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The Best of 2024 Part 3 – Videos + Reviews

The Best of 2024 Part 3 – Videos + Reviews for The 6th Day of Christmas. These videos were my favorites and the reviews are of my favorite books! This is the third quarter of 2024! I’ve got the rest of 2024 over the next post.

If you’re looking for discounted books, go here. You’ll get my audiobooks for free and other books discounted with every newsletter.

The Best of 2024 Part 3 – Your First, Best Video

Just curious: how many of you are old enough to remember Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-in? Let me know in a comment or click here.

The Best of 2024 Part 3 – Did Jane Austen Make Any Money?

Jane Austen was self-published! Did she make any money?

The Best of 2024 Part 3 – Favorite Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Sequel

Produce Your Audiobook Secret Supers in Space
The Best of 2024 Part 3
Secret Supers in Space audiobook cover. Click to listen.

Warren

Reviewed in the United States on September 7, 2024

Verified Purchase

The book picks up shortly after the last one. Early conversations recap the previous events to bring you up to speed. The story has action, adventure, comedy, and even romance. With something for everyone I recommend giving it a try.

Get Secret Supers in Space for .99 – Here’s How

Chapter 13 Icon
The Best of 2024 Part 3
Chapter 13 Icon – Secret Supers Walking

This funny book will be on sale from January 5th to 12th Click right here to get your copy.

Or, you can get yourself a print copy here>>Click!

Get your audiobook here >>> Clickety!

Finally, get an autographed copy directly from me. Grab it now!

The Best of 2024 Part 3 – Reviews

The Best of 2024 Part 3

Andy Zach

Author 10 books

96 followers

December 12, 2024

Reading this little novella was as delightful as eating a bite of baklava. The heroine, Wanda, with her familiar dog/corgi Wumble, is a careful and diligent student of alchemy. She’s not rich like the talented fellow student Lenar, or highly learned like the teacher Alaroz. But she has almost a perfect memory and is exceedingly skillful at following directions. Further, through her bond with her dog, her sense of smell is highly acute, which is perfect for finding and preparing ingredients.

When preparing her first portion, she is totally absorbed in the process, and all else fades. When her product is evaluated, she finds she has highly undervalued herself–along with the teacher and the rest of the class.

You can read this little progressive fantasy in a single sitting. Enjoy your bite of sweetness.

Thirty Gifts for you!

Here are twenty-nine gifts for the twenty-four days of Advent and the six days of Christmas–so far!

Half of Your Gifts!

Claim your free books from me by clicking here! Which ones? Most of them!

The Best of 2024 – Videos!

What happens when you mix Claymation’s Wallace and Grommet with Star Wars? Hilarity!

One more quarters of 2024 to go! I’ve got more gifts for you for the next six days of Christmas!

Questions? Comments? Let me know by clicking here or email me at [email protected]

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The Best of 2024 Part 2 – Videos and More

Retief! By Keith Laumer

The Best of 2024 Part 2 – Videos and More for The 5th Day of Christmas. These videos were my favorites that I sent out to my newsletter group. This just the second quarter of 2024! I’ve got the rest of 2024 over the next 2 blog posts.

If you’re looking for discounted books, go here. You’ll get my audiobooks for free and other books discounted with every newsletter.

The Best of 2024 Part 2 – Your First, Best Video

Enjoy listening to Star Wars Cantina Band as if it were written by JS Bach.

†

The Best of 2024 Part 2 – Another Video!

Here you get to see one of the earliest color movies from 1930. And you’ll get the Rhapsody in Blue.

The Best of 2024 Part 2 – Reviews Not a typical zombie story!

Zombie Detective cover
The Best of 2024 Part 2
Zombie Detective cover

Overall    5 out of 5 stars

Performance    5 out of 5 stars

Story    5 out of 5 stars

Listener received this title free

Based on the title and the cover, I originally thought the detective was going to be a zombie back in the 30s or 40s. That wasn’t the case, but it was still a hilarious amateur detective story and I loved the absurdity of it all.

It’s a short read (or listen, since I listened to the audiobook), but is packed with Sam in crazy situations with all sorts of zombies. His string of good luck is as unlikely as the conundrums he finds himself involved in, but somehow it works for him.

Phil Blechman was the perfect choice for Sam’s character. Lauren Testerman did a great job channeling Lisa, the poor woman who has to manage Sam and all his antics.

Get Zombie Detective for .99 – Here’s How

Kindle Publishing
The Best of 2024 Part 2
Sam Melvin, Zombie Detective

This funny book will be on sale from January 5th to 12th Click right here to get your copy.

Or, you can get yourself a print copy here>>Click!

Get your audiobook here >>> Clickety!

