Summer of Zombie Blog Tour 2014: Rebecca Besser

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We are ready to declare 2014 the year of the female zombie writer. There is a veritable parade of lady authors tackling the blood, gore and guts of zombie fiction. We continue the estrogen driven word slingers in the spotlight with today's victim on the Summer of Zombie Blog Tour, Rebecca Besser.

Books, Beer and Blogshit:  Are you a survivor or one of the undead?

Rebecca Besser:   Survivor.

The Blogshit:  What is your latest piece of zombie fiction we should be concerning ourselves with? 

Rebecca Besser:  My latest release is, “Cursed Bounty.” It’s a zombie western where the zombie is a bounty hunter controlled by an elected politician for greed, gain, and control. 

That being said… I have a story in and co-edited a zpoc prepper anthology entitled, “Feast or Famine.” It will be released sometime in the next month or two.

The Blogshit:  Do you feel you are a classic or progressive type of zombie fiction writer? 

Rebecca Besser:  Both. I write out of the ordinary zombie stories, as well as some that stay with classic zombie fiction.

The Blogshit:  What makes your zombies different from all others? 

Rebecca Besser:  My zombies (in Undead Drive-Thru and Cursed Bounty) tend to be single zombies, not apocalyptic hordes. In “Undead Drive-Thru” a zombie is kept for a pet by a wife that loves him too much to put him down. In “Cursed Bounty,” the zombie is a voodoo zombie, i.e. one that is controlled by his master and only goes after given targets rather than anyone he crosses paths with.

The Blogshit:  What makes your living different from all the others? 

Rebecca Besser:  In “Undead Drive-Thru” I twist the living all around and the characters change right before your eyes. I’ve had people tell me they ended up hating the character they loved at the beginning, and loving the characters they hated at the beginning. There’s full evolution, realism, and humor in my characters that makes you seem them as real and feel something for them.

In “Cursed Bounty” I have a former slave who you can almost see in your mind’s eye! I’m proud of that character.

I made at least one character in each of the above mentioned books scarier than the zombies themselves. Humans become the sick monsters in the end, making the zombies less terrifying in the twisted perceptions of the people who are sick in the head and/or heart.

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?

Rebecca Besser:   I think that there needs to be some change from the norm. It’s getting to the point that the market is saturated with the same kind of story—you can only read it so many times before you get bored. It’s a challenge to authors to try and make the same old, same old interesting. This will naturally lead to change and evolution in zombie fiction.

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 stand alone stories?

Rebecca Besser:   I think stand-alone stories can be done. They would be pretty long and it would be hard to give people the story they desire before it’s all over, though. For a stand-alone zombie title, I think you would have to reinvent the overdone zombie plots. My novella, “Undead Drive-Thru,” was designed to be stand-alone or a series. But, the biggest complaint I received for the book is that it was too short. Granted, yes, it was a novella, but even if it had been a full length novel, it would have been a challenge to satisfy the readers.

The Blogshit:  Are you ever afraid of being pigeon-holed in this zombie fiction genre?

Rebecca Besser:   No. I write a variety of genres, for various age groups. I’ve been published in poetry, nonfiction, and fiction. The challenge I have is settling into one genre. I’m best known for horror, but my other most published area is education materials for children. Yeah, I’m all over the place. My first full length novel, “Nurse Blood,” is a serial killer thriller. But, I’ve just signed a three book deal with Nocturnal Press Publications for the re-release of “Undead Drive-Thru (spring 2015),” the sequel, “Undead Regeneration (summer 2015),” and the prequel, “Undead Origins (spring/summer 2016).” So…I’m still very much in the zombie genre.

The Blogshit:  For your next zombie story, stand alone or series, do you think you will need to go sicker or smarter to keep it going? 

Rebecca Besser:  Both! I’m kind of known for writing that makes one think, but also pushes the envelope. I go hardcore with both whenever possible. I want my readers to think, flinch, feel emotion, and gage/shudder. I want my readers to have it all.

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? 

Rebecca Besser:  Eyeballs, ‘cause they’re juicy! Who doesn’t love eyeball-jellied pickles?

