Carl Alves's Blog, page 23
March 18, 2017
10 Questions with Mark Tufo
1. How much of you are in the character of Mike Talbot in your Zombie Fallout series?
I surprisingly, or maybe not, get asked this question fairly frequently. Mike came into existence some thirty years ago when I started the first Indian Hill book. Back then he was loosely based on me. You write what you know, or so I’ve been told. Although thankfully I’ve yet to meet a zombie. Back to Mike, so yes we are both Marines, we’re both sarcastic, we umm both have germ-a-phobe tendencies but that’s about it. Unlike Mike I actually know when to shut the hell up and unfortunately I don’t have a BT in my life. We should maybe move on to the next question so I don’t have to do any more self-analyzing.
2. Who is your favorite writer?
This is an extremely difficult question, I’ve read so many authors and loved so many books. At the time of the reading that particular writer was my favorite, so to just snag one and say it’s my favorite is brutal. There are some that stick out because they gave me the love for a particular genre, like John Christopher and Isaac Asimov for sci-fi, J.R.R. Tolkien for fantasy, Stephen King and Dean Koontz for horror, Jodi Piccoult for romance (okay I’m kidding on that one) but you know what if I actually read one of her books I’d probably love it. These few authors I’ve named can’t even begin to scratch the surface. I’ve been brought on so many wonderful and terrible journeys with so many of them that to pick one just doesn’t seem right.
3. If the human race were to face an actual apocalypse, what do you think would be the cause of it?
We all want zombies, at least I think that and if it were to be zombies I can assure you I want the super slow dumb ones. None of them *uckers that run fast. What do I think will be the cause of the actual apocalypse? I think it will be something more mundane, most likely it will revolve around food and not being able to get any. We (myself included) are so dependent on getting our food from outside sources that if the distribution chain were to be disrupted we’d be on the verge of anarchy in a matter of days.
4. What current writing projects are you working on?
I actually am writing one super secret project I cannot disclose, I know, I know so now you’re like ‘Why did you say anything then? Ass.’ Wow I was about to tell you the 2nd thing I was writing but that’s also a surprise sp I have to hold up on that as well. Well holy shit. I guess I can tell you what to expect in the upcoming year. I plan on writing the next two (and final) installments for the Dystance series and I hope to write the final A Shrouded World book with John O’Brien plus the aforementioned secret stuff.
5. What do you attribute your rabid following for your Zombie Fallout series?
Well I’d love to say it’s because I am a master at my craft, a damn literary genius! A wordsmith wonder! But that’s not it, I still feel wicked funny when people ask me what I do and I tell them I’m an author. I don’t feel like one, hell I don’t even own a sweater with leather elbows. What I do well is tell a story, I feel much better calling myself a story teller. I think Zombie Fallout resonates with so many folks because the characters are relatable. For the most part they are your average Joe and Jane, they live, they laugh, they love, they give each other shit and in every case they are flawed, imperfect beings who are making the best out of an imperfect situation.
6. What made you start writing?
I’ve always had an affinity for writing. I’ve just enjoyed doing it. Stress relief was actually the incentive to write the first Zombie Fallout though. I’d been laid off and I needed a way to burn off the anxiety I was feeling. It was cathartic, to be able to spill all of the angst off onto those pages. So I guess it’s a relatively unusual way to get that particular ball rolling. At no time when I was penning that first one did I think it was going to become my career.
7. How did your experiences in the military affect your zombie fiction writing?
Just being in the military exposes you to a whole different myriad of people, places and experiences all of which in some shape, way or form changes the way I view the world. But that could be said about anything. I worked at a car rental place for a few years, the post office, I was in construction. I take elements from all of my life experiences and place parts of them in my books. I mean I can’t say when I was paving roads I got to fire an MK-19 ( a fully automatic grenade launcher) there’s nothing that can replace that particularly fun scenario! So as far as weapons I’ve probably shot more than most folks, does not by any stretch of the imagination make me an expert just gives me more to draw from.
8. Is there any subject that is off limits for you as a writer?
Apparently killing animals is a HUGE no-no! Off-limits? Umm in roundabout ways I’ve touched on just about everything at one point or another. I really dislike overt violence on women and children especially of a sexual nature and I do my utmost to stay away from those things which I find most distasteful. There’s already enough crap in the real world, I feel that my job is to pull the reader into another world, not remind them of the one they’re trying to leave.
9. What is your best quality as a writer?
Best quality as a writer? See I repeated this question because I’m stalling. I guess I’d have to say the development of my characters, that they seem like real people, you know, warts and all.
10. If Hollywood was making a film adaptation of Zombie Fallout, and the director asked you to cast the role of Mike Talbot, who would you choose?
Colin Ferguson, hands down. To me he’d be the perfect fit and he could stop doing those stupid Maytag commercials.
Hey Carl, thank you for allowing me some space on your blog! Much appreciated man!
I surprisingly, or maybe not, get asked this question fairly frequently. Mike came into existence some thirty years ago when I started the first Indian Hill book. Back then he was loosely based on me. You write what you know, or so I’ve been told. Although thankfully I’ve yet to meet a zombie. Back to Mike, so yes we are both Marines, we’re both sarcastic, we umm both have germ-a-phobe tendencies but that’s about it. Unlike Mike I actually know when to shut the hell up and unfortunately I don’t have a BT in my life. We should maybe move on to the next question so I don’t have to do any more self-analyzing.
