Author Sean Page and Zombie Survival Enthusiast

Zombie-survivalist, Sean Page joins me today! Sean, you have been a busy man, wanna tell us about your books that are out, and will soon be out?

My biggest book to date is TheOfficial Zombie Handbook UK. This is a best-seller here in the UK and is our version of the Max Brooks guide. We needed something different as we are pretty much gun-free!

Saying that, the books a bit different as well. It’s very detailed and very serious. It’s not meant as a joke book. The water storage guidelines are real it’s been reviewed by hardcore sites such as Survival Weekly. This book is meant to help folks who like in built up areas survive the zombies or any other crisis.

It includes the template for a 90 day survival plan which most survival nuts really love.

Fans love the level of detail and sheer volume of facts. Critics think it’s boring. Is it useful in the US? – yeah the survival detail is just as valid, particularly if you live in a big city.
 

My second book War Against theWalking Dead – covers what happens after 90 days – the fight back. This is a much bigger seller in the US. Think rebuilding your community, encountering rival groups even developing your own anti-zombie militia - it’s all in there.

This is the guide to taking the country back from the dead includes international perspectives from many groups. Loads of groups were involved in this book from The Mormons to zombie fighting organizations in South-East Asia.

Fans are generally a bit mental and the kind of people ‘ready to rock’. Critics don’t want to think that far ahead and hate my drawings.

My latest is Metahorde – a straight novel set in the near future. Expect non-stop action, big explosions human outposts battling against a great horde of the dead….you have been warned.

Fans like it because it’s full of action and cool deaths. Critics want more character development (yeah like I had time, I was too busy killing.)

What is it about zombies that draw you in?

I love the idea of a post-apocalyptic world – for story writing it’s just the place to be. There are so many options re-casting society, inventing villains, new monsters etc. Zombies are my number one because they rock. They are such a blank canvas, they are us but they aren’t. They are single-minded pretty weedy alone but in hordes, they are lethal.

I like the survival angle – the breakdown of society. Yep, zombies just rock as monsters.

Any other works you have coming out in the near future?

My latest is a set of short stories, only 10K words. The Black Caliphate is something different. An Arabic horror set in the 1930s. Evil, the risen dead, foul-play seductive corpse-maidens – you get the idea. That’s only 99c so have a look if you like that sort of thing – who doesn’t!

I am currently completing a major project on zombies in Europe. More of this later but I hope that this will become essential reading for anyone worried about the dead when living or travelling in Europe.

Then, I have a big challenge on to complete the final book in the Ministry of Zombies series. I won’t too much but it’s so hot that it will burn your pants off.

What is your best advice for surviving a zombie-apocalypse?

Get into a survivalist state of mind from today onwards. Get fit, get supplied, get fortified get educated. You don’t need to do it all at once but start today.

Think to yourself – if the power when off what would I do? Same with the water? Also, if the supermarket was closed how long could I last?

Then draw up a 90 day survival plan. 3 months is what most survivalist think as a reasonable time for a typical person to prepare for. We don’t all have limitless money!

Survivalist thinking doesn’t need to ruin your life – it’s about planning for disaster. It can give incredible peace of mind to know that you are all sorted for when the dead turn up….

Who the hell are you?

I’m Sean T. Page, author, office drone zombie survival nut from the UK. I like my tea hot my home fortified. You can follow what I’m up to at the Ministry of Zombies on facebook. We often have funny pictures of cats.




Thank you Sean for joining me!



Author Michael Carr

Zombie-slayer extraordinaire joins us on the Eldon blog today, Michael Carr. Michael, tell us about your current works.

First I would like to thank you Eldon for the opportunity to discuss a project that means a lot to me. I am happy to share this story with you and your readers. My first novella, "Dead Factions" is about a dark world of infection, lies, deceit and anger. This first installment to The Zombie War Narratives is a powerful mixture of shock, sci-fi and government conspiracy. It begins with the world exposed to an infection and abandoned by its leaders. During this time of unrest, small portions of the undead have found a way to maintain their intellect and plan to control the country. However, there is infighting among these undead and they break-off into "Dead Factions".

In this first novella, readers are introduced to an enraged and pissed off survivor, Corey, who plots a route to find some meaning or normalcy in this upside-down world. He finds his travels run head on with situations for which he had not bargained. Struggling to adapt, he realizes the world he once knew and the people closest to him are gone. Corey continues to fight as he is tested beyond his imagination...he fights to find peace for himself and those he learns to trust.

What is it you love about writing zombies?

Actually it was more about what zombies offered my book than a love for the genre. I needed an "evil with a purpose"...one that did not know "quit"...a malicious force that came back bigger and stronger time after time. I also needed a wickedness unlike anything else, one that is considered near perfect by its creator. Readers of Dead Factions have reported back that they enjoyed the idea of zombies breaking off into guilds/factions to war over the control of humanity. The deception and evil doesn't stop there. This is a world where the undead are minions; foot solders for a greater horror or is it horrors? I forget. Now I'm hoping others will find this to be an uncommon and rare story as the chaos unfolds in the trilogy.

