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Hungry Business
From the multi-award-winning author of Everyday Enchantments: Musings on Ordinary Magic & Daily Conjurings comes a cozy Gothic short story about searching for soul, meaning, love in a world that's forgotten the power of everyday conjuring.
Looking for love can be deadly…
You know how it goes. You go out, hoping to meet someone. You wade through your fair share of brainless automatons, lifeless bodies, and ravenous undead good at passing as human.
The more you go out, the less hope you feel and the colder your body gets. But you keep at it. All you need is one beating heart to match your own before yours stops pumping altogether. How hard can it be to find one living, breathing human in a city full of bodies?
Dating.
It’s hungry business.
CW: Assault
Looking for love can be deadly…
You know how it goes. You go out, hoping to meet someone. You wade through your fair share of brainless automatons, lifeless bodies, and ravenous undead good at passing as human.
The more you go out, the less hope you feel and the colder your body gets. But you keep at it. All you need is one beating heart to match your own before yours stops pumping altogether. How hard can it be to find one living, breathing human in a city full of bodies?
Dating.
It’s hungry business.
CW: Assault
17 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 15, 2020
8 people are currently reading
79 people want to read
About the author
Maria DeBlassie
9 books232 followersDr. Maria DeBlassie is a native New Mexican mestiza and award-winning writer and educator living in the Land of Enchantment. She writes and teaches about spooky stuff, romance, and all things witchy. She is forever looking for magic in her life and somehow always finding more than she thought was there. Find out more about Maria and conjuring everyday magic at mariadeblassie.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 192 reviews
December 5, 2022
This was a fun, quick little short about life as a lonely single woman facing a zombie-riddled world in which the zombies, or "Hungries" in this story, live alongside humans and try to co-exist peacefully, despite never being quite able to forget their cravings for flesh. We follow an introverted woman as she goes on a few first date attempts, but each one is thwarted by the lack of life in the other parties. Despite being a horror/dystopian tale about zombies, it was a surprisingly sweet, poignant piece with really lovely writing and a compelling, familiar depiction of loneliness and how much we can grow to crave another's company. I enjoyed this a lot, and highly recommend it!
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February 24, 2022
This was a very short story, very quick read, but still managed to be a really good, well rounded story. This follows a woman in the zombie apocalypse where zombies live among humans. It was an original and different take on a zombie story without taking anything away that make zombies what they are. Great story with a nice ending.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book for an honest review
Thanks to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book for an honest review
October 14, 2022
Hungry Business by Maria DeBlassie is a quick read horror story with a little snark on the side. Dating during a zombie apocalypse is not an easy thing to do. Are you eating or being eaten? Do they have a heartbeat, even if half their face is missing? Will she be alone for the rest of her days? Is there any point in leaving the house? The cat in the window….
Hungry Business by Maria DeBlassie is an okay read and the cover does intrigue me.
Hungry Business by Maria DeBlassie is an okay read and the cover does intrigue me.
September 2, 2021
I have a love/hate relationship with short stories and am so happy that this one falls in the 'love' category. A unique take on the zombie apocalypse. I'm going to keep this very short and succinct because at only 17 pages it is weirdly hard but not hard to spoil. You know what's happening without the author making it blatantly obvious and this is my favorite thing about this.
There are definite lessons in loneliness, accepting the fate of the world and within yourself and how hard we try to hold on to humanity. While it's open to the possibility of making this a longer story based on how it ended, in a rare turn of events, I don't feel like anything more is necessary.
There are definite lessons in loneliness, accepting the fate of the world and within yourself and how hard we try to hold on to humanity. While it's open to the possibility of making this a longer story based on how it ended, in a rare turn of events, I don't feel like anything more is necessary.
March 3, 2022
I do tend to like the darker gritty horror stories, but this was a great little story, well written, easy to read, it reminds me of the movie Warm Bodies, with a mix of horror and hope.
February 25, 2023
Hungry Business is a horror short story about a woman navigating life and dating in a world where a virus is turning people into decaying, undead creatures.
