Darlings of Decay: Lori R. Lopez

I was recently invited to participate in an anthology of female authors who write zombie related material. A lot of great ladies are involved, thirty two in all, and the end product is just amazing. It is free from several places and only .99 cents on Amazon. Again, in case you missed it the first time, here is the skinny on it:


With over 325,000 words and featuring some of Amazon's Best Selling Female Authors of Horror, this is certainly not your typical anthology book!

Sit back as your favorite authors of zombie lit take you on a wild, horrifying ride that will leave you breathless. Come and meet the women who love to entertain you with their own unique versions of the zombie apocalypse.







 

On this fine Saturday morning (where I am) I bring you the quirky Lori R. Lopez. 
 

1) What got you interested in writing about zombies?
I love Horror, and zombies are a big part of the scene. I will sometimes work them into my books and stories even when I am not writing specifically a zombie tale. In my fantasy-horror novel AN ILL WIND BLOWS, dead things crawl up out of the “ground”. I guess that I have loved the concept of the dead coming back to life since being fascinated by FRANKENSTEIN as both a book and movies. It is a very creepy premise. My first actual zombie story was “Heartbeat”, published in CHOCOLATE-COVERED EYES and THE MACABRE MIND OF LORI R. LOPEZ. But my two-part story “The Lycaning” presented a type of werewolf-zombie. My second work that I consider primarily zombie fiction is “The Fruit Of Thy Womb”, published in the fabulous DARLINGS OF DECAY anthology. I did create my own type of zombie, however, and my own unique doomsday scenario.


2) Do you think books by women tend to carry distinctly feminine covers, regardless of the subject matter, or do you think the industry treats woman the same as male authors?
I think Mary Shelley should have shattered any myths that women cannot write Horror as well as the guys. I do think there has been a barrier for us to overcome in terms of expectations and attitudes. I’m proud to be part of the DARLINGS anthology, as it contains a great deal of talent and is written solely by female horror authors. Also, I believe it will make more people realize that it doesn’t matter who wrote it, what counts is how good it is and whether you enjoy the story. As for covers, I’m an artist and create my own. I think they are rather different in style, like my writing. They are definitely not “distinctly feminine”.

3) Tell us a bit about your story in darlings of decay.
The first line goes: “The end of the world began with a rotten banana.” You can tell right away that this is not going to be the standard apocalypse. My stories can be quirky, and this one is no exception. Fruit flies mutate instead of being killed by a new pesticide. They attack someone, and from there a disease spreads to humans, then humans are infecting other humans. But at the heart of the story, there is a very tender plot about two people who have lost everything already.   
4) If you HAD to choose, which would you rather do: eat the entire F section of an encyclopedia, or lick a bus station bathroom floor from corner to corner? 
I’m a germaphobe, so the bathroom floor would be out. I guess I would hope that the pages of the encyclopedia tasted better and were less disgusting. I would probably read them first, however, unless I was really starving. Then I would only read snatches as I stuffed them into my mouth.

5) What is your greatest fear?
Well, there’s the germ thing and cancer and psychos. Public places and stage fright and the unknown. We all have fears. I have many, apparently. I could write a pretty long list. But the biggest, I’d have to say, might be remaining anonymous as an author. Never becoming widely known. All of my life I have believed I would be famous for at least one of my talents. Now that could be easier and harder than ever. There is more opportunity, but a LOT of competition. Oh wait, I forgot. I think my greatest fear is losing my memory. What was the question?

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Lori R. Lopez wears a lot of hats, literally and otherwise. An author as well as a musician, actress, activist and more . . . she writes short stories, novels, poetry, songs, and nonfiction along with a dark often-humorous column called "Poetic Reflections". Her books include AN ILL WIND BLOWS, CHOCOLATE-COVERED EYES, DANCE OF THE CHUPACABRAS, THE MACABRE MIND OF LORI R. LOPEZ, OUT-OF-MIND EXPERIENCES, and THE FAIRY FLY (ages twelve through adult). Her stories and verse appear in anthologies such as MIRAGES: TALES FROM AUTHORS OF THE MACABRE, MASTERS OF HORROR: DAMNED IF YOU DON’T, DARLINGS OF DECAY, I BELIEVE IN WEREWOLVES, SOUP OF SOULS, THIRSTY ARE THE DAMNED, and SCARE PACKAGE: 14 TALES OF TERROR. Fifteen of Lori’s poems were published for an anthology titled IN DARKNESS WE PLAY.