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Your 12 Best 2019 Links Part 2 – Laugh Again!

In Your 12 Best 2019 Links Part 2 – Laugh Again! I continue what I started in part one. Read Part 1 here.

So where did I finish off? Six months, six links, makes it through June. 

Your 12 Best 2019 Links Part 2 – July 2019

I could hardly decide this month. I had a lot of great videos in July. Check them out here. But I think this one takes the cake.

In light of the 50th anniversary of the Moon landing, this video won the race.

Next, on to August’s best link/video/image. Which will it be? I haven’t decided yet.

This also showed up in July:

5 Best SciFi Best Story Ideas
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The Best of August 2019

First, you can gander at all my posts from August.

Then, cast your eyes upon this wonderful item:

Not only did we celebrate the Moon landing, but also the development of a real hoverboard–rather like in my book, Paranormal Privateers.

What’s the Best Thing From September 2019?

Good question! Your can read all my posts from September 2019 right here. I chose this one. Why?

I love when science catches up with science fiction. Here I just wrote Paranormal Privateers in 2018 including mind control through skull implants. Then I read an article heading in the same direction with current technology!

Can anything top this in October 2019? Find out in the next section.

Your 12 Best 2019 Links – Next, October

In one blog post, I discussed where I got my ideas for Paranormal Privateers, my third novel. I had to surpass my previous books. I added a surprise twist and I gave two hints. Here’s your first hint:

Your first hint about Paranormal Privateers

Then you got this second hint:

Excerpt from Forbidden Planet

I love these two movies, so, naturally, I included elements of them in my book.

If you haven’t read Paranormal Privateers, let me know your guesses about the plot twist. The best response gets a free ebook of your choice!

Next, 2019 November’s Best

My best in November was my worst mistakes in publishing. These were fresh in my mind, since I just published Oops! Tales of the Zombie Turkey Apocalypse.

However, my first short story book released in November and THAT’s the best thing about November.

And here you have the back cover and blurb:

Your 12 Best 2019
Oops! Back cover and blurb

Oops! I almost forgot! I got a review for Oops! Here it is:

The First Review of Oops!

Oops! Tales of the Zombie Turkey Apocalypse by Andy Zach is a collection of short stories and as the clue is in the title, the theme is zombies. And boy do they come in a variety of different shapes and sizes.

The book starts with three stories that are a starter and not in the zombie genre. Firstly, you are introduced to a world where nothing is heard. Then we move on to finding an elusive phoenix and trying to use its DNA for breeding. Lastly, we have a story about a time-travelling wheelchair.

Then we jump straight into zombies. From zombie pickles, to zombie service dog corgis, to zombie models and even zombies in a nursing home. There is a timeline thread running through the stories where characters that create something or meet someone bring them into a later story. And all of this in a world where becoming a zombie is as easy as ordering blood online!

After each story, the author explains where he got his ideas from, and since in his bio he claims both his parents were zombies, he must be an expert on all things undead. The author has a very quick mind and some of the quips and plays on words were very clever. In some of the stories, however, I would have preferred a definite ending—one where the story doesn’t just finish and you think there is more coming. It was almost as though they were ideas taken from diary extracts with sporadic glimpses into a world of zombies.

From Reedsy

Oops! Review Part 2

After the zombie stories came tales from some of his other books about teenage superheroes. I think the one I enjoyed the most was of the hamster that one of the kids had experimented on and had developed some superpowers. He taught himself to read and was eventually able to communicate with others by typing on a computer. The author very cleverly integrated himself into that story by being the author in the story and the one that the hamster contacted. And of course, we had to have a story about aliens to end it off.

The editing of the book was very good, and I only caught a couple of minor errors. I enjoyed the writing style of the main author and very often you had to reread something because the clever nuances were so subtle you only got them a few lines later. The different styles of writing by the different authors was a bit offputting as you get into a tempo with one and then get thrown off your rhythm by another.

While I enjoyed the book overall, I would still put it in my average category as I wouldn’t go back and reread it. I would, however, recommend it to anyone looking for a quick read where you can turn your brain off from reality and just jump into a world of crazy.

From Reedsy

Finally, of Your 12 Best 2019 Links, the Best of December 2019

What could be the best thing about December? Maybe, Christmas?

The Official Video of ‘Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer’

What a great way to close a year by a parody author! I hope your year was wonderfully fulfilling and joyful and 2020 is even better.

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The 12 Christmas Links – Will You Laugh?

