Now, do you remember Antony White? Antony’s one of the brilliant artists who contributed to www.lastoftheliving.net – I featured him and his work on this site last year (click here).

Antony got in touch again recently to tell me about a new project he has created with his partner Carly: The Last Survivors (www.thelastsurvivors.co.uk). It’s proudly described as ‘the UK’s most realistic zombie experience’ and it takes place in, you guessed it, the secret nuclear bunker I mentioned at the beginning of this post. I was invited along to a press run through but, unfortunately, I couldn’t make it. So I sent along a deputy – Ryan Fleming (star of page 351 of AUTUMN: AFTERMATH, no less!) – in my place.

Watch the trailer, read Ryan’s report by clicking the link below, then book your tickets!

“Nobody knows what happened or how it started. At first, it was news flashes on the TV and radio. Rioting in Kent and Sussex. The reports were sketchy and footage was rare. Then the radio went out. The Internet stopped working. Television ceased broadcasting. In our media-soaked world, the sudden lack of information caused mass panic.

The last few reports that made it out told of a parasite, a mutated form of toxoplasma gondii, controlling the brains of those infected, turning them into mindless creatures. These creatures had only one goal, to spread the infection further. These ‘infected’ would attack with horrific violence and aggression, clawing and spitting and bleeding over their victims. People were soon seeing it closer and closer to home, attacks spreading further out to London and the suburbs. The millions of infected in London now bolstered the wave of horror that swept through the Essex countryside. Whole towns fell in minutes as stunned residents saw their loved ones horrifically mauled and infected by blood-soaked, feral, snarling creatures.

Some people made their escape in cars and trucks, desperately trying to find a safe haven or the assistance of the police or military, but there was nothing. Only more death and devastation.

Within days, England was dead.

Then came a garbled radio transmission piggybacking across the FM band. We heard it as we sat in our car, parked up behind a hay bale in an isolated and overgrown farmer’s field near the town of Brentwood in Essex. We were only twenty-five miles away from the glowing ruins of London but, because of the sparse population here, we felt safe enough to evaluate our situation and decide what to do next.

The radio transmission told of a group of soldiers and scientists that had holed-up in an underground nuclear bunker complex. It was less than five miles from where we were parked, so Carrie and I decided to check it out. We were running low on petrol anyway, so it seemed our only shot. We found the entrance road to the bunker complex and turned in. We’d not seen any infected on the drive here but then, back before everything fell apart, we’d have been lucky to see anyone on these leafy lanes anyway.

As we neared the end of the entrance road, a barricade blocked our path. An armed soldier motioned for us to halt. He asked us for a report on the surrounding areas. We told him we’d seen nothing and we were ushered through. We were soon told to abandon our car and were transported to a more secure area. We were then sent in to meet one of the scientific team. He performed some quick tests on us to see if we were infected and, satisfied, went on to explain what they were doing and their theories on the cause of the outbreaks.

Then it all went wrong.

Multiple breaches were reported on the outer defenses and we were evacuated into the bunker for safety. We were hurried into the entrance tunnel, some 100 meters long, as the soldier escorting us barked orders and radioed for information. We were deep underground by now. Believing we were safe, nothing could prepare us for what happened next.

Somehow the bunker was compromised. We were then running for our lives, our footsteps drowned out by the sound of gunfire echoing off the walls. Our escort instructed us to stay close as we would need to use another exit to get topside to be picked up by the extraction team. Terrified, we did as we were told and followed the thin beam of light from the soldier’s torch, the only thing penetrating the pitch black of the now silent bunker. We passed through the blast doors and into the bunker complex. Then the screaming started. From somewhere above us, on another floor, gunfire, commotion and bloodcurdling screams could be heard. The bunker had fallen to those creatures. Our soldier, now clearly panicked but professional throughout, fell back on his training and commanded us to follow him. He led us through the echoing, ghostly bunker as the sounds of carnage grew ever closer.

We reached the emergency exit stairwell and climbed to safety, the soldier opened the blast door, affording us a glimpse of precious and much needed daylight. But the exit was blocked. We were trapped. Hurrying us down the flights of stairs and back into the bunker, our means of escape was cut off. Fear began to set in. My heart was thumping so loudly I was sure it could be heard throughout the bunker. Our soldier revealed a wound on his arm. Was it a bite? He said it hurt like hell but otherwise he didn’t seem to be affected too much. My fears were now doubled. How long does it take to turn into one of those things?? Were we in more danger now than before?

The soldier told us of a final evacuation route that would take us through the overrun bunker and out through the canteen. It wasn’t going to be easy, he was low on ammo but we had no choice. He led on and we nervously followed, back into the dark and foreboding bunker…

What happened above isn’t the plot of a new zombie novel or film but an account of the events when you visit The Last Survivors Zombie Experience at The Secret Nuclear Bunker in Kelvedon Hatch, Essex.

After booking online at www.thelastsurvivors.co.uk you turn up at the allotted time and are thrown right into the apocalypse before you even get out of your car. If you don’t scare easily, you will need to re-evaluate that after doing this! Being trapped in a dark and gloomy disused nuclear bunker complex with a panicking soldier and the sounds of death and chaos all around you, echoing off the walls and growing ever louder as the undead get closer and closer will trigger all manner of primal responses and fears in your head. It doesn’t matter that you know it’s not real, your base instincts that take over the moment the lights go out down. You have no choice but to go with it.

You can’t just turn around and walk out either. The place is a maze of blackened rooms, stairwells and dormitories, all fully decorated with ghostly remnants of the Cold War military that used the place right up until the early 1990s.

If you like zombies, horror or just something fun and truly unique, then this an experience you’ll not forget for a very long time.”

Thanks to Antony and the team behind The Last Survivors, and to Ryan for volunteering his services. Believe me, if Ryan was scared, you will be too! For more information and to book tickets, visit www.thelastsurvivors.co.uk.

The Last Survivors is a post from: David Moody - author of HATER, DOG BLOOD and the AUTUMN series

“Joe is anything but an ordinary eight year old. His father’s a stay-at-home dad and his mom’s going to save the world.

Forced to live in cramped quarters after the military pull funding on his mother’s research, Joe is thrown into the midst of a race against the clock to save mankind. As tensions rise and the family disintegrates, they must face an uncomfortable ultimatum. Do they save each other or humanity?”

I think it’s a lovely little story, which is linked (though I’m not yet saying how) to the AUTUMN series. Fellow author Jasper Bark (who once had the honour of eating my brains) said: “This is compulsive reading, a story you can’t put down unless someone hacks both your arms off!” and Starburst magazine said: “Satisfyingly morose. Takes a lo-fi route to an unavoidable apocalypse.”

Joe and Me is officially released on 18th June. Click here to pre-order.

Pre-orders now open for Joe and Me is a post from: David Moody - author of HATER, DOG BLOOD and the AUTUMN series

Ten years ago, I started out by giving books away. When that strategy began to work, I set up Infected Books and moved into self-publishing, though I preferred to call it independent publishing, not least because of all the negative connotations self-publishing had (and, to an extent, still has).

Since then I’ve been fortunate to have been published traditionally in a number of different countries, and I’ve sold more books than I ever dared dream. I still get asked constantly about my self-publishing days, and I often find myself wondering what would happen if I did it again today. The marketplace has changed so dramatically over the years and has grown so much, and recently I’ve been wondering how an Infected Books release would fare in 2012.

It’s time to find out. It’s time for an experiment.

This coming July, I’ll be releasing a fully re-written and expanded version of TRUST – a book which has been unavailable since 2008 – through Infected Books. TRUST will be available from launch as a low price eBook, a mass market paperback, and a limited edition hardcover. Not only that, the entire book will also be serialised free online, with chapters being posted each Monday and Friday through until the end of 2012.

This doesn’t mean I’ve given up on traditional publishing (nor, hopefully, that traditional publishers have given up on me). With both the AUTUMN and HATER series recently having come to an end in quick succession, this is the ideal time for me to stop and consider all my options. Right now I’m working on a number of projects which I hope will find homes with other publishers, but equally I have a lot of other material in development which I think might benefit from this independent approach.

Exciting times. Who knows where this will lead! More details to come shortly…

TRUST is a post from: David Moody - author of HATER, DOG BLOOD and the AUTUMN series

Many of you will already know about This is Horror – an excellent website which, in its short existence, has developed a large following and a reputation for being a key resource for finding out about all things horror. The founders of the site have plenty of enthusiasm and ambition, and are about to branch out into a new venture: the This is Horror Premium Chapbook series. These chapbooks will be released every quarter and will showcase original stories from (in TiH’s words) “some of the very best names in the genre today”.

I’m honoured to have been asked to contribute a story, and I’m very pleased to announce that my piece – Joe and Me – will be the launch title.

I don’t want to say too much at the present time, I’ll just give you the salient facts: the chapbooks will be strictly limited to 500 copies, and Joe and Me will be launched in early June (with a launch event to take place in Warwick later in the month). Pricing, subscription and ordering details will be made available very shortly, but for now you can find out more by visiting this page over at www.thisishorror.co.uk. My story will be followed later this year by tales from Conrad Williams, Joseph D’Lacey, and a collaborative story from Gary McMahon and Simon Bestwick.

So what’s Joe and Me about? Well again, I won’t give too much away at this stage, I’ll just say that if you have even a passing interest in the AUTUMN series, you might want to check it out!

Joe and Me is a post from: David Moody - author of HATER, DOG BLOOD and the AUTUMN series

Issue 10 of SCREAM is now out. I post about this mag every time they release an issue and I stand by my assertion that it’s a publication made by real horror fans, for horror fans. This issue’s highlights include interviews with Howard J Ford, one of the brothers behind THE DEAD (which I wrote about here), special effects genius Alec Gillis, and legendary 2000 A.D. co-creator Pat Mills. Also, magazine subscribers can enter to win one of five signed copies of HATER. Click here for more details.