2. Who is your favorite writer?
This is an extremely difficult question, I’ve read so many authors and loved so many books. At the time of the reading that particular writer was my favorite, so to just snag one and say it’s my favorite is brutal. There are some that stick out because they gave me the love for a particular genre, like John Christopher and Isaac Asimov for sci-fi, J.R.R. Tolkien for fantasy, Stephen King and Dean Koontz for horror, Jodi Piccoult for romance (okay I’m kidding on that one) but you know what if I actually read one of her books I’d probably love it. These few authors I’ve named can’t even begin to scratch the surface. I’ve been brought on so many wonderful and terrible journeys with so many of them that to pick one just doesn’t seem right.
3. If the human race were to face an actual apocalypse, what do you think would be the cause of it?
We all want zombies, at least I think that and if it were to be zombies I can assure you I want the super slow dumb ones. None of them *uckers that run fast. What do I think will be the cause of the actual apocalypse? I think it will be something more mundane, most likely it will revolve around food and not being able to get any. We (myself included) are so dependent on getting our food from outside sources that if the distribution chain were to be disrupted we’d be on the verge of anarchy in a matter of days.
4. What current writing projects are you working on?
I actually am writing one super secret project I cannot disclose, I know, I know so now you’re like ‘Why did you say anything then? Ass.’ Wow I was about to tell you the 2nd thing I was writing but that’s also a surprise sp I have to hold up on that as well. Well holy shit. I guess I can tell you what to expect in the upcoming year. I plan on writing the next two (and final) installments for the Dystance series and I hope to write the final A Shrouded World book with John O’Brien plus the aforementioned secret stuff.
5. What do you attribute your rabid following for your Zombie Fallout series?
Well I’d love to say it’s because I am a master at my craft, a damn literary genius! A wordsmith wonder! But that’s not it, I still feel wicked funny when people ask me what I do and I tell them I’m an author. I don’t feel like one, hell I don’t even own a sweater with leather elbows. What I do well is tell a story, I feel much better calling myself a story teller. I think Zombie Fallout resonates with so many folks because the characters are relatable. For the most part they are your average Joe and Jane, they live, they laugh, they love, they give each other shit and in every case they are flawed, imperfect beings who are making the best out of an imperfect situation.
6. What made you start writing?
I’ve always had an affinity for writing. I’ve just enjoyed doing it. Stress relief was actually the incentive to write the first Zombie Fallout though. I’d been laid off and I needed a way to burn off the anxiety I was feeling. It was cathartic, to be able to spill all of the angst off onto those pages. So I guess it’s a relatively unusual way to get that particular ball rolling. At no time when I was penning that first one did I think it was going to become my career.
7. How did your experiences in the military affect your zombie fiction writing?
Just being in the military exposes you to a whole different myriad of people, places and experiences all of which in some shape, way or form changes the way I view the world. But that could be said about anything. I worked at a car rental place for a few years, the post office, I was in construction. I take elements from all of my life experiences and place parts of them in my books. I mean I can’t say when I was paving roads I got to fire an MK-19 ( a fully automatic grenade launcher) there’s nothing that can replace that particularly fun scenario! So as far as weapons I’ve probably shot more than most folks, does not by any stretch of the imagination make me an expert just gives me more to draw from.
8. Is there any subject that is off limits for you as a writer?
Apparently killing animals is a HUGE no-no! Off-limits? Umm in roundabout ways I’ve touched on just about everything at one point or another. I really dislike overt violence on women and children especially of a sexual nature and I do my utmost to stay away from those things which I find most distasteful. There’s already enough crap in the real world, I feel that my job is to pull the reader into another world, not remind them of the one they’re trying to leave.
9. What is your best quality as a writer?
Best quality as a writer? See I repeated this question because I’m stalling. I guess I’d have to say the development of my characters, that they seem like real people, you know, warts and all.
10. If Hollywood was making a film adaptation of Zombie Fallout, and the director asked you to cast the role of Mike Talbot, who would you choose?
Colin Ferguson, hands down. To me he’d be the perfect fit and he could stop doing those stupid Maytag commercials.
Hey Carl, thank you for allowing me some space on your blog! Much appreciated man!
March 14, 2017
The Walking Dead: Bury Me Here
After the last few episodes, which have been pretty enjoyable, I thought the show had finally turned the corner after some pretty lousy episodes in the first half of season 7. Then they threw in another clunker in Bury Me Here. I have never particularly liked Morgan, but his character reached new levels of awfulness. As soon as they started spending an inordinate amount of time focusing on Benjamin, I knew he was a dead man walking, but I didn’t see Richard’s death coming, and the illogical nature of it is why Morgan sucks so much.
Carol
I don’t understand why everyone is treating Carol like some delicate flower. It’s not like she’s some millennial snowflake who can’t handle a little adversity in her life. Finally, someone (Morgan) told her the truth about the fates of Glen and Abraham. It’s kind of ridiculous that it took this long. At least she has broken out of her shell and is willing to join in the fight.
King Ezekiel
King Ezekiel is a flat out terrible leader. I haven’t always agreed with his decisions, but I at least saw the logic in them. But to give up their guns to the Saviors was just flat out stupid. You don’t give up your means of protection to your enemy. Some time you have to stand your ground. Instead, he wilts like a flower. And then all it takes is Carol going up to him and saying, “Hey, dude, we need to fight” for him to respond, “Uh, yeah, I guess so”. On the show you have three awful leaders: Negan, Ezekiel, and the guy running the Hilltop. How the hell did these people get in charge? Don’t they have elections in the Apocalypse?
Morgan
Morgan has officially surpassed Carl as my least favorite character on the show. So, he’s this ridiculous pacifist, which doesn’t work in the zombie apocalypse, and he finally breaks out of it by killing Richard? That’s the target of his rage, not the Savior bastards? Granted, Richard’s plan didn’t work out the way he wanted it to, although he did wind up sacrificing himself at Morgan’s hands, but it was the right thing to do. He needed to force Ezekiel’s hand, since he was so reluctant to join in the fray. He was the most sensible person in this whole episode. RIP Richard.
