Turning Pages Flash Fiction contest

I remember what my life was like before the Zombie Apocalypse hit.  I was 8 years old, a happy normal kid, playing my X box 360 and killing it, rolling through the games levels like a pro.  Then the window broke in the living room. I heard the animal like breathing of a predator.  An animal that had been a human had entered our home and was now hunting me.  Intense fear consumed me and the next thing I recall is I am one of them, the bitten, and infected.  The hunger is consuming now, and I search for new prey always…searching aching and hungry.  Somehow through the fog in my Zombie mind I recognize it is nearly Christmas.  Happy memories flood my mind.  Memories of my parents and the puppy I called Rex that Santa left me on my sixth birthday.  An anguished roar of pain escapes me.  I am ashamed of what I have become.  I search for a place to hide and escape this season.  Merry Christmas?  Hardly a possibility given I am now a Zombie hunting all that I was.  Hungry for human flesh, I hide in the basement of this ancient and abandoned house hoping that the memories will fade of what my life was like before…. Before the hunger infected my mind.

It is Christmas Eve now and I have stayed hidden now in the basement of this abandon mansion, for nearly a week.  Others have joined me, we sway back and forth in the dark. Moaning, and reeling in pain of the memories we have of what our lives once were before the infection took us.  The cold is unbearable, but not nearly as difficult to tolerate as the constant hunger.  Nothing seems to make that pain go away.  The night is long and the bitter cold bites us as we sway, back and forth back and forth.  Outside I can faintly hear the wind blowing and somehow through the Zombie fog in my brain I realize it is snowing.  Christmas eve and it is snowing.  In my past life I would have been elated at a white Christmas.  I am not happy now.  Angry and hungry is all I feel, angry for being forgotten, bypassed by the hope I used to know and feel.  It is all gone now, everything gone.  I snarl a loud evil Zombie cry of anguish at all that I have lost.  The other zombies around me feel my rage and loss and also cry out, we are instantly transformed into a chorus of the undead.  Howling and angry at the world for our loss.

A thud loudly echoes through the House and we all stop our cries in an instinctive collective moment.  Like birds turning instinctively in the wind changing direction for no apparent reason we collectively turn and listen to the night.  THUD again there it is.  The madness of our infection drives us to action, we pour out of the basement and the darkness flowing up the stairway in a collective mass of predatory starving Zombie horde.  One thing is driving our actions; Hunger, incredible hunger.

Searching the home for our prey we hear another loud thud.  AAAAUUUGGH we cry out as one.  A mass of evil starving undead formerly human beings searches the home for the cause of the thud.  We search room to room, as methodically as our Zombie infected minds are able.  Finally we come to the huge Main living room.  There is a fire roaring in the fireplace, I feel warmth vaguely my mind recalls the comfort that heat used to provide.  There are bright colorful lights that hurt my eyes and I snarl and waive my arms at the pain they cause.  I realize the others Zombies are snarling as well at the brightness.  Slowly the pain recedes and I begin to be able to focus me eyes on the lights.  The impossibility of what I am seeing stops me dead in my tracks. The hunger was driving my madness, but even it has taken a back seat to the sight in front of me.  We all stop our Zombie screaming, howling, and moaning as we stare.  It is a tree in the middle of the abandon living room and not just any tree, a brightly lit Christmas tree.  Our Zombie minds are overwhelmed with the sight.  Memories surge forward of what we were, what out lives had been, all that we took for granted.  I feel tears starting to flow and looking from zombie face to zombie face I see that I am not the only one so affected by the sight of the bright and colorful tree.  For what felt like forever we stood and absorbed the beauty of the tree, somehow we had missed there was a small package in the middle of the floor.  No one moved we just stared at it.  Finally I stepped forward and clumsily got down on my zombie knees, starting to pull off the ribbon and wrapping paper.  I opened the package.  THUD the sound again.  No one moved, not one zombie moaned or turned to hunt our potential prey.  For a moment we were fixed on the open box, lost in the memories of where we had been who we had been before the infection hit.  For that brief moment we were human again.  THUD again and then “Merry Christmas” rang out through the cold bitter air.  Bells and the sound of movement on the roof echoed through the mansion.  A smile crossed my face as I pulled the contents from the box and lifted it into the air to show my fellow zombies.  We may have become an evil horde of undead, starving flesh-eating zombies, driven by hunger and the infection that had taken our world, but for a moment, just a small moment we remembered warmth and the happiness that was Christmas.

