So, to whet your appetites, here’s the blurb…

“It’s been almost one hundred days since a killer disease wiped out 99% of the population. Three months since the dead reanimated. Survivors are few and far between now, and those who remain stick together to give themselves the best possible chance of continuing to stay alive. They are the last of the living.

A band of refugees has taken shelter in a medieval castle – a fortress that has stood strong for hundreds of years. Besieged by the dead, they only emerge when it’s absolutely necessary. As autumn turns to winter, however, the balance of power slowly begins to shift.

The unexpected appearance of survivors from another group changes everything. They bring choice, and an alternative way of life which is a far cry from the world everyone has been forced to leave behind. Society as we know it has crumbled beyond repair and things will never be the same again. Some people are ready to embrace this change, others can’t let go of the past. The choice is divisive.

Are we entering mankind’s final days? In the aftermath of the disease, will the last survivors destroy each other, or will the dead destroy them all?”

Just to clear up any confusion, this is very definitely the final book in the AUTUMN timeline. There are a few more short stories to share, but is the last chapter in the series. And yes, in case you’re wondering, the ‘survivors from another group’ mentioned in the blurb are from the island of Cormansey…

Next week I’ll introduce you to one of the key characters from the book, and those of you who read THE HUMAN CONDITION first time around might remember him!

AUTUMN: AFTERMATH is a post from: David Moody - author of HATER, DOG BLOOD and the AUTUMN series

Dan recently gave the Hater website (www.thehatertrilogy.com) a lick of paint, turning an image of a Lowestoft housing estate (home to Danny McCoyne in THEM OR US) into a post-apocalyptic ruin. He has a talent for manipulating images, as can be seen from the before/after pictures below.

I first ‘met’ Dan when he featured HATER and a subsequent interview with myself on his site www.thenovelblog.com. He produced a striking animation for the top of the page, which impressed me so much he was the first person I thought of to ask to work on the idea I had for Duck and Cover. I knew what I wanted to illustrate the story, but it was way beyond my very limited technical and artistic skills. He turned this photograph of Birmingham City Centre into the image at the top of this post.

I asked Dan how he approaches his work – does he consider the technical or the artistic side of things first? He explained that he has no formal training in either, and that he’s completely self-taught on all counts. “I’ve always enjoyed being creative and the creative, be it another artist’s work, taking time to draw with a pencil and paper or creating a functional software that’s aesthetically pleasing—an art form I might add, all its own. It’s not easy to design interfaces for end users, they’re picky and usually have a tech-level that hovers just above dangerous. There’s a fine line between looking good and being functional, and the real art for me anyway, lies in finding that balance.”

Dan’s now branched out with a new company, Wicked Concept Creations. For him it marks the first step in moving from building data-driven applications to creative content. It’s something he’s been looking to do for a while, and already he has some impressive clients including a major Hollywood FX company and a film score producer. “I‘m really looking to step into the creative side of entertainment in a big way and being able to feature work like I’ve done for you goes a long way. I’ve no delusions about this though, I know it’s a lot of time and effort and can be a significant source of stress, but I’m passionate about books and movies, so it never really comes across as work.”

I asked Dan about www.thenovelblog.com. Launched in December 2008, it aims to provide independent, unbiased book reviews. “I’ve often struggled with the spending of $25 – $30 on a hardback that reviewers had raved on and on about how awesome it was, only to find out that, well, it sucked. I’m also extremely aggravated by all those “reviewers” out there who give a book a one-star review on Amazon with nothing more to say than they hated it. No reason as to why or where it fell short, they simply hated it. To me, that’s not a review, that’s another author who’s jealous over someone else’s success. My point is if it sucked, say so, just back it up with facts—which is what I hope we do.”

As an aspiring author himself, he’s well aware of the ‘reviews game’  played by some publishers and writers. “If you read one of our reviews, you can rest assured that there’s no outside influence, it’s simply our opinion.”

Dan cites Stephen King as his foremost literary inspiration. With CUJO, King opened the floodgates for him to devour any books he could find by a wide range of authors including Peter Straub, Richard Matheson, Peter Benchly and William Blatty. “I would love to be a full-time writer,” he says, “and that is my ultimate goal.” And after a number of false-starts, he feels that 2012 will be the year he makes it happen.

I want to wish Dan the very best, both with his writing and with Wicked Concept Creations, and I’d like to take this opportunity to thank him again for the AUTUMN and HATER-related artwork he’s provided. Cheers Dan!

The AUTUMN artists – Dan Boucher is a post from: David Moody - author of HATER, DOG BLOOD and the AUTUMN series

The Human Condition part II – now available is a post from: David Moody - author of HATER, DOG BLOOD and the AUTUMN series

By the way, if you’re interested in signed foreign editions of the AUTUMN and HATER books, you can find some of those listed over at www.infectedbooks.co.uk too.

Finally for today, thanks to my good friend and web guru Rich Grundy, I have a new tool for those trying to locate specific eBook editions of my books. Check it out below:

Pick the book you’re after, chose your country and the eBook platform you use, then press ‘Go’. Simple! You can find this widget at www.infectedbooks.co.uk.

