BLOG OF CHRIS PHILBROOK
New releases & inner musings
It’s official: May 24th at noon
If you missed yesterday’s post…
Read this one instead! tl:dr Diggory book two Kickstarter goes live on Tuesday, May 24th at noon.
Click the picture above to go to Kickstarter to follow the project, or just click on these words.
If you’re into rare things, or cool experiences, don’t sleep on the noon launch. The limited quantity tiers sold out in ten minutes on the first Kickstarter, and I expect a pretty similar repeat.
Hugs and kisses!
-Chris
The Twelve Kickstarter is nigh!
I’d say more, but the picture pretty much sums up what I need to communicate here.
More info to follow.
Live interview in 3..2..1…
Hey squad.
I’ve been invited to the Written Undead Facebook group’s live Saturday show today in about at hour, at 2pm eastern standard time.
Richard Ryan Rose, Jack Childress and Pattie Fry Rauccio are the hosts, and we’re planning on chatting extensively about the world of the undead, my writing, and several subjects I’m sure to be ambushed about.
If you’d like to watch, or participate in the show asking questions, or whatever else you can do, head over to Facebook and send a join request to the Written Undead group. You’ll get a ding when the live feed starts.
Here’s a link to the group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/WrittenUndead
Hope to see some of you there!
-Chris
Lockey vs the Apocalypse draws to a close.
(Yes, I realize this is a WIP cover, but sometimes things happen out of order)
Carl Meadows has completed his Adrian’s Undead Diary trilogy, and the Kindle pre-order for the third book, The Devil’s Due, has just gone live on Amazon. We have a firm release date of December 15th on the Kindle and print version, and we’re aiming to get the audio out plus or minus a few days. Danielle Cohen is booked for the narration, and we’re expecting more awards, because this story, and her narration IS THAT GOOD.
Before I drop the blurb for it, I wanted to say, without any exaggeration, that this book is REALLY FRIGGING GOOD. I loved his first two, and this one is a better than expected conclusion, and I had high expectations. Lockey is SUCH a good character, and the entire cast of the trilogy stands out as something truly special.
All that being said, if you haven’t read No More Heroes and We Will Rise, now is the time. Links below.
//
The stunning conclusion to Erin Locke’s trilogy has arrived.
Lockey’s community continues to expand, but clashes with other survivors increase with equal intensity. Reunited with old friends and new ones accepted into their fold, things take a dark turn when the Nomads take a personal interest in Lockey. Selected by some unknowable force to lead one of humanity’s last bastions of defence in a global war against the dead, the Dark will use any weapon to ensure her failure.
As Lockey and Nate search for the final member of their mystical trio, their dreams haunted by ghosts of the fallen, the Nomad threat intensifies, putting Lockey’s heart through its most fearsome crucible yet.
Despite the eruption of conflict with the Nomads, Lockey’s confrontation with Maddock is inevitable, as both are marked as champions for the powerful forces at play. Countless lives depend on the outcome; one a burning flame of hope for humanity’s continuing survival, the other a menacing general of the dead. Only by dethroning Maddock can Lockey and Nate’s community have a chance to build something better from the ruins of their shattered world.
For the survivors caught in the crossfire, the stakes could not be higher; hope for a future, or a spiral into dark oblivion.
Because one way or another, the Devil will get his due.
If you’d like to track down the first two in the series, click the covers below for US links, and UK links in the text just beneath.
The Bleed has come to an end.
Today the third book in The Bleed trilogy releases. Co-written by David Moody, Mark Tufo and myself this universe-spanning, multiverse-wrecking apocalyptic story can be read or listened to in its entirety.
//
Reality after reality is being destroyed by THE BLEED. With their options narrowing by the second, and with their group scattered far and wide across the multiverse, it’s down to less than 10 people to try and save the lives of billions upon billions of others.
If they fail, THE BLEED will rule. Nothing and no one else will survive.
IT ALWAYS BLEEDS THROUGH. THREE WORLDS. THREE AUTHORS. THE ULTIMATE APOCALYPSE.
Enjoy on your Kindle: https://amzn.to/3kuYw1n
Enjoy on Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Bleed-Armageddon-Audiobook/B087RSX7CW
And if you need to start the entire series, please grab book one, RUPTURE, at this collected link: https://amzn.to/3ztVsGI
Bangor Toy & Comic Con
I AM SURFACING FOR AIR IN OCTOBER.