ZF.

Curbchek-Reload is now #1 in true crime on Amazon.com

I Don’t know how long it will last but right now Curbchek-reload is #1 in true crime….Me and Ann Rule is #2. 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/books/11322/ref=pd_zg_hrsr_b_1_4_last

Curbchek-Reload at #2 on Amazon.com in true crime!

Don't know how long it will last but right now Curbchek-reload is #2 in true crime....Me and Ann Rule! 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/books/11322/ref=pd_zg_hrsr_b_1_4_last

I received this from a reader today, Made my day!

I'm so glad you are sharing your stories. I am enjoying reading your books. My best friend was a retired LEO from Long Beach (during the 70's.) I had the pleasure of editing his novel The Cynics a few years ago. Rollie (writing under the name Shelby Jones) has since passed away. He loved telling me his on the beat (and his years as a fighter pilot in Korea and Vietnam) and later his years working for Honeywell and NASA. If he were alive, I know we would be discussing your books. I hope you have more books to share. Again, thanks. Debbie

My Interview with Ashley Fontainne on her Artist First radio show

I Had a great time talking with author Ashley Fontainne last night,
to listen to my interview on the Ashley Fontainne show. Click the link below and then the blue link with the March 24th date next to my picture.
http://www.artistfirst.com/ashleyfontainne.htm

My review of Number 75 by Ashley Fontainne

My review of Number-75 by Ashley Fontainne, You are gonna love this short!

Stephen King owns the horror genre, and John Grisham owns legal thrillers, Ashley Fontainne has created her own genre that is just as intense, “The Evil Bitches Thriller”. Fontainne is back again with a neck snapping, jaw dropping thriller you will not be able to put down. #75 had me at the first page and dragged me mercilessly along. I was unable to put it down. I had to put everything on hold to finish it in one reading and to be honest I was disappointed it was not much longer. No one captures the evil twisted mentality of a female sociopath better than Fontainne. Her characters are believable, real, and evil beyond belief. They make you realize there are probably several of your friends that are thinking these same thoughts. #75 is a short story but don’t let that slow you down, if you wonder what I am talking about when I say she has invented her own genre in which she alone reigns supreme, Download#75, clear your calendar for an hour or so and prepare for an unbelievably intense read!

On March 24th I will be appearing on Ashley Fontainne's radio show.  Ashley’s show is on at 8 pm eastern standard. Here is a link to her site.  Join us March 24th and check her out every sunday evening!

http://www.artistfirst.com/ashleyfontainne.htm

TWICK OR TWEET!! #TTWIN

HALLOWEEN IS COMING….

That’s right we’re cooking up a HALLOWEEN brew, just for you! It’s truly a readers best nightmare!!
From October 20th through to October 31st, 2012, eight amazing authors – An evil, twisted and talented bunch – are giving away nine best selling e-books, and a SPOOKTACUALR GRAND PRIZE of five signed paper back editions!
So what’s the catch…NONE just simply click on the link to enter, easy peasy!

http://twickortweet.wordpress.com/about/

Just imagine getting your hands on a couple of signed paper backs!!!

 DON’T DELAY ENTER TODAY…

Thrills Chills and Kills book promotion!

Check out this free giveaway hosted by 8 Indie Authors:

Your heart pounds. Your hand trembles. You look past that cursed half-wall of your cubicle, locking eyes with that new redhead that started on Monday. She gives you a playful smile, yet all you can do is swallow something thick and look away. Johnson from Accounting walks in, drops off the latest sales report and starts chatting her up. Your heart slips back, and your eyes drift back to your monitor. You should be working on Johnson’s month-end, but you aren’t. You can’t. You can’t help yourself. As you guide your mouse over every tantalizing thumbnail, your pulse quickens. “Never tried that,” you whisper, and find yourself lusting for it; you quickly realize there are others like you who are clearly into it. Fearful of being caught, you nearly click the mouse, but your eye catches something brazingly teasing—something so titillating your mouth drops open. Almost salivating, you scroll over to it, and as you click on it, you stop, realizing you want to try them all. You just … can’t … stop.

