Amusia

A story of music and what hides inside it

David Cleary had been the host of “Cleary the Classics” on KCPR for almost twenty-five years…until a stroke took him down like a hammer. Now music – any music – sounds hideous to him. It fills his ears with screeching and grinding – harsh, cruel, ugly sounds – and worse: something more. Whenever that awful music plays, David hears something beneath – or maybe between – the howling and clashing. He hears…words. Feelings. Thoughts. Thoughts of the people who created, performed and even listened to that music. And just today, he heard the thoughts of one person in particular. So

meone who is coming for him. Someone who will hurt him and his family

Is it just the stroke? Just his own brain betraying him? Maybe he is simply going mad one note at a time.

Or maybe…he’s not.

From Brad: In the last few years, I’ve had the huge pleasure of working with my old teacher and lifelong mentor Bruce McAllister, a friend and colleague and even a landlord at various times over the last fifty years. Some of the short stories we’ve written have been published here and there; this one – based on a real neurological condition – remains one of my favorites. And there may be an audio version of it soon.

The Rain Triptych

Rain isn’t a trilogy, exactly. It’s a horror-action-monster-thriller in three parts – three books that tell intertwined stories about a single, devastating three-day period in a small desert town where it never rain, at all, until one day the clouds roll in and open up and it pours. It pours…and it won’t stop. 

The streets flood. Buildings collapse. Thousands drown. For the first twenty-four hours, the few survivors of Dos Hermanos, California, struggle to escape…or just to stay alive. There were 3,721 people in Dos Bros on Thursday. By saturday there ae\reless than 200.

Then…things begin to come out of the rain. Eyeless, skinless, razor-edged creatures in a thousand different shapes and sizes – some as big as a house, some as small as a tumor. They share only one thing: an unquenchable hunger to kill anything that moves.

In thirty-six hours, it will all be over…and most of those citizens of Dos Bros will be dead. And as the storm grows and the creatures creep from every shadow and structure, surging out of the storm, the same questions are asked over and over: Who will live? Who will die? And who will learn  the secrets hiding inside the rain?

Here is just a hint of what happens in each book:

Creatures of the Storm

A handful of extraordinary people will fight the monsters hiding inside the storm. Some may even survive.

• A software genius with a broken spirit and his bitter, street-smart daughter

• A grieving, slightly mad scientist who may be the only one who knows what’s really happening

• An angry, resentful researcher, obsessed with a woman who can barely stand the sight of hiim, who gladly abandons his humanity to become something more…and something far worse.

All three books of the Triptych happen in parallel, over a terrifying three-day period that begins with the first drops of rain and ends with the death of Dos Hermanos itself. The stories twine together – and sometimes, as we see here, end all too soon, like the stroke of a secret knife.

From Brad: The ‘software genius,’ his brave AI, and his smart-ass daughter remain my favorite characters in the entire Triptych, including the daughter who I made up long before my own smart-ass daughters arrived. And that “angry, resentful researcher” is based on every righteously bad-tempered teacher and mentor I’ve ever had, though I end up treating her very poorly. She deserved better. Not my fault.

Voices of the Storm

Some new and different survivors – surviving for the moment, at least – appear in Voices, while other survivors barely glimpsed in the other books take center stage, in a whole new set of stories about the horror and heroism that hides inside the rain. In Voices, you’ll meet:

• • A beautiful, desperate young woman who will do anything – anything – to escape the drowning city and return to her baby son…even if that means killing whatever or whoever gets in her way

  • A bar full of brave and desperate drunks who would rather die than leave their dive, and end up fighting monsters as thry drift to their deaths

  • A terrified Latino family who confront – and come to worship – a terrifying new god that is born out of the storm

The size and shape of the creatures that come out of the rain are infinitely varied. The bone spiders that kill with a single stroke are nothing like the skeletal worm that nearly destroys the bar, and both are entirely different form the churning, poisonous spindles that eat one sad and lonely man from the inside out. The monsters change with every hour that passes…but they never stop coming.

From Brad: Only one character appears front-and-center in more than one of the books, in a set of stories that – I think – make a horrible kind of sense taken separately or together. Jennifer, the unwed mother with a steel spine, has proven to be the most popular character in the entire Triptych, and for good reason. I’ve been lucky enough to know a few woman who could easily become this amazing character…if they had to. I wonder what happens to her next?

Secrets of the Storm

In the first chapter of Creatures, we met a woman we never see again…at least not until now, when her own unique and terrifying story is told in two distinct and harrowing parts that introduce even more characters, and show us the fate of others we may have met elsewhere. The connections keep growing, but the rain never ends, even as we meet:

• A team of doctors and nurses in Dos Hermanos’ only urgent care, relentlessly trying to protect their dying town even as their own deaths draws closer with every hour. And it’s a death that could come from the creatures or from their own maddened, murderous kind
• Teachers and parents trapped in a public school that is slowly being destroyed by the flood, who make a desperate effort to escape the flooding valley before it’s too late. Though perhaps it already is
• A dangerous man who runs into the the storm rather than escapes it, obsessed with a mysterious mission that will change – and possibly end – the lives of innocent survivors … including the people he once loved

From Brad: The Triptych was written, and rewritten, and RE-rewritten, over the course of a number of difficult years. One section of this book was written long after the others , and returning to Dos Bros a decade later turned out to be just as terrifying as those first trips years before. Also, that prom queen who takes over the mall and becomes a slaughtering monster all her own may be the scariest creature in the whole damn series. Which is why I love her so…and why I still can’t visit what few malls still remain in America.

