Thursday, July 31, 2008

Damn it, don't you mofos want a freebie?

Actually, I've had a pretty decent response to my offer to send anyone who asks for it a free .pdf file of "Duffers of the Apocalypse" the short story that originally appeared in the anthology Damn Near Dead. Again, the "apocalypse" in the short story is figurative, so it's not a sequel to Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse or anything like that. But hey. It's a freebie.

There's no expiration date on this offer, but this will be the last time I mention it since it's time to move on to other things. But anyone who wants the file should feel free to e-mail me: victor.gischler@gmail.com

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Twitter

I think I'm on Twitter now.

I don't know what Twitter is.

Huh.

Sunday, July 27, 2008

I've never been to Heaven ... but I've been to Oklahoma.

Thanks to the folks at the Tulsa World for THIS great write-up of Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse.

Great Stuff!

Friday, July 25, 2008

No, seriously ... it's FREE!

I want to thank all the folks who responded so positively to the offer of "Duffer of the Apocalypse" free as a .pdf file. But it's not too late. What are you waiting for? No obligation. (See previous blog post for details.)

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Tuesday, July 22, 2008

An Apocalypse Freebie!

Big thanks to David Thompson at BUSTED FLUSH PRESS for allowing me (along with editor Duane Swierczynski) to contribute a story to the excellent anthology Damn Near Dead. I'm proud of the story I submitted "Duffers the Apocalypse." Now, the "apocalypse" in the short story is figurative -- unlike the apocalypse in my recently released novel Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse. (Everyone's purchased a dozen copies, right?)

Anyway, David Thompson has heroically put together a handsome promotional pdf file of my Damn Near Dead story. Want it? All you have to do is write me at victor.gischler@gmail.com and I'll be happy to send you the file free of charge. If you like what you read, you might be motivated to purchase my keen novel or to purchase a copy of the anthology in which the story appears. (Or BOTH! Isn't that a hell of a good idea?)

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Testing, Testing.

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Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse takes the Page 69 test HERE.


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Friday, July 18, 2008

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Keep doing what you're doing!


A big thumbs up to all the folks who have been giving me great word-of-mouth on my novel Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse. I really appreciate the supportive e-mails, blog posts, etc. Keep up the good work. Remember, if you like a book, tell people about it. (Especially if it's mine!)




Tuesday, July 15, 2008

The Word from The Road

Just checking in from the Hyatt Regency in Houston. (We Pricelined a ridiculously low price for the room and it's as cheap as a Motel 6.)

Just want to thank everyone for the GO-GO support so far. Cool folks showing up to the signing events, great comments and messages on-line, supportive e-mails from folks who've enjoyed the book.

Tonight's Event: Murder by the Book here in Houston. Looking forward to it.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Okay, Texas, Here we come!



Okay, people, listen up. Anthony Neil Smith (Yellow Medicine) and I are heading to Texas for some events. Be there or we'll lay a smackdown on you.


July 10 Remember the Alibi, 7:00pm
8055 West Avenue #101
San Antonio, TX 78213


July 11 Book People, 7:00pm
603 North Lamar Blvd.
Austin, TX 78703

July 13 Barnes & Noble, 2:00pm
7700 West Northwest Highway
Dallas, TX 75225

July 15 Murder by the Book, 6:30pm
2342 Bissonnet Street
Houston, TX 77005

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Guerrilla Marketing 101

GischlerCorp's operative in Annapolis, Kieran, reported the following in the backblog of a previous post:

OK. My take on Guerrilla Marketing 101. So, I loped by Barnes & Noble in Annapolis today and there it was— five gleaming, perfect bound copies. I snatched up one and remembered I needed to get a baguette and some coffee at the market next door—so I figured I’d grab my copy on my way back. On my way out I strategically placed the copy in the sweet spot “New & Noteworthy” near the front. Maybe someone would pick it up while I was shopping. Yeah. You guessed it. When I returned it was gone! I checked the sci-fi aisle to see if some bitter drone reshelved it, but no. Four copies. So, yeah. I did it again. Color me a shifty bastard.

Bravo, agent Kieran. GischlerCorp will be moving you to upper-management on the 40th floor. All operatives are directed to follow this example. Let OPERATION SHIFTY BASTARD commence.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

It's GO TIME! (Or, more to the point, it's GO-GO time!)



Today is the official release date of my new swanky novel Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse. I'm hoping everyone who's been on the fence about ordering will go ahead and take a leap TODAY. Do you want the end of the world to be bawdy, violent, darkly humorous, irreverent and just plain over-the-top? Then order your copy right here, right now!


I see some kind folks have already been working hard to spread the word. You have my sincere gratitude, and I'll be writing a very enthusiastic letter to the karma people on your behalf.




Monday, July 7, 2008

GO-GO Eve



Almost GO-HOUR. Ready for launch.


Tomorrow is the official release date for my new novel Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse. If you've been thinking about buying it, but you've been wallowing in indecision, then make tomorrow the day you finally pull the trigger and order the book from Amazon.com. We've seen other authors do this before. Everyone order the book on the same day and watch the number shrink on Amazon. Sure. Let's give that a try. But if you're more inclined to support your local book seller, then that's cool too. Whatever gets you across the finish line. Thanks.

And just to get you in the mood, you can read this very generous write-up. Big Blogpocalypse thanks to David Montgomery.

Sunday, July 6, 2008

Man Hunt!



If you've read Anthony Neil Smith's excellent novel Yellow Medicine, then you know the protagonist is a sleazy corrupt deputy named Billy Lafitte. But where is Billy these days? THIS BLOG will help keep track of sightings and news. I mean, if this LaFitte guy was sniffing around my town, I'd want fair warning.

