Freakin' Zombies Shambling in my Dreams...Must Be Writing A Zombie Book Again!

I need Tallahassee to hang out in my dreams and give Jenni a hand smiting them. Damn pesky zombies are haunting my dreams again. Which means that Living Dead Boy, my new zombie novel, is boiling away in the cauldron of my twisted mind. It is going very well and flowing a lot better than I had hoped. I was originally a little worried about writing about a 12 year old boy and his friends facing zombies, but now that I'm in the mix, it is all good. I sent the first few chapters off to Dr. Pus of the Library of the Living Dead Press, the publisher, and he loved them. Friday night, I read him another chapter and he gave me a very encouraging response.

The scene takes place at the school and I had asked some parents what they would do in this certain scenario. Happily, what I had already written meshed with their opinions. Doc loved the realism of the scene and I do think it works well.

Meanwhile, my agent has kept in touch with me via emails and phone calls ever since she pitched As The World Dies: The First Days in late January. Over at the Absolute Write forums, there is a thread called The Next Circle of Hell, which is the home of authors who have secured an agent and are waiting for final word from the big NYC publishers. I was surprised at how anxious I became during the first week after submissions and lurked on that thread, reading it from the very first post. There are some wonderful success stories on there as well as heartbreaking ones. It was encouraging in many ways, but mostly because I realized I am not alone in this process or in my anxiety. As things continue to look positive, (though there is never a sure thing in publishing), I have felt my nerves give way to acceptance of "what will be, will be." I have done my part of this process: I wrote a book. I can't do anything more than I already have and all I can do is wait.

To those of you who have asked how much longer before we know something: hopefully, soon. I promise to keep you updated as events unfurl.

One last thing, Derek Goodman, author of The Apocalypse Shift, is now posting new chapters of the sequel up at his blog. You can also find other original stories set in the same world. If you like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Shaun of the Dead, and Clerks, check out his stories. You'll love them!


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• What The Hell Does My Character Look Like Again?