help you if you’re willing to invest in them.

Time was The Man stood between folks like that and myself.  Now they’re easy to find and their help is readily available.

Come back, The Man!

REASON #4 – I’m Not One of the Beautiful People

BACK THEN:  I’ll never get a book out because I have the looks and charm of a cactus and only certain well bred classy people get books published.

TODAY:  Underdogs are tearing it up in the self-publishing industry and everyone cheers for them.

Oh The Man.  How I miss you.  I was able to blame you for my failures, but now, thanks to self-publishing, the only man I can blame when my book isn’t out there is myself.

RIP

THE MAN

The Beginning of Time – The Past Few Years, Give or Take

Yes, I’m being facetious.  Yes, I realize even if my stuff never gains an audience wider than 3.5 readers, the time I spend writing is still better spent than being transfixed to TV (even though, holy shit, it’s better now than it ever was, let me tell you.)

I recognize what miraculous times we live in that whether your book is a blockbuster or a dud, at least the tech is available to allow you to say, “I GAVE IT A TRY” and check “WRITE A BOOK” off your bucket list.

I’m not “old” but I’m getting older and as the years move on, I realize:

  • I’m probably not going to be playing for the NFL.
  • The fine scientists at NASA might not recruit me as an astronaut as my younger self once assumed they would.
  • Katee Sackhoff, or a reasonable facsimile thereof, isn’t going to marry me.  (Don’t tell Video Game Rack Fighter I said that.)
  • I’m not going to be president, which really, is more of a detriment to the country than to me, what with my proposed, “Let’s everyone stop playing grabass and get down to some serious shit here!” initiative.

But while pro-football, intergalactic space travel, Katee Sackhoff, and the Oval Office are all dreams that are fading fast, I am pleased to say that “publishing a book” is a dream of mine that is more realistic and plausible today than it ever was when I was a kid, thanks to the marvels of technology.

Shit.  I’d better get a book out there before The Man figures out a way to shut this self-publishing thing down.

Back off, The Man!

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#31ZombieAuthors/BQB’s Zombie Apocalypse Survivor’s Journal – A Preview

Without delving too far into spoilers, here are some highlights/plot points to look forward to:

#31ZombieAuthors - Oct 1-31 on the Bookshelf Battle Blog

#31ZombieAuthors – Oct 1-31 on the Bookshelf Battle Blog

  • Bookshelf Q. Battler, his girlfriend, Video Game Rack Fighter, and an incognito Alien Jones (posing as the couple’s deformed child) visit the East Randomtown Mall to observe a demonstration of Dr. Hugo Von Science’s latest invention, the Reality TV star transmogrifier, billed as the solution to turning people who are famous for doing nothing into productive members of society.
  • The experiment goes wrong, the stars are zombified, and BQB, VGRF, AJ and BQB’s old friend, Bernie Plotznick, become trapped in the mall.
  • BQB’s 3.5 readers will recognize Bernie as MC Plotznick.  In the late 90’s/early 2000’s Bernie and BQB were a duo of wholesome rappers dubbed “The Funky Hunks” whose raps only included positive advice, like looking both ways before crossing the street and recycling.  Naturally, they were miserable failures in the rap game.  BQB has moved on.  Bernie clings to the past, yearning for a Funky Hunk resurgence.
  • Other Bookshelf Battle Blog semi-regular characters, Aunt Gertie (BQB’s Aunt) and Blandie Settler (BQB’s ex-girlfriend) require our hero’s assistance.  Will BQB come to their rescue in time?  Will VGRF be cool with her man saving an ex?
  • Amongst East Randomtown residents, there is a rivalry as to who should be considered the town’s most famous citizen.  Some claim it is Doug Hauser, who once, during the 1980’s, appeared as an extra for 30 seconds on a cop drama TV show in which he played a drug dealer who had the crap beaten out of him.  Others claim the title goes to Bookshelf Q. Battler, who has brought glory to an otherwise unknown burg by building a WordPress blog that attracts 3.5 readers.
  • Naturally, Doug and BQB, due to their relative fame amongst the East Randomtown citizenry, will be looked to for leadership.  Will they be able to set aside their differences in order to govern justly in the wake of a leadership vacuum or will the rivalry consume them?
  • There is a slight amount of Pop Culture Mysteries crossover in that General Morganstern, a corrupt military leader, wants to use the zombie apocalypse as an excuse to blow up BQB in order to shut down the Bookshelf Battle Blog and effectively silence Jake from revealing the details of a top secret mission.
  • And if that’s not enough pressure, the Mighty Potentate aka Alien Jones’ boss, as the 3.5 are aware, has long held that BQB is the chosen one, i.e. a writer who will one day write a book so expertly crafted that it will inspire the masses to drop all interest in reality television altogether, thus preventing a form of programming hated by the MP from spreading throughout the universe.
  • Ergo, the Mighty Potentate informs Alien Jones that should BQB become zombie chow, he will dispatch a legion of alien shock troops to conquer Earth for the sole purpose of banning reality TV.
  • And also Alien Jones will be vaporized.