First, I loved the writing style so much. DeBlassie uses beautiful but not too flowery prose, which I really like. A lot is said in few words so the author really gets the most out of only 17 pages. This already made the reading experience very enjoyable but the content itself was intriguing too.
From the start it felt like I was familiar with the apocalyptic world the story is set in, thanks to the short but great worldbuilding. The protagonist we follow in second-person POV was well fleshed out - I understood why she felt lonely and acted the way she did. I also loved how a balance between darker and lighter scenes/themes was maintained. Without spoiling anything: the ending was just perfect!
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫
Thank you to the author for giving me the e-book in exchange for an honest review!
First, I loved the writing style so much. DeBlassie uses beautiful but not too flowery prose, which I really like. A lot is said in few words so the author really gets the most out of only 17 pages. This already made the reading experience very enjoyable but the content itself was intriguing too.
From the start it felt like I was familiar with the apocalyptic world the story is set in, thanks to the short but great worldbuilding. The protagonist we follow in second-person POV was well fleshed out - I understood why she felt lonely and acted the way she did. I also loved how a balance between darker and lighter scenes/themes was maintained. Without spoiling anything: the ending was just perfect!
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫
Thank you to the author for giving me the e-book in exchange for an honest review!
October 20, 2020
I loved this short story. It's a lyrical, reflective piece on dating, metaphorical and Gothicised, fantastical but relateable. It's easy to get attached to the MC and her struggles to stay human - the battle with loneliness and the dangers of the dating pool are so well written that it is hard not to.
I loved the way tension was built through the story and how the MC does not get an easy or unscathed HEA but does get the hint of one - although this is only about 17 pages on Kindle it packs a LOT in there. The pace really works and pulls you through the story needing to know what happens.
A tiny gem of a read.
I loved the way tension was built through the story and how the MC does not get an easy or unscathed HEA but does get the hint of one - although this is only about 17 pages on Kindle it packs a LOT in there. The pace really works and pulls you through the story needing to know what happens.
A tiny gem of a read.
February 3, 2022
A short story very clever, very unexpected, very poignant. I must refrain from spoiling, so I can’t reveal much. This is definitely a story for 2020, but its lessons are also very apropos to any of us at any time. Read for the plot, digest the themes.
January 13, 2021
I was granted review access to Hungry Business through two avenues, publisher Kitchen Witch Press on NetGalley and blog tour organizer Goddess Fish Promotions, and I would like to thank both and author Maria DeBlassie for this opportunity. My thoughts are my own and my review is honest.
I will do my best to tighten up my normally lengthy review style in an attempt to keep this review shorter than the source material. In just 17 pages, Maria DeBlassie paints a vivid picture of life in the aftermath of a Zombie virus outbreak, specifcally that of an introvert with a strong will to survive who's finding out that perhaps the desire for companionship is not a good enough reason to keep coming in contact with the undead. The main character possesses a healthy amount of paranoia in a time when only the paranoid get to keep living.
I love all the little world-building details that are deftly sewn into the narrative, like how grave dirt can be thrown at the Hungries to the same effect as salt or holy water on a minor demon, and I love all the little details that the main character cherishes as she holds onto her humanity. The cat in the window across the street who shows up every evening to stare back at her. The multitude of extra blankets she owns, just to feel warmth.
At the start of this story, I thought the main character was a killer of some sort. She has a corpse as a dinner partner and she does a lot of talking about hearts, ones still beating and not. My one criticism is that the corpse isn't dealt with on page after that. Was it a metaphorical corpse? Is it someone who contracted the virus and didn't feed? Is it someone who contracted the virus and she had to dispatch them? Is this the reason why she spends a good chunk of the story attempting not to acknowledge her fear that she's infected?
This short story answers enough questions to leave the reader willing to accept that this is where the story ends but leaves enough open that it could be expanded, in the future, to a longer piece. That wouldn't be an unheard-of thing to do. Robert J. Sawyer's 2013 novel Red Planet Blues begins with an updated version of his 2005 novella Identity Theft. I'd love to know how the main character's life goes now that she's made the decisions and discoveries she made in these 17 short pages.
