Guest post: "Turning inspiration into publication" by Rusty Fischer + Giveaway!

Ok everybody, I'm almost hyperventilating, you want to know why?! Because the first guest post here, in my humble blog, is with Rusty Fischer author of "Zombies don't cry"and "Ushers, Inc"! And he is here to make you smile and laugh. Seriously, he is that good!

Turning Inspiration Into Publication

 A Guest Post by Rusty Fischer

I am a movie buff; I am also a workaholic!!! Since I work from home, I spend a LOT of time cooped up in my office. Some days, I never even leave the house. (Literally! And, yes, I know how sad that sounds.)

But when I do get a break, I generally make a beeline to our local movie theater.

It’s a pretty big one; 16 state of the art theaters in an outdoor mall with a Books-A-Million, a Panera, an Old Navy, a World Market, the works. Sometimes my wife goes with me; most times she doesn’t. (And with my taste in movies, who can blame her?)

The thing is, since I’m a workaholic, it’s hard for me to feel “good” about taking the time off. Even if it’s just for one flick – and usually I try to make it a double-feature – I’m still always antsy that there’s something I should be doing.

Especially when I’m in writing mode. You know writing mode, right? Every sight is an inspiration, every song is part of your own personal, creative soundtrack, every idea – no matter how unformed – is fair game for your next story, novella, poem, blog post, review or even… YA novel.

So usually I’ll bring a little spiral notebook along with me on my movie outings, and a good pen, and I’ll slip them in one of my cargo pants pockets. (Is any of this sounding familiar yet?!?) Usually I’m early, because I’m so glad to have the car and be free of the home office that I don’t look at movie times or schedules, I just… bolt!

So there I am one day last year, looking for an idea for my next YA supernatural romance (and totally out of them), when four ushers stumble into my theater and hunch down together in the front row. It was mid-afternoon, probably shift change, not many people in the theater because, like I said: my taste in movies? Not so great.

But I thought, “Nice one!” Good for them. And as I settled in for the movie, some generic vampire schlock I’ve already forgotten, I was thinking the whole while, “I wonder how many movies they see each week? Every one that comes out? Just the good ones? And if they really, really like a good one, how many times do they see it before it leaves? Three times? Four? Five or six?”


Then something flashy on the screen took my mind away for a minute, but when it was over I thought, “How much do these ushers know about vampires, for instance? I mean, if they watch every vampire movie that ever comes out, they must know a lot…”

In fact, I figured, they’d probably seen a LOT of vampire movies. And zombie movies. And werewolf movies and… and… suddenly an idea for my next YA novel was born. That idea was… tad um… Ushers, Inc.!

I think of those ushers every time I see the cover for Ushers, Inc. It’s funny, but lots of people tell me how they were ushers as a kid, or still are, or always wanted to be. I’ve always wanted to be an usher, too. The only thing stopping me as a kid was that I knew how rowdy my friends got in the movie on a Friday or Saturday night, and how I always felt bad for the ushers who had to come in and try to get them to settle down, and how I knew I’d never, ever be able to do that!!!!

I suppose, Ushers, Inc. is my small way of being an honorary usher at some point!

Usually my ideas for books don’t come so easily. I usually think long and hard on them, for days and days and weeks and weeks until suddenly some random cross-germination will happen and I’ll wake up in the middle of the night, scrambling or my notebook mumbling, “Eureka! A girl becomes a zombie and finds herself in the middle of an ages-old good versus bad zombie throw down!” Or, “I’ve got it; girl finds out she has a Dad, only her Dad sold his soul to a demon for some drumsticks, and now those drumsticks are hers, and…”

But with Ushers, Inc. I found a story where I wasn’t really looking. And, sometimes, those are the best kinds of stories of all…

This is the blurb of "Ushers, Inc"

Ushers, Inc
by Rusty Fischer

Official Blurb:

When the streets are full of bloodsuckers, werewolves, zombies and ghouls, where will you turn? The cops don’t know how to stop them, the Army’s pretty much given up and even the Marines are stumped when their bullets and grenades fail to stop the onslaught.

Have no fear, Ushers, Inc. is here!

I know, right? Just by reading this I'm sure this book guarantees lots of hours with good humor :D

And now... the giveaway part! Yes, because Rusty is such an amazing person he is offering TWO ebook copies of "Ushers, Inc"!!! Woohoo! So, here's the deal, all you need to do is:

- Be a follower of this blog.
- Leave a comment in this guest post leaving your GFC name and your e-mail (and a big cheese... I mean, thank you, to Rusty would be awesome).

The giveaway is international and ends 23th July, 2011. The winners will be chosen using random.org and they will have to reply to my e-mail within 48 hours or another winner will be choose.