Interview with Ian McClellan

Name: Ian McClellan

Book Title:

Zombie/Apocalypse 2012: A Political Horror Story


Writer Questions

1.      How long have you been writing for?

Since I was seven or eight. I'm thirty-five now. I used to write little stories about my brothers and sisters that made them look ridiculous. It pissed them off something terrible. My mother, God bless her, never admonished or discouraged me. She'd just read them and say, "Oh, Ian, do try to be a little more flattering toward your siblings in any future stories."


2.      What do you think sets your work apart from others in the genre?

To my knowledge, I don't think anyone has taken such a close look at the potential political implications of a zombie outbreak. I hope that's because no one has ever thought to do so and not because the idea is terrible. Oh well, no going back now. I'm really snarky. I'm working on something now that is much more of a serious zombie novel (not that my first isn't, there's just a ton of political and social satire in there with the story) but there is still a lot of snark thrown in. I can't help it. It's my nature.

3.      Do you have any tips for new writers?

Not really a tip, but a heads up. If you decide to self-publish you should know that the hard part comes after the book is out. Promoting is brutal and time consuming. If it's an option, try to save up a few bucks and hire a professional so you can stick to writing.

4.      What books do you read and do you have a recent recommendation?

 Funny, I've always read horror and have loved zombie movies since I was a kid, but never read zombie books until recently. Also, I've been trying to go the indie route more. I just didn't really know it was there before. I've been dabbling a little in fantasy because of some friend recommendations. There's some decent stuff out there and some awful stuff, like everything else. I also read political books from a wide variety of authors. It's important to get different perspectives on the issues. I'd rather read a book with a conflicting opinion on something than one that supports my own. I know what my opinion is and why I have it. That's a huge part of the problems we have today- no one wants to hear what the other side has to say.
I liked Sven the Zombie Slayer by Guy James quite a bit. Really good story, lots of dry humor, and fantastic characters.

5.      Where can readers find you?

More often than not at work, unfortunately.
My home page. You'll find all the pertinent links there, and some other good stuff, as well.
http://politicalhorrorstory.weebly.com/index.html

Zombie Survival Questions


1.      You see a hand gun, a bat and a knife. Which do you choose as your weapon for the apocalypse?

I'd say the bat. I like distance between me and anything that wants to eat me, which rules out the knife. I own a couple of hand guns, but I'm not a great shot and bullets won't last forever.

2.       Place of survival. Your own house, a shopping mall or The Winchester pub?

Wow, that's a tough one. My house might work. I live in Florida and have hurricane shutters. They should keep out the undead, but once they're up I only have one way in or out. As much as I love beer, The Winchester is a bad idea. Too many big windows. I hate malls. I guess I'll have to be a homebody in the event of a zombie apocalypse.

3.      You see an underground parking centre. Do you go in?

No way. Those places are creepy even under normal circumstances.

4.      You see your boss is now a zombie but is no immediate threat to you. Do you still use your last bullet on him/her?

I like my boss. My job is hard, but I work with a lot of great people. Even if I never write for a living full-time, I'd be fine where I am.

5.      What luxury item would you keep in the apocalypse?

Probably my Kindle. There are a lot of books on there and I'll need something to keep me entertained. Now that I think about it, maybe it wouldn't be so bad. I could finally catch up on some reading.

6.      You’re bitten, do you
A)    Shoot yourself before you turn?
B)    Ask a friend to do it?
C)    Turn and enjoy the all you can eat human buffet?

Definitely B. I want to live as much life as I can without turning.

Interview with Scott Baker

Writer Questions

1.         How long have you been writing?  I’ve been writing in this genre for close to ten years.  I started The Vampire Hunters in late 2003 when I returned home from southern Iraq working for the government, and it was eventually published in 2010.  Since then I have published the entire The Vampire Hunters trilogy and Rotter World (my first zombie novel) as well as several short stories almost all of them zombie related.  


2.         What do you think sets your work apart from others in the genre?  I introduced vampires into the plot.  In Rotter World, vampires release the Revenant Virus against mankind hoping to distract humans from hunting down them down, only to discover that zombies feed on the undead as well as the living. Both species are nearly wiped out.  Two small groups of humans and vampires agree to set aside their hatred to band together if they hope to survive.  It’s this concept of humans joining forces with one mortal enemy to fight an even greater threat that sets Rotter World apart.


3.         Do you have any tips for new writers?  I have three tips.  When I was starting out, every published author I met told me the same thing, and they were right.  First, write.  Every day.  It doesn’t matter if you write 50 words or 5000, as long as you’re getting the story down.  You’ll never get published if you never get anything written.  Second, submit.  Don’t fear rejection letters because you’re going to get a lot of them.  But you will know when you’re getting close when the letters start offering constructive feedback.  Third, hang in there.  It takes on average eight years to get your first novel published.  No one who has ever given up has ever been published.


4.         What books do you read and do you have a recent recommendation?  I jump back and forth between vampire/zombie novels and histories, mostly of World War II.  Unfortunately, when I was working a full time job and writing on the side, I had little time to read.  Now that I write full time, I’m able to read more.

I’ve read three zombie novels recently that bring something unique to the genre:

Hissers by Ryan C. Thomas – Trust me, just read this one.  If you are a staunch devotee of slow zombies, you will hate this book because Ryan brings a whole new concept to zombies.  I couldn’t put this one down.

The Unlikely Event by Joshua Daniel Wright – A zombie outbreak occurs aboard an airliner.  Joshua makes the story believable and throws in some clever plot twists.

Zombies of Byzantium by Sean Munger – A really well done novel that winds a zombie outbreak into the historical siege of Constantinople by the Saracens.


5.         Where can readers find you?  Readers can check out my blog at http://scottmbakerauthor.blogspot.com, which includes some of my short stories as well as links to my published works.  Or you can follow me on Facebook (Scott M. Baker, Author) or Twitter (vampire_hunters).


