Zombified Interview with M. Lauryl Lewis

M. Lauryl Lewis is the bloody babe behind the erotically charged Grace series. With twists and turns, love found and lost, these zombie books provide a unique entry into the gruesome world of the walking dead. The newest rotting book, Dark Grace, was published just last week and is already a hit. Let's dig around in the author's head and see what yummy offerings we can find...

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?

 

M: It all goes back to when I was about five years old. My parents somehow got "free" HBO in the basement of our family home, and I would sneak horror movies in the middle of the night. They were scarier with rabbit ear antennas. If you're old enough to remember a time before digital TV, you'll know what I mean! My love of horror grew, as did my rate of nightmares. I've always been particularly fond of zombies, but not mummies. Mummies just don't make much sense to me, I suppose. Vampires, werewolves, and things like that are just ok, but zombies really are the coolest. Ghosts are next best. As an Indie, my biggest hurdle is competing against all these darn vampires. It seems like vampire novels runneth over these days. Now, it might make more sense for me to say that other zombie authors are a bigger hurdle, but I don't see it that way. My issue is that all these vampire fans just don't see the coolness of zombies. Yet.

 

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

 

M: That's a tough one to answer. Traditional zombies are extremely "dumb," acting on instinct alone to eat flesh and brains. Some of the zombies in The Grace Series are traditional, but there's a second strain that bears some intelligence. For the sake of tradition, I'd describe the plot of the series as: "See girl.  See boy. See girl and boy run. See them fall in love. See them make friends. See lots of friends get eaten by the living dead. See the dead evolve."

 

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

 

M: The series opens with lifelong friends Zoe Kate and Adam Boggs. Zoe is young at twenty years old and on her own in the world. She's naïve and a loner. Boggs is a couple of years older and more experienced in life. Before long, Gus arrives on the scene. A cowboy nearly twice Zoe's age, he takes a natural leadership role in their small group. Emilie happens upon the group by chance. She's a feisty redhead in her mid twenties who adds humor and life to the group. As time goes on, sub characters are introduced who may or may not hold more significant roles in later works. Susan, Wanda, Julio, Louisa, Jane, Abbey, Kelsey...Bobby.

 

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)?

 

M: I strive to write realistic characters who are flawed. Zoe has gotten a lot of criticism because she is a "weak" main character. She cries and whines a lot, throws up, etc. My reason for this was to write about how I thought a real person, randomly picked from society, might react if they were suddenly in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. The characters in the series engage in realistic activities: sex, drugs, abortion, chewing tobacco, suicide, even domestic violence. None of them are perfect. Some of them are hiding secrets. Some of them will break trusts. Some will live. Some will die. None of them will ever be perfect.

 

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

 

M: Zombies have just risen in Grace Lost (book one). The apocalypse was unpredicted, and happened overnight. The cause is unknown, and the infection has hit the long dead, the newly dead, as well as the living (yup you read that right). There isn't much set up in the series; the first zombie appears in the first few pages. That was intentional as the characters themselves had no warning in the book. I didn't want readers to have an unfair advantage.

 

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

 

M: From amputees to drug addicts with needles still in their arms, from obese farmers to little kids and infants, from bloated "swimmers" to a German Shepherd...The Grace Series has them all.

 

Some are slow (Roamers) and some are fast and capable of thought and planning (Runners). Some look burnt with the clear eyes of the living. One thing is for sure - the dead are evolving into something unimaginable.

 

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?

 

M: As of right now there are three books in The Grace Series, with two more planned (Fallen From Grace and Praying for Grace). I'm leaving the series open and plan to continue to add installments as long as I can keep them "fresh." If that happens to be five books, so be it, but I'm hoping to go beyond that. I'm aiming to have Fallen From Grace out by January 2014 (or sooner). My goal is every six months or so. I also have a new book that I hope to write soon, Schiessl House, which will be a ghost/haunting tale. It will likely be a stand-alone vs. a series. There will be more books, and I'm sure more series, but I need to give my aging mind a chance to imagine them. I cannot imagine NOT writing.

 

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 having your putrefied feelings eviscerated.

 

M: A fork through the ear-hole. Hands down. I would say my next favorite is a sledge hammer to the mouth. I'm not sure there's much more to say here...especially without a mouth.

 

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.

 

M: I'm not so sure it had a name, but the zombie in the movie NIGHT OF THE COMET (1984) that was the lead of the mall zombie gang. He was super evil and still semi-human. He also looked good in sunglasses. Well, for a semi-zombie. His voice over the mall loudspeaker was also bone-chilling. "Let's go shopping!"

 

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

 

M: Merle. Oh, I miss Merle.

 

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

 

M: I got me a gun and I got me some bullets. I also have a fork and a sledgehammer... And, I have five and a half chickens and two ducks our family can eat if the stores close. Our motorhome will probably keep the dead out for a couple of days. If they get in, the best I can do is Clorox Wipes.