Finally, get an autographed copy directly from me. Grab it now!

The Best of 2024 Part 2 – Reviews

Retief by Keith Laumer
The Best of 2024 Part 2

Andy Zach

Author 10 books

96 followers

April 24, 2024

Delightful! I’ve been a Keith Laumer fan since the 70s. ‘Retief’s War’ was contained in here and I re-read it for the first time in 40 years. It’s still a funny look at diplomacy and interstellar, inter-species politics–while also commenting on human politics.

But, in addition to this overdue re-read, there were a plethora of short stories, most of which I had never read before. Some were laugh-out-loud funny and others made me smile, but all were good.

I still say: start reading Laumer with Retief’s War.

Twenty-Nine Gifts for you!

Here are twenty-nine gifts for the twenty-four days of Advent and the five days of Christmas–so far!

Half of Your Gifts!

Claim your free books from me by clicking here! Which ones? Most of them!

The Best of 2024 – Videos!

Here’s the best dancer you’ve never heard of:

Two more quarters of 2024 to go! I’ve got more for the next seven days of Christmas!

Questions? Comments? Let me know by clicking here or email me at [email protected]

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Paranormal Privateers Is Your Wildest Ride — Get Your Excerpt

Paranormal Privateers Is Your Wildest Ride–Get Your Free Excerpt! Why am I giving you this? It’s one of my favorite books. It’s my most complex and surprising. Please try it. And I’ve already given you seven gifts for Advent. This is the 8th.

  1. Advent Day 1 – Get Your Free Copy of Secret Supers on Advent Day 1

2. Advent Day 2 – Grab Villain’s Vacation for 67% Off, For Advent Day 2

4. Advent Day 4 –Three Free Excerpts from Three Secret Supers Books – Advent 4

5. Advent Day 5 – Get Your Free Copy of My Most Popular Book–Advent Day 5

6. Advent Day 6 – Three Free Zombie Detective Excerpts – Advent 6

7. Advent Day 7 –Meet My Undead Mother-in-law My Gift for Advent 7

Paranormal Privateers Is Your Wildest Ride – Why?

So what is it about and why do I like it? I give you a free sample below. It’s in a unique humorous zombie hero genre.

Happy Mother's Day
Paranormal Privateers All About
Diane Newby, in her natural environment.

But let’s start at the beginning: My Undead Mother-in-law, introduces the Newbys, a zombie family. The son, Don Newby, shows up in Zombie Turkeys. The family, led by the matriarchal undead mother-in-law Diane Newby, fights for zombie rights and any criminals that cross their paths. It helps that my zombies regenerate from injuries and get stronger each time.

This leads to Paranormal Privateers where the President has given them a letter of marquis to fight as privateers on behalf of the United States. They’re given assignments that are too dangerous or sensitive for the US to intervene directly. For example: they fight Somalian pirates in Somalia.

There are a ton of villains in the book (at least five). I have a whole post about them here: Meet My Villains from Paranormal Privateers. Plus, my book’s is on sale. My book is .99 from January 5th until January 12th, 2025. Merry Christmas! Get your copy by clicking here.

Paranormal Privateers Is Your Wildest Ride – Who’s Who

George Newby
Zombies Versus Aliens i
George Newby, a wide-body zombie.

A heavy tread down the stairs announced George Newby. His eyes shone red too, but while Diane was built like a middle-aged woman, George was a classic wide-body. His shoulders filled the stairway. You’d think he was a truck driver or a lineman rather than an accountant.

“Hi, Karen. Hi, Ron,” he rumbled. He hugged his daughter, as if he held a baby bird, and shook my hand without hurting me in his bratwurst fingers. His bright red eyes looked squarely into mine.

George and Diane are also on the back cover of Paranormal Privateers.

Buy it here!

“Sharon Windham – tall blonde bodyguard from England. “Her eyes shone bright red under a broad brow, with blonde eyelashes and a square chin. She could be a marble idol from a Greek temple. A zombie goddess”–from Paranormal Privateers

She was a former crime lord bodyguard who switched alliegiance to Diane Newby. Former Crossfit athlete, model, and competitive swimmer.. She deamt of becoming a UN translator. She speaks 11 languages: English, French, German, Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, Chinese, Korean, Arabic, Hebrew, Greek, and Russian. Trained in katana, nunchuks, and naginata.

My original character description I created before I wrote Paranormal Privateers.

Meet Lulu Guitierrez

Zombies Versus Aliens

Darkly beautiful bodyguard from Acapulco Mexico. 5′ 4″ Former cliff diver and rock climber. Former crime lord bodyguard, now protecting Diane Newby. Former MMA fighter and bodybuilder. Trained in katana, nunchuks, and naginata.