Tell us about WHY you write.

I never intended to have anything in print, it was just sheer luck. A couple of years ago I had a life experience that encouraged me to find an outlet...one that was uncommon for me. It was as though the story was unfolding before me. I typed as fast as I could to keep up. Once done, I found it unique and was compelled to share it. With that, a new world opened and I began meeting other authors, as well as readers. It has been very exciting and rewarding. I have found forum conversations, the encouraging emails I have received and being able to introduce "Dead Factions" to new readers at conventions exhilarating. I am so appreciative for the fans that follow and support my work.


What kind of works are you planning for the future?

Future works...well, I am actively in production to the follow up of "Dead Factions". This is the second installment to the zombie war narratives under the working title of "City on Fire". I think it is ok to reveal here that, unlike most sequels, COF actually runs in parallel with "Dead Factions".

It is important that the reader sees what other characters were doing at the time "Dead Factions" was going on. There are of course surprises, heartaches and blood. Yes, lots of blood.

Continuity is important to me... even though I am doing it in an unorthodox way with the series. I am ok with that. Like for any author, the challenge is to provide the reader with a "Wow" moment when they reach the end.

I have to admit that comics are what got me here....sitting idle right now is 2 comic projects waiting to have their moment and they will soon.


Thank you so much for joining me, Michael!


BUY A COPY OF, DEAD FACTIONS

Michael's BIO:

A native of South Mississippi, Michael grew up in a region of the United States that was rich in culture and tradition. Family gatherings were common, offering the best food found anywhere. Usually a Saturday night social over savory delicacies would pave the way to the best rumors and gossip from both sides of the river.

Michael utilized his hometown environment that gave him creative imagery and a passion for good food to work. After attending culinary school he spent the first fourteen years of his professional life as a chef. After sometime he went on to other avenues of employment and during this period he revisited an old childhood favorite hobby of reading comics. This rediscovery of make-believe, along with real life experiences ignited a spark that led him to the world of writing.

LINKS:

Blog

CZKWorld Studios Store

Dead Factions paperbackon Amazon

Dead FactionsKindle version on Amazon
 

Dead Factions Facebook page

HOLLOW SHELL, and why the Zombie Genre is Coming Back from the Dead

By: Mark C. Scioneaux

I cannot speak for all horror writers, but I think the first subject an aspiring writer tries to tackle is the zombie novel. There are a few reasons why the zombies are the popular choice, but mostly I believe it is due to the simplicity of the subject, and the way the story develops.

First, you have undead monsters. Scary, right? There is nothing more horrifying and heartbreaking than the thought of your mom, dad, sibling, child, etc. coming for you with no remembrance of who you were to them. All you are now is a meal. Second, it lets the writer craft a tale of survival, and doing what it takes to persevere during trying times of the walking dead. Third, and lastly, the aspiring writer can make a choice of where they want their novel to go. Gratuitous amounts of sex and gore? A cast of characters, ranging from your basic stereotypes to original and unlikely heroes? The writer is free to do what they want, for the world has ended and they are at the control panel. Writers are free to carve their own paths, and zombies help pave the way.

Why am I rambling about this? A few weeks ago, I received an email from a publisher. He was cancelling an anthology of which a story of mine had been submitted. His reasons were honest and understandable, but one didn’t sit well with me. He said the genre was flooded with bad zombie books. He wouldn’t make any return on his investment for the anthology he’d planned. The zombie genre was dead; a bullet put right between the eyes of the literary ghoul. To a point, I agreed. With the surge of self-publishing, it appears any and all aspiring authors, who don’t venture through traditional publishing venues for their work, have a zombie novel uploaded to Kindle. I’ve read more than my fair share. Some are great. Plenty are bad, often filled with poor editing and even worse writing. With the popularity of The Walking Dead leading the way, zombies have infiltrated every aspect of our pop culture. The public is burnt out, and who can really blame them? But I think they can be saved and restored back to the prominence and respect they deserve. It is my hope that my serial, Hollow Shell, assists in the revival of the zombie book.

When you start Hollow Shell, you’ll see I jammed my foot on the gas, and very rarely do I let up. The tale centers around one central character, Chris. He isn’t special, really; just an ordinary guy trying to do the right thing. He’s not a super soldier, or someone who can make headshots while sprinting through a field. He’s you. He’s me. I wanted to make him that way so you, the reader, would feel for him, think like him, and ultimately place yourself in his situation and contemplate over the choices you’d make if you were in his shoes. There is another character, Dawn, who joins Chris on a most epic journey. I won’t spoil it for you where they are going, or why, but it will be something pivotal that drives our main character forward, much to the dismay of the young woman accompanying him.

Chris and Dawn make a good pair, and I think they represent real people in a tragic situation. There is tension, violence, sex, and gore; all things one expects to happen when the laws and rules of society have been thrown out the window, but it’s kept in check. It’s balanced. It’s real. When I write, I try to put myself in my character’s shoes. How would I react? What would I say? How would I get out of this predicament? The result, I feel, is a story with realistic consequences to actions. I want to show the reader that yes, zombies are scary, but humans are so much worse. There will be times when you cheer for the zombies. Hopefully I’ve written enough moments that make your jaw drop and your fingers fumble your e-reader when you go to turn the page.