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Rebecca Besser


Cursed Bounty: http://www.amazon.com/Cursed-Bounty-Rebecca-Besser-ebook/dp/B00H89BGDG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1401574683&sr=8-1&keywords=cursed+bounty+rebecca+besser

My website: http://www.rebeccabesser.com

My blog: http://blog.rebeccabesser.com

My Nocturnal Press Publications page: http://www.npuniverse.com/authors/rebecca-besser/

Summer of Zombie Blog Tour 2014: John O'Brien

You're reading Books, Beer and BLOGshit! It's the only blog that is the super sexiest stop on the Summer of Zombie Blog tour 2014. I am you blog host, Mr. Frank!

The second author up in our interview series is John O'Brien. Mr. O'Brien joined us on last year's Summer of Zombie Blog Tour and his interview was one of the big successes. So if we are going to dip back into that well, we may as well make it one of the bigger names in the group.

Since we are no stranger to John and he is no stranger to us, let's jump right in and see how he tackles the new batch of hard hitting questions:

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Books, Beer and Blogshit:  Are you a survivor or one of the undead?

John O'Brien:  I hope I manage to end up on the survivor side of things. Although I can totally see myself stuck in a mall when it goes down and being bitten within 45 seconds. That would suck.

The Blogshit:  What is your latest piece of zombie fiction we should be concerning ourselves with?
John O'Brien:  I released A New World: Untold Stories a few weeks ago. It’s a set of short stories based in the world created with the series. The last few stories are submissions from fans.

The Blogshit:  Do you feel you are a classic or progressive type of zombie fiction writer?

John O'Brien:  I’m old so I’m not even sure the term “progressive” could ever apply anymore. However, the creatures in the series are not the classic types and, technically, they aren’t really zombies. But shhhh….I won’t tell anyone if you won’t.

The Blogshit:  What makes your zombies different from all others?

John O'Brien:  Well, I guess I will tell…dang. They are genetically mutated from a vaccine. Fast, strong, agile, and persistently ferocious, they hunt the streets at night.

The Blogshit:  What makes your living different from all the others?

John O'Brien:  I don’t know. They are just ordinary people trying to make it to the next day. They make mistakes and people die. The main protagonist isn’t perfect nor does he wear a red cape.

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?

John O'Brien:  To each, their own. It’s certainly not for me to say what people should write about. I say, write your story the way it is in your head and go along for the ride.

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 stand alone stories?

John O'Brien:  I think it depends on the writer. I do think there is room for stand-alone stories and some prefer it that way. However, for me, I can’t tell the story in just one book. The world has to be created, the characters introduced, and the story of survival told. It’s such a vastly different place, and so much that goes on, that I couldn’t tell it in just a single book.

The Blogshit:  Are you ever afraid of being pigeon-holed in this zombie fiction genre?

John O'Brien:  No. I think the genre is expanding into one of the major ones. The stories encompass several different angles: Post Apocalyptic, survival, perhaps military. So, in writing within the genre, I feel that I’m writing in at least three others.

The Blogshit:  For your next zombie story, stand alone or series, do you think you will need to go sicker or smarter to keep it going?

John O'Brien:  I just think my next series will be different. I’m not sure you have to go one way or the other. I just don’t feel that I have to outdo anyone or anything, I just have to write down the tale spinning around in my head.

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?

John O'Brien:  Now you’re asking me to be creative…sigh. I’m not sure I have that in me.

Okay, first, you have to capture an Armand. They’re tricky and wily, so care and caution has to be taken. Not everyone has the skill necessary to track one of these beasts. Then, you have to hunt down and nab a Tufo. This is a very reclusive creature and difficult to find. However, I’ve heard stories tell that it can be lured out with the promise of beer. Once you have these two, you must snip several hairs from their beards. Don’t take too much or you will enrage them beyond control. Add the hairs for a touch of twisted humor to your pickles.