HOW IT ALL WORKS

  • Every day in October, BQB’s Zombie Apocalypse Survivor’s Journal will explain what BQB and Co. are up to on said day.
  • Though the zombie apocalypse causes massive power failure and phone service disruptions, Alien Jones is the proud owner of a space phone.  Powered by plutonium and able to contact anyone anywhere in the universe with said device, BQB will take a break from the action once a day to contact and interview a different zombie author.
  • Not to toot my own horn, but a number of zombie authors involved, individuals far more published and experienced than I, have informed this nerd that they find the whole idea fun and hilarious.
  • Even if zombies aren’t your thing, writers and self-publishers will want to stop by anyway, as the zombie authors, in addition to advising BQB on how to survive a zombie apocalypse, will also share about their writing process, publishing tips, etc.

I hope you’ll all join me Oct 1 and follow the zombie mayhem every day throughout October 31.

Any help you could provide in promo’ing this – on your blog, your favorite time wasting social media site, etc. would be appreciated.

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Pop Culture Mini Mysteries with Informant Zero – Mr. T’s Real Name Revealed/What Does Lady Gaga Live For?

Salutations 3.5 readers.

Informant Zero

Informant Zero

Informant Zero here, returning once again with another pop culture mini mystery.

LAST WEEK’S QUESTION: What is Mr. T’s real name?

ANSWER: Lawrence Tureaud.  Word has it that Lawrence began wearing gold chains and jewelry while working as a bouncer. Unruly patrons would get into fights, cause trouble, and be ejected. Whenever they accidentally left jewelry behind, Mr. T would wear the items so he could give them to said difficult patrons when they’d inevitably return for them, thus preventing them from entering the club where they would most likely cause trouble again.

See Mr. T’s Wikipedia Page for more info.

Next week’s question:  Lady Gaga lives for something.  What is it?

Tweet your guesses to @bookshelfbattle or leave them in the comments.

And remember, 3.5.

A lost truth can always be found.

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Zombies

Hey 3.5,

Hope you’re all doing well.  I don’t have much for you today other than to say hello and comply with the terms of the one post a day challenge.

Can’t believe September is tomorrow.  How the year has flown by.

I’m excited about #31ZombieAuthors.  I think it’s going to be a real treat for everyone.  It’s a lot of work but it’s going to be worth it once October rolls around.

If you know any zombie authors who want to participate, please let me know.

And if anyone is interested in blogging about it, please do!

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The Esteemed Brainy One Takes a Sunday Off

Hello 3.5.

Little Jerk's probably just playing hooky.

Little jerk’s probably just playing hooky.

It’s with a heavy heart that I must inform you that Alien Jones, the Esteemed Brainy One and Intergalactic Correspondent for the Bookshelf Battle Blog, must take a Sunday off.

Sadly, this will bring his 10 week hot streak to an end (it’s been ten weeks since he’s gone without having a question to answer) but unfortunately, a most pressing mission in the Lumbar Region calls.