I plan to update the series every quarter. It will take time to not only write, but also go through the proper editing and proofreading channels. Self-publishing isn’t a bad thing. As a person who has been traditionally published and is co-owner of Nightscape Press, I feel this is what the Kindle was made for. But the key is you have to give the customer a professional product, and one you’d be happy to put your name on. I hope I have done this for you, the reader.

Hollow Shell is violent and tragic. It also has moments of humor and raw emotion. It is charged with a certain tension that I feel would exist in a situation like the one our two characters are thrust into. What I love the most about zombie literature isn’t so much the zombies, but the interaction of characters as the world falls apart. There are so many great opportunities for me as a writer to explore the human condition and psyche. That’s what draws me to post-apocalyptic books. The zombies are awesome. They give your characters a reason to act the way they do. But they’re only a part of the story. In Hollow Shell, you’ll care about the characters and realize that these are normal people trying to survive with the zombies as a backdrop. I hope you will keep up with Hollow Shell, because it’s going to be a wild ride.

In closing, I’d like to thank Dale Eldon for allowing me to share my thoughts on zombies. I hope you enjoy Hollow Shell and follow the series to the end, whenever that may be. Don’t abandon the zombie story. There are many good ones out there, and like the undead, they are going to just keep coming!

Aim for the head,
Mark C. Scioneaux

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Talk about it on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HollowShellAZombieEpic

Friend the author: https://www.facebook.com/mscioneaux


A sample from Hollow Shell: Part 1

“What have I done?” Chris said as he slid down the living room wall.

A faint trail of gray smoke rose from the gun, slowly dissipating into the atmosphere and stinging his running nose. His hands shook uncontrollably, so bad the gun almost fell from his limp grasp.

“Why, God? Jesus…Why?” he gasped, the tears starting to roll down his stubbly face.

With each passing moment, panic at the realization of what he had just done started to settle in. It was a sickening feeling developing deep in the pit of his stomach. He felt a wave of nausea wash over him. He closed his eyes, drew in a deep breath, and let it out slowly.

Why am I calling out to God? he thought, as the idea of asking an all-mighty and benevolent creator for help had proved to be a waste of time. God didn’t seem to be present at the moment he put a bullet right between the eyes of his loving parents and once beautiful sister. Those same eyes that gazed down on him the day he was born. Eyes at one time filled with unconditional love, now glazed over in a pale aqua-blue glow. The look they once bore replaced with an insatiable hunger. Chris couldn’t let them live like that. His sister, so beautiful and caring; so young and full of dreams, had been turned into a deformed creature. There was nothing left of who she once was. The same sister Chris beat up a playground bully for. The same sister whose ice cream cone hit the floor and Chris readily gave her his. The thought of her pain made him tear up and the urge to scream rushed up through his throat like vomit.

She had come toward him with the same look as his parents, those hungry, lifeless eyes. His hand made steady by a surge of adrenalin gave him a brief moment of clarity and precision, though his vision had become blurry with tears. The sound of her moaning and shuffling feet became louder as she moved closer. He aimed, closing his eyes as he pulled the trigger, feeling the hammer kick back and the gun jolt in his hand. The abrupt discharge was followed by a soft thud. He opened his eyes and in that moment came to the sick realization that he was an only child and an orphan. All done by his own hands.

One more bullet left in the chamber, he thought to himself, and that one is going to be for me.

The searing heat of the gun singed the inside of his mouth, but he didn’t care. One squeeze and everything would be all right. Just a loud noise, maybe a little pain and his troubles would cease to exist. Or maybe there wouldn’t be any pain at all. It would be a coward’s way out, but given the current events and his decaying mentality, it felt like the right thing to do. He closed his eyes tight as his finger slowly depressed the trigger. Just a little more, he thought. Just do it!

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MORE Than Meets The Zombie

Now a days a lot of people love zombies. I remember growing up watching, The Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead (long before the remake), Land of the Dead (definitely not the remake), Day of the Dead, Return of the Living Dead I-III (not of the Romero series, but spoofs), and as I got older I was introduced to a book called, WORLD WAR Z, which is one of my favorites.

After Resident Evil, and now The Walking Dead, zombies are a household hit. And a lot of people (bless their hearts), prefer nothing but a group of survivors killing zombies and slowly being whittled down.

Now don't get me wrong, I enjoy that too, but I also prefer story over gore. In the zombie world, gore and violence should be a product of the good story telling, not just thrown in there because readers or viewers are unable to enjoy a good story.

I have read a lot of complaints over the TV show, The Walking Dead, viewers were and a lot of them still are, in a huff because there is too much story, and not enough zombie action. I use to be like that, when I was kid. I would fast forward through the story telling, and get to the monsters or the action. I was a kid and had no understanding or appreciation of the story itself. But the comments I have read for The Walking Dead come from adults. One would think adults would have a better appreciation for story telling.

So here's where I'm coming from, why can't people enjoy the story for what it is? Isn't there more in zombie fiction than just slow or fast moving (depending on the author) dead person chomping on live people, or getting popped in the head? If I was a card carrying anti-zombie type, I would laugh at the zombie fiction. I would say something like, “Who would want to watch, or read about dead people eating other people and getting killed, again. Just how many times can a person see this before it gets tedious?”

Sure, we love action. And there's nothing wrong with that. So do I. But there is more to the zombie story than just, don't get bit, shoot `em in the head, and the survivors lessening in numbers. That is a very small part of the zombie world.

First off, you have the zombies themselves. How did they become a zombie to begin with? Why is it when they bite you that yo become one of them? Was this a supernatural event? Or viral? If it is viral then who started this and why? How do people with evolving personalities cope with a zombie apocalypse? Which these are questions that make a show (and the books) like The Walking Dead so compelling. Sure, the zombie action is great. It is in the books, and how the show differs is just as awesome in its own way. But what makes it is the people. Who they are.

Just like in a book, we have to have a reason to care. Why should care if Rick gets nommed by a Walker? Or what happened to Shane? Why should root for either side? Why should I care about Daryl? Sure he is a bad-ass who can kill zombies like Chuck Norris, but that isn't enough. Why should I care that his brother Merle coming back? Just because he is really, really cool? Why is he cool? Why does any of these characters matter?

They matter because they are developed to be realistic. In the story, these people are more than just survivors, zombie slayers, or flesh eaters. They have a story, every one of them. And their stories are interesting. When people complain about the lack of zombie action, I feel like saying, “watch something else.” If you can't enjoy a good story, move on. This one is not for you. And no, it shouldn't change to suit you. The writers are doing pretty darn good with what they have to work with. And they want redo an already awesome story into something that is well done for the screen. They are not out to make a two-dimensional story that's only about killing zombies. If that was the case, all you would need to do, is record one of your favorite zombie scenes and watch it over and over. There you go. lol

And, how about the environment? In the real world there are places that people go that are pretty dangerous. Now imagine having a disaster like a zombie outbreak in one of these areas. A mountain. A cruise ship. Each of these places come with their own challenges, and now the problems have just intensified.

If you're still not convinced, then tell me how many zombie books are out there. Then tell me that most of them are not about killing zombies throughout the entire book. WWZ did a great job of telling various stories from the POV of one character through interviews, and his own adventures. There are more and more awesome zombie stories that are focusing on the story over zombies, and they do just fine with the crazy undead apocalypse.

With the exception of video games. Though I do love a game with a great storyline, they can get away with a lacking story so long as the game play is awesome. Which makes sense because the whole reason of playing a game is to be involved. You care about the character you are because you are that character, and it is up to succeed with said character.

Just my thoughts on the subject. I'm wrapping up one zombie novella, and I will be writing on the sequel. I have already started the first act in outline for the second book. And since I don't write about just the action, I come at it from the story perspective, I felt the need to rant.

Author, David Moody

Hello, boys and ghoulies. Today David Moody joins me. The man who invisioned a new style of zombie horror. I have to say, he sold me before I even read one word of prose from his stories, and I am not the only reader who enjoys his kind of crazy.

Mister Moody, tell us about your Autumn series. The basic outline of the saga.

On one had the Autumn books are (almost) a traditional zombie story, but there are a few differences. First off, the zombies (and I never call them that) don't eat flesh. That's an aspect of the zombie mythos I've always had trouble understanding. Why would they eat? They don't drink or sleep or use the toilet or anything else like that... they have no metabolism. Flesh eating has just never sat right with me! Similarly, I didn't want the survivors in my books to be constantly worried about getting infected. That can detract from the story and you leave yourself open to cliches (because someone's always going to get bitten and hide it from the others until it's too late, aren't they?!).

So, in answer to your question, the Autumn books are about an infection which kills 99% of the population instantly, leaving the remaining survivors completely shell-shocked and helpless.The books focus on the living rather than the dead, and they look at how a group of normal people would survive such a cataclysmic event.

What inspired you to write this collection?

I've always been a huge fan of zombie movies, but I was always frustrated by some aspects of the stories. They always seemed to follow a similar formula and they all started and finished in the same place. Writing the Autumn books gave me an opportunity to take the zombie apocalypse one step further, and to track events from the first case of infection right through until the bodies have all but rotted down to nothing.

Also, I'd always been frustrated by the portrayal of the zombies themselves. From the first scene to the last in most stories, they remained the same: a constant, characterless threat. With Autumn, I was able to give the undead a character arc too! They begin as clumsy lumps of reanimated flesh - crashing into things and posing very little threat - but over the course of the novels they become something far more sinister. Because while their bodies are deteriorating, their brains are less affected, so there's this great paradox - they can only express themselves through basic actions such as attacking the living, but they're starting to remember. Imagine that - being undead but knowing who you used to be...

Tell us about your Hater series.