Welcome to Thrills, Chills … and Kills.  http://tckfree.wordpress.com

For three amazing days, eight incredible authors will come together as one unstoppable force. From October 16 through October 18, 2012, indulge and immerse yourself in the minds and worlds of some of the best Indie writers today. For FREE.

Admit it. It’s okay. Everyone’s doing it. You want to try them all.

Murder and Revenge. Passion and Romance. Inspiration and Adventure. Redemption and Power.

And it’s all yours. For FREE.

Give in to your lust.  Fall to your desire. You want them all.

Velvet Rain by David C. Cassidy: He was born a miracle. It will take one to save the world. “It took my breath away right from the first line.”

Curbcheck by Zach Fortier: Hell in the streets. One damaged cop. Welcome to the jungle. “My Kindle is smoking!”

Take No More by Seb Kirby: Nothing like a good murder to get the blood flowing. “A work of art.”

Gray Justice (Tom Gray #1) by Alan McDermott: A killer walks. A father’s revenge. That’s justice. “Prepare to bang on the edge of your seat.”

Gray Resurrection (Tom Gray #2) by Alan McDermott: Tragedy. Terrorists and Treachery. Terrific. “Bring on #3 before I scream!”

Just Evil by Vickie McKeehan: Murder, drugs, abuse. We’ve all got skeletons. And they’re back. “Just evil…just mind-blowing.”

Letters To Gabriella by Patricia Paris: Passion. Love. Lies. Must be fate. “A sweet and sizzling love story.”

Amelia's Destiny by D.G. Torrens: A life of pain and abuse. Can she ever escape? “Engrossing…everyone should read this.”

Cassidy Jones and the Secret Formula by Elise Stokes: One girl. One accident. One incredible Superhero. “A perfect read for all ages.”

Two great reviews in one week

Wow first a great review of Curbchek by Carolyn Arnold and now this review of Curbchek-Reload by Holly on Goodreads.com: I've accidentally read the Curbchek series out of order - Read #1, then this one (#3) and need to go back and catch StreetCreds. Regardless, these are gritty, honest, no-holds-barred glimpses into the life of a street cop. Told in the language we (cops and ex cops) use - no BS, no sugar coating, no avoiding the hard topics, and always with a dose of very dark humor for the most inappropriate things. The first book I swore was written by my ex husband (a cop) under a pseudonym, because it read like a chronicle of our lives. This book (#3, like I said) has convinced me that although Zach Fortier is not my ex husband's pseudonym, his experience, my ex's and my own as cops are surely not isolated. Every tale in this book had me nodding my head, mentally saying "yep, and then those sons-a-bitches did....", or adding my own story. Any book that can draw in a crusty old broad like me, make me smile and wince at the same time, and wish to have a few dozen beers with the author - aces. Highly recommended.

Book Push Contest for Bloggers

Hi, I along with seven other authors are putting on a promo on July 26th, and we are hoping that some of you fantastic bloggers might be able to help out. We are doing a One Day Book Push. Best part of it for our bloggers? There will be randomly drawn prizes for bloggers who help us out (how 'bout some Amazon Gift Cards!) If you are interested, please contact onedaybookpush@yahoo.ca for the details. Thanks so much and we look forward to working with you :) Remember to mention Zach Sent you.

Curbchek-Reload promo

May 25^th and 26^th Curbchek-Reload will be free on Amazon kindle for download to your kindle, IPAD, smart phone or PC, world wide! Take advantage of the limited time free download and prepare for a reality check. : http://amzn.to/IOccgM

Curbchek-Reload review that made me laugh

I have had the privilege to read all three of Mr. Fortier's books. First I would like to recommend you read them (CurbChek & Street Creds) prior to delving in the mad and shattered psyche that is Zack Fortier's "CurbChek-Reload".
Zack takes you into the mouth of the maddening and mentally disturbing world of being a cop. If you are looking for a book of cheap thrill and heroic antics, i suggest you by a DVD of COPS and be on your way. Because even half way through this book, I assure you some reader will have PTSD. I love this book and I love this series. Personally, I cant wait till his twisted mind comes up with something else.

Zack will grab you by the throat and place you in his blood and piss covered boots, as you walk the same ill reputed streets as he did. One thing I will say to you.