The fight against the Saviors has been a slow build, and I’m cool with that, but not if the episodes are going to suck like this one. I can only hope they get back on track with only three episodes left.
Carol
I don’t understand why everyone is treating Carol like some delicate flower. It’s not like she’s some millennial snowflake who can’t handle a little adversity in her life. Finally, someone (Morgan) told her the truth about the fates of Glen and Abraham. It’s kind of ridiculous that it took this long. At least she has broken out of her shell and is willing to join in the fight.
King Ezekiel
King Ezekiel is a flat out terrible leader. I haven’t always agreed with his decisions, but I at least saw the logic in them. But to give up their guns to the Saviors was just flat out stupid. You don’t give up your means of protection to your enemy. Some time you have to stand your ground. Instead, he wilts like a flower. And then all it takes is Carol going up to him and saying, “Hey, dude, we need to fight” for him to respond, “Uh, yeah, I guess so”. On the show you have three awful leaders: Negan, Ezekiel, and the guy running the Hilltop. How the hell did these people get in charge? Don’t they have elections in the Apocalypse?
Morgan
Morgan has officially surpassed Carl as my least favorite character on the show. So, he’s this ridiculous pacifist, which doesn’t work in the zombie apocalypse, and he finally breaks out of it by killing Richard? That’s the target of his rage, not the Savior bastards? Granted, Richard’s plan didn’t work out the way he wanted it to, although he did wind up sacrificing himself at Morgan’s hands, but it was the right thing to do. He needed to force Ezekiel’s hand, since he was so reluctant to join in the fray. He was the most sensible person in this whole episode. RIP Richard.
The fight against the Saviors has been a slow build, and I’m cool with that, but not if the episodes are going to suck like this one. I can only hope they get back on track with only three episodes left.
March 12, 2017
Zombie Fallout Volume One by Mark Tufo
I have been reading quite a bit of post-apocalyptic fiction of late, some of which involves zombies destroying humanity, so it becomes difficult for a novel or series to stand out from the pack. This is even moreso when you add in television shows and movies. Zombie Fallout takes place immediately after the government lets loose a cure for H1N1, which unwittingly destroys much of the human race. The main character is Mike Talbot, a former marine and father of three, who is a bit unhinged at times and often falls back on sarcasm and wiseass remarks. After getting back his son and daughter, they hunker down in his housing development, where they have created a wall to keep out the zombies. However, Mike knows it’s only a matter of time before things collapse and the zombies come in.
The writing style is pretty easy going and the novel moves quickly. I thought there were more issues grammatically and stylistically than I would have liked to have seen and it could use some stronger editing. The characters were fairly well developed. One thing that distinguishes this novel is that there seems to be a sort of supernatural element to it, both in the character of Tommy, a huge teen who has premonitions of the future and the zombie, Eliza. The problem was that so much of the novel has no supernatural component that these things stick out. So, I wasn’t quite sure where the author was going with it, and in this novel, these issues weren’t fully resolved. I’ll be interested in seeing in what direction it goes in future novels. All together, this was a fun novel that I would recommend.
The writing style is pretty easy going and the novel moves quickly. I thought there were more issues grammatically and stylistically than I would have liked to have seen and it could use some stronger editing. The characters were fairly well developed. One thing that distinguishes this novel is that there seems to be a sort of supernatural element to it, both in the character of Tommy, a huge teen who has premonitions of the future and the zombie, Eliza. The problem was that so much of the novel has no supernatural component that these things stick out. So, I wasn’t quite sure where the author was going with it, and in this novel, these issues weren’t fully resolved. I’ll be interested in seeing in what direction it goes in future novels. All together, this was a fun novel that I would recommend.
March 7, 2017
The Walking Dead: Say Yes
Say Yes was all about hijinx on the road with Rick and Michonne. It was like a college road trip, except they were trying to gather weapons and had to kill a score of zombies in the process. And then there was Rosita and her follies. Let’s break it down.
Rick and Michonne
This sequence had a bit of silliness and a lot of sex. I guess it’s a good turnabout from the utter misery that was first half of this season with a neutered Rick capitulating to Negan. This episode reminded me of the episode where Rick and Daryl had a road trip when they met Jesus, except for the whole sex part. They found their store of weapons, along with food. It still wasn’t enough to convince Jadis and the mindless drones in her camp to join the fight just yet, but it’s a start. There were some poignant moments in this episode when Michonne thought Rick had been slaughtered by the zombies, and then their conversation in the car when Rick told her that it didn’t matter if they died as long as they secured a better future for the next generation. Well said, Rick.
Rosita
I get why Rosita is pissed, but she’s acting stupid. This fight against Negan has to be well-planned, well-orchestrated, and a fight that they have to win. To go half-cocked in some lame assassination attempt isn’t going to work. They need absolute and total victory. Father Gabriel and Tara couldn’t talk her off the ledge, and now her and Sasha are going half-baked in trying to kill Negan. I’m going off on a limb in saying this isn’t going to work. Rosita needs a better way to channel her anger.
Tara is possibly going to tell Rick what she knows about Oceanside (unless of course, Judith is a super spy and is actually going to reveal what she knows to her dad). By the way, Judith is getting awfully big. It must be rough growing up in the zombie apocalypse. This episode was entertaining, but it was kind of a light, throwaway episode before the drama that is to come.
Rick and Michonne
This sequence had a bit of silliness and a lot of sex. I guess it’s a good turnabout from the utter misery that was first half of this season with a neutered Rick capitulating to Negan. This episode reminded me of the episode where Rick and Daryl had a road trip when they met Jesus, except for the whole sex part. They found their store of weapons, along with food. It still wasn’t enough to convince Jadis and the mindless drones in her camp to join the fight just yet, but it’s a start. There were some poignant moments in this episode when Michonne thought Rick had been slaughtered by the zombies, and then their conversation in the car when Rick told her that it didn’t matter if they died as long as they secured a better future for the next generation. Well said, Rick.
Rosita
I get why Rosita is pissed, but she’s acting stupid. This fight against Negan has to be well-planned, well-orchestrated, and a fight that they have to win. To go half-cocked in some lame assassination attempt isn’t going to work. They need absolute and total victory. Father Gabriel and Tara couldn’t talk her off the ledge, and now her and Sasha are going half-baked in trying to kill Negan. I’m going off on a limb in saying this isn’t going to work. Rosita needs a better way to channel her anger.
Tara is possibly going to tell Rick what she knows about Oceanside (unless of course, Judith is a super spy and is actually going to reveal what she knows to her dad). By the way, Judith is getting awfully big. It must be rough growing up in the zombie apocalypse. This episode was entertaining, but it was kind of a light, throwaway episode before the drama that is to come.
March 5, 2017
10 Questions with L Bachman
1. Who has been your biggest influence as a writer?
Classic horror writers like Mary Shelly and Bram Stoker really influenced me, the language they used is not something you see anymore, but in more recent times I really fell in love with Anne Rice’s book Interview with the Vampire. Something about the way she writes really encouraged me and inspired me.
2. How did you get involved with graphic design for Burning Willow Press?
I had already established myself as a graphic artist for my own clients. Kindra Sowder approached me to do the cover for a short she was working on called Anima. It was shortly after finishing this project she asked me if I’d be interested in working for her publishing house. It all happened very quickly from the time she contacted me to do cover work to her hiring me, maybe a week or two all of this happened. I still couldn’t believe she wanted to hire me.
3. What current writing projects are you working on?
I put together a special edition of my already published works of The Blasphemer Series: Maxwell Demon and Harvest. This edition is called Dawn of Blasphemy. What’s special about this is the bonus material. The bonus material was voted on by supporters and fans in my fan group on Facebook. They got to choose what got included in the bonus materials. I wanted to do something for the readers to thank them.
4. What’s the genesis of your Blasphemer series, and do you have further releases planned?
The series began with a character that didn’t get introduced until the second book, Dante Angeloft. I had started creating him when I was still a youth. From there a title came because of original writings of this character being called a blasphemer because of his paintings being controversial. Overtime, when I began working on the series again the word blasphemer seemed to fit more and more with the entire series.
Maxwell Demon, the first book, is the story that launches the series. Because of all that happens in this book the rest of the series is set in place, the second book Harvest is the first steps into the world after Maxwell’s ascension and those that had proven their worth of The Fallen and damned angels got to go home. I’m currently writing Ghosts, the third book, and though the books had been planned out to be about 7 totally, after working through things during the writing process those books have dwindled down into 5 books that are needed total to write the series from beginning to end. Those this series ends at 5 books there is another series I have planned that will continue where it ends called The Bishop Witches.
5. Is there an overall theme to your writing?
Trying to make sense….does that count? I want to write in a way that emotionally pulling for the reader to become invested in characters, worlds, and story. I also want to write in a way that things can make sense with realistically believable characters.
6. Tell me more about your story A Farmhouse Haunting in the upcoming Crossroads in the Dark anthology?
The theme of this anthology is urban legends. I love reading these types of things and I had been inspired by a Japanese story for my work. I wanted to do something modern.
It’s the story of a soldier that comes home to find that his pregnant wife has died, but never left. Her ghost and the ghost of the child still haunt their farm house in a rural location. Not wanting anyone to discover she has died out of fear of losing her he ends up going on a killing spree to protect her, but over time the ghosts haunting his home and the horrible things he’s done has driven him to the edge. I don’t want to give anything really away, so I suggest reading it when it comes out!
7. What made you start writing?
I began writing when I was young as a way to escape a childhood that was rough. It was my way of controlling situations that in the real world I had no control over as a child. I could write people liking me that didn’t, meeting celebrities, or even traveling. Over time, as I aged, I changed the things I wrote being instead of fantasizing my reality to worlds I created, stories I wanted to read, and characters I could relate to.
8. What is your best quality as a writer?
Never giving up would be my personal answer, but beyond that I can share what has been shared with me from readers that have spoken with me or left reviews and through them I can say my best quality is being able to tap in on emotions to create my scenes.
9. How has living in the South influenced your fiction?
Alabama is a beautiful mixture of amazing landscape, religion, and old folklore. I grew up listening to the stories of how ‘the older generation’ of rural citizens did things even if it was superstitious beliefs like whispering to your vegetables before planting them to help them grow and then seeing the same people head into little old isolated churches surrounded by corn, soy, or cotton fields.
I’ve met other writers from Alabama and they’ve all seemed to say the same thing as how I feel about the state, it’s a beautiful place saturated with old world religion and superstitions that make for a combination that inspires us. Author Jay Michael Wright II is one of those authors that I can say with confidence that has been inspired by the Alabama life, folklore, and stories.
10. If you could invite five people to a dinner party (alive or dead, real or fictional) who would you invite?
Jesus Christ, Anne Frank, Anne Rice, Edgar Allan Poe, and Mary Shelly.
Classic horror writers like Mary Shelly and Bram Stoker really influenced me, the language they used is not something you see anymore, but in more recent times I really fell in love with Anne Rice’s book Interview with the Vampire. Something about the way she writes really encouraged me and inspired me.
