Monday, January 23, 2012

If You're in the Bay Area....!

it's me!

Come to my FIRST EVER book reading! (I might pass out or vomit, giving you just a hint of the antics to be found in the novella, actually...)

Here is the brief blurb about the event from Half Price Books:

Book Signing with Dayna Ingram
Join us on Friday, February 17 at 7 pm to meet author Dayna Ingram for a book reading and signing of her newly published zombie/horror novella Eat Your Heart Out. It's "a ridiculously entertaining novella" according to Publishers Weekly. Don't miss this chance to buy an autographed copy of her work. 50% of the proceeds will be donated to ARF, Tony LaRussa's Animal Rescue Foundation.


And here is the RIDICULOUSLY long press release I wrote because I've never done this before and sometimes the Internet is not the greatest teacher (but it means well):

Half Price Books to Host Zombie Reading

On February 17th, 2012, Half Price Books in Dublin will host a reading of Dayna Ingram’s zombie novella Eat Your Heart Out, released in December 2011 from BrazenHead, an imprint of Lethe Press. Fifty percent of all proceeds will be donated to ARF, Tony LaRussa’s Animal Rescue Foundation.

“Let’s face facts,” says author Dayna Ingram. “Dogs and cats are the real victims of a zombie apocalypse. They are either forsaken for shotguns in their owners’ desperately selfish attempt to keep themselves alive, or they are sacrificed—however misguidedly—to the undead hordes. We may not be able to do much for these helpless creatures in the Zombacolypse, but we can certainly help them now.”

Eat Your Heart Out is a breakneck tale of lesbians and zombies, opening on what promises to be another tediously annoying day at Ashbee's Furniture Outlet. Then the strip-mall calm of Nowhere, Ohio, is shattered by the sudden, simultaneous appearance of Renni Ramirez—hyper-competent star of the beloved Rising Evil B-movie franchise—and actual zombies, leaving Ashbee's hapless staff and Renni trapped behind an automatic door they can't lock. Can failed creative-writing student/apprentice store manager/eagle-eyed markswoman Devin escape the besieged furniture store to rescue her girlfriend? Will Renni's experience slaughtering motion-captured CGI monsters save the day before the army bombs the town? Once bitten, how many zombies can a person expect to take out before succumbing to infection? Who is the mysterious Deus Ex Machina, and what is he doing with that bone saw? All of these questions and more whisper behind the scream of the single most important thing Devin needs to know in order to survive: is Renni a top or a bottom?

In their starred review, Publishers Weekly calls Eat Your Heart Out, “a ridiculously entertaining novella….a no-holds-barred action-packed romp, filled with rich descriptions, detailed sensory input, sexy flirting, and zombie fighting in the best cult tradition.” EDGE Media Network raves, “It has the charm of an indie flick and the drive of a community theater production of Zombieland. It is extremely well written for its genre…and chock full of sarcastic humor and biting dialogue.”

Out author Dayna Ingram recently migrated to the Bay Area from Ohio in pursuit of her MFA at San Francisco State University. She started working for Half Price Books almost four years ago as part of her Antioch College undergrad co-op program. Eat Your Heart Out is based on true events from that one summer in ’08 when Michelle Rodriguez rode into town on her Harley and the two ladies fended off some zombies for the better part of an afternoon. That…that may have been a dream.

The reading will begin at 7pm, February 17th, followed by a signing, at Half Price Books, 7898 Dublin Blvd, Dublin, CA 94568. Come dressed as a zombie at your own risk!



ALSO ALSO ALSO

I need a real Author Photo that I didn't take with my shitty webcam. I know this.

Sunday, January 22, 2012

It's Like a UFO Sighting!

Sometime this past week, The Outer Alliance recorded a podcast (Podcasted?) of a "Queer SF&F" panel, where a buncha readers sat in a room and discussed queer science fiction and fantasy. Man, I wish I could've been in that room. But I kind of was, in spirit, because around the 57 minute mark an audience member asked for some lesbian horror recommendations, and two of the panelists (Melissa Scott and JoSelle Vanderhooft) recommended Eat Your Heart Out. JoSelle actually blurbed the book many months ago (so awesome!), and Melissa commented that she actually doesn't like zombie stories but she liked Eat Your Heart Out.

My book transcends your personal preferences!

Additionally, Eat Your Heart Out got a brief shout out from reviewer Peter Tennant of Black Static as a novella that impressed him in 2011.

Yay!

Zombies and lesbians, together at last.

Thursday, January 5, 2012

EDGE Reviews Eat Your Heart Out

My favorite line: "Despite sounding like clichéd fanfiction written by a horny devotee, "Eat Your Heart Out" is tender yet ruthlessly gruesome."

SPOILER ALERT! Might be best not to read this if you want some yummy surprises in the novella itself.



Eat Your Heart Out
by Katie Drexel
EDGE Contributor
Thursday Jan 5, 2012

Many an afternoon has been spent in idle repose by darling lesbians dreaming of being swept off their feet by an action heroine in a summer blockbuster. One would not be remiss if one guessed that notable lady-loving actress, Michelle Rodriguez, might be a common lead in these fantasy films. It should come to no surprise then that the B-actress making a cameo in Dayna Ingram’s,
"Eat Your Heart Out" is a dead ringer for Ms. Rodriguez. The book is dedicated to her after all.

Like many heroes in the zombie genre, protagonist Devin just wants to go to work, get through the day and go home to her hot girlfriend without too much hassle. Like any other hero in the zombie genre, Devin realizes quickly that this isn’t possible. With the help of stacked actress Renni Ramirez, Devin must save her co-workers, and her cheating girlfriend, Carmelle, from zombies, "pseudo" zombies and a militia of rogue zombie hunters before she can call it a day. Devin, our protagonist and self-antagonist, is the underdog that action movies simultaneously love and hate. She grew up on Nintendo war games, is an excellent shot but freezes mid-combat. We love her for her bravery but want to smack her for letting the team down. It’s no wonder that Renni falls deeply in love with her.

Despite sounding like clichéd fanfiction written by a horny devotee, "Eat Your Heart Out" is tender yet ruthlessly gruesome. This sweet zombie novella needs to be made into an A or B movie starring Ms. Rodriguez, right now. It has the charm of an indie flick and the drive of a community theater production of "Zombieland." It is extremely well written for its genre (without having to steal from a certain author whose name rhymes with Kane Bausten) and chock full of sarcastic humor and biting dialogue. But instead of a predictable hetero couple falling in love in the war zone, two lesbians embrace their mortality amid the smell of putrid flesh and find true lust.