Fasten your bullet proof vest and seat belt because its gonna be a bumpy ride.
David C


How can i argue with a review like that?  hahahaha

Curbchek-Reload review that made me laugh

I am going to put a pre-review up here now because I have a feeling that when I get through with this book, there will be no words left inside me to do a final review. 

For those of you who have this on your to-read list, even if you have read the first book, Curbcheck, this book is much different so do not expect "more of the same". It's not. 

These are actual calls, non-embellished, which the author, a former police officer, responded to during his 20 some-odd years on the job. Only the names were changed to protect the guilty. Some of the guilty are street thugs, transients and gangbangers, others wear blue uniforms. Some work in the medical field, some are old and crippled in wheelchairs. It could be that quiet neighbor of yours sitting on his porch. And some are even parents. Where I would describe the stories in the original Curbcheck to be "quirky" or "oddball", I would describe this sequel as "horrific" "tragic" "frightening" "mind-bending". 

I started reading this at 10:00 p.m. last night and have so far read about 15 chapters. I wanted desperately to put this book down about an hour into it, but I couldn't. I kept reading and I know that today I will read more and will finish this book to the end. I know because this book is well written, well thought out and is bending my mind. I know because these "stories" are true. I know because up until 10:00 p.m. last night, I was one of those "daywalkers" mindlessly going through life ever-trusting, unaware and ignorant of the pure unadulterated evil that lurks in this world, while I go about living in my world with a false sense of security. 

While this book is much better than the first book as far as formatting, editing, grammar and spelling, which makes this a much smoother read than the prior book, the experiences that the author talks about in this book (and mind you I am only 15 chapters in) caused me to have a restless night full of nightmares, fear and anxiety. Can a book cause post traumatic stress disorder? Because if it can, this just did. And if simply reading this book has caused me this much fear in 15 short chapters, then I am amazed that the author is suffering only from job related post traumatic stress disorder and not complete insanity from the experiences he has had over the span of 20+ years. If I were in his shoes, dealing with the things that he has seen, particulary when they involve helpless infants and children, I know for a fact I would be in a rubber room. 

I am giving this four stars, because any book that has this kind of effect on me, speaks volumes. I am adding one extra star because the author was classy enough and restrained enough not to pop his x-wife in the mouth after she said he "only writes tickets". If I see her in the street, I will do it for him. 
"Nena" from Goodreads.com

Curbchek-Reload release

April 1,2 &3 Curbchek and Curbchek-Reload will be free for download on kindle! http://amzn.to/rpwC5V

Why write?

Not sure what to title this. Been thinking about it a lot. Why write? I am asked almost daily.  I am not a writer as you can see if you read my books. No flowery prose. No verbiage you have to grab a dictionary to figure out what the hell I am talking about. ( I am currently reading a book that is about the Indians in the Americas before Columbus (1491) I do need a dictionary nearly every page)  SO why write? I recently had a reviewer read the first book and HAMMER me in the review. I was labeled a sadistic cop.... I loved the review. I am going to post excerpts of the review in the book. Why? Because she got it. She should be outraged. I was working this job, living this calls, trying to stay sane at witnessing the brutality. I failed miserably.  I admit I don't have the stones to see a woman's hand twisted and broken into a puzzle by her boyfriend and not feel an intense desire to end his needless heartbeats and breathing. I wanted to work within the broken system and just take him to jail...but again I did not have the stones to walk away unaffected, so we went for a drive.  I told the reviewer I really liked the review and she was shocked.  It was critical and she felt I would be mad.  Nope I get it, I too used to get pissed at the cops I worked with for their lack of faith in the system. Wasn't long however till I felt what they felt.  So why write? Three reasons have come to mind in the past year, One: I cant seem to stop. Shit is pouring out at an alarming pace. Hoping that Book 3, Curbchek-Reload is the end of the cop books. Hoping that no more memories are hiding in the attic waiting to come down and haunt my days, and sleep.  That would be a nice thought.  Two: people like my reviewer who thought she would make me mad at criticizing the book would offend me. No not at all I am offended by people have no comment, who this doesnt bother, who would not take a stand. That offends me.  These stories bother the hell out of me, and they should bother you.  Sadistic? sure, I can accept that but how did I get here? Read between the lines.... Three: this surprises me the most.  Not sure what to think about it. But here it is.  I have had several e mails, FB messages, and comments in person from people who have told me that they never read....NEVER! and they read my books and liked them. One grown man told me that he had not read a book since he was locked up in "Juvie" 17 years ago. We were adversaries on the streets. He read the books and liked them. He messaged me to thank me for writing the books and said that he was going to start reading again. He had forgot how much he liked reading. My books reminded him. He lived the subject matter, we were there together, on opposite sides of the fence. Now he reads my books and others because I wrote.  Don't know what to feel about that. Shit hits home, deep... after 30 years now as a cop in both the civilian and military worlds I dont feel like I made a damn bit of difference. I just held the line, patrolled, made arrests, went to court.  But made a difference? No. I don't know what that feels like.  One banger still rolling the streets is reading books written by the cop who arrested him many times.... how should I feel about that?

Today I Remembered what I had forgot.

Today I got up and checked the news and weather, the news said 6 cops had been shot in the City I grew up in and worked in. One had died, the rest were seriously injured. I could feel the rage starting to build inside. I found out who the officers were. I knew some of them....worked with them, bled with them. We had our differences true.

Jumped on Face book and started to read the hatred spewing forth... People saying kill the fucking cops, and hating on the cops.... other people saying the same shit about the guy who shot the cops.... every one hating angry and hurt.  Then I jumped to a friends page by this time I was near blowing up. Anger boiling over... My friend is an old adversary from the street. Yes, we were adversaries, a definite line drawn between us. Me a cop, gang cop no less on one side......him a Crip, banger, street reputation as a soldier on the other. Between us is respect... Hard to imagine for an outsider how two adversaries can have that respect. But there it is

Guess who is teaching his FB. friends about respect... respect of another human being. The Crip,  take a look at the post I cut and pasted from his page:   "Its a sad day in the O! Rip to the fallen.. now on to you feeble minded clowns praising death on a public servant! He was a father of two & a husband!! You fuccin toy tuff guys make me shit sick!! Kings & true LEADERS dont wish death upon anyone so continue to be followers!! Ps pussie muthafuccas...."

then there is another:  
Its too funny how you brilliant minded fb friends of mine can say fucc tha police! But at the same time when you go out side your not being attacked bye your enemies on a every minute bases! Why because of the veil of police protection you & I live under! And I read a females post that said we're being dramatic about all this and fucc the police! Wow with out them who's gonna stop a mob of rapos or molesters from getting to you! Oh wait your enemies are to scared to pop at you or ain't nobody gonna take nothing from me! !! I commend all you billy badasses of the world! 

Other old school bangers jumped in as well.... these are not wanna bes, but hard core, been there done that:

"The police have nothing to do with your choices....nor do they sentence any of us that choose to violate others....when called they are called by many around you...either to protect you or others around you...encounters with the police are choices we choose....good or bad....death is a spiritual fight amongst good. and evil..."
 
and then..........."In order to understand ....you must first experience loss...not loss of life...nor loss of freedom...but loss of ones own hate..."

 I was stunned. To be painfully honest this brought tears to my eyes. No one will ever know how these street soldiers tried to make others realize we are all in this together.... we all make mistakes, some really big damn mistakes, take lives in anger, hate others we don't know. Fire weapons in rage.... people on both sides of the law have done that, myself included. 


To me this is the difference in the world today. The old school, be they cops, gang bangers, criminals or what ever had a code... Respect. No matter what, respect was present. You may be adversaries, you may end up in life and death battles with each other... but you respected each other as human beings. The new up and coming on the street on both sides.... have forgot the code. Today a soldier died....he has the respect of both sides of the old school.  These are my thoughts... had to put them out there in the Web... cant let this go unnoticed. Z

What a difference perspective makes!

The following are two different comments posted on Goodreads. The are of the same book, Curbchek. Same edition, within 24 hours of each other. Always amazes me how different people are in what they see and expect from the world around them. Take a look..... The first reader has grasped exactly why I wrote the book,  the second reader is bored with the entire book.... what a difference their perspectives make.  What are your thoughts?