Yeah, I told him that excuse sounds completely made-up, because on Earth “lumbar region” means your back, but he swears there’s a section of the Universe called the Lumbar Region, that Lumbarians are not beings to be trifled with, and he’ll totally get back to his column next week.

In the meantime, if you have questions for He of the Great Gray Matter, drop them in the comments or tweet them to @bookshelfbattle and they’ll be forwarded to his ship.

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BQB’S Zombie Apocalypse Survivor Journal – Intro – Part 5

PREVIOUSLY ON BQB’S ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE SURVIVOR JOURNAL…

Part 1

My little green friend was stretched out on a table in the employee’s break room of Price Town.  His hat and glasses had fallen off in the chaos, leaving his face on full display.

“He gave his life for us,”  VGRF said.

I sniffed and teared up.

“I…I can’t believe he’s gone.”

“I can’t believe your kid was so ugly,”  Bernie said.  “No offense dude but you might be better off.”

Esteemed Brainy One

Esteemed Brainy One

“He wasn’t my kid,”  I said.  “He was Alien Jones.”

“What?”  Bernie asked.  “You’re saying that alien who writes on your blog is real?!  I thought that was just you pretending!  I thought you pretended to be all the characters.”

“No comment,” I said.

Alien Jones shot his head up into the air and let out a loud gasp.  It scared the crap out of all of us.

“Sweet Zanacostia’s Upper Filter!!!”

Alien Jones was always saying phrases that sounded like they might have been outer space forms of swearing.

“AJ!” I said as I hugged my intergalactic friend.  “You’re alive!”

“But I checked your neck,”  VGRF said.  “You didn’t have a pulse.”

“You don’t even want to know where I keep my pulse.”

Together, we walked out into the store.  It was fully stocked.  From hardware to groceries, it had everything we needed to survive.

Everyone was gone.  I assumed all the employees and customers hightailed it when they heard everyone becoming zombie lunch.

“Guess we picked a good spot to ride out the zombie apocalypse,”  Bernie said.

“Ignorant human,”  Alien Jones said as he pointed at the zombies pounding on the security gate.  “The structural integrity of our barrier will not last forever.”

“So you can just do that bubble thing again,”  Bernie said.

“It saps me of all my energy,”  Alien Jones said.  “Alas, I will not have the power to make another one for a full twenty four hours, and only then, it will last for about five minutes.”

“We’re screwed,”  Bernie said.

VGRF tended to look on the bright side.

“At least we have each other.”

“AJ,”  I said.  “Can’t you just call the Mighty Potentate and ask him to send some shock troops to cook these fools?”

“No,”  Alien Jones replied.  “For the time being, the Mighty Potentate is following Intergalactic Space Law, which mandates that no advanced world get involved in the affairs of primitives such as yourselves.”

“Right,”  VGRF said.  “The Prime Dir…”

“Intergalactic Space Law!”  I interrupted.  “Come on, VGRF, the last thing I need is to have Shatner shove a lawsuit up my ass.”

“The MP is bending the law enough already just by having me aid BQB in his insipid bloggery,”  Alien Jones said.  “He gets away with it because BQB only has 3.5 readers and none of them believe I am real.  He won’t take the chance of landing battle units.”

Alien Jones pulled out his phone.  It was orange, had a screen that displayed holographic images, and looked incredibly expensive.

“What are you doing?”  I asked.

“Consulting news reports.  Alas, it seems that the zombie infestation has spread all throughout East Randomtown in a matter of moments.

“Is West Randomtown safe?”  VGRF asked.

I knew she was worried about her family.

“It appears the surrounding communities were evacuated in time.  Military units are descending on the area to cut East Randomtown off from the rest of the world.”

“Alien Jones,”  I said.  “Can I borrow that for a minute?”

“Be careful,”  AJ said.  “It’s official Mighty Potentate property.”

I loved technology so I relished the chance to look over a phone constructed by aliens.

“What is this?”  I asked.

“A Kondoferian Class Sub 9NM1 Intergalactic Communications Unit.”

“Whoa,”  I said.  “A space phone!”

