2011--The Year of the Female Zombie Author

The end of the year is when lists are compiled and compared by various bloggers, websites, and magazines.  I have been doing my own end of the year lists (a little late) as I reflect back on the year 2011.

THE FIRST DAYS made two lists over on Explorations:  The BN SciFi and Fantasy Blog.  I was extremely excited that the book made the list for The Best Zombie Fiction Releases of 2011, and surprised when it also landed on the The Best Apocalyptic Fiction Releases of 2011.

One thing definitely stood out on both lists...the female author is starting to hit big in apocalyptic fiction.

To quote Paul Goat Allen, the reviewer behind both lists:

Two things strike me as I look back on zombie fiction in 2011: the continued rise of female writers (and female protagonists) in a category that has been traditionally male – writers like Sophie Littlefield, Rhiannon Frater, Mira Grant, Joan Frances Turner, etc. – and the infusion of more than a few stellar debut novelists. Unlike paranormal fantasy, which had very few noteworthy debuts this year, zombie fiction had, well, a horde of stand-up-and-applaud debuts, including Rhiannon Frater’s The First Days,The Becoming by Jessica Meigs, Thomas S. Roche’s The Panama Laugh, and Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel.

I'm personally excited to see one of Permuted Press's female authors make this list.  Jessica Meigs is one of the few female authors from the very popular post apocalyptic publisher and her book appearing on the list was an awesome shout out not only to the debut author, but the publisher as well. Her book is definitely on my "to read" list. It sounds like her character of Cade (an  female Israeli sharpshooter) and my character of Nerit would get along quite well.  The zombies would never stand a chance!

An author that is not on the list, but is definitely making massive waves (and is on a ton of favorite lists across the internet) is Madeleine Roux, author of ALLISON HEWITT IS TRAPPED and the upcoming, SADIE WALKER IS STRANDED.   When Book Chick City compiled her favorite novels of 2011, THE FIRST DAYS shared the top spot with ALLISON HEWITT IS TRAPPED.  I was not only honored to be at the top of the list, but to share it with another female zombie author was freaking amazing!

2011 was filled with awesome zombie fiction from some of my favorite female authors.  Carrie Ryan's THE DEAD-TOSSED WAVES and Ann Aguirre's ENCLAVE were awesome reads in the young adult genre.

There were plenty of new names that emerged as well, like Eloise Knapp with her novel THE UNDEAD SITUATION. Sue Edge's DEAD TROPICS was an indie hit before it was picked up by Permuted Press.

Indie Author Amanda Hocking's long awaited HOLLOWMEN (The Hollows #2) was the exciting sequel to 2010's HOLLOWLAND.  Boasting a strong female protagonist and plenty of zombie carnage, both books are awesome additions to the genre.

And the list of women writing in the genre continues to grow as 2012 brings the highly-anticipated release of THIS IS NOT A TEST by Courtney Summers.

Mira Grant, Cherie Priest, Carrie Ryan, and Sophie Littlefield have lead the charge in traditional publishing while other women (like me) first broke ground in self-publishing or small presses.

Female authors and their unique perspectives are making their presences known in the zombie genre and it's about time.