SUMMER OF ZOMBIES GUEST BLOG TOUR: Anatomy of a Zombie by Dave Jeffery

Zombies. I love ‘em, point of fact. I guess that is all well and good, but I think I need to explain why. After all, they are not everyone’s cup of Darjeeling.  As I have found when discussing the genre at conventions, the genre produces the marmite effect amongst the horror community. Some suggest that the genre is literally dead, one idea rehashed time and time again to serve the masses of zombie fans that exists the world over.

It certainly is a prime marketplace at the moment, the hunger of fans appears as insatiable as the undead themselves. Zombies are now mainstream, included in car advertisements and kid’s cartoons. We have to admit it, zombies sell. There are many indie writers jumping upon an already burgeoning band-wagon. Some results are genuinely absorbing, astonishingly good reads. Others are, well, let’s just say, zombie literature, like the movies, has a variety of standards.

I need to be clear that I have written in other genres and these books have not proven as successful in terms of sales as Necropolis Rising, my zombie novel released through Dark Continents Publishing in early 2011. I have to say that the success of this book was not as readily apparent as my need to write it. I had always wanted to write a zombie novel but made the decision to put things on hold until I had a premise that would not piggy-back existing literature and would bring something fresh to the table. Once I was happy with the plot-line the rest sort of fell into place. This was where I discovered being a fan, not an exploiter of the genre, came to the fore. You see, writing the book was easier because I was such a fan. I was aware of the lore and the interplay needed to make the story work for many of those hardcore zombie zealots, as well as draw in traditional horror fans who usually gave the genre a wide berth. Overall this has worked well (see the enthusiasm for the piece on www.zombiefiend.com) and is certainly informing the sequel, due out early 2013.

As a fan it has also been useful to have knowledge of those elements within the traditional approach to zombie literature that I needed to avoid in order to make the premise of the book fresh. Out went the post-apocalyptic setting. Whilst I have visited this in stories such as Ascension? (Hersham Horror Books) and Daddy Dearest (Wild Wolf Publishing), the concept of an apocalyptic setting for the book left me uncomfortable, the discussions of countless forums returning in strength.

But as any zombie fan knows, the real essence of the genre lies in the human dynamics throughout a story. Now, before a multitude of authors jump up and down and shout out about how this is important to any storyline, I argue here that no other horror genre has such a commensurate focus on the effects on the human condition.  What I mean is: zombie fiction is totally and utterly about people. No monsters rising from the deep, no ethereal entities haunting folk to the point of madness. None of these things. just people, those who were and those who are, and how they have to survive. Any elements of horror rests in how they engage in the latter. Zombies in their need to feed, survivors and how they maintain any semblance of humanity.  

And what constitutes humanity in a world that no longer functions? People will always matter.

Always.

Such nuances can meld into any zombie storyline - post apocalyptic or not - and it this, I would suggest, that has contributed to Necropolis Rising’s overall success as a project. This is why I love this genre above all others and why I will always come back to it, irrespective of the marketplace or where my muse takes me in the years to come.

Until then, I shall accompany Armand Rosamilia, Ian Woodhead, Todd Brown, Mark Tufo and John O’Brien, my fellow Summer of Zombie cohorts, and try to spread our passion for all things zombie throughout June and July 2012.

All that remains is to say a big thank you to Shaun for allowing me to stop by and witter on. Read his stuff, he’s great!

Dave Jeffery

June 2012

www.davejeffery.webs.com

Thanks, Dave. And you can purchase Dave's work here: Amazon.co.uk and here: Amazon.com

Have I Lost My Mind? – One Writer’s Mantra’s - Guest blog by Hunter Shea

When I set out to become a writer back when grunge music was coming to its inevitable, yet sad end, I was filled with the exuberance and verve that only pure ignorance can fuel. I thought, this will be a piece of cake. I read books all the time. I got pretty good grades in English class. Smush the two together and voila, instant book.

What a sorry fool. My first big attempt at becoming the next Stephen King was a novella filled with vampires in a small, upstate New York town. I tapped away on my keyboard, sure I was spinning gold. Rewrites? Nah, who needs that when it comes out perfect the first time? I even had it bound before giving it the first read through. I dreamt of publishers lining up outside my door, waving fat checks and wearing knee pads so they could beg me for my novella.

Long story short, it was crap. I save everything I write, and I have no clue where that novella is. Hopefully, I dropped it in the trash one night while sleep walking (yeah, I do that from time to time). Undaunted, I wrote short stories, and over time they got a little better, more like a polished, unscented turd. I had, surprise, zero success at publishing a single story. So, what’s the next logical thing to do when you can’t write a decent short story or novella? That’s right, you get to work on a novel.

Now, everything I had tried before was firmly rooted in horror, and my ultimate goal was to be a horror writer. Which is why writing a romantic comedy as my first novel makes perfect sense. The scariest part was, the book actually came out pretty good (and it still holds up 15 years later). Agents and publishers liked it, but no one would take the plunge. Slightly encouraged, I wrote novel number two, a dark comedy set in a fetish club. Even more folks liked that and said it was screamingly funny, but the subject matter was so controversial, no one would touch it with a ten foot pole.

I was getting better at the whole writing thing, learning the craft, reading the market updates, so I went back to stories and started publishing a few. I spent most of my free time locked away in a room tapping away like a man possessed. I felt I was finally ready to write my BIG HORROR NOVEL. I spent 4 years working on it, often muttering, “Have I lost my mind?”

You have to look at it from any struggling writer’s perspective. Here we are, relinquishing time better spent with friends, family, drinking, watching the Mets lose, whatever your thrill. Any successes are small, barely enough to justify the time and energy spent. Why do we do it? Hell, why did I do it? A good friend of mine explained it best. “You have a compulsion to write.” There it was, in one tiny nutshell. Yes, I want to create stories and entertain people. Yes, I want to see my book on a bookshelf. Yes, I’d love to garner fame and fortune. But those are dreams that can fade with the dawn. Something in me compels me to write, to never give up, even if I have to die in a coffin lined with unpublished manuscripts.

Thankfully, that won’t happen. I’ve learned that the adage, never give up, is true. Success comes to those who work, and work hard, constantly learn, and never quit. That horror book that took 4 years to write and 4 more to get a publisher will be out in October with Samhain Publishing. It’s called Forest of Shadows and man, did I have to navigate through a dense forest to get here. I have another coming out next spring. Oh, and a children’s picture book as well, since we all know that horror and children’s books go hand in hand.

So next time you spot someone at the library or Starbucks muttering, “Have I lost my mind?” while staring at their laptop, give them a gentle squeeze on the shoulder and whisper, “Don’t give up.”

To learn more about Hunter Shea and his book, Forest of Shadows, you can visit:
www.huntershea.com
http://www.samhainpublishing.com/horror.htm