Welcome to my stop on the book blast for A Dead End Job by Justin Alcala. This book blast was organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. On my stop, I have an excerpt from the book as well as the blast wide giveaway for a chance to win a $50 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card. Be sure to visit the other stops on the book blast for more content. Enjoy!
--
Author: Justin Alcala
Publisher: The Parliament House
Publication Date: October 5th 2021
Print Length: 283 pages
Genre: Noir Supernatural Thriller
~
Fans of Terry Pratchett and Shane Kuhn's THE INTERN'S HANDBOOK will love this noir supernatural thriller.
Death needs a vacation. Badly. But there's a catch: There are people who cheat the system, always falling through the cracks and not dying like they're supposed to. Who's going to take care of them while Death's sipping on sangria?
The answer is simple: Death needs an intern, and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that one prospect, Buck Palasinski,-a bankrupt hitman with a roleplaying addiction-might have what it takes. While scoping out his next target, Buck gets drilled in the forehead by a bullet and falls right into Death's lap.
If they shove him back into his body, he'll have a few weeks to prove that he has what it takes to be Death's right-hand.
All he has to do is take out Public Enemy No. 1, John Dillinger, and quit smoking.
Goodreads * Amazon * Barnes & Noble *
---
EXCERPT:
Today was going to be busy. I don’t know how I’d fit a murder into my schedule.
For starters, I was out of coffee. I don’t think anyone can really start the day unless they have a cup of joe. Not me at least. Since I live in a more affordable part of Chicago, there were no corner coffee shops charging mortgages for a fix within walking distance. Which means I had to drive deeper into the city to feed the shaky caffeine monkey beating on my back. I joined a local horde of zombies in a hipster neighborhood called Bucktown as they waited in a Disneyland-worthy line for a chance to be a real boy or girl again. This gave me time to think about my to-do list.
I needed to return my library books. I was finally catching up on my Bukowski novels after years of recommendations from friends. Why is good advice so hard to swallow? Since I paid for everything in singles and change, I couldn’t just buy a book online. I had to check them out whenever a reading itch needed a scratch. Afterwards, I’d need to replace the squeaky brakes on the van, shower, and then pick up a new hammer strut pin from Denny’s Pawn Shop. Denny and I had built a relationship based on trading illegal firearm parts, which was great for a guy that doesn’t like proof of sale when it came to his career tools. Finally, my role-playing group had a six o’clock table reserved for our D&D campaign at the neighborhood gaming store. We were nearing level ten, and as the party’s wizard, they’d need me to survive our latest adventure. Hmm, when could I possibly squeeze in work?
“That’ll be twelve-fifty,” declared the barista with black framed glasses.
“For a cup of plain coffee?” I stared at the register’s cost display. “I mean, seriously?”
The acne covered art history major working the register didn’t flinch. He must have been seasoned.
“Do I get a veteran discount?”
He shook his head. I used my sparse wallet insulation to pay for the mud, but only after my debit card declined. Now I was really running late.
---
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Justin Alcala is a novelist, nerdologist and Speculative Literature Foundation Award Finalist. He’s author of the novels Consumed, (BLK Dog Publishing) The Devil in the Wide City (Solstice Publishing), and Dim Fairytales (AllThingsThatMatterPress). His dozens of short stories have been featured in magazines and anthologies, including It Dances Now (Crimson Street Magazine), The Offering (Rogue Planet Press), and The Lantern Quietly Screams (Castabout Literature). When he’s not burning out his retinas in front of a computer, Justin is an adventuresome tabletop gamer. He’s also a blogger, folklore enthusiast and time traveler. He is an avid quester of anything righteous, from fighting dragons to acquiring magical breakfast eggs from the impregnable grocery fortress.
Most of Justin’s tales and characters take place in The Plenty Dreadful universe, a deranged supernatural version of the modern world. When writing, Justin immerses himself in whatever subject he’s working on, from research to overseas travel. Much to the dismay of his family, he often locks himself away in his office-dungeon while playing themed videos and music over, and over, and over again. Justin currently resides with his dark queen, Mallory, their malevolent daughter, Lily, and their hellcat, Misery. Where his mind might be though is anyone’s guess.
---
GIVEAWAY:
Justin Alcala will be awarding a $50 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter. Good luck!
(All the Ups and Downs is not responsible for this giveaway, its entries, or the prize. Goddess Fish Promotions assumes all responsibility for this giveaway.)
Sounds like an interesting book.
ReplyDeleteAppreciate it. It was so much fun to write, and it looks like it's just as much fun to read. And that was the goal...fun for all!
