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?
Roy: Way back in the 80’s with a VHS tape of The Return of the Living
Dead. Not only did I learn to love zombies, I realized if you should find a
barrel of toxic waste that once belonged to the military don’t open it.
The most difficult part of being an indie is getting in
front of readers. There are an awful lot of entertainment choices out there.
I’m thrilled when people take the time to read my books.
Ang: If you had to dumb down the plot of your book
so a zombie could understand, how would you explain it?
Roy: Baddest alien in the galaxy crashes into the farm of the
baddest man on the planet. Action ensues.
Ang: Describe the lucky survivors who engage with the festering
horde of the dead.
Roy: Jefferson Balladeer. He’s
my main character, and I like to think of him as one of the more original
characters you’ll come across. He has what you might call a unique
upbringing.
The Devourer. This is the most bad-ass, space-zombie making
monster to ever step her tentacles into the Milky Way Galaxy. Again, I like to
think there’s a bit of originality that readers will find refreshing.
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)?
Roy: The trick in this type of book is to make the fantastical
seem real. One way to do this is to combine realistic characters with an
exceptional situation. Then, have the characters react in true-to-life fashion
to the previously mentioned fantastical happenings.
Ang: Does your book begin just as the zombies start building
their paradise or have zombies already gotten things rocking and rotting?
Roy: Mine is not a traditional zombie story, so I just couldn’t
have someone wake up from a coma to find zombies shambling or sprinting after
the few remaining survivors. I had to start at the beginning and show the
unique biology of the Devourer. It looks like I get to talk about this more in
the next question.
Ang: Zombies are people too. They come in all shapes, sizes,
speeds, and smarts. What types of the walking dead inhabit your novel?
Roy: My zombies are different. In fact, they’re space zombies.
Your readers might be asking themselves what the hell is a space zombie. I’ll
tell you. It’s what happens when the Devourer gets ahold of you and implants some
of her alien cells into you and takes over your body. You’ll become somewhat of
a worker ant for her while the alien cells feed on what’s left of your body.
Now you’re probably wondering what happens when the alien cells have consumed
all the human cells. You’ll just have to read the book to find out.
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?
Roy: I’m not the kind of writer who wants to write one type of
story, so I’m working on a few things totally unrelated to this project. I
should have something that resembles a fantasy novel come out later this year,
and, after that, I plan to write a Kung Fu Epic. That’s going to be huge and a
lot of fun. So, this book is wrapped up with a satisfactory conclusion.
However, the character and creatures in this book are too
cool to just let them lie fallow too long. You’ll see more stories set in this
world. The Black Redneck my ride again. How soon depends on how this book
sells, so tell your friends.
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.
Roy: This really depends on the situation. If you’re trying to be
stealthy, the swish of a samurai sword slicing the air might be as big as you
want to go, but ideally I would be above the masses of zombies in a Black
Hawk helicopter.
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.
Roy: I always think great stories should touch people’s emotions,
even in zombie fiction, so I have to go with Sophia from The Walking Dead. I
really didn’t think they would go there. Surprise!
Ang: Who is your favorite character from The Walking Dead (comics
or TV show)?
Roy: I have to go with Glenn. He’s smart, fast, and stealthy.
Also, he’s not prone to fits of madness. Why isn’t he in charge?
Okay, here’s a brief essay on Carl. I’m sure many of you
would like to see Carl experience the death of a thousand nibbles. This is
probably due to the second season in which he was what I like to call a
“character who won’t stay put.” A lot of the plot was driven forward by his
recklessness and stupidity. I consider this one of the weaknesses of the second
season.
Ah, but in this latest season Carl has become much more
interesting. He’s actually a benefit to the group, putting down Walkers with
his trusty silencer. I also love that his character is a bit trigger happy.
Goodbye annoying Carl. Hello Carl who just shoots everyone.
Ang: Finally, how prepared are you for the zombie apocalypse that
we all know is just around the corner?
Roy: Just around the corner? I’m screwed. I don’t even have any
bottled water at my house much less a few AK-47s and the necessary storehouse
of ammunition. Can I kill zombies with my eternal optimism? No. Then, I’m
definitely screwed. Then again I can run really fast and have great cardio. I
might be okay. I don’t have to outrun the zombies. I just have to outrun you
guys. Thanks for being a tasty distraction while I get away and don’t forget to
read Black Redneck vs. Space Zombies.
Chase down Roy at Twitter, Goodreads, and his blog.
No comments:
Post a Comment