BLOG TOUR: Some Fine Day by Kat Ross - Best Disaster Movies!

Hello! Today, we're really happy to be hosting Kat Ross (again!), author of Some Fine Day! Her book is out November 11, 2014 in Kindle format from SkyScape, with the paperback following in February 2015. This time, Kat's here to tell us her Top Disaster Movies. We had a lot of fun the last time with Kat's Top Ten Hybrid Creatures (in smackdown form!), and we hope that you enjoy this list as much as we did as well.

Before we get to Kat's list, here's some information about the book and Kat!

About the Book

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title: Some Fine Day

Author: Kat Ross

Publication Date: November 11, 2014 (Kindle)
February 17, 2015 (Paperback)

Synopsis: Sixteen-year-old Jansin Nordqvist is on the verge of graduating from the black ops factory known as the Academy. She's smart and deadly and knows three things with absolute certainty.

She knows that when the world flooded and civilization retreated deep underground, there was no one left on the surface.

She knows that the only species to thrive there is the toads, a primate/amphibian hybrid with a serious mean streak.

Most of all, she knows there's no place on Earth where you can hide from the hypercanes, continent-sized storms that have raged for decades.

Jansin has been lied to. On all counts.

Faced with the truth in the form of a charismatic young survivor named Will, Jansin vows that her former masters will regret making her what she is…

About the Author

I've always loved to read more than anything in the world, especially so-called genre stories—mysteries, fantasy, sci-fi, thrillers, horror. I like books that take you by the hand and lead you out of the mundane. That ease back the curtain and show you the wondrous and dark and unexpected lurking just around the next corner. I worked in journalism for a long time before I returned to writing fiction. The two things are very different (in most cases), but I think any kind of writing at all, if you do it consistently, builds up those mental muscles.

I took a circuitous route to getting published—travelling, working a lot of different jobs, having a kid; in other words, just living—but I did get there eventually. I don't have any fine arts degrees, I've never been a member of a writing group, and I've been to one conference in my life (SCBWI New York, a few years ago). Which is not to say that those things aren't useful; they can be, but I don't think they're a prerequisite. The only cast-iron requirement is dreaming and then writing it down. On whatever schedule you set, but a schedule—not just when you're in the mood.

I grew up in NYC but now I live far enough outside the city that skunks and deer wander through my backyard and I can take my bike out for a 14-mile ride without passing more than a dozen cars. I meditate for a few minutes every morning to keep my head on straight, or at least pretend to. I don't eat meat because I like animals. Mostly, I eat a lot of this.

I'm represented by the kind and brilliant Jeff Ourvan of Jennifer Lyons agency, and I'm a member of SCBWI and FallFourteeners. I also have an Amazon author page.

You can find Kat on Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, Goodreads, and her website.

Kat's Top Disaster Movies

As we solemnly give thanks for the blockbuster holiday movie season, it seems fitting to take a moment to celebrate the comfort food of our favorite disaster flicks. From mysterious plagues to hostile extraterrestrials, Hollywood loves to clean the slate and watch the handful of survivors do terrible things they never imagined they'd be forced to do, while uttering lines like, "We can't just wait here for sharks to rain down on us."

So pass the popcorn!

In no particular order….

Night of the Comet (1984). 

Highlights: Bitchin' eighties outfits, gun-toting valley girls, zombies that talk.

Best line: [When her MAC-10 jams while target shooting] Samantha: Daddy would have gotten us Uzis.

They Live (1988). 

Highlights: Alien President Reagan, Roddy Piper's mullet.

Best line: Nada: I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass... and I'm all out of bubblegum.

Dawn of the Dead (2004). 

Highlights: Birth of undead baby, nightmare-inducing credits, zombie Burt Reynolds.

Best line: [when the survivors have barricaded themselves inside the mall and zombie hordes are gathering outside]

Ana: Why are they coming here?

Kenneth: Memory, maybe. Instinct.

War of the Worlds (2005).

Highlights: The sound that alien ray gun made when it zapped people into a mist of pink goo was one of the most horrifying things I've ever heard.

Best line: Robbie Ferrier: What is it? Is it terrorists?

Ray Ferrier: These came from some place else.

Robbie Ferrier: What do you mean, like, Europe?

Ray Ferrier: No, Robbie, not like Europe!

Poseidon Adventure (1972).

Highlights: With an all-star cast and high-concept plot (escape from a capsized luxury liner), this is just 1970s big-budget disaster movie royalty.

Best line: Mrs. Belle Rosen: You see, swimming through corridors and up and down stairwells, I'm the only one trained to do things like that.

Linda Rogo: Will you shut up?

Sharknado (2013).

Highlights: Do I even need to answer that question?

Best line: Baz Hogan: Storm's dying down.

Nova Clarke: How can you tell?

Baz Hogan: Not as many sharks flying around.

Do you have a favorite disaster movie? Let us know in the comments! And don't forget to go grab your copy of Some Fine Day, as it's one you definitely don't want to miss! 

--Ashley & Paul

TOP TEN: Some Fine Day by Kat Ross + GIVEAWAY

Hello! Today, we're really happy to be hosting Kat Ross, author of Some Fine Day! Her book is out July 1, 2014 from Strange Chemistry, and she's here to tell us her Top Ten Hybrid Creatures (in a fun way!). We also have a giveaway for you - the lovely people at Strange Chemistry have given us one copy of Some Fine Day to give to you, and the winner gets to choose between an ebook and a paperback copy! It's open internationally, so enter away!

