Review: Inhuman by Kat Falls

Title: Inhuman 

Author: Kat Falls

Publisher:  Scholastic 
Publishing Date: September 24th 2013

Pages: 384
Genre:  YA Sci-Fi/Dystopian Adventure

Series: Fetch #1
Source: Hardcover

  

In a world ravaged by mutation, a teenage girl must travel into the forbidden Savage Zone to recover lost artifacts or her father’s life is forfeit.
America has been ravaged by a war that has left the eastern half of the country riddled with mutation. Many of the people there exhibit varying degrees of animal traits. Even the plantlife has gone feral.
Crossing from west to east is supposed to be forbidden, but sometimes it’s necessary. Some enter the Savage Zone to provide humanitarian relief. Sixteen-year-old Lane’s father goes there to retrieve lost artifacts—he is a Fetch. It’s a dangerous life, but rewarding—until he’s caught.
Desperate to save her father, Lane agrees to complete his latest job. That means leaving behind her life of comfort and risking life and limb—and her very DNA—in the Savage Zone. But she’s not alone. In order to complete her objective, Lane strikes a deal with handsome, roguish Rafe. In exchange for his help as a guide, Lane is supposed to sneak him back west. But though Rafe doesn’t exhibit any signs of “manimal” mutation, he’s hardly civilized . . . and he may not be trustworthy.

I was very excited to get to to this book. I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into but it sounded pretty awesome, mutation, adventure, and a bit of romance. It was quite a read. Intense at times and humorous at others. Very good read.

Lane lives in a time where a virus has taken over the world. The city is full of healthy people and life in the city is extreme. You sneeze you are quarantined. Everyone is a germaphobe. Very extreme. There is a wall surrounding the city.... Across that wall are the sick, the ones with the virus, the monstrous, the mutated. Lane is sent on a do or die mission to retrieve her father from over the wall. She heads off to journey through the land of the sick. Finds danger and boys, truth and adventure, she discovers herself and who her father really was.

 A very good read. I really thought it was gonna be the same old story of mutation... zombieish or vampireish or something of that nature. This story was original and crazy. The mutations were those of animals and humans morphed together. The virus sometimes takes years to finish the full mutation from human to animal and sometimes not quite as long. There are many interesting "manimals" in the story and it kept things from getting boring.

The story was great, the writing was pretty awesome. The writing style fit the story well. Lots of adventure but also quite a bit of world building and character development. I was able to bring the story to life in my mind and connected with the characters as much as enjoy the adventure at hand.

I really liked the main character, Lane.  She had her "duh" moments, but for the most  part she was very intelligent. She was kept in the dark for long, the "duh" moments were honest. She was also very resilient. She knew her mission and she knew the price for failing... so she wasn't going to fail and wasn't going to let anyone stand in her way. She was a strong, independant character but she was still soft enough to need a little help through out the story. Of course that help came from two pretty hot guys. Yes there is a love triangle but not really. I mean it doesn't take over the story but there are two guys vying for the same girl. The only thing that bothered me about Lane, she was a bit ditsy when it came to the truth of the boys feelings. Yes oblivious.

I really can't say which boy I liked better. There was the classic bad boy an the classic hero. Both arrogant, but stupid, both pretty darn cute. I think I knew which one Lane should end up with but.... I liked them both... bunches. Rafe was a bit of an ass throughout most of the book, but he grew up beyond the wall. I am not sure he knew how to be any different. He was a survivior and he didn't like to have anyone depend on him. It would cause all kinds of issues. He had mad respect for Lane's father and I loved that about him.... Then there is Everson. He was the valiant one, the one that wanted to win the girls heart by protecting but not much more than that. He was sweet, but that was about it. He was the good boy and he was good at it.

The romance was very much on the light side, so the love triangle didn't take away from the story and I'm really not sure if it ever will. The story is mainly a survival story and it looks like it will lead the the epic rebellion fighting back. So I look forward to that. It was very fast paced and moved well from beginning to end. The ending sucked a bit. Left me hanging. That was the biggest downside for me.

It;s a keeper for me. Look forward to reading the next book. 

Kat Falls lives in Evanston, Illinois with her husband, theater director Robert Falls, their three children and a whole slew of pets. She grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland, attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute as an undergrad and went on to receive an MFA from Northwestern University where she now teaches screenwriting.