Briefly, so long as COVID in Maine remains a mere dumpster fire, and not an apocalyptic dumpster fire.
Bangor Toy & Comic Con will have me uncomfortably up in its vendor spaces on all three of its glorious, unrestrained, geeky days. The show runs October 1st-3rd in Bangor Maine, which is the area of the world I lived in for a few years growing up. It’s also where some guy named Stephen King has lived for some time, and where there’s a bitching statue of Paul Bunyon.
If you’re into that kind of thing.
I’m currently trying to finagle a public appearance by the king of dual-wielding adult novelties himself, Chris Fagan at my booth with me, but it’s a long hike from his mansion in Connecticut, and he’s got a busy schedule, putting both hands on weapons of mass destruction. (If you aren’t getting these jokes, please read/listen to DEAD LUCKY.)
Anyhoo….
I’m still working out the logistics and such, but it looks to be a good time in a small city I’ve never done a show in. I will have an assortment of all my books, stickers and bookmarks, but I will not have any shirts. All my shirts are handled through Redbubble now. If you’re in Maine, or the northeast in general, and want to make a trip to a neat place, and meet me, please consider coming to say hi!
Tickets are available here: https://www.bangorcomicandtoycon.com/
You can also follow the show’s page here on Facebook for updates: Bangor Comic & Toy Con.
The Awakening
Is here.
Stephen King meets Kevin Smith in this smart, humor-laced tale of cosmic horror, cults, and monsters running amok.
Diggory Finch had a mother that didn’t seem to want him, and a father that chose to run from every struggle the family ever had. Same father lied about the family fortune.
But now Grandma Beatrice is gone, and Diggory has inherited Finch Island in Twin Falls, as well as millions of dollars, a house, an old mill building, and the profound, evil darkness that dwells at the center of his family’s heart.
Diggory returns home, happy and comfortable for the first time in a home that’s not going anywhere, and starts the process of opening up a game store on his family’s property. He even meets a young lady that makes him want to stop sabotaging his relationships. Could it be love?
Or will the horror that unfolds undo all he’s ever wanted?
The Finch family is surrounded by people who want something from them. They want the dark power that Diggory has access to. They want the doorway only he can open to remain open forever, and if they have to lock him up so the ancient evil he can access can always flow to them, then so be it.
But for the first time, this Finch isn’t running, and isn’t content to be used to unleash evil on the world.
Can Diggory harness the great darkness within him, and defeat the monsters that feast on the people of Twin Falls, or will he lose control, and put the entire world at risk?
Twin Falls; a modern day Lovecraftian universe of ancient, eldritch evils, manipulative sects, and a wise-cracking young man that’s just sick of being used, abused, and more than a little self-destructive. It’s on like Donkey Kong.
You may now order Book One of The Darkness of Diggory Finch on all formats right here on Amazon.
A hip, razor-sharp Lovecraftian adventure that can only be described as straight fire! –Steve Van Samson, Author of The Bone Eater, and Mark of the Witchwyrm
The Awakening approaches.
Diggory Finch had a mother that didn’t seem to want him, and a father that chose to run from every struggle the family ever had. Same father lied about the family fortune.
But now Grandma Beatrice is gone, and Diggory has inherited Finch Island in Twin Falls, as well as millions of dollars, a house, an old mill building, and the profound, evil darkness that dwells at the center of his family’s heart.
Diggory returns home, happy and comfortable for the first time in a home that’s not going anywhere, and starts the process of opening up a game store on his family’s property. He even meets a young lady that makes him want to stop sabotaging his relationships. Could it be love?
Or will the horror that unfolds undo all he’s ever wanted?
The Finch family is surrounded by people who want something from them. They want the dark power that Diggory has access to. They want the doorway only he can open to remain open forever, and if they have to lock him up so the ancient evil he can access can always flow to them, then so be it.
But for the first time, this Finch isn’t running, and isn’t content to be used to unleash evil on the world.
Can Diggory harness the great darkness within him, and defeat the monsters that feast on the people of Twin Falls, or will he lose control, and put the entire world at risk?
