Happy Mother’s Day My Undead Mother-in-law Free Excerpts! I’m giving you everything I have about this delightful, middle-aged, zombie woman with anger management issues. This is every excerpt I have on her throughout my seven-year career as a self-published author.
Here’s an info dump on Diane Newby, the undead mother-in-law.
My mother-in-law’s a zombie. And she has anger-management issues. My mother-in-law, Diane Newby, zombified by accident. She still volunteers at her church bake sales and cooks pot roast for her daughter and son-in-law, Ron Yardley. What ticks her off is when people don’t treat her like a normal human being—with glowing red eyes and super strength and speed. And if she doesn’t get her way, look out. She explodes and leaves broken plaster and body parts in her wake. Nothing stops her: not brick walls, the federal government, or middle-aged spread.
But the world’s most powerful criminal plans to control zombies. His only problem with zombies is that they have way too much free will. He has a solution for that. But will it work with Diane Newby? The world is divided into pro-zombie and anti-zombie factions. Battles break out everywhere. Which side will you take? Who will live and who will die? You might not survive this book. But at least you’ll die laughing.
My Story About Publishing Secret Supers – I covered my years publishing from 2016 to 2023 in my post Who Is Author Andy Zach? But I didn’t cover my Secret Supers series.
My Story About Publishing Secret Supers – How Secret Supers Began
My daughter has cerebral palsy and lives in an electric wheelchair. She lives independently in her own apartment for the past thirteen years.
After I’d published my Life After Life Chronicles, I wanted to try a new genre. She came to me and said, “Hey Dad. Why don’t you write a book about a flying wheelchair?”
That was a good idea, so I wrote Secret Supers. The main character is Jeremy, a seventh-grader with cerebral palsy. He’s a nerd who spends a lot of time in his lab downstairs doing scientific experiments. One experiment gave him a superpower: telekinesis. He could make objects move with his mind, including making his wheelchair fly.
His friends in the special ed class also got superpowers and they decided to fight crime in their town–while in seventh grade.
But enough from me. Here’s a recent review from a reader:
Jeremy has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair to get around. He is in a special education class with Dan, who is blind, Kayla, who was mute and used a walker, and Audrey, who lost her legs and uses crutches. One afternoon, when conducting experiments in his laboratory, Jeremy accidentally gives himself superpowers. Specifically, he gains the ability of telekinesis, which he can use to help himself walk, cause his wheelchair to travel at much higher speeds, and even fly. Not wanting to keep this discovery to himself, Jeremy tells his 3 friends about it and gives each of them superpowers as well. But now that they have superpowers, what should they do? Following the words of Uncle Ben of Spiderman, they decide they must use their powers for good, beginning by trying to solve a case of a stolen car, and keep their identities a secret, modeling their costumes on the Incredibles.
This book was a fun story that placed individuals with disabilities front and center in the story. While the superpowers allow them to do things they wouldn’t have been able to do otherwise, it is what they choose to do with their powers that makes all the difference. Also, even with their superpowers, their initial disabilities aren’t erased, which I think is important. I liked to development of the characters and how they interacted and supported each other; I only wish the book had been longer so I could have spent more time with them. I am glad that there’s a sequel already published, and I look forward to reading/listening to it.
My Story About Publishing Secret Supers – Villain’s Vacation
Villain’s Vacation cover
When you write a series, you want each book to be better than the one before it. How could I top four seventh-grade superheroes? In seventh-grade, I loved roller coasters. Why not have an adventure in a coaster park? So, that’s what I created with Villain’s Vacation. My Secret Supers team goes to a coaster park for summer vacation. And their worst enemy is there too, and out for revenge, in Villain’s Vacation.
“Villain’s Vacation” by Andy Zach, narrated by Michael Stafford, whisks you on a thrilling ride as four disabled seventh graders with superpowers take on Coaster World. The writing is as electrifying as their powers, keeping you glued to each twist and turn. Stafford’s narration brings each character to life, adding an extra layer of excitement to this action-packed adventure.
Secret Supers in Space audiobook cover. Click to listen.
Every trilogy needs at least three books. But what’s better than a coaster park setting? How about outer space? But how will I get them there? There is a space camp in Alabama. Why not send them there? And then . . . my readers will find out how they get to space. So I wrote Secret Supers in Space.
