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We are down to the final two interviews. Not only of double header week but the entire Summer of Zombie Blog Tour 2014. What a long, interesting journey its been. But before we reflect, let's get the show on the road, there is a little more work to be done.
Author Stephen Kozeniewski faces the hangmans noose today. Kozeniewski is a rarity in the zombie fiction realms, he wrote a stand along zombie novel. A beast more rare than bigfoot! Fret not, his latest work appears poised to continue on in serial format.
I've bothered you enough with my endless prattling. Ladies and Gentlemen... Stephen Kozeniewski.
Books, Beer and Blogshit: Are you a survivor or one of the undead?
Stephen Kozeniewski: Well, statistically I’m all but certain to be dead,
right? According to “Day of the Dead”
the ratio of dead to living is 400,000:1.
I don’t like those odds.
The Blogshit: What is your latest piece of zombie fiction we should be
concerning ourselves with?
Stephen Kozeniewski: THE GHOUL ARCHIPELAGO
The Blogshit: Do you feel you are a classic or progressive type of
zombie fiction writer?
Stephen Kozeniewski: I know my roots. The
Holy Trilogy above all. ROTLD, Dead
Alive, Cemetery Man, Keene, Brooks, all that good stuff. I try to make sure all my work acknowledges
the classics, but breaks free on its own.
I know “both” is a cheap answer, but that’s how I feel.
The Blogshit: What makes your zombies different from all others?
Stephen Kozeniewski: In THE GHOUL ARCHIPELAGO, except for the unusual green hue
of their eyes, they are classic Romero zombies, and purposefully so. I do feature a different kind of undead in my
debut novel, BRAINEATER JONES. Jones and
his ilk are thinking zombies who must consume alcohol to prevent themselves
from degenerating into the classic flesh-munching stereotype.
The Blogshit: What makes your living different from all the others?
Stephen Kozeniewski: THE GHOUL ARCHIPELAGO takes place on the high seas of the
South Pacific, which afforded me the opportunity to feature some character
types not normally seen in zombie fiction: pirates, smugglers, sailors, and the
like. In this piece I’m particularly
proud of my three main antagonists: a missionary, a warlord, and a robber baron
who form a triumvirate of over-the-top, scene-chewing villainy which is hard to
top.
The Blogshit: Do you think it's important, in this climate, to run with
the pack or really try to reinvent the wheel in zombie fiction?
Stephen Kozeniewski: Oh, God, reinvent the wheel.
I’ve read so many Chicken Little stories lately about how the zombie
genre is played out. The truth is just
that a certain specific variety of urban survival apocalypse stories are
overdone. There are a million kinds of
stories that can be spiced up with the walking dead.
The Blogshit: Zombie fiction seems heavily dependent upon working
within the construct of a series. Do you feel that is the way that makes it
work best for you or do you think there is still room for standalone stories?
Stephen Kozeniewski: Well, my debut, BRAINEATER JONES, is a standalone. I think it’s important in any genre to write
self-contained stories but leave yourself room for a sequel. You shouldn’t force a sequel, but you
shouldn’t close the door on one, either.
The Blogshit: Are you ever afraid of being pigeon-holed in this zombie fiction
genre?
Stephen Kozeniewski: Oh, no worries there.
I’ve already sold a political satire, a space opera, and a vampire story
to Permuted Press.
The Blogshit: For your next zombie story, standalone or series, do you
think you will need to go sicker or smarter to keep it going?
Stephen Kozeniewski: I think both are important.
I pride myself on my transgressiveness and judging by the reader reviews
for THE GHOUL ARCHIPELAGO, I’ve succeeded in making the average reader lose his
or her lunch. Still, Romero set a big
benchmark all the way back at the dawn of the genre in 1968 that we must always
use our undead not just for cheap gore and laughs, but to shed light on social
ills. I take that responsibility very
seriously, and try to make all my work at least somewhat thought-provoking.
The Blogshit: On last year's tour, we asked about what to put on your
zombie sandwich. This year, we want to know: What special ingredients would you
use to pickle the pickles on your zombie sandwich?
Stephen Kozeniewski: Ether?
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Thanks so much for having me, Frank!
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