“No,  it’s a Kondoferian Class Sub…”

“We’re calling it a space phone,”  I said.  “It can call anyone anywhere in the world?”

“Anyone anywhere in the universe,”  Alien Jones replied.

“Is it fully charged?”  I asked.

“It is operated by a plutonium pebble with a half-life of a thousand years.  There is no need to recharge it until the year 3015.”

“I know exactly what to do with this,”  I said.

“Call the Army and ask them to rescue us,”  VGRF said.  “Thank God!”

“Take some dope ass selfies in front of the zombies and post them all over the Internet,”  Bernie said.  “Shit, with publicity like that the Funky Hunks will be back in no time.  High five!”

I left him hanging.

“No,”  I said.  “I’m going to call…ZOMBIE AUTHORS!  As the owner of a magic bookshelf, I am beloved and revered throughout the literary world!  With AJ’s space phone, I can call the world’s foremost zombie experts, individuals with vast knowledge of the undead that they’ll be able to advise us on how to extricate ourselves from any zombie related situation!”

“I’m pretty sure we should call the Army,”  VGRF said.

“Perhaps you should call your charges back at Bookshelf Battle HQ,”  Alien Jones suggested.

He was right.  As caretaker of a magic bookshelf, it was my duty to make sure that the various characters who called my shelf home were ok.

I dialed my number.

“Woof?”

“Bookshelf Q. Battledog!  My noble Security Chief!  Is everyone ok?”

“Woof.  Woof woof.”

Bookshelf Q. Battledog

Bookshelf Q. Battledog

“Really?”

“Woof.”

“And the Yeti?”

“Woof.”

“Very well,”  I said.  “Keep the entire facility on lockdown.  No one is to enter or exit.  Be safe, noble hound.”

“Woof.”

I hanged up the phone.

“Well?”  VGRF asked.

“Battledog says the zombies have already made it to our neighborhood, but they’re no match for BQB HQ’s high fortress like walls.  The bookshelf characters are safe and ready to fight if necessary.  My nemesis, the Yeti, remains imprisoned in the basement.”

I was able to get a lot out of those “woofs.”

“We won’t be able to stay here indefinitely,”  Alien Jones said.  “Gather supplies and prepare bug-out bags should we need to leave in a hurry.”

“Yes,”  I said.  “And I know just who to call about that.”

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Zombie and Zombie Authors Respond to #31ZombieAuthors

Happy Friday, 3.5.

Have you checked out the info for #31ZombieAuthors yet?

First, heres what the zombies had to say:

“Grrrr.  Arrrrgh!!!”

– Zombie randomly dressed like one of the Village people, making you wonder if his other three friends are ok.

“Ugh…..brains….BRAINS!”

– A zombie who apparently was delivering a pizza when he was bitten because he just carries a large pepperoni with extra cheese everywhere he goes now.

“Bahhhh….ack…reading your dumb blog turned me into a zombie…”

– Formerly one of the 3.5 readers

Everyone’s a critic.

What about the zombie authors?

I must say, the online indie/self-publishing community is awesome.

Here’s what I naturally assumed was going to happen:

BQB:  Hi!  I’m Bookshelf Q. Battler, owner of a magic bookshelf and best friend of an alien.  Would you like to talk to me about zombies in October?

AUTHORS:  Security!!!!

And here’s what’s happened (and literally mostly in just the past day):

BQB: Hi! I’m Bookshelf Q. Battler, owner of a magic bookshelf and best friend of an alien. Would you like to talk to me about zombies in October?

AUTHORS: Sure, what do you need?

Amazing.

And let me tell you, if all goes well, what a diverse group we’ve got lined up, 3.5 readers.

Authors just starting.  Authors who are old pros.  Romantic zombie authors.  Zombie survival authors.  Funny zombie authors.  It’s a veritable zombie-smorgasbord.

I’m not sure if any of them want me to put them out there just yet, but I’ll get a lineup out there eventually.