The Hater books often get classed as zombie novels but they're not really, although there are some similarities. In Hater, people begin turning against each other. These 'Haters' feel they have no alternative to attack the others (the Unchanged) because they're convinced they are a mortal threat. Essentially, therefore, the population turns in itself with zero tolerance; both sides intent on wiping out the other until none remain. The book follows the story of one man - Danny McCoyne, a really ordinary guy - through the 'outbreak', into the war for survival, and out the other side. There are three books in the series - Hater, Dog Blood and Them or Us. Incredibly, Guillermo del Toro has bought the film rights!

And what inspired you to write the Hater collection?

My inspirations were two-fold. Firstly, I wanted to look at how we instinctively split ourselves up from other people. We use as many divisions as we can find to do this: age, sexuality, beliefs, race, etc. etc. I wondered what would happen if a new division came along which rendered all those old divides obsolete. With 'the Hate', anyone can turn against anyone else, so you've got lovers fighting each other, parents turning against their kids, and so on and so on. I started writing the first book in 2005, just after terrorists had attacked London. One of the suicide bombers was actually a classroom assistant, working in a primary school. I found it incredible and terrifying that someone could be helping kids to grow in the classroom one day, then head into the capital with a bomb on their back the next, with the sole intention of killing as many innocent people as possible.

Any other books or series that you are currently working on?

Both the Hater and Autumn series have just wrapped, so I'm able to work on something new for the first time since 2006! I've just rewritten an older novel of mine, and I'll be announcing the republication of that in the coming weeks. I'm also writing a pretty unique novel about the end of one man's world (can't say anymore than that just yet!), and I'm developing a five/six book horror/science fiction series.

Who are your inspirations?

Too numerous to mention. I think if you're creative you get inspiration from everything that happens around you. That sounded really pretentious, didn't it? Sorry about that! My horror inspirations are mainly film-based: George Romero's first three zombie movies, John Carpenter, and anything directed by David Cronenberg. I also have a huge soft spot for pulp horror and science-fiction from the 1950s and 1960s. Those stories were told with a thousand times the heart of your typical Hollywood blockbuster today.

Who's your favorite author/s?

John Wyndham - author of Day of the Triffids - my favourite novel. Wyndham had an incredible ability for writing about huge, catastrophic events from the perspective of 'ordinary' people. His stories always felt grounded in reality, and that's something I've tried to emulate in my books.

It has been a pleasure having you here sir, thank you so much!

Thank you for having me! I appreciate it!

A bastard hybrid of War of the Worlds and Night of the Living Dead, Autumn chronicles the struggle of a small group of survivors forced to contend with a world torn apart by a deadly disease. After 99% of the population of the planet is killed in less than 24 hours, for the very few who have managed to stay alive, things are about to get much worse.  Animated by "phase two" of some unknown contagion, the dead begin to rise. At first slow, blind, dumb and lumbering, quickly the bodies regain their most basic senses and abilities... sight, hearing, locomotion...

As well as the instinct toward aggression and violence.  Held back only by the restraints of their rapidly decomposing flesh, the dead seem to have only one single goal - to lumber forth and destroy the sole remaining attraction in the silent, lifeless world:  those who have survived the plague, who now find themselves outnumbered 1,000,000 to 1...

Without ever using the 'Z' word, Autumn offers a new perspective on the traditional zombie story. There's no flesh eating, no fast-moving corpses, no gore for gore's sake. Combining the atmosphere and tone of George Romero's classic living dead films with the attitude and awareness of 28 Days (and Weeks) later, this horrifying and suspenseful novel is filled with relentless cold, dark fear.

Soon to be a major motion picture—produced by Guillermo del Toro and directed by J.A. Bayona

REMAIN CALM DO NOT PANIC TAKE SHELTER WAIT FOR FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS THE SITUATION IS UNDER CONTROL Society is rocked by a sudden increase in the number of violent assaults on individuals. Christened 'Haters' by the media, the attackers strike without warning, killing all who cross their path. The assaults are brutal, remorseless and extreme: within seconds, normally rational, self-controlled people become frenzied, vicious killers. There are no apparent links as a hundred random attacks become a thousand, then hundreds of thousands.

Everyone, irrespective of gender, age, race or any other difference, has the potential to become a victim - or a Hater. People are afraid to go to work, afraid to leave their homes and, increasingly, afraid that at any moment their friends, even their closest family, could turn on them with ultra violent intent.  Waking up each morning, no matter how well defended, everyone must now consider the fact that by the end of the day, they might be dead.  Or perhaps worse, become a killer themselves.  As the status quo shifts, ATTACK FIRST, ASK QUESTIONS LATER becomes the order of the day...  only, the answers might be much different than what you expect....

In the tradition of H. G. Wells and Richard Matheson, Hater is one man’s story of his place in a world gone mad— a world infected with fear, violence, and HATE.

