Chewing Braaiiinns with… Marc Quaranta

Today we have a fantastic interview with Marc Quaranta who has just released a new book Dead Last this past week. Let’s take a moment and get ourselves acquainted with Marc…

Marc Quaranta, 25 years of age, was born in St. Charles, Illinois before moving to Carmel, Indiana where he grew up. As a Video Production major at Ball State University, Marc planned to spend his life writing screenplays and moved to Hollywood, but after giving fiction writing a try, Marc found his new passion. After only a year of writing, Marc’s first book, Abilities was published in October of 2012 by Ring of Fire Publishing. With three solo books and two collaborations due out by the end of 2013, Marc is quickly getting his name out there.

Contact Marc on Facebook or on Twitter. You can also see what Marc is up to on his daily blog: http://marcqbeherenow.wordpress.com/.

Why Zombies? Is there anything specific that draws you to the genre?

Zombies are an interesting villain. They are slow, dumb, and easy to kill—a simple stabbing to the brain will do it, but they travel in packs and that is when it really becomes a problem. The greatest thing about zombies, though, is that they really bring out people’s real character. There are so little that people, in the stories, know about the living dead so there is that mystery behind them and usually when they finally understand, it is too little too late.

Tell us about your latest project.

Dead Last Volume 1 is the story of a bunch of strangers that take shelter inside a local TV station after an airborne virus wipes out over half of the world’s population. They don’t realize that there are zombies walking around until the final pages of the book. Most of the time they are dealing with what is going on around them; lack of food, scared to step outside, people that are trying to steal what they have. The biggest threat to themselves is actually themselves.

What makes your Zombies different, if anything?

What makes my zombies different? Nothing. What makes my story about zombies different? So much. This isn’t your typical “people running from zombies so they stay alive” kind of story. This is a character driven piece. You can actually see characters developing within the pages. But the best thing about Dead Last? The story is told from five different characters perspectives. You get to live inside the world of the doctor, the jackass, the leader, the bitch, and the insane.

What are your favourite Zombie books that you didn’t write?

World War Z was the latest that I read and I loved the way it was written. It was a fresh take on the zombie genre. The Walking Dead comics are great, too. Much different from the actual show.

What are your top 3 favourite Zombie films?

The original Night Of The Living Dead was terrifying. The black and white. The originality of the genre. It was a great movie. I also enjoyed Dawn of the Dead. It didn’t have the best storyline, but it was another great story of people trying to survive each other while they survived the zombies. Finally, Shaun of the Dead. To be able to take such scary material like zombies and make it a hilarious movie was brilliant. It doesn’t get much better than Shaun.

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?

The Walking Dead helped the zombie genre by leaps and bounds. It added something that most of these stories didn’t have and that is simply character development. It was a story about real people trying to survive. It wasn’t about “when will the zombies attack” it was just about “what will these people do next to survive?” The Walking Dead is the reason that zombies are once again so popular.

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?

I would use the leg off of my coffee table. 2 of the rods off of both my standing lamps. A picture frame… I feel like the corner of it would be able to do some damage. Finally, I’d use a blanket. It would be perfect to throw over a zombie’s head so it couldn’t bite me.

You may well survive Marc… Maybe! Let’s take a sneak peek into Last Dead Volume 1…

After an airborne virus wipes out over half of the world’s population, a group of strangers take shelter inside WTIX, a TV station just outside of Indianapolis. Two alpha males, Kurt and Jack, quickly take charge of the group, but problems arise when the two can’t get along. As food and water run low, several people get sick, but the group worries it is because of the virus looming outside. The group begins to break from within and is torn between siding with Jack or Kurt. When they finally decide to break isolation and head to the hospital, they learn that the contaminated air may be the least of their problems. The biggest threat they have to deal with is themselves and they realize that it is never good to finish Dead Last.