What to Read in the Apocalypse

THE NIGHT MAN COVER

As we get through this pandemic together (and apart), I anticipated a bump in sales of my apocalyptic stuff. I write crime thrillers, too, but I’m better known for the sci-fi about our world’s end. AFTER Life is about a weaponized plague. In This Plague of Days, the first book is about where we are now: governments struggling to cope, systems breaking down, and people sheltering in place.


Though apocalyptical stories strike a chord with many readers, having “plague” in my titles has not boosted sales as expected. Those in isolation have more time to read, but perhaps they’re doing other things. Maybe they’re sleeping and eating more,  bingeing Netflix or focusing on feel-good stories. A startling number of people seem to have taken up baking bread. Sure beats watching the news until depression kicks in. 

I totally understand the impulse to retreat into comfort food and comfort media. When my kids were little and I was a stay-at-home dad, we watched iCarly together. I have a rather dark worldview. iCarly was a kids’ show with low stakes in which everything would always work out just fine. No threats, no death, no worries. Silliness can be an antidote to bad moods in tough times. A couple of nights ago, we watched Nailed It. It’s a show where amateur bakers are set up to fail with sometimes hilarious results. The show titled “Failure” was great for a laugh. I needed that.

With my palate thus cleansed, I went back to reading Weep by Eoin Brady, a zombie novel set in Ireland. I bought it because (a) I find the disaster genre interesting, and (b) Contagion, the prequel to This Plague of Days I’m writing, is also set in Ireland. Weep is clever. Mr. Brady writes well, with an elegant descriptive power that isn’t overdone. I suspect he’s worked in the hospitality industry for the little details that give his novel such an authentic context. One of the main characters reminds me of a prepper friend of mine, too. If zombies are your thing, I highly recommend Weep.

I wouldn’t enjoy stories of such doom and gloom as a steady diet, of course. (People who know me well would say, “Even Rob wouldn’t enjoy stories of such doom and gloom as a steady diet.”) Variety in all we consume makes for better nutrition for the body and mind.


That’s one of the reasons AFTER Life, Citizen Second Class, Amid Mortal Words and This Plague of Days contain hopeful notes (to varying degrees). I’m not interested in false hope or happily-ever-afters that don’t ring true. I prefer satisfying endings that linger with readers. And jokes. Surprise and defying mundane expectations is key to a good plot. It’s also required for a solid joke. In the brain tickle business, it’s fun to make your reader’s mind bounce around its bone case. Even amid utter mayhem, well-placed wit can take a story up to the next level. That’s a roller coaster ride readers want.

People read what they read for many reasons. Those reasons are often opaque to us. We simply like what we like. Recently, a kind reviewer included this note to her review of This Plague of Days, Season One:

One might ask why am I reading this book at this time. It’s like when I watched the “Exorcist” before going in for a job interview. My reality might have been scary had I not been prepared by scaring myself worse than a job interview. The series I know will be scarier than what I’m prepared to live through, should I survive this pandemic. Stay safe everyone.

If you feel the need to vary your media diet, please do so. It’s okay to protect your psyche and forego the news, for instance. Many of us finally have the time to get to our To-Be-Read piles. There’s plenty of room to enjoy all kinds of inky adventures. If you aren’t into end-of-the-world stories right now, check out The Night Man. Scary cover, sure. However, though it is not an unserious book, I packed a lot of jokes in there, too. Want a funny romp set in New York’s underworld in the ’90s? Try Brooklyn in the Mean TIme. There’s fun to be had in all kinds of escapes and we all need a break from existential dread, right?

Escapism comes in many forms. Enjoy what you enjoy.

Stay inside if you can.

Read what you want.

Love as much as possible.

~ Robert Chazz Chute writes science fiction, horror, and killer crime thrillers. cropped-Photo-Credit-to-David-Redding.jpg

 

Novels with secret messages

In writing a novel, my first priority is to weave a compelling story with interesting characters with fun twists and solid jokes amid the action. The theme emerges eventually, it does not come first. Now that I’ve written several apocalyptic books, here’s what came out of the subtext of the following works:This-Plague-of-Days-OMNIBUS-Large-2

This Plague of Days: The right person in the right place at the right time can make all the difference in the world and the two most powerful words are “Begin again.”

Amid Mortal Words - High Resolution

Amid Mortal Words: With great power comes great consequences.

AFTER LIFE INFERNO AFTER Life: Through adversity, we evolve.

Robot Planet: Solutions arrive when we embrace our problems, not when we run from them.