Enter the world of Twin Falls; a modern day Lovecraftian universe of ancient, eldritch evils, cults, monsters, and one very sarcastic young man that’s just sick of being used, abused, and being self-destructive.
Releasing on August 6th in all formats.
Enjoy a short sample of the audiobook, narrated by Joe Hempel:
https://www.facebook.com/joe.hempel/posts/10224984902027090
Pre-order the Kindle version right now here: https://amzn.to/3hf20C7
Fresh Adrian Ring audio!
Like a brick at a birthday cake.
Shoreham Port in Brighton, England, has been secured by Adrian Ring alongside his friends, with the five navy ships that made the trans-Atlantic voyage to find the European Trinity. He must find the Soul, the Scribe, and the Warden and get them on their path, as he walk his, but there are obstacles.
The undead in Europe are faster and stronger than anything they’ve encountered, and the survivors here are hungry, and desperate for help. They can’t fight every zombie, but each one they pass could be a lethal threat to their own people, or to the locals who’ve fought hard to survive.
Luckily, he encounters a small, well-armed group of car-equipped survivors, led by a friendly man calling himself Chief, who dwarfs even the burly Adrian. They decide to work together to procure ground vehicles for the march north.
But Chief isn’t the savior he’s pretending to be, and there are far more monsters roaming in the dark of the old world than Adrian is prepared to face.
Dead Cities contains Adrian’s journal entries from September 9th, 2014 through November 27th, 2014. It also contains the side fictions The Ghost in the Boiler Room, Rachel and Mara, Fetters, Sanctuary, and Ernest Goes for a Walk.
Narrated by the new voice of Adrian Ring, DJ Leone, you can nab it on Audible/Amazon right now, with iTunes to follow.
We Will Rise has arrived.
Book two of Lockey Vs. the Apocalypse has arrived!
Kindle and Print today, Audible version sometime in late May/June.
Still grieving a tragic personal loss, Lockey and Nate shift their focus to the task of acquiring resources for their new community’s continuing survival, but something dark is stirring.
An eerie shift in the behaviour of the undead makes Lockey’s apocalypse experience feel personal, and she has no idea why she appears to be the sole target for their murderous rage.
Convinced now that something otherworldly is at play, yet torn by questions she can’t hope to answer, Lockey concentrates her boundless energy towards building a safe home for her new apocalypse family. Such safety is fleeting though, for a new threat is revealed elsewhere in the county, obsessed with dominion over the dwindling number of local survivors.
Investigating this new peril while searching for other survivors – and hoping for answers to the questions that plague her waking hours – Lockey and Nate discover this new threat to their growing community is far more menacing than they could ever imagine…
…as dreams of light and dark commence.
US Amazon Link: https://amzn.to/3wPvYni
UK Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/We-Will-Rise-Adrians-Apocalypse-ebook/dp/B08YFDRYWP
The Bleed Two: Rapture, has arrived
THE BLEED is attacking on several fronts and through different realities at once. The survivors of numerous battles are brought together through a series of ancient clockwork rooms, and their individual experiences combine to paint a picture of a multiverse on the brink of total annihilation. Gods and mortals fight alongside each other on the streets and among the stars, struggling to hold back the armies of demons doing the bidding of THE BLEED.
Whole worlds are lost. Others are sacrificed. Thousands are ready to fight, but millions more offer themselves up to the gods, praying that The Rapture will bring them salvation. In the midst of it all just a handful of survivors scattered across the multiverse are aware of what’s at stake and how they can avoid Armageddon. But with the odds stacked against them and impossible distances between them, will they be able to come together and turn the bloody tide against THE BLEED?
IT ALWAYS BLEEDS THROUGH. THREE WORLDS. THREE AUTHORS. THE MOTHER OF ALL APOCALYPSES.
Written by David Moody, Chris Philbrook, and Mark Tufo, available now in all formats: https://amzn.to/3sbsQiF
No More Heroes nabs a nomination!
And it’s so damn deserved! Congrats to Carl Meadows, and Danielle Cohen for their amazing contribution to the zombie book universe with No More Heroes. Zompoc, and Adrian’s Undead Diary are the better for it.
You can order No More Heroes in all formats, and even pre-order book two in the series, We Will Rise, here on Amazon.
Adrian Ring has a new voice.
I listened to over 100 auditions for the part of Adrian Ring.