This is my character description I created before I wrote Paranormal Privateers.


Excerpt from Paranormal Privateers – Synthia

I examined my cell methodically. A drainpipe, two inches in diameter. A toilet. A hard bed. A steel door with hinges on the outside. I’d probably need to escape from somewhere other than this cell. Once they established a routine with my interrogation, I’d look for escape routes.

I chuckled to myself. Synthia Smith was my true name, in the sense it matched my birth certificate and other current identification. Before Synthia Smith, I was Rachel Rathbone, and before that Quinella Quincy, and so on, through the alphabet. My earliest memory was a toddler named Betty Botter. I had to be cute and pick pockets. Who knew what my original name was? Changing identities was a standard procedure for me with each new assignment.

This had been my most challenging operation, and I’d almost pulled it off. Those damn zombies! Had I blown up Harrods, the demands for billions in exchange for each national landmark’s safety would have been credible.

They had no idea of the bigger picture—and they wouldn’t get it. My terrorist cover story was completely true, but neither the terrorists nor Scotland Yard knew they were merely a means to an end. It was the truth: total subjugation of the United Kingdom was a reasonable goal for one like me, a child of the world’s greatest criminal.

I knew more about Papa Smith, my ostensible grandfather, than any of my siblings. I think I actually touched his feelings as a loving granddaughter, and I believe he shared more with me than with any of his other crime-lord grandchildren. Of course, he might be manipulating me, just as I tried to manipulate him. That was the most reasonable assumption, especially if we were actually related.

What Is Paranormal Privateers All About? – Synthia Smith, Part 2

Paranormal Privateers All About

Regardless, I felt fond of him. When I overthrew him and took over his crime empire, I thought I’d keep him alive. I enjoyed our talks via our secured video line. When he’d shared Sid Boffin’s failure with me, I clapped in delight as he praised me for staying in touch with him. I think that was genuine emotion and not an act. It was hard to tell sometimes.

A motion on the floor caught my eye as I sat on the bed. A cockroach crawled up the drain and onto the floor. Surprising. Usually, Britain kept their prisons pest-free. Then another. Then a dozen more. And then, hundreds.

This was not normal cockroach behavior. They did not come into the light in hordes. I sat cross-legged on the bed and watched the swarm with fascination. They climbed the door, walked its steel perimeter, and went back down the drain as others came up.

Curious, I nabbed one using my lightning reflexes. Examining it, I saw a metal dot under its thorax and a narrow tube attached to its abdomen. A pungent, acidic smell came from the tube. I looked back to the door. The acid ate a narrow trench in the door’s perimeter, right where the cockroaches still marched. Near the ceiling light, I saw mist curl away from the door.

Synthia Smith, Part 3

Meet My Villains from Paranormal Privateers
Paranormal Privateers All About

Modified and controlled cockroaches—like Sid Boffin’s cyborg-controlled animals. I’d read his Ph.D. paper as well as the Midley Beacon‘s declassified reports on his battles with the zombies. Since Sid was dead at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico, this could only be one of my siblings or Papa Smith trying to rescue me.

Using my perfect memory of the twists and turns when they’d led me here hooded, counting my steps, and remembering the doors, I was confident I could retrace the route.

The last of the cockroaches marched around the door, leaving its trail of acid. They etched the door perhaps a centimeter deep. Couldn’t be much left.

I knocked on the door. Yes, it felt like a centimeter thick, and it echoed like it was almost cut through. Then someone knocked back, much harder.

“I’m here!” I called. I assumed this was my rescuer.

“Step back,” grated a curious, tinny voice, like it was coming through a small radio.

I stepped away.

CLUMP! CLUMP! Two metallic thunks hit the other side of the door. Then, SKREERK! The door tore off like the lid of a tin of meat.

I didn’t expect what I saw. A male silverback gorilla filled the doorway and the whole hallway beyond. Thick armor covered his body. Casually, he placed the door scrap against the hall.

“Follow me,” he said.


Paranormal Privateers Is Your Wildest Ride – What Readers Say

Action, humor, refreshing zombies; Yes please!

Top 7 Science Stories
Paranormal Privateers cover

5.0 out of 5 stars 

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 1, 2022

This series is the first I have read of Andy Zach’s and I am glad I picked it up! The series continues with lots of action, characters continue to be developed, humor, and the zombies are still not mindless shells ambling around awaiting an axe to the head. Still a refreshing take on zombies as a whole. I look forward to what Andy writes next! Audio Version: Phil Blechman and Raven Perez do a great job with their respective characters and the overall narration.

Nemesis

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SciFi Fuel Paranormal Privateers
The cover of my third novel Paranormal Privateers. Click to get yours.

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