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We are getting down to the nitty gritty here. This is the next to last week of the Summer of Zombie Blog Tour so it's time to whip out some big guns. A veteran not only of zombie fiction but a muscle in horror as well, Mr. Bryan Smith.
Anybody that knows anything about the genre knows that Bryan Smith is a name that brings quality in writing. He survived the debacle at Leisure/Dorchester and has come out the other side with titles at Deadite Press and Samhain Publishing as well as ventures into self publishing. He has found new life in the digital age and proves he has lasting power.
So here he is, a man who needs no introduction but we gave him one anyway. For your enjoyment, the very talented: Bryan Smith...
The Blogshit: Which of your books do we need to be talking about now and what is inside the pages to get excited about it?
Bryan Smith: The Late Night Horror Show from Samhain Publishing, which was released in March. It features three parallel plotlines set in alternate realities where the worlds of movies are real. One of these plotlines involves the immediate aftermath of a zombie apocalypse, while the other two involve vampires and backwoods maniacs.
Bryan Smith: I've enjoyed zombie films going back to the original theatrical release of Romero's Dawn of the Dead. My occasional forays into zombie fiction undoubtedly stem from that initial seed of fandom planted way back in my youth.
The Blogshit: With the saturation of zombie fiction in the current market, what do you do to keep your writing fresh and relevant?
Bryan Smith: I agree there has been a saturation of the market, but this hasn't been a particular concern of mine. The reason is that while I do write about zombies from time to time, my subject matter mostly involves other horror tropes.
The Blogshit: What makes your zombies stand apart from all the others?
Bryan Smith: I haven't written much in the way of what's considered the traditional Romero model for shambling, mindless zombies. Most of the zombie fiction I've written has been more in a comedic or satirical vein, similar to things like Return of the Living Dead. Although I do plan to eventually write a more straightforward Romero-esque zombie novel.
The Blogshit: Do you write (or plan to write) outside the zombie genre?
Bryan Smith: Most of my writing is outside the zombie genre. Of my 15 or so published books, maybe three of them feature zombies.
Bryan Smith: I believe the effect will be neutral. The movie will have a successful opening weekend and people will talk about it for a while, but then the hype will fade, as happens with all big Hollywood films these days. It can't have the same impact of an ongoing cultural phenomenon like The Walking Dead.
The Blogshit: Is there a need for attrition in the zombie fiction market?
Bryan Smith: I would never tell anyone not to write something they truly feel motivated to write. And obviously there are many people who want to read zombie stories. As long as the public hunger for this type of fiction is there, people will keep producing them. The sheer amount of zombie fiction out there is kind of overwhelming, though, and attrition will likely occur at some point as a natural consequence of that.
The Blogshit: What do you see in the future of zombies, both on the page and off?
Bryan Smith: With The Walking Dead continuing to set new ratings highs, I think interest will remain high for both cinematic and literary zombies for a some time to come.
The Blogshit: We are building a menu for a fictional sandwich shop. Typically we ask what to put on the namesake of you sandwich. For the Summer of Zombie Blog Tour we are going to set aside a special menu sub-section so: What do we put on your zombiefied sandwich?
Bryan Smith: Turkey, pepperjack cheese, onions, jalapeno peppers, spicy mustard. Pretty basic, but that's what I order every time I go to a sub shop.
Ladies and Gentleman that was Bryan Smith. He may have been short on words here but rest assured that is not the case with his fiction. Mr. Smith is a bit more elusive than many of the other zombie authors on the tour. With good reason as a heightened level of fame most surely requires a greater level of privacy. Fret not, he is still readily available to follow. Check out his bio and points of interest below.
Bryan Smith is the author of several mass market horror novels from Leisure Books, including House of Blood, Deathbringer, The Freakshow, Queen of Blood, Soultaker, Depraved, The Killing Kind, and The Dark Ones. Samhain Publishing and Deadite Press are now my primary publishers. My first release from Samhain is due in 2013, while Deadite is reissuing my old Leisure titles. I like beer, loud rock and roll, horror movies, Britcoms, a bunch of the usual stuff.
Bryan Smith on Facebook
Bryan Smith on Twitter
Bryan Smith's "The Blog That Dripped Blood"
Bryan Smith on GoodReads
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