ECC Books

Chris is a plain-looking fellow with short brown hair and a short, full beard. Though he carries more weight around his middle than he would like, he is still an avid and active walker—nearly as active as he was when he was 80 pounds lighter.

The first three toes on each of Chris' feet are nearly the same length. Together with his tremendous bodily flexibility, this led to half-joking jealousy from his dance-major wife when they were early in their courtship.

Though mostly hidden by his moustache, Chris has a small, brown mole above and to the left of his lips and just below his nasolabial fold.

Chris is a Weredinosaur who can take the shape of a Triceratops at will, but who is also prone to transform accidentally during fits of anger. These unintended transformations often result in the destruction of personal property and the degradation of personal relationships. That said, through the use of daily mindfulness practice and regular weekly visits to his theropod therapist, he is seeking to bring an end to these unintentional transformations.   Chris also possesses a hypnotic singing and speaking voice. His bedtime stories are legendary, his deep baritone never failing to put children—and, occasionally, adults—to sleep. And his songs? Fuggedaboutit! They'll mesmerize you within seconds and make you susceptible to any hidden messages Chris includes within his lyrics. Thankfully, as ECC Books, Chris is an entirely benevolent singer-songwriter who would never use his talents for evil.   As ICC Dead People, however, all bets are off. So be sure to block your ears the next time one of his songs comes on.

Chris is prone to wearing graphic t-shirts whenever possible, paired with shorts or jeans depending on the season. He is otherwise essentially unable to dress himself.

Since he was hatched in the northeast corner of the swamp—in the year that news of a rebellion first arrived from a galaxy far, far away—ECC Books has wanted to tell stories. Weaned a steady diet of superheroes, space operas, and toy commercials masquerading as after-school cartoons, Chris later studied the classics in an attempt learn how to become a "real" writer. And this led to a unique style which combines the linguistic stylings of the so-called "masters" with an obsession with the most geeky—and often "low-brow"—topics imaginable.   Though he is best-known for his participation in the Second Word War, many don't realize that Chris was present for the First Word War as well—at least for one week.   Arriving on the battlefield having memorized every literomantic incantation he'd ever encountered, Chris did his best for a few days. Sadly, he was quickly haunted by the Demons of Overwhelm and contracted a severe case of Imposter Syndrome . Then his ability to write was lost completely. Spared by the zombies in the First Elimination—perhaps because they sensed he'd be no use to their cause—Chris disappeared into Parts Unknown to lick his wounds and swallow his pride.   Chris returned during the Second Word War and pledged his services to House Sauropoda. But, though he had regained his literomantic abilities, the efforts of he and his fellow dinos were not enough to hold back the Undead Horde.   Chris escaped the Swamp when Sauropoda fell and ran for the safety of House Tiki in Week 2, once again writing his heart out. But writing your heart out, it turns out, is not a good idea when the undead are hot on your tail. Tragically, when House Tiki fell, ECC Books was struck down by the Night Monarch and rechristened ICC Dead People   As ICC Dead People, he first made a name for himself trying to buy words from the Lemon Company each morning at sunrise. And though all he managed to do most days was artificially inflate the cost of words for the hard-working rabbits of House Lapin, he did on at least one occasion raise enough demonic coin to buy a sizeable chunk of mercenary words for The Undead Horde 2021   The true terror of ICC Dead People's undead power was not truly felt until he caught The Filking Plague and began creating new zombies with the power of song. His performances on songs such as "Phantom of the Novel," "You'll Be Dead," and "No Longer Alive" played a huge role in swelling the ranks of the Horde   With the Second Word War drawing to a close, ICC Dead People blasted the ears of the living with one final salvo, his magnum opus of the conflict: "Author's Night." And though it wasn't enough to help the horde capture the Iron Tome remnants of the earworm remained in the heads of many competitors even after the battles were done—and even after Chris was returned to the living—whispering to the masses through their dreams, spreading rumors of a new Word War to come.

Yes

Chris dropped out of the School of Hard Knocks after one too many concussions, but he does hold a Bachelor of Arts Degree in "Individual Studies" and a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Creative Writing.

When he's not busy writing or inventing new ways to be hard on himself, Chris teaches up-and-coming writers how to get their words on the page without banging their heads against the wall. In the past, he's designed websites for internet start-ups, wrangled authors for non-profit conferences, and sold computers for a company with a half-eaten piece of silver fruit hanging above their door.   He was once paid to read from the diary he kept as a teenager in front of a live audience of drunk theater-goers, and remembers this awkward and cathartic moment as one of the best nights of his life.   A jack of many trades, he can do just about anything "good enough," but struggles to devote enough time to his varied pursuits to become a master of anything.   Except self-deprecation, it would seem.

Likes: Em-dashes, semicolons, and interrobangs.   Dislikes: The Zeitgeist, "popular opinion" on the Internet, Thor: The Dark World.

Enjoys nothing more than lifting up deserving and underrepresented voices.

A defeatist attitude which tends to swallow all hope and every good thought within a ten mile radius. Thankfully, attacks of this flaw are acute and not chronic.

Chris may be the father of Filkmaster Eli Kwake, but this is unconfirmed (see lyrics for Trapped in the Car.)