Welcome to the Guest Archives!
Welcome to the Guest Archives!
Find past guest interviews here if you missed them, or if you want to read all about them over and over!
Author Angel Ramon
Welcome to this July’s Guest Author, none other than the Rat Master himself, Angel Ramon! Delighted to have you here Angel, thank you for taking the time to drop in.. Don’t forget, once you have enjoyed the interview, get your pre-order in for Frogs and Margaritas to avoid disappointment!
1. What was your first book called and when did you publish it?
My first book was called Angel’s Nightmare Adventure and it was published in 2017. It was my first step into zombie horror.
2. What prompted you to write that book and to embark upon a career of independent writing?
I always wanted to be an author since I was young. Telling stories was always fun for me. I used to be a big gamer when I was growing up and fell in love with the idea of story crafting. To be honest, there were some video games I enjoyed that did a masterful job of telling a story, not just be a source of entertainment for an hour or so.
3. Why zombies?
Blame Resident Evil for that. By the way, I’m talking about the video game series, not the movie series. For the record, I’m a bigger fan of the games over the movies.
4. Do you write in any other genres?
Yes, I write in LitRPG, Historical Fiction, and currently I’m writing creature horror.
5. You have written a LitRPG series set in Ancient Rome. What attracts you to this period of history?
I was a huge fan of PC games such as Age of Empire and Civilization. I used to play as the Roman Empire like crazy. It got me my love for Ancient Rome and I learned just how important they really were to the history of mankind. Also, I believe that Rome had the best looking army during the classical era of history.
6. Do you have plans for any more LitRPG?
Sadly for my LitRPG fans, no. I might go back to the genre in the distant future, but I’m finding much more success in writing creature horror. But never say never.
7. You have recently used rodents and amphibians in your writing. Rats and frogs I believe! What prompted this?
I have a soft spot for both creatures. However, my rats series started out as a short story for a magazine that sadly went belly up. I was having so much fun with the story that I decided that it had to be more than just a short story. Best decision of my career as the series has sold over a thousand copies. I have now earned the nickname, The Rat Master and you know what, I love it, lol.
8. Who would you say has been the biggest influence on your writing?
Other authors in the indie community. It’s too hard to single out a particular author nor do I like choosing favourites. Let’s say if we talk often, I respect and care about you. The indie and horror communities have been wonderful to me. I know when I made the switch back to writing horror, I was welcome with open arms.
9. If you were not an author, what would you be?
I used to be an electrician before becoming an author, so I would say that’s what I would still be doing.
10. Are you well equipped to stick out an apocalyptic event where you are?
I live on an island, so hiding spots are quite limited. However, since there’s nothing but water surrounding me, there will only be so many zombie around. Now if we’re talking an EMP event, I might be screwed, lol.
11. Do you have any special survival skills?
I’m great at navigating and finding my way around.
12. Are there any real-life experiences that play into your writing?
Sure, for my current series, Frogs and Margaritas, I love to explore nature and write that into my story. I’ve been through hurricanes as well, which is where I get the idea of adding in storms into my stories.
13. What do you do to relax?
In my backyard or at the beach. I’m only ten minutes away from the beach when driving.
14. What is your idea of the perfect holiday/vacation?
Since I live on an island, I kind of enjoy it where I am. The rainforest is only two hours away from me. We have a hot springs only a half hour away from me. The beach is only ten minutes away. As far as the perfect vacation, it would be heading to Rome or Greece.
15. And what is your idea of the holiday from hell?
A trip to New York where I used to live and the zompoc starts, lol.
16. If you’re cooking dinner, what’s on the menu?
Fried porkchops, fried plantains, rice and beans.
17. If someone is cooking for you, what do you request?
Fried chicken or fried porkchops. I’m a huge loved of fried or roasted meats.
18. What are your future plans for your writing? Different creatures? Perhaps a different period in history?
Frogs and Margaritas will be a series, so I will be working on that for the rest of the year. As far as what comes after, I’m a one project guy. I’ll see when I cross that bridge.