Z.A. Recht’s Morningstar Strain, Books 4 to 6: the second and final trilogy

A long time ago, Z.A. Recht wrote a ground-breaking zombie-apocalypse trilogy, one of the first. It, along with a few others, set the stage for this ever-expanding genre. But Zach died before the third book in the original trilogy was complete.

I was lucky enough to be invited by Permuted Press to continue the story of The Morningstar Strain years after the first trilogy was completely published. It gave me a chance to expand his world and to provide his best-loved characters with the endings or extensions – happy or otherwise – that they deserved, while opening up the world he had created to a future of new possibilities. Lovers of The Walking Dead, Night of the Living Dead, 28 Days Later and the rest, as well as fans of military thrillers and survivalist stories, will enjoy this surprising new take on the legendary world that Z.A. Recht created.

I was originally contracted by Permuted Press to write all three books of this second trilogy, but for a whole lot of very real but very boring reasons, I was unable to actually write the middle book in the series. But before I stepped back – only temporarily, as it turned out – I supplied Permuted with a detailed chapter-by-chapter outline for all three books – Healers, Hunters, and Heroes. I will be forever grateful to Dawn Peers for stepping up and writing the second book, and I list all three here because once you get started, you really should read all three, no matter who wrote what.

Healers

(Morningstar Strain #4)

The world is just beginning to recover from the zombie apocalypse brought on by The Morningstar Strain…when a new – and possibly intentional – outbreak threatens all the recovery work of the survivors and triggers a tragic and violent struggle between two very different Americas. Can the few survivors of the first Morningstar trilogy, along with new and formidable allies, save the world from the undead and from an all-too-human fascist future? It may very well be the war to end all wars…and the end of humanity itself.

From Brad: Though this was my first cut at zombie fiction, it was far from my last, and I’d been deep in the subgenre as a fan and follower for years before I hooked up with Permuted Press. The company has changed completeliy since this second trilogy was published; apparently Healers is now officially out of print, though it looks as if the ebook and audiobook are still available. This is a pretty ‘linear’ story, unlike the Rain Triptych, so if you want to see my take on what ultimately happens in Z.A. Recht’s world, start here and read all three volumes in order.

By the way, the audiobooks for all three are performed by the amazing Oliver Wyman, who has an astonishing portfolio of brilliant audiobooks where he performs the best work of true icons, like Frank Herbert, Frederick Pohl, Christopher Moore and many more. I had absolutely nothing to do with getting this living legend to read my books, but… damn, was I lucky.

Heroes

(Morningstar Strain #6)

The world ended four years ago when the zombie virus killed billions. Now, with a vaccine in place, humanity can begin again. Or can it?

The Morningstar Strain created two different, equally deadly forms of zombie: the raging, fast sprinters and the relentless, undead shamblers. Because of Dr. Demillio’s astonishing vaccine, sprinters have all but disappeared; becaue of the heroes of Omaha, the evil humans dedicated to death and chaos have been defeated as well.

But the worst is yet to come. A new breed of the undead is rising. A mutant version of the Morningstar Strain has appeared and birthed a sprinter who can think – and can lead the billions of shamblers still plaguing the world to a terrible victory.

It’s time for a whole new breed of human hero to rise: men and women who have survived the end of the world and are ready to fight to the death to reinvent a better world…one finally free of the Morningstar Strain.

The final battle is just beginning. But is it the beginning of the end?

From Brad: For some mysterious reason, the audiobook version of this one, last volume is sold separately. Check out the buttons below.

When I first took on this assignment from Permuted, I knew I was biting off way more than I could chew…but that was nothing new for me. What I didn’t know is that, for all its ups and downs, Morningstar changed my life and made me an involuntary expert, fan, and aficionado of all things zombie. Still am. And even now, I’m pretty satisfied with the way things turned out from Zach’s world, and I’m happy to say there are plenty of reviews here and there that seem to agree with me. That’s good to know. Now…on to other worlds!

WolfCop: Fleshmob

Did you like WolfCop? Of course you did. Everybody did. Well, here’s a completely new and different WolfCop adventure – not an adaptation of the movie or its sequel – authorized by the creators and crammed full of weird action, boozy brawls, and the strongest eldritch warrior-woman you’ll find west of Ripley herself. It’s one more story in the cult grunge-horror movie hit that just won’t go away.

