Virtual Tour + #Giveaway: Monsterland by Michael Okon @IAmMichaelOkon @GoddessFish

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.

Interview with Michael Okon

What is the sweetest thing someone has done for you?

          I have very low expectations and don’t expect anything from anyone. But just recently, my wife made me a low carb cheesecake for my birthday, my son researched and created 50 monsters to put in future Monsterland books, and my daughter gave me her band-aid because it fell off – but she did it very sweetly.

How would you spend ten thousand bucks?

          I’d enter the World Series of Poker Main Event, win the $8 million first place prize, then give back the $10k to the person who gave it to me.

Where do you get your best ideas?

          Watching movies with my son. The ideas are practically spoon fed to me as I’m watching. Also, when I’m driving and listening to music that stirs my soul.

What comes first, the plot or characters?

          Characters. The plot is revealed once I come up with their personalities and arcs.

What does your main character do that makes him/her special.

          Wyatt, the main character in Monsterland, wants to prove that he’s not just a teen. He wants to grow and learn, and become an adult. However, there are things he does that sets him back emotionally. He’s the ultimate “one step forward, two steps back” character. 

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.

For more information, details and updates, visit:

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Email

Buy Links:

Amazon ~ Barnes and Noble ~ Kobo

Giveaway:

$50 Amazon or B/N GC (1 Winner Internationally). 

A size large Monsterland T-shirt (5 Winners US only).

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning.