Road Trip of the Living Dead

289 Pages·2016·1.73 MB·English

by  Henry Mark

Praise for Mark Henry and
Happy Hour of the Damned!
“Dark, twisted and completely hilarious. I loved this book!”
—Michelle Rowen, author of Lady & The Vamp
“Call them the splatterati—werewolves who always know what
to wear, zombies with bodies to die for, and vampires who
know their fang shui—just don’t call them late when it comes
to happy hour, or the drinks might be on you.”
—David Sosnowski, author of Vamped
“Happy Hour of the Damned—is it a comedy? An urban fantasy?
A whodunit? Who cares! Mark Henry’s written such a clever
and engaging story that fans of any genre will totally adore it.
Amanda Feral is the freshest, funniest character to come out of
fiction since Bridget Jones and my only regret is she’s not real
and we can’t go out for drinks. (Because, really? Zombies are the
new black.) In short? I loved this book!”
—Jen Lancaster, author of Bitter is the New Black
“Happy Hour of the Damned blends the hilarious narcissism of Seinfeld
with Night of the Living Dead.Who knew skincare-obsessed zom-
bies were so much fun? I couldn’t read this book fast enough.”
—Jeaniene Frost, New York Times bestselling author of
Halfway to the Grave
“More brisk, batty, raunchy, and catty than a room full of cougars
with a margarita machine. Happy Hour of the Damned is funny as
hell.”
—Cherie Priest, author of Not Flesh Nor Feathers
“Gruesome, ghoulish and utterly groundbreaking. Mark Henry
is daring and scathingly funny.”
—Jackie Kessler, author of Hotter Than Hell
And advance praise for Road Trip of the Living Dead!
“What can I say about Road Trip of the Living Dead? It’s irrever-
ent, gross and disgusting. All in a good way. I LOVED it!!”
—Jeanne C. Stein, author of Legacy
“In turns hilarious and twisted, Road Trip of the Living Dead is a
book I’ll never forget. Who knew fashion-obsessed flesh eaters
could be so engaging? Fans of any genre won’t be able to put
this book down as they fall into the darkly comedic world of
Amanda Feral and her undead companions. Edgy and evocative,
Road Trip is a must read! I’m looking forward to reading future
works from this talented author.”
—Anya Bast, author of Witch Heart
“Hilariously wicked and twisted, Road Trip of the Living Dead’s
Amanda Feral’s antics had me rolling on the floor with laughter.
Between the snarky footnotes and the quirky, sassy voice, this
book rocked my world.”
—Tate Hallaway, New York Times bestselling author of
Romancing the Dead
“A spew-licious snark fest straight from Winnebago hell—Mark
Henry drives this adventure with masterful wit!”
—Dakota Cassidy, author of The Accidental Human
“I didn’t see how Mark Henry would be able to top Amanda
Feral’s first adventure, but Road Trip of the Living Dead is even more
raucous, lewd, and hilarious. How could I have doubted his ge-
nius? His savoir faire? His ability to create scenarios so horrifying
and guilt-inducing funny? Amanda Feral rules the urban fantasy
landscape.To miss out on this novel would be très gauche!”
—Michele Bardsley, nationally bestselling author of
Wait Till Your Vampire Gets Home
Road
Trip of
the
Living
Dead
MARK
HENRY
KENSINGTON BOOKS
http://www.kensingtonbooks.com
To the two most ravenous readers in my life:
my mother, Edna,
and my goddaughter, Delaney
(who better not read this until she’s old enough!)
Acknowledgments
A second novel in a surprise series (I had no clue that I was
getting into more than one book here—still can’t believe my
luck) shouldn’t have been anywhere near as easy as Road Trip of
the Living Dead. My fantastic editor, John Scognamiglio, forced
me out of my seat-o’-the pants style, heralding the age of the
outline. Thanks, John. Seriously. The book turned out better
than I could’ve imagined.
I’m forever indebted to Jim McCarthy, agent, editor, come-
dian, and pop culture reference guide.Your advice and sugges-
tions are invaluable. On the downside, you’ve encouraged a
dependence on apple pie milk shakes.
I seem to have picked up a slew of first readers. First up,
Stacia Kane (whom I’m sure I’ll mention again): Her encour-
agement and critique helped to make this book so much better
than it started. The South Sound Algonquians, for the second
year in a row, have put up with my filthy public readings, offered
support, and even added a bit of their own brand of nasty. A
hundred thank-yous to Monica Britt, Dolly Ceehar, Ned Hayes,
Manek Mistry, Megan Pottorff, Sherylle Stapleton, and
Tom Wright.
So often writing is a solitary activity, and for most, so is the
promotional aspect. I was lucky to find like-minded friends to
help stave off the loneliness.Team Seattle, for one, Caitlin Kittredge,
Richelle Mead, Cherie Priest, and Kat Richardson—thank you,
guys, for putting up with all the crude jokes and laughing, any-
way.To the League of Reluctant Adults (because blogging doesn’t
have to be lonely), thanks Stace (there she is again), Caitlin,
Jackie Kessler, Jaye Wells (Blue Drank!), Anton Strout, and
Jeremy Lewis.And even our fallen comrades, Ilona Andrews and
Jill Myles (who’ve never really left).
vi i i ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
One of the most surprising things to come out of this whole
published-author thing is the great readers who have found me.
*
The Glamazombies , as I’ve dubbed them, are such a fun group,
and I’m totally enamored of my plague carriers, Missy Sawmiller
and Todd Thomas.You guys Rock!
I promised myself I wouldn’t write another two-page ac-
knowledgments, but clearly I can’t keep my word, so I’ll con-
tinue. . . .
Two author peeps kept the Montana events in this book on
track, Patricia Briggs and Diana Pharoah Francis.Thanks to you
both, and Patty, I still have that Butte map on my wall.
My friends continue to put up with my crazy schedule, God
bless ’em.Thanks, Kevin Macias and Jo Rash for all the support and
free dialogue! Three more friends: Synde Korman, Duane Wilkes,
and Barbara Vey—your enthusiasm for books and the genre is
inspirational.You guys are awesome, and I’m glad to know you.
Finally, Caroline, my lovely wife, she’s my magic. She is every-
thing to me and contributes so much to this series.
Thank you.
For your time.
For your love.
*
Join us online at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/markhenry