A Carrier of Fire

04/21/2022

Effective immediately, A Carrier of Fire is no longer a practicing business. Thank you for your support over the years.

10/25/2020

In all the excitement of restructuring our approach to Dead Passage, we completely forgot to tell you about another endeavor we've taken on. sound|coma is a new kind of music journalism website focused on the intersection of musicians (and small labels) and current events. Whether it's a band who recorded and released an album in mandatory quarantine this spring or a record label fleeing the West Coast wildfires last month, we're here to tell their stories. No reviews, previews, pressers or gossip.

Music journalism. Evolved.

http://www.soundcoma.com

music journalism

10/06/2020

We've made the difficult decision to shutter our Patreon page and to discontinue the interactive components of Dead Passage. Chapters will continue to be published serially as time permits and we will fulfill our obligations to our former Patrons upon completion of the book.

Thank you for your support.

10/01/2020

Chapter 15 of Dead Passage, "Nyagrodha," is live NOW. Perhaps our most explosive chapter yet, it answers some questions that have been lingering for a full year of this adventure. Read ASAP and validate our egos with affectionate post reacts and comments below.

https://deadpassage.com/2020/09/30/chapter-15-nyagrodha/

Words: 4,538Recommended Listening: Björk – “Black Lake”Shelter: Three Residences North Side of Street, One South “Hitomi freed one of the little worms from where we found Yuma!” E…

10/01/2020

Chapter 15 of Dead Passage is finished and will be published before the end of the night. It changes everything about the book so far. Get ready.

09/06/2020

Dead Passage chapter 14, "An Almost Imperceptible Shift," is live NOW! Read free at this link, then return right here and comment with your vote.

Should Emiko try to intervene or let the conversation proceed?

https://deadpassage.com/2020/09/06/chapter-14-an-almost-imperceptible-shift/

Words: 3,464Recommended Listening: Fargue – “Au travers de la lumière, l’ombre n’est que poussière”Shelter: Sugimoto Residence, Yuma Residence Goro Matsui’s white suit…

09/01/2020

August's chapter of Dead Passage is going to be slightly delayed. We hope to have it published in the next 48 hours. Thank you for your patience!

07/29/2020

Dead Passage is back! Chapter 13, "Hunger Crisis," is live NOW! Read it at this link then come right back here and comment with your vote (Facebook STILL hasn't reinstated polls for some damn reason):

https://deadpassage.com/2020/07/29/chapter-13-hunger-crisis/

Words: 2,924Recommended Listening: EF – “Delusions of Grandeur”Shelter: Sugimoto Residence, Inu Yuma Residence …

07/25/2020

Prions are proteins that can cause other proteins in the brain to misfold and are believed to be the causative agents of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, or TSEs. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines TSEs as “a family of rare progressive neurodegenerative disorders that affect both humans and animals.” In animals, perhaps the best-known manifestation of TSEs came in the form of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, more popularly known as “Mad Cow Disease.” Mad Cow Disease began in Great Britain in the 1980s when cattle were fed the remains of sheep infected with a similar TSE called scrapie. In humans, TSEs are incredibly rare, with the CDC approximating cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease at one case per million people and just four known cases of Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD) in the history of the United States, Dr. Pearson’s home country – a nation of over 330 million people.

Dead Passage returns this week.

06/05/2020

A Carrier of Fire knows that and we hope that will not only come swiftly but also begin a wave of reform, education and lawmaking that stamp out systemic racism in this nation we dearly love, The United States of America. We stand behind our black friends, colleagues, peers, customers and fans - and if they need our protection, we'll stand in front of them as well. All lives can't matter until they include black lives.

This is not "virtue signaling" to "get more sales." In fact, if you believe that others’ lives matter less because of their skin color, ethnic background, nonviolent religious beliefs or sexual orientation? Go. Unlike our page. Don't buy our books, don't contribute to our Patreon page, don't participate in our events and don't talk to us at shows. We don't want your money and we don't want you laboring under the delusion that we share your views. ACoF is a community big enough for all walks of life - except those with prejudice in their hearts.

Life ain't easy for any of us, but our marginalized brothers and sisters are suffering direly. Listen to them. Consider their point of view and how you'd feel if the shoe were on the other foot. Help when you can. Be kind.

Help us carry the fire for them.

-jonny Lupsha and A Carrier of Fire.

05/25/2020

Dead Passage chapter 12, "Kalpavriksha," is live NOW! Read it at this URL then come back here and VOTE BY COMMENTING.

https://deadpassage.com/2020/05/25/chapter-12-kalpavriksha/

Words: 3,265Recommended Listening: Akira Yamaoka – “Betrayal”Shelter: Sugimoto Residence, Inu Residence All seven survivors stood in the kitchen of the second house looking at the…

05/23/2020

Poll results for Dead Passage ch. 11 are in, and by a vote of 10 to two, Mai will NOT be telling Riku about her phone conversation with NIH Director Pearson nor the off-the-record investigation it's sending her on throughout the NHK office. Keep an eye out for chapter 12 to drop in the next couple days and find out what happens! In the meantime, get caught up for FREE at http://www.DeadPassage.com

Choice-based Zombie Lit. Free.