Dig into all three Grace books at Amazon.

Chase M. Lauryl Lewis at her website, Facebook, Goodreads, and Twitter.

Zombified Interview with R.G. Richards

R.G. Richards is the ghoulish guy behind the Zora Baker zombie series. With four fiendish books released to terrify readers, R.G. has plenty of experienced in the indie zombie field. Let's crack open his cranium and dig around...

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?

R.G.: I have loved zombies over vampires, werewolves, and the like from childhood. Night of the Living Dead came out when I was four and scared me to death. It is the one I remember most from my teens, I was a zombie every Halloween. As an Indie, the only difficulty is finding like-minded souls and the time it takes to get noticed but I’m an avid reader and discover new talent daily. I’ll get there sooner or later.

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

R.G.: The awakening of Zora Baker. This series is her coming of age story and tells how she grows up in the zombie apocalypse hampered with short comings but rises to not only survive but become a leader of the surviving human population. She shapes the future for generations to come and her background plays a key role.

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

R.G.: The survivors are tough and blood thirsty like their enemy. Kill or be killed is their mantra. Yet they hang on to humanity by showing their softer side and find time to live, love, and joke between bashings.

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)?

R.G.: Realism always shines through. A character with failings has heart and gives you room to love them in spite of it all.

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

R.G.: I begin two years after the apocalypse. I wanted recognizable places and plentiful yet scarce sources for food, clothing, and shelter.

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

R.G.: I have two main types of zombies: slow shifters and speedsters. You can outrun the slow to safety but the newly turned may have some intelligence and they can be fast. Later in the series a new, controllable zombie appears.

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?

R.G.: I have a four book series at the moment. I love the guys but have to take a break and clear my head with something different. I suppose I will begin a new series in a year or so, don’t know if it will be Zora’s universe or a completely different one.

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 having your putrefied feelings eviscerated.

R.G.: I’m a bash and hack kind of guy. Get up close and personal to do the dirty.

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.

R.G.: No, but I always think of the zombie with its arm out saying “Brains, Brains.”

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

R.G.: Believe it or not, I wrote my first two zombie books before I ever heard of the show. I learned of it at the start of Season 3. I will go with Michonne and her shiny sword.

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

R.G.: I don’t own a gun so I would say not fully prepared. But if it starts tomorrow, I’ll use my books as my plan and fight my way to the islands and live it up. Bring it on!

Find R.G.'s books at Amazon.
Follow R.G. on his blog, Twitter,  and Goodreads.

"Dark Grace" Cover Reveal

Check out the cover for the upcoming Dark Grace novel. The third book in the Grace series by M. Lauryl Lewis promises plenty of terrifying twists for Zoe and the gang surviving in a zombie wasteland.

 

The anticipated release date for Dark Grace is June 28.

 

 

 

Book Showcase: Zombie Zora

Take a deadeye stare at this bloody blast of a zombie series by R.G. Richards. Get a tasty bite with the FREE first book Zombie Zora. Warning: after the first book, you'll be ravenous for more...

Summary
19-year-old Zora Baker lives in an era after a zombie virus has infected the world. It is more of a coming of age story than a zombie story although zombies are prevalent throughout the story. The story centers on young Zora and her fellow army buddies (a survivor rescue team) who after separating from their squad are now on an adventure to reunite with them and her brother.

These three, Zora, Brittany, and Matthew, face their own demons and hangups as well as scavengers and zombies. You have to be careful who you associate with, once scratched or bitten, you go through "the change" and become a flesh-eating monster. Those closest to you become your first meal--most are sound asleep and never see it coming. And who is going to raise their hand and admit they were scratched to a team of rescuers, nobody.

Adventure after adventure, encounter after encounter, they face overwhelming odds and discover secrets to the zombies that will enable the army to wipe out the menace once and for all. Can they make it back with their secrets or will the zombies get them? What about the scavengers? Only time will tell.

Grab your gun, let out your battle scream, and join the fight. Lookout Zombie World, here she comes and she plans on sending you all to hell, screaming.

The Harvesting by Melanie Karsak

A zombie book that is so much more. Devour your copy of The Harvesting at Amazon.
 
It's all fun and games until someone ends up undead.

Though Layla reluctantly returns home to rural Hamletville after a desperate call from her psychic grandmother, she could never have anticipated the horror of what Grandma Petrovich has foreseen. The residents of Hamletville will need Layla's help if they are to survive the zombie apocalypse that's upon them. But that is not the only problem. With mankind silenced, it soon becomes apparent that we were never alone. As the beings living on the fringe seek to reclaim power, Layla must find a way to protect the ones she loves or all humanity may be lost.

"To label this a zombie book would be a false pretense . . . this is so much more than that. What you start out with and what you end up with are very different, and those twists and turns in the middle will make your heart beat faster over and over again."-- Colossal Pop