2. How did you get involved with graphic design for Burning Willow Press?
I had already established myself as a graphic artist for my own clients. Kindra Sowder approached me to do the cover for a short she was working on called Anima. It was shortly after finishing this project she asked me if I’d be interested in working for her publishing house. It all happened very quickly from the time she contacted me to do cover work to her hiring me, maybe a week or two all of this happened. I still couldn’t believe she wanted to hire me.
3. What current writing projects are you working on?
I put together a special edition of my already published works of The Blasphemer Series: Maxwell Demon and Harvest. This edition is called Dawn of Blasphemy. What’s special about this is the bonus material. The bonus material was voted on by supporters and fans in my fan group on Facebook. They got to choose what got included in the bonus materials. I wanted to do something for the readers to thank them.
4. What’s the genesis of your Blasphemer series, and do you have further releases planned?
The series began with a character that didn’t get introduced until the second book, Dante Angeloft. I had started creating him when I was still a youth. From there a title came because of original writings of this character being called a blasphemer because of his paintings being controversial. Overtime, when I began working on the series again the word blasphemer seemed to fit more and more with the entire series.
Maxwell Demon, the first book, is the story that launches the series. Because of all that happens in this book the rest of the series is set in place, the second book Harvest is the first steps into the world after Maxwell’s ascension and those that had proven their worth of The Fallen and damned angels got to go home. I’m currently writing Ghosts, the third book, and though the books had been planned out to be about 7 totally, after working through things during the writing process those books have dwindled down into 5 books that are needed total to write the series from beginning to end. Those this series ends at 5 books there is another series I have planned that will continue where it ends called The Bishop Witches.
5. Is there an overall theme to your writing?
Trying to make sense….does that count? I want to write in a way that emotionally pulling for the reader to become invested in characters, worlds, and story. I also want to write in a way that things can make sense with realistically believable characters.
6. Tell me more about your story A Farmhouse Haunting in the upcoming Crossroads in the Dark anthology?
The theme of this anthology is urban legends. I love reading these types of things and I had been inspired by a Japanese story for my work. I wanted to do something modern.
It’s the story of a soldier that comes home to find that his pregnant wife has died, but never left. Her ghost and the ghost of the child still haunt their farm house in a rural location. Not wanting anyone to discover she has died out of fear of losing her he ends up going on a killing spree to protect her, but over time the ghosts haunting his home and the horrible things he’s done has driven him to the edge. I don’t want to give anything really away, so I suggest reading it when it comes out!
7. What made you start writing?
I began writing when I was young as a way to escape a childhood that was rough. It was my way of controlling situations that in the real world I had no control over as a child. I could write people liking me that didn’t, meeting celebrities, or even traveling. Over time, as I aged, I changed the things I wrote being instead of fantasizing my reality to worlds I created, stories I wanted to read, and characters I could relate to.
8. What is your best quality as a writer?
Never giving up would be my personal answer, but beyond that I can share what has been shared with me from readers that have spoken with me or left reviews and through them I can say my best quality is being able to tap in on emotions to create my scenes.
9. How has living in the South influenced your fiction?
Alabama is a beautiful mixture of amazing landscape, religion, and old folklore. I grew up listening to the stories of how ‘the older generation’ of rural citizens did things even if it was superstitious beliefs like whispering to your vegetables before planting them to help them grow and then seeing the same people head into little old isolated churches surrounded by corn, soy, or cotton fields.
I’ve met other writers from Alabama and they’ve all seemed to say the same thing as how I feel about the state, it’s a beautiful place saturated with old world religion and superstitions that make for a combination that inspires us. Author Jay Michael Wright II is one of those authors that I can say with confidence that has been inspired by the Alabama life, folklore, and stories.
10. If you could invite five people to a dinner party (alive or dead, real or fictional) who would you invite?
Jesus Christ, Anne Frank, Anne Rice, Edgar Allan Poe, and Mary Shelly.
March 1, 2017
The Walking Dead: Hostilities and Calamities
Hostiles and Calamities focused entirely in Camp Negan with the arrival of Eugene and the aftermath of Daryl’s escape. This episode had some good and some bad, so without further ado, it is time to break it down.
Dwight
The show is trying to make Dwight into this sympathetic figure, but I don’t buy it for a microsecond. I find nothing remotely likeable or appealing about Dwight. Now that his ex-wife is gone from Neganville, why in the world would he not just take that motorcycle and keep on riding? He could go south, north, east, or west. Any direction would be infinitesimely better than his current situation. He’s an Idiot. He should have been the one thrown into the fire. Speaking of which, what could possibly be the upside of framing the doctor for Daryl’s escape?
Eugene
Eugene was the bright, shining light in this episode. I liked how he acted and the evolution of his character. He started off as this scared, cowardly wuss, but his sly smile showed that he was playing Negan all along. He once more pulled off the lie of having PhDs and being part of the Human Genome Project, the same lie he propagated on Abraham back in the day. He may not be a genius, but he certainly has the ability to sound like one and more importantly make others believe that he’s super smart.
Negan
The more and more I watch him, the more I’m convinced that Negan is a terrible character. He’s supposed to be the scary, big bad boogie man, but he comes off as a ridiculous clown. He’s not remotely credible. There’s no way he could lead all these people the way he acts. He’s going to kill the community’s doctor based on Dwight’s world? That’s beyond Idiotic. He could never last treating his people like garbage the way he does. Yes, Kim Jong Un is an insane megalomaniac, but the difference between him and Negan is that the North Korean dictator is so heavily protected that nobody could get to him no matter how much they wanted him dead. Don’t believe me. Watch The Interview. When he threw the doctor into the fire, what would have stopped about fifteen to twenty disgruntled Neganites to bum rush and kill him? Absolutely nothing. And taking that sort of chance makes a helluva lot more sense than living the way they do.