Review: The Farm by Emily McKay

Title: The Farm
Author: Emily McKay
Publisher: Berkley Trade
Publishing Date: December 4th 2012
Pages: 420
Genre: YA Horror/Paranormal
Series: The Farm #1
Source: Paperback

  

Life was different in the Before: before vampires began devouring humans in a swarm across America; before the surviving young people were rounded up and quarantined. These days, we know what those quarantines are—holding pens where human blood is turned into more food for the undead monsters, known as Ticks. Surrounded by electrical fences, most kids try to survive the Farms by turning on each other…
And when trust is a thing of the past, escape is nearly impossible.
Lily and her twin sister Mel have a plan. Though Mel can barely communicate, her autism helps her notice things no one else notices—like the portion of electrical fence that gets turned off every night. Getting across won’t be easy, but as Lily gathers what they need to escape, a familiar face appears out of nowhere, offering to help…
Carter was a schoolmate of Lily’s in the Before. Managing to evade capture until now, he has valuable knowledge of the outside world. But like everyone on the Farm, Carter has his own agenda, and he knows that behind the Ticks is an even more dangerous threat to the human race... 

Another vampire book? No not really. It is a vampire book, a horror vampire book, a very different, creative, thrilling, unusual vampire read. I enjoyed this book very much. I had a few issues with the pacing and the main character, but overall it was wonderful. The small issues I had did not take away from my enjoyment of the book. There was so much good with the world building and the intensity of the story, I was pretty much captured from the beginning. 

Lily and Mel are twins that live on a farm. A farm that provides blood and breeds more humans for blood, to feed the ticks (vampires + zombies) Lily watches out for her sister Mel, who is autistic. Their parents are long gone. It is Lily's dream to escape with Mel and leave the farm for good. Travel to where it is safe. With the help of an old school mate, Carter, and a strange individual he brings along with, their escape is no longer a dream, its a reality.... however its doesn't fit the plan Lily had in mind. Things go awry of course. Danger... death.... and everything in between, even a slight romance. Road trip plus vampire fighting equals a heck of a lot of fun. 

I really enjoyed this book. It was a good solid read and the ending just left me breathless. I liked the characters, a minor issue with the main character, but the rest were good. I felt like the characters were more gritty in this book. They weren't always cohesive, nice, and made the right choices. They were often selfish, stupid, and full of issues.

There is a long list of characters for this book..... Mel, the autistic twin, was by far my favorite. The chapters told from her POV were just amazing. Written almost in a riddle or a puzzle to figure out but not too hard to get. She saw the world and everyone in it a bit differently. She was simple but not. She was very complex but underneath a simple softness. I hope to see more of her in the next book.  

Lily was a bit annoying for me. She was almost too hard. I understood her though. She had one mission in her life... to protect Mel. This made sense to me. Some of her thought processes did not, but I chalk it up to being young. She was a bit too hard on peopele. espeically Carter. I think she could have benefited greatly if she would have relaxed and allowed others to help without a big fight. She didn't want any one to get to close, she only cared about Mel. Again understandable, however letting others in, not always a bad thing. Escpecially when trustworthy humans are far between. 

I like Joe and McKennea. They weren't strong enough characters to really feel connected too, but they were important to the story. I think their part worked well and in the end McKenna really started to grow on me. Carter was awesome. Some people didn't seem to like him. He had to make some hard choices for the greater good and I really think that is what he was trying to do. He may have gone about it wrong with cloak and dagger manuevers, but I can't say going about it a different way would have worked any better. 

Sebastian was another awesome character. He isn't good or bad, just wants to stop the really bad guys from gaining full control. I liked him, he was rough, obnoxious at times but he kicked butt. He brought a ton of humor into the story for me. His character was a nessicity in my book. For more reasons than one. He was a very important part of the story yes, he was also the muscle, the wit, and the fun. Great addition to the cast. 

The cast actually felt a bit like a mixutre between the Scooby gang and Buffy's gang. It worked well and the mixture of the personalites was perfect.  The characters weren't they only great part of the story. The writing was pretty amazing. Dark yet funny. It was for sure a dark read but had a few light parts that made me giggle or laugh out loud. I mentioned before the pacing was a bit off at times, but overall it was a pretty good pace and kept me turning pages.                  

The story of the ticks, vampires, zombies, whatever they were, or however you wanted to see them as, was pretty original. The ticks were a cross between zombies and vampires. They craved human blood, they were fast, but they were gross and pretty mindless, like zombies. They were created from a science project gone awry. Now the world is trying to keep safe from these ticks. Mel and Lily live on a farm full of teenagers... the ticks love them the most... who are used as blood suppliers and breeders. Kind of disturbing. Instead of finding a way to defeat the ticks they are harvesting for them and feeding them. Interesting. 

The world building was pretty amazing and very clear. I didn't really have the need to question anything. It felt well explained and the picture was painted pretty clearly... not pretty but very clearly. The book was a great mixture between fantasy, dysptopian, and horror. Pretty clever. 

I loved it. It was unique and captivating. I can't wait to see where the story takes me next. 

Nationally bestselling author and winner of the prestigious Rita award, Emily McKay got her start writing romance novels. After ten years of writing books with babies and billionaires, Emily decided to try her hand at something different--Young Adult horror. Hey, she just really missed reading about scary vampires.
Her Rita winning book, The Farm, launches a trilogy set in a terrifying post-appocolyptic world where teens are farmed as food and genetically mutated monsters roam the country.
"A brewing romance in a dystopian land steals the show. Teen girls will delight in this fresh sci-fi fantasy that works the formula and throws in new surprises," says School Library Journal. Booklist describes the books as, "Fast-paced, brutal, and bloody, this novel's alternating points of view keep the action moving and the suspense ratcheting up to an unbearable pitch."
When she's not devising new ways to kill vampires, Emily lives in the hill country with her husband, The Geek, her two great kids, two cats and two dogs. In her spare time, she raises organic vegies and chickens and tries to hide the fact that she's secretly prepping for the apocalypse.
You can find out more info about her upcoming books at:www.EscapeTheFarm.comandwww.EmilyMcKay.com

Review: The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda

Title: The Hunt
Author: Andrew Fukuda
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Publishing Date: May 8th 2012
Pages: 304
Genre: YA Horror/Paranormal Adventure
Series: The Hunt #1
Source: Audio

  

Don’t Sweat. Don’t Laugh. Don’t draw attention to yourself. And most of all, whatever you do, do not fall in love with one of them.

Gene is different from everyone else around him. He can’t run with lightning speed, sunlight doesn’t hurt him and he doesn’t have an unquenchable lust for blood. Gene is a human, and he knows the rules. Keep the truth a secret. It’s the only way to stay alive in a world of night—a world where humans are considered a delicacy and hunted for their blood.

When he’s chosen for a once in a lifetime opportunity to hunt the last remaining humans, Gene’s carefully constructed life begins to crumble around him. He’s thrust into the path of a girl who makes him feel things he never thought possible—and into a ruthless pack of hunters whose suspicions about his true nature are growing. Now that Gene has finally found something worth fighting for, his need to survive is stronger than ever—but is it worth the cost of his humanity?

I thought the premise of this book sounded interesting and a bit creepy, so I added to my TBR, then I forgot about it. Recently I acquired it on audio and decided to give it a listen. The book wasn't at all what I expected and even though I have some mixed feelings about the plot, I couldn't stop listening to this book. It kept me interested all the way through and it did have a great creepy vibe going on. It was a very unique read and I enjoyed it. 

Gene is a human living in a society of vampires. Humans are a delicacy, almost extinct. Gene has lost his family but before his father died, he taught Gene how to act vampire, to live among them. He goes to school with them, he socializes among them, he lives like a vampire. Things seem to be working out until he is called to participate in The Hunt. A hunt that allows a few, select vampires to hunt down a handful of humans. Who ever catches and eats the most wins. Gene is to go to training for 4 days before the hunt begins, the issue, he can't shower, he doesn't have drinking water, and he is living among vampires for 24 hours a day. Gene must find a way to keep his secret hidden and figure out a way to survive The Hunt. 

This book was hard for me to rate and even harder for me to review. There were some really great things about this book and then there were some really odd things in the book that made me go "huh?" The story was very intersting. I liked the idea of a human living in a society of vampires. I liked that the human had to act vampire. Its different than all the stories about a vampire trying to act human. The story was very creative and very addicting to read. I seriously could not stop. There were a few odd things I had a hard time with in the book. There were certain things that the vampires did... scratch writs instead of laughing..... and more. They were just too weird for me to really appreciate. I think that it would have been better to leave these strange things out. It almost made the book feel like a spoof at times. It was very strange... not in a good way. 