The readers venture into the darkest realms of the world after "Daywalkers" have safely crawled into their beds for the night. In the whirlwind rides under the cover of darkness, Zach Fortier tries to remain human and relatively normal while patrolling messed up streets and neighborhoods. The author does a great job presenting the grit police officers face on a daily basis as well as the tension that arises between officers. He also stresses frequently the need for officers to listen to people, pay attention to detail, remain loyal to their code of honor, and find some comic relief in all the madness. Anyone who has ever had police officer friends hears tales told in this same way. Police officers take whatever calls come in during their shift; these calls range all over the board from the ridiculous call of the woman locking herself inside her car to vicious acts of murder. When recounting the calls, there is typically a hint of arrogance, extra added fluff, and sometimes all around madness. 'Curb Chek' portrays a fairly honest image of real life on the darkened streets from a police officer's point of view and recounts comical, sad, and other stories in the fashion expected if sitting down with him at the end of his weekend shift.

 "Curbchek chronicles the experiences of a police officer, describing different patrol calls he answered and trying to balance some kind of a "normal" home life.

The premise behind the book seemed very interesting, and I was really looking forward to reading it. I was quite disappointed and totally bored with the whole thing. Each story was only a few paragraphs long, leading from one story to the next without any sense of organization. Even going from chapter to chapter seemed pretty random. I suppose that another police officer could relate to what he went through on a day to day basis, but I believe that is as far as it would go.

Had the author went into more detail and grouped the stories together in a way that related to each other, it could have had the potential to be the mind gripping novel that I was hoping to find.

Chapter #3 Homeless not Harmless won second place on the Writers United "just for fun" contest on Face book. here is the link: http://thewritersunited.blogspot.com/p/competitions-and-events.html

Interview with all books review

Author Interviews

Please state your name and location. Zach Fortier, Colorado, USA 

Tell us the title and publisher of your book: Curbchek. Self Published

Tell us about yourself: I have been a cop for 28 years. Started in the military at 18. Pretty much been doing it ever since. I have toyed with the idea of writing a couple of books about those years for some time. Finally sat down and did it

When was the book released?: The Kindle version was released Aug 20th, 2011. The paperback was released Aug 30th, 2011

Give us an overview of your book. Curbchek is a compilation of short stories, each a complete story in itself. Some having ties to other stories but written much like they would happen on the street. The chaos of the types of calls and the emotions they put you through are similar to what any extended period of time in a patrol car would be like

What inspired you to write this book? Dumb really, my wife watches crime dramas a lot. I can always tell what is going to happen in the first 2-3 minutes. She asked me about my stories and when I tell her she is always amazed and says you should write a book!

How is your book different from other books in this genre? My book is different in a few ways. There is no Femme Fatale; there is no nudity on the cover, and no sexual scenes in the story that are not as they happened on the street. It is what the reader would experience riding along in a cop car in any city in the US.

Where can people buy your book? The Book is available on Amazon.com and at the web site: www.curbchek.com

Are you working on another book? If so when do you expect it to be published? I have been working on another book called StreetCreds. It will take the reader inside the realities of gang life. From peewees to Older gang bangers. As seen for the cops point of view. The reality of the life style, and the toll it takes on them and it took on me being assigned to investigate their cases.

If you self published, what advice can you give to fellow writers? I did self publish. No Agent or publisher has ever walked in my shoes and to have them try to remake my book into something more streamlined and marketable was not what I wanted. I received a lot of feedback all wanting me to go different directions. I did not want to lose the reality of what I had written for some desk weenies idea of what cops are and do. So my advice is follow your gut. The book is yours, run with it. The success or failure will be yours as well

Can you share one of your marketing successes with us? I have been surprised by the reaction of the people that were on the street at the time I was. Not as cops but living there, seeing these cases unfold, living in the neighborhoods I worked in. They have been very positive towards the book and me as well. As a cop you are very much a part of their lives. How you treated them determined your success on the street and in court. They are surprisingly friendly and open to the book.

How did you find Allbooks Reviews and what are you hoping for in your relationship with us? I found All books on the web looking for someone to review the book besides readers. I wanted an honest review. 

 What other things would you like Allbooks Reviews to offer writers? I don’t know what more you could offer. The successful selling of any book is such a fluke. Right time right place seems to be way more important than any advertising campaign. Word of mouth seems to have the biggest impact on my sales so I would guess the more exposure you could provide the more valuable your service would become to authors.

 Thank you and I hope to continue with your service for Streetcreds. Coming out soon!