Zombie Survival Questions


1.         You see a hand gun, a bat and a knife. Which do you choose as your weapon for the apocalypse?  The knife.  The gun is limited by the amount of ammunition available, and the bat can break.  My ideal weapons, however, would be a shotgun (for masses of zombies) and a machete (for those times when you need to get up close and personable).

2.         Place of survival. Your own house, a shopping mall or The Winchester pub?  My house.  It has cinder block walls and a flat roof, and it’s in the suburbs, so it should be easy to defend.  Unless every zombie in Gainesville descends on my house at once.


3.         You see an underground parking centre. Do you go in?  Hell, no.


4.         You see your boss is now a zombie but is no immediate threat to you. Do you still use your last bullet on him/her?  Yes, but only because I really liked my last boss, and would want to spare her from being a zombie.

5.         What luxury item would you keep in the apocalypse?  Cigars.  At that point I figure screw it, I’ll probably be eaten long before the cancer gets me.


6.         You’re bitten, do you
A)        Shoot yourself before you turn?
B)        Ask a friend to do it?
C)        Turn and enjoy the all you can eat human buffet?

I ask a friend to do it at the moment I turn.  If I’m alone, then I’ll shoot myself at the last minute and pray God cuts me some slack on the suicide provision considering the circumstances.

Free Today- The Lost Party

The Lost Party is free for today only!

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Interview with C Martin

Name: C.E. Martin
Book Title: (ongoing series: Mythical)
Mythical: Heart of Stone (http://tinyurl.com/MHoSKindle) A supersoldier returns to life and sets to remember who, or what, killed him.
Mythical: Brothers in Stone (http://tinyurl.com/MBISKindle) Two heart-eating, prehistoric shapeshifters take on the U.S. Military in modern America.

Mythical: Blood and Stone (http://tinyurl.com/MBASKindle) Kukulcan returns to the Yucatan, plunging Mexico into chaos.

Author Questions
1.   How long have you been writing for?
I started indie publishing in May 2012. I've been amateur writing since about 1986.

2.   What do you think sets your work apart from others in the genre?
My speed. I'm able to conceive, research, plot, write and publish one of my New Pulp adventures in about three months. If I could write full time and retire from my current day job, I could get that down to one month.

3.   Do you have any tips for new writers?
Writing is easy- promotion is hard. Very hard.

4.   What books do you read and do you have a recent recommendation?
I prefer classic pulps, like Doc Savage, hardcore Scifi (Azimov, Anderson), fun Fantasy/Scifi (Piers Anthony and Keith Laumer) and pulse-pounding men's adventure- the Destroyer (and it's new spinoff series, Legacy) by Warren Murphy and Richard Sapir.

5.   Where can readers find you?
I lurk twitter @troglodad, and I sporadically post on facebook as C.E.Martin.1039. I have a blog for my series at http://mythicaltheseries.blogspot.com, and I'm one of the many writers contributing to the newly re-launched Amazing Stories webzine.

Zombie Survival Questions

1.   You see a hand gun, a bat and a knife. Which do you choose as your weapon for the apocalypse?
Depends on which zombie apocalypse we're talking. If they're the slow, shuffling types, I'd pick a huge Bowie knife over a bat. But if these are sprinters, and there aren't that many, I'd take the gun and hope for a melee weapon later.

2.    Place of survival. Your own house, a shopping mall or The Winchester pub?
If I was at home, I'd stay. At least for a few days until things settled down. The Winchester is the last place I'd go as I'm sure lots of other folks would head there for the booze. Not sure any of the Malls in our area would be suitable for holding up in. But we do have a Basspro, Cabelas and an Amazon distribution center- they'd be ideal for living in comfortably. Assuming I could get in.

3.   You see an underground parking centre. Do you go in?
If I'm driving a suitably armored vehicle, have a belt-fed machine gun, or found a suit of Tony Stark's armor laying around. Otherwise... heck no.

4.   You see your boss is now a zombie but is no immediate threat to you. Do you still use your last bullet on him/her?
Absolutely. I'd hate to get bit later on and then realize I had let a chance pass by earlier.

5.   What luxury item would you keep in the apocalypse?
Toilet paper.

6.   You're bitten, do you
A)   Shoot yourself before you turn?
B)   Ask a friend to do it?
C)   Turn and enjoy the all you can eat human buffet?
I don't like those choices... C is the best- I'd want to go out fighting them with a stick of dynamite or something.

Mob of the Dead (COD:Black Ops 2 Zombie DLC Review)

For  you gamers out there here are a few of my thoughts on the new zombies map on Call of Duty Blacks ops 2.


Mob of the Dead features four famous actors for the characters and voices (A good cast in my opinion):

Ray Liotta
Michael Madsen
Chazz Palminteri
Joe Pantoliano

These four gangster convicts of the infamous Alcatraz Island must fight for their lives against wave after wave of the Undead, while trying to track down a build a makeshift plane for their escape. Feeding the dogs of hell and fighting the Brutus boss are nice additions to this new map.

Overall the map is a fantastic piece of artwork, for anyone who has been to Alcatraz the map is nearly identical to the real prison. The flow of the can be difficult at times, running up and down narrow stairs isn't ideal with a hundred flesh hungry zombies chasing you from all sides. However, the overall game play is fun and the guys/girls who created it should give themselves a pat on the back for creativity.

Interview with Daniel J. Williams

Name: Daniel J. Williams



Book Title: Mace of the Apocalypse

 http://www.amazon.com/Mace-of-the-Apocalypse-ebook


Writer Questions



1.      How long have you been writing for? I have been writing all my life. I worked on Mace of the Apocalypse on and off for about 5 years before publishing. I finally decided to get serious. I now have 3 books in the series and am working on the 4th, which is scheduled to be released this October.





2.      What do you think sets your work apart from others in the genre? I really wanted to give some depth to the characters. I wanted to make them real people and not just caricatures. Facing something as shattering as a zombie apocalypse would test the metal of anyone.




