My Top 10 Zombie Influences
2: Zombieland It's a zombie comedy road trip. I think that influence is pretty clear. I wanted to give YA readers the kind of zombie fun this movie offers a primarily adult male audience.
3: Shaun of the Dead This was the first zombie movie I ever saw, and consequently the first zombie comedy I saw. I have no doubt that mixing zombies with British romantic comedy did a lot to endear them to me.
4: The Walking Dead (TV) I became a fan of this one too late for it to have much of an influence on me as I was writing Confessions of the Very First Zombie Slayer (That I Know of), but with it being the main work of zombie fiction everyone knows... (Click here to read the full list)
What Made You Write Such a Nontraditional Male Lead?
I've been asked a lot about zombies, about the heroine, Cassie, and about writing itself, but even though several early readers have commented on how much they enjoy her partner in zombie survival, Norman, and how different he is from what they expected, I've hardly had the chance to talk about him, apart from once being asked if he's based on someone I know.
So what made me write such a nontraditional male lead?
Part of it has to do with personal taste. I've always had an attraction for comedians. Humor takes both brains and guts to pull off well, both attractive qualities, and cheering me up and keeping the world in perspective by making me laugh is often one of the most helpful things someone close to me can do.
There's more to Norman than my own quirky perspective on what makes a good boyfriend, though. In fact, that's sort of the point.
In YA books, and female-oriented books in general, male characters often run together into a sea of square jaws and chiseled abs. There are brooding bad boys and infinitely patient, righteous good boys, that's often the extent of their personalities, and we're supposed to consider that variety. In the worst cases... (Click here to read the full post)
Signing at Barnes & Noble Fullerton
Big thanks to everyone who did make it!