What makes the apocalyptic genre so appealing to you?
A few things attract me to this genre. There’s the opportunity to explore darker things, and to process your feelings about situations that scare you in real life. It’s a safe place to work out your fears, and to dig deep into your psyche and understand what makes you tick, as a human. All of that gooshy inner stuff.
What about this project was uniquely challenging to you?
Coming up with a story that feels fresh in this saturated genre was most certainly a challenge. I took an everywoman’s perspective for my story, someone who just wanted to go about her normal day dealing with her bad boss who is a rich prick, but now she’s faced with damage control on an epic scale, more than she bargained for. I wanted to see what it’s like to be under that kind of pressure, and even buckle a little. My main character is a good person and the kind of sensible but fun gal-pal you’d want to hang with on a Friday night, and she’s very human. She’s no monster slayer. I wanted to create something that had a potential for both humor and horror at once. I hope my readers think I’ve achieved that.
What draws you to projects like this?
First and foremost, it was the opportunity to work alongside other writers who are well respected in this arena. Being invited to participate in this project was an honor—it meant a mutual respect and I’m grateful for that. Secondly, it was a chance to lend my voice to something that was out there, and to lend a unique perspective.
If there was one thing key to your writing style, what would that be?
I’m happiest when I discover a voice inside myself that I hadn’t paid attention to before, then I see where that leads, creating a new character and falling in love with their quirks. I think character is the greatest driver of story, and I’d day that my work is quite character driven. More than anything else, I think my readers connect with my characters hopes and struggles.
If someone were to write you into an apocalyptic story, what would be the plot?
Wow, that’s a really tough and really fun question! Let’s see…I’m not so sure about the plot, but I can tell you that I’m afraid of heights, so that would make for fun conflict. I also shoot a compound bow, and I love dogs, so, that could be a fun recipe for a story: me and my doggie sidekick hunting the undead. I’m also accident prone—if you wrote a lot of comedic pratfalls into the story, that would pretty much sum me up in a heartbeat. I’ve been told I look like a cartoon, so maybe you’d have to make me into a graphic novel. Oh, and I’d have a secret stash of chocolate somewhere, and I’d slay to keep it safe. Yeah, that pretty much sums me up. Touch my chocolate, and I will cut you!
More G.G.
G.G. Silverman lives north of Sattle with her husband and dog, both of whom are ridiculously adorable. When she isn’t writing, she loves to explore the mossy woods and wind-swept coast of the Pacific Northwest, which provide moody inspiration for all her stories. She also enjoys bouts of inappropriate laughter, and hates wind chimes because they remind her of horror movies. Her first book, VEGAN TEENAGE ZOMBIE HUNTRESS, was a finalist for the North Street Book prize.
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