Autumn: Disintegration now available (again!) is a post from: David Moody - author of HATER, DOG BLOOD and the AUTUMN series

Later this month I’ll start telling you more about AUTUMN: AFTERMATH, the final book in the AUTUMN series. In the run up to the novel’s US release in March, there will also be more free fiction appearing. For those of you who read AUTUMN: THE HUMAN CONDITION first time around, you might have noticed that a couple of stories are still missing from www.lastoftheliving.net. You’ll find out why when you learn more about AFTERMATH…

Until then, come back next week for the concluding part of THE HUMAN CONDITION, and check back again later this week for more ISOLATION news.

The Human Condition – new free fiction now available is a post from: David Moody - author of HATER, DOG BLOOD and the AUTUMN series

I love the concept of parallel sequels, and on this occasion McKinnon tells a story which starts at the same point as his previous novel DOMAIN OF THE DEAD, then shoots off in a completely different direction. And it’s all the better for it.

“The world is dead, devoured by a plague of reanimated corpses.

Cahz and his squad of veteran soldiers are tasked with flying into abandoned cities and retrieving zombies for scientific study. Deep in infected territory, hundreds of miles from their support vessel, the ever present dangers weigh heavily on Cahz’s mind as he shepherds his team to make quick, clean extractions.

Then the unbelievable happens. After years of encountering nothing but the undead, the team discovers a handful of disheveled survivors in a fortified warehouse with dwindling supplies.

Surrounded by hordes of ravenous corpses, Cahz is faced with the terrible responsibility of determining the five passengers who will escape in the helicopter. While those left stranded must continue to fight off the infected and starvation long enough to be rescued.”

Some astonishing cover art there too from the ever reliable Craig Paton. Click here for a reminder of Craig’s brilliant work from the AUTUMN website www.lastoftheliving.net.

I enjoyed this book a huge amount, and relished the glee with which McKinnon leads us and his survivors through the dead world. As I said at the time: “Believable characters trapped in a nightmare scenario—REMAINS OF THE DEAD is a breathless, high-octane zombie thriller. [McKinnon has] written another great book here…”

Recommended reading – Remains of the Dead is a post from: David Moody - author of HATER, DOG BLOOD and the AUTUMN series

By the way, apologies to those of you in the UK who’ve had trouble getting hold of AUTUMN: DISINTEGRATION since its release at the end of last month. I can’t help feeling a little smug about this – the book sold out! A new printing is underway, and I’ll post here again when it becomes available again. Sincere thanks to everyone who picked it up.

As always, you can find out more about the AUTUMN series over at www.lastoftheliving.net. There’ll be some new free fiction appearing there next week.

AUTUMN: THE CITY – UK mass market paperback out today is a post from: David Moody - author of HATER, DOG BLOOD and the AUTUMN series

Zona Zombie – Spanish edition of Autumn: Purification out today is a post from: David Moody - author of HATER, DOG BLOOD and the AUTUMN series

AUTUMN: DISINTEGRATION is, at long, long last, released in the UK today. I’ve already talked a lot about the book and the reasons for its numerous delays (click here for a reminder), so today I just want to concentrate on the positive news that the book is finally out. For a reminder of the plot of the new novel and to understand how it fits in with the rest of the AUTUMN books, click here.

A limited number of signed copies of the UK hardcover edition are now available from Infected Books. Click here for more details.

Thanks again for all your support throughout 2011. I’ll be back very early in 2012 with loads of good stuff. Until then, enjoy DISINTEGRATION and have a Happy New Year!

Autumn: Disintegration released in the UK today is a post from: David Moody - author of HATER, DOG BLOOD and the AUTUMN series

But just looking back over 2011 for a moment, I’m amazed how many releases I managed to chalk up: In the US, AUTUMN: THE CITY, AUTUMN: PURIFICATION, AUTUMN: DISINTEGRATION and THEM OR US were all released, along with the mass-market edition of DOG BLOOD. It was the same in the UK, along with a mass-market edition of AUTUMN as well. Elsewhere, SEPTIEMBRE ZOMBIE and CIUDAD ZOMBIE were released in Spain, and translations of HATER appeared in Romania, Japan and Italy. Oh, and there was THE MONSTER’S CORNER anthology, and my story for the recent SFX ZOMBIE SPECIAL. See what I mean? It’s been a busy year! And that’s before I start talking about the events and signings and interviews and meetings and website launches etc. etc. 2011 has been a blast, and thanks to everyone who has been a part of it.

This won’t be my last post of the year, but I just wanted to take this opportunity to wish you and yours a Happy Christmas. Whatever you celebrate, wherever you are, have fun! I’ll leave you with a festive treat. Remember back in October when Wayne Simmons, Jasper Bark and I ended up holed-up in Leicester, surrounded by zombies, discussing our love for the genre and our favoured survival techniques? Well here’s the video evidence.

It’s very tongue in cheek and everyone had a huge amount of fun on the day. Thanks to Vince, Adele, and all involved with Un:Bound Video Editions.

Happy Holidays (and Christmas Zombies!) is a post from: David Moody - author of HATER, DOG BLOOD and the AUTUMN series