Malafarina’s “Dead Kill” series begins with “The Ridge of Death”
WERNERSVILLE, Pa. — Sunbury Press has released Thomas M. Malafarina’s latest novel The Ridge of Death,the first book of the Dead Kill series.
About the book:
Horror master Thomas Malafarina is back with the first book of his Dead Kill series entitled The Ridge of Death. Enter a post-apocalyptic world where zombies still roam, but are the quarry of bounty hunters who are rewarded by the government for helping with the “clean-up.”
What Others Are Saying:
“Thomas Malafarina writes with a visual artist’s eye for detail and design and revels in the same exuberant flourishes for violence and tableaus of flesh as Clive Barker, all the while working the clichés and conventions of the horror genre bravely and unabashedly. Though he has created his own King-like milieu in and around his native Schuylkill County (PA), Malafarina shares Lovecraft’s cosmic vision and torment of inner and outer space and he designs philosophically laden set pieces that thoroughly dissect the minutia of man as if he were just another sentient being in a violent and insatiable cosmos (and a clumsy one at that), a doomed soul wracked with mental anguish and ripe for the picking from the evils of the universe, just another chapter in an ancient taxonomy. Tom’s novels continue to grow in scope and ambition – he is a veritable talent to watch (and read)!” —George Andrade – Horror News
“Thomas M. Malafarina is the kind of writer I aspire to be. Like a visionary painter, creates mood in the landscape of dread, strong emotions with characters you care for, and suspense that causes a reader’s nails to dig deep into their own legs. Stories cut from a cloth of originality that is Thomas M. Malafarina.” — Mark Slade – Nightmare Illustrated Magazine
“Malafarina’s vision into a world where zombies are nearly eradicated is fresh and savagely satisfying, making this a must read.” — Keith Rommel – Author of “The Cursed Man”
Excerpt:
Jackson stepped out onto the roadway with his gun still at the ready. He looked around to make sure there were no other such creatures lurking about, and then cautiously approached the fallen beast. Most of its face and skull had been annihilated. For a moment he thought he saw the thing move slightly and considered blowing off the rest of it head. Instead he kicked it hard several times to see if there was any sign of movement. There was none. It would never rise up again. Covering his mouth and nose to avoid the ungodly stench surrounding the wretched thing, Jackson reached down and sunk the spear end of the rod deep into its shoulder, which was now the highest point on the thing’s body, making the flag as visible as possible.
As the point of the spear sunk deep into the rotting flesh with a sickening sound, Jackson pulled away quickly and was hit by an involuntary shudder which started at the top of his head and rapidly shot right through his body to the tips of his toes. He stood there on the side of the road slightly bent over with his both hands extended, palms down barely able to hold onto his gun, knees bent and legs trembling. “Oh my God! I hate these freaking dead things,” Jackson said with a shudder in his voice. He was so glad he was alone and no one had witnessed his ridiculous involuntary reaction.
Unfortunately, this was something that had to be done in accordance with government mandated regulations. He looked over and saw he was a few feet from mile marker 25.4. Taking a deep breath to regain his composure, Jackson withdrew his communications unit, or CU, as they were commonly called, and snapped a photo of the creature with his flag and digital code clearly displayed. He also made sure to get the mile marker sign in the photo for reference.
Walking cautiously back to his car, ever vigilant for not just other such creatures but also for possible approaching cars, rare as they may be, Jackson climbed behind the driver’s seat, started his engine, and closed all of his windows. Holding his CU, Jackson selected the required communication number from his list and after hearing the digital preprogrammed greeting, he left his message, “This is Jackson Ridge, citizen number 132-78-5498. I’d like to report a dead kill on the southbound lanes of Route 61 at mile marker 25.4. I have placed my digital code identification tag into the remains in accordance with regulation DK5479-38. I’m sending a digital image as confirmation of the dead kill. Please forward payment to my account on record. And do not hesitate to call me if you have any additional questions. Thank you.”
Then he disconnected, put his car in gear, and continued down the highway to his new writing assignment. One hundred dollars would be transferred into his bank account before the day was over…
The Ridge of Death
Authored by Thomas M. Malafarina
List Price: $16.95
5.5″ x 8.5″ (13.97 x 21.59 cm)
Black & White on White paper
322 pages
Sunbury Press, Inc.
ISBN-13: 978-1620063651
ISBN-10: 1620063654
BISAC: Fiction / Dystopian
Also available on Kindle and Nook
For more information about the book, please see:
http://www.sunburypressstore.com/Dead-Kill-Book-One-The-R…
Dead Kill – Book 1 – The Ridge Of Death by Thomas M. Malafarina
Originally published on “The Big Thrill” blog
http://www.thebigthrill.org/2014/04/dead-kill-book-1-the-ridge-of-death-by-thomas-m-malafarina/
By J. H. Bográn
Thomas M. Ma
lafarina’s new novel—DEAD KILL—opens in the year 2053. It’s been ten years since the long-anticipated zombie apocalypse arrived with a vengeance and wiped out more than half of humanity. However, not only did the humans manage to survive but they also succeeded in destroying the seemingly countless hoards of the undead and regained their rightful place at the top of the food chain. Now living safely in fortified towns and cities, humans go about their daily lives with little concern for the greatly reduced numbers of undead remaining in the unprotected outlands and forests. These creatures have been reduced to roadside nuisances albeit deadly ones.
Beginning with these potent images, I had the opportunity to probe into the mind of one of today’s best and most prolific horror authors.
How did the idea behind the post–zombie-apocalypse for DEAD KILL come about?
Well, every one and his brother seemed to be doing zombie apocalypse books, comics, TV shows, and movies for the past way too many years. And I fought the urge to jump into the fray for a very long time, feeling that the genre had been done to death; so to speak. I decided if I was going to take the time to write a zombie-based book it would have to be different than anything else out there.
There was a time in my writing career when I swore I would never write a zombie story. Then I broke down and wrote a zombie short story, “Bright of the Living Dead.” And then I wrote another called “Happy Valentine’s Day.” Then came the humorously twisted “Call Him Maury,” followed by “Dinner with Andy and Meg.” Things got a bit sicker with “A Love Best Served Cold” and last but not least the adventurous “Even the Great Will Fall.” In every one of these tales I strove to do something original and I think I was successful. As such I felt I might be ready to tackle a zombie-based novel.
So I gave the idea a lot of thought. As I usually do when writing a new story, I asked myself about a thousand questions. I looked at the world today and realized zombies destroying some of the world—such as underdeveloped, third-world countries—might be possible and even probable. But I seriously doubt that with the technology and the number of armed citizens we have in the U.S. we could possibly be overrun by a bunch of shambling, walking corpses; no matter how many there were. If you think about it, one single state in the U.S. has more firearms and ammunition per capita than the armed forces of many countries.
I chose to venture into what I believe is new and possibly risky territory. I realize zombie fans love to see the world destroyed and civilization thrust into Darwinian chaos. However, I decided to write a story where the zombie apocalypse happened and where sixty percent of the world’s population was wiped out. But in developed, well-armed countries such as ours the casualty count was much less. This story takes place in 2053, in the United States, ten years after the initial outbreak. Here zombies still exist and although deadly, are much less of a threat and more of a nuisance. (Think of a deer wandering out onto the highway—that is to say, a dear that wants to eat you alive.)
Newly reformed governments put bounties on the creatures and each citizen was rewarded one hundred dollars per zombie. This act of putting down the creatures became known as a ”dead kill.” (Killing something already dead.) This brought the population of undead down dramatically and for a few years provided a good way for some folks to earn a decent living. There are new strict government regulations for dealing with the dead and dying since the virus lives in every human and is only activated at time of death.
Citizens now live in protected fortified cities, which are constantly expanding and taking back more land all the time. They travel well-armed from city to city, passing through “outlands” that are populated by not only remaining zombies but by bands of wild and savage motorcycle-riding renegades, who are often more dangerous than the zombies themselves.
The book is a thriller set in this post–zombie-apocalypse world. Zombies are not the main focus of the book. The main focus of the book involves a psychopathic character who makes his living illegally in the dark and perverse drug-infested underworld of the outlands. That being said, I still found plenty of opportunities for good old fashion zombie gore.
What kind of research did you do for this book?
Not a whole lot, unless you count my entire life. I’ve been a lifelong fan of horror and have enjoyed zombie films (even the dumb stuff) for decades. Like vampires and virtually any other mythical monster, you simply can’t be a fan of horror for so long and not know virtually everything there is to know about them.
I’ve been hooked on zombies since Romero’s “Night of the Living Dead” (black and white). And one of my favorite movies of all time is the original “Dawn of the Dead.” But I decided I would take the idea of a zombie virus to places where others have not yet gone. I’ve hinted about those ideas in this, the first of a series of Dead Kill books. Later books will go off in directions not yet covered in book one. My original idea was to do this as a single novel, but as I worked on the book more and more ideas popped into my mind so I plan on more.