David's BIO:

David Moody was born in 1970 and grew up in Birmingham on a diet of trashy horror and pulp science fiction books and movies. He worked as a bank manager and as operations manager for a number of financial institutions before giving up the day job to write about the end of the world for a living. He has written a number of horror novels, including AUTUMN, which has been downloaded more than half a million times since publication in 2001 and has spawned a series of sequels and a movie starring Dexter Fletcher and David Carradine. Film rights to HATER have been bought by Guillermo del Toro (Hellboy, Pan's Labyrinth) and Mark Johnson (producer of the Chronicles of Narnia films). Moody lives outside Birmingham (UK) with his wife and a houseful of daughters and stepdaughters, which may explain his pre-occupation with Armageddon.

DAVID MOODY self published Hater online in 2006, and without an agent, succeeded in selling film rights to Guillermo del Toro (director, Hellboy 1 and 2, Pan's Labyrinth and the upcoming Hobbit series) and Mark Johnson (producer, The Chronicles of Narnia). With the official publication of Hater, David is poised to make a significant mark as a writer of "farther out" fiction of all varieties.

BALANCE, by Peter Giglio

Balance, by Peter Giglio

THE BLAST

A worldwide snowstorm that brings with it a terminal virus.

THE DEAD

Rise!

But something deep within hasn’t died. The thing they loved most when alive still burns bright, at odds with a predacious hunger they can’t control or understand.

GEOFF and AMANDA

Have survived The Blast.

The bad news: 650 miles of treacherous, zombie infested road separates them.

And time is running out for Amanda!

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I just finished reading this epic novella, and absolutely loved it! You get to see what happens to the mind of people when they are faced with a devastated world. And to up the ante, the zombies in this story aren't your garden variety. There is something inside of the walking dead, something from their former lives that thuds deep within their psyche. For some, an overwhelming desire to continue life, with only the need for human flesh being any kind of change. For others, true love still lingers.

But, as they continue on, they slowly lose the humanity.

No matter how strong their will for a normal life is, the insuppressible urge to feed on the living dominates.

The world is no longer the same.

For civilization, for those who survive, and for the dead.

But above all, everything finds balance in this world of the dead.


Peter's Bio:



Peter Giglio is a Pushcart Prize nominated novelist, screenwriter, and anthologist. He is the author of two published novels—Anon and The Dark (with Scott Bradley)—and two published novellas—A Spark in the Darkness and Balance. His short stories can be found in several anthologies, including Werewolves and Shapeshifters: Encounters with the Beast Within, edited by John Skipp, and Live and Let Undead, edited by Hollie Snider.

He is also the editor of the anthology Help! Wanted: Tales of On-the-Job Terror, featuring Stephen Volk, Joe McKinney, Jeff Strand, Gary Brandner, Amy Wallace, Lisa Morton, among others. Peter is currently shopping—with co-writer Scott Bradley—a feature-length, screen adaptation of Joe R. Lansdale’s “The Night They Missed the Horror Show.”

Author, David Bernstein

Young and alone against the living dead.

Riley has lived alone with her dad in an isolated cabin in New York State for as long as she can remember. It’s just safer. Her dad’s told her about the time before the zombies, but she can only imagine it. Instead of playing with friends, Riley became a crack shot with a rifle. And she’ll need that skill now that her dad’s been bitten.

She’ll be forced to leave the cabin and fight off zombies all on her own. She’s twelve years old. There’s a lot she’ll have to learn about the world she’s never really been part of. She already knows how to kill zombies. But now she’ll learn just how dangerous the living can be too.

"David Bernstein is a real craftsman, and one of the most thrilling voices to come along in a decade. He's who you should be reading now."

—Joe McKinney, author of Flesh Eaters and Apocalypse of the Dead

“David Bernstein is a rare kind of writer who really delivers the goods when it comes to horror. He'll be burning up the best seller lists soon. Count on it.”

—Eric S Brown, author of A Pack of Wolves

"David Bernstein's work resonates off the page, unforgettable in its elegant delivery, a ripple effect no doubt translating to ever bigger and vaster audiences as he continues to terrify -- and impress!"

—Gregory L. Norris, author of The Q Guide to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and The Fierce and Unforgiving Muse

THE INTERVIEW:

What inspired you to write, Amongst The Dead?

Actually, Amongst the Dead, started out as a short story. The prologue is the original story. I wrote it for an anthology that never panned out. I wanted to write a zombie story with feeling. After writing the short, I wanted to know what would happen to the twelve-year old girl. She is left alone in the woods with no family or friends. Could she survive in a desolate world not only filled with undead, but with the lawlessness that is about. What will she do? How will she survive? Can she find “good” people? Her father taught her how to survive and she is a great shot, but she is only twelve.


You have a long list of works under your belt, what works are you most proud of?

That’s a really tough question. Each story and novel is special in some way or another. For short stories, one that stands out is, The Trojan Plushy, because it was accepted into Books of the Dead Press’ Best New Werewolf Tales. I’m truly honored to be in it. Then again, the first story I ever had published is special too. It’s called, You Are What You Eat, and is a sci-fi vampire tale that appeared in Hungur Magazine issue 8 back in 2009.

As for novels, well, they are all quite different from each other, except for the fact that they are horror related. One is a pure zombie novel, another is a horror/sci-fi novel and yet another is a zombie novel, but more of a horror-zombie novel. I really can’t pick one out. My girlfriend has her favorite, but I won’t say.