The only other thing that really bother me... is how would a human ever live among vampires and not notice. This was a bit unrealistic for me. I did eventually get over it, not because it ever made sense, but because I enjoyed the read. I still feel that the vampires would catch on. I mean I do believe they would at least hear their heartbeat.... I think if vampires would have been explained to only have certain abilities like super speed and strength but not super smell and ultra hearing.... It would have made more sense to me. The way I know of vampires to be, they would have heard the heartbeat and smelled the human... no matter how much they bathed. 

So other than those couple of things, the story was good. It was thrilling, adventurous, creepy, and very intense. Very fast paced and wonderful character building. I adored the main character, Gene and I also adored Ashley June. 

Gene was a very interesting character and I felt he was developed very soundly. I was able to connect to him quickly and I enjoyed his story. The story was told from Gene's point of view and there were quite a few memories shared to really get the feel for Gene, past and present. I admired his sense of survival. There were quite a few things that he sacrificed (emotions) and things he endured (eating raw meat) to continue the pretense that he was vampire. This of course was the only way he could survive in a world full of vampires. With very few humans left, there was no more turning just ravishing.

Ashley June was a very curious character. Since the story was not told from her point of view, I didn't connect with her until the end. I did feel there was something up with her and there was. She was a great character and a great addition the overall story. 

The story didn't have too much romance, mainly just survival, but there was the beginning of one and it was very interesting. It was well written and fit into the story perfectly. I hope to see more of it in the next book, if not then maybe a new romance. That was one thing the story lacked, romance, however it made sense why there wasn't much. Who thinks about romance when they are surrounded by vampires that want to eat them. 

So there were a few things that bugged me but all in all I really got into the story and I enjoyed it from beginning to end. 

It was very thrilling read and I will for continue the series. 

Born in Manhattan and raised in Hong Kong, Andrew Fukuda is half-Chinese, half-Japanese. After earning a bachelor's degree in history from Cornell University, Fukuda worked in Manhattan's Chinatown with the immigrant teen community. That experience led to the writing of Crossing, his debut novel that was selected by ALA Booklist as an Editor's Choice, Top Ten First Novel, and Top Ten Crime Novel in 2010. His second novel, The Hunt, the first in a new series, was bought at auction by St. Martin's Press and will be published in May 2012. Before becoming a full time writer, Fukuda was a criminal prosecutor for seven years. He currently resides on Long Island, New York, with his family.

Review: Midnight City by J. Barton Mitchell

Title: Midnight City 

Author: J. Barton Mitchell

Publisher:  St. Martin's Griffin
Publishing Date: October 30th 2012

Pages: 384
Genre:  YA Sci-Fi Adventure/ Alien Invasion

Series: Conquered Earth #1
Source: Audio

  

Earth has been conquered by an alien race known as the Assembly. The human adult population is gone, having succumbed to the Tone---a powerful, telepathic super-signal broadcast across the planet that reduces them to a state of complete subservience. But the Tone has one critical flaw. It only affects the population once they reach their early twenties, which means that there is one group left to resist: Children.Holt Hawkins is a bounty hunter, and his current target is Mira Toombs, an infamous treasure seeker with a price on her head. It’s not long before Holt bags his prey, but their instant connection isn’t something he bargained for. Neither is the Assembly ship that crash-lands near them shortly after. Venturing inside, Holt finds a young girl who remembers nothing except her name: Zoey.As the three make their way to the cavernous metropolis of Midnight City, they encounter young freedom fighters, mutants, otherworldly artifacts, pirates, feuding alien armies, and the amazing powers that Zoey is beginning to exhibit. Powers that suggest she, as impossible as it seems, may just be the key to stopping the Assembly once and for all.

This was one of those books that sat on my TBR list for a long time, and really I had forgotten about it for a while. Lately I seem to be into alien reads. This one was a good alien invasion read. It was a bit mysterious, a bit creepy, and a real adventure.

Holt is a bounty hunter of sorts, Mira is the catch. Holt finds Mira, captures Mira, Loses Mira, Finds Mira, Saves Mira then discovers Zoey. That is when everything Holt and Mira believed, changed. There is something special about Zoey. She has great intuition about the the aliens and their army. Oh and for some reason every alien army out there is after her. Now the adventure changes from Holt getting paid for turning in Mira to running for their lives. 