I posted about my love for STARBURST back in February, and this week issue 376 dropped through my letter box. It’s great to see it back on the shelves and in such good shape, and this month I geeked myself out by achieving my long-held ambition of actually appearing in the mag. I wish I could hop back in time thirty-odd years and show this issue to the nerdy, snotty-nosed, overweight, ten year-old me. See, Dave, I’d tell myself, ignore all the kids who take the piss. Stick with your STAR WARS and horror film addictions – you’ll do okay in the end.

Right. Have a good weekend. Be back here next week if you want to hear about a couple of new releases.

Weekend reading is a post from: David Moody - author of HATER, DOG BLOOD and the AUTUMN series

It was definitely one of my favourite signings to date, not just because we both pretty much cleared out the store’s stock of our books, but also because we got to meet the legend that is Mike McShane. For those in the UK who aren’t as old as me, Mike was a regular on TV panel show ‘Whose Line is it Anyway?’. Even more excitingly, he was in Cardiff to star in the penultimate episode of the forthcoming new series of a certain long-running and very popular BBC alien time-traveller show! We asked, but he wouldn’t tell us anything more…!

Another great signing with Mr Simmons! is a post from: David Moody - author of HATER, DOG BLOOD and the AUTUMN series

Myself, Simon Clark, Conrad Williams, Paul Kane and Marie O’Regan (photo courtesy of Paul Kane)

It was great to meet Graham Joyce too, and to be there for the premier of Black Dust – an excellent short movie based on one of his stories. Thanks to everyone who supported the weekend and to the organisers for having me.

I know I’m leaving this next bit late, but don’t forget that I’ll be at Waterstones in Cardiff tomorrow, signing with Wayne Simmons. Wayne’s launching his new novel DOLL PARTS – the sequel to DROP DEAD GORGEOUS. Please come along if you’re in the area. We’ll be there from 12:30pm onwards.

I hope not to leave it another two weeks before posting again. With a little luck I’ll be back in a few days to let you know what I’m working on now that the HATER and AUTUMN books are done and dusted. There’s some good stuff coming…

Out and About is a post from: David Moody - author of HATER, DOG BLOOD and the AUTUMN series

Firstly in the UK, Gollancz are continuing their mass market paperback re-releases and we’re now up to AUTUMN: PURIFICATION (or, as my family have christened it, the green one). And in Spain, the mass market edition of CIUDAD ZOMBIE (AUTUMN: THE CITY) is now out. The Spanish editions of the AUTUMN books have gone down really well, so thanks to everyone who picked them up.

Right… back to work. By the way, don’t forget I’ll be at alt.fiction in Leicester this weekend (just in the morning on Saturday, most of the day on Sunday), and I’ll be signing with Wayne Simmons at Waterstones in Cardiff on Saturday 21st. Please come along and say hello.

A couple of new AUTUMN releases is a post from: David Moody - author of HATER, DOG BLOOD and the AUTUMN series

Click the link to read more about Michael and to see some of the other images he contributed.

Born in Buffalo, New York, Michael currently lives with his family in Virginia. After studying Visual Communications and Illustration and working in the industry for some time, he was forced to change direction when he moved. He took a job as a car salesman which, in his words, gave him “plenty of down time which let me start dabbling in the writing field.”

He describes himself as a spontaneous artist, who takes inspiration from the moment. “I find a great Rockabilly/Psychobilly song gets me in just the right mood… blood pumpin’, brain swelling, and the lyrics are incredible. There’s nothing like a Meteors’ song or a Demented Are Go song to get the old grey matter working again.”

Michael’s style varies, and he likes to throw in the occasional unexpected extra (like the Hater references in the HOME pictures above and below). “I might throw an illustration together that looks like a Picasso with a Bart Simpson thrown in just for the fun of it. Since I got away from the art field as a job I tend to draw whatever it is I feel like at the time. One day it might be designing skateboards, the next, gas tanks on motorcycles. You just never know.”

Since contributing to www.lastoftheliving.net, Michael’s had some success with his own writing. He currently has five shorts in print with another four accepted. He’s currently working on his first novella which should see the light of day in the near future. You can read his fiction in several anthologies (click here for a list) or click here to visit his website.

Sincere thanks to Michael for his contribution to www.lastoftheliving.net. I wish him every success in the future.

The AUTUMN artists – Michael Dick is a post from: David Moody - author of HATER, DOG BLOOD and the AUTUMN series

Meera Flame, Chip Fehd, Matthew Vaughan, Louie La Compte, Maribel Tostado, Peter Schwotzer and James E Parsons.

Your books will be in the post shortly. I’m still waiting for three final winners to confirm their details with me. If you followed me on Facebook last month, check your messages as the books were all won by new Facebook followers.

Thanks again to everyone who entered, and huge thanks also to the kind folks at Thomas Dunne Books / St Martins’ Griffin for putting up the prizes.

AUTUMN: AFTERMATH giveaway winners is a post from: David Moody - author of HATER, DOG BLOOD and the AUTUMN series