I highly recommend this to anyone who loves horror, suspense, dark humour, apocalyptic science fiction, or zombie stories in general, and I am definitely interested in reading more fiction by this author. (Especially a longer version of this!)
I will do my best to tighten up my normally lengthy review style in an attempt to keep this review shorter than the source material. In just 17 pages, Maria DeBlassie paints a vivid picture of life in the aftermath of a Zombie virus outbreak, specifcally that of an introvert with a strong will to survive who's finding out that perhaps the desire for companionship is not a good enough reason to keep coming in contact with the undead. The main character possesses a healthy amount of paranoia in a time when only the paranoid get to keep living.
I love all the little world-building details that are deftly sewn into the narrative, like how grave dirt can be thrown at the Hungries to the same effect as salt or holy water on a minor demon, and I love all the little details that the main character cherishes as she holds onto her humanity. The cat in the window across the street who shows up every evening to stare back at her. The multitude of extra blankets she owns, just to feel warmth.
At the start of this story, I thought the main character was a killer of some sort. She has a corpse as a dinner partner and she does a lot of talking about hearts, ones still beating and not. My one criticism is that the corpse isn't dealt with on page after that. Was it a metaphorical corpse? Is it someone who contracted the virus and didn't feed? Is it someone who contracted the virus and she had to dispatch them? Is this the reason why she spends a good chunk of the story attempting not to acknowledge her fear that she's infected?
This short story answers enough questions to leave the reader willing to accept that this is where the story ends but leaves enough open that it could be expanded, in the future, to a longer piece. That wouldn't be an unheard-of thing to do. Robert J. Sawyer's 2013 novel Red Planet Blues begins with an updated version of his 2005 novella Identity Theft. I'd love to know how the main character's life goes now that she's made the decisions and discoveries she made in these 17 short pages.
I highly recommend this to anyone who loves horror, suspense, dark humour, apocalyptic science fiction, or zombie stories in general, and I am definitely interested in reading more fiction by this author. (Especially a longer version of this!)
September 27, 2021
“...hearts are a hot commodity these days, and you have to be careful who you share them with.”
👠👠👠
From deadly zombies lurking in the night to the brain-eating ones in Plant vs Zombies 2— we have explored every fictional part of zombie apocalyptic worlds as an audience. Maria DeBlassie brings forth one such story set in a world where circumstances pushed the people to survive amongst the Hungries (whom I felt like they got stuck halfway between vampires and zombies), forced to arm themselves with grave dirt and a myriad of precautions (huh, kinda like how we've been living for three years).
Okay back to the topic at hand, Hungry Business is a very short story/novella which tells the story of an MC (reader) whose loneliness and desperation push her to find a companion.
“Candlelight can hide a multitude of sins.”
However, in a half-crumbled world, it is a struggle to trust anyone. The MC is well aware of the danger but when eye contact with a cat is the only meaningful connection you've had in goodness knows how long, it's a sign to take the risks.
👠👠👠
Not once losing a beat, the author weaves this tiny tale in 2nd person POV which left me feeling more connected with the words written on the pages (phone). Even in such a short story, the author has managed to include a minuscule character arc— the MC's thoughts stemming from loneliness and despair take a hopeful turn by the end.
“In the pit of your belly, you know you can’t blame an expired sense of humor on bad lighting.”
Have you had those bite-sized snacks that leave you wanting more after just a single bite? That is exactly how I felt reading this story. With not more than fifty pages and unique touch to the zombie apocalypse trope, Hungry Business is a single (delicious) bite that's totally worth it!
Trigger Warnings: Mild Violence and Gore, Assualt.
