': Tam's Two Cents; Interview, Review and Giveaway.

Solstice: a novel of the Zombie Apocolypse

Donna Burgess

On the eve of winter Solstice, a massive flash envelopes the Earth and then there is nothing. The sun no longer shines and civilization is plunged into unending darkness. Those exposed to the mysterious flash have changed—they have become bloodthirsty, cunning, and determined to devour anyone who is not infected.
They are Ragers.
In Sweden, uneasy travelers Tomas an architect, his young son, Christopher, and university student Melanie, hear a broken broadcast. There is hope. Something called Sanctuary waits, but it is thousands of miles away, somewhere on the shores of the British Isles.
Meanwhile, in a London supermarket, Stu, a high school English teacher from the States finds himself stranded along with a handful of students on a senior trip. Outside, hoards of hungry Ragers await, ready to tear them limb from limb. Their only hope is to find Sanctuary.
Solstice is a tale of hope, terror, survival, and finding love at the end of the World. *amazon.com*

A real life, honest to goodness, Zombie book! YES!!

My two favorite types of books are Dystopian and Zombie; I especially enjoy a good zombie book; this was a great zombie book with a dystopian twist!

Burgess unfolds such an interesting post apocolyptic world for us, you are drawn in more and more with every page as you learn about these blood thirsty zombies in a human shell (Ragers). Another aspect of this book that I enjoyed was the justification; how these "Ragers" came to be. They also retained their human memories, locked up somewhere in their psychotic mind, but still there in the forefront. Then we have the human aspect of the story with our characters like Melanie and Tomas, Stu and Tana, adding to the gravity of the situation at hand and delving into the 'how far would you go to survive'? To ensure the survival of and to protect the ones you loved? How far is too far, is that even a question in this type of situation.

This is a very dark, bloody, dystopian world Burgess has created and I thouroughly enjoyed it. I rate this book 4/5.. But that's just My Two Cents!

So, I had to have a little more insight into the mind behind Solstice. Donna graciously accepted my request for an interview, without furhter adu, here is my Interview with Author Donna Burgess (contest details to follow)...

*Tell me a bit about yourself.

I'm a wife (of nearly 22 years!) and mother to a twenty-two year-old daughter and a ten year-old son. I just finished college, after all these years, with dual degrees in English and Journalism. I plan to attend grad school in the autumn. I'd really like to teach in some capacity, so we'll see what the future holds. When I'm not writing or studying, I'm either playing soccer, surfing or painting.

*Where were you born and where do you call home?

I was born in Greenville, SC, but have lived in Pawleys Island, SC for the past 16 years. Pawleys Island is definitely home. It's the best place to live and raise kids. I wouldn't dream of going somewhere else.

*What was your inspiration for Solstice?

Well, I'm a real horror freak, so I wanted to try zombies, but with a twist. Also, I wanted to come up with what would be the worst possible scenario--at least to me. Cold and darkness had to be it--I'm such a summertime, sunny day person. I get cold when the temp drops below 65 degrees!

*For those who are unfamiliar with your novel; Solstice, A Zombie Novel of Apocalypse, how would you introduce it?

I would tell them it's "28 Days Later" with a dash of "Dawn of the Dead" thrown in. In addition, we have a road trip through hell. I hope those components are enhanced by my characters. I wanted some everyday people thrown into horrific situations. As much as we'd love to think we'd react like Rambo if the world went to Hell, I imagine most of us would actually run away like one of the Three Stooges. I know I would, if I ever encountered a Rager!

* Your storyline for the “Ragers" is Fantastic! What research did you do to come up with the finished story? Or, was it a fantastical idea??

I had been reading about and researching solar storms and coronal mass ejections, or CME, for a year or so before deciding to write Solstice. As for the Ragers, they developed into a more zombie-like creature because I knew zombies were and are really popular. At first, I imagined them to be more like the vampires in "I am Legend" (the novel--not the movie). Incidentally, I had a great storyline featuring a Rager named Mick. Mick was a washed-up rockstar who ended up becoming a Rager when he was attacked by his infected son. I had a number of scenes from Mick's point of view, but it just didn't jive with where the rest of the story was going. I'm holding onto Mick's scenes, though, in case I do a sequel. For some reason, I love writing the villain's scenes. My first novel, "Darklands," is a testament to that.

*What was the first thing you did when you got the news Solstice was being published?

I'd considered going the traditional route, sending the manuscript out and waiting for months to see if there were any takers. But, in the end, I really like the control I'm able to keep with Indie publishing. I'm happy with sales and hope it continues to build with each novel I release.

*Whom in your life would you say has influenced you the most?

I'm not sure anyone has really influenced me to write. My family has been extremely supportive with it, however. I'm lucky. Whether it's writing or art or even baking, my family backs me up.

*What has been the most interesting comment (or review) about your book?

I've gotten so many positive comments regarding this novel. I see mentions of the characters most often, so I feel I struck a chord my creating likable, realistic characters. I hope readers see a little of themselves within my characters.

*Who is YOUR favorite Author?

Stephen King will always be my main man. I read a lot of great authors--Caitlin Kiernan, Conrad Williams, Joel Lane, Neil Gaiman, Ray Bradbury, Richard Matheson, Peter Straub, the list goes on.

*What are you reading right now?

I'm reading Susan Beth Pfeffer's "Life as We Knew It" series. I devoured "This is Not a Test" by Courtney Summers a few weeks ago. I never realized YA could be so effective, but I'll be reading more of it, now. I'm also really enjoying the "As The World Dies" series by Rhiannon Frater. She's such a talented writer, so I'm happy to have discovered her books.

Let the festivities begin! Up for grabs are 7 (YES SEVEN) prize packs!

THE Prize Pack: 1 Signed copy of Solstice + 1 TamsBookBlog book thong

Prize Pack: 1 Signed copy of Solstice

5 runner ups: 1 ebook copy of Solstice

This giveaway is International as well (Thank you so very much Donna Burgess!)

Please complete all required entries or your entries won't count. Winner has 24 hours to claim their prize or forfiet! Good luck guys!!

Be sure to check out all things Donna http://donnaburgess.com/