Dr. Hugo Von Science, Harbinger of the Zombie Apocalypse

Dr. Hugo Von Science, Harbinger of the Zombie Apocalypse

Also, I’m not at 31 yet and ideally, I’d like to get well above 31 because, you know, things happen.  Maybe an author changes his/her mind.  Maybe they become zombies themselves.  Maybe they have to tend to their own survivor groups.  Who knows?

So if you know a zombie author, please let them know.

Clarification

One question that comes up – does the author have to be available on a certain day in October?

Answer – No.  I’m hoping to get every author’s post finished by the end of September so everything’s ready to run in October.

It’s like you’re in a TV show!  You taped it earlier, but it doesn’t run until later!

A TV show with only 3.5 people watching.

Any Special Guests?

They’re all special.

Who Gets the Coveted Halloween End of Interview Series Post?

As I said above, they’re all special.  I was surprised any of them responded, because, I repeat, I’m a guy who claims to talk to aliens.

That being said, I received a yes from two personal heroes who have really inspired this nerd to clack away at the computer keys, so All Hallow’s Eve is all theirs.

I’ll hold off on the details until there’s an official Zombie Author Roster.

Isn’t this awesome?

It really is.  3.5, we’re going to be talking the some of the greatest minds in the zombie-sphere.  So many brains in one place.  Keep the zombies away.

So what’s next?

Here’s where it gets tricky.

To those just tuning in, I’m on a one post a day challenge.  One post on this blog every day for a year.

I’m thinking this zombie challenge really ups the game a bit.  I will have to redouble my efforts because at the end of the day, I want these 31 zombie authors and their fans (zombie and human alike) to be happy.

So, roll up my sleeves I will.  I have to make a spreadsheet just to keep track of all the authors and who I’ve asked what.

And zombie authors tuning in, the tough part will be coordinating my zombie apocalypse story with your interview.

I foresee each day will bring a new entry in BQB’s Zombie Apocalypse Survivor’s Journal.

Day 1 will be longer because it’s the set up of how BQB, VGRF and Alien Jones get trapped in the East Randomtown Mall in the midst of a zombie horde and have to make their way home.

Each day, BQB will update the 3.5 readers with the latest action in the apocalypse and then pause for a Q and A with a zombie author.

Some of those q’s will be advice on zombie apocalypse survival.  That’s probably going to be depend on the individual authors.  Hopefully, some will play along.  Others I fear may just tell me that’s dumb, though hey, no one’s told me no yet so who knows.

What BQB asks will vary amongst the authors, so I’m going to have to do a lot of planning.

There will be questions about writing craft, self publishing, etc. which, ok, yes that’s silly.  BQB, evil undead creatures are trying to eat you, why are you talking about writing?

That’ll be one of those “please suspend your disbelief” moments, 3.5.

What are your questions?

Readers, something like this rarely happens, so don’t waste it.  What questions do you have for our zombie experts?

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If Bookshelf Q. Battler Isn’t Available…

Spoiler Alert.

There is a distinct possibility that Season 1 of Pop Culture Mysteries might end with Bookshelf Q. Battler being shipped off to a government black site as punishment for allowing Jake to reveal details of his WWII mission.

Thus for authenticity purposes, the blog would have to be run by another character for awhile.

Alien Jones could be the site’s acting blogger-in-chief for awhile, but I’m thinking that dubious honor might fall onto Video Game Rack Fighter.

Some of the sillier BQB stuff (Alien Jones, the Yeti) doesn’t really crossover into the Pop Culture Mysteries world well, so it would just seem as the PCM stories continue into season 2, a mention that the blog was taken over by BQB’s woman until he’s free seems more plausible in the PCM world, than that it was taken over by an alien.

(A man sleeping for 60 years is fine but aliens? No way.)

Then again, Alien Jones automatically knows what everyone is thinking, so in theory, he could just type the articles BQB is thinking in his mind, thus the site continues as is.

Or we could just hand it over to Dr. Hugo Von Science.

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Or Bookshelf Q. Battledog:

Don't get too close. He's devoured ten men, bones and all.

Don’t get too close. He’s devoured ten men, bones and all.

I don’t know.  If BQB is ever unavailable, who’d be an acceptable replacement?

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