Of that 100, about 20 made the cut to round two. Those dauntless souls were listened to by about 20 hardcore Adrian’s Undead Diary listeners, and of those 20, five finalists were chosen for a second round of auditions.
The same group listened to that series of auditions, and now, weeks later, and literally seventeen hours of listening to those auditions later…We have our new voice.
Everyone, I’d like to introduce you to Daniel James Lewis: A Voice for Audiobooks and Commercials. You’re gonna see him credited as DJ Leone on the AUD books, so everyone say hi to DJ, and make him feel welcome in the Ringfamily.
You can listen to his audition of Dead Cities on his website here: (top recording) https://djlactor.com/It goes without saying that a narrator switch mid-series is a tough change, and filling the shoes of James Foster is no mean feat, but I firmly believe DJ can do it. He’s gonna take Adrian and run with it, with my guidance, and his own talent, and we’re gonna tell some amazing stories together.
We anticipate getting both Dead Lucky and Dead Cities out on audio this summer, hopefully in May or June. We’ll know much more in a couple weeks, and will be sharing what news we can as he records the books.
My heart is full, my stress is alleviated, and the future for Adrian Ring and his friends and family is safe.
Let’s do this, DJ. Let’s make some listeners happy.
THE DORKENING
To celebrate the release of Steve Van Samson‘s Mark of the Witchwyrm, I’m gonna be a guest on The Dorkening Podcast Network on March 1st at 8pm.Steve’s book is fantastic (think RA Salvatore, or Sanderson, but a smidge more grim and realistic) and we’re gonna have a good time chatting about that, and many other things. Follow The Dorkening Podcast Network on Facebook for details on how to watch/listen!
Dead Cities has arrived!
Like a brick at a birthday cake.
Shoreham Port in Brighton England has been secured by Adrian Ring alongside his friends, with the five Navy ships that made the trans-Atlantic voyage to find the European Trinity. He must find the Soul, the Scribe, and the Warden and get them on their path, as he walked his, but there are obstacles.
The undead in Europe are faster and stronger than anything they’ve encountered, and the survivors here are hungry, and desperate for help. They can’t fight every zombie, but each one they pass could be a lethal threat to their own people, or to the locals who’ve fought hard to survive.
Luckily, he encounters a small, well-armed group of car-equipped survivors, led by a friendly man calling himself Chief, who dwarfs even the burly Adrian. They decide to work together to procure ground vehicles for the march north.
But Chief isn’t the savior he’s pretended to be, and there are far more monsters roaming in the dark of the old world than Adrian is prepared to face.
Dead Cities contains Adrian’s Journal entries from September 9th, 2014 through November 27th, 2014. It also contains the side fictions; The Ghost in the Boiler Room, Rachel and Mara, Fetters, Sanctuary, and Ernest Goes for a Walk.
Nab the print and Kindle today on Amazon. https://amzn.to/37C8zLa
Audiobook release date is still TBD, as I’m searching for a new narrator. Once I get news, I’ll share it.
Enjoy the book, Ringfamily.
-Chris
Diggory Finch is on Kickstarter, and get this…
The Darkness of Diggory Finch was fully funded on Kickstarter in SIX MINUTES.
There’s no way I could’ve anticipated that, and boy, I sure am blown away.
Many of the higher-tier pledge levels were gone in ten minutes, but a few remain. There are also many signed copies available, as well as the ability to name places and people in the series.
I haven’t announced stretch goals yet, so if you’d like to get it, and keep rolling this snowball until it’s big enough to steamroll Manhattan, head to Kickstarter and pledge now.
So, so much thanks to everyone.
The Future of AUD
Time to rip the Band Aid off.
You’ve hopefully seen that the Kindle pre-order for AUD 12 – Dead Cities has gone live, releasing on February 22nd in eBook and print formats.
I can’t say when the audio will release for it, or for the Dead Lucky AUD anthology, as I’m in the process of finding a new narrator to move forward on the series with.
I don’t want to go into details about it, but James and won’t be pairing up for the series going forward. What’s recorded and released and what there is, and for the remainder of the series, we’ll need a new voice. I’m disappointed, but I’m trying to view this as an opportunity.