👠👠👠
From deadly zombies lurking in the night to the brain-eating ones in Plant vs Zombies 2— we have explored every fictional part of zombie apocalyptic worlds as an audience. Maria DeBlassie brings forth one such story set in a world where circumstances pushed the people to survive amongst the Hungries (whom I felt like they got stuck halfway between vampires and zombies), forced to arm themselves with grave dirt and a myriad of precautions (huh, kinda like how we've been living for three years).
Okay back to the topic at hand, Hungry Business is a very short story/novella which tells the story of an MC (reader) whose loneliness and desperation push her to find a companion.
“Candlelight can hide a multitude of sins.”
However, in a half-crumbled world, it is a struggle to trust anyone. The MC is well aware of the danger but when eye contact with a cat is the only meaningful connection you've had in goodness knows how long, it's a sign to take the risks.
👠👠👠
Not once losing a beat, the author weaves this tiny tale in 2nd person POV which left me feeling more connected with the words written on the pages (phone). Even in such a short story, the author has managed to include a minuscule character arc— the MC's thoughts stemming from loneliness and despair take a hopeful turn by the end.
“In the pit of your belly, you know you can’t blame an expired sense of humor on bad lighting.”
Have you had those bite-sized snacks that leave you wanting more after just a single bite? That is exactly how I felt reading this story. With not more than fifty pages and unique touch to the zombie apocalypse trope, Hungry Business is a single (delicious) bite that's totally worth it!
Trigger Warnings: Mild Violence and Gore, Assualt.
March 2, 2022
You've come to the conclusion that you can't force love. You try to take heart in the fact that you've dated enough lifeless bodies that you can easily distinguish between Hungries and humans.
This short story was my life. The epitome of dating in the 21st century. Is my date a brainless zombie with only one thing on his mind? Probably. Do I want to run screaming back to my home afterwards and curl up with a cup of tea? Absolutely. Perfect for Halloween.
**I received a review copy from BookBuzz.net via Netgalley.
This short story was my life. The epitome of dating in the 21st century. Is my date a brainless zombie with only one thing on his mind? Probably. Do I want to run screaming back to my home afterwards and curl up with a cup of tea? Absolutely. Perfect for Halloween.
**I received a review copy from BookBuzz.net via Netgalley.
February 9, 2021
I found this book quite bizarre and toe curling. It reminded me of a gory version of Covid-19 - if the virus were a person this is how it would be perceived. It certainly takes an active imagination to come up with such a stomach twisting short story.
February 13, 2023
Quick short about dating in a zombie apocalypse
September 21, 2021
Usually, I'm not a fan of short stories, but I'm happy about my decision to read this book worth it. Love always being one kind of challenge. The struggle is real. How you try to sustain in the real world what more in a zombie world. I can feel the frustration of the narrator, how devastated she after her searching always found a dead end until when she wants to give up she finally sees the light.
Stay alive or being a rotten dead body
Stay alive or being a rotten dead body
November 5, 2023
She's craving some affection.
But all they are craving is some flesh.
Dating is hard enough during good times, but dating during a zombie apocalypse is down right deadly.
In a world where living, breathing beings try to coexist with the hungries, one woman is on the hunt for a companion.
In many ways, dating in general and dating during a zombie apocalypse aren't so different. Oftentimes, dating can seem cold and detached, lacking vitality even when both parties have heartbeats.
Loneliness is a feeling that most of us have felt at some point. In hungry business, our MC feels terribly alone and is constantly seeking out that human connection. Even though she is met with failure after failure, across they way, in a window, she sees a cat. The site alone leaves her with hope that just maybe she isn't truly alone after all.
In short, this is a fun, quick zombie-ish novella. It is a quirky and humorous take on the classic zombie horror trope, and if I am completely honest, I found it refreshing. I am quickly becoming a fan of the way that Debaasie writes!
But all they are craving is some flesh.
Dating is hard enough during good times, but dating during a zombie apocalypse is down right deadly.
In a world where living, breathing beings try to coexist with the hungries, one woman is on the hunt for a companion.
In many ways, dating in general and dating during a zombie apocalypse aren't so different. Oftentimes, dating can seem cold and detached, lacking vitality even when both parties have heartbeats.