I liked this book. The only issue I had with the book was the pacing. The were time the book was slow, but I am like that with adventures, and this book was more adventure, survival than anything else. There were moments I was a little bored, not enough to stop listening, but enough to sometimes miss something. There were also times I was completely engrossed in the book. Those are the times that made the book worth the read.  Sooo, a little issue with the pacing but other than that it was a great book. 

The story was good, not real original when it comes to alien invasions but it was original enough. Everything was shrouded in mystery, I did like this aspect of the story the best. Holt had a secret, Mira had a secret, and Zoey had a secret.  It was torturous to slowly discover what they were all hiding. The author did a wonderful job allowing bits and peisces to come to light throughout the read. Some things became obvious but there was a whole bunch of whys, whats, whos, and hows that came into play. I would have liked to know a bit more of the alien invasion and the aliens themselves, maybe that will come in the next book. I can tell you the alien army things, creepy, huge, bug like, destroyers. 

The characters were something else. We have a young adult.... Holt... about 20, Mira who was about 15-16 years old, and we had Zoey, best guess about 7-10 years old. They were a mess together. Holt was by far my favorite. I fell for him pretty early in the book. He was arrogant but sweet. He didn't allow himself to care most of the time, but when he did care, he was all in. He was pretty swoon worthy.  He was very charismatic and quite humorous. There were times he had me laughing out loud and making quite a fool out of myself in public. He was a loner but wasn't meant to be a loner. He needed a family and in Mira and Zoey, he got what he needed. 

Mira annoyed me at the beginning. I am not totally sure why. I think it may have to do with my love for Holt and she didn't treat him very well in the beginning. Of course he was trying to capture her and turn her in for money. So I guess I wouldn't have treated him very well either. I think I was also annoyed with her decision making, rash actions, and not asking for any help. Obviously Holt was the type of person that would help out, I mean I could see it.... OK so I understand why she wasn't completely honest with him and didn't want to depend on him, but her decisions still seemed stupid to me. The one thing I liked about her.... she was pretty sly and really smart.... when it came to escaping or fighting. She was feisty and snarky. She was pretty cool most of the time. 

Zoey was a real sweetheart, she was a normal little girl with obvious powers of some sort. Powers she didn't understand and didn't have control over. Other than those powers, she was just a little girl. One who needed help and was quite adorable. Easy to want to save. 


The ending was pretty emotional for me and I was in love with a every character and the story at this point. Completely immersed. The ending did have conclusion but just a tad. It left things pretty wide open for the next book, so now I need to get the next one. 

The narrator was really good. I want to touch on the narration since this an audio book. He read the book at a great pace and really brought the characters to life for me. I loved the individual voices he gave each character. Wonderful narration.

It was a sound start to what looks like to be an exciting series. It was good.

J. Barton Mitchell is a creator and writer of speculative fiction, and the author of the science fiction YA novel series CONQUERED EARTHpublished by St. Martin’s Press. He has sold screenplays to Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox, and created the comic book series POE for ‘Boom! Studios’.

Or at least that’s what someone wants you to think…

The truth is, J. Barton Mitchell doesn’t exist. He’s a shadow persona created by another shadow persona dreamed up by an even more shadowy persona. Who is he really, you ask? A super villain named Dr. Sinister? Maybe. The world’s most daring thief, desperately trying to save the world from a hidden alien menace only he can see? Who’s to say? A master assassin trained by an ancient crime syndicate in Myanmar? We’ll never know. All we can know is that you take your life in your hands every time you look at this site. And that’s why you keep coming back…

Just one more page, you tell yourself. Just one more blog entry. And each click of that little wireless, bluetooth mouse of yours (that’s right, he even knows what kind of input device you use) is more exhilarating than the last.

Yeah. Now you see his master plan. Now he’s got you…

J. Barton Mitchell lives and writes somewhere in Los Angeles. Or…does he?

Review: Ashfall by Mike Mullin

Title: Ashfall 

Author: Mike Mullin

Publisher:  Tanglewood Press
Publishing Date: October 11th 2011

Pages: 476
Genre:  YA Apocalyptic 

Series: Ashfall #1
Source: Paperback

  

Under the bubbling hot springs and geysers of Yellowstone National Park is a supervolcano. Most people don't know it's there. The caldera is so large that it can only be seen from a plane or satellite. It just could be overdue for an eruption, which would change the landscape and climate of our planet.
For Alex, being left alone for the weekend means having the freedom to play computer games and hang out with his friends without hassle from his mother. Then the Yellowstone supervolcano erupts, plunging his hometown into a nightmare of darkness, ash, and violence. Alex begins a harrowing trek to seach for his family and finds help in Darla, a travel partner he meets along the way. Together they must find the strength and skills to survive and outlast an epic disaster.