This time: there’s been a massacre at Woodhaven Mall…but it looks like the shoppers did the killing themselves, instantly and unexpectedly overwhelmed by the mall’s own Muzak that slipped into their ears, infected their minds, and turned them into a homicidal flashmob.

What drove them murderously mad? And how can WolfCop find the assholes that did it, and make sure it doesn’t happen again?

Entirely against his will (as usual), Lou Garou investigates…and it sends him on a crazed cross-country adventure unlike any other. Along the way he hooks up with a sexy Extreme Wiccan with the unlikely name of Isadora Tree, and all too soon they find themselves under attack by a seemingly endless stream of redneck thugs and musically enchanted zombies. And as if that isn’t bad enough…the moon is waxing, and Lou is growing more wolfish every day.

No doubt: things are about to get really weird.

It’s the best werewolf-action-thriller you’ll read this week – guaranteed! Basically the best WolfCop movie that never got made!

From Brad: This may be the most fun I ever had writing “licensed” material (and trust me, I’ve written way too much). For reasons I can’t explain, Permuted Press only printed a few copies of the paperback version of this mini-masterpiece (ahem), and I may have one of the few that still survives, but it’s still available in e-book form, and even though I don’t make a dime on it, do yourself a favor: if you’re a WolfCop fan, or love comedy/horror/action/adventure in general, this is for you. Enjoy! (And I wish like hell I could write The Further Adventures of Isadora Tree, but such is the curse they call ‘work for hire’!)

The Jack Dorsey Way 

Greater Health, More Energy, A Longer Life: What the Founder of Twitter Has Discovered, And How It Can Work

In one of my other lives, I write a lot – a lot – about health and wellness, and spend a significant amount of time trying to combat the endless tide of misinformation about your health and chronic disease. Some time ago, I had a chance to pull that accidental expertise to use in a book grouped around the…challenging…ideas that Jack Dorsey, foumder and then-owner of Twitter, espoused.

What is the Jack Dorsey Way? He claims his unique regimen helps him achieve and maintain top performance—physically, mentally, and spiritually. And you have to ask yourself: can his approaches work for you?

In this smart, specific, and practical guide, you’ll learn what Jack Dorsey does, why it works, and how you can use his innovative tactics in your own life – even if you’re not a billionaire. You’ll learn about topics such as:

• • Meditating twice a day

  • Walking to work

  • High-intensity interval training (HIIT)

  • Saunas and ice baths (including starting the day with an ice-cold bath)

  • Standing desks and near-infrared rays

  • Eating one meal per day

  • Daily supplements

  • Weekend fasts

  • Sleep monitoring

  • Journaling

You’ll learn a powerful approach to mindfulness: paying attention to what you do, what you eat, and how you treat yourself, the people around you, and the world you live in. This is an approach that has changed Jack Dorsey’s life for the better…and it can do the same for you.

From Brad: I have to tell you, this was a challenge to write. About a third of what Dorsey believes is based on pure faith (and there’s nothing wrong with that) and/or junk science (and there’s plenty wrong with that). And though the info here is now a few years old, much of what it talks about is basic science and mass-marketing shenanigans that hasn’t changed at all. One of these days, I’d like to get back to these subjects and others like them and return to the world of debunking, but at the moment…you can use this book, still in print and available, to learn more about the Jack Dorsey of old, what he believed, and what may actually help you lead a long and healthy life.

The Mad Throne

Connor, a B-level TV star, was living the dream. He had somehow talked his way into starring in the newest Broadway interpretation of Hamlet. He’d even learned stage combat and swordplay for the role. And then on opening night, after a little too much drinking and recreational sex, he woke up..,to find himself trapped in a weirdly twisted medieval world, inhabiting the body of a renegade knight on the run from the Powers That Be, who wanted to capture him and force him be their king…against his will. It’s a story set in a world of almost-dragons, sabertooth tiger-bears, and knights in armor that doesn’t quite shine, populated by a growing entourage of odd allies, including a warrior woman named Thunderthighs. And worse: Connor soon discovers he’s not the only involuntary refugee from modern Earth. There are all sorts of other ‘transfers’ – including many friends and enemies – who are stuck in other people’s bodies, just as he is. As he runs and fights and runs again, only one thing is clear: he can’t trust anyone.

All Connor wants to do is get back home, back to Broadway and minor fame. Instead, he’s the unwilling leader of a rebellion in a world he never wanted…and may never escape!

From Brad: The Mad Throne is a light, slightly goofy action-adventure that’s more sword than sorcery. It was also my first novel, written a few months after I finished college, that on rereading starts out pretty good (for a first-timer) and ends very badly. I’ve toyed with taking on a major rewrite, if only to fix that crappy-ass ending, but… good Lord, I wrote it over forty-five years ago. Maybe best to let sleeping dogs lie. But it’s still out there, still listed on my Amazon page. Even now there are copies available on ebay for just a few bucks. The links will take you there…

Be kind. I was young, it was dark, I was drunk.