Samuel made it through the editorial gauntlet and is looking a lot less shabby than when he began. The cover got a redo, a time-warp was fixed, corrective actions against the school of redundancy school were enforced, and as of 21:00GMT Samuel and the crew from the Meadow, along with a host of zombies are on their way to Amazon.com!

Next stop, my mechanic – auto mostly fixed, but a couple of other issues cropped up between inspections.  it seems cars are a lot like computers: they’re guaranteed to be trouble free as long as you don’t operate them.

Next time: Editor.  Reading through it after the seventh time, fixing errors, finding extra words, putting on the comma commando garb then fine ding gits finding it’s still got errors can make one a little insane.  Did I miss those or did the comma fairy come and sprinkle those curly bits throughout my manuscript?  Extra spaces, he where she should be and visa versa.  Fortunately there are roadmaps for going through it with a red pen which will be the next round. First though I may get a proof copy just to throw in the fire.  I hear if you soak it with special salts and let it dry first the colors are beautiful…

Samuel is almost ready to go, but the evil Water Pump and it’s partner in crime, the notorious Blue Pressure Tank have held him hostage for four days! All is not lost, though – as Water Pump and Pressure Tank have been replaced by their do-good  twins! (warrantied for at least one year, capes and billowing wind sold separately).

Zombie Horde from the back cover of “Samuel Shinpike and the Attack of the Roadkill Zombies” © 2014 Andrew Perkins

Samuel has left the confines of the city. He has been living in the “Meadow”, where he thought he’d be able to live an idyllic life as a badger in the country. As with most things in a post-zombie apocalypse world though, things are not always the way they seem.  Turns out there are zombies here too.  Most live in the swamp, some make it across the highway (yes, here in the Pillar Cities metro area they have many of the modern conveniences of the pre-apocalypse world, though traffic jams are few between the cities).

There are other goings on in this bucolic enclave as in just about any rural area: some good, some deadly.

Samuel is just about done here, and will probably be moving on – if he survives.