​​Two friends rush off to Pennsylvania when they find out their friend who was treated for the virus ends up dead. They hope to find a way to save their best friend, who just received the same treatment in a hospital of NJ, but in their attempt they end up trying to survive another zombie attack.

1. Which of your characters, Dee Forester or Melissa Frink, do you relate to the most?
Definitely Dee. When creating her character, I used a lot of my own characteristics.

2. What inspired this series? Are you a Walking Dead aficionado?
I am not a Walking Dead fan actually. I only watched the show for a couple episodes the first season. I enjoyed the episodes I watched but I just never got into the craze. My best friend actually inspired this series. She is a big horror fan. She wanted me to write a horror story and when I asked what she wanted, we came up with Dead Friends.

3. Book one of the ‘Dead Friends’ series opens with a sense of urgency and tension that continues throughout the novel. How did you keep the tension going in the sequel,’ Dead Friends Running’.
Dee and Melissa care a lot about their friends and that makes keeping the tension and urgency going easy. In the first book they were trying to rescue Spencer and in the second book they are still trying to save him. That type of urgency to protect and rescue your friends never really leaves until your friends are safe.

4. Who first encouraged you to write an entire novel?
My grandmother.  She was sick with cancer and was always a huge fan of my writing. When she started chemo I wanted to give her something to read, so I started writing and when she loved it, I just kept with it.

5. New Jersey and Pennsylvania are featured locales in this series. What is it about these states that caused you to pick them as settings for your story?
I lived in both states. I am familiar with them. I remember hiking certain trails and thinking of these scenes in the book, and didn’t want to use any other place.

6. Who do you read? What novels are among your favorites?
Currently I am reading Sharkwater Beach by  Author Tim Meyer. I really enjoy his Sunfall series too that he co-wrote with Authors Chad Scanlon and Pete Draper. My favorite all time books are Twilight by Stephenie Meyer and Morganville Vampires by Rachel Caine.

7. Tell us a little about yourself? What’s something about you that not many people know?
I enjoy writing and drawing. I love old movies. I have a dog her name is Hanna Harper, she’s an almost four year old Belgian Malinois that I adopted from someone a year ago. I taught her all the tricks she knows, and I am proud of that. My favorite state to visit is Vermont.  I love the view of the mountains. I was born in Pennsylvania near the mountains but grew up in New Jersey by the shore. I am not a fan of the beach. I hate the feel of sand. When I was younger I had a terrible fear of Lady Bugs. Not many people know that.

8. What has your experience been like as an author so far? Can you share some insights, bruises and highlights?
There have been a lot of ups and downs, for sure. Writing novels isn’t easy. I am not one for outlining so creating the story has its challenges down the road. I have learned a lot along the way, and still have so much to learn! The first novel I wrote that I submitted to the publishing company I learned was actually only half a novel. They sent it back to me and told me to finish the book. I had left too much hanging. I wrote 30,000 more words in the following month and then resubmitted. Tell-Tale Publishing offered me a contract after that. It was the first publishing company I ever submitted a manuscript to.

9.Your characters are well developed and lively. Do you feel that you have the reins when writing or do the characters themselves hijack the story?
I start off with the reins, but the characters definitely hijack the story about half way.

10.What other projects do you have in the works right now?
I have a couple projects open, but not sure where I am going with them yet. Obviously I would like to finish the third book in Dead Friends at some point, as well as the last in the trilogy of my Shapeshifting series.

11. What is one of your favorite quotes from, ’Dead  Friends Running’ and why?
“I couldn’t help but silently note that coming here was a very, very dumb idea.”
I just think it sums up the entire second book, and makes Dee seem real.
 
12. What other genres are you interested in writing in?
I would like to try my hand at adult fiction. 

​From the author of The Forest of Bleeding Trees and other macabre fare, Patricia Mattern, comes yet another chilling tale that will have you up until way past your bedtime!

Marley and Tom are the perfect couple. To see them, you may not even notice that while Tom is human, Marley is a dhamphir, a half vampire.  They're just a friendly couple who want a home in the country, filled with laughing, happy children.

Unfortunately they are unable to have any children of their own, so they decide to adopt. After all, there are so many children who need good homes.

​They begin to adopt homeless, needy vampire orphans. What children could possibly be more in need of a loving home? In a short time they are delighted to wind up with a baker's dozen. But these rescued kids come with their own baggage: sires, enemies and dangerous secrets that threaten to tear their new family apart.

Will this blended group become a truly happy, loving, integrated family? Will they be able to survive their differences and the dangers lurking around every dark corner? Find out for yourself why Tom and Marley love their sometimes distrustful and always  dangerous children, and why they will do anything to keep their family together.

​Okay, we admit Dick's not the most politically correct agent alive, and he sometimes bumbles and reminds us of what happens when you cross a certain French Inspector with a British Legume to produce an American Dick, but you have to admit that he's as cute as a pink Rottweiler when he's on the scent of a good case! Who says you can't teach an ole dog new tricks?

Ahoy me hearties!

Avast now! All hands hoay, seems like an age since we last met.  The Whimsical Herald has been sailing the high seas to find the most  thrilling of tales  and this quest has kept your Mistress of Madness hopping as fast as a one-legged swabbie dancing a jig!

Know what a pirate’s favorite letter of the alphabet is? You might say ‘R’ (“Aaaarrgh”)-but it’s really ‘C’, for a pirate loves the sea above all else!  ::chuckle it up, or walk the plank!::

Today we enter mysterious waters indeed to interview Young Adult author, Gabe Thompson, who has penned a most quirky, humorous, and captivating  new novel ,’My BFF Is An Alien’.

IT'S A  MYSTERIOUS ENCOUNTER THAT LEADS TO THE ADVENTURE OF A LIFETIME FOR SOCIAL MISFITS EMILIO AND ARTHUR:

                                       MEET TONIGEN DWEEZIL EMYRIS FROM ’NORWAY’

“They stepped into the shed and stood staring at the dripping body of the alien. Condensing moisture beaded on the head and boots and had dripped to the floor to form small puddles.

Arthur walked behind the alien’s head, slipped a pair of sunglasses on him and himself.

Arthur stuffed an unlit cigar in his mouth and grinned.

“Take a picture,” he mumbled around the cigar.”

