This wonderful Monday morning I am joined by Suzanne Robb, author of many Zombie tales and one that you should have heard of already. If for some odd reason you haven’t, let’s get you acquainted…
Suzanne Robb is the author of Were-wolves, Apocalypses, and Genetic Mutation, Oh my! published by Dark Continents, and the novel Contaminated published by Severed Press. She is a contributing editor at Hidden Thoughts Press, and co-edited Read The End First with Adrian Chamberlin. In her free time she reads, watches movies, plays with her dog, and enjoys chocolate and LEGO’s.
Welcome Suzanne! Let’s get this started with an easy question – why Zombies? Is there anything specific that draws you to the genre?
Yep, they terrify and fascinate me at the same time. As a kid I watched Night of the Living Dead. I didn’t sleep for weeks and had nightmares, after that I was hooked. Scary movies, but especially ones about zombies caught my attention. I like the genre because it is so malleable. You can read depressing stories, action based, sci-fi, military, comedy, and so on. Zombies are quite a diverse bunch and are constantly being reinvented by people, I love it.
Tell us about your latest project; published or otherwise.
Hmm, I just finished a book called The Moonlight Killer, a sort of different take on the werewolf. I also have in print a new book, Contaminated, published by Severed Press. A lot of people have commented they wanted to know more after the story, which is good as it is meant to be that way as it is part of a trilogy, have to make people want to come back.
Leaving them wanting more is the best way to keep ’em coming back! What makes your Zombies different, if anything?
For me what makes zombies different is the most horrific thing is people’s reactions and not necessarily the actual zombie. A mob mentality arises and people tend to attack first and not bother with questions later. In a way, I find it ironic that people act in a similar fashion to the very things they consider nasty dead things with no conscience.
What are your 5 favourite Zombie books that you didn’t write?
Hmm, that is a tough question.
I would have to say Zombie Wilson Diaries by Timothy Long, World War Z by Max Brooks, The whole of the Autumn series by David Moody, Breathers by S.G.Browne and the last one is the screenplay to Zombieland, I think that movie is genius.
Great choices so I definitely have to follow it up by asking you which 3 Zombie films are your favourites?
Zombieland, Night of the Living Dead (Romero version only), and Fido.
Great films! Speaking of another visual medium, do you think the popularity of The Walking Dead and its appearance in mainstream media has helped to increase the popularity of the genre, or has there always been such an interest?
I think the interest has always been there, but television was not paying attention. Movies always do well no matter how low budget. Take the Army of Darkness series, Fido, Night of the Living Dead remakes, Dead Snow, and so forth. Even some of the first movies around (silent) like I married a Zombi were hits in their target audience.
I do think that The Walking Dead has made it okay for people to say they like zombies, and even commercialized them to the point where people who would generally turn away from the genre actually give it a chance.
Pop Quiz: If the Zombie Apocalypse were to occur right now, 5 things found in the room you are currently sitting will be your weapons – what are they?
Five things – Good thing I am working on renovations I suppose. A hammer, crowbar, baseball bat, dismantled light for the metal tube, and as a last resort butchers knife. In other words, I am not long for this apocalypse.
You may well survive Suzanne, especially with an arsenal like that! Thank you for taking the time to stop by and answer my questions.
For those readers out there interested in Suzanne’s book Contaminated, let’s take a sneak peek at it…
Dr. Arthur Covington may hold the key to the most important discovery in the history of humankind. He is, however, not the only interested party.
If he is to survive treachery and attempts on his life in his bid to escape a secure, high-tech facility, he will have to rely on others – but who can he trust?
Underground, an explosion rocks the facility. Someone drops a viral agent.
In a new world where none can be trusted, Covington’s life hangs in the balance. It’s a race against time…and the end of the world…because it’s not just the living he has to fight against. The dead are rising. Dead men walk the halls below the earth, and the only thing keeping him from being contaminated is his gas mask…and it won’t last forever
Days with the Undead 