Matt Darst's Blog
February 18, 2013
A Digression: New Order Find Joy Through Division
Here's a recent blog post that tries to be all things:
http://www.mattdarst.com/a-digression...
Stop by to read my thoughts on the band New Order, their album Lost Sirens, their influence on my novel Dead Things, my hopes for their next album, and a hint at what's to come in my next book, Freaks Anon.
Did I miss anything?
http://www.mattdarst.com/a-digression...
Stop by to read my thoughts on the band New Order, their album Lost Sirens, their influence on my novel Dead Things, my hopes for their next album, and a hint at what's to come in my next book, Freaks Anon.
Did I miss anything?
August 6, 2012
The Book Trailer...Almost
I created and posted a book trailer for Dead Things...well, almost.
What started off as a book trailer--an A to Z guide to the zpoc--quickly took on a life of its own. With each letter and overly simplistic graphic, the vision changed, leaving me with a warped little read-a-long called "A is for Apocalypse."
You can watch it (viewed best in 720p) on youtube here.
Although the images are, admittedly, simplistic, I think they lend a nice children's book vibe. The graphics and the rhymes really made this little video a lot of fun to create. I decided against using a music tract so as not to interupt the reader's rhythm.
Can you find the references to some of the genre greats, including authors David Moody, Joe McKinney, and Iain McKinnon? Watch for a nod to George Romero as well!
Lessons learned:
- Prezi is great presentation tool for projects like this. It, and a number of screen capture tools, are free and easy to use.
- You don't have to spend a lot--or any--money to do something like this. And even if "A is for Apocalypse," ultimately, looks a bit cheap, I had a lot of fun doing it.
I hope you read and, should you enjoy, feel free to share. Thank you!
What started off as a book trailer--an A to Z guide to the zpoc--quickly took on a life of its own. With each letter and overly simplistic graphic, the vision changed, leaving me with a warped little read-a-long called "A is for Apocalypse."
You can watch it (viewed best in 720p) on youtube here.
Although the images are, admittedly, simplistic, I think they lend a nice children's book vibe. The graphics and the rhymes really made this little video a lot of fun to create. I decided against using a music tract so as not to interupt the reader's rhythm.
Can you find the references to some of the genre greats, including authors David Moody, Joe McKinney, and Iain McKinnon? Watch for a nod to George Romero as well!
Lessons learned:
- Prezi is great presentation tool for projects like this. It, and a number of screen capture tools, are free and easy to use.
- You don't have to spend a lot--or any--money to do something like this. And even if "A is for Apocalypse," ultimately, looks a bit cheap, I had a lot of fun doing it.
I hope you read and, should you enjoy, feel free to share. Thank you!
May 4, 2012
"Dead Things" Giveaway News
The giveaway for "Dead Things" ended last night, and I would like to thank everyone who entered for a chance to win. Five signed books were offered initially, but I added two more books on Monday due to overwhelming interest.
All told, 1100 people entered for a chance to win. There were seven winners, and their homes are spread across the United States:
- Tampa, FL
- Knoxville, TN
- Mayville, WI
- Seymore, IN
- Harrisburg, PA
- Tucson, AZ
- Greenfield, IN
Winners should have been notified by Goodreads today. Congratulations! I mailed the books this afternoon, and I really hope you enjoy the story.
For those who did not win, there may be a future giveaway soon. Also, I will be holding a book reading and signing in the coming weeks in Chicago. Details are to come. If you're a local (and even if you aren't) I hope you can stop by and say, "Hi!"
Thanks again!
Matt
All told, 1100 people entered for a chance to win. There were seven winners, and their homes are spread across the United States:
- Tampa, FL
- Knoxville, TN
- Mayville, WI
- Seymore, IN
- Harrisburg, PA
- Tucson, AZ
- Greenfield, IN
Winners should have been notified by Goodreads today. Congratulations! I mailed the books this afternoon, and I really hope you enjoy the story.
For those who did not win, there may be a future giveaway soon. Also, I will be holding a book reading and signing in the coming weeks in Chicago. Details are to come. If you're a local (and even if you aren't) I hope you can stop by and say, "Hi!"
Thanks again!
Matt
March 22, 2012
"Dead Things" and Themes
Faith or Science? Although debated for hundreds of years, the partisan roar has grown deafening during this election cycle. Some days, scientists can be heard above the din. Other days, worshippers shout the loudest. The pendulum swings back and forth as, I think, it is probably meant to do.
What would happen, though, if a pendulum swing was halted at its peak by some freak event? What if there was no equilibrium? That premise fascinates me, and it drives the themes of “Dead Things.” I call them the 3 S', or Sociology, Science, and Source.
SOCIOLOGY
Nearly twenty years after a zombie plague, the balance has permanently tipped. Government has ceased to be and the church has filled the vacuum. In this new world the church-state has absolute power...and we all know the corruptive value of absolutes.
SCIENCE
I can think of no better backdrop for a journey of discovery than a land where medicine, astronomy, and technology have been subverted. It is this world that led me to the coin a new term for the zombie condition--“necroanthrophagism” or, literally, the dead eating their own--and attempt to answer some basic zombie questions. For example:
• If death is a process, at what point is that process hijacked by zombification?
• How would a pathogen escape our immune system, thwart the blood-brain barrier, and take over the brain?
• Why don’t zombies decompose? And how is it that they can groan without working lungs?
• Is “zombification” new, or does it have historical antecedents?
• Does zombification, in some form, exist in the natural world? (Short answer: yes!)