19. Do you ever write the old-fashioned way, with paper and pen?
Nope, my handwriting is terrible, haha.
20. Where can your readers and fans find you?
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/AngelCreatureHorrorAuthor
Facebook Profile: https://www.facebook.com/angel.medina.129
Amazon Page (Zombie and Horror Books): https://author.to/AngelRamon
Amazon Page (LitRPG and Historical Fiction): https://author.to/AngelusMaximus
This Month’s Interview is with Kevin Redson, Guest Narrator
Welcome back, everyone. I am very pleased to say that this month, in place of a Guest Author, we have a Guest Narrator. Not any narrator either; Kevin Redson is the talented individual who voiced my book, ‘Wakeful Children: A Collection of Horror and Supernatural Tales on Audible! Check it out if you want to hear Kevin’s voice in action, so to speak! (No pun intended.)
So, while we have a professional narrator in our company, let’s find out a bit more …
1.Welcome, Kevin. Can you tell us where you are based, please?
I live in Lower Earley, a lovely little suburb just outside of Reading, Berkshire.
2. What sort of recording set-up do you have? Are you in a studio or in a built for purpose area in your own home? Something else altogether? Is it expensive getting started?
Thankfully it wasn’t too expensive for me to set myself up! I currently record in a home office, which presents all sorts of challenges when it comes to maintaining a quiet enough environment for professional-sounding audio. I’ve learned a great deal in the past couple of years about editing to remove background noise!
I’m actually in the process of moving house at the moment, into a slightly larger place, and I’m hoping I can convince my wife to let me set up a proper recording booth somewhere out of the way, to improve the quality of my work further.
I currently use a pretty standard HP laptop, since the computer itself isn’t a major factor for voice acting at this level, and I only have so much money! The microphone, however, is where the real work happens. I use an Audio-Technica cardioid condenser microphone running through a Behringer Phantom power supply, which now sounds much more technical than I intended. Since getting started, I’ve added a pop filter to avoid any ear-destroying plosives. Learned that lesson pretty quickly!
3. Did you have any sort of professional training before becoming a narrator?
None whatsoever, although the more I do this work, the more I wish I had. There are a lot of recording and editing skills that I’ve had to teach myself, which has taken rather a long time. I don’t necessarily regret how I’ve done things – the skills I now have really feel earned – but I can’t help thinking how much quicker I could have gotten started down this path with some guidance.
4. What drew you to this occupation?
When I was younger, I actually wanted your job, to be a writer! While I never quite managed that, one thing I’ve always been is a voracious reader.
Another great passion of mine is animated film and TV, and I’ve always admired voice actors like Frank Welker, Tara Strong and Peter Cullen. As I learned more about the industry behind those iconic voices, I got it into my head that maybe some day I could be a part of it.
I’ve often been told in my day-to-day life that I have a voice for radio (or sometimes bingo announcing) and the more people told me that, the more I started to believe they weren’t just being polite. So, during a long-term leave of absence from my day job for medical reasons, my wife got fed up with me hanging around the house, and told me to just go for it! Excellent advice, and one of the best, most enjoyable decisions I’ve ever made.
I also don’t hate the sound of my own voice in recordings, which is an enormous boon!
5. In your experience, what is the most enjoyable part about narrating?
It’s going to sound a little maudlin, but I think it’s the sense of happiness I feel from the authors upon hearing their work out loud. As I mentioned before, I’m no writer myself, so adapting the written word to spoken lets me still be a part of that story-telling process.
6. To follow on from that last question, what is the worst part about narrating?
The editing, hands down. I have so much respect for people who do that job full time, because listening to the same line repeated ten time with slightly different pacing or inflections can be absolutely maddening at times. Totally worth it when you hear the finished product, of course, but I had no idea just how much time and effort gets poured into getting from several rough takes with all sorts of background noise and clipped audio to a polished sound.
7. Do you use your voice in any other professional capacity? For example, acting, singing and so on.
Professionally? No. But I do love a karaoke night! I’ve toyed with the idea of acting, to be sure, but I’m concerned that my voice isn’t the only thing that’s really just made for radio.
8. Is there any particular piece of work that you would love to narrate, given the chance?
Big question... The dream would be The Lord of the Rings, but having listened to Andy Serkis’ version, I don’t think I’d do it justice. I’ve always loved Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series, so if anyone ever offered me an opportunity to produce one of those, I’d probably pay them to let me!
9. Do you find accents challenging, or do you enjoy doing them?
I’d have to answer that on a case-by-case basis, I think. I’ve done some work which featured a very international cast, and looking back, the accent work had...varied results. I love any opportunity I have to work in a Scottish accent, my grandmother was from Edinburgh, and maintained a very strong accent even after decades in England, so I’ve always got the memory of her to pull from.
I’m always thrilled when I get a chance to put on a French or German accent. I’ve studied both languages and had many friends from those countries, and I can’t help but think of them and smile whenever it comes up.
I have learned, after innumerable attempts, that I cannot for the life of me nail down an Irish accent. Any attempt I make is an embarrassment to me, the Irish people, and the entire voice acting profession, so I avoid it like the plague!
10. Are you choosy about which genre you narrate? Is there any genre you would never consider narrating?
So far I’ve made forays into both spy thrillers and your own horror stories, and while there are obvious differences between them, there are also a lot of transferable skills. I’ve enjoyed both for different reasons, but I must admit the pacing and atmosphere of horror have been quite intoxicating, so if I had to pick a favourite...
I’m not sure I’d dismiss an opportunity to explore any particular genre out of hand, but I think there are some areas where perhaps my voice doesn’t necessarily fit the expected tone, so that would, I think, be more where my limitations would lie.
11. You must use your voice a lot! How do you ‘look after’ it?
I do, and recording days can be pretty brutal on the throat.
Proper hydration is absolutely key, I often have several glasses, mugs and bottles around me when in session, to avoid unnecessary trips out of the room. Beyond that, taking time to rest is important, including during recording sessions. An hour or two of constant talking is surprisingly tiring!
Your posture is surprisingly relevant, which is something I didn’t necessarily realise until I got started in this industry. I also didn’t realise how bad mine was! Proper posture can optimise your breathing, leading to a better sound and a much more comfortable time recording.
Warm-ups are vital too, to avoid straining your voice. They can sound pretty ridiculous, and occasionally I’ll record them just to listen back to at the end of a long session and laugh at.
12 What would you define as being the absolute must-have piece of equipment for anyone starting out in narrating?
Beyond the obvious – a computer and a good, reliable microphone – a comfortable chair is my most vital piece of equipment. I don’t currently have room for a proper microphone stand, so my mic is firmly fixed to my desk. As a result, every time I record or edit, I’m going to be in that chair for a long time, and back pain is the last thing I want to worry about.
13. Where can we find you? Leave your social media links below so that people can like and follow.
I can be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557441160510
And on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/kmredson?igsh=MWN6ZmU3ZDhtcDZmbQ==
14. Someone asked me this in an interview once and I thought it was a brilliant, funny question. I have repeated it only a couple of times myself, so now I am going to ask it of you. If there was an action figure made in your likeness, what three things would it have to feature to be a true representation? (Have fun with this one!)
Ah, the *real* question.
1. A t-shirt with something vaguely amusing and intensely geeky written on it.
2. A hat – either a baseball cap or a loose-fit beanie. I guess if it’s an action figure that comes with accessories , why not both?
3. Prominent eyebrows.
I’ll admit, I struggled more with this question than probably any of the others. I actually asked my wife for input, and she insisted on the third one, as it wouldn’t be recognisable as me without them!
Thank you so much for joining us Kevin. It has been interesting finding out about the writing and reading world from a slightly different perspective. I look forward to working with you again some time in the future. I truly love how you narrated Wakeful Children.