1.     As a world traveler and former member of the military, how much of your own experience did you draw upon for ‘My BFF Is An Alien’?
Major Rhodes, Arthur’s father, was modeled after my mother’s father, Colonel Post. My grandfather was a Marine Corps colonel and she used the experience of growing up in that life to develop the Major’s character. Now Arthur’s brother, Keith, came from some of the people I met in the military. They belong in the military. It takes over their personality and creates a different kind of human. My brother-in-law was an Army Ranger and then became a military contractor. He’s a lot like Keith.
2.     Comment on the dynamic between your characters Arthur and Emilio.
Arthur and Emilio need each other. School is pretty harsh for a kid with OCD like Arthur and a kid with Tourette’s Syndrome. I did a lot of research about Emilio’s condition. There is a great documentary on Tourette’s called I Have Tourette’s, But Tourette’s Doesn’t Have Me. I watched a lot of material on the condition before I developed Emilio’s character. Tourette’s isn’t Emilio’s only challenge. His family, his sisters, and his family’s religion also are a challenge for him. Emilio’s family life is one of the reasons he’s Arthur’s friend as well. While Arthur’s condition is not a serious, he is also inflicted with a strange and overbearing brother and his father. In the beginning of the book, Arthur is the leader. As the book progresses, Emilio becomes stronger. They both grow from their experiences with Tone. The alien teaches them as much as they teach him.
3.     What did you know about Tourette’s  Syndrome before writing this novel? What inspired you to have it be part of who the central character Emilio is?
I wanted a boy with a disability that could create humor, but also highlight a serious condition. I did a lot of research on Tourette’s. There are at least three great documentaries, one concentrates on children and how they deal with it. The kids all say they hate the medication. It fixes their tics and outbursts but they feel awful. It’s a sad condition, but Emilio is a great character because he greets his challenges with a lot of inner strength.
4.     There is a strong underdog component in, ’My BFF Is An Alien’. The reader finds themselves immediately drawn in to the story. Did you draw on any personal experiences for this dynamic?
I was never a healthy kid. I had bad kidneys and got sick a lot. Middle school was terrible. High School a nightmare until I got a car of my own. I always feel drawn to the underdog. I empathize with their struggles. I thought there must be a lot of kids out there like me who could read this book and feel an instant connection with Emilio and Arthur. They’re a pair you can cheer for.
5.The character of Roscoe creates an additional level of tension as well as relevance to  the novel-did you have encounters with bullies in school?
I remember going to middle school wearing two pairs of underwear. I’ve been pantsed, a term meaning my pants were pulled down in public. Two pairs of underwear were necessary. Bullying is a huge problem in schools across the country right now. Anytime I can point out this problem, I will. I think bullying is one of the greatest problems afflicting schools right now. I teach middle school and I see it every day. As a teacher, it’s my job to make sure it doesn’t happen in my classes ever.
6.There is lots of humor and also High School humor  in ‘My BFF Is An Alien’. Are you a funny guy?
I’m not a “funny” guy, but a lot of my favorite movies growing up were comedies. Believe it or not, comedy is hard to write. I think having Arthur and Emilio come to life for me, made writing humor easier. Laughing is great medicine. I had to have a kidney transplant in my twenties and being able to laugh at yourself and your condition, having people who laugh with you, makes living through tough times a lot easier.
7.Will there be a sequel to ,’My BFF Is an Alien’?
I haven’t thought about it. Do you think Emilio and Arthur as seniors with Tone returning could be a good story? I could take suggestions.
8.Which part of this novel is your personal favorite?
I will always love the camping scene. My poor mom had to endure things like that with her dad. I know her father, the Colonel, thought like Arthur’s dad that everything could be fixed if you just tried harder. Camping for someone with Arthur’s issues has to be a nightmare.
9.What  scenes did you edit OUT of this book?
I’m a pretty serious plotter. I know what’s going into what I write before it’s written. My mom helps me with plotting and with ideas. Between us, we have a good map of our books before we write them, so honestly, none were removed.
10.What book are you reading now?
Andre Norton’s The Game of Stars and Comets and Barry Eisler’s Livia Lone. I’m always writing as well.
11.What actors would you pick to play your characters in ‘My BFF Is An Alien?”
Maybe Emjay Anthony or Finn Wolfhard for Emilio. I’d love a kid like Ty Simkins from Jurassic World as Arthur or Owen Vaccaro. Tone would be harder to cast. Maybe Levi Miller or Max Charles.
12.Please give us a glimpse of your current work in progress and tell us what your inspiration for it is!
I’m currently working on a Young Adult Science Fiction book about a girl whose parents are gone. She’s alone in a refugee camp on a luxury planet, her only friend an ex Patrol Ranger. She gets a job in a pet shop filled with extraterrestrial pets and discovers a plot to implant the pets with a parasitic life form that is really intelligent. I think of it as a cross between Guardians of the Galaxy and E.T. She rescues the pets from the shop’s secret laboratory and begins a run for her life across the galaxy in a stolen space yacht with her ranger friend and another teen, a boy who has underworld connections. Their goal is safety and the only safe haven they can think of is Star Haven, a mythical space station in the outer rim of the galaxies run by the underworld.​

Alas and alack, It is time for us to part ways, me hearties! The Whimsical Herald would like to thank the amazing Gabe Thompson for coming aboard and sharing his fantastical tale of  beings that live beyond the stars.

Comment at will, and have a chance at a random giveaway of our finest brew, PIRATE’S BOOTY coffee from the Tell-Tale Publishing Gourmet shop.

A great book like ‘My BFF Is An Alien’ by Gabe Thompson, and a delicious cup of Java…

Aye, THERE BE TREASURE!
​
Patricia Mattern, Mistress of Madness, The Whimsical Herald