The 12 Christmas Links – Will You Laugh? That’s what I want to know. Let’s start with the first link:

The NORAD Santa Tracker

I first learned about the NORAD Santa Tracker in 2000, 20 years ago. I was quite cracked up that a branch of the US military would put up this elaborate web site to track Santa’s sleigh around the world. Each year the site became more sophisticated and elaborate.

Here’s the live Youtube feed:

It’s been fun following NORAD through the years with my children, from their teenage years to adulthood. My daughter follows them on Alexa.

Up next is this blast from Christmas past.

1981 Merry Christmas

12 Christmas Links – 1981 Merry Christmas

I lived through Ronald Reagan’s Presidency, from 1981, when I was 25 to 1989, when I was 33 and married for three years.

Now, let’s have a little Christmas entertainment coming up.

My Favorite Christmas Jazz

You know it and love it too. Here you go!

Interestingly, the drummer is 78-years-old Jerry Granelli, who is the last surviving member of the “Vince Guaraldi Trio”. The Trio consisted of Guaraldi on piano, Fred Marshall on bass and Jerry Granelli on drums. They, of course, recorded the original soundtrack for “A Charlie Brown Christmas”.

For my fourth link, I go to a classic from Tchaicovsky, ‘The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies” as rendered in this next clip:

Link 4 – A Classic Movie and Music Clip

Have you seen Fantasia? How about Fantasia 2000? Let me know what you think of them.

Your Fifth Link – My Favorite Christmas Movie

Since I’ve breached the movie genre, let’s continue in that vein with this classic:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_N4CAO1Gcvw

I first saw ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ as a young adult and I thought it was wonderful. What’s your favorite Christmas movie? Tell me, and I’ll give you a free audiobook.

12 Christmas Links – My Favorite Light Display Next

I play Wizards in Winter every year at Christmas.

Your Seventh Link – My Favorite Traditional Carol

But I’ve got more carols for you. Look to the following link.

Your Eighth Link – Non-traditional Christmas Carol

I love Carman! What sort of music do you like? Each response gets a free audiobook. Or you can join my newsletter here. Newsletter subscribers get all my audiobooks free.

You’ve got more coming up! Check out the eighth link below.

Next? The History of Christmas Carols

Do You Like Christmas Books?

A lot of writers create stories or books for Christmas. I haven’t done that yet, but this is the best I’ve on the subject. You’ll enjoy it for its own sake as a children’s book.

Let me know about your favorite book, Christmas or not. I’ll gladly give you an audiobook.

Now for a Christmas Laugh

This is the original and official video to go with this famous Christmas comedy song.

For my last link, let’s talk about the reason for the season.

12 Christmas Links – The Reason for the Season

12 Christmas Links
Why We Celebrate Christmas

Opinion: There’s never been a better Christmas . . .

And with that, let me wish you and your loved ones and very merry Christmas!

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Events, News, and Gifts for You from Friendly Author

“Events, News? Who cares! Where are the gifts?” you ask. I’m happy to answer. My first gift is a free ebook for anyone who has reviewed the book, or wants to review it. Just send me your review link to your Amazon review or Goodreads review of any of my books.

Events News
Andy Zach’s books

Or use the same link to contact me and get a free ebook in exchange for a future review.

Or, if you like audiobooks, I’ll give you a free one to review. Check them out below. You can listen to a sample for free. Or, if you belong to Audible, you can listen for free.

Events, News
Zombie Turkeys free audiobook sample
Events, News
My Undead Mother-in-law free audio sample
Events, News
Paranormal Privateers audiobook sample

That’s three ways you can get free books. If you don’t want to write reviews, you can enter my two monthly drawings right here. I have another one coming up in October, so don’t miss it.

My newsletter also supplies free short stories to subscribers. So you get a twofer.

Events, News for those who want to meet Andy Zach

On September 21st, first day of autumn, I’ll be at the I Know You Like A Book bookstore in Peoria Heights signing my books for you.

Then there’s Area 51 meeting in Nevada. I won’t be there. Will you? If you go there, give me a report and I’ll give you a book of your choice, the format of your choice: paperback, ebook, or audiobook.

Did you know I have aliens in my third novel of my Life After Life Chronicles, Paranormal Privateers? Here’s a chapter icon for you:

Now here you have another chapter icon from Paranormal Privateers showing one alien species, the foxcat.

Yet More Events

I’ll be at QuadCon in Peoria in October!

Come to Peoria, meet me, and mention this blog and I’ll give you a free book and autograph!