Horror Realm-Day One Recap

The Friday night before Horror Realm, I got insanely sick with a cold. I just can't get a cold and shake it off in a few days. I always get a lung infection and end up with asthma issues. This happened again and I was miserable. Then my husband got sick, and we both worried we would not make Horror Realm.


Lots of meds and rest later, we both felt loads better and realized it was Wednesday and we had to fly out the next day. So neither one of us slept as we prepared to leave for Pittsburgh. I was sure I would sleep on the plane and it would be fine.


I was wrong.


Turbulence and a crying baby made sure I didn't get a lick of sleep.

We arrived at the Pittsburgh airport exhausted, but excited. The amazing Dr. Pus and Travis Adkins (the author behind Twilight of the Dead) picked us up and drove us to the hotel where the event was taking place. Travis, Dan Galli (cover artist for Zombology and other LotLD Press covers), my hubby, and I headed over to the mall across from the hotel to grab something to eat at the food court. We were tired and hungry, but I could only eat about half my meal. My excitement was growing at the prospect of meeting everyone. Travis and Dan were awesome and I was thrilled to finally get a chance to talk with them. That Travis drives like a madman and his GPS talks in an Australian accent only adds to the guy's charm. He's really a very nice guy.

After we ate, my husband collapsed to take a nap, but I was too wired to sleep. I changed into my party clothes for the barbecue at the convention organizer's home scheduled for later in the evening and headed downstairs to meet up with Dr. Pus. We climbed into his car and headed into downtown Pittsburgh to pick up Kody Boye from the bus station. This was the only chance I had to see the city and next year I hope to take a few more days off before Horror Realm to see the sites. Sadly, I didn't make it to the Monroeville Mall or the cemetery this trip.

Kody Boye, only seventeen and a published author, climbed into our van along with his Mom and off we went. We had a great time driving back to the hotel. When we arrived, we found a whole crowd of "good librarians" coming out of the hotel. It was like a massive family reunion. People were hugging and kissing and there was plenty of laughter. I was thrilled to see Jacob from Permuted Press coming toward me and gave him a hug. Dr. Pus was in a great mood as everyone swarmed him.

I grabbed my husband and we hitched a ride to the party. I was living on pure adrenaline at this point. I had forgotten I hadn't slept in over 24 hours and had eaten very little. I wore my zombie high heels to the party, only to have trouble walking on the big back porch. I ignored this annoyance and dove into greeting and talking to people.

I was on drink no. 2 when the alcohol hit like a freight train. This is not always a good thing. I tend to not have filters when I drink too much. I had some great conversations and had a blast, but...ugh. I wish I had remembered my lack of sleep and food. And, of course, since I wasn't sober, I ended up busting the heel off my zombie shoes. I walked around barefoot the rest of the night.

Well, long story short...the producer who optioned As The World Dies: A Zombie Trilogy shows up, I hug him, and he knocks my third drink out of my hand. It went flying and that is how our first meeting went. LOL. Happily, he is a great guy and we had a lot of fun at the party.

At some point, I cornered poor Ken Foree and told him how much his acting in Dawn of the Dead touched me. I poured out how his portrayal drew me in emotionally and taught me that it's the characters who make a zombie story great. I rambled on...hehehe...and on. Poor guy. Then he says, "I want my friend to have a shot!" And I say, "YES!" So drink number three goes down (how can I say no to Ken Foree?) and I was a goner.

The trip back to the hotel was a blur. I somehow managed to drop a cupcake I had in my hand in the elevator. I hugged the producer goodnight and my poor husband managed to get me into bed.

I fell asleep happy, excited and very drunk.

Thus ended day one of Horror Realm.

Eric S. Brown Makes Me Crazy--And Scares Me A WHOLE Lot

Since I embarked on my writing journey, I have met a lot of really awesome people. Publishers, artists, writers, and fans of the genre have become solid friends along the way, and I cherish those friendships.

Of course, I have also acquired my archenemy, Robert R. Best. He's the author of the zombie book Lakewood Memorial and talks a whole lot of smack about me and my books. I will have to kill him soon, as he has killed so many others. Hehehehe...actually, I kill him in As The World Dies: Siege. And it is brutal. I make sure he can't come back. If you aren't sure what I'm talking about, Robert R. Best wrote a series of shorts killing off people from the Library of the Living Dead forum. Since then, the forum peeps have had fun killing him off. Rob and I ended up somehow giving each other total hell (in jest, of course) and are now self-proclaimed archenemies. He declares me "mean," and I declare him "dead," so its all good.