3.      Do you have any tips for new writers? Keep writing. Learn from your mistakes. Don't be afraid to put your work out there and don't take criticism personal. Use it to better your craft.




4.      What books do you read and do you have a recent recommendation? I love horror and thrillers. Off the top of my head I'd say check out the "Prey" series by John Sanford.




5.      Where can readers find you? They can find me in a few places:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Mace-of-the-Apocalypse-ebook/dp/B00785KEKG
Website: http://danieljwilliamsauthor.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorDanielJWilliams?ref=hl
Twitter: https://twitter.com/bookemdano50



Zombie Survival Questions



1.      You see a hand gun, a bat and a knife. Which do you choose as your weapon for the apocalypse? I'm going with the bat. The gun will run out of bullets or could jam and the knife puts you too close to danger. I love swinging a bat. Bashing zombie skulls would be the safest and most gratifying way to kill the walking dead.



2.       Place of survival. Your own house, a shopping mall or The Winchester pub? Oh, why did you have to mention a pub?? As enticing as that sounds (fighting zombies with a buzz), it would have to be the mall. As cliche as that sounds, it just makes sense. It would be even better if there was a pub in the mall...



3.      You see an underground parking centre. Do you go in? Hell no. End of story.




4.      You see your boss is now a zombie but is no immediate threat to you. Do you still use your last bullet on him/her? My last bullet? Nope, I'm sticking with the bat, and I'm going to enjoy taking him out.



5.      What luxury item would you keep in the apocalypse? I'd go with the Ray-Ban sunglasses. Keep the glare out and still look cool.



6.      You’re bitten, do you

A)    Shoot yourself before you turn?

B)    Ask a friend to do it?

C)    Turn and enjoy the all you can eat human buffet?

I'm going to be the master of my own destiny if given the opportunity. I'm eating a bullet by my own hand.

Interview with Armand Rosamilia

Armand Rosamilia

Dying Days zombie series

Dying Days (Amazon)



1.      How long have you been writing for?

Since I was twelve, but semi-seriously since about nineteen… and 'professionally' since about 2010, and full-time in the last eighteen months.


2.      What do you think sets your work apart from others in the genre?

I'd like to think I can hang with the big kids because people like my writing. For me, it is more about characterization and readers connecting with the characters and wanting to read what comes next.



3.      Do you have any tips for new writers?

Be professional, take this seriously, and treat it like a job and your own business. Keep your political and religious rants to yourself or someone who cares, because the internet is forever. Start building your Brand, which is not your book… it is You.



4.      What books do you read and do you have a recent recommendation?

I read constantly, but rarely read anything fiction anymore unless I want to do a blurb for it. I mostly read biographies and non-fiction books, where you can get so many great ideas.



5.      Where can readers find you?

I am everywhere. Facebook, Twitter, New Myspace, Pinterest, etc. etc. I have my wares for sale on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, SmashWords, etc. etc. A good place to start to find out all about me is http://armandrosamilia.com


Zombie Survival Questions


1.      You see a hand gun, a bat and a knife. Which do you choose as your weapon for the apocalypse?
I have never actually held a gun, so that is scary. With a knife I'd probably cut myself, so the baseball bat… unless it is a model from a Yankees player. I'm a Red Sox fan so I'd rather die than have to rely on an A-Rod model.


2.       Place of survival. Your own house, a shopping mall or The Winchester pub?

Anywhere I can get a banana bread beer, so any of the three will work for me.


3.      You see an underground parking centre. Do you go in?

Only if I want to die. You never go into dark places… never go into the basement, attic, parking garage, women's bathroom or vegan restaurant.


4.      You see your boss is now a zombie but is no immediate threat to you. Do you still use your last bullet on him/her?

I am my own boss, so this is quite a conundrum. Therefore, I am a zombie… I need to sit down and think this through.


5.      What luxury item would you keep in the apocalypse?

 My first and most important job is getting to a supermarket and stocking up on every bag of M&M's I can get my paws on. Life without M&M's isn't worth living.


6.      You’re bitten, do you
A)    Shoot yourself before you turn?
B)    Ask a friend to do it?
C)    Turn and enjoy the all you can eat human buffet?

I'd have to ask someone to kill me. I get nauseous at the sight of blood, so I'll probably end up being pretty sick and pass out. I am not who you want with you in the zombie apocalypse. Trust me.

Armand Rosamilia

http://armandrosamilia.com

Interview with Scott Wieczorek

Name:  Scott Wieczorek

Book Title:  Byron: A Zombie Tale (Part 1)



Author Questions

1.   How long have you been writing for?
My whole life, it seems. However, as a professional archaeologist writing is an integral part of my career, but fiction has always been my passion. My fiction writing has been on and off for about twenty-or so years, but has only become hard core now for about the past five. Byron is my first published book, but there are several more in the works.

2.   What do you think sets your work apart from others in the genre?
Byron is an uncommon zombie story. It's not about the usual slow, leg dragging walking dead, but about sentient and powerful zombies. The dead in Byron are broken into two factions: common zombies (slow, leg-draggers), and Lords (fast, intelligent, and highly dangerous Type-A killers). There is an additional category that the narrator of the story, Byron, falls into. He's not only the hero of the story, but also a zombie himself. But, you'll have to read the book to find out about that.

3.   Do you have any tips for new writers?
Keep at it and write what you love. It's a long, hard road but if you love it just keep doing it.

4.   What books do you read and do you have a recent recommendation?
I read a lot of different things from paranormal to crime, to action-adventure, to horror and even to fine literature. Reading is as much a part of our passion as writing is. I have two: Seals of Abgal, by Woelf Dietrich - a story with shape-shifters and demons, and Whirlwind in the Thorn Tree by Sam Hunt - a gunslinger-esque adventure.

5.   Where can readers find you?
My books are available on Amazon.com and Createspace, I am on Google+, Twitter, and Goodreads. My blog is at wieczorekfictblog.blogspot.com and usually has updates about the status of my most recent and ongoing projects.



Zombie Survival Questions


1.   You see a hand gun, a bat and a knife. Which do you choose as your weapon for the apocalypse?
A bat. If you see the walking dead, start swinging and bust some heads.

2.    Place of survival. Your own house, a shopping mall or The Winchester pub?
Just because I love Sean of the Dead, the Winchester Pub.

3.   You see an underground parking centre. Do you go in?
Not if I want to come back out alive and intact.

4.   You see your boss is now a zombie but is no immediate threat to you. Do you still use your last bullet on him/her?
No. Conserve the ammunition.

5.   What luxury item would you keep in the apocalypse?
My Ipod, every apocalypse deserves a good soundtrack.

6.   You're bitten, do you
A)   Shoot yourself before you turn?
B)   Ask a friend to do it?
C)   Turn and enjoy the all you can eat human buffet?

I would have to go with (C). After all, you are what you eat.

Interview with Chris Northern

Name: Chris Northern

Book Title: Evolving Environment: Dancing with Darwin



Author Questions

1. How long have you been writing for? This sentence only took a moment. :0)


2. What do you think sets your work apart from others in the genre? Ah, well, the Zombies (or Zumbi) in Evolving Environment are a consequence of something similar to the fungus that attacks an ants brain and changes it's behaviour.


3. Do you have any tips for new writers? It's not about the writing. It's about knowing people. What else, ultimately, are you writing about?


4. What books do you read and do you have a recent recommendation? I don't read much anymore, sorry.


5. Where can readers find you? Wherever I am. Not meaning to be flippant but it is my default state. The books? Anywhere.


Zombie Survival Questions


1. You see a hand gun, a bat and a knife. Which do you choose as your weapon for the apocalypse? Gun, for sure, but I guess I would be disappointed when I ran out of ammo. :0)

2. Place of survival. Your own house, a shopping mall or The Winchester pub? I think I'd go for the shopping mall these days but there have been times when the pub would have been my first choice.


3. You see an underground parking centre. Do you go in? No way at all, mate.


4. You see your boss is now a zombie but is no immediate threat to you. Do you still use your last bullet on him/her? Absolutely yes. Without a moments hesitation.

5. What luxury item would you keep in the apocalypse? My laptop and a power station. :0)


6. You're bitten, do you
A) Shoot yourself before you turn?
B) Ask a friend to do?
C) Turn and enjoy the all you can eat human buffet?

I don't think I care to examine that question, sorry. My mind is my own.

Interview with Glynn James

Name:
Glynn James

Book Titles:

Arisen, Book One - Fortress Britain
Arisen, Book Two - Mogadishu of the Dead
Arisen, Book Three - Three Parts Dead
Diary of the Displaced "The Journal of Jameson Halldon"
Diary of the Displaced "The Broken Lands"
Diary of the Displaced "The Ways"
Diary of the Displaced "The Last to Fall"
Diary of the Displaced "The Memoirs of Reginald Weldon"
Diary of the Displaced "Whispers"

Amazon.com (Arisen)

Author Questions

1.   How long have you been writing for?
Since I was eight years old after I read "I Am Legend" and decided that I thought it should end differently.
My ending including Darth Vader, Cowboys and some Aliens, and it rocked. Well, it did to an eight year old kid.
It's still probably my favourite book.

2.   What do you think sets your work apart from others in the genre?
The Arisen series is co-written. I bring the horror, Michael brings the military and the combat (well, most of the combat) and we're both very picky and careful about the writing. Also, it's special forces vs zombies...what more do you want?

3.   Do you have any tips for new writers?
- Stop picking over one book for years and years and write the next story, and then the next. In the emerging "new age" of digital publishing the key is to be prolific. A good story doesn't need to be poked at and changed a million times. Make sure it's fun to read, well written, and as typo-free as you can possibly manage.
- Pay a good proofer/editor to go over it, and then publish it and move on.
- The best thing you can do to market your books is to release another book.
- Keep your readers in mind when you write. It isn't just about writing what you love, it's about writing what you love AND what readers will love to read. That doesn't mean selling out, it just means that if you actually want to write full-time (I do) then you need to find readers, and the only way you will do that is with books that people want to read. If you suddenly find a particular book or short story you wrote is popular, selling and people are asking for more, then get off your damn arse, stop messing about and write the next part of THAT story, even if you never planned to take it further.
Any one who wants to debate this should take a look at Hugh Howey's success and why that happened.

4.   What books do you read and do you have a recent recommendation?
I listen to a lot of audio books these days, though I still read a lot as well.
Recently I read Wool, which rocks.
After many years of not reading it I finally listened to the audio books of The Dark Tower novels. A lot of my readers were saying that my Diary of the Displaced series was Kingish/Towery, so I figured I'd find out. I agree there are similarities.
I read a lot of apocalypse novels, both serial and standalones, though probably not as much as I should.
My co-author Michael Stephen Fuchs rocks. I've read all of his stuff.
Brian Keene.
Hunger Games
Anything by Roald Dahl (to read to my kids)
Currently I'm listening (another audio) to The Twelve by Justin Cronin. Awesome stuff.
That's just the recent stuff.

5.   Where can readers find you?
www.glynnjames.com

Zombie Survival Questions

1.   You see a hand gun, a bat and a knife. Which do you choose as your weapon for the apocalypse?
I'd kill the bat and cook it. Can you cook bats? Time to visit google...

2.    Place of survival. Your own house, a shopping mall or The Winchester pub?
My house. It's next to the Winchester pub.

3.   You see an underground parking centre. Do you go in?
No...Just, no.

4.   You see your boss is now a zombie but is no immediate threat to you. Do you still use your last bullet on him/her?
Not with one bullet left.

5.   What luxury item would you keep in the apocalypse?
A portable USB solar panel.

6.   You're bitten, do you
A)   Shoot yourself before you turn?
B)   Ask a friend to do it?
C)   Turn and enjoy the all you can eat human buffet?

None of the above, I'd go hunting until I dropped, but since it's a multiple choice - best answer : A

Free promotion day

Tomorrow the 21st of April


The Lost Party (Short Story- Red Dust Part 1)

Will be free for one day!!!!


The Lost Party (UK)

The Lost Party (US)

Interview with Michael Whetzel

Name:Michael Whetzel

Book Title: The Pied Piper of the Undead
also Bandwidth

The Pied Piper of the Undead (Amazon)


Author Questions

1.   How long have you been writing for?
I have been writing since I was very young. I began self-publishing on Jan 2012.


2.   What do you think sets your work apart from others in the genre?
I focus heavily on characters. I especially like examining the changes someone goes through before and after a world altering event i.e. alien invasion or zombie apocalypse. How different are they? Do they change their fundamental core values? Their beliefs?

3.   Do you have any tips for new writers?
Write write write and write some more. Always strive to get better. Read your peers and be aware of what everyone is doing. Always be supportive to others and grateful to those who support you.

4.   What books do you read and do you have a recent recommendation?
I love horror, sc-fi, fantasy and comics. Currently I'm reading Haruki Murakami's 1Q84. It is pretty wacky and epic. I recommend anything by him. For the horror genre, check out Joe Lansdale. One of the most underrated voices I've enjoyed.
I'm also enjoying the Morning Glories and Manhattan Projects comic books.

5.   Where can readers find you?
They can find all my books on the Amazon store. My website is www.michaelwhetzel.com. I also founded the iFiction! writing co-op with Everette Bell. We release quality short stories and serials for the Kindle.

Zombie Survival Questions


1.   You see a hand gun, a bat and a knife. Which do you choose as your weapon for the apocalypse?
A bat never runs out of bullets. Never. Ever. Plus I hit .485 my last year playing ball.

2.    Place of survival. Your own house, a shopping mall or The Winchester pub?
Winchester Pub. Good pork skins.

3.   You see an underground parking centre. Do you go in?
Hell no. Nothing ever good came out of an underground parking lot. Even before the zombie apocalypse.

4.   You see your boss is now a zombie but is no immediate threat to you. Do you still use your last bullet on him/her?
"This is for all the times you made me work on the weekends. Jerk."

5.   What luxury item would you keep in the apocalypse?
I would go nuts without a toothbrush. Or Q-tips for my ears. Or a shower.

6.   You're bitten, do you
A)   Shoot yourself before you turn?
B)   Ask a friend to do it?
C)   Turn and enjoy the all you can eat human buffet?

Eh, screw it, I'm eating everybody. :)

Interview with Cora Buhlert

Name: Cora Buhlert

Book Title: Letters from the Dark Side

Letters from the Dark Side (Amazon)

Author Questions

1.   How long have you been writing for?

I've been telling stories since forever, started writing them down in my teens and have been writing seriously since university.


2.   What do you think sets your work apart from others in the genre?
Letters from the Dark Side is a different from most other horror/dark fantasy works, because it's epistolary fiction. The format is basically that of an agony aunt page or one of those True Confessions magazines, only that the letters are all from supernatural beings. There aren't any letters by zombies, since I doubt zombies can write. But there is one by a woman who was bitten and is about to turn. Plus, the agony aunt, the evocatively named Dr. Megan Midnight, is totally clueless.


3.   Do you have any tips for new writers?

Read a lot, write a lot, set manageable goals for yourself and never give up.


4.   What books do you read and do you have a recent recommendation?

I read widely across genres with a certain preference for SF and fantasy. Alas, I'm not much of a zombie reader, but Rob Thurman's Leandros Brothers series and Caitlin Kittredge's Black London are both urban/dark fantasy tending towards horror and deserve to be much better known than they are.


5.   Where can readers find you?

At my publisher website http://pegasus-pulp.com , my personal website/blog http://corabuhlert.com. My books may be found at Amazon, Amazon UK,B&N, Kobo and iTunes.


Zombie Survival Questions


1.   You see a hand gun, a bat and a knife. Which do you choose as your weapon for the apocalypse?

I'll take the bat, since it's got more range than a knife and doesn't run out of ammunition. Plus, bats are easier to come by in my part of the world than guns. Never mind that I can't shoot. Though ideally, I'd take all three and switch according to the threat and situation.


2.    Place of survival. Your own house, a shopping mall or The Winchester pub?

For the immediate post-outbreak phase, I'd stick to my own house or maybe a neighbour's house. They sure poured a lot of concrete into the foundations of the neighbour house during the construction, so it should be reasonably safe.
For longer term survival, I'd head for the Columbus Center shopping mall in Bremerhaven, which is about seventy kilometres from where I live. Why that particular mall? Because it's a gloomy 1970s concrete monstrosity without windows that would probably survive a nuclear war and should sure keep out the zombies. And the mall stores should provide sufficient provisions for a while. It's also connected to a neighbouring mall and museum via a skyway, though we would probably have to block that off, because the other mall and museum have glass roofs and thus aren't zombie proof.
Plus, right in front of the mall, the Wilhelm Bauer, a WWII era submarine belonging to the Bremerhaven Maritime Museum, lies at anchor with direct access to the North Sea. I doubt that the museum would mind me borrowing one of their exhibits during an apocalypse and a submarine would be extremely useful to provide zombie proof travel and maybe escape to unaffected parts of the world, should there still be any.


3.   You see an underground parking centre. Do you go in?

Only if I need fuel or provisions or a replacement car or if a mob of zombies were already after me. Otherwise, I'd stay far away, cause there's no way of telling who or what may lurk inside.


4.   You see your boss is now a zombie but is no immediate threat to you. Do you still use your last bullet on him/her?

I'm self-employed, so I don't have a boss per se. As for past bosses, co-workers and customers, no, I'd keep the last bullet in reserve. I figure that unless we're dealing with semi-sentient zombies a la Isaac Marion's Warm Bodies (which are fairly rare), the zombies have no idea who they used to be and therefore no wish to escape their condition, so there would be no need to put them out of their misery. And I've never had a boss or coworker I hated so much that I wanted to bash their head in or blow their brains out.


5.   What luxury item would you keep in the apocalypse?

Probably a piece of jewellery, a necklace or bracelet.


6.   You're bitten, do you
A)   Shoot yourself before you turn?
B)   Ask a friend to do?
C)   Turn and enjoy the all you can eat human buffet?

All you can eat, baby!

Interview with Author William Van Winkle

Name: William Van Winkle

Book Title: The Followers



Author Questions

1.   How long have you been writing for?

Since I could type words on scrap paper in my folks’ basement. I knew it was what I wanted to grow up to do when I was 10. I first got paid for it at 19, and I started doing it full-time (non-fiction) in 1998, when I was 27. Great question. Now my joints ache just thinking about it. Thanks.

2.   What do you think sets your work apart from others in the genre?

That there’s so little of it?

When I became a full-time journalist, I stopped writing fiction. Fiction was difficult and full of rejection while non-fiction was a cinch. Almost literally, if you can punctuate, you can get paid in non-fiction. So having a family to support and all, I followed the easy money. It took a mid-life crisis to convince me that I probably should tend to my dreams before the zombie apocalypse arrives. Because I really have no other skills. After the apocalypse, society will favor those who can build or organize or shoot or wield a wicked roundhouse kick. I can write and make coffee. That’s it. So when the apocalypse comes, I’m totally screwed.

That’s a really evasive way of saying, “I don’t have enough work published in this genre yet to feel like I’m really that different.” See how I did that?

3.   Do you have any tips for new writers?

You’ll hear it a million times, but it’s true: butt in chair and write until you make your daily quota. I know plenty of people who want to be writers, some of them with amazing skill. But here’s the big secret: you don’t have to be amazing to succeed in writing. Truth is, you don’t even have to be that good. The one thing you must be is persistent. Anyone can write, but real writers write – and finish. And then do it again the next day.

Do not buy the lies taught in your English classes. Rules and conventions must be learned and internalized, yes. But English teachers don’t know jack about writing commercially. When’s the last time you devoured a paperback and thought, “Oh, this author’s use of symbolism just blows my mind! And that lyrical prose style? I had an accident in my pants over that metaphor!”

Can that stuff help elevate your work from good to great? Sure. But that’s just gravy or frosting or whatever high-carb foofaraw you prefer. If you want to get paid, if you want to earn a living with your writing, you must master the art of getting shit done. Period. In the end, it’s the only essential skill.

4.   What books do you read and do you have a recent recommendation?

Sad but true, over 80% of my reading now is either about how to write or it’s research for one of my current projects. What little recreational reading time I get is usually in audio form. I keep a Bluetooth earpiece in my pocket and stream audio from my phone whenever possible – getting the mail, washing dishes, driving to the store, whatever.

In this way, I chew through an insufficient but still significant number of books and, more recently, podcasts. In alphabetical order, I listen to Clarkesworld, Escape Pod, Lightspeed, Nightmare, Pseudopod, StarShip Sofa, and Writing Excuses. With just these names alone, I have far more content than I can keep up with. Yet I still try to have full-length books running on the side.

The best book I’ve read in years is Stephen King’s 11/22/63. Unbelievable. That man is the master. Hugh Howey’s Wool Omnibus actually kept me up until nearly 4:00 in the morning, which hasn’t happened since I was a teen. I keep meaning to delete Andy Weir’s The Martian off my Kindle, because it’s hard SF, which is outside of my normal genres, but it’s too damned interesting and funny to put away. I’m also a big fan of Ken Follett, Wilbur Smith, Ray Bradbury, Philip K. Dick, and James Rollins. Every so often, when I need to piss myself laughing, I throw in some Christopher Moore.

5.   Where can readers find you?

Starbucks. Or williamvw-at-gmail-dot-com. Or through my site at www.williamvanwinkle.com. But probably Starbucks.


Zombie Survival Questions

1.   You see a hand gun, a bat and a knife. Which do you choose as your weapon for the apocalypse?

If I could only pick one? The hand gun is out. You’ve only got a few rounds and a lot of zombies. Bad long-term prospects there.

The bat? Possible. A bat would be especially useful if, like in The Walking Dead, zombies always have heads with the consistency of watermelons. Bring a poncho!

But no, the knife is the only sensible choice. Assuming you can get away from the initial attack, you’ve still got the problem of basic survival. Can you cut a rope with a bat? Slice up meat with a 9mm? No. Gotta be the knife.

2.    Place of survival. Your own house, a shopping mall or The Winchester pub?

See, a writer more in touch with the masses would go for the pub, right? All hell is breaking loose! Throw back a few pints and enjoy it! But you said “survival,” and at the ripe age of 42, I know that drinking and survival aren’t always the bestest of friendsies. So no pub, sorry.

I was originally going to pick my house, but that’s out, too. There’s just too much stuff laying around to trip over. I don’t own a “gun room” or even a “gun rack.” I barely own one gun to put in a rack. Tactically, my house sucks as a survival milieu. I could hide in the attic crawlspace, but that’s not sexy, and all the fiberglass insulation up there itches like hell.

That leaves the shopping mall, which should win solely on the basis of being a lyrical metaphor about the effects of modern consumerism on society, and everybody knows that crap like that is what fine writing is all about. Really, though, the mall wins because there’s more room to run, more weapons, and more junk for making traps and hideaways. And coffee.

3.   You see an underground parking centre. Do you go in?

Only if I have the keys to a car that’s down there. Duh. Or a way to siphon off some gasoline. That could be useful.

4.   You see your boss is now a zombie but is no immediate threat to you. Do you still use your last bullet on him/her?

I’m self-employed, so the paradox of this question is giving me a headache. But if I think back to my last conventional boss, who was a psychologically abusive douchebag, I would—

No, I wouldn’t. I’d like to think that I would repaint the wall with his jellified brains, but the truth is that there just wouldn’t be much difference between the old and new versions of him. I didn’t kill him before (despite many temptations), so why start now?

5.   What luxury item would you keep in the apocalypse?

Honestly, I can’t think of any. Maybe soap? I’m a very cold turkey kind of guy. When I make up my mind to change, I get obsessive about it. Luxury items will only slow me down and increase risk. When I’m not fighting for survival, then I’ll think about luxury items.

Of course, if that were entirely true, I wouldn’t have a house full of junk while struggling to pay my bills, now would I?

6.   You're bitten. Do you
A)   Shoot yourself before you turn?
B)   Ask a friend to do?
C)   Turn and enjoy the all you can eat human buffet?

The last option is tempting. That’s what made Invasion of the Body Snatchers so compelling to me. It’s about the all-consuming social pressure to eliminate one’s individuality in the face of powerful group forces. (I still get shivers every time I watch the final seconds of the Donald Sutherland version.)  Body Snatchers is really a zombie flick, just with different cosmetic trappings.

So you’re asking: at the end, would I become a pod person? Would I crumble and conform? I hope not. I would try not to.

I wouldn’t ask a friend unless I owed that friend money. Fair is fair. Always pay your debts somehow.

That leaves the ol’ barrel in the mouth trick. I’m not a fan of the easy out, but at least with a big apocalypse going on, you don’t have to feel guilty about leaving a mess behind. It’s the in thing – everybody’s doing it.

The Lost Party

Hi Guys and Girls,

This is the one and only time we will do a bit of self promoting on here. Our Zombie short story is out now on kindle and we would love some readers to give us feedback by email to reddust@live.co.uk

Check it out it's $0.99 US and £0.81 UK

The Lost Party


When a party of settlers go missing on the Wasatch Mountains of 1846 America, a lone mountain man tasks himself with finding the lost pioneers. Upon the discovery of the remnants of a diary, George Masterson finds himself pulled into the dark story that befell the ill-fated travellers.

The Lost Party is the first short story of the Red Dust series.


Amazon (US)

Amazon (UK)

Interview with James (Cover Designer)

Designer Questions

1.   How long have you been designing covers for?

About 6-7 months - not too long but I was a commercial freelance designer for like 10 years, but it was the dullest of dull stuff - like working on fliers for car parts, hair extension, tv wall brackets - that sort of thing. Most of the jobs I've blocked out because they were really bad! But I love books. I'm an avid reader - I read about 4-5 books a week and when I say books I mean the papery things. I don't actually own a kindle.

2.   What do you think is essential for a cover of a zombie novel?

At least one element that grabs the attention. It's the same with all covers. All a cover should do is grab the attention. All the other crap authors spout about covers is all hearsay Chinese-whispers crap, like: the font should reflect the genre, the picture needs to have a person on there, the text should be readable. ALL rubbish. And it's recycled rubbish. Grab the attention - that is all.

3.   What separates your covers from other designers?

Nothing, anyone can do what I do, given the amount of experience learning the craft of design, thousands of pounds spent on fonts over the years, and the patience to do it. As a service what separates me is probably the volume of pre-made covers I do. I don't know anyone else that has done 1,600 in the last 6 six months. I work fast!

4.   What books do you read and do you have a recent recommendation?

Fiction wise I like things with an odd bent and spine of humanity running through it - stuff like Nicola Barker, Alan Warner, Dan Rhodes and I've just discovered a guy I like called Andrew Kaufman - enjoying his stuff at the moment. Fact wise, I read a lot as well. It's not non-fiction. It's FACT. That's the opposite to Fiction. I guess it's indicative of the way that Amazon and others see books that they would call it Non-Fiction. But fact wise, I'm enjoying a book on Hoaxes at the moment - it's gigglesome. And I read a lot of psychology and history. And you can't discount the sciences as well. Especially when it's stuff to do with the brain. I read about 3-5 books a week. I don't watch television - unless it's incredibly good.

5.   Where can authors find you?

Sat at my desk working my *ss off listening to good music! But internet-wise at www.GoOnWrite.com - it's a call to arms!

Zombie Survival Questions

1.   You see a hand gun, a bat and a knife. Which do you choose as your weapon for the apocalypse?

Simple. The bat. A gun is gonna run out of bullets at some point. So is rendered useless at some point. The knife will blunt. But more importantly. If you've ever been in a knife fight, it's incredibly easy to cut yourself in the heat of battle. There's a fantastic film my Kurosawa called Rushamon - any writer that has never seen that film, should watch it. It's about fact fiction.

2.    Place of survival. Your own house, a shopping mall or The Winchester pub?

Pub. If I'm not at home that's where I am. I love the pub.

3.   You see an underground parking centre. Do you go in?

No.

4.   You see your boss is now a zombie but is no immediate threat to you. Do you still use your last bullet on him/her?

Bosses? What are they? I have never had one. So I wouldn't know how annoying you feel about them.

5.   What luxury item would you keep in the apocalypse?

My music collection - you always need a good soundtrack to whatever is happening in your life. I would make mix collections of the best songs for different situations.

6.   You're bitten, do you
A)   Shoot yourself before you turn?
B)   Ask a friend to do it?
C)   Turn and enjoy the all you can eat human buffet?

C. You always just have to roll with the new. It's an important lesson life teaches as you get older. Zombie - fine.

Interview with Dan C Rinnert

Name: Dan C. Rinnert

Book Title: In Search of the Legendary Phineas Ray

Website: http://www.dcrwrites.com/phineasray/

Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007QIYGT0



Author Questions

1. How long have you been writing for?

About 30 years.


2. What do you think sets your work apart from others in the genre?

My novel is not your typical zombie novel. It's not actually a zombie
novel at all. Zombies are on the periphery of the main plot and just
something the characters have to deal with in the course of their adventure.