This is obviously late in the process for this to land in the collective laps of the Ringfamily, so I’m trying to play catch-up and figure it out. There’s a chance I’ll be looking into selling audio rights for the whole series to a publisher (for new narration), as well as keeping the existing audiobooks, or recording them on my dime, which would be financially tough.
Not sure, lots of things to balance. As soon as I get anything concrete I will let you know, and if you know a reputable narrator looking for a new series to helm, and you think they can carry the weight of Adrian, send them my way.
Please try to be positive about this, as drama won’t improve the situation. Please also understand that I can’t speak for James, nor will I say anything detrimental about him, so please be respectful.
Back to writing Diggory.
The Darkness of Diggory Finch
More details soon. You can already find more on my Patreon page, if you feel like becoming a patron at the Fire Team level or above.
-Chris
Shipping delays
Hey everyone,
I’ve received a disturblingly large amount of angry emails the past ten days or so about book orders from me taking a long time to arrive.
I ship all book orders via USPS Media Mail, which takes anywhere from one to six days to arrive when things are normal. I’m on the east coast, so if you’re on the west coast, expect the longer ship time.
With the holidays here, and the GLUT of people ordering online, the USPS is absolutely crushed with package volume, and they are behind like I’ve never seen before. This is a screen grab off their site:
Once I pay for the package, and get a tracking #, it is out of my control. I can’t call them and change anything. I can’t make it go faster, or change where its going no more than I can change the color of the box the books are in.
I’m in the same boat myself. Presents I ordered online in November have yet to arrive, and they’ve already missed Hanukkah, so now we’re pivoting, and hoping they’ll arrive for Christmas.
Please be patient with me as I deal with all I’ve got going on, and please be patient with the postal service. COVID is disruptive to an alarming degree, and the holidays are always crazy to boot. My local post office is a very small one, and they’ve had high turnover the past year as the postmaster retired, then their main clerk had a heart attack, and they’ve struggled to get full-time staff out here in the sticks.
If you have a problem with your order, go ahead and message or email me, and I’ll always do the best I can to make it right. I do make mistakes. Sometimes I mess up an address. Occasionally I sign things wrong. But, I am not a scammer, and have no interest in ripping people off.
I hope everyone is healthy, coping as well as they can, and is having a cozy holiday season.
-Chris
No More Heroes has arrived on Audible!
It’s here, it’s here!
Carl Meadow’s entry into the world of Adrian Ring crash landed on Audible this morning, and you can snap it up for a single credit. Narrated by Danielle Cohen, and nearly 12 hours long, it’s a guaranteed good day for your ears, and your brain.
“The apocalypse sucks, man.”
On June 23, 2010, in every country across the globe, the dead inexplicably awaken with murderous resolve. For the first days, Erin Locke – Lockey to her friends – survives alone as society collapses in England with shocking speed.
With her trademark snarky sense of humor, goofy insights, and can-do attitude, she chronicles her early adventures in a journal to keep her spirits high and sanity intact, until she befriends retired Royal Marine veteran Nate Carter, and the unlikely duo find themselves a place they can call home.
Her newfound security is threatened by an encounter with other survivors that ends in blood, and a vengeful hunt by the dead man’s brother begins. After skirmishes with the self-styled feudal lord of their new lawless existence, the pair learn they are the only chance of salvation for innocents enslaved by the aspiring warlord and are forced to act for more than their own survival.
There are no heroes left, so the captives’ only hope are one fast-talking, foul-mouthed woman and one deadly, middle-aged ex-marine.
Set in the world of Chris Philbrook’s best-selling zombie apocalypse, Adrian’s Undead Diary, No More Heroes opens the world up, illuminating the nightmare of the United Kingdom, and bringing its heroes into the light.
Nab the book David Moody called “frantic; crackles with energy,” here today: https://amzn.to/3al7Ksf
No God just released on Audible
Huzzah, Audible! I’d rather not have a new release on a holiday, right before Black Friday, but yay! It’s out, finally!
//
Question: What’s something you can do on Thanksgiving Day to make gathering with family more awkward than usual?
Answer One: rub gravy on your naked body in the living room, or….
Answer Two: Listen to No God, Adrian’s Undead Diary, Book Eleven. Part Three of Adrian’s March.
Now out on Audible for one credit. If you start listening now, you can have it done by bedtime, all while riding that tryptophan high.Enjoy.
