Dying Days: The Siege of European Village
TikiTender is all of these things: Promoter, Award Winning Bartender, Entrepreneur, Fearless Karaoke Singer, Brand Spokesman, Trainer, Blogger, Twitter Legend, Radio Personality, Consultant, Writer. As of this week Zombie Killer can be added to the list, at least in the fictional Dying Days universe created by author Armand Rosamilia. Armand & mystery writer Tim Baker recently began a collaboration. The result, Dying Days: The Siege Of European Village, was released in digital format this week. Print versions of the title should be available before Christmas.
The book, set in European Village, features many local personalities including a goatee wearing bartender named Tiki.
His goatee was long and straggly and the wind tunneling through the openings around European Village was playing havoc with it. His faded Chicago Cubs jersey had seen better days, but he didn’t care at this moment. Mark Woods, affectionately known as Tiki to his friends, had bigger things to worry about.
There was the dull sound of another gunshot and he pointed, dramatically, in the air. “Yet another call to the zombies to feast on us.”
“But what can we really do?” Bethany DeVore asked, sipping from a straw jammed into a bruised plastic fast food drink cup. “It’s safe here.”
Tiki shook his head and gently took the cup from Bethany, staring into her striking blue eyes. He lowered his voice so the others gathered around them in the center of European Village couldn’t hear. “Have you been drinking?”
Bethany smiled, her face lighting up. “It’s my birthday, silly. Of course, I’m drinking.”
Tiki sniffed the straw. It was vodka. He had no idea where she’d come up with the alcohol, and right now it didn’t matter. What he needed to do was convince her that his plan would work, and get her to talk to some of the other diehards who followed Ky without a thought. Bethany was the go-between. “Can you stop long enough so I can talk to the crowd?”
Bethany laughed and looked around. “Crowd? There are six of us. And I’m not even close to being drunk, honey.” She grabbed the cup back and grinned. “I’ll be good.”
Tiki turned back to the other four members of the group, all sitting around the covered bandstand which, in happier times, would house free concerts, special events and book signings for local authors. Now, it was one of the few places not destroyed or filled with debris. Ky had decreed that no one could sleep under it or pitch a makeshift tent because there were too many people fighting over it.
Now they used it to hang out during the day when there weren’t specific jobs to be done. Even with so many survivors, they were spread out across the grounds and in the apartments above.
Tiki turned to Ariane Vinci, a tall, pretty blonde with an arresting smile. She was the only member here paying attention to his exchange with Bethany, and she, clearly, looked amused. The other three sat on the steps of the bandstand and were talking softly among themselves: Carole Faletti, Sue Thompson and Doris Ryan were loyal to Ky but had inquired about the intelligence of leaving the Village before they ran out of supplies or were attacked.
“I think we need to get the general feel for the rest of the survivors. It is obvious Ky will never let us get to Saint Augustine, where I just know there is a better life for us.”
“Then why not send a team to see? Why wouldn’t he do that?” Bethany asked. “It’s obvious we’re running out of food and water. We haven’t added any new stragglers in weeks, and Palm Coast itself is a burnt out mess. Pretty soon our scavenging teams will be going into Ormond Beach or close to Saint Augustine anyway.”
“If there is a thriving city still alive – and I think there is – you don’t think they’ve already cleaned out anything worth taking?” Tiki said, as he casually gathered everyone into a group and put on his positive face. “I say we do what needs to be done before it’s too late. With those idiots shooting from the roof, the undead will be walking over the bridge within hours and surrounding us.”
If you want to read more, you can download the book for your Kindle at amazon.com or in other formats (Ipad, Nook, Kobo or good old-fashioned PDF) at smashwords.com. I found it to be a quick and entertaining read, especially the parts with that roguish bartender.
“Tiki” and the authors at a recent Entrepreneur Night in Palm Coast. From left to right: Mark Woods, Armand Rosamilia, & Tim Baker. The beauty in front is Camicia Bennett, co-founder of “The Well-Written Woman”. Click below to follow them on Twitter, but only if you truly enjoy being entertained. Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Carol Photography
If you think the group in the photo above looks fun, you are dead right. They can all be found all over the web, but are especially active on Twitter. @tikitender, @armandauthor, @blindoggbooks, and @sistersadist.
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Since 2006, I have been recognizing Repeal Day. I was inspired by my bar brother in the PNW, 
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Have You Had Your Tiki Today? 