Review Fix chats with “plague Town†author Dana Fredsti, who gives us the inside scoop on her book and her love of zombies.
Review Fix: Why do you think zombies are so interesting?
Dana Fredsti: For me personally or the general populace? If the latter, there are many speculations as to why zombies resonate with so many people these days, with the two most prevalent being:
1. Zombies are a blank slate that can stand in for any fear a person might have, from rampant consumerism to terrorists to the loss individualism, with many other fears stuffed in between those three.
2. Zombies are us and we are them. I¹m not entirely sure what that’s supposed to mean, but I interpret it as a fear of losing our humanity, along with the paranoia that your friend or loved one could suddenly turn on you for no rational reason. I used to have nightmares where my parents looked my parents, but they were soulless inside and I knew I had to hide from them.
For me personally, there¹s something about the whole relentless walking corpses intent on eating people alive that just tickles my “Wow, this is disturbing and scary!†bone and I happen to love being scared. Not much frightens me any more; my biggest fear in life is dying suddenly and my pets ending up in the pound or starving to death. A zombocalypse plays into that fear quite nicely.
Review Fix: Ashley Parker is like a zombie version of Blade the Vampire Hunter. The first line of the book is pulled from “Big Trouble in Little China.” Considering that, how much have comic books and pop culture influenced your writing?
Fredsti: Comic books not so much. I used to read them when I was a kid, but other than some graphic novel series (anything to do with zombies, 30 Days of Night, Prometheus) I haven¹t read them in years. Books, films and television shows, on the other hand, have definitely influenced me along with personal experiences. Whether we realize it or not, everything we experience in our lives lurks in the subconscious (or the consciousness for that matter) and bits and pieces sneak their way into our conversations, art, writing, filmmaking, etc. I don¹t think about the pop culture references that show up in my writing; none of them are pre-planned.
Review Fix: How are your zombies different from everyone else’s?
Fredsti: Each one has been lovingly handcrafted by artisans and- okay, maybe not. My zombies are, in many regards, your classic Romero shambling flesh-eating corpse. Those are my favorite type of zombies regardless of the argument that speedy zombies are scarier. I¹d argue that speedy zombies raise the level of potential FUBAR for the human race, but I don¹t know that they’re actually scarier. But I digress. I have a couple of things planned (one of which I¹ve implemented in Plague Town) for the series as far as zombie “upgrades,†but I’d rather not go into it here for risk of spoilers.
Review Fix: What’s your favorite element of Ashley’s character?
Fredsti: Her sense of humor, sarcasm, and willingness to speak her mind when confronted by asshats. I know those are “elements†rather than the singular, but I think they go together.
Review Fix: If you could take one element of her personality and incorporate it within your own, what would it be and why?
Fredsti: Well, I already have the sense of humor and sarcasm, but I¹m not as good at speaking my mind when confronted by asshats. Oh, I¹m great if it’s on someone else¹s behalf (one of my nicknames is Mama Lion), but not so good if I’m the one in the line of fire. Although I have to say I¹m getting better at it. I think age has something to do with it. I find things popping out of my mouth without thought when I get angry or annoyed, whereas before I was too well-brought up (stop laughing, Mom) to vocalize these things. These days I’m saying the quiet part loudly a lot more often. I look forward to being one of those cantankerous old ladies who terrorizes my relatives and grocery store clerks.
Review Fix: How do you think this book will appeal to a modern day zombie fanatic?
Fredsti: It’s got classic zombie action and gore combined with a feisty heroine who kicks ass without being a bitch. It also looks at the zombocalypse from a feminine perspective, which is still fairly rare in the genre so it offers a change of pace from survival/gun porn stories inhabited by disenfranchised teens and/or lantern-jawed military heroes. Which is not to say every other zombie book out there falls into those categories, thank goodness.
Review Fix: How do you want this book to be remembered?
Fredsti: With shock and awe. As the Gone with the Wind of zombie novels. Or War and Peace. I’m not picky. Except War and Peace is a much more tedious read than Gone with the Wind. So let¹s stick with that one. Actually I¹d just like it to be remembered as a fun, fast read that leaves the reader wanting more. I’m not greedy.
Review Fix: What’s next for you and the series?
Fredsti: Plague Nation and Plague World. I look forward to expanding my zombie outbreak beyond Redwood Grove and Big Red College, and putting my characters (except the cats) through a fair amount of hell. After that? We shall see. I’d like to spend a month doing nothing but reading and catching up on all those cool series people keep telling me about that I don¹t have time to watch.
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