Of course I have ask a writer with as much accomplished as you, who inspires you?

My parents. I see what they’ve done in their lives and how hard they worked and all they’ve done for me. My girlfriend, Sandy, who not only works a full time job, but reads everything I write, tells me what works and what doesn’t, and picks up on all my mistakes. And when it comes to writing, I am inspired by a good book, regardless of the author. I love reading something that makes me not want to put it down, but at the same time makes me want to go write.


Your favorite author/s?

Okay, so the obvious, but true answer is Stephen King. I hated reading all throughout school until a friend lent me his copy of It. I was blown away and started reading other King books. I read a lot and have a ton of authors I enjoy. I used to pretty much read anything Leisure put out—Masterton, Simon Clark, Garton, etc. There are certain authors when I am reading them, make me want to write—Jack Ketchum, Joe McKinney, Ronald Malfi, Wrath James White, Robert McCammon, to name a few. I don’t know what it is, but there is something special about the way they write. And I love David Morrell books. I am constantly discovering new authors too. I have actually just discovered a slue of new authors whose work I love.


What new works are planning in the near future?

I have a trilogy of zombie books coming out from Severed Press. The first one entitled, Machines of the Dead, is available now. It’s a different type of zombie novel than Amongst the Dead. Machines is a strict zombie novel. The zombies are slow, Romero-like and there are plenty of guns a blazin’. Amongst the Dead is more action-horror oriented and creepy. There are many kinds of undead, like runners and sniffers, or tracker zombies, undead that can track someone by smell over long distances.

In October I have a supernatural horror/sci-fi (yes I mix two genres that are normally not mixed, but it’s mostly horror) novel called, Tears of No Return, coming from Evil Jester Press.

And finally, I am hard at work on my next horror title for Samhain.


Any advice for writers working to break into the publishing business?

Write and read as much as you can. Seriously. Read, read, read. Reading will help with your writing so much. Also, I highly recommend making it to Writer’s Conventions, Cons, like The Stoker Awards, World Horror, Necon, AnthoCon, KillerCon, etc. Go meet others like yourself, make connections, friends. Talk to people in the business. Ask questions, mingle. Have fun! And never give up. Rejection will become a word you see a lot, so get used to it and make it meaningless. Rejection isn’t about you, so don’t take it personally. Just keep writing and submitting. One of my novels was turned down numerous times and I had almost given up on it, but then one day it found a great home, other doors opened, and I couldn’t be happier. So you never know.


It was great having you here, I look forward to reading your works!


David's Bio:

I love writing, reading and watching horror or just plain old weird stuff. I have stories in a number of anthologies and have written a few novels in the horror genre. For a list of my credits please visit me at

My Blog

Find David Bernstein on Facebook

PREORDER Amongst the Dead HERE!!!

BUY Machines of the Dead HERE!!!

Tears of No Return--coming from Evil Jester Press in October 2012


And...


DON'T FORGET TO ENTER THE OCTOBER CONTEST TO WIN TWO FREE PAPERBACK BOOKS! CLICK HERE FOR THE DEETS!




 

Undead Drive-Thru, by Rebecca Besser

Art by Justin T. Coons

When Kyndra, Colleen, and Jose apply for jobs at a diner that has seen better days and is undergoing renovations, they have no idea what they’re in for.

Aunt-B and John have a horrible secret, and when it’s unleashed on the unsuspecting employees of the diner, things get . . . complicated.

Bloodthirsty and dangerous, a zombie awaits the opportunity to feast on them all. Who will be served first?

Can any of them make it out of the Undead Drive-Thru alive?

BUY HERE!!!


Dale Eldon

Recently I read Rebecca's book, Undead Drive-Thru, and I have to say I was drawn in from the very first line.

For the first time since Return of the Living Dead remade zombie lore, a story with it's own edge in the genre has found life in the pages of Undead Drive-Thru. Rebecca has an original take on the zombie experience that stands on its own.

Rebecca Besser doesn't waste time getting to the point, and she still gives you a full mental image of the horror. As a fast food employee, I totally enjoyed the idea of a zombie attack in a diner. Kinda makes you wonder what horrors Rebecca herself has seen in restaurants.

At the end of this tale you still feel an overwhelming need for a Big Mac, remember that you just might be a Happy Meal with legs.

I give this sweet novella a five out of five stars! And it is a story I plan reading again and again.

What this book left me with, what else does this crazy woman have in store for her readers?

In case you haven't this creepy tale, and you are just dying to get a copy, here is the link to the Kindle version below.


BUY HERE!!!


No Kindle? No problem. You can download the FREE Kindle app and read, Undead Drive-Thru on your computer. Or if you prefer print, click on the Paperback option.

Rebecca's Bio

 Hi, I'm Rebecca Besser, a wife, mother, editor, and full time writer, and the author of "Undead Drive-Thru" a zombie novella. I write fiction, nonfiction, and poetry for various age groups and genres.