Another nemesis of mine is Eric S. Brown. This is probably only natural since we are opposites of each other in many ways despite sharing a love of the zombie and sharing a common faith (we're both Christians). I struggle to keep my books under 150,000 words and Eric is the king of the super short story and you could shove three of his novels into one of mine. Also, as I struggled to get three books out last year, he will finish out this year with more than twice that number hitting the shelves. He is hailed for his bloody, action-packed twisted stories, I'm known for my character driven, emotionally wrenching bloody stories. Some call him King of the Zombies and some call me Queen of the Zombies.

Naturally, we're going to have to kill each other.

Just kidding!

Eric S. Brown's work has given me plenty of nightmares. I have a few staunch favorites of his stories that haunt me to this day. I was also very flattered when he loved my werewolf submission to the anthology he edited that will be out soon from the Library of Horror Press called Wolves of War.

Recently, Eric interviewed me (see previous post) and I decided to return the favor. Well, honestly, I just wanted to ask him some questions I've been dying to ask.

Here is our chat:

Rhiannon: How old were you when you first started
writing?

Eric: Well I started writing in the second grade but didn't submit anything until I was 26 and then it was only because my wife talked me into it. I never really had any faith in myself as a writer and still don't even today.It amazes me when people tell me they like my stuff or places like Dread Central call me "the King of the Zombies."

Note from Rhiannon: HE LOVES SAYING THAT!...Must get
him a t-shirt with "King of the Zombies" on it.

Rhiannon: Do you remember the name of your first story and what it was about?

Eric: The very first thing I remember from elementary school was doing my own script for Halloween III. I loved the first two and couldn't accept a 3rd without Mike Myers. The first story I ever wrote and actually submitted was called Night Shopping. It got accepted by two different print, small press publications within two weeks of sending it
out. I let the bigger of the two have it and placed another tale with the other. And yes, it was a zombie tale.

Rhiannon: Did you get a lot of rejections before you were published? Where were you first published?

Eric: I was very blessed that my first tale and second were accepted right off the bat. My first story was published in Burning Sky Magazine # 9 and my second one in Black Petals. I got a lot of rejections over the years but a lot of acceptances too. Today, I don't
even submit anymore unless I just feel like it. So many people have me juggling so many projects, I just don't have time.

Note from Rhiannon: Lucky bastard!!

Rhiannon: Where do you get your ideas?

Eric: Anywhere and everywhere! I can look up a tree and see a squirrel then start thinking about what would it be like to be eaten alive by a pack of zombie rodents. I really do get ideas everywhere. It also helps that I am lifelong fan of all things SF, ZOMBIE, and COMIC BOOK. I grew up with a book or comic glued to my hand everyday as a child. I had a really terrible childhood in some ways and used genre
fiction as an escape. Reading is one of the keys to writing. Having such a background lets you look at stuff in new ways when ideas pop up. My all time greatest inspiration is Dawn of the Dead. There was a period in my career when if I got "blocked" I just watch that movie and be fine. It's so powerful and moving, it always made me remember how much I love what I do and the genre.

Note from Rhiannon: Strangely, I do this, too. Dawn of the Dead always helped me break my blocks when writing As The World Dies.

Rhiannon: Do you plot your stories or just let them come to you as you write?

Eric: My stories are chaos. I let the tale and the characters lead me. It seems to work. For longer projects, I do tend to use an outline. Writing in the longer form is hard for me. I am much more of a H.P. Lovecraft than a Stephen King.

Note from Rhiannon: Weirdly, I write the same way, too. Except, I'm more Stephen King than H.P. Lovecraft. My characters talk a lot.

Rhiannon: Have any of your stories ever frightened you? Given you nightmares?

Eric: NOPE but sure have my wife. She stopped reading after my fourth published tale and just couldn't do it anymore for years. She did read Cobble back in 2005 but seems to have stopped forever since that one. She is VERY supportive. She just can't handle
horror.

Note from Rhiannon: Lucky bastard again! I have horrible nightmares from my writing. My husband sleeps like a baby though.

Rhiannon: How do you deal with writer's block?

Eric: Cigarettes, Energy Drinks, and music. It's a wonder I am still alive.

Rhiannon: What is your greatest strength as a writer and how does it set you apart from others?