In the end, this was an entertaining episode but not quite as good as the others so far in this half season.
Dwight
The show is trying to make Dwight into this sympathetic figure, but I don’t buy it for a microsecond. I find nothing remotely likeable or appealing about Dwight. Now that his ex-wife is gone from Neganville, why in the world would he not just take that motorcycle and keep on riding? He could go south, north, east, or west. Any direction would be infinitesimely better than his current situation. He’s an Idiot. He should have been the one thrown into the fire. Speaking of which, what could possibly be the upside of framing the doctor for Daryl’s escape?
Eugene
Eugene was the bright, shining light in this episode. I liked how he acted and the evolution of his character. He started off as this scared, cowardly wuss, but his sly smile showed that he was playing Negan all along. He once more pulled off the lie of having PhDs and being part of the Human Genome Project, the same lie he propagated on Abraham back in the day. He may not be a genius, but he certainly has the ability to sound like one and more importantly make others believe that he’s super smart.
Negan
The more and more I watch him, the more I’m convinced that Negan is a terrible character. He’s supposed to be the scary, big bad boogie man, but he comes off as a ridiculous clown. He’s not remotely credible. There’s no way he could lead all these people the way he acts. He’s going to kill the community’s doctor based on Dwight’s world? That’s beyond Idiotic. He could never last treating his people like garbage the way he does. Yes, Kim Jong Un is an insane megalomaniac, but the difference between him and Negan is that the North Korean dictator is so heavily protected that nobody could get to him no matter how much they wanted him dead. Don’t believe me. Watch The Interview. When he threw the doctor into the fire, what would have stopped about fifteen to twenty disgruntled Neganites to bum rush and kill him? Absolutely nothing. And taking that sort of chance makes a helluva lot more sense than living the way they do.
In the end, this was an entertaining episode but not quite as good as the others so far in this half season.
February 26, 2017
10 Questions with Scott Nicholson
1. What do you prefer to write, stand alone novels or series?
Each has advantages and challenges. With standalones, you’re free to treat your characters as disposable, including killing off favorites. With a series, readers expect the same main characters to stick around for a while.
2. How has the digital revolution and the emergence of ebooks affected you as a writer?
Given me a career, pretty much. Even though I was published in mass market, most of the money went to the publishers and bookstores. Now I get most of the money because overhead costs are so low. That’s the practical reason. The artistic reason is now I can write whatever I want, with nobody holding veto power over my ideas except readers.
3. If the human race were to face an actual apocalypse, what do you think would be the cause of the apocalypse?
Collapse of the grid, for whatever reason—three low-atmospheric nukes over the continent could erase the US electrical supply. A massive solar flare could do the same job on a planetary basis. A coordinated series of terrorist strikes of key infrastructure points could also cause widespread outages. The problem is you need the power to fix the things that have broken, and you would now have to do that from scratch, and that would take years. From there, civilization does the rest of the job as we turn into raving, starving mobs.
4. Do you outline prior to writing your story, or do you work out the plot as you write?
I very occasionally outline, but mostly I just have a character and an interesting idea and go from there.
5. Where did you come up with the concept of zapheads in your After series and how are they different than traditional zombies?
Conventional zombies were well-represented in popular culture, so I wanted something that could change. The most boring thing about zombie fiction to me is that zombies remain the same and most plots devolve to the same place—a small band of survivors with guns. Zapheads are genetically and energetically altered so they begin evolving from their primitive states, so the threat is more than just getting eaten—it is being replaced as rulers of the planet. I had these big themes of transcendence and change which I am not sure I effectively communicated…but that’s how art goes.
6. What advice do you have for beginning writers?
Just write constantly and finish what you start. If you can write a sentence, you can write a book.
7. Is there any subject that is off limits for you as a writer?
Plenty, but not for any prudish reasons. I try to cross multiple genres in my work because I read a lot of genres and like them. Some subjects just don’t interest me and I know I’d be bad at them, so I just do us all a favor and stay away.
8. How is your career as a primarily self-published author different today than it was when you were traditionally published early in your career?
For one thing, it’s now a full-time career and a small, international business. A self-publisher’s job is selling books, while someone with a book under contract has a job as a writer. A lot of people don’t recognize the distinction.
9. If you could pick one other author to collaborate with on a novel or story, living or dead, who would it be?
Stephen King, naturally. Although modernizing “1984” with George Orwell might be really cool.
10. If you could create a Mount Rushmore of the greatest authors in the horror genre, which four writers would you choose?
I’m going to leave off younger contemporary authors so as not to hurt any feelings. So King, Levin, Jackson, and Koontz.
Each has advantages and challenges. With standalones, you’re free to treat your characters as disposable, including killing off favorites. With a series, readers expect the same main characters to stick around for a while.
2. How has the digital revolution and the emergence of ebooks affected you as a writer?
Given me a career, pretty much. Even though I was published in mass market, most of the money went to the publishers and bookstores. Now I get most of the money because overhead costs are so low. That’s the practical reason. The artistic reason is now I can write whatever I want, with nobody holding veto power over my ideas except readers.
3. If the human race were to face an actual apocalypse, what do you think would be the cause of the apocalypse?
Collapse of the grid, for whatever reason—three low-atmospheric nukes over the continent could erase the US electrical supply. A massive solar flare could do the same job on a planetary basis. A coordinated series of terrorist strikes of key infrastructure points could also cause widespread outages. The problem is you need the power to fix the things that have broken, and you would now have to do that from scratch, and that would take years. From there, civilization does the rest of the job as we turn into raving, starving mobs.
