FIGHTS: from The Wrestling Blog: Rachel Summerlyn and Matthew Palmer Are Hardcore

from The Wrestling Blog

Madness in Austin, Texas!

The Wrestling Blog: Rachel Summerlyn and Matthew Palmer Are Hardcore: That's a clip shot by the esteemed Brandon Stroud from yesterday's Anarchy Championship Wrestling event, Peace Love and Anarchy 2012. Rac...

ZOMBIES: INTERVIEW - Tonia Brown, Steampunk, and Sexy Zombie Stories

by Bowie V. Ibarra

ZombieBloodFights.com - Tonia, it’s great to have you on the ZombieBloodFights.com blog.

Tonia Brown:  Glad to be here. I don’t have to actually fight zombies, do I? Cause I would totally suck at that.

ZBF.com - LOL!  Not today, thankfully.  We only do that every fifth Wednesday.

I want to ask you about the experience you shared about one of our fellow writers, Paul Mannering, experienced sharing a dark piece of prose with an unsuspecting audience.  I’ve always felt art needs to make people feel something to be good.  But does the artist have a responsibility to edit their own free expression for the public, or should they write what they feel to remain true to their dark artistic vision, haters be damned?

TB - I think it depends on a lot of factors. If you want to reach a sellable market, then you must take your audience into consideration. You can’t write something designed to offend and disgust, then be surprised when it achieves that goal and no one wants to buy it. Then again, you might find just the market for both offending and disgusting. (I’ve certainly seen such things.) More luck to ya if you do.

That said, above all else it’s important to be true to yourself. Writing isn’t just about selling to a market. Writing is also cathartic, a useful tool to excise one’s demons. Those demons can be down right nasty, and the results almost unreadable. Again, as long as you keep in mind that not everyone is going to want to read those demons’ narratives, you should get along with the readers just fine.

ZBF.com - Have you ever written anything that you felt strongly about that has ever rubbed people the wrong way?

TB - Not that I know of. As a Libra I tend to shy away from controversy.

ZBF.com - Alright, let’s take the edge off and talk about a topic that could set either of us off:  Doctor Who!  When does the new season start and what’s the word on the street?

Classic Doctor Patrick Troughton

TB - Mmmmm mmmm mmmm! Love me some Doctor Who! As far as I know, the new season starts this autumn. Rory and Amy are leaving soon, and the new companion has been revealed. She’s a cutie too! I really look forward to getting back into the Tardis once more.

ZBF.com - I think David Tennant was the Tom Baker of this era: Charismatic and talented.  I liken Matt Smith as the Peter Davidson of this era, having to fill big shoes.  What are your thoughts on Smith’s work in Who?

TB - No way! Matt Smith is totally a Patrick Troughton clone. From the goofy grin to the pratfallish comedy to the clever but silly one-liners. He could be Troughton’s son!

ZBF.com - I imagine the episode “The Next Doctor” was a favorite of yours, with a strong ‘steampunk’ flare to it.  Tell me a little bit about Steampunk and its following.

TB - Holy cow! That is a hard question. Steampunk is often referred to as the “greatest era that never was.” Set in the late 19th century, it encompasses all of the romanticism of the Victorian Era— including the ugly bits— all the literature, all the scientific theories and political upheavals, then cranks up the technological level on the whole thing to eleven.

ZBF.com - You’ve written several steampunk-inspired stories.  Tell us about them.

TB - I have had two stories appear in Steampunk Tales.

The first was Cold Boiler Blues, a humorous story about an inventor who owns his own coal mine to power his work. Trouble arises when his male staff goes on strike demanding, of all things, wives!

The second was Calliope. That story was a weird western twist on the old Pied Piper tale, complete with rats and lots of blood. Lots and lots of blood.

I have a few more steampunk stories in upcoming anthologies, some horror, some humor, and even one paranormal romance. 


I don’t want to say too much about them because they are all still in the works.

Under the name Regina Riley I’ve penned the erotic steampunk series Clockworks and Corsets. It’s a sexy adventure aboard an airship ran by an all female crew!

I also run a webserial called Railroad! which is part steampunk, part weird west, all adventure filled fun! The story follows the down and out gunslinger Rodger Dodger as he answers an ad for a job aboard a strange train filled with wild characters.