Loneliness is a feeling that most of us have felt at some point. In hungry business, our MC feels terribly alone and is constantly seeking out that human connection. Even though she is met with failure after failure, across they way, in a window, she sees a cat. The site alone leaves her with hope that just maybe she isn't truly alone after all.
In short, this is a fun, quick zombie-ish novella. It is a quirky and humorous take on the classic zombie horror trope, and if I am completely honest, I found it refreshing. I am quickly becoming a fan of the way that Debaasie writes!
September 28, 2022
This was a nice and pleasant quick read. There was a sense of an almost poetic haiku to the story that was express through a romantic horror gothic apocalyptic read. The zombie apocalypse dating scene (who would've thought...) was definitely like dating in reality (Covid & Monkeypox) and I couldn't help, but think this the whole time I was reading. The plot was very much right in your face and just a true think piece in regards to dating in the face of global disaster. This is one of those short stories where you can see it adding more due to the ending, but understand that's it not necessary. The story as a whole was a little horror, suspense, loneliness, and self love all rolled into one. I think maybe I will explore more of the gothic romance/horror books because the author has really intrigued me with this short story. A great short read and amazing writing style that's very cohesive with the flow.
November 14, 2022
This was a short but well-written story. It reminded me slightly of the horror stories that I liked to read as a child, like Goosebumps and Shivers, but a little bit more grown-up. It seemed to me that there was an unknown character talking to the reader about their experiences, which was an effect that I liked. It was genuinely creepy, but at the same time humorous and relatable.
This type of story is something I wouldn't usually choose to read on its own, but I would enjoy reading something like this as part of an anthology or short story collection, as books like that do appeal to me when I want something lighter than a novel.
Thank you to the author and Black Tide Book Tours for my opportunity to read and review this.
This type of story is something I wouldn't usually choose to read on its own, but I would enjoy reading something like this as part of an anthology or short story collection, as books like that do appeal to me when I want something lighter than a novel.
Thank you to the author and Black Tide Book Tours for my opportunity to read and review this.
February 13, 2021
Just in time for Valentine’s day we have a short story about a woman dating after zombies have become a part of existence. The writing style in this book was a little difficult for me to get into at first, but I did find the story unique. I hate to say it, but the struggle of dating is a real thing, even if you aren’t trying to date zombies, lol, so this book is also relatable in that way. The tale leaves off in a way that leaves room for it to go on if the author chooses to continue it at a later time.
Quick tale for a late night when you want to read, but don’t want to be a zombie the next day from lack of sleep.
Quick tale for a late night when you want to read, but don’t want to be a zombie the next day from lack of sleep.
February 15, 2021
Hungry Business: A Short Story by Maria DeBlassie is a horror story. It is a short story but as we know Maria has the knack for writing quirky, original and unusual stories. It is easy to become completely immersed in it making it feel like you have run a marathon in post-apocalyptic dating world. It is a little silly, a little creepy, a little strange but fun looking for love in a new world of zombies. Like the Walking Dead? You will love this book.
November 4, 2021
I am a big fan of short stories, but man this is one of those that I didn’t want to end. Hungry Business is a creepy tale about life in pandemic. This was a tale of a lonely woman who is searching for love. She is desperate for attention and even when she knows the risks could be deadly she takes it. Read it. You won’t be disappointed.
Thank you to @hrpr.booktours for the #gifted copy of the book.
Thank you to @hrpr.booktours for the #gifted copy of the book.
October 20, 2023
Actual rating: 3.5 / 5
Thank you to the Henry Roi Pr team for sending me over a digital copy to participate in the Tours of Terror this month.
I had previously read Weep, Woman, Weep, by this author, so it was fun to come back to her writing style and see how she tackles horror.
It was a quirky type of horror, focusing on a lonely woman trying to date during a zombie pandemic.
It felt like a dark comedy and it posed relatable topics of feeling lonely and isolated during an uncertain time of world change, which will resonate with many (sans zombies).