4. Do you outline prior to writing your story, or do you work out the plot as you write?
I very occasionally outline, but mostly I just have a character and an interesting idea and go from there.
5. Where did you come up with the concept of zapheads in your After series and how are they different than traditional zombies?
Conventional zombies were well-represented in popular culture, so I wanted something that could change. The most boring thing about zombie fiction to me is that zombies remain the same and most plots devolve to the same place—a small band of survivors with guns. Zapheads are genetically and energetically altered so they begin evolving from their primitive states, so the threat is more than just getting eaten—it is being replaced as rulers of the planet. I had these big themes of transcendence and change which I am not sure I effectively communicated…but that’s how art goes.
6. What advice do you have for beginning writers?
Just write constantly and finish what you start. If you can write a sentence, you can write a book.
7. Is there any subject that is off limits for you as a writer?
Plenty, but not for any prudish reasons. I try to cross multiple genres in my work because I read a lot of genres and like them. Some subjects just don’t interest me and I know I’d be bad at them, so I just do us all a favor and stay away.
8. How is your career as a primarily self-published author different today than it was when you were traditionally published early in your career?
For one thing, it’s now a full-time career and a small, international business. A self-publisher’s job is selling books, while someone with a book under contract has a job as a writer. A lot of people don’t recognize the distinction.
9. If you could pick one other author to collaborate with on a novel or story, living or dead, who would it be?
Stephen King, naturally. Although modernizing “1984” with George Orwell might be really cool.
10. If you could create a Mount Rushmore of the greatest authors in the horror genre, which four writers would you choose?
I’m going to leave off younger contemporary authors so as not to hurt any feelings. So King, Levin, Jackson, and Koontz.
February 20, 2017
The Walking Dead: New Best Friends
In New Best Friends the story toggles between the happenings at the Kingdom and Rick and company being captured by the dullest, least interesting, least talkative group in the history of this show. We see a reunion between Daryl and Carol, and the debut of the spiked zombie from hell.
Ezekiel
King Ezekiel is determined not to fight against the Saviors, even though the writing is on the wall, whether he wants to acknowledge it or not. Richard and Morgan take it on the chin—literally—and both of them lose their weapons. Eventually, King Ezekiel will come to the realization that this is no way to live and join in the fight, but it will take Carol to convince him.
Daryl and Carol
Richard made the mistake of trying to woo Daryl onto his side by suggesting that they should sacrifice Carol to the Saviors, because that is what it would take to get Ezekiel to fight against Negan. Obviously, he knows nothing about Daryl, or he never would have made such a suggestion. Carol and Daryl have a deep bond going back to almost the beginning of the show. He’s not one to sacrifice anybody for a cause, let alone her. I understood why Daryl didn’t tell her about the fates of Glen and Abraham so as to not ruin her psyche since she has taken herself out of all of the conflict, but ultimately it’s folly. She’s going to find out eventually, and it’s not like Carol is some sort of fragile flower. She’s always been tough, and once she understands what needs to be done, she will do it.
Rick
Rick gets to show his metal by facing the most ridiculous looking zombie I’ve even seen on the show. This one was covered with knives and spikes. No matter how this zombie’s existence is explained, it’s ridiculous. Either we’re supposed to believe that he decked himself out in that outfit and died that way, or they got a zombie and somehow wrapped him up in this outfit. It something this show does frequently, come up with a neat visual or special effect, but have no logical way of explaining it. It’s kind of like the wire in between the cars mowing down the zombies in the last episode. Either way, Rick took him down with no weapons, and then made a deal with Jadis. By the way, nothing about this group is remotely believable. It’s completely unrealistic that this group of hundreds if not thousands could exist with nobody knowing about them. How do they subsist? What’s their food source? Also, they don’t act like actual human beings. They move around monotonously in circles and formations with nobody saying anything. Are they people or automatons? I’m not sure where the show is going with these people, but I’m not liking it so far.
Right now, the show is positioning itself for the big battles to come. The various factions are moving around the board like chess pieces, and ultimately this will lead to Negan’s demise. Hopefully, before then Jadis and her group will all be killed off.
Ezekiel
King Ezekiel is determined not to fight against the Saviors, even though the writing is on the wall, whether he wants to acknowledge it or not. Richard and Morgan take it on the chin—literally—and both of them lose their weapons. Eventually, King Ezekiel will come to the realization that this is no way to live and join in the fight, but it will take Carol to convince him.
Daryl and Carol
Richard made the mistake of trying to woo Daryl onto his side by suggesting that they should sacrifice Carol to the Saviors, because that is what it would take to get Ezekiel to fight against Negan. Obviously, he knows nothing about Daryl, or he never would have made such a suggestion. Carol and Daryl have a deep bond going back to almost the beginning of the show. He’s not one to sacrifice anybody for a cause, let alone her. I understood why Daryl didn’t tell her about the fates of Glen and Abraham so as to not ruin her psyche since she has taken herself out of all of the conflict, but ultimately it’s folly. She’s going to find out eventually, and it’s not like Carol is some sort of fragile flower. She’s always been tough, and once she understands what needs to be done, she will do it.
Rick
Rick gets to show his metal by facing the most ridiculous looking zombie I’ve even seen on the show. This one was covered with knives and spikes. No matter how this zombie’s existence is explained, it’s ridiculous. Either we’re supposed to believe that he decked himself out in that outfit and died that way, or they got a zombie and somehow wrapped him up in this outfit. It something this show does frequently, come up with a neat visual or special effect, but have no logical way of explaining it. It’s kind of like the wire in between the cars mowing down the zombies in the last episode. Either way, Rick took him down with no weapons, and then made a deal with Jadis. By the way, nothing about this group is remotely believable. It’s completely unrealistic that this group of hundreds if not thousands could exist with nobody knowing about them. How do they subsist? What’s their food source? Also, they don’t act like actual human beings. They move around monotonously in circles and formations with nobody saying anything. Are they people or automatons? I’m not sure where the show is going with these people, but I’m not liking it so far.