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John O'Brien
Author of the series, A New World
Author page: http://www.amazon.com/John-OBrien/e/B005IDEPP0/
Web site: http://anewworldseries.com/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/A_NewWorld
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorJohnOBrien
Merchandise store:
http://zazzle.com/anewworldsupplies

http://www.cafepress.com/anewworldseries

Summer of Zombie Blog Tour 2014: Stevie Kopas

You're reading Books, Beer and BLOGshit! It's the only blog willing to host zombies a second time around! I am your blog host, Mr. Frank!

The Summer of Zombie Blog Tour returns to The BLOGshit this year with a bevy of writers. Armand Rosamilia has put together the largest tour to date with over thirty zombie authors. This is the third annual gathering of zombie writers and the second year the blog shit is a venue for this collection of writers.

We problably won't get the all, but we will get a sizeable chunk of them.

Over the past year, we've noticed a big uptick in female writers tackling the zombie genre. With that in mind, we'd like to kick off our leg of the Summer of Zombie Blog Tour with Stevie Kopas. Not only is she a zombie writer but also a hometown girl, born and raised in Books, Beer and BLOGshit's neck-of -the-woods, New Jersey!

Books, Beer and BLOGshit:  Are you a survivor or one of the undead?

Stevie Kopas:  I’m a hybrid carrier.

The Blogshit:  What is your latest piece of zombie fiction we should be concerning ourselves with?

Stevie Kopas:  The name of the book is “Haven” and it’s the follow up to “The Breadwinner.” It picks up right where the last book left us, brings new characters, new evil, new dangers, more death. It all takes place on the beautiful gulf coast of Florida.

The Blogshit:  Do you feel you are a classic or progressive type of zombie fiction writer?

Stevie Kopas:  I think it’s a mixture of both to be honest. You have your typical zombie apocalypse tropes, but I don’t believe in following guidelines so the books run out of chronological order, the good guys are sometimes the bad guys and the zombies are fast, slow, thin, fat, young, old…I don’t judge.

The Blogshit:  What makes your zombies different from all others?

Stevie Kopas:  They’re not called zombies…they’re called eaters.

The Blogshit:  What makes your living different from all the others?

Stevie Kopas:  They’re real people. Nobody is a hero, nobody knows what they’re doing and they all realize they’re all f**ked if they don’t figure out what to do quickly.

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?

Stevie Kopas:  You want something fresh in your writing, but you also want to look at the fresh bits and see what’s already working well throughout your genre and keep it working well in your own way.

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 stand-alone stories?

Stevie Kopas:  Either way. If you’ve got a solid concept that you can run with and drag it out without making it boring or repetitive, then a series is born and people will want more of it. But there are really great ideas that are born and kept to one book and I agree with an author’s choice to keep it to a stand-alone work because some stuff gets drawn out and loses its creativity along the way. I’ve read many single stories that ended perfectly and the necessity for continuation was non-existent.

The Blogshit:  Are you ever afraid of being pigeon-holed in this zombie fiction genre?

Stevie Kopas:  No, not at all. I love the genre and once I’m done with The Breadwinner Trilogy, I do plan on writing another zombie novel, but my future works that I have in mind after that have nothing to do with zombies at all. I can see myself getting stuck in PA fiction or forever known as a PA Fiction author, but there are a whoooooole lotta different ways to end the world. I can’t wait to explore other aspects of the apocalypse.

The Blogshit:  For your next zombie story, stand alone or series, do you think you will need to go sicker or smarter to keep it going?

Stevie Kopas:  Sicker, smarter, and funnier. My next book is going to be a horror/comedy…but more on the comedy side, kind of like the lighter side of the zombie apocalypse, but it’s definitely going to have its gory and shocking moments, so I’ve gotta keep the horror label on it.


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?

Stevie Kopas:  I wish you would have asked me about how I make my apocalypse tacos instead….I hate pickles almost more than anything on the planet. So if I had my own chance at “pickling” something, I suppose I would not use vinegar in any fashion, but instead I’d soak some pickles in grain alcohol and then…who am I kidding? I’d just drink the booze and eat the sandwich at midnight.

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Stevie Kopas:


Goodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/steviekopas


Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Stevie-Kopas/e/B00EX6VU3S/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1401662622&sr=8-2-ent

The Breadwinner Trilogy: http://someonereadthis.com/