ZBF.com - I’ve heard nothing but good about “Badass Zombie Road Trip”.  Tell us about it.

TB - With pleasure!

It’s basically a buddy story written in the style of the old “Road To …” movies from back in the day. Gotta love Bing and Bob!

Jonah loses his best friend’s soul to Satan, and has seven days to find it or lose his own as well. Trouble is, his best friend, Dale, is now a soulless zombie with his own hunger and needs, none of which concerns his missing soul. It turns into a cross-country road trip, where they eventually pick up a stripper who brings a special brand of trouble all her own.

It was one hell of a fun book to write. I had to keep reams and reams of notes to make sure the timing was right in relation to both the situations and travel time. I also had a map full of notes and scribbles and highlights. Some folks might have kept such things for the memories. I burned them. I was so glad to see the last of it when the book was done!

Folks have been really generous with reviews and comments about it. Humor is such a hard thing to gauge when writing. You read a funny line over and over, and soon it loses its punch, and you begin to worry if it was ever funny at all. But my Badass has been called everything from hilarious and laugh out loud funny, so that’s good enough for me!

ZBF.com - Chip Fehd of BuyZombie.com had some good things to say about “Lucky Stiff”.  It’s an erotic zombie novel(?).  That’s an interesting combination.  How did you make such a dark an interesting combination work so well when you put it together?

TB - Lucky Stiff: Memoirs of an Undead Lover is my erotic zombie novel. It’s also my greatest love. It’s about a kid named Peter, who dies of an accidental overdose and is brought back via voodoo. He’s a sentient zombie that doesn’t want to eat flesh, so he learns to curb his hunger by consuming the power produced by the female orgasm, which means he must bring a woman to orgasm in order to eat. In essence it’s a coming of age story about a dead kid that learns the difference between being alive and living, and becomes a man along the way.

The story is awesome, and everyone who reads it seems to really love it. I have NEVER heard a bad word about it. Ever. But the trouble is so few people are willing to take a chance on it. The words zombie and erotic just don’t mesh well in folks’ minds. Go and read the reviews on Amazon. Almost all of them begin with something like, “I never would have thought the two went together…” Zombies and sex together at last, sounded like a good idea to me!

ZBF.com - What are your thoughts on ‘steampunk’ inspired films like “Wild, Wild West’ and ‘League of Extraordinary Gentlemen’?

TB - I am a huge fan of Wild, Wild, West, both the original series and the film. While I disagreed with many aspects of the movie, I sure did love that giant mechanical spider! WOOP!

League was kind of a let down. After reading the graphic novel, I expected so much more.

Other good films that are either steampunk heavy or just steampunk flavored are City of Lost Children, Howl’s Moving Castle, The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello, Steamboy, Nickel Children, and … well the list just goes on and on!

ZBF.com - Who are authors you enjoy reading, and what are some books that you’ve enjoyed?

TB - I’ve been on a Gina Ranalli kick here lately. That lady has some writing chops! I also picked up a writing tips guide from Chuck Wendig that made me pee myself laughing. He’s a funny guy. But Lovecraft has consumed most of my reading schedule, because I have been working on a Lovecraftian inspired horror novel.

ZBF.com - Can readers expect a steampunk zombie tale, or have I missed that already?

TB - Actually, since you mentioned it, my agent has been trying to sell one of those for me for a little while now. Fingers crossed someone picks it up. If not, I might end up putting it out myself. I plan on self publishing a post civil war zombie book here soon, so the steampunk zombie one may just follow the same path.

ZBF.com - Where can readers learn more about you and your works?

TB - You can catch me at http://www.thebackseatwriter.com

On Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/backseatwriter

And you can follow me @ToniaBrown1

ZBF.com - Thanks for taking the time to visit with us, Tonia. 

TB - Again, my pleasure, though I am quite relieved not to have to fight zombies. Thanks for that. And for the wonderful interview! 

==================

Bowie Ibarra is the author of the 'Down the Road' zombie horror series from Permuted Press and Simon and Schuster.  His latest zombie book, "The Fall of Austin", was said to "...kick undead ass" by Johnathan Mayberry, New York Times bestselling author.  It is available in paperback, Kindle, and other e-reader versions.

Enjoy the blog?  Use the 'Facebook', 'Blog', or 'Twitter' button below to share with your friends.

Please leave comments below with your thoughts.  I like hearing what others think.

Follow ZombieBloodFights.com on Twitter @wingback26

Join the official ZombieBloodFights.com Facebook group.

Subscribe to the official ZombieBloodFights.com YouTube page for book trailers and other mischief.

You can network with Bowie and learn about all of his Tex-Mexploitation books at his personal website, ZombieBloodFights.com.

BLOOD.... with some laughs! Where did the old scares go? A forward to the upcoming book, "Rise of the Fiend"HELP ME MOMMY...There's A Zombie Under My Bed and He's Making Weird Noises!: Bowie V. Ibarra has done me a great honor.

Here's the forward I wrote to the upcoming book by Michael Dick called "Rise of the Fiend".  Check it out.

HELP ME MOMMY...There's A Zombie Under My Bed and He's Making Weird Noises!: Bowie V. Ibarra has done me a great honor.: I blame Freddy Krueger. And it’s not because I’m a Jason Vorhees fan, either. I blame Freddy Krueger for making jokes out of horrifying d...

ZOMBIES: INTERVIEW - Permuted Press author Jackie Druga brings you 'The Flu'

by Bowie Ibarra

ZombieBloodFights.com is happy to have one of Permuted Press' newest writers on the blog today.  Please welcome Jackie Druga!

"Nothing is impossible. Highly unlikely, improbably, but never impossible"

– Super Mario Brothers."

Vital Stats:

Full Name: Jacqueline Druga

Nickname: Jake or Jackie

Primary Specialty: Writer

Secondary Specialty: Musician/DJ/Filmmaker

ZombieBloodFights.com - Jackie, welcome to the ZombieBloodFights.com blog.

Jackie Druga - Thanks, Bowie, glad to be here!

ZBF.com - First off, you mentioned the other day that you are going to miss Wrestlemania 27 because you are going to be DJ’ing.  Where are you going to be the DJ at, and what kind of music do you play?

JD - Ug, don’t remind me! I am so upset that I can’t see the live broadcast. It’s always an event at my house. I make a huge food spread and typically there is some drinking game involved. Usually, I get another DJ to fill in. I didn’t this year. I was misled. 

I have been Dj’ing at the same place, every Sunday for 11 years. It’s called Duke’s Station. They were remodeling and were closing on Sundays. Oddly enough, the entire second half of the Walking Dead Season 2. I was told we wouldn’t reopen until after Easter. Well, they finished early. I am a Karaoke DJ. Now, I do DJ private parties and Weddings, but primarily I KJ 3 nights a week and have been doing it for over a decade. I also MC contests around the city. Soon, I will have an internet radio show about the Apocalypse and Zombies. Hope you’ll be my first guest!

ZBF.com - I would love to be your first guest!  Quick question:  What’s the deal with ‘Dubstep/Brostep’?  Any opinions?

JD - Okay, see, every generation tries to ‘offend’ the generation before with music. Dub and Bro are extreme measurse. Dubstep is to AC/DC  as Today’s rap is to Sugar Hill Gang of the 70’s. They just gave it a name now. Upped it. Intensified it and gave it a ‘WTF’ appeal. Make sense?

ZBF.com - And since you mentioned enjoying pro-wrestling and MMA, who are some of your favorite athletes that you like to watch?

JD - Ah, If you wanna go old school. Shamrock and Mir. With wrestling though, I love Punk. Love him. He is amazing. But my all time favorite is Shawn Michaels. I have a life size cardboard cutout of him in my writing room and have taught my 3 yr old grandson the entire Sexy Boy entrance. Shawn is the inspiration behind Hal in my PA Series, Beginnings.

ZBF.com - Tell us a little bit about 'The Flu'?

JD - The Flu is a recent release and is completely different than anything else they have. It is character driven and really emotional. Reality based, I try to bring the reader into the hearts of the residents of this small town. Know them, love them and get crushed when some of them die.  I try to make people feel, whether it’s laughing or crying. I have often been chastised for having too much humor in my PA books.