SOURCE
"Dead Things" stays true to George Romero’s original vision of transmission. In his “Night of the Living Dead,” there are two paths to becoming a zombie: natural death or fluid transfer through a bite. Most modern films (save for "The Walking Dead") skip over the former route of transmission, focusing almost exclusively on transmission through infection.
I think science may hold the magical secret to these seemingly incongruous methods of transmission. My hope--fingers crossed--is that “Dead Things” pulls the rabbit out of the hat.
What would happen, though, if a pendulum swing was halted at its peak by some freak event? What if there was no equilibrium? That premise fascinates me, and it drives the themes of “Dead Things.” I call them the 3 S', or Sociology, Science, and Source.
SOCIOLOGY
Nearly twenty years after a zombie plague, the balance has permanently tipped. Government has ceased to be and the church has filled the vacuum. In this new world the church-state has absolute power...and we all know the corruptive value of absolutes.
SCIENCE
I can think of no better backdrop for a journey of discovery than a land where medicine, astronomy, and technology have been subverted. It is this world that led me to the coin a new term for the zombie condition--“necroanthrophagism” or, literally, the dead eating their own--and attempt to answer some basic zombie questions. For example:
• If death is a process, at what point is that process hijacked by zombification?
• How would a pathogen escape our immune system, thwart the blood-brain barrier, and take over the brain?
• Why don’t zombies decompose? And how is it that they can groan without working lungs?
• Is “zombification” new, or does it have historical antecedents?
• Does zombification, in some form, exist in the natural world? (Short answer: yes!)
SOURCE
"Dead Things" stays true to George Romero’s original vision of transmission. In his “Night of the Living Dead,” there are two paths to becoming a zombie: natural death or fluid transfer through a bite. Most modern films (save for "The Walking Dead") skip over the former route of transmission, focusing almost exclusively on transmission through infection.
I think science may hold the magical secret to these seemingly incongruous methods of transmission. My hope--fingers crossed--is that “Dead Things” pulls the rabbit out of the hat.
November 18, 2011
Naming the Book: Romero, Milton, and Meyer
Adolescent girls across the U.S. are celebrating the release of the new "Twilight" movie today. And while that might draw a collective yawn from some, it means something else entirely to me...
The original working title of "Dead Things" was "Twilight of the Dead," a reference to the movies of George Romero (Night, Dawn, and Day of the Living Dead). "Dead Things" is really an homage to the Romero zombies, explaining the science behind the rise of the dead and the transmission of the responsible pathogen.
I shortened the title to "Twilight" in 2004 based on a stanza from "Paradise Lost" by John Milton:
"The sun…
In dim eclipse, disastrous twilight sheds
On half the nations, and with fear of change
Perplexes monarchs."
An aside: as far as apocalyptic references go, can you get any better than Milton?
Well, in 2005, Stephanie Meyer beat me to the "Twilight" punch. Her book and subsequent movie got all the tweens in a tizzy. Alas, "Twilight" would forever be connected to sparkly vampires, and my working title was no more.
That, though, proved a fortuitous coincidence. Because, in all honesty, I like "Dead Things" as a title much better. It contains multiple allusions to the book's themes. "Dead Things" not only describes a world of zombies, it references the spirits of those forced to "live" in that world. Because, let's face it, "surviving" after the apocalypse is not the same as "living."
I also selected "Dead Things" because there is a quirkiness about it. There is an undercurrent of humor running through the novel (at least there's meant to be!), and the title works well in that sense.
Stephanie Meyer takes a lot of flack for ruining vampires. But did she really do anything worse to the genre than Bram Stoker? Stoker's "Dracula" reimagined vampires as blood-sucking monarchs. I'm sure the residents of Transylvania were less than amused. Imagine if someone did that to Princess Di today? And at least Meyer got kids off their phones and computers and into a book.
So, while I may not like "Twilight", I do owe Meyer a debt of gratitude. Because of her, I found a more representative and meaningful title for my book.
The original working title of "Dead Things" was "Twilight of the Dead," a reference to the movies of George Romero (Night, Dawn, and Day of the Living Dead). "Dead Things" is really an homage to the Romero zombies, explaining the science behind the rise of the dead and the transmission of the responsible pathogen.
I shortened the title to "Twilight" in 2004 based on a stanza from "Paradise Lost" by John Milton:
"The sun…
In dim eclipse, disastrous twilight sheds
On half the nations, and with fear of change
Perplexes monarchs."
An aside: as far as apocalyptic references go, can you get any better than Milton?
Well, in 2005, Stephanie Meyer beat me to the "Twilight" punch. Her book and subsequent movie got all the tweens in a tizzy. Alas, "Twilight" would forever be connected to sparkly vampires, and my working title was no more.
That, though, proved a fortuitous coincidence. Because, in all honesty, I like "Dead Things" as a title much better. It contains multiple allusions to the book's themes. "Dead Things" not only describes a world of zombies, it references the spirits of those forced to "live" in that world. Because, let's face it, "surviving" after the apocalypse is not the same as "living."
I also selected "Dead Things" because there is a quirkiness about it. There is an undercurrent of humor running through the novel (at least there's meant to be!), and the title works well in that sense.
Stephanie Meyer takes a lot of flack for ruining vampires. But did she really do anything worse to the genre than Bram Stoker? Stoker's "Dracula" reimagined vampires as blood-sucking monarchs. I'm sure the residents of Transylvania were less than amused. Imagine if someone did that to Princess Di today? And at least Meyer got kids off their phones and computers and into a book.
So, while I may not like "Twilight", I do owe Meyer a debt of gratitude. Because of her, I found a more representative and meaningful title for my book.