Pick it up, give it a go & enjoy! >(^_^)<
Gén
Thank you to the Henry Roi Pr team for sending me over a digital copy to participate in the Tours of Terror this month.
I had previously read Weep, Woman, Weep, by this author, so it was fun to come back to her writing style and see how she tackles horror.
It was a quirky type of horror, focusing on a lonely woman trying to date during a zombie pandemic.
It felt like a dark comedy and it posed relatable topics of feeling lonely and isolated during an uncertain time of world change, which will resonate with many (sans zombies).
Pick it up, give it a go & enjoy! >(^_^)<
Gén
March 2, 2023
so fun
This was so good! I haven’t read a really good second person in a long long time and I really love this
It is pretty interesting and with how short it is it’s very fun to just pick up and read through!
Definitely recommend if you’re looking for something fun and low commitment
This was so good! I haven’t read a really good second person in a long long time and I really love this
It is pretty interesting and with how short it is it’s very fun to just pick up and read through!
Definitely recommend if you’re looking for something fun and low commitment
October 8, 2022
Interesting short story!
Zombies and dating. This story depicts the difficulty of dating and companionship even during a zombie apocalypse. A girl who has hopes for the best but seems to receive mediocre.
Zombies and dating. This story depicts the difficulty of dating and companionship even during a zombie apocalypse. A girl who has hopes for the best but seems to receive mediocre.
April 4, 2024
This was a super short story following one woman's journey to find love in a zombie filled world.
A fun, quick and wholesome short story by the wonderful DeBlassie. Who knew a post apocalyptic world riddled with zombies could create some wholesome and hilarious dating moments.
A fun, quick and wholesome short story by the wonderful DeBlassie. Who knew a post apocalyptic world riddled with zombies could create some wholesome and hilarious dating moments.
January 4, 2021
This was an intriguing little story to squeeze in. Both tragic and hopeful, it can be interpreted in different ways - literally losing your life in an increasingly cold and uncaring environment, or keeping alive despite being in a world full of bodies. I liked that the outcome is left to the reader's imagination, as it can turn out either way, though the cat makes me feel like it must be a good one.
(thanks to netgalley, the author, and the publisher for a copy of the book, all opinions are my own)
(thanks to netgalley, the author, and the publisher for a copy of the book, all opinions are my own)
September 29, 2022
Fun quick read
Quick read that reflects on loneliness with horror-esque elements of dating essential zombies. If you need something as a pallet cleanser this is quick and easy.
Quick read that reflects on loneliness with horror-esque elements of dating essential zombies. If you need something as a pallet cleanser this is quick and easy.
October 25, 2022
I picked up this book based on the blurb because it sounded like the modern dating scene but with zombies. This was a delightful little snack that was a great reminder to always hope
December 29, 2020
What a fantastic short story! Hungry Business takes a spin on the zombie theme and focuses on a young woman trying to find a companion after the contagion spread. This is both a philosophical journey and a life journey. Definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to spend an hour lost in a story.
Thank you NetGalley and Kitchen Witch Press for the opportunity to read an advance reading copy.
Thank you NetGalley and Kitchen Witch Press for the opportunity to read an advance reading copy.
November 23, 2021
This is the first story I have read by this author. I found the piece to be a really original. I really liked the parallels to the pandemic and a zombie apocalypse. I found this to be extremely relevant in a really odd way to our current plight. This is definitely a short one, but left me wanting more. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley,
October 19, 2022
This is one of the most intelligent short stories I have ever read. It is a brilliant take on the challenges of meaningful relationships. A woman in the dating scene is just looking for another beating heart. The men she hooks up with end up being heartless, yet they still try to pass as living beings. Even with their deathly pallor and non-existent heartbeats, they will run their uninvited hand up a leg or grab a wrist to prevent escape. You can’t know these men are infected without actually meeting up first. They look normal in their pics. They are just out to sate their hunger while she would like a nice relationship. Oh well, she’s got her spicy books and the neighbor’s cat for company.
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