The NEXT next big thing

It seems I’ve had the mark of the beast slapped upon my forehead once again (this time by Danielle Blanchard). That mark? The next big thing. But since this is the second time I’ve been tagged as the ‘Next big thing’, I’m calling this the NEXT next big thing. What’s really great about this is that I get to share with you my current work in progress — which just happens to be another entry in the I Zombie series!

Warning — you must “MUHAHA” before continuing on.

Did you “MUHAHA”? Very good. Keep reading.

What is the title of your new book?

The Title of the new work — as the rough cover suggests — is T-Minus Zero. This book is a prequel to the I Zombie series.

Where did the idea for the book come from?

The idea came long before I started writing the I Zombie series. I was walking to cosmetology school (yes, I am a licensed cosmetologist as well) when the idea came to me. I was listening to the song Vicarious (by Tool), just minding my own business when the great and powerful muse smacked me upside the noggin’. At the time, the working title was “Vicarious” — which, based on the plot of the story, would become obvious. The basis of the story is simple — what would happen if the apocalypse was televised? Would the world’s viewing population be able to truly handle that level of reality? I don’t want to give away too much of the story. 😉

Naturally, the plot had to be modified to fit within the I Zombie mythos, but the original idea easily evolved into the new iteration.

What genre does your book fall under?

As with the rest of the I Zombie series, this book can bed the following categories:

Horror
Dystopian fiction
Sci-fi

What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

That’s a tough one, as the book isn’t complete. But I could cast at least two of the roles:

John Burgess (the head of the Zero Day Collective): John Goodman
Gerand (the director of the film T-Minus Zero): James Callis

Will your book be self published or do you have an agent/publisher?

Indie — the only way I roll!

How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

T-Minus Zero has only recently been given life. I started work on this the day after I finished rewrites of Hell’s Muse. I’m hoping to have this book in the hands of my editors by the end of January 2013.

What other books would you compare your book to within the genre?

This book is the prequel to the I Zombie series. If you’ve read any of those books, you will want to read this. If you are a fan of The Walking Dead (and who isn’t?), you will enjoy this book (as well as the series).

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

My plan was simple — get Cry Zombie Cry out soon. But the best laid plans of undead mice and men can always bit you in the neck. I’m working in conjunction with the band Unsun on a song (possibly songs) for the book and they cannot get into the recording studio until this summer (though they are working with their label to see if they can record the “Cry Zombie Cry” single earlier). Because of that, I wanted to hold off until their recording is finished so we can do a simultaneous release.

Since I do love my fans, I didn’t want them to have to wait an entire year before a new book in the I Zombie series was released — hence T-Minus Zero!

What else about the book might pique a reader’s interest?

This will be an inside look at just how heinous the Zero Day Collective is. T-Minus Zero also takes the reality TV genre and pimp slaps it to an apocalyptic grave. And for fans of the I Zombie series, you’ll get to see just how the brilliant Dr. Lindsay Godwin was forced into the servitude of the ZDC!

And now, it’s my turn to tag five writers who could well be the next big thing. Keep your eyes out for these lovelies.

Thank you all for reading! I can’t wait to place my next big thing into your hands.

Oh wait… that came out a million flavors of wrong.