Eric: I don't know that I have a greatest strength but if I had to just name something I would say that it's that I am fan of zombies too. I write horror that I would want to see or read after being a life long fan of the genre not the cookie cutter stuff you see so much that just isn't what you're looking for.

Rhiannon: What is the time frame from the moment you get an idea to when you write it?

Eric: Depends on what contracts I am under and trying to finish, where I stand with monthly columns, and what's going on with my son. If I am free, I can knockout a short story in an hour or less. Novels generally take me months. World War of the Dead took a tad over 3 months to write.

Note from Rhiannon: I may have to kill him now.

Rhiannon: What piece of advice would you give new writers?

Eric: NEVER EVER GIVE UP. Write everyday and keep at it. Submit your work to all the viable markets stopping with the highest paying and going down.

Rhiannon: You collaborate a lot with other writers. Who would you like to collaborate with in the future?

Eric: Tim Curran and I are talking about a book. A sequel to Barren Earth isn't out of the question with Stephen North if Barren Earth does well enough. However if I could pick anyone out there it would be David Dunwoody or Z. A. Recht. I love both their styles and really respect them a lot as writers.

Note from Rhiannon: Who doesn't love The Dunwoody?
And Stephen North is adorable!!!

Rhiannon: What is World War of the Dead, your latest novel, all about?

Eric: It's my high point as an artist. It combines superheroes, WWII, Nazis, demons, Zombies, etc. all in one novel. It's my first ever solo novel and quite possibly my very first deeper character driven book.

Note from Rhiannon: He said on the forum he did it
"Frater Style." *grins*

So how insanely prolific is he? Check out this list of books out just this year.

1. Unabridged Unabashed and Undead: The Best of Eric S. Brown (Note: A few of these short stories gave me nightmares!!!)
2. War of the Worlds Plus Blood Guts and Zombies (Note: Zombie H.G. Wells never saw Eric coming!)
3. Season of Rot (Note: Four stories to give you NIGHTMARES)
4. Barren Earth (Note: Stephen North is awesome!)
5. World War of the Dead (Note: Check out the first part here)

And there is still more to come!!! You can find all of them on Amazon.com, of course.

Letting Go and Moving On

The last few months feel like a blur. I get almost dizzy when I reflect on all that has happened in such a short period of time. I feel immense satisfaction and happiness that As The World Dies: Siege came out one year to the day of the first book, As The World Dies: The First Days. I am very proud of the trilogy and feel it is one of the greater accomplishments of my life up to this point.


As The World Dies: Siege is doing incredibly well (as you can tell by my previous posts) and has made it as far as #60 on the Amazon.com top 100 Horror Novels list.


Yet, I went through a serious funk after its publication. It was emotionally very difficult to leave behind the characters I had come to love in the course of writing the three books. Closing the door on that world was heart wrenching.


It almost felt like a breakup where you feel you will never love again.


But life does go on and the next story I'm going to write has seduced me. I'm in love with this new world I have to explore, and the cast of characters intrigues me. It is exciting to experience something new, and I'm giddy with anticipation. I miss the As The World Dies universe, but it is time to move on.


So what comes next?


First is the regency era vampire story in the vein (hehe) of the old Hammer Films called The Tales of the Vampire Bride: The Dead Travel Fast. I wrote it before the As The World Dies Trilogy and it is one of my favorite works. It has beautiful, wicked, brutal vampires and plenty of Gothic atmosphere. It has my usual characterization and the blood/gore factor is high, but it also has a sumptuous feel that I really love. I know this is a departure for the zombie fans, so I plan to start posting the novel online before its November 2009 publication so you can get a feel for the story.

Meanwhile, I have two zombie novels (that are not related to each other) in the planning stages and I've already began to write one of them. I think you will really like both of them.

On the promotional front, I was recently interviewed by Eric S. Brown, author of World War of the Dead for Abandoned Towers and you can read the interview here.

Since I love putting Eric on the spot, I interviewed him for my blog. That will be appearing tomorrow. Please check it out. It was fun picking his brain.

Now that things are a little more settled, I hope to update my blog on a regular basis and keep you up to date.

Next week I will be blogging from Horror Realm in Pittsburgh!

Thank you!!!

This is As The World Dies: Siege rank as of tonight on Amazon.com.

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #4,390 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Call In Interview This Saturday Night!!

I am being interviewed by Dr. Pus of the Library of the Living Dead Podcast and Press.

This link will take you to Blog Talk and the call in phone number.

If you have any questions you'd like to ask me, please call in!


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