Welcome to the dirty mind, Ben. You ready to get up close and personal?
It’s not normally something I do as I can be pretty quiet and reserved, but for you? Sure!
Oh, but I do love a man willing to open up just for me. Why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Well to make a long story short I grew up in Pittsburgh , PA , spent 4 years in the Navy and am married with a one year old. Along the way I learned a lot about myself and the world that gives me a very skewed look at things.
I’m a computer programmer by day and by night I’m a crazy zombie lovin’ fool!
Faith and The Undead is just about ready to burst from the shelves. Tell us about it.
FAITH & THE UNDEAD is the story of searching for one’s role in the occurrences of the world. It just so happens that Frank Payens is trapped in the middle of the zombie apocalypse. Through the hordes of undead, a secretive militant order of monks, and the collapse of society Frank Payens is forced to tap into a side of him that has been hidden since a past tragedy to unveil his true meaning. How long has the story been in the works?
I’ve been working on FAITH & THE UNDEAD now for approximately eight months. After attending Horror Realm last year I put down a novel I was working on and decided to write something that had been calling to me. What I began eventually turned into FAITH & THE UNDEAD, the first book in the Trilogy of the Undead.
Is it your first book? Will it be your last?
This is my first book but will definitely NOT be my last. As I’ve said this is a defined trilogy. There will be absolutely no more than the three books I have planned. I do have the concept started for a novel or possible series that MAY (I’m not sure about this yet) take place in the same world, but it will definitely not include the same characters. I also have some ideas in mind for a Post Apocalyptic series, but that is down the road.
The cover is just gorgeous. Did you have much input on it?
I have to say that the experience of working with David Naughton-Shires at http://theimagedesigns.wordpress.com/ was a sheer delight. I had full say in the cover and David worked with me to turn out the cover that will grace the novel. After the novel was accepted by Dr. Pus at Library of the Living Dead, I asked David if he wanted to try his hand at a cover. We had been friends through Facebook and I knew he did artwork so I thought what the heck. The cover that David sent me took my breath away and I knew I had to have it so I sent it to Doc. From there David’s cover artwork has taken off and we have worked together since in designing the Library’s blog at http://lotld.wordpress.com and special artwork for the Trilogy of the Undead.
Why drag faith into the mix? Most zombie tales seem to either ignore it or try not to ‘go there’ as it were. What brought you to this plot line?
To me fear comes from within and what better way than to display that through the search for faith. A big part of the story comes from an experience I had when I was in the service. I was dating a PK (preacher’s kid) and her little sister looked me in the face and told me all Buddhists were going to Hell. Now please understand I’m all for people that practice their religion but I can not tolerate ignorance. Take the time to learn about other people and their beliefs. You might just learn something interesting. That conversation has haunted me for many years and it truly comes forth in the Trilogy of Undead.
Tell us about the fan club.
I chose to create the fan club (with some prompting and assistance from David Naughton-Shires) to provide a place for people to learn more of the books, characters, and realm. Members will get all types perks that aren’t normally available including in depth looks at the books, ‘memorabilia’, and other cool items!
What got you interested in zombies in the first place?
My father got me interested them at a young age. On Saturday mornings if the weather was bad we would watch B-Grade movies and one morning ‘Omega Man’ with Charlton Heston was on. I was young and didn’t know any better so I associated what I now know to be vampires with zombies. From there it all went downhill!
What else do you like to write? Or is it all zombies all the time?
That is an interesting question. Right now it feels like its all zombies all the time, but I intersperse other elements as well. I have some post apocalyptic stories/novels in mind, a horror fantasy piece, and a couple other items. The true secret I’ve never shared until now is that I want to write the next James Bond. Not as Bond but something along those lines. A true spy thriller that I think has been lost.
To better my writing I frequent will try my hand at something outside my preferred genre. I’ve written erotica, true crime, and a couple others, but those are not typically for others to read.
Erotica, huh? Sounds like my kind of writing. How can we keep up with news about your work?
There are actually a couple ways. I have a blog for the Trilogy of the Undead at http://undeadtrilogy.wordpress.com and also have a fanpage on Facebook. To access the fanpage simply search for ‘Trilogy of the Undead’! I hope to be doing a more advanced website later this year that will incorporate all of my writing into on spot along with marketing tips and techniques.
Thanks for talking with me Ben. I sure look forward to getting my hot hands on a copy of Faith, and am already in the fanclub. Join now folks! You know you wanna!
Later taters!