Attention, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Our home town paper the Advocate has run a nice review of Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse. Ace reporter Greg Langley interviews me as well. Thanks to him and the paper for the opportunity.

Remember, Baton Rouge, I'll be signing at B&N July 8 at 7 p.m. See you there.


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Saturday, July 5, 2008

Trying to get the "word of mouth" ball rolling



Folks, the "official release date" of my new novel GO-GO GIRLS OF THE APOCALYPSE is July 8, but it's my understanding that some copies are already getting out to readers via Amazon.com and elsewhere. So I think it's a good time for this blog post.


I haven't done a lot of "hard selling" on this blog, but the truth is, I hope everyone will consider buying a copy. I'd also like to talk about how you can help me out a little bit. GO-GO is a brand new kind of novel for me with a new publisher, and the simple truth is I want to do well.
If you buy the book and don't like it ... well, that's cool. Not every book is for every reader. The fact is, you bought the book and gave it a chance, and that's all an author can reasonably ask.


But if it turns out you like the book, here's how you can help. Pass the word. Give me stars on Amazon.com or mention the book on your own blog. Talk it up at your local saloon, coffee shop or favorite book store. Start a fight in an alley over which passages are most moving. Stage a sit-in at your local bookstore until they stock 250 copies. Tell people. Word of mouth is the best way for people to hear about a good book.


You don't have to do this. You have my gratitude for simply buying the book and giving it a shot. But if you help me get the word out, talk it up, get on board the buzz train ... well, I'll put in a good word for you with the karma people.


Thanks.

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In case you're curious what people are saying:

Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse.Gischler, Victor (Author)Jul 2008. 336 p. Touchstone, paperback, $14.00. (9781416552253).Nine years after Mortimer Tate retreated from the end of the world (he thought) to the Tennessee mountains, three men appear before his cabin. He emerges, desperate for conversation. Unfortunately, they mistake his intentions, and he is forced to shoot them. Despite this inauspicious incident, Mortimer is optimistic enough to venture down the mountain. What passes for civilization surprises him: a chain of strip joints called Joey Armageddon's Sassy-A-Go-Go has set itself as mankind's savior. But as with any fledgling world-saving operation, there is opposition—to wit, the terrorist-like Red Stripes, whom Mortimer is sent to defeat. His subsequent breakneck journey is full of cannibals, slave runners, bad booze, and other dangers, none more perilous than hope. Although this dark comedy makes one laugh, it isn't a romp in a postapocalyptic playground. It's violent and sleazy, laced with moments of quiet gravity, anintelligent satire of how American society works even after it has broken down (the label forpostapocalypse Jack Daniel's in chapter 23 is pure comic gold). Compulsively readable.— BOOKLIST (Krista Hutley)

"Guns, girls and alcohol occupy almost every inch of this raucous thrill ride, providing nonstop opportunities for both action and comedy…the humor of this armageddon western is woven deeply enough to keep Mortimer's adventures feeling like a party." – Publishers Weekly


"[GO-GO GIRLS OF THE APOCALYPSE is] bound to be the best title of 2008.. .Gischler's going to be a writer you can't pin down. I think his readers will follow him (it would be a mistake not to), and everybody should be eager to see what he's going to do next." - Bill Crider


"engaging tale of life after the end of the world" - Kirkus
"Gischler specializes in morbid humor, dark sarcasm, and comic noir, complete with violence and mayhem. Eccentric seriocomic sf in the tradition of Kurt Vonnegut and Douglas Adams, this postapocalyptic adventure is recommended for most mature sf readers." - Library Journal


"a robust cocktail...Gischler's tone is wry with wit but sensible enough to be earnest and, at times, unabashedly horrific...if Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse is any indication of what Victor Gischler is capable of--Punisher MAX fans will be more than satisfied in the months to come. Make an effort to hit a book store on July 8th and grab a copy of this book; hell, maybe even head into a strip club and order a neat shot of Jack Daniels for atmosphere--you'll shudder at the starkness and chortle with laughter at the same time--this is one hellishly good read."

- Steve Ekstrom, Newsarama


"Take Philip K. Dick, add Mickey Spillane, mix with amphetimines, and you've got GO GO GIRLS OF THE APOCALYPSE...funny, moradant, crazed, riveting, satirical, sardonic -- and despite all that, it's got a plot. Bravo for Victor Gischler." - Mike Resnick, Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author


"If Pynchon ever decided to write an insane action novel, this would be it. All out sustained brilliance, nobody is writng the unique lunacy that Victor Gischler is." - Ken Bruen, author of The Guards and American Skin


"First, who wouldn't want to read a novel titled GO-GO GIRLS OF THE APOCALYPSE? Second, who could have guessed the book was even better than the title? Part Christopher Moore, part Quentin Tarantino, Victor Gishler is raving, bad-assed genius." - James Rollins, New York Times bestselling author of Map of Bones and Black Order


"If it's all going to go to hell, you might as well have some Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse to go with it. Weird just doesn't say it for this one. Gischler gives weird a kick in the butt, sends it right over the edge of the abyss. Wild fun." - Joe R. Lansdale


"Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse proves, if proof were needed, that Victor Gischler is among the most demented, nimble, and flat-out hilarious American satirists working today. Listen closely: that sound you hear, somewhere out there, is Vonnegut's applause." - Sean Doolittle, author of Barry Award-winner The Cleanup


"It's rare that I read a book in one sitting anymore these days. But occasionally, a book reaches out, grabs me by the lapels, and says Finish me. Finish me or I will cut you. It is my great pleasure to inform you, with a slight quaver in my voice and a quick glance over my shoulder, that Victor Gischler's Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse is just such a book. This is a novel that makes On Chesil Beach seem like an embarrassing waste of your time." - PrettyFakes.com

Friday, July 4, 2008