It feels like this book was on my TBR list forever. The original cover kind of turned me off and I didn't feel the need to read it right away, even though I heard the book was good. I actually love the new cover and when I was contacted to review the series, I jumped at the chance. I finally have a reason to read it, right now, no more excuses. So I read it, I loved it, I am so excited to keep reading this series. The story was awesome, the characters rocked, and there was definitely a crap its the end of the world vibe worth reading about. 

A super volcano in Yellowstone decides to erupt and in the process takes out more than just Yellowstone. It pours ashes for days, causes a horrible winter to come early, animals dying, people dying, fires, murders, there is nothing left good in the town that Alex called his home. Alex's family left him alone for the weekend in Iowa when they took a trip to Illinois to visit family. Alex is determined to leave his hometown and travel to Warren Illinois, about 3 hours away by car, to track down his family. The only problem, no car, horrible weather, ash everywhere, and danger around every corner. The trip will take more than 3 hours, more than days, more than weeks. Along the way he meets Darla, she saves his life.... more than once..... they become friends and travel buddies, they decide to travel together until they reach Warren. 

I was pretty sure this book would rock. I heard so many wonderful things about it and I love apocalyptic reads. They freak me out and take me to a world I would never want to live, but I enjoy it and I am entertained by it. This book surpassed all my expectations. I totally loved this book. It was a very fast read and I finished it quicker than I thought I would. Once I picked it up and read a chapter or two, I was hooked. Everything happened quickly but not too fast. Every time I thought things were good, danger over, BAM... something happened again, and this book did not shy away from death, creepies, grossness, or despair. It was quite a horrific read.

There was a lot of bad stuff in the book, but it did not make the book a bad read. For every bad thing, there was something to laugh at, awe about, or just tear up and smile. I think I went through my entire palette of emotions during this read. There were a few times I wanted to throw the book, but then I wanted to hug the book. 

This kind of book is a book about a journey and about survival. There are times these type of books can get boring for me and lose interest. When these books have excellent character building, I am in it to the end. The characters in this book rocked. I loved the main characters and I loved all the supporting characters, even the bad guys were awesomely evil. 

I fell in love with Alex. He started off a geek, nothing wrong with that. I love geeks, but to make it even better, by the end of the book he was a bit of a heartthrob. He was a hero, a gentleman, and a goober. He made me laugh and he made me adore him. He never backed down, he always had the best intentions, and he had heart... Oh yes I just loved him. The way he respected others, especially Darla made me swoon a bit... for Darla's sake. Making me swoon in books is not an easy task. I read lots of books with lots of heroes, and Alex made to the very top of my list of heroes. He was all good and no bad. 

Darla was also a great character. She was a strong girl. She had heart too. She worked hard, she was honest, she did what was needed for those that she loved. She didn't love a little, she loved a lot. Everything she did, it was done all the way. She was smart and she was resourceful. She had a breaking point but she found a way to fight through it. 

One of the main things I liked about this apocalyptic story, it was feasible, it felt realistic, it could happen. Those thoughts made the read scary. It was written well. It was not all doom and gloom, but the feel of survival was definitely there. Everything felt real, never forced, never phony. I really attached to the story and to the characters and fought with them in this terrifying trek of survival. 

All I can say is just read it, if you like apocalyptic stories with great characters. This book is for you. Don't waste another moment, get the book and read it. Its a keeper and I can't wait to dig in to the next book, which happens to be sitting on my shelf waiting for me. 

Mike Mullin’s first job was scraping the gum off the undersides of desks at his high school. From there, things went steadily downhill. He almost got fired by the owner of a bookstore due to his poor taste in earrings. He worked at a place that showed slides of poopy diapers during lunch (it did cut down on the cafeteria budget). The hazing process at the next company included eating live termites raised by the resident entomologist, so that didn’t last long either. For a while Mike juggled bottles at a wine shop, sometimes to disastrous effect. Oh, and then there was the job where swarms of wasps occasionally tried to chase him off ladders. So he’s really hoping this writing thing works out.


Mike holds a black belt in Songahm Taekwondo. He lives in Indianapolis with his wife and her three cats. ASHFALL is his first novel.