What can you tell us about Jackson Ridge?
Jackson Ridge is the protagonist and a non-hero/hero. He is a freelance writer and reporter who covers news for a variety of news outlets. He is a husband and a father of a four-year-old daughter. He is not tough. He is not muscular. He’s just a regular guy living in a not so regular world. He’s racked up his share of dead kills just as any survivor has done, but he’s is about as far from anyone’s idea of a hero as you can get. He finds himself thrust into a role that requires he go outside of his comfort zone to help save the life of a kidnapped thirteen-year-old girl who was abducted and believed to be in the hands of a sick and twisted underworld psychopath.
Who is the antagonist in DEAD KILL?
The antagonist is a man who goes by the mythical name of Deimos. He is the insane leader of a gang of underworld outlanders that deals in a variety of drugs, prostitution, pornography, and some new really sick vices that can only exist in the world outside of the safe zones.
Will there be any presentations or signings for the book?
I’ll be doing appearances and interviews as they come up, but other than a future appearance on Webb Weaver Books Podcast (date to be determined, so check the website later) I have nothing planned.
What are you currently working on?
Right now I’m working on short stories for another future collection for Sunbury Press including a possible novella. And I’m also beginning work on the second Dead Kill book. I have short stories coming out in 2014 in about fifteen or more short story anthologies from such publishers as Thirteen Press (Horrified Press) and James Ward Kirk Publishing to name a few. I also just acted as curator and editor for a recently released Sunbury Press anthology of horror called Undead Living.
You’ve only been publishing since 2010 yet you’ve written so many books and short stories. When do you find time to write?
I write whenever and wherever I can. Since I work full time and play weekends in two different blues bands finding the time is always a challenge. Time management is essential. For example, I write after work and on the weekends. If I’m sitting on my patio in the summer, I’m usually writing or editing. If I’m snowed in during the winter, I’m writing. Before bed I often edit and rewrite. Sitting in my car over lunch during the week is a good place to write.
Waiting for a car repair at a garage or in the doctor’s office is also a good opportunity for writing. I have an hour commute to and from work and often use that time to imagine my stories and occasionally record my ideas on my iPhone voice recorder. I have tons of notebooks that travel with me everywhere. If I’m on vacation, sitting in a hotel waiting for my wife to get ready to go out sightseeing I write. In other words, whenever I can find a few minutes, I write.
Most of my stories start out being written on note paper then I type them into MS Word and fine tune them there. Using notebooks allows me the flexibility to write whenever and wherever I choose.
*****
Thomas M. Malafarina is an author of horror fiction from Berks County, Pennsylvania. To date he has published five horror novels NINETY-NINE SOULS, BURN PHONE, EYE CONTACT, FALLEN STONES and DEAD KILL – BOOK 1 – THE RIDGE OF DEATH, as well as five collections of horror short stories; THIRTEEN NASTY ENDINGS, GALLERY OF HORROR, MALAFARINA MALEFICARUM VOLS 1 AND 2, GHOST SHADOWS and most recently UNDEAD LIVING. He has also published a book of often strange single panel cartoons called YES, I SMELLED IT TOO; CARTOONS FOR THE SLIGHTLY OFF CENTER. All of his books have been published through Sunbury Press.
To learn more about Thomas, please visit his website.
About the Author: J. H. Bográn
J. H. Bográn, born and raised in Honduras, is the son of a journalist. He ironically prefers to write fiction rather than fact. José’s genre of choice is thrillers, but he likes to throw in a twist of romance into the mix. His works include novels and short stories in both English and Spanish. His debut novel TREASURE HUNT, which The Celebrity Café hails as an intriguing novel that provides interesting insight of architecture and the life of a fictional thief, has also been selected as the Top Ten in Preditors & Editor’s Reader Poll. FIREFALL, his second novel, was released in 2013 by Rebel ePublishers. Coffee Time Romance calls it “a taut, compelling mystery with a complex, well-drawn main character.” He’s a member of The Crime Writers Association, the Short Fiction Writers Guild and the International Thriller Writers where he also serves as the Thriller Roundtable Coordinator and contributor editor their official e-zineThe Big Thrill. You can find him on his website, Facebook, Amazon and Twitter @JHBogran.
Thomas M. Malafarina -- Author of Horror 