Suzanne Robb The Zombie Whisperer

1. Suzanne if you have to spend one day without the dead, undead, living dead or zombies. What other "Normal" things would you do?

First, that sounds wonderful, a day off. How I would spend it? I would start with a calorie laden breakfast, then a couple hours worth of swimming. After that I would take my dog to the park and let her run around and have some fun. The day would be finished with a BBQ and dip in the hot tub with friends, and if I was a really good girl, a really hot guy would enjoy the day with me.

2. I keep hearing the word "prolific" in reference to your work with "anthologies." How many anthologies have you been in and give me some highlights?

I hear prolific a lot too, and for me it does not seem that way. How many anthologies? I really do not know, somewhere between sixty-five and seventy-five?

Highlights, my most recent acceptance into the Zombie Fairy-tales anthology being put out by Chaosium is one of my favorites. Others include, Live and Let Undead, in which I have a story about how zombies are "rehabilitated" after the apocalypse. Monk Punk, edited by A.J. French, I worked my butt off to get in that one. Also, the anthology I edited with Adrian Chamberlin, Read The End First, it is one of my favorite projects. Another story that makes me chuckle is Thank God For Chicken, a woman is the sole survivor of an apocalypse and goes a lilttle crazy. It will be in Soul Survivors V2 later this year. Lastly, A New Breed, my story in the Post Mortem Press Dead Souls anthology. There are many others, but these stick out for me at the moment.

3. Conventional wisdom says girls aren't "supposed to like horror." What words do you have for young women looking to break into horror, writing or just loving zombies?

I say go for it. There are so few women in horror, and I have many friends that tell me they would love to try their hand at penning a story, but are intimidated. I try to coax them into it, and offer as much advice and support as I can. Some of the best stories are not being read because of fear, so any woman/girl reading this - if you have a story, write it.

4. Tell me when and where you first experienced symptoms "Zombie Infatuation?"

I was about eight years old and my parents didn't monitor my TV watching. One evening, Night of the Living Dead came on and I was hooked. The phrase "They're coming to get you Barbra," still rattles around in my mind. From then on, the undead were a part of my life. I had nightmares, was terrified of hospitals (one of the extras in the movie was wearing a hospital gown), and developed a strange love/hate relationship with the idea of zombies. Now, I am fully addicted to all things zombie.

5. You have two full length works that have peaked some interest. Tell me about "Z-Boat" and your new book "Contaminated." How can we get a copy of either and or both?

Z-Boat has received a lot of attention. The premise, at least to me, seemed pretty simple. Zombies on a submarine. There are also elements of a dystopian future, spies, mystery, and suspense, with the horror in the last third of the book. As of now, I have it back and am doing an overhaul on it then will be resubmitting it. If another publisher decides to pick it up, you can get a copy that way, other than that I have about four copies left.

Contaminated is from Severed Press and is a shorter story, about 64,000 words. The idea came to me after one to many movies about space and mutants. I asked myself, since Pluto was downgraded to an asteroid, what wonderful goodies has it accumulated during its lifetime hurtling through space? And what if one of those goodies was brought back to Earth. In the book, Dr. Arthur Covington does just that. He loses his family and credibility because of his obsession with his probe. He is an idealist and hopes the sacrifices he made will be worth it. What he does not know are that other people with both known and unknown agendas are at work. When he gets his dream lap in a retro-fitted silo, he doesn't ask any questions. Of course something goes wrong, and the book becomes a tale of survival as he and a few others who must trust one another have e to climb fifteen levels of a secured facility, fighting the undead. At the same time a rescue team is trying to make its way down, when the two meet, not all goes well. It is available here -

Amazon Kindle - http://www.amazon.com/

Contaminated-Zombie-Survival-


Novel-ebook/dp/B008PONZPK/ref=

pd_rhf_gw_p_t_2

Amazon Paperback - http://www.amazon.com/

Contaminated-A-Zombie-


survival-Novel/dp/1478333499/

ref=pd_rhf_dp_p_t_1

6. Rumor has it your dog has "final say so" on your works. What is her name, what are her qualifications and how can I hire her?

My dog does in fact have the final say. She is a tough nut to crack, and even harder to please. I can't count the number of times I have rewritten something because it did not keep her attention, which is not surprising with a Boston Terrier. Her name is Loki, and she loves to take pictures to help others promote their works. Her qualifications are her ability to find a tennis ball no matter where you hide it, play fetch until the end of time, outrun a zombie, and I have trained her to crawl should the need arise in the ZA. As for hiring her, Milk Bones. She works cheap.

7. Tell me your zombie style do you stay strictly "Romero" or do you take "liberties with the living dead?"

Oh, I am the master of taking liberties. I have done a few "Romero" stories, but like to shake it up. For example, in Z-Boat, the zombies were the result of a bacteria trying to survive. Once the host is infected, they are eaten slowly from the inside out, but can work with others who are infected. In the story I mentioned for Post Mortem, I took a woman who was pregnant get infected. Her husband has to get the baby out before the virus spreads, but he is seconds too late. The result, a new breed, but of zombie or human?


The traditional zombies scare the crap out of me, most likely why I take liberties and try to come up with something different every now and then.


8. Tell me where fans can find you on the web? Have any pages, blogs or other "social media" hideouts? Also tell us what the future will bring us from Suzanne Robb.

I have a blog that I use to promote my work!

- http://suzannerobb.blogspot.

ca/

I am also learning/trying to learn how to use Twitter at @srobb76. I am not very good yet, but learning.


As for the future? I have several short stories coming out in various anthologies. I am working on the sequel to Contaminated. I need to edit the sequel to Z-Boat. And I am working on the final touches on a book I wrote titled The Moonlight Killer. Non-zombie, more of a horror/parody/paranormal/

fantasy. A werewolf story I had a great time writing, and love, which means it is probably horrible.

9. Where do you see zombies heading in the future now that "Hollywood has made them the flavor of the month? Do you like the direction the "genre" has take?

I know people say zombies are done, but it is impossible. We as a people are fascinated with death in all of its incarnations, and the walking dead are part of that. Movies have been made on them for decades. More and more writers are coming up with new and unique ways to bring about the zombie apocalypse.


I think they might fall out of favor for a few years, but they always come back up (bad pun intended).


As for the direction the "genre" has taken, I think it is necessary. Romero made a wonderful movie with Night of the Living Dead, and all of his follow ups. What made them great, was the hidden social commentary within them. Once that starts being thrown back into the mix, I think we will be in for some great movies once again. For the time being, people will have running zombies, funny zombies, whatever kind of zombie you can think of, but the classics never die.

10. Talk to me about season 3 of The Walking Dead. What are you predictions and who would you "kill off?"

I love the show. I know some people get tired of it, but for me I like the interplay between the characters and how they deal with the fact the world has ended. Denial, anger, stupidity, and so forth.
I am glad with some of the characters they "got rid of" last season, however I think one of them was a big mistake because this person was the center of most of the drama between the two main characters.


For season three I hope/pray they start to use the other characters on there more often like Daryl, T-Bone, and Glenn. I also hope Lori never utters the phase "let the men folk handle the walkers" ever again. That scene was so painful to watch. I wanted to rip her head off, then again she is an idiot and why the heck is Carl never in the house? Really, during the Zombie Apocalypse my dog would not be out of my sight let alone my kids.


As for who to kill off, Lori and Carol, or was that a trick question?

TW. Brown "Writer of The Dead!"

1. Describe each component of TW Brown. Who is The Man, The Myth and The Legend?

I am a husband (took four attempts to get it right) and a father. I have a beautiful daughter, Ronni, and two amazing sons, Cody an Alex. They were born in May and December which is where the name of our publishing company comes from--May December Publications. I am a die hard Seattle Seahawks fan win, lose, or draw. I have been the lead guitarist and vocalist for a band named 'The KaQlin' Zombies'. I love the band KISS and have been hooked since around 1975. I love working out, hiking, and playing fetch with my Border Collie.

2. We both had stories in "Collabthology: Collaboration of the Dead Presents." I love the idea of being published but writing isn't my full time job. What's your opinion on the "payment vs non payment" for a authors from a Author/Editor standpoint?

Naturally I love the idea of getting a little money here and there, but I think that the contributor copy anthologies are a fantastic chance for me to get free advertising. I have no qualms about submitting with the knowledge that my only compensation will be a copy of the book. That being said, I also understand the need to try and crack the "pro-rate" market. If nothing else, it is a nice accomplishment, it certainly isn't for the cash considering it will only be a couple hundred at the very most and usually considerably less. It might get me seen by a larger audience, but the reality is, anthologies are not big money makers statistically. Of course the publisher who can snag a Kirkman or a King is gonna make a few bucks, but the average Joe like me just can't expect to command that type of audience. And I am on record as saying that if I ever crack the "Hollywood" nut, I will still send my stuff to the small presses and indie publishers. I think that there is just a plethora of talent as good as or better than some of the "names" out there.

3. How does a writer become an editor and how do you maintain the "integrity" of the writers work when editing?

Lots of studying, lots of hours pouring over very dry texts, and LOTS of reading. Some rules just can not be found as easily as others. As far as the integrity, I have the opinion that if I am contracted to work on somebody else's work, then we are a team. I send the work to the author for feedback and approval. I have one author who insists of fragmented sentences. He is going for a certain "vibe" and that is what he wants. The bottom line in my opinion as an editor in the indie world is that "the customer is always right" when it comes down to the final decision. If I see something, I will make suggestions, but I always make sure that the author is happy with the final product.

4. You have quite the prolific catalog of work. Is there one that leaves you in awe?

As far as anthologies, it would be Midnight Movie Creature Feature, hands down. I wanted something unique and quirky. The submissions I had to choose from were the best I have ever received. There were at least a dozen stories that did NOT make the cut that were outstanding, but we had to make a cut off. As for my own personal work--I would say I am most proud of my DEAD series.

5. What's on deck for TW Brown and May December Publications?

We have our Spiders anthology coming along with a thriller titled Elena as well as the second volume of the Midnight Movie Creature Feature anthology. Personally I have bowed to fan demand and will be releasing the fourth book in the Zomblog series titled Zomblog: Snoe which I am making a point to stress is NOT a zombie story. Yes, zombies are there, but it is 20 years after the apocalypse and they are not the focus of the story. I am currently writing the fifth book in the DEAD series--Dead: Siege & Survival (due out December 15th of this year) and will be putting together the next collection of Gruesomely Grimm Zombie Tales and the next book in my non-zombie Dakota series as well as the first full length That Ghoul Ava novel.

6. Now that zombies have gone "mainstream." TW how do your zombie tales stand out from the masses?

Zombies are mostly universal. I think my stuff stands out because of the depth of the characters and the story line. My books can often go several pages without mentioning the Zed word. I had read a lot of the stuff out there and have to say I might have not been the first, but I was one of the first to have my bites not be a guaranteed death sentence. Having people who demonstrate immunity is a twist I think makes my stuff unique.

7. Do you pen you zombies as traditional "Romero" Walkers, "28 Days" Olympic Sprinters or somewhere in the middle?

I am a traditionalist. I like the good old-fashioned slow mover. They are like the tide...always in motion.

8. How many ways we can find TW Brown and May December Press on the internet?

Well, there is MayDecemberPublications.com, I am on Facebook with May December Publications, Author TW Brown and Todd Brown. Also, I have my blog at twbrown.blogspot.com and my Amazon author page at http://www.amazon.com/TW-Brown/e/B00363NQI6 then there is @Maydecpub on twitter. And if you can't find any of those, email me at twbrown.maydecpub@gmail.com or twbrown@maydecemberpublications.com.

9. For those looking to jump into your writings feet first. Where do you recommend they begin?

I would say Dead: The Ugly Beginning. I believe it is my best work. And if you are not into horror, then Dakota by Todd Brown would be more your cup of tea.

 

10. For the win give me your predictions for season 3 of The Walking Dead. Who lives, who dies and who would you kill off?

I think all of the majors live, but if they are going to knock somebody off, I would love it to be Lori. I don't want to say too much in case they decide to follow the graphic novel again. I know who lives and dies as far as the characters that exist ion the graphic novel version of the story.

Ladies and Gentlemen TW Brown! 

Lets talk zombies, writing and zombies with Joshua Cook

Today we have a very special guest folks author and "zombie know it all" Josh Cook of "ZOMBIE A.C.R.E.S" fame!

1. Introduce us to the Zen of being Joshua Cook. What makes you tick?

That is such a loaded question. I would have to say chaos. While I try to keep things calm in my life, my need to always be working on something leads to a somewhat hectic life. I complain a lot about how I pull myself in so many different directions, but deep down, it is this chaos that I thrive off. To be honest, I look forward to being able to work constantly on different projects with a variety of different artists.

2. Tell us about Alice in Zombieland?

AiZ: Alice in Zombieland (Complete Saga) is a tale of family, love and zombies. A greedy businessman named Richard Roslun will stop at nothing to hold on to the power he loves so much, even if it means doing twisted experiments on innocent children.

When Richard Roslun kidnaps sixteen year old Alice, her older sister must transform from college student to zombie hunter if she is going to save Alice. Georgia Marie was just going to visit her father when she is thrust into the heart of a horrific nightmare.

This nightmare has also affected Sam Ashe and his fiancee Heather Young. Sam has spent his whole life preparing for the apocalypse, but when the undead are knocking at his door, will he be able to man up and take care of his family?

3. What is AiZ? What inspired your vision?

My writing is inspired by my real life. When I began writing Zombie A.C.R.E.S., my personal life was in a very dark place. This darkness poured into those early stories. There was no magical moment when AiZ just came to me. It was a series of events and the organic flow of the story that brought Alice to where she is today.

4. What gives your Zombies bite? How do they stand out from the horde?

My Zombie A.C.R.E.S. series has two different types of undead. The first type is the normal, run of the mill Romero zombies. I strongly believe that there is no way a zombie would turn into an Olympic sprinter after death. It just doesn’t make any sense.

On the other hand, Zombie A.C.R.E.S. is a breeding ground for Roslun Global’s medicated zombies. These zombies have been injected with the Second Birth Serum and have the ability to walk and talk. Unfortunately curing death is not easy, and the Second Birth Serum isn’t perfected yet, so things never go according to plan with any type of infected.

5. On a scale of 1 to 10. One being not at all and 10 being spot on. Where do the zombies of AiZ fall when compared with "Romero Styled" flesh eaters?

Those individuals infected by the bite of any kind of zombie will become the mindless shamblers I was talking about. These zombies are a 10 all the way on the Romero scale.

Roslun’s medicated zombies are a completely different story. Since the Second Birth Serum gives them the ability to think, walk and somewhat act like the living, these zombies would be a 1 on the Romero scale.

6. When you're not plotting the Zombie Apocalypse what are you doing to prepare the uneducated masses?

I am part of the American Zombie Summit (along with the Madore brothers from Necropology.com and the Zombie Response Team) which is a podcast held on Timothy Dean’s Pirate Radio. We take calls from zombie fans and skeptics, as well as discuss current topics in the zombie world. I am always looking for the next project or awareness convention to be part of to help spread education, though.

7. What's next on the agenda for AiZ?

Right now I have a pre-order happening for the paperback versions of AiZ: Alice in Zombieland (Complete Saga) at ZombieACRES.com. There are two versions available – a regular version and a limited edition version. The limited version will only have 99 copies ever printed and features new artwork, a larger size and the first appearance of the comic Bruce Campbell vs The ACRES. Every pre-order also comes with a free digital copy as well.

Soon I will be starting up the free stories at ZombieACRES.com again. These stories will pick up where AiZ: Alice in Zombieland leaves off and will lead into the new AiZ comic series due out later this year. I have teamed up with artist Donovan Scherer of Ratatat Graphics for this nine issue sequel to Alice in Zombieland.

8. Any other projects we should know about from Zombie A.C.R.E.S?

Other than the limited edition AiZ paperback, the free stories, and the comic series, I really don’t have much else on the Zombie A.C.R.E.S. plate. That is not to say something won’t come up, though. I am always on the hunt for a new and interesting project to get my hands dirty with – either my own or someone else’s. I want to be the guy that always has his hands in ten new projects at once. Staying busy is a sign of success in my book.

9. How many places around the internet can we catch up with you Josh?

Infinite number of places. Since the moment I first started Zombie A.C.R.E.S., social media has always been an important part of my marketing strategy. I am on so many different social sites that it would be so hard to list them all here. If you are on Pinterest, Reddit, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and many other sites, you can easily find me by searching for Zombie ACRES. If you are serious about a project that you think I would be interested in working on, or if you are just a fan and want to shoot the shit, my email is always open to everyone at josh@zombieacres.com.

10. Favorite Walking Dead character and why? Who are you betting won't survive Season 3 of The Walking Dead?

I have always loved Glen. From the moment he first enters the show, he is funny and real. I am hoping that Laurie bites it during season three, though if she did it would probably mess up the show. I am really just sick of watching her do stupid things.

NOW FOLKS CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW TO ENTER A DRAWING FOR A FREE DIGITAL COPY OF Alice in Zombieland by Josh Cook!

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Coming soon..

A guest post and a contest open to followers of "Flesh From The Morgue!"

A little name dropping at the 3:00 min mark!

Dark Discussions podcast

Target practice!

How my older brother spends his down time!

The Union: Chapter Thirteen: Sensory Depravation

Chapter Thirteen: Sensory Deprivation

In the claustrophobic confines of the bed chamber within the wreckage of a once grand motor coach Valerie Couts sits legs drawn up to her chest trying desperately not to make a sound. The living dead sensing the meal inside the room begin to seek a way into the damaged bed chamber. The vampire could feel the door buckling under the weight of his foes. They sought Valerie’s tender flesh but it was his to have not these abominations. Behind him she sat terrified the whole room looked as if it had been placed in a blender and pureed. Trevor scanned the room nervously checking for any faint signs of sunlight. Finding several pinpricks of light which he took great care to avoid told him two things. One than he was not safe from the wretched yellow ones light and that Valerie was not safe from the undead. He leaned his deceptive weight against the door of the cabin. Trevor has sworn to protect her in exchange for her submission to his thirst for human blood. Protect her from the undead who now roamed the earth in search of live human flesh on which to fest. For Trevor the blood of the walking dead is as lethal to him as their bite is to her. It was only a matter of time before the door gave way then he’d meet met the Sun and she a horde of zombies. Calling to her over his shoulder just above a whisper “Valerie please come to me.” She turns her head to him in a daze unsure of what he was asking. “Valerie…” reaching a hand for the disheveled woman “… if we are to survive. We must seek shelter in the restroom.” Motioning to his left a small dark restroom sat its doorway open sunless and soothing to the young vampire. The inner cabin is sound proof and completely dark devoid of any light. The occasional thump reminding them that the dead crawled all about the crashed bus in which they were trapped. She by the ravenous corpses, and he by the searing sunlight both their foes were relentless. Two very different forms of agonizing death awaited two very different beings less than twelve inches away. That just happened to be the thickness of the door the vampire held shut. Unconsciously she stood coming helplessly to the man thing who silently guides her into the damp restroom. Instantly Trevor appeared before her in the tight confines sealing the door shut leaving the two survivors hold up in a space truly no bigger than a coffin.

In Val's mind she felt all alone hearing the vampire breathe and shuffle readjusting himself in the darkness. It was like being in the same darkened room as a convicted rapist with no where to go. The silence was immovable, but yet she almost desired it to conversing with the creature who was indeed her savior. For as the bus careened out of control he protected her, but she had her doubts as to his motives. Were they true or just self serving? Robert and the others she longed for the humans of her clan feeling powerless against the will of the beautiful physical specimen of male hood. All she was aware of was the fact that they had left her fleeing in advance of the mass of zombies that over took the bus after the accident. Mulling over her options she knew she had to stay with the prince of the damned. What was worse he knew it too! Val's heart broke as she couldn't even hazard a guess as to where to find Robert and if he'd even survived long enough to find shelter. "They went to the restaurant!" was all she held onto "he made it he had to!" she prayed.

"Valerie my sweet..." Trevor calls as she swallows a knot in her throat. "I'll protect you M' Lady fear not!" he spoke at a whisper for the less attention focused on them the better. Did the dead know she was here and full of life of course they did they always knew. Even Trevor couldn't hold an entire army at bay. She remembered back to when the first met, and the dead en mass had proved their sheer numbers more than made up for Trevor's super human strength. "Fine.....Trevor …...I" it should have been obvious to anyone or anything that she was uncomfortable to say the least. Trevor released a frustrated sigh in the darkness "You still refuse to trust me dear Valerie it wounds me to know this." Even in the dark she turned from him and even in the ink blackness he could see it. "Well Trevor put yourself in my place just for a minute!" whispering in a hushed tone.


Vampires were known for many thing chief among them was the inability to empathize with humans. They of course were above that above them. "Madame you forget tis there anything from a human that I desire, I simply take it.” even in the void which they sat trapped his self righteous indignation lit up the tiny space. "No shit Trevor thank you for constantly reminding us of your superiority over us pathetic mortals!" She spat in a huff. Lucky for her the dark obscured the vicious smile across the bloodsuckers face. She wanted him and he knew it, he didn't require the ability to sniff out her excitement to relay this message, but he was getting no where so he decided to flank her emotional barricade. In his many years he has taken numerous women and even some men to his bed. The latter in vampire culture a magnificent display of male dominance as the concept of homosexuality was lost on those who lived for centuries not decades. "I am sorry perhaps you will understand me better if I share a bit with you" he told his quarry with no true intent upon revealing himself.