Monsterland by Michael Okon

Today I'd like to welcome Michael Okon to my blog - he's here to talk about his latest book, "Monsterland"!

Me: What are your favorite TV shows?

Michael: I don’t watch TV, never liked it. I’d much rather watch movies. I did watch Stranger Things in one weekend, which was awesome, but I don’t have a particular favorite TV show.

Me: What is your favorite meal?

Michael: Bacon cheeseburger rare, with swiss cheese. Extra bacon.

Me: Is there a writer you idolize? If so who?

Michael: Myself. I have a statue of myself in my office. Kidding of course. I love Quentin Tarantino. His screenplays are incredibly entertaining.

Me: If you were to write a series of novels, what would it be about?

Michael: I’m in the middle of writing a series of books now called Monsterland. A teen must save his date in a theme park when the main attractions – actual werewolves, vampires and zombies – descend the place into chaos. Book 2 is done. In the middle of book 3 now. Starting book 4 in late fall.

Me: How did you come up for the title of this book?


Michael: What do you call a theme park with real monsters as the main attractions? Monsterworld, Monster Area, Monsterland. Monsterland stuck.

Monsterland by Michael Okon

 
GENRE: Horror (Monsters)

BLURB: Welcome to Monsterland—the scariest place on Earth. Wyatt Baldwin's senior year is not going well. His parents divorce, then his dad mysteriously dies. He’s not exactly comfortable with his new stepfather, Carter White, either. An ongoing debate with his best friends Melvin and Howard Drucker over which monster is superior has gotten stale. He’d much rather spend his days with beautiful and popular Jade. However, she’s dating the brash high-school quarterback Nolan, and Wyatt thinks he doesn’t stand a chance. But everything changes when Wyatt and his friends are invited to attend the grand opening of Monsterland, a groundbreaking theme park where guests can interact with vampires in Vampire Village, be chased by werewolves on the River Run, and walk among the dead in Zombieville. With real werewolves, vampires and zombies as the main attractions, what could possibly go wrong?


EXCERPT:
     The sky was a sparkling, powder blue, mosquitoes droned lazily over the tepid water, frogs croaked messages while they sunbathed on waxy lily pads.
     The fire he created burned bright, rabbit roasting on a spit made from hickory, the juices dripping to hiss in the flames.
     Seven of them lay in scattered repose, enjoying the late afternoon lull—two napped, the others tossed a stuffed fur in the form of a ball around the clearing, hooting with amusement when it rolled into the brush. They traveled in a pack, his group, his makeshift family, foraging together, hiding in plain sight. It had been that way for generations. But the glades were getting smaller, the humans invasive.   
     The sun started its slow descent into the horizon, hot pink and lilac clouds rippling against the empty canvas of the sky. Their color deepened as the sky filled, the rosy hue morphing into a burnt orange as the sun hid behind the condensation. The air thickened, moisture causing the leaves to lie heavily against the branches. Here and there, fireflies lit the gloom, doing a placid ballet in the humid air.
      The men moved closer as the sun sank into the western treetops, the fading sky promising another clear day tomorrow in the Everglades despite the moving ceiling of clouds. A lone hawk cried out, disturbing the peace of the glade. Huge birds answered, flapping their wings, creating a cacophony of swamp sounds. The area became a concerto of animals responding to the disruption of their home—wild screams, squeaks, and complaints of the invasion of their territory.
      The lead male stood, his head tilted. He heard it again. It was music, the strange organization of sounds, predictable as well as dangerous. Where those rhythms originated meant only one thing—they were not alone.
     They all rose, tense and alert, searching the waterway.
     Billy pointed, his dirty hands silently parting an outcropping of trees to expose a flat-bottom boat with strangers floating slowly toward them. It was filled with people, excitedly searching the banks of the swamp, their expensive khaki bush clothes ringed with sweat. Many held huge cameras. It was obviously a film crew, invasive, nosy individuals looking for something, anything, to enhance their lives. Men’s voices drifted on the turgid air.  Billy stood, sniffing, his mates following suit. He glanced at the sky, gauging the time, his eyes opening wide. It was late. The bald top of the moon peeked over the ridge in the south, the sky graying to twilight with each passing second. Night came fast and furious in the swamp, dropping a curtain of darkness, extinguishing all light except for the beacon of the full moon. That chalk-white orb floated upward, indifferent to the consequences of its innocent victims. A halo of lighter blue surrounded the globe, limning the trees silver, the cobwebs in the trees becoming chains of dripping diamonds in the coming night.







    

AUTHOR Bio and Links:Michael Okon is the award-winning and best-selling author & screenwriter formerly known as Michael Phillip Cash. His originally self-published book Monsterland was picked up in a two-book publishing deal by WordFire Press. Michael is happily married and writes full-time on the North Shore of Long Island with his two screaming monsters in the background.

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For more information, details and updates, visit:
http://www.michaelokon.com
https://www.facebook.com/iammichaelokon
https://twitter.com/IAmMichaelOkon
Email Michael at MichaelOkonBooks@gmail.com
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Monsterland-Michael-Okon-ebook/dp/B0751F3B3S/
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/monsterland-michael-okon/1126998959
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/monsterland-1
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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION One randomly drawn commenter will win a $50 Amazon/BN GC (international giveaway), five randomly drawn winners will win a size large Monsterland T-shirt (US only). Enter to win a $50 Amazon/BN GC - a Rafflecopter giveaway