Death needs a vacation. Badly. But there’s a catch.
Welcome to one of the November 8th stops on the book blast tour for A Dead End Job by Justin Alcala with Goddess Fish Promotions. Be sure to follow the rest of the tour for spotlights, reviews, and a giveaway! More on that at the end of this post.
Please note that this post contains affiliate links, which means there is no additional cost to you if you shop using my links, but I will earn a small percentage in commission. A program-specific disclaimer is at the bottom of this post.
About the Book
A Dead-End Job
by Justin Alcala
Published 5 October 2021
Parliament House
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Page Count: 330
Add it to your Goodreads TBR!
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.
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Excerpt
The apartment door swung open, and Death hurried out with white badges and a sharpie in his hand. On his chest was an ivory sticker with a label that read “Hello, my name is.” Written in underneath was ‘The Big Cheese’ in handwritten letters. Death peeled another label off its backing and carefully handed it to Jumbo. It read “Hello, my name is: Jumbo the I.T. Guy.”
“You’re joking.” Jumbo patted the label on his shirt.
“This is new hire orientation.” Death handed me a sticker that spelled out Hello, my name is: Buchanan Palasinski. Underneath in all caps it said, I’m an applicant, which was underlined three times and topped with a frowny face. Death took a step back and inspected us. “Perfect. Okay, you can come in now.” Death whirled around and hurried back into his apartment.
“Well, man.” Jumbo grinned. “If you thought the boat ride was strange, just wait until you see Death’s apartment.” Jumbo pushed the joystick on his controls forward and the chair wheeled through the door. I took one last look down the endless apartment hall, half expecting The Shining twins to appear. I needed another smoke, but I didn’t think that Death would approve. Instead, I looked up at the ceiling and took a few deep breaths. Whatever I saw in here, I’d need to be ready. I took two brisk steps forward and entered Death’s apartment.
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.
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Giveaway Alert!
Justin Alcala will be awarding a $50 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
a Rafflecopter giveawayDisclaimer: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
I like the cover, synopsis and excerpt, this is a must read for me. Thank you for sharing your bio and book details and for offering a giveaway
Thanks for hosting!
Justin Alcala is new to me, but I love meeting new authors. Thanks to this blog for the introduction.
Oh, is this awesome! I 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.
Nice to meet you, Justin! I enjoyed reading the excerpt and Dead End Job sounds like a great urban fantasy for me! Congrats on your new release and good luck with your book and the blitz! Thanks for sharing it with me and have a wonderful holiday season!
This sounds like a really great read. Nice cover!
This sounds very interesting.