3. Do you have any tips for new writers?

Sorry, no. I ate them all. If they want beef tips, they can go down to
the grocery store and get their own. There are tons of recipes online
for beef tips and noodles. The trick is to simmer the meat for a while
so it gets nice and tender.


4. What books do you read and do you have a recent recommendation?

I read a variety of things. I tend to read nonfiction while writing
fiction and read fiction while writing nonfiction. The most recent book
I read was "The Elements of Graphic Design." "Freakonomics" and "Super
Freakonomics" were also good books.


5. Where can readers find you?

What makes them think I haven't already found them?

But for those that think I haven't found them, they can visit my website
at http://www.dcrwrites.com.


Zombie Survival Questions


1. You see a hand gun, a bat and a knife. Which do you choose as your
weapon for the apocalypse?

Preferably all three. A hand gun would only be useful while bullets are
available and a knife is only good for close combat, which you would
want to avoid as much as possible. A bat would be good for keeping
zombies at a distance; mounting the knife to the bat would be better.

If the bat is wood, the downside is that it will be prone to breaking,
leaving you with a wooden stake suitable for offing vampires. An
aluminum would be better, but you'll probably end up denting it after
smashing in a few zombie skulls.

If you can only take one weapon, the best bet is to take the knife and
be on the lookout for a pole or something to which you can mount it to
create a weapon that can be used from a distance.


2. Place of survival. Your own house, a shopping mall or The
Winchester pub?

House.


3. You see an underground parking centre. Do you go in?

Only if my car's down there.


4. You see your boss is now a zombie but is no immediate threat to
you. Do you still use your last bullet on him/her?

No.


5. What luxury item would you keep in the apocalypse?

A towel.


6. You're bitten, do you
A) Shoot yourself before you turn?
B) Ask a friend to do it?
C) Turn and enjoy the all you can eat human buffet?

Once you're dead, you're dead. There's no turning back from that, so A
and B are out. That leaves only C, because as long as you are alive, or
undead, there's hope for a cure.

In the meantime, I suppose you feast on brains and hope you don't get
mad cow disease or salmonella.

Interview with Julie Ann Dawson editor of Return of the Dead Men (and Women) Walking

Name: Julie Ann Dawson

Book Title: Return of the Dead Men (and Women) Walking (editor)

Author Questions

1.   How long have you been writing for?

I started writing when I was 13. I came across a copy of ‘Salem’s Lot in my high school library. I remember thinking “I can do that!” Been chasing that dream ever since.

2.   What do you think sets your work apart from others in the genre?

My work is very character-driven. Very little is black and white. Everyone’s motivations have these various shades of gray.

3.   Do you have any tips for new writers?

If you want to be a writer, you must read. Too many writers don’t actually read. And when I say read, I mean read everything. Read the classics of your genre. Read works in genres you don’t like. Read non-fiction. Read biographies. Read everything you can, because if you don’t read widely you end up with a very narrow literary memory and your work will suffer for it.

4.   What books do you read and do you have a recent recommendation?

I’ve been reading a lot of non-fiction recently. I just finished reading an advanced galley of The Men Who Lost America. It’s an overview of the American Revolutionary War from the perspective of the British leaders who tried to keep America in the empire. The last fiction title I read that I would recommend was Brian Kittrell’s The Circle of Sorcerers.

5.   Where can readers find you?

My main website is bardsandsages.com. That’s pretty much Ground Zero for everything I’ve got my hands in.

Zombie Survival Questions


1.   You see a hand gun, a bat and a knife. Which do you choose as your weapon for the apocalypse?

First, I need to clarify that I don’t survive the Zombie Apocalypse because I’m a zombiephobe. I can’t deal with zombie movies and I even get freaked out seeing commercials sometimes for The Walking Dead. Yeah, I realize that makes no sense for someone who puts together zombie anthologies. But my kid sister loves zombies, and she wanted me to dedicate zombie anthologies to her. So I sacrifice sleep for her.

As far as my weapon for the Apocalypse, I have to say “none of the above.” Assuming there is a zombie apocalypse AND assuming that my heart doesn’t explode and I actually survive (which should not be a foregone conclusion), I’m totally claiming Daryl Dixon as my weapon of choice. I win the apocalypse with Daryl.

2.    Place of survival. Your own house, a shopping mall or The Winchester pub?

My house would be the worst because I have this huge bay window. And my dog sits in the window and barks at everything, which means he’s a big alarm for the zombies. And I hate malls. A pub would be cool until the liquor ran out, which could happen pretty fast depending on how many people get the same idea.

My sister, however, has given a lot of thought to a zombie survival plan and says the best place to go would be the National Guard armory nearby. My dad use to be in charge there, so she figures the guys will let her in. I think she would make sure her big sister was let in, too. Particularly if I found Daryl and had him with me. She’s a big fan of the show.

3.   You see an underground parking centre. Do you go in?

Heeeeelllllllll noooooooooo.

4.   You see your boss is now a zombie but is no immediate threat to you. Do you still use your last bullet on him/her?

My last bullet? No. I might point and laugh, though.

5.   What luxury item would you keep in the apocalypse?

Soap.

6.   You're bitten, do you
A)   Shoot yourself before you turn?
B)   Ask a friend to do it?
C)   Turn and enjoy the all you can eat human buffet?

Do I have Daryl? Because going out with a crossbow bolt to the head would be the way to go. Otherwise, I’m pretty sure my sister would be happy to shoot me. She’s affectionate that way.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Return-Dead-Women-Walking-ebook/dp/B009JVW1P8/ref=dp_kinw_strp_1

Introduction

Introduction:

Welcome to the Red Dust blog. Operated by Sam Campbell and Ben Dixon authors of the Red Dust short story series. We've created this blog to talk, debate and discuss everything zombie! Zombie authors, films, tv, comic books anything zombie related. In fact anything anything related. We will primarily discuss Zombie books but, we are fans of all genres so all are welcome.


So Thanks for coming


The Red Dust Team