Writing Zombies for the First Time
It’s
official. I’m no longer a zombie author virgin. Though, if you asked me two
years ago if I’d ever write a zombie story, I would have told you no. And if
you asked me three years ago if I’d ever watch a tv show or movies about
zombies, I would have told you the same thing.
Then
we got Netflix. And one of the first movies I watched was World War Z. Sure,
that was okay, and I liked the idea of a zombie virus. Days later, I started
watching television shows about zombies. The zombie dreams came next. And It
Took a Zombie Apocalypse was inspired by one of these dreams, among
other things.
When
I decided to turn the dream into a story, I had to figure out what kind of
story I wanted it to be, and what kind of zombies I wanted. Since I write
romance, I decided to stick with the genre, but I didn’t want the romance to be
with a zombie like some of the other movies I’ve seen and books I’ve read. Aliens,
yes, but zombies, no. And since I liked the virus-infected zombie model rather
than the paranormal-curse model, the zombies in my story became infected by the
RFG-8 virus that came from squirrels in Canada. (I’m Canadian, by the way.)
With
those issues decided, I plotted my story then wrote it. It Took a Zombie Apocalypse
is a little more gruesome and angst-ridden than my other stories, but I’m so
proud of how it turned out. I hope you’ll take a chance on it whether you like
zombies or not.
IT
TOOK A ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE
by Jessica
E. Subject
Release date: January 30, 2017
Genres: Romance, Science Fiction,
New Adult, Zombie Apocalypse
Ebook ISBN: 978-1-988428-03-1
Editor: Kate Richards
Cover artist: Fantasia Frog
Designs
# of pages: 64 (ebook)
# of words: 18,220
BLURB:
It started with a kiss.
Then the zombies came. Now, Missy must work with the neighbor her
parents hate if she wants to survive. But zombies aren't the only threat to her
life, or her heart.
EBOOK BUY LINKS:
Amazon US – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N7R0JKQ
Amazon UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01N7R0JKQ
Amazon Canada – https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B01N7R0JKQ
Google Play – https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Jessica_E_Subject_It_Took_a_Zombie_Apocalypse?id=fyffDQAAQBAJ
Add to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33839754-it-took-a-zombie-apocalypse
EXCERPT:
RJ pressed on the
text and read….
Contagion arrived
from Ostrander.
Spread through the hospital.
Stay in bunker.
I’m infected.
Zombies
Spread through the hospital.
Stay in bunker.
I’m infected.
Zombies
Zombies? He dropped
his phone and stared at it on the floor, expecting it to explode. Zombies
didn’t exist. He was in some kind of dream. Had to be. Missy actually had come
home for the summer. And kissed him. Now, zombies.
“What is it?” Missy
bent down to pick up his cell then handed it back to him. “What happened back
at the park?”
“Zombies.” The word
came out before he had a chance to stop it. He didn’t know whether to laugh or
grab Missy again and run.
A crooked smile formed
dimples in her cheeks. “You’re joking, right? Trying to help me laugh off what
happened.”
“I wish.” He showed
her the message from his father. “My dad doesn’t have a sense of humor.”
The phone beeped, and
she pushed his hand away. “I think it needs to be charged. We should call him
just to be sure. Or contact somebody. Maybe he meant something else. You know
how stupid autocorrect can be.”
RJ rushed to the
kitchen, found his charger, and plugged in the cell. But, by then, he’d lost
signal. Reception was spotty in West Vitula, but he couldn’t get anything. He
peeked through the doorway, out to the living room. “Missy, can you get a
signal?”
After digging into
her purse, she pulled out her phone with a pink, sparkly case. Not at all what
he expected from her. Had he missed that girly side, or had someone given it to
her, and she didn’t want to hurt their feelings? That he could understand.
She held the cell up
and moved around the room. “I got nothing. What’s going on?”
“I don’t know. Maybe
we should try outside?” Though he doubted it would make a difference.
Missy stepped over to
window and shoved the curtains aside. “Um, there are people coming. And they
don’t…look right.”
RJ glanced outside.
Neighbors walked down the middle of the street, their bodies twitching. And no
one stopped to talk to one another. They just kept marching along to some
unknown destination. As they came closer, he noticed their tattered clothing,
their disheveled hair, and limbs connected at odd angles to the rest of their
body, as if they’d been trampled. And now they were up and walking.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Jessica E. Subject is the author of science
fiction romance, mostly alien romances, ranging from sweet to super hot.
Sometimes she dabbles in paranormal and contemporary as well, bringing to life
a wide variety of characters. In her stories, you could not only meet a sexy
alien or two, but also clones and androids. You may be transported to a
dystopian world where rebels are fighting to live and love, or to another
planet for a romantic rendezvous.
When Jessica is not
reading, writing, or doing dreaded housework, she likes to go to fitness class
and walk her Great Pyrenees/Retriever her family adopted from the local animal
shelter.
Jessica lives in Ontario,
Canada with her husband and two energetic children. And she loves to hear from
her readers. You can find her at jessicasubject.com.
AUTHOR LINKS:
Website -
http://jessicasubject.com
Newsletter -
http://eepurl.com/eX1Zw
Twitter - http://twitter.com/jsubject
Facebook Reader Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/175887792592903/
Pinterest - http://pinterest.com/jessicasubject/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jessicaesubject/
Amazon Author Page -
http://amazon.com/author/jessicasubject
Goodreads Page -
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4959083.Jessica_E_Subject
Authorgraph - http://www.authorgraph.com/authors/jsubject
Thank you so much for hosting me, Diane! *hugs*
ReplyDeleteyou certainly shocked me! Still I loved it.
DeleteYes, it's quite different from my other stories. Glad you loved it! :) Thank you, Liza!
DeleteYou're very welcome.
Delete