Blog Tour: THE CANNIBAL'S GUIDE TO FASTING by Dana Hammer

 

The Cannibal's Guide to Fasting

by Dana Hammer

 

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GENRE:   Comedic horror

 

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BLURB:

 

Igor Fenenko, a former research scientist, is a scary, scary man. Not only is he a massive bodybuilder with a spider tattooed on his face, he has also been infected with Pestis Manducans — viral cannibalism. Igor tried to resist indulging, but his research specimens smelled so delicious. Who did it hurt, really, to nibble a corpse?

Caught, disgraced, and sent to a ‘rehabilitation’ center, Igor is now forced to live in a government-mandated Containment Center. He spends his days pressing wildflowers, growing blueberries, and doing his best to avoid human meat. More than anything, he wants a cure for the virus that has ruined his life.

Igor’s brother, Karl, is also infected with Pestis. But unlike Igor, he does not live in a Containment Center. He lives down by the river, where he runs a cannibal rights group. At first, the group seems harmless enough, if a bit creepy and overzealous. But when Igor discovers their evil practices, he is forced to intervene.

Aided and opposed by rich eccentrics who have their own agendas, Igor must use brains and muscles to find a cure while fighting the urge to turn brains and muscles into a delicious lunch.

 

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Excerpt One:

 

Igor is a huge, scary looking man. Standing six feet, six inches tall, encased in bulges of muscle, he attracts attention everywhere he goes. Ropey veins snake beneath his taut, tanned skin. A spider web sprawls across the left side of his face, a tattoo choice that has not endeared him to potential employers or dates, and one that he regrets deeply.

 

He is not the type of man one can ignore. He is also not the type of man who one confronts about breaking the park’s “no picking wildflowers” policy. He carries an old-fashioned woven basket, which is filled with bluebells, daisies, and a few shy violets he managed to find hiding behind a rotten stump. He picks wildflowers regularly. It is zen as fuck.

 

There was a time, not so long ago, when he would have mocked such a pursuit. There was a time when he turned up his nose at botanists, botany, and plant-based careers in general. He’d thought of them as glorified gardeners, hobbyists puttering away in the dirt. Those days are long gone now.

 

 

 

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GUEST POST

The Cannibal’s Guide to Fasting — inspiration

Dana Hammer         

 

            Talking about inspiration is hard, because it is, for the most part, inexplicable. There are a number of reasons I wanted to write this book, and there were certain characters who I wanted to bring to life. I don’t know if that qualifies as “inspiration” but it’s a reason, anyway.

            I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about drug addiction, and how we treat drug addicts in our society. One school of thought holds that drug addicts are weak-willed, or that they simply make bad choices. The idea is that we need to punish them, or threaten them, or at the very least strongly disincentivise drug use. Drug addicts, to this way of thinking, are degenerates, who lie, cheat and steal to support their habits. They are bad news.

            The other school of thought holds that drug addicts are diseased, and are thus not responsible for their behavior. The idea here is to give them treatment — but only if they want it, of course. Give them clean needles, so they don’t get sick from their drugs, and give them safe spaces to do their drugs, so they don’t overdose. What these people need is love, not punishment.

            (I’ve even seen it argued that drug addicts are addicts BECAUSE they feel alone, and unloved, like that is the root cause of addiction. Apparently there was some experiment with lonely rats and drugs. I find it personally insulting to insinuate that the drug addicts I’ve known in my life were addicts because I didn’t provide them with enough love, but I digress.)

            The truth is, drug addicts aren’t monsters, or angels. They DO have a disease, and are NOT fully responsible for their actions. But they are a LITTLE responsible, and we can’t ignore the fact that they often do heinous things because of their habits, and that these bad behaviors have a negative impact on society.

            And yet, we haven’t succeeded in solving the problem, because neither jail nor hugs are effective solutions. The solution is a cure.

            In my book, Igor is a reformed cannibal. He has gone through rehab, and is trying to abstain from human meat. His life in in shambles. He has lost his career,and his friends. He lives in a trailer park now, where he presses wildflowers and has no social life. Society and the government see him as dangerous pariah. He can’t get a job, because no one will hire him.

            And Igor, if he were to fall off the wagon, would be a terrifyingly dangerous predator. He is strong, and huge, and an excellent fighter. He could totally eat you, if he wanted to. And he is tempted to, often. He has made mistakes — sometimes tragic mistakes, which you will hopefully read about. He is not perfect.

            But he’s the hero of this book, because he understands that there is only one way to end the addiction to human meat. A cure. And that is what he seeks to find.

           

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Dana Hammer is a novelist, screenwriter and playwright. She has won over forty awards and honors for her writing, few of which generated income, all of which were deeply appreciated. She is not a cannibal.

https://www.danahammer.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Dana-Hammer-Author-Page-1707631229449685/

Amazon buy link:

https://www.amazon.com/Cannibals-Guide-Fasting-Dana-Hammer/dp/1953971512/

 

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GIVEAWAY :

 

Dana Hammer will be awarding a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway