Zombified Interview with Armand Rosamilia

Armand Rosamilia is the bloody awesome indie author of the Dying Days series. He has also contributed to many terrorific zombie anthologies. Let's dig around in that juicy brain of his...

 

Ang: When were you first bitten by the zombie affliction? Can you take us back to how the infection began? What’s the most difficult part about sharing this ghoulish love as an indie?

Armand: I've always been a big fan of horror and zombie movies, since I was a kid. Same with horror fiction, but for me zombie fiction began with The Rising by Brian Keene. It blew me away, because I didn't think zombie fiction was going to be good. It seemed like it would be cliché one dimensional stories with survivors trapped in a house. Boring. This book showed me the possibilities.

Ang: If you had to dumb down the plot of your series so a zombie could understand, how would you explain it?

Armand: Dying Days - Zombies on the beach. How's that?

Ang: Describe the lucky survivors who engage with the festering horde of the dead.

Armand: Darlene Bobich is the main character in the Dying Days series, and she isn't a super human. She's a normal late twenties chick, a little overweight, who worked at the makeup counter in the mall until the world decided to end. She's joined by a cast of characters, including John Murphy, a cop for Florida who looks after his dad, Murph, while also hoping his wife is still alive out there somewhere.

Ang: What was the most important aspect when writing your non-zombie characters? Realism (losers, assholes, and cowards) or fantasy (Rambo or the guy/gal who has a Rambo hiding inside them)?

Armand: Definitely realism. I wanted to see the best and the worst of the survivors. What would normal everyday people do when confronted with hordes of zombies? Food shortages? No power, no supplies, nowhere to hide… I wanted to present a realism to the stories.

Ang: Does your book begin just as the zombies start building their paradise or have zombies already gotten things rocking and rotting?

Armand: In the prequel Darlene Bobich: Zombie Killer, it begins with Darlene and a Desert Eagle in her hand facing down her turned father. Things hit the fan pretty quick from there. Dying Days begins with her in Florida and the zombie apocalypse is in full swing for several months at this point.

Ang: Zombies are people too. They come in all shapes, sizes, speeds, and smarts. What types of the walking dead inhabit your series?

Armand: I have the traditional mindless shambling undead, who aren't that bad one on one, but there are so many of them. They tend to horde up. I also toss in a few surprises as the series progresses, but I won't spoil it. I'm in the midst of writing Dying Days 3 and loving the twists and turns so far.

Ang: Will your infection spread to more books and series? How many blood and guts offerings do you predict in your future? How soon can our zombie and human readers expect to see your next festering contribution?
 

Armand: I have no stop in mind with the Dying Days series. I'm currently working on Dying Days 3 and also a second collaboration with author Tim Baker, a sequel to our Dying Days: The Siege of European Village book. Plus, a few other ideas.

Ang: What is your favorite way to kill a zombie? Shoot ‘em, hack ‘em, poke ‘em, burn ‘em, or something even more fiendish? ***Zombie readers please turn away to avoid your putrefied feelings eviscerated.

Armand: With uncompromising love. Or a Desert Eagle shot to the head.

Ang: Do you have a favorite cinematic zombie? Example: My co-blogger Zombie Earl is quite fond of Zombie Roger from the original Dawn of the Dead.

Armand: I especially enjoy the zombies used for target practice in the Dawn of The Dead remake: Burt Reynolds, Jay Leno, and Rosie O'Donnell. Great scene.

Ang: Who is your favorite character from The Walking Dead (comics or TV show)?

Armand: Daryl… or am I supposed to say that, since I'm a dude? I find Andrea totally hot physically, but she is annoying. But I wouldn't kick her out of bed.

Ang: Finally, how prepared are you for the zombie apocalypse that we all know is just around the corner?

Armand: Completely unprepared. I want to die first. I don’t want to live in a world without a steady flow of M&M's and banana bread beer. Bite me first.

 

Find Armand's decomposing donations to the zombie world at Amazon. Follow Armand's journey through the dead at his website.