ZBF.com - In your opinion, why is zombie horror so popular nowadays?

JD - Because we’re out of the closet and it’s okay to be out about loving zombies.. Like with the military, being a Zombie fanatic had an unspoken, ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ rule. People used to think it was weird. Now it is just plain cool. I think the fixation is on the fact that it is so scary and unexplainable. Walking Dead? Flesh eating? Sort of like the skeletons of your past, just when you think they are dead, they rise. No one wants to face the consequences of that.

ZBF.com - When you have time to read, who are some of your favorite authors, and some of your favorite books?

JD - King. I love Stephen King, although I don’t love everything he writes. My dream is to have him call me and say he read my book. Or one of them. I also read Pat Frank (Old school) Brian Keene, and Craig DiLouie. And not just because Craig is a Permuted Author, he is just damn amazing.

ZBF.com - What are some zombie movies you enjoy?

JD - Unlike a lot of people, I love the Dawn of the Dead Remake. While they aren’t zombies, 28 Days later. They top my favorite lists.

ZBF.com If you were to put together a set for people who just wanted to party their way to oblivion at the club during the Zpoc, what tunes would you play?

JD - Ready? I can see it. I’m a petite person, 5’2, hundred pounds but I have that loud, enthusiastic, DJ voice that is deep with dramatic pauses. “Ladies and Gentlemen … welcome … to … the end .. of .. the world …” BLAST – It’s the FINAL COUNTDOWN … that would be the start of the show, always gets people cheering and jumping. Then I’d go even more old school, Invincibleby Benatar, followed Living on a Prayer.

ZBF.com - Any other projects we can look forward to?

JD - I’m always writing, Bowie. Always. I have a chick flick style book, Until, coming out in two weeks. But also, in two weeks, my handy dandy ‘how to’ book, Surviving the Apocalypse. Sleepers 2 is slated for an April release, Zombie Battle 4 and 5 are coming up as well this summer. One of my movies is available on Amazon, 19 Doors. It’s okay, low budget, I didn’t film it, only wrote it.

I also am in the middle of filming ‘Tomorrow When the World is Gone’, a PA Indy film which we hope to wrap this summer.

ZBF.com - Where can readers find out more about you?

JD - All they have to do is either Facebook me or do a search engine. I have a lot of work out there and am easy to find, I love to meet new people. And of course, if there’s anything they want to know, post it on my Facebook, I am positive one of my off kilter offspring would reply with an outlandish answer.

ZBF.com - Thanks, Jackie.

JD - No, thank you, Bowie

===================

Bowie Ibarra is the author of the 'Down the Road' zombie horror series from Permuted Press and Simon and Schuster.  His latest zombie book, "The Fall of Austin", was said to "...kick undead ass" by Johnathan Mayberry, New York Times bestselling author.  It is available in paperback, Kindle, and other e-reader versions.

Enjoy the blog?  Use the 'Facebook', 'Blog', or 'Twitter' button below to share with your friends.

Please leave comments below with your thoughts.  I like hearing what others think.

Follow ZombieBloodFights.com on Twitter @wingback26

Join the official ZombieBloodFights.com Facebook group.

Subscribe to the official ZombieBloodFights.com YouTube page for book trailers and other mischief.

You can network with Bowie and learn about all of his Tex-Mexploitation books at his personal website, ZombieBloodFights.com.

FIGHTS: Wrestlemania 28 turns out to be outstanding!

by Bowie Ibarra
Photo credit:  WWE

I have to admit, the lead up to the granddaddy of them all made me a little anxious.  With Royal Rumble being fun, but kind of silly, and Elimination Chamber more of E-Lame-ination Chamber, I was afraid that most of Wrestlemania was going to be more like Wrestle-Meh-nia.  But it wasn't.  All the matches were great, and I think WWE balanced the show with some great matches that provided emotional peaks and valleys.

I also had the privilege to enjoy the show with a former Texas independent wrestling star, Jeromy Sage.  Sage will be joining ZombieBloodFights.com today to provide some of his thoughts along with the ZBF.com impressions.

WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE MATCH

Daniel Bryan (c) vs. Sheamus

In our party betting pool, many people anticipated Daniel Bryan would open the show with a great opening title match.  But it didn't happen.  As the match was about to start, Bryan went to get a kiss of inspiration from  his valet and girlfriend, AJ.  When he finished the kiss and was turning to face his opponent, he was cold-cocked by Sheamus, who hit him with a cheap-shot Brouge Kick for the win.

Look, I get it.  Like the best in the world at cheap shots, Floyd Mayweather says, you gotta defend yourself at all times when you're in the ring.  But what kind of respect do you bring to the World Heavyweight Title when you win it with a cheap shot?  Sunday night, Sheamus spit in the face of George Hackenschmidt, Frank Gotch, Ed Lewis, Buddy Rodgers, Lou Thesz, Jack Briscoe, Tatsumi Fujinami, Harley Race, Dory Funk, Dusty Rhodes, Ric Flair, and 'Wildfire' Tommy Rich.

All I got to say is the way Sheamus won that title is a disgrace to the sacred scientific wrestling mastery that belt represents.  He should have been booed out of the stadium.

The Sage Perspective:  Once again, Vince with no respect for anyone he didn't create. Guess we'll see where this goes, but pretty disappointed not to get to see Bryan wrestle tonight.

Kane vs. Randy Orton

This match was pretty good to for one that seemed to be thrown together in the last few weeks.  Orton tried to use science against Kane, but was overpowered by the big man who eventually won with a chokeslam from the top rope.

The Sage Perspective:  No storyline here besides, "Oh crap, we forgot to put Orton on Mania.  Hey, Kane, you busy?"

Big Show vs. Cody Rhodes

I have to say it was great to see Big Show finally hold a respected and revered title, joining the ranks of Ricky  Steamboat, Ultimate Warrior, and The Honky Tonk Man.  From the moment his punch was ready, and to the point he hit it, I was anxious something would go wrong for him.  But it didn't.  When he clocked Rhodes, I knew it was over.  It was good to see him hold the title.

The Sage Perspective:  Show is rewarded for his willingness to always do what's needed. Great to see.

BETH PHOENIX & EVE TORRES VS. MARIA 'The Greek' MENOUNOS & KELLY KELLY

This match was much better than expected.  For the Divas, they all did pretty good.  That rolling attack from Kelly Kelly from the top rope was great.  And Maria Menounos having a difficult time getting to the top rope.  

Also, the laughs came from the discoloration on her ultra-white pants.  It seemed to come right after she did the butt rub on the body of Eve Torres.  So it was either bronzer that rubbed off from Eve's face, or Menounos took a dump in her pants.  Either way, Menounos takes the pinfall victory over Beth Phoenix, and a little bit of the soul of pro-wrestling dies.

The Sage Perspective:  Meh, match didn't suck.

HELL IN A CELL END OF AN ERA MATCH

HHH vs. Undertaker

This match was outstanding.  The two dudes came out swinging for the fences, and it was clear this was going to get brutal. 

A punch seemed to have opened up HHH early, and yes, that meant BLOOD!  Yes, there was actually blood in a Hell in a Cell match!  

And there were also steel chairs.  They didn't whack each other over the head with it, but they pelted each other across the back in brutal fashion.  Taker quickly had bruises on his back from all the shots Hunter gave.  

Shawn had a duty to stop the fight, but 'taker didn't.  HHH was going to be brutal to 'taker until the Dead Man quit, or Shawn stopped the fight.  HHH had even disabled Undertaker enough that at one point he was going to smash his head with the sledgehammer, but Shawn pulled it away at the last minute.

Then 'taker took the advantage, beating down HHH.  It went back and forth until 'taker finally dominated and HHH gave up, going out guns blazing with a crotch chop and a kamikaze attack on Undertaker that found him on the receiving end of a strike that culminated with a Tombstone piledriver finish.

The three competitors walked away as respectful athletes.

The Sage Perspective:  Really awesome.  Seems no one of the modern era is able to tell a storyl like this anymore. That comes from guys with little to no training brought to the big time very quickly. As the three walked out, I genuinely felt there was very little reason left for me to watch wrestling much longer.

TEAM TEDDY vs. TEAM LAURANITIS

We fast-forwarded through this match, but Team Lauranitis won when Zack Ryder got distracted by Eve and Miz took advantage.

The Sage Perspective:  I love Shiner Bock in a can.  Great idea Shiner.  This was also a great time for more pizza. Sorry we didn't have tabasco, Bowie.

WWE TITLE MATCH

CM PUNK (C) vs. CHRIS JERICHO

This was another great match, showcasing the great science of the two competitors.  Jericho suplexed CM Punk to the outside.  Not one of those clumsy suplexes where the two dudes end up falling, unable to execute the move, but a high vertical suplex to the arena floor.  It was brutal.

Jericho tried to get in the head of Punk, reminding him of his troubled family, but it only added fuel to Punk's fire.

After going back and forth with submissions and finishers, CM Punk eventally reapplied the Anaconda Vice and locked out Jericho for a successful defense of his title at 'mania.

The Sage Perspective:  Really fun to watch.  Maybe there are still some storytellers left.

MAIN EVENT

ROCK vs. JOHN CENA

It was a year in the making.  Rock vs. John Cena.  They had talked a lot of trash over that year, and now they threw down in the middle of the arena filled with the proverbial 'excitement you could cut with a knife'.

The two exchanged moves, and you could see that Rock had a little ring rust as his moves were not as crisp as memory would recall.  But he still kept it competitive.

After going back and forth, Cena applied his STFU, and for some reason, Rock began to pass out.  Was it exhaustion?  Was it the pain of the stretched ligaments in the knee?  His neck wasn't getting cranked, either.  With the influence of MMA on pro-wrestling, I was afraid the ref was going to stop the fight.  But he didn't, opting instead for the traditional 'raise of the hand' to check for signs of life.

Hollywood must have taught Rock to be dramatic, because he began to pass out before recovering.

And before long, the end arrived.  After being clowned by Rock earlier, Cena thought he'd do the same.  Both these guys have been known to play too much when they're in the ring.  But though Rock was hoist on his own pitard earlier, it was Cena who would pay for playing around.  Cena was put down with the Rock Bottom for his efforts, giving the win to Rock.

The Sage Perspective:  Had very little interest in this match, but was pleasantly surprised.  Didn't see that finish coming. Guess Cena is turning heel after all.

Enjoyed the show overall. Good show, good food, good company.

It was a great night of wrestling, and I'm thankful it wasn't as lame as I thought it was going to be.  Great science, great action, great fun for all.

=============================

Bowie Ibarra is the author of the 'Down the Road' zombie horror series from Permuted Press and Simon and Schuster.  His latest upcoming book, "Pit Fighters: Baptism by Fire", is a combat-sports themed book featuring as one of the fighters a Mexican luchador who crosses over into MMA.  It will be available in paperback, Kindle, and other e-reader versions.

Enjoy the blog?  Use the 'Facebook', 'Blog', or 'Twitter' button below to share with your friends.

Please leave comments below with your thoughts.  I like hearing what others think.

Follow ZombieBloodFights.com on Twitter @wingback26

Join the official ZombieBloodFights.com Facebook group.

Subscribe to the official ZombieBloodFights.com YouTube page for book trailers and other mischief.

You can network with Bowie and learn about all of his Tex-Mexploitation books at his personal website, ZombieBloodFights.com.

ZOMBIES: Permuted Press Author Jessica Meigs - First Responder for your Z-Poc Fix

“We live, we die. Somewhere along the way, if we’re lucky, we may find someone to help lighten the load.”

From The Passage by Justin Cronin

Full Name: Jessica Meigs

Nickname: Jess (Never “Jessie”)

Primary Specialty: Horror writer, with a focus on zombie apocalypse literature (for the moment)

Secondary Specialty: EMT

ZombieBloodFights.com - It’s great to have you here on the ZombieBloodFights.com blog, Jessica.

Jessica Meigs - And it’s great to be here!

ZBF - I want to ask your opinion, first of all, about this whole zombie thing. What in the world is the big deal about zombies and the upcoming zombie apocalypse?

JM - I think people have an inherent fascination in stories and settings that are far removed from their normal, everyday lives. When it comes to virtually any scenario, people like to ask themselves, “What would I do?” And the zombie apocalypse is no different.