Right now, the show is positioning itself for the big battles to come. The various factions are moving around the board like chess pieces, and ultimately this will lead to Negan’s demise. Hopefully, before then Jadis and her group will all be killed off.
February 14, 2017
The Walking Dead: Rock in the Road
Rock in the Road was a return to normalcy for The Walking Dead. The first half of the season was such an utter disappointment, with the exception of the mid-season premiere and finale, that it was refreshing to watch this episode. Rick and the gang are no longer acting like whipped dogs, tolerating a ridiculous and intolerable situation. The most memorable moment of the episode was when Rick and Michone mowed down a herd of zombies with a cable going between two cars. Although I admit the scene was fun to watch, it was also somewhat absurd. There was no way that cable would have been able to cut the zombies in half like that. The zombies would have been entangled in the wire, and most like the cars would have crashed together in the middle, but hey why insert realism into a crazy action scene.
Father Gabriel
Even though Father Gabriel is hardly my favorite character, I’m with Rick on this one. I’m not quite sure what Gabriel is up to or how he even knows about the boat, but my guess is that he is doing more than just escaping from Alexandria. This would be too much of a departure from his character arc.
King Ezekiel
At this point, King Ezekiel is playing hard to get. Rick made his initial pitch, trying to seal the deal with his rock in the road story, but Ezekiel wasn’t buying. Not yet anyway. He’s eventually going to join the war against the Saviors, but it will take Carol’s persuasion to get him there. At least he agreed to take Daryl in as a refuge. It will take Daryl to convince Carol to join the fight, and she will persuade Ezekiel to join the fray. Gregory, on the other hand, is a complete putz. He won’t be joining Rick in the fight, which means that they will eventually have to overthrow him. Fortunately, most of the Hilltoppers seem to be willing to fight.
I’m not sure who this new group is, but Rick was smiling at the end, which leads me to believe he sees them as allies in this fight.
Jesus is once more proving how valuable he is by stealing the long range radio from the Saviors.
Father Gabriel
Even though Father Gabriel is hardly my favorite character, I’m with Rick on this one. I’m not quite sure what Gabriel is up to or how he even knows about the boat, but my guess is that he is doing more than just escaping from Alexandria. This would be too much of a departure from his character arc.
King Ezekiel
At this point, King Ezekiel is playing hard to get. Rick made his initial pitch, trying to seal the deal with his rock in the road story, but Ezekiel wasn’t buying. Not yet anyway. He’s eventually going to join the war against the Saviors, but it will take Carol’s persuasion to get him there. At least he agreed to take Daryl in as a refuge. It will take Daryl to convince Carol to join the fight, and she will persuade Ezekiel to join the fray. Gregory, on the other hand, is a complete putz. He won’t be joining Rick in the fight, which means that they will eventually have to overthrow him. Fortunately, most of the Hilltoppers seem to be willing to fight.
I’m not sure who this new group is, but Rick was smiling at the end, which leads me to believe he sees them as allies in this fight.
Jesus is once more proving how valuable he is by stealing the long range radio from the Saviors.
February 12, 2017
After: The Shock by Scott Nicholson
I seem to be on a run of post-apocalyptic novels in my queue of late. Most of them have been of the zombie variety. In this novel, the culprit that leads to the demise of the human race is a series of solar flares, which wipes out most of humanity. Of the survivors, there are those who remain normal –although of seriously questionable character—and the zapheads, who have little humanity left and are basically mindless, violent people, whose sole purpose seems to be to injure and kill. The story follows several different groups of survivors, who are interlinked in various ways. These are the early days of the apocalypse and the people are still trying to figure things out and seek out safety.
Because there is so much post-apocalyptic fiction, movies, and television shows out there, one of the biggest challenges for an author is to distinguish their series from all of the other ones out there. On the plus side, the idea behind the apocalypse is pretty good. Although solar flares ending humanity is not that uncommon, I like what the author did in terms of having zapheads along with regular humans. The other interesting thing happening is that the zapheads seem to be evolving, getting some level of communication and coordination among them, while at times, it seems like the humans are devolving. The writing is professional and has a good flow to it. The only trouble spot is that there are too many unlikeable characters in the mix. Pete and Campbell are two college kids who are more into drinking and drugs than surviving. In addition, the characters of Arnoff and Donnie are idiots. These characters need a bit of work. Fortunately, there are good characters to balance them out. All in all, this was a good start to a series and I will look forward to reading more.
Because there is so much post-apocalyptic fiction, movies, and television shows out there, one of the biggest challenges for an author is to distinguish their series from all of the other ones out there. On the plus side, the idea behind the apocalypse is pretty good. Although solar flares ending humanity is not that uncommon, I like what the author did in terms of having zapheads along with regular humans. The other interesting thing happening is that the zapheads seem to be evolving, getting some level of communication and coordination among them, while at times, it seems like the humans are devolving. The writing is professional and has a good flow to it. The only trouble spot is that there are too many unlikeable characters in the mix. Pete and Campbell are two college kids who are more into drinking and drugs than surviving. In addition, the characters of Arnoff and Donnie are idiots. These characters need a bit of work. Fortunately, there are good characters to balance them out. All in all, this was a good start to a series and I will look forward to reading more.