04/26/2020

Dead Passage Ch. 11 - "The Oath" - is live NOW! Read here then come right back and VOTE WITH A COMMENT (facebook has disabled polls for some reason).

https://deadpassage.com/2020/04/25/chapter-11-the-oath/

This month's voting options are: Should Mai TELL RIKU WHAT HAPPENED or KEEP IT TO HERSELF?

Words: 3,554Recommended Listening: Unkle – “Heaven (Redux)”Shelter: Sugimoto Residence, Inu Residence “Gujō Hachiman Nature Park,” Akira repeated. “Yes, of course I know it. Why…

04/04/2020

Dead Passage chapter 10, “Guilty Jupiter,” is live NOW! Read and vote for free right here:

https://deadpassage.com/2020/04/04/chapter-10-guilty-jupiter/

Words: 3,879Recommended Listening: Gustavo Santaolalla – “Desert Bus Ride”Shelter: Sugimoto Residence, Inu Residence Daisuke sat on the balcony of the Sugimoto residence. He…

04/04/2020

HEY!!! Polls are currently missing from pages for some reason, so please vote by ADDING A COMMENT below. Please don't change your vote. Comments must be made by April 14.

(Please read Dead Passage chapter 10, "Guilty Jupiter," at this link BEFORE voting - https://deadpassage.com/2020/04/04/chapter-10-guilty-jupiter/)

What should Daisuke suggest to Emiko?

The rafts
The hot air balloons

Words: 3,879Recommended Listening: Gustavo Santaolalla – “Desert Bus Ride”Shelter: Sugimoto Residence, Inu Residence Daisuke sat on the balcony of the Sugimoto residence.  He…

03/10/2020

The polls have closed for Dead Passage ch. 9, “Two Minutes’ Debt.” By a vote of 10 to two, you all decided that Daisuke should be up front with Akira about the centipede creatures. Be sure to check the official Dead Passage site (link below) to see how it plays out! The next chapter should be finished and uploaded in the next two to three weeks.

http://www.DeadPassage.com

Choice-based Zombie Lit. Free.

02/25/2020

Chapter 9 of Dead Passage, "Two Minutes' Debt," is live NOW. Get caught up and find out what the zonbi survivors will do with the woman in the cage and the man who kidnapped Akane. This chapter, like its recommended/corresponding song, are intentionally chaotic and messy at times. Buckle up.

https://deadpassage.com/2020/02/25/chapter-09-two-minutes-debt/

Words: 5,487Recommended Listening: Tangled Thoughts of Leaving – “Downbeat”Shelter: Sugimoto Residence, Inu Residence A groan came from downstairs.  Everyone turned and looke…

02/25/2020

Chapter 9 of Dead Passage, “Two Minutes’ Debt,” has been completed and stands at 5,487 words. It will be uploaded to DeadPassage.com later today and it comes complete with a fresh new poll and, as always, a recommended song to listen to while reading. It’s the most harrowing chapter yet for our survivors during the zombie outbreak. Keep your eyes open for it!

Choice-based Zombie Lit. Free.

01/31/2020

Chapter 8 of Dead Passage is live NOW! We're taking a break from voting this month, so read up and be sure to come to Dead Pubbage on Tuesday night at The Ashburn Pub (event invites coming soon)!

https://deadpassage.com/2020/01/31/chapter-08-el-arbol-del-tule/

Words: 3,993Recommended Listening: The Mars Volta – “Asilos Magdalena”Shelter: Sugimoto Residence, Second Residence Junpei’s heart leapt into his chest at the sound of the first g…

01/25/2020

Did you know that the official Dead Passage website has a page where you can catch up on the decisions our voters have made, see their consequences AND get a peek as to what would've happened if you would've gone the other route? Now updated through chapter 7, contains spoilers for published chapters. Check it out if you're caught up!

https://deadpassage.com/crowdsourced-consequences/

As Dead Passage is written over the course of two years or so, readers will have the opportunity to shape the novel based on what they think is the right thing for the characters to do. Every month…

01/07/2020

Hey everyone! Despite some snowfall here in northern Virginia, we’re still going to The Ashburn Pub at 6:30 to host Dead Pubbage! If you can’t make it tonight, we’ll look at adding a make-up hangout next Tuesday or the Tuesday after it. See you there!

12/30/2019

Chapter 07 of Dead Passage, "Mycelium," is live NOW. We love this chapter and can't wait to see whose lives your willing to put on the line with your votes. Read at the link below and follow the links to the polls, which close January 10!

https://deadpassage.com/2019/12/29/chapter-07-mycelium/

Words: 4,557Recommended Listening: LLNN – “Voyager”Shelter: Sugimoto Residence, Tunnel A, Crawlspace Akane Fukuhara didn’t mind breathing through the bandana wrapped around the lo…

11/29/2019

Ch. 06 of Dead Passage, "The Worms," is live NOW. Read this crazy addition to the book at this URL and don't forget to vote for what happens next!

https://deadpassage.com/2019/11/29/chapter-06-the-worms/

Words: 4,120Recommended Listening: Thom Yorke – “Has Ended”Shelter: Sugimoto Residence, Tunnel A I: Seiji “My mother was crying,” Seiji said.  “I asked what was wrong and she…

11/23/2019

Oops! We forgot to publish the results of our most recent Dead Passage poll. In the end of chapter five, we asked readers whether our survivors should start digging West towards a train to get to the hospital or East towards an auto shop to drive to the historic Gujo Hachiman Castle. The results are in! By a vote of 10 to 4, we're headed West. Keep an eye out in the days to come for chapter six so you can find out how this decision shapes the narrative to come!