As with any fight-for-survival scenario, people like to imagine what they would do or wouldn’t do if they faced that type of situation. And the concept of a zombie apocalypse not only does this, but I think it also gives readers of zombie lit and viewers of zombie movies an additional feeling of horror in that it puts such a real-life face to the potential apocalypse: the faces of everyone you know.

Can you even imagine having to face the possibility of killing someone close to you when they get zombified? A lot of people are like, “Oh, yeah, no problem, I’d bust a cap in ‘em.” But in a real scenario like that, if it was really happening, could you really, honestly say you could do it? I think that the whole survival question like that is a large part of why people are so fascinated with zombies and the zombie apocalypse.

ZBF - What got you started on horror and zombies?

JM - Well, I’ve always enjoyed zombie films. I hadn’t read much in the way of zombie books. But then I got my hands on the infamous World War Z by Max Brooks and my entire perspective changed. I started absolutely devouring zombie books. Most of them aren’t exactly memorable; but there was one, which shall remain nameless, that I read that was awful. The premise was fantastic, but the story itself was handled so horribly that I said to myself, “I can do better than this!” So I started to write.

My book The Becoming and its sequels are what resulted. Ever since, I’ve discovered there’s an entire culture devoted to these types of books and films, and it’s been fascinating and intriguing and just plain fun ever since.

ZBF - You work as an EMT, which I imagine is not the easiest of jobs. Have you found that experience helping lives has provided great storytelling material for your books?

JM - Oh, most definitely. One of the characters in my main group of survivors is Theo Carter, and he’s a paramedic. I couldn’t resist giving a character at least a variant of the knowledge I myself possess. He gets to utilize his skills in The Becoming, but it’s more evident in The Becoming: Ground Zero, which will be out this summer from Permuted Press. And, of course, a large portion of my new novella, The Becoming: Brothers in Arms, which is about Theo and his younger brother Gray, takes place from Theo’s perspective, including some rather bloody events in the back of an ambulance. That was very fun to write and was inspired by a time when I was out on a transfer and as we transported, I was sitting in the back of the ambulance thinking to myself, “If there was a zombie apocalypse, and I was trapped in the back of this ambulance, what could I conceivably use as a weapon that’s already back here?” Want the answer? Well, you’ll just have to read Brothers in Arms!

ZBF - You spent time writing your book, The Becoming, on BlackBerry devices. Why did you choose to do that?

JM - It wasn’t exactly a choice, at least not to begin with. When I started writing my novels, I did not own a computer, just a BlackBerry smartphone (the Curve 8310, if I remember correctly). I got access to a desktop computer maybe once a week when I was lucky. So I just used the tools that were in front of me and did what I had to do to get my novel written. After I actually got a laptop, though, I continued writing and drafting on my BlackBerrys as more of a challenge to myself than anything else. Also, it tends to come in handy when I’m away from my computer and at work.

ZBF - Tell us a little bit about The Becoming.

JM - The Becoming is a book that, while it takes place in the zombie apocalypse, isn’t about the zombies at all. It’s more a book about the survivors and how they try to, well, survive. It’s about their interactions, the events that take place around them, how they react to them. There’s bickering, bitching, arguing, moaning and groaning, but there’s also the pluses: friendship and support and helping each other, and even the seeds of a growing romance. I think in this effect, the series can actually appeal to those outside of the zombie fandom.

ZBF - This book is part one of a trilogy. Tell us a little about the subsequent novels that will follow.

JM - I don’t want to divulge too much, because it will absolutely ruin the great fun to be had for readers in them. I will say this, though:

The second book is titled The Becoming: Ground Zero. In it, a woman shows up to the safe house and completely turns the group upside down. Some serious conflicts arise, and the bloodshed really begins. And a conspiracy is unveiled that will totally shake the foundations of everything every character has come to know about the zombies and the apocalypse they’re living in. The book will be out in July from Permuted Press.

The third book is called The Becoming: Revelations. And things are, well, revealed in it. Lots of things. Earth-shaking things. New characters crop up, old characters are lost, and there’s even more bloodshed (because we can’t have a zombie novel without at least a little bloodshed). Also, someone goes missing. I can’t say who or what happens there. But it should prove interesting! I’m not sure when this book will be released, but I’m sure it’s obvious that it will be out sometime after Ground Zero.