I'm a graduate of the Institute of Children's Literature. My work has appeared in the Coshocton Tribune, Irish Story Playhouse, Spaceports and Spidersilk, joyful!, Soft Whispers, Illuminata, Common Threads, Golden Visions Magazine, Stories That Lift, Super Teacher Worksheets, Living Dead Presents Magazine (Issues 1 and 2), The Broke One, The Stray Branch, and The Undead That Saved Christmas and the Signals From The Void charity anthologies. I'm also a contributor to multiple Collaboration of the Dead projects. I have multiple stories in anthologies by Living Dead Press, Wicked East Press, NorGus Press, Pill Hill Press, Hidden Thoughts Press, Coscom Entertainment, Knight Watch Press, and one in an anthology by Post Mortem Press. I also have a poem in an anthology by Naked Snake Press.

Z-BOAT by Suzanne Robb

Tell me about your book, Z-Boat.

Z-Boat is a lot of genres mixed into one, with a zombie finish is the best way to describe it. There are elements of suspense, thriller, espionage, and of course horror.


How did this story come to you?

This story actually came to me 15 years ago. I was watching a zombie movie and for about the millionth time wondered “Why don’t they drive away?” “Why don’t they just board up a place?” It never made sense to me that people could be overwhelmed by slow moving, non-thinking creatures. So I thought about places where that couldn’t be possible and a submarine popped into my head, ever since then it was a matter of getting the courage to write it.


I noticed that your zombie story is not like the usually undead tales.

No this tale is very different. It takes place in a dystopian future where we have wrecked the planet, and space travel is just not a realistic option. Instead we venture to the ocean depths hoping to find something, anything to give us hope. In the process we find that the zombies created, are not some medical experiment gone wrong, but something a lot more real. They are strong, and because of how people are infected they are capable of thought. I wanted to add an element to them that made both the characters in the book and the reader more fearful.


Are you working on a sequel/s?

I am working on a sequel to it, and have a third one planned to finish it off. Though it does depend on how well this one does, crossing fingers it makes people happy. So far people are enjoying it so I take that as a good sign.

SUZANNE'S BLOG

Z-BOAT in paperbound and Kindle version  

Suzanne's Bio:

Suzanne Robb is the author of Z-Boat, released by Twisted Library Press. She has over 4 dozen stories in current and upcoming anthologies with various publishers. She is also a contributing editor at Hidden Thoughts Press, and next year Wicked East Press will be releasing Read the end First, an apocalyptic anthology she edited with Adrian Chamberlin. In her free time she reads, watches movies, plays with her dog, and enjoys chocolate and LEGO’s.

Guest Jordyn Redwood on Real Life Zombies

Jordyn Redwood

Dale often poses medical questions to me but one question that seemed pertinent for his writing vice was whether or not zombies are a real-life medical possibility. The truth, even for the fiction writer, has to be grounded in realism for the reader to buy in. You either have to work from reality or create a believable story world from scratch.

So, are there real life examples of something dead coming back to life? In fact, there are. There are three aspects to consider.

One: Let’s examine the compliant aspect of being a zombie. Is it possible to create a wholly compliant individual? Someone without individual will power?

The answer seems yes.

Let’s consider TTX, the neurotoxin found in the blue-ringed Octopus. If this toxin is absorbed through the skin, it’s akin to having a frontal lobotomy and may lead to a compliant individual. Your personal zombie minion. You can find out more about TTX at the Writer’s Forensic Blog hosted by D.P. Lyle: http://writersforensicsblog.wordpress.com/2011/08/17/q-and-a-what-are-the-toxic-effects-of-a-poisonous-octopus-bite/

Two: Someone that is alive is actually declared dead.

One truly frightening aspect is that sometimes lay people and even medical professionals aren’t all that great at determining whether or not a person has a pulse. This influenced changes to how the American Heart Association teaches CPR. Now, it’s encouraged to not spend more than 10 seconds trying to figure out whether or not a person has a pulse. If they’re not responding to you and you can’t find one—just start CPR. If they are conscious, they’ll let you know. If not, they likely need CPR anyway.

We’ve all heard the legends of corpses being found with nail marks in the lid. Well, how about the recent story of a South African man who was presumed dead and brought to the morgue by his family and placed in the freezer-- only to wake up about a day later amongst the truly dead and decomposing. You can find that story here: http://abcnews.go.com/International/south-african-dead-man-wakes-screaming-day-morgue/story?id=14154534.

Three: Are there real-life examples of things that are truly dead—no pulse, no breathing, no brain activity—yet, come back to life.

Let’s take the case of the wolf spider. A French researcher, Julien Petillon, decided to find out and submerged them in water for several hours—like 16. Now dead, they did come back to life. Check out more on this story and what he says about the 16 hour time frame and its significance at: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30348224/ns/technology_and_science-science/t/drowned-spiders-come-back-dead/

So yes, I would say there are examples of zombie behavior in our world. The compliant individual, those presumed dead but still alive, and those that have died yet are reanimated.

What zombie-like plot can you come up with based on these real-life examples?