DeleteIt sounds like an interesting book. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteI want to thank my magnificent host for featuring my book. Second, I want to thank readers. As an uber-nerd, I feel like I’m the ugly duckling finally finding my homie-swans whenever I discuss books. On that note, if you didn’t know, A DEAD END JOB is an absurd urban fantasy novel dripping with geek references, pop culture, and dick jokes. Feel free to ask me anything you want, even if it’s advice about what you should do about finding your parent’s OnlyFans account. I’ll check in as much as I can to answer your questions with multiple segues about why I wear clothes in the shower.
DeleteDo you have any advice for new writers?
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely. From a technical level, writing is a game of "improve and withstand." You should challenge yourself to understand just a little more about word play, grammar, and plot infrastructure with every story you write, and then write again. From a motivational stance, it's important to understand that writing starts as the most selfish endeavor you can have, which turns into the most selfless aspiration you'll experience. Write what you want, and write it for yourself, and you'll learn that you've begun to write for everyone but yourself as you continue your work.
DeleteI think that the book A Dead End Job by Justin Alcala has an interesting and unusual cover design.
ReplyDeleteNancy
allibrary (at) aol (dot) com
Thank you so much. Parliament House really worked hard on the cover, and we had several ideas from gangsters rolling 20-sided polyhedrons (nerd reference) to Death in a Hawaiian shirt. Ultimately, I think the publisher chose right by having the protagonist armed with Death's scythe in a neo-noir like aesthetic dripping with intrigue.
DeleteHa ha! This sounds like fun!
ReplyDeleteIt really was a great time writing. I hope you have fun reading. I usually am pretty hard on anything I write (because, well, that's how you improve), but I'm partial to A DEAD END JOB.
DeleteGreat attitude to take, Justin!
DeleteWow! It's rare that I find a book my husband and I want to read together!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a very interesting story.
ReplyDeleteSounds like an exciting story.
ReplyDeleteawesome cover, this sounds like an interesting book
ReplyDeleteWhat a crazy thriller. Good work.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good book. I like the cover and excerpt.
ReplyDeleteCover looks great! Excerpt sounds interesting.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful book, saw this earlier somewhere.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like an interesting book and I also like the cover.
ReplyDeleteabfantom at yahoo dot com
I am seeing if my library has this book.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great book!
ReplyDeleteLooks like a great read! lol Can't wait to give it a look-see!
ReplyDeleteI enjoy a suspenseful read - a must read soon!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this.
This will be my first supernatural thriller that I would like to read-thanks
ReplyDeleteI need to add this to my reading list.
ReplyDeleteYes! Can’t wait to reAd this!
ReplyDeleteLooks like an interesting book.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the contest.
This sounds like a very unique and interesting book.
ReplyDeleteNancy
allibrary (at) aol (dot) com
First super natural thriller for me as well.
ReplyDeleteThe excerpt is interesting. Thank you for sharing it.
ReplyDeleteExcellent work!
ReplyDeleteSounds great, I love thrillers!
ReplyDeleteWhat's your drink of choice?
ReplyDeleteSounds fascinating! Would really like to read. Thanks for the chance.
ReplyDeleteThe cover is great and interesting!
ReplyDeleteI like the book cover,it goes with Story line.
ReplyDeleteI would so enjoy reading this book and I like the cover too. How long did it take to write it?
ReplyDeleteSounds very tongue in cheek!
ReplyDeleteI didn’t fail the test. I just found 100 ways to do it wrong. –Benjamin Franklin
ReplyDeleteI think this would be an interesting book, going to add it to my Reading list
ReplyDeleteWhere's your favourite place to be?
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy a good parody!
ReplyDeleteDo you use your travel experiences in any of your books ?
ReplyDeletelove the title.
ReplyDeletesounds like a fun one
ReplyDeleteI think that the cover of this book is creepy and mysterious.
ReplyDeleteNancy
allibrary (at) aol (dot) com
Is your cat really called Misery?
ReplyDeleteWhere is your favorite place to write?
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think of Novemner?
ReplyDeleteMany of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.– Thomas A. Edison
ReplyDeleteI like the clever way neon sign letters were used to write out the book title!
ReplyDeleteNancy
allibrary (at) aol (dot) com
Sounds like an interesting read
ReplyDeleteLove the irony and the title
ReplyDeleteLooking forward tto reading this book
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a fun book. And unique!
ReplyDeleteBest of luck everyone!
ReplyDeleteLove the cover and the book sound great.
ReplyDelete