Female Writers of the Zombocalypse In 2005, in a spurt of inspiration, I wrote a short story called “Tiny Fingers” while on break at work. The vivid image of a young mother staring in horror at the small hand of her zombified toddler shoved underneath the front door of her house desperately trying to reach her was so powerful I had to write the story. After posting it online and receiving some very positive feedback, I continued with the story of Jenni and Katie escaping into the Texas Hill Country….

Immortality Scares the Bejeezus Out of Me I have never understood the allure of eternal life. The concept leaves me entirely cold. I distinctly remember the day this came to be—I must have been about ten years old. I was in my room, paging through my Bible (Precious Moments-themed —adorable, right?), looking for the gory stories, when I got sucked into a few verses talking about heaven and the afterlife. For the first time, my childish brain grasped the concept of eternity. How it truly meant forever. Unending. Never ceasing….

Wondering What to Do With Your Life? (If you still have one) It has been brought to my attention that a large portion of my readers are at a very special time in their lives. Are you currently making important decisions about which career to follow? It’s a big decision. This being the case, I really feel I should do the stereotypically dull, ‘adult’ thing of giving you advice you never asked for. Except in this case, it’s not so dull. It could save your life. And mine. As I…

Does Writing Romance in Zombie Fiction Differ to Writing Romance in Other Genres Like most things, the big difference between writing romance in zombie fiction and writing romance in other genres comes down to sex. If you’re going to write a zombie romance, then you can’t get around it: You have to include a sex scene. The only question is do you include it early in the story or put it off as long as possible. No matter where it goes, some sensibilities are going to be offended. A human…

Can True Love Transcend Death? My name is Meghan Ciana Doidge. I am a writer. I started out writing screenplays, and more recently I’ve begun writing novels. But, no matter in what form I write, I write love stories. At times these stories are bloody, darkly comedic tales with all odds united against the hero and heroine. Often the plot includes otherworldly elements such as magic or post-apocalyptic landscapes. Some times there are zombies or zombie-like creatures. In my novel, After The Virus, these creatures, these Infected, are simply another hurdle the…

Top Ten Things I Learned from the Contagium Trilogy Preparation is the key to survival. Have an emergency food stash, weapons, and ammo at the ready. Avoid big cities. Large human population = large zombie population. Be resourceful. Hotwiring cars, picking locks, and making Molotov cocktails in the basement with Grandpa might have gotten you arrested before the zombies, but those skills just might just save your life now. Learn how to adapt what you know. Wear appropriate clothing at all times. You don’t want to get stuck in the…

The Difference Between Male and Female Zombie Writers For years, the zombie genre has been dominated by male writers.  But, over recent years, female writers have been creeping in.  On Goodreads, there are now 69 female zombie writers listed on the Best Female Writers of Zombie Fiction!  So why have women finally started writing zombie books?  Firstly, I think it’s because women enjoy stories which place people in situations outside of their comfort zone and challenge them to be more than they ever thought they could, just as much as…

I Have a Terrible Confession to Make. I Don’t Like Gory Movies. It’s true. I absolutely 100% cannot stand, tolerate, sit through, or view gore on the screen. And it’s not that I have a moral or ethical issue with gore on the screen. I don’t. I swear. It just truly freaks me out. “But, Diana,” you say. “Didn’t you used to work in a morgue? Weren’t you a cop? Haven’t you seen plenty of blood and guts in your time on this fair earth of ours?” Well, yeah. I…

Influence of Movies Hi everyone! When I was asked to take part in the 30 Shades of Zombie event, I was all over that. I mean, zombie fiction? Check, I write that (the Living With the Dead zombie comedy series). Women writers? Uh-huh, I’m one of those, too. So it’s totally right up my alley. And then I was given the topic of the influence of movies on my work and… yup, this was made for me. I’ve always been a huge movie fan. When we recently moved across country,…

My name is Mick and This is How I Became a Zombie Thanks to Carolyn for having me on. Halloween, and really the threshold of cold weather, is a great time to mention my latest novel, Solstice. Of course, any time is a good time to discuss zombies (called Ragers in the book) and Solstice is full of them. Unfortunately, my favorite Rager in the tale, Mick, was edited from the final version of the novel. Mick is a washed-up rocker and an all-around interesting fellow and I hope to…

Zombie Books & Movies that Inspired Me to Write I’ll tell you a secret—growing up, I despised horror. Absolutely hated it. So imagine my dubious joy to end up dating a guy who was a total horror-freak (we never, ever, have to talk about being cajoled into watching Saw in theaters… ever). It was with him that I first watched the original Night of the Living Dead. After that, I was hooked on zombies. I devoured everything George Romero put out and spent hours talking about the movies. But it…

Coveted Occupations During a Zombie Apocalypse When the zombie apocalypse hits, pity the cake decorators who have no customers, the techno geeks who have no electronics to program, and the accountants who have no books to cook. If you are a cobbler, you may be in luck, because you may find a lucrative new career in reinforcing ladies’ heels with metal spikes that could be used to penetrate a skull during an attack or repairing steel toed boots to keep them in good order. But, don’t count on these occupations…

Writing Gory Scenes When it comes to writing a gory scene for one of my zombie stories, I think about where I am in the story and how the scene propels the story forward. There is a method that I use and I find that it really helps: First I have to decide on which characters are necessary. Will any of them become hurt, killed or so badly injured that it will lead to a later conflict? Determine the best method or methods to describe the action sequence(s). What style…

The differences between zombie fiction written by women and men With zombies currently experiencing a hay-day in the public eye, there has been plenty of zombie fiction popping up all over the place. New authors are coming out of the woodwork almost every day. While both men and women have shown a talent for writing zombie stories, there are some key differences between the two sexes. For the most part, male authors have dominated the zombie genre, though the women are really starting to make a name for themselves and…

“The problem with Zombie-ish” Short Story When someone tells you that the world is finally safe, that there is a place to go where the monsters are no more, don’t believe them. I made that mistake, and it cost me my brother. Running a hand through my hair, I looked behind us to the tarmac where our Boeing 747 sat waiting for fuel that I didn’t think existed. After flying across the country, we were stuck. “Hey,” a voice called to me. Turning I faced Marks— ex military, in his…