Before we get to Kat's Top Ten and the giveaway, here's some information about the book and Kat!

About the Book

Amazon (US/Can) | Amazon (UK) | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title: Some Fine Day

Author: Kat Ross

Publication Date:

July 1, 2014 (US/Can)

3 July 2014 (UK)

Synopsis: Sixteen-year-old Jansin Nordqvist is on the verge of graduating from the black ops factory known as the Academy. She's smart and deadly, and knows three things with absolute certainty:

1. When the world flooded and civilization retreated deep underground, there was no one left on the surface.

2. The only species to thrive there are the toads, a primate/amphibian hybrid with a serious mean streak.

3. There's no place on Earth where you can hide from the hypercanes, continent-sized storms that have raged for decades.

Jansin has been lied to. On all counts.

About the Author

Kat Ross grew up in New York City and worked as a bike messenger, legal secretary, coat check girl, and iguana-brander before settling on a career as a reporter and editor. Kat Ross is a pseudonym for Kitty Stapp, who is an editor for Inter Press Service based out of the UN Headquarters in New York. 

Kat's debut, Some Fine Day, comes out July 1 from Strange Chemistry. You can find her on Twitter and her website.

Kat's Top Ten Hybrid Creatures

Let's do this as a smackdown, shall we?

Round one

Brunwulf vs. Tool the Half-man

What in God's name is it? So I came up with brunwolves for a scene in Some Fine Day that I ended up cutting, but I'm quite fond of them and definitely plan to squeeze them into a later book. Brunwulves are about two hundred and fifty pounds, and most of that is a massive triangular head. Teeth like a wolf, claws and musculature of a bear. Status symbol for gang members and foolhardy rich boys everywhere.

If you haven't read Shipbreaker (and you really should, it's awesome), Paolo Bacigalupi imagined a new species called Half-men, which are a combo of human, dog, hyena, and tiger DNA. Oh yeah.

Why they're a good match: Roughly the same size. Aggressive. Fast. Basically all the big predators are covered here in one crazy Irish stew.

And the winner is… I'm betting on the Half-man, since it's more intelligent and has a longer reach. The key, obviously, is keeping the brunwulf's ginormous fangs away from your jugular.

Round Two

Scorpion Man vs. Anthropophagus 

What in God's name is it? Scorpion Men derive from Akkadian mythology. I'll confess, one of my favorite lists is the one of Legendary Creatures on Wikipedia. That's where I stumbled across this lovely hybrid, back when I was researching another book. So basically, the head, torso and arms of a man and the body of a scorpion.

The Anthropophagus dates to ancient Greece. I'm going with the version from Rick Yancey's Montrumologist series. No head, but a giant, fang-filled maw in the center of the chest. 

Why they're a good match: Both roughly humanoid. Scorpion Man sounds pretty scary. I picture a huge stinger whipping around, so any opponent would have to be lightning-quick. Fortunately, anthropophagi are not only fast, they're nearly impossible to kill.

And the winner is…My money's on the Anthropophagus. They're like twelve feet tall and can spring the length of a tennis court. 

Round Three

C.H.U.D. vs. Level 10

What in God's name is it? So, when I think of mutants, generally this is the first one that comes to mind. A true cult classic. If you weren't around in the early eighties, C.H.U.D. stands for Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers. Nuff said.

Level Fives are from Bethany Wiggins' Stung. They're super-scary, super-strong mutants that had a nasty reaction to a bee flu vaccine.

Why they're a good match: Both were human once. Both now have a major vendetta against their erstwhile species. I sincerely doubt they would play well together.

And the winner is…This depends on the venue. If it were in the sewers beneath Manhattan, C.H.U.D. would clearly have the home turf advantage. But out in the open…Very little can stop a Level 10 besides a rocket-propelled grenade.

Round Four

The Thing vs. Fire-Spewing Headless Mule

What in God's name is it? I had to include The Thing because it's one of my all-time favorite horror movies. That music. The creepy sled dog. Kurt Russell as a bearded wildman with a flame-thrower. I guess technically The Thing is an alien, but since it absorbs whatever it kills, I think it qualifies as a hybrid for our purposes today.

Fire-Spewing Headless Mule kind of speaks for itself.

Why they're a good match: The only weapon that's effective against The Thing is fire.

And the winner is…I'm rooting for the Mule. It derives from Brazilian folklore, and is actually a ghost that's been cursed for some pretty heavy-duty sins. But still, better than an intergalactic body-snatching blob.

Round Five

Chimera vs. Jabberwock

What in God's name is it? Chimeras are a lion-snake-goat hybrid from Greek mythology.

The Jabberwock, of course, is Lewis Carroll's beastie from the poem in Through the Looking Glass.

Why they're a good match: The Chimera breathes fire, and the Jabberwock has "eyes of flame," so that's interesting. The Jabberwock has "jaws that bite and claws that catch," but so does a Chimera.

And the winner is…The Jabberwock whiffles and burbles, but the Chimera has three heads. I suspect they'd go the way of the Calico Cat and the Gingham Dog, and eat each other up.

The Giveaway!

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Thanks to Kat for the smackdown, and thank you for stopping by! 

--Ashley & Paul