11/06/2019

This might be our best turnout for Dead Pubbage yet! 11 fine people were able to make it to The Pub for food, drink and zombie talk, and this month we gave them all FREE t-shirts printed by Kurt Compher from Loudoun Pride!

If you haven’t made it out yet, free up your calendar for the first Tuesday of any month and get to The Ashburn Pub. You never know what freebies are waiting for you.

🧟‍♂️👷‍♂️☠️🍻🌮🥃🍔

10/30/2019

Chapter 05 of Dead Passage is live NOW! After the most difficult night of their lives, our survivors have to decide which direction to start digging. Give it a read now at the link below, then follow the links to vote on where they should go! Polls close November 10.

https://deadpassage.com/2019/10/30/chapter-05-nqaul/

Words: 4,993Recommended Listening: MONO – “Death in Reverse”Shelter: Sugimoto Residence Emiko was making omelette rice for seven people.  The familiar scents of steamed rice …

10/28/2019

Dead Passage ch. 4 polls closed earlier this month, and by a final vote of 14 to four, YOU chose for Emiko to cast the tie-breaking vote in favor of chopping off Daisuke's finger to use as zonbi bait. Wow!

The next chapter will be online in the next couple days, and we're tentatively planning on holding our next Dead Pubbage on November 5th, giving you a week to read and vote again. Thanks for being a part of this community; we're thrilled to be bringing you the world's premier choice-based serial zombie novel. Stay tuned!

10/16/2019

Anyone think we should make this into a poster?

10/10/2019

City Limits: Fogworld vol. 2 has just gotten its first review and it’s five stars! ❤️ If you don’t have it, get a copy today at Amazon or a pre-signed copy at Comic Logic Books & Artwork.

09/30/2019

Chapter 04 of Dead Passage is live NOW!!! It's a big one, so it's split into two parts, but each part is clearly labeled and contains links to the other, so there shouldn't be too much confusion. Here's a link to Pt. 1; voting is at the end of Pt. 2. Polls close Oct. 11.

https://deadpassage.com/2019/09/30/chapter-04-part-one-secrets/

Editor’s Note: This chapter is so big we had to split it up into two posts. This is the first half; a link to the second half will be posted at the end of this section. Words: 3,539Recommende…

09/21/2019

After tallying the final votes for Dead Passage chapter 3 and accounting for Patreon, the path forward stands at 11 to eight in favor of letting Ryu tell Hitomi what happened to their father. 😬 And with this, we've reached our first ever Core Crisis. YOUR votes this month have either just COST the life of a main character or SAVED the life of a main character, which will be revealed by the end of the book. Don't forget it now.

If you haven't caught up yet, go to http://www.DeadPassage.com and start reading this FREE serialized Japanese-set zombie drama today!

08/28/2019

Chapter 3 of Dead Passage is live NOW! Read it and vote on which path the book should take next - all for free! If you aren't caught up, visit the main page at DeadPassage.com and get to reading this serialized, Japanese-set zombie novel.

https://deadpassage.com/2019/08/27/chapter-03-rungs-branches/

Words: 4,375Recommended Listening: Tiny Fingers – “The Fall / Eyes of Gold”Shelter: Sugimoto Residence Daisuke extended his hand and knocked on the door. “Ryu?” “Go away,” Ryu sai…

08/25/2019

While you wait for the next chapter of Dead Passage to go online, check out its brand-new page listing some of the consequences to your votes. The only spoilers are for currently-available chapters, so if you're caught up, go for it!

https://deadpassage.com/crowdsourced-consequences/

As Dead Passage is written over the course of two years or so, readers will have the opportunity to shape the novel based on what they think is the right thing for the characters to do. Every month…

08/12/2019

The people have spoken! At the end of chapter 2 of Dead Passage, readers got to vote whether Daisuke should approach Ryu from a hardened, tough guy standpoint or be more compassionate. Here are the results.

Facebook:
Appeal to toughness - 4 votes
Be compassionate - 6 votes

Patreon (where votes count double):
Appeal to toughness - 0 votes
Be compassionate - 3 votes

So by a vote of 12 to four, Daisuke will take the softer approach to his conversation with Ryu. Here’s hoping you can live with the consequences - and that our characters can too. 😬 Stay tuned monthly to DeadPassage.com to continue shaping this novel! (Coming soon: a new “What Could Have Happened” page outlining your votes and their repercussions!)

Choice-based Zombie Lit. Free.