Here’s an audible review from 09-04-24:
Listener received this title free
Great sequel
I was given a free copy for an honest review. The story picks up shortly after the last one ended. The conversations early on give a nice recap of the previous stories. There is action, adventure, comedy, and even a little romance. This book has something for everyone and I recommend giving it a try.
I have more ideas than time to write–or speed in writing and publishing.
My current project is Magic Arrives. This will be my first fantasy book. All the others are science fiction, with a scientific basis for what happens, even if it isn’t any known science.
So, what’s it about? What if magic came to the Earth and everyone got magical powers? And what if no one knew how they’d work?
That’s the premise of book one. This’ll be a trilogy too–at least.
But what about Secret Supers? I definitely have plans for a fourth book. But how can I make it as interesting as the others? That’s my problem. I’ll accept suggestions here and give you a free ebook in return.
Other projects on the runway are: a devotional on the book of Psalms, another short story collection, a fairy tale, a graphic novel, and a children’s book. Which would you like to see?
Who is Author Andy Zach? – Some Free Audiobooks
Any newsletter subscriber gets free audiobook codes–as long as they last. Click here to get yours.Don’t wait!
Do you want an autographed book? I’ll mail it directly to you with free shipping and I pay the taxes! Click here to get yours right now.
Free Plotting Lessons Part Two – Just when you think you’ve learned all you can about plotting, then you discover F. This, of course, is a follow up to Free Plotting Lessons Here from author Andy Zach, my previous blog post.
What do you get? First, you learn about hooks.
Free Plotting Lessons Part Two from Author Andy Zach – Lesson 3 – Start with Your Hook
Doesn’t that set off questions? Who is Prim? Who is the narrator? What’s the ‘reaping’?
From the sublime (in terms of book sales) to the ridiculous: my own novel Zombie Turkeys hook.
Zombie Turkeys – Chapter 1 Bartonville
Zombie Turkeys Chapter 1 Icon
He felt different. More energetic, more alive. He bred with female after female in his flock without tiring. He stayed awake through the night. The turkey feared no predator.
Then a turkey hunter shot him.
The setting sun overlooked a crisp, clear evening in early November. South of Bartonville, Illinois, a farmer had leased his wood lot to two turkey hunters. Big and burly in their bulky camouflaged outfits, they had just bagged one.
“Good shot, Pete!”
“He’s a big ‘un!”
Pete and Bob walked up to the tom turkey, bleeding on the cold ground. The rest of the flock had scattered into the woods. He had exceptionally good plumage and weighed perhaps twenty pounds. Pete reached down and picked him up by the neck.
“He weighs at least twenty-five pounds!”
Then the turkey’s eyes opened—and gleamed red. He kicked with his spurs and pecked savagely at Pete’s arms and eyes. Dozens of his hens attacked the men from behind.
“Gobble! Gobble!”
He felt different. More energetic, more alive. The turkey had no memory of being shot, but a certain turkey satisfaction at killing his killers. He also enjoyed pecking at their dead meat. He had always liked frogs, but this meat tasted better. The boss turkey led his flock down the road, in search of more predators to eat.
Now you practice writing an irresistible hook! Submit it in the comments to this blog. The best hook gets a free ebook: Zombie Turkeys or My Undead Mother-in-law.
Free Plotting Lessons Second – Fill in your scenes
Each scene MUST serve a purpose.
Advance the plot: X does Y to Z.
Develop your characters. Make them real people with strengths and weaknesses: X is unfaithful but hardworking. Z is loyal but dumb.
Give the reader information. X was abused as a child, but very kind. Z was happy as a child, but has a secret. Engage the reader. Make them care.
Ideally, do all three at once in the same scene, in every sentence.
Finish with a hook for the next chapter. Force the reader to read the next chapter!
Review your plot outline. Pick one chapter and break it into scenes.
What happens first? Then what logically flows from that event? What do the characters do? How do they react? Portray the effects from each scene. Tug at the reader’s heart.
For your next exercise, break one of your chapters from your outline into scenes. Post your outline as a comment or send it to me. I’ll randomly select one and send you a free ebook.
I didn’t have a scene chart with Zombie Turkeys, and I struggled. Then I learned about scene charts from Rachel Aaron in her book:
