Here it is, the last day of the fun, fantastic A-ZChallenge! We’re wrapping it up in grand style with guest author Dana Fredsti, discussing her love of zombies. This also marks my last day for awhile as your guest hostess, as Sia McKye takes back over the helm on Friday and serves up fresh, interesting new discussions Over Coffee while I, like Puff the Magic Dragon, slip into my (writing) cave. But I’ll be stopping by now and then and hopping through all the great new blogs I’ve found as a result of this wonderful challenge! Thank you all for being such wonderful, supportive commenters this month! And now, take it away, Dana! ~ Kat Sheridan
Why Zombies?
I get asked that question a lot.
I get asked "why write about zombies" so often that lately my
first impulse is to answer something along the lines of, "Damned zeds
killed my family. Writing about them is the only way to deal with the
pain." This response would be as accurate as "yes, I write about
zombies only because I want to cash in on their current popularity," which
is to say neither response is correct.
The assumption that the only reason I write about zombies is because they're popular and I'm some sort of literary whore with nothing but dollar signs in my eyes when I write about the walking dead is, quite frankly, insulting.
I've been into zombies (in a platonic, non-necrophilia kind of way, thank you!) for years. My very first date movie was Dawn of the Dead. The original, not the remake. Slow, blue-faced zombies, shopping mall, four protagonists with actual character arcs. One of the first movies that really explored the visceral horror of mindless walking corpses that ate living flesh. Sure, the makeup is dated, but the film is a classic for a reason. And I totally blame it for starting my fascination with zombies as flesh-eating ghouls.
Sure.
Is this a bad thing?
Not to me or to people like me,
who barely had anything as far zombie-themed entertainment for years.
Even after the original Dawn of
the Dead was released to some critical acclaim, other than a few foreign horror
films and a smattering of books and short stories (thank you, Skipp and
Spector, for the Book of the Dead anthologies), and some fan fiction (I
personally found it scary how many teenaged boys were out there with fantasies
of having big guns, rescuing the only surviving hot chick around, getting laid,
and then having the hot chick die after taking said boy's virginity), there was
very little out there for zombie enthusiasts.
Luckily Shaun of the Dead and
the remake of Dawn of the Dead, along with 28 Days Later ushered in a new era
for the zombie. Even after those movies it took a few years before they reached
their current level of popularity, but thanks in part to the likes of World War
Z and The Walking Dead, if you're craving a new zombie book or movie, you're
pretty much in luck. I used to pride myself on having read or watched pretty
much everything out there, but I can't keep up any more.
Not all of them are created
equal. Some of the books and movies aren't very good. But at least we have a
variety to choose from instead of being forced to read about angsty vampires or
hunky werewolves (not that there's anything wrong with vampires or
lycanthropes) when we're in the mood for a good, old-fashioned zombocalypse!
Let's chat: Are YOU prepared for the zombocalypse? Have a hiding place selected? Ever read a zombie novel?
Plague World: The thrilling conclusion of the zombie apocalypse begun in Plague Town and continued in Plague Nation! The zombie plague has gone airborne, and the conspiracy that began it all reaches the boiling point. Having been ambushed in San Francisco, which is now full engulfed in the zombie plague, Ashley and the wild cards must pursue the enemy to San Diego. There they will discover a splinter of their own organization which seeks to weaponize the plague. But that isn't the worst news. The plague has gone airborne, makign it transferable without physical contact. It cannot be controlled by anyone, so reports of the zombie swarm are coming in from across the United States - and across the world.
Dana Fredsti is an ex B-movie actress with a background in
theatrical sword-fighting (a skill she utilized in Army of Darkness as a
Deadite and fight captain). She’s addicted to bad movies and any book or film,
good or bad, which includes zombies. She’s the author of the Ashley Parker series,
touted as Buffy meets the Walking Dead, as well as the cozy noir mystery Murder for Hire: the Peruvian Pigeon,
and several spicy genre romances under the name Inara LaVey. She lives in San
Francisco with her boyfriend David Fitzgerald (who writes erotica under the pen
name Kilt Kilpatrick), their dog Pogeen, and a small horde of felines.
Kat's "Z" Book List
Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope: Classic swashbuckling adventure and romance. I loved this book!
Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler. Biographical fiction of a legendary woman at the dawn of the Jazz Age.
Zebra book cover: I Married Adventure by Osa Johnson.
1940s autobiography of an adventuress and her wildlife photographer husband. Anyone
who knows me knows I love zebra print and don’t hesitate to use it in my
decorating. Seriously, this would look sooo good on my bookshelves. Or coffee table. Or nightstand. Only the first and second editions have this iconic cover, later transformed
into a purse by Kate Spade, another item I can’t afford. These editions are now
collectibles, meaning WAY out of my price range. If you happen to trip over one
in a yard sale or thrift shop, please grab it up and remember it would make a
lovely Christmas present for your zany, zebra-loving blogger friend!
Will You Be Ready Image by By Kenny Louie via Wikimedia
Commons
