Michael G. Munz

The official website of Seattle sci-fi/fantasy author and geek Michael G. Munz

From the Zeus Is Dead sequel…

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As I’m currently out writing Zeus Is Dead 2 (not the official title) and I’m both easily distracted and eager to share, have a glimpse of a tiny section from the first draft of the book. Will it make it into the final draft? Will it be edited? Will I decide the blatant Walking Dead reference is too much? Who knows!

Zeus Is Undead Exerpt

Haven’t read the original Zeus Is Dead: A Monstrously Inconvenient Adventure (which contains no zombies whatsoever but does feature venomous, bat-winged kitten swarms)? There’s no time like the present to start!

In which reality TV heroes slay actual monsters and the Greek gods have their own Twitter feeds...

In which reality TV heroes slay actual monsters and the Greek gods have their own Twitter feeds…

Pooh and Piglet at Tanagra – a tweet that exploded

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It’s really weird how the Internet works sometimes. I’ve got a fairly strong Twitter presence (@TheWriteMunz). Twitter is great for me, since I tend to spout weird little things regardless of whether or not I’m on the Internet. Before I had Twitter, I’d just say these things to an empty apartment, text them out of the blue to confused friends, or just share them with random strangers on the bus. Some things I tweet expecting to get a great response, only to receive silence. Some little throw-away comments get far more attention than I thought. You really can’t tell.

Since I tweet for humor, often with fantasy/sci-fi angles (gotta keep up with the “branding” to fit in with my books, don’tcha know), I sometimes seize on a particular concept I like and then run it into the ground with it. Slogans for Soylent Green that tout its people content. Additional Asimov Laws of Robotics. #LittleKnownSciFiFacts (with “facts” used loosely). [Read more…]

My Worst Movie Theater Experience

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When the movie theater experience works, it works really well. Who doesn’t like sitting in the middle of a darkened theater in front of a massive spectacle of storytelling and visual awe, sharing the group experience with mostly total strangers amid incredible sound and the scent of popcorn? (Okay, I’m sure there are those who don’t enjoy that, but it’s meant as a rhetorical question. No need to name names.)

Yet we’ve all had the opposite experience, too. That guy wearing the British Royal Guard hat who sits down in front of you just as the movie starts. The little kid behind you who won’t stop kicking your seat. The horde of gremlins who break into the theater on Christmas Eve, carve up the screen, and keep checking their cell phones. [Read more…]

Anxious!

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So with today being the last day my old publisher is in business, and my being nervous about making sure my books get transferred back to me and set up again for sale properly, you might say I’m a little anxious. How anxious? Well I’m glad you asked, hypothetical person! I’ve been venting a bit on Twitter…

Writing the Zeus Is Dead Sequel!

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Well, it’s official: I’ve now begun to write the sequel to Zeus Is Dead. Or perhaps “follow-up” would be a better term. When I first wrote Zeus Is Dead, it was meant as a single novel rather than a part of a larger series. There’s no “To be continued!” on the end of it. But I had so much fun writing it that I wanted to come back to that world.

Anyway, sequel, follow-up, another-damn-book, whatever you want to call it, it’s coming, and I’ve gotten the first few lines done:

Subject to change in editing, of course...

Subject to change in editing, of course…

I’m still doing my best to finish A Dragon at the Gate, however. The ZID sequel is where my brain goes when I still want to be creative but need a break from the bleaker cyberpunk world of The New Aeneid Cycle. Essentially, I’m procrastinating. But at least I can make procrastination work for me and for all of the fans of Zeus Is Dead.

Also lately I’ve been playing Fallout 4 to procrastinate, but that doesn’t help anyone but Bethesda.

Zeus Is Dead: Bargain Priced This Week

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Hi everyone! This being Wednesday, you’d normally be seeing a new Guest Geek post up here today. Unfortunately my geek-wrangling has temporarily failed me this week, but there will be more very soon. In the meantime, this gives me the perfect opportunity to let you know that Zeus Is Dead: A Monstrously Inconvenient Adventure is just 99 cents this week in all ebook formats!
That's over 80% off of the regular ebook price!That's over 55 BILLION TIMES LESS EXPENSIVE than a stealth fighter!

That’s over 80% off of the regular ebook price!
That’s over 55 BILLION TIMES LESS EXPENSIVE than a stealth fighter!

I suppose it’s possible, despite your presence on this website, that you don’t really know much about Zeus Is Dead. Anything’s possible, right? Well, to give you a quick crash course, it’s the third book I’ve written, the first book of mine to be published via an independent publisher (i.e. the first one that wasn’t originally self-published), and my absolute favorite out of all everything I’ve ever written. Also, the back cover blurb goes something like this:

THE GODS ARE BACK. DID YOU MYTH THEM?

You probably saw the press conference. Nine months ago, Zeus’s murder catapulted the Greek gods back into our world. Now they revel in their new temples, casinos, and media empires–well, all except Apollo. A compulsive overachiever with a bursting portfolio of godly duties, the amount of email alone that he receives from rapacious mortals turns each of his days into a living hell.

Yet there may be hope, if only he can return Zeus to life! With the aid of Thalia, the muse of comedy and science fiction, Apollo will risk his very godhood to help sarcastic TV producer Tracy Wallace and a gamer-geek named Leif–two mortals who hold the key to Zeus’s resurrection. (Well, probably. Prophecies are tricky buggers.)

Soon an overflowing inbox will be the least of Apollo’s troubles. Whoever murdered Zeus will certainly kill again to prevent his return, and avoiding them would be far easier if Apollo could possibly figure out who they are.

Even worse, the muse is starting to get cranky.

Discover a world where reality TV heroes slay actual monsters and the gods have their own Twitter feeds: Zeus Is Dead: A Monstrously Inconvenient Adventure!

zeus-is-dead-ninjas-templar-smallBut it’s not just me shilling for this book. Other people whose brains I don’t even control have had this to say:

“I have not enjoyed a tongue-in-cheek comedy book this much in a long, long time.” —Abyss & Apex Magazine

“Unless you really like your supernatural fiction all mopey and dull, you’ll find something to love here.” —Jonathan Charles Bruce, author of Project Northwoods

And my personal favorite:

“Zeus Is Dead is full of laugh-out-loud moments, lashings of sly wit, moan-worthy puns, and a complex, fast-paced storyline. There aren’t very many humorous fantasy murder mysteries out there, especially not as intricately constructed as this one. Michael G. Munz takes a ‘What if,’ and runs with it like a toddler with Mom’s smart phone. He evokes a pantheon of characters including, well, the actual Pantheon, plus modern characters who will ring the bell of familiarity without being trite or clichéd. Munz knows his craft as well as his Greek mythology, pop culture, and dysfunctional family dynamics. The guffaw-worthy throwaway bits (stay tuned for the battle sundae) will remind you of Douglas Adams. A very enjoyable read.”  —Jody Lynn Nye, author of View from the Imperium and co-author of the Myth Adventures of Aahz and Skeeve

So why not pick up a copy, or gift a copy to a friend or even a random stranger as an April Fool’s Day prank? This promotion is scheduled to end Friday, April 3rd, so grab it while it’s still insultingly cheap!

prophecies

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Fudge

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Do you want fudge? Because this is how you get fudge.

Chocolate-peanut butter fudge, to be precise.

Chocolate-peanut butter fudge, to be precise.

I’m going to break from my blog’s usual format (such as it is – perhaps I should’ve put quotation marks around that word) and give you all a quick crash course in how to make some pretty decent fudge. Those of you who dislike fudge may move along.

Okay, now that that guy is gone, well, here we go! [Read more…]