ZBF - You mentioned your love of music and how it inspires you to put together playlists for things that you write. If we were to see the playlist for The Becoming, what are some of the songs we would find?

JM - Where to start, where to start? The playlist for The Becoming, which encompasses the entire series, is twelve hours long. There are 163 songs on that playlist, because I tend to add songs that inspire me as I come across them. Picking some at random, you’d find songs like “Save Yourself, I’ll Hold Them Back” by My Chemical Romance, “Four Rusted Horses” by Marilyn Manson, “We’re In This Together” by Nine Inch Nails, “All the World is Mad” by Thrice, “We Are the Living Dead” by Atreyu and, obviously, dozens of others. 99.9% of the playlist is rock and metal music because, imo, that’s the only music worth listening to!

ZBF - When you have time to read, who are some of your favorite authors, and some of your favorite books?

JM - I read so much that I almost can’t decide, so I tend to fall back on old favorites: Feed and Deadline by Mira Grant (and I’ll likely love the upcoming Blackout too); nearly everything Jonathan Maberry’s ever written, especially Rot & Ruin and Dust & Decay and, of course, Dead of Night; G.R. Yeates is one I’ve found especially fantastic, if only from a horror writer (as opposed to zombie writer) perspective: Eyes of the Dead and Shapes in the Mist gave me chills, and I’m about to start on his new one, Hell’s Teeth, with very high expectations. World War Z is a given, I believe. And everything in Cherie Priest’s Clockwork Century series, including Boneshaker, Clementine, Dreadnought, and Ganymede. It’s zombie fic with a steampunk and historical twist, and it is amazing. And then Peter Clines’ Ex-Heroes and Ex-Patriots…

As you can see, I could conceivably go on all day with this, so I better force myself to stop now!

ZBF - What are some zombie movies you enjoy?

JM - Absolutely, bar none, my favorite zombie films are 28 Days Later and Dawn of the Dead (2004). These two films were incredibly influential on me and my writing, and I never get tired of watching them. Close behind them are the Resident Evil films, especially the first and second ones.

ZBF - As an EMT, what is some advice you would give for the people preparing for the zpoc?

JM - Collect your first aid supplies now. Don’t wait until the last minute. Medications, bandages, splints, all of it, will be incredibly hard to come by during a zombie apocalypse, especially medications that fall under the category of controlled substances (such as narcotics—which covers prescription painkillers in most cases) and antibiotics. I personally cannot stress antibiotics enough. Antibiotics are must-haves, so do what you can to collect what you can when it comes to those. As I show at some point in my trilogy (I won’t say when or what), antibiotics are incredibly necessary, and it’s something a lot of people don’t think about until it’s too late. Also? Health and beauty aids. Shampoo, razors, unscented soaps, deodorants. You can’t stay healthy if you can’t stay clean. Cleanliness is very important.

ZBF - Any other projects we can look forward to?

JM - At the moment, the aforementioned The Becoming: Ground Zero and The Becoming: Revelations. I’m also tinkering with a fourth and fifth book in the series, which are tentatively titled The Becoming: Awakening and The Becoming: Evolve. I’ve also started plotting for a paranormal/horror series involving a very awesome character and a lot of great ideas. I don’t want to reveal too much with that until I have a more solid plan for it, though!

ZBF - Where can readers find out more about you?

JM - Well, of course, readers can always visit my website at becomingzombies.com. I’m also really active on Twitter; my username there is @JessicaMeigs. And I can be found on Facebook at facebook.com/jessicameigs, and on Goodreads at goodreads.com/jessicameigs. I always welcome new friends to chat with at any of those sites!

ZBF - Thanks, Jessica.

JM - Thank you for having me!

"“It happened fast. Thirty-two minutes for one world to die, another to be born.”

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Bowie Ibarra is the author of the 'Down the Road' zombie horror series from Permuted Press and Simon and Schuster.  His latest zombie book, "The Fall of Austin", features Texans in Austin fighting for survival.  It is available in paperback, Kindle, and other e-reader versions.

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