Robot Planet - High Resolution

Haunting Lessons: You don’t know the depth of your capabilities until you are challenged.
Screenshot 2017-06-08 22.24.50

Dream's Dark Flight REVAMP full


Dream’s Dark Flight:

We find our power when we let go of the fears that do not serve us.

 

 

Second-Class-Citizen-COVER-DEC-16

And now, Citizen Second Class: Even when at war against the powerful, peace may be achieved not by strength but by bravery and guile.

Citizen Second Class just released. You can pick up my latest dystopian adventure along with all the others here.

 

It’s not safe out there! Get in the Circle quick!

“Exhaustion seeped into my marrow but I could not sleep. Time passed but not enough that I could grow bored of my dread.” ~ from Citizen Second Class

 

Citizen Second Class is available for pre-order now.

Deliver it to your kindle Christmas Day so you don’t have to look your relatives in the eye.

Click it now, thank me later. šŸ˜‰

Coming Soon!

Lifeā€™s not fair. Itā€™s our job to make it that way.Ā 

In an eerily familiar near-future, America has fallen to fascism. Citizenship is attainable only through military service or immense wealth. The Resistance is broke and broken. Amid this dystopian landscape, New Atlanta has become a fortress reserved for the billionaire elite.Ā 

HopesĀ toĀ saveĀ the nation haveĀ faded but Kismet Beatriz remainsĀ defiant. The intrepid young survivor embarks on a desperate missionĀ to storm the castle of the Select Few. To win, she must face the future without flinching.

Donā€™t hope. Do.

CITIZEN SECOND CLASSĀ  WILL SOON BE AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER.

OFFICIAL LAUNCH IS SET FOR DEC 26, 2019.

Say goodbye to TPOD

The first draft of the trilogy took two years to write. As I expanded the story to go beyond one family’s fight to survive, I made it a global conflict with an evolving bioterror threat that would change the world. Revisions took another year. Plans for an audiobook are in the works and soon I’ll reveal a new look for this trilogy.

For the next few days, the ebook for This Plague of Days will be on sale for just 99Ā¢.

This Plague of Days has been my bestselling series for a long time. However, change is coming. It’s time to revamp the covers. We’re working on that so, in the meantime, I’m having a Goodbye TPOD sale. The first season will return to the regular price on September 3, 2019.

But did you know I have other books set at 99Ā¢?

This collection of shorts explores various apocalyptic scenarios. All Empires Fall packs in a lot of fun at a low low price. If the end of the world fascinates you, pick this one up!

Besides apocalyptic epics like The Dimension War Series, AFTER Life and Robot Planet, I also love to write killer crime thrillers.

The cops always show up late so this short story collection mostly focuses on my specialty: Bad versus Evil. Villains, anti-heroes, complicated people who don’t understand their place in the world. That’s my sweet, sweet jam. It will be yours, too, and for just 99Ā¢, you can get a cheap sample and lots of entertainment in Sometime Soon, Somewhere Close.

To grab your deals, the links to the right will take you to Amazon.com.

To be taken to your country’s Amazon store, use this link:
author.to/RobertChazzChute

The new zombie apocalypse: AFTER Life

Have you picked up the AFTER Life trilogy yet? Here’s why you should!

When military research is accidentally unleashed, the world’s future is a stake. Your future is at stake.

The new zombie apocalypse launches where nanotechnology, brain parasites, and corporate greed meet.Ā Fast-paced, action-packed and witty, this nightmare seems all too plausible. The technology that spells our doom or salvation awaits in the very near future.

Check out AFTER Life, Inferno, Purgatory and Paradise on Amazon and keep the lights on for your next binge read!

The End of the World As I Know It: Armageddon just got even more Buffy

Holly and I are finishing the manuscript for the next book in the Ghosts & Demons Series. It’s called The End of the World As I Know it and should be releasedĀ in April.

NEW G & D COVER

This is a draft cover with a quote from Alex Kimmell, author of The Key to Everything. He was talking about the first book in the series,Ā The Haunting Lessons.Ā I’m hoping he’ll like this one, too.Ā Well. I hope everyone likes it. (Please leave a review. We always need more reviews!)

This fun, dark fantasy seriesĀ tracks Tamara Smythe, a young woman from Iowa who can see ghosts and demons. She joins a secret society dedicated to defending the human raceĀ from demons from another dimension. As Tam’s journey evolves, she shares lessons she’s learned about how to combat evil and survive Armageddon. It’s fun, packed with action, jokes and pop culture references (like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, for instance!)

Are you a book blogger, reviewer or typo spotter? If you’d like an advanced reading copy for beta reading or for early reviews, please email usĀ at expartepress [AT] gmail [DOT] com. Cheers!