Summer of Zombie Blog Tour 2014: Sarah Lyons Fleming

You're reading Books, Beer and Blogshit! Its the only blog that enjoys telling little white lies. I am your blog host that wishes he were a real boy, Mr. Frank!

We've made it! This is the final day of the Summer of Zombie Blog Tour 2014 interviews. So to end the whole shebang we've chosen Sarah Lyons Fleming so we can go out like a lion. See what I did there?

Sarah Lyons Fleming is a Mexican luchadora masquerading as La Cobra Toxico in the Juarez leagues. She currently has twenty seven wins and very questionable loss. When she is not busy wrestling, she enjoys kite fighting, box knitting and synchronized bicycle riding with her pit bull, Philomena.

Actually, none of that is true (to the best of my knowledge.)  Sarah Lyons Fleming writes about zombies. The rest of the facts she will fill in, in the final installment of the Books, Beer and Blogshit Summer of Zombie 2014 interview!

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

Sarah Lyons Fleming:  Well, I’ve got extra food, ammo and some survival skills, so I’d like to say survivor. But I’ve also got two kids, so there’s a good chance I’m dying for them.

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

Sarah Lyons Fleming:  My Until the End of the World series:

Until the End of the World: Book 1

So, Long Lollipops: A novella about one of the characters that takes place “off camera.”

And After: Book 2

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

Sarah Lyons Fleming:  I’d say classic in that the zombies are slow and lumbering. Progressive(ish) in that it’s chick-lit and focuses more on romance and relationships (platonic and not) between the characters. There’s a lot of homesteading and prepping as well.

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

Sarah Lyons Fleming:  I think they’re pretty similar in that they drive the story along, but there’s not a ton of gore in my books.

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

Sarah Lyons Fleming:  They’re real and full of emotion. They laugh and cry and act the way we all do—Which is to say sometimes they’re amazing people and sometimes they’re jerks.

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?

Sarah Lyons Fleming:  I think the only important thing is to have a good story and characters. If you do, it doesn’t matter because people will enjoy it.

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?

Sarah Lyons Fleming:  I wrote the first book as a standalone, but it grew from there. I think there is definitely room for a standalone story. However, I like when a story continues and think most readers do, too. I love my world and will be sad to leave it when book 3 is finished.

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

Sarah Lyons Fleming:  No, I love zombies and everything post-apocalyptic, so I wouldn’t be upset to be pigeon-holed in the genre. I wouldn’t feel pigeon-holed. 

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?

Sarah Lyons Fleming:  I think different. A different group of characters and different types of relationships is more what I’m thinking.

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?

Sarah Lyons Fleming:  I make and home-can a mean bread and butter pickle. I expect to be eating them on my post-apocalyptic zombie sandwich. Or the people who’ve killed us for our supplies will be enjoying them on their sandwiches. You never know.

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On The Web:  http://www.sarahlyonsfleming.com/

On Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Sarah-Lyons-Fleming/e/B00DXFM03O/

Summer of Zombie Blog Tour 2014: Stephen Kozeniewski

You're reading Books, Beer and Blogshit! Its the only blog... period, end of story. I am your terminal blog host, Mr. Frank!

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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On Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Stephen-Kozeniewski/e/B00FFLC5Y8/

Summer of Zombie Blog Tour 2014: Jack Wallen

You're reading Books, Beer and Blogshit! It's the only blog with writers who have a face for blogging. I am your cute-as-a-button blogger, Mr. Frank.

We aren't done yet. It's time for the p.m. edition of the Summer of Zombie Blog Tour double header week. And when you talk about two heads, you talk about Jack Wallen. Jack Wallen is a guy who writes things about zombies. When he's not busy writing things about zombies he does other things mostly unrelated to zombies, like pooping for instance. 

We on The Blogshit are sure his mother will be proud.  So mama Wallen, sit back and relax as your boy tackles the Books, Beer and Blogshit Summer of Zombie Blog Tour 2014 interview spectacular.

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

Jack Wallen:  Oh I am a survivor. In fact, I finally left corporate America and am now  on my own...oh wait, you didn't mean that kind of Undead. You mean zombie-undead. Still, I'm a survivor – like Eye of the Tiger survivor.

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

Jack Wallen:  The Last Casket was my latest release. It's a fun little romp through the apocalypse that stars the pyshchobilly band Kitty in a Casket. The band was awesome to work with. The gist of the book is:

When flesh-melting rock faces off against the undead horde, who will be left standing?

All hell breaks loose, when rock and the apocalypse collide. In this first spinoff of the popular I Zombie series, psychobilly band Kitty in a Casket kick the undead horde's ass with their special flavor of rock.

Follow Kitty and her band to a dive bar in the middle of the apocalyptic landscape and raise your fist as they prove themselves worthy destroyers of zombies, cannibalism, and the Mengele Virus.

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

Jack Wallen:  Progressive – mostly because I drop a LOT of pop culture references and use humor in my books. Plus, I have (at the moment) about five different types of zombies – each of which has their own special flavor of horror to bring to the table.

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

Jack Wallen:  Their impeccable sense of fashion. No, that's not it. There are two things that make my zombies different: First, as the story progresses, the zombies evolve. Second, the Zero Day Collective (the politico-corporate “big bad” in the series) use the zombie horde in an attempt to cleanse the world (to start afresh, as it were).

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

Jack Wallen:  I work at a standing desk...that's a good place to start. I also work at home, as a full-time writer. I'm very lucky. I'm also one of those hermits capable of socializing...so I can go out in public (when I choose to) and be friendly.

I also bathe.

And brush my teeth.

And use product in my hair.

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?

Jack Wallen:  I refuse to run with any pack. If I cannot create a world and a mythos of my own, what's the point?

The Blogshit:  Zombie fiction seems heavily dependent upon working withing the construct of a series. Do you feel that is the way that makes it work best for you you or do you think there is still room for stand alone stories?

Jack Wallen:  I think it's part and parcel to the genre. I tried to write a one-off. That's what I Zombie I (the first book in the I Zombie series) was going to be. As soon as I completed the book, I realized I had way too much story left to tell and had created a world I certainly wanted to explore and expand.

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

Jack Wallen:  I write way too much to worry about that. But I will say that my zombie fiction outsells my other fiction, lights out.

But...even if I were pigeonholed, I'm not concerned. I have a LOT of story to tell in this genre (plus another series yet to come out).

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?

Jack Wallen:  Both. I always attempt to one-up myself. With each novel I make sure both the main characters and the monsters evolve. It's a sort of race to the top (or the bottom – depending upon how you look at 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?

Jack Wallen:  Man, that's a tough on. For me, it'd be important to hide the taste of rot. I'd probably go with a chipotle mayo.

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On The Web: http://monkeypantz.net/ (This is a particularly sexy web site)

On Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Jack-Wallen/e/B004MZWR3W/