For anyone interested in hearing the book, it is available on Audible. If you would prefer to read it, is also available on Amazon Kindle.
Thanks everyone. Take care and remember: a book in the hand is worth ten in the TBR pile!
I am delighted to welcome J S Patrick back ! You may remember his useful advice on extreme weather survival in The Savvy Section. I am happy to say that, this time, J S Patrick is here to talk about himself and his books. Read on to find out more and remember to check out the links to his social media when you have read the interview. Enjoy!
1. You are a truck driver, writing at various truck stops and parking lots while parked up in your big rig! Do any of the places you stop at appear in your writing, or inspire your writing?
Yes, there have been a few instances of places I’ve seen in my travels that have ended up in my books. The Bass Pro Shops Pyramid in Memphis, Tennessee, the Anheuser Busch brewery and Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri and Graceland have all been locations of major plot points in several of my books.
2. Same question for people you meet or see along the way. Do any of them ever inspire characters?
I cant say I’ve ever based any characters on people I’ve met on the road. Almost all my characters are based on real life family and friends though.
3. Of your characters, which is your favourite? Why?
I have created a buddy team consisting of the character of Nick Jones and a Koala Bear he rescued from a petting zoo in Book 3. As a pair, I think they are my favorite character.
4. Which is your least favourite? Why?
I don’t really have a least favorite character.
5. What would you do if you woke up in your sleeper bunk, only to discover that the parking lot was crawling with zombies?
Put it in gear and mash the gas. My truck has enough power to get myself through a horde and away to safety. At the very least, I have enough food and water with me at any time to hold up in my truck for a week.
6. What is the scariest/weirdest experience you have had while on the road?
The scariest thing that’s ever happened didn’t even involve driving. I was parked at a customer overnight and I got out of the truck to use their restroom. When I walked around the front of my truck, there was a black bear digging in their trash about ten feet in front of me. I screamed like a little girl and scrambled to get back into my truck.
7. How long have you been writing?
I’ve been writing since 2016. Although, it took me three years to complete my first book, so I’ve been published since 2019.
8. Why zompoc?
I chose to write zompoc because it’s the genre I read the most. Also, I love the survivalist and prepper aspect of the post-apocalypse genre in general.
9. If you were to write in any other genre, what would it be?
I have notes on several other horror and sci-fi stories I’d like to write after the After Z series winds down.
10. If the apocalypse should really happen, what do you think would be the most likely cause of it?
Realistically, I think either an EMP or some sort of financial collapse is the most likely real life scenario.
11. Are you a prepper? Do you have a ‘bug out bag?’
I am a light prepper. We have 30 days of food and water and plenty of emergency supplies. All of our vehicles have 3-day survival backpacks in the trunk.
12. You’ve got your nearest and dearest, including pets, into the car. Where are you going should the SHTF?
Home. Home is always the goal in any emergency for us. We have everything we need to survive at home, so we either get home fast or stay home to begin with.
13. Guns are not an option. What is your alternative weapon of choice?
I’d have to fall back on a bat or something similar. I’ve never trained on any kind of bow and arrow or bladed weapons.
14. What are your plans for the future in terms of writing?
I plan to keep writing the After Z series until it says it’s done with me. After that, I plan to branch out into sci-fi and horror.
15. When can your fans expect a new release?
My newest book just came out on March 1, so it’ll likely be September or October of this year until the next one is done.
16. Where can your readers find you?
Readers can find my books on Amazon at: amazon.com/author/j.s.patrick
Find me on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/j.s.patrick
It is great to welcome author and podcast host Jack Childress to the Guest Author page, not least because Jack was recently in a serious car accident. I am beyond glad to hear that you are well on the road to recovery now Jack, and I am sure your fans and supporters are too.
To enjoy Jack’s interview and find out more about this mutli-talented man, just read on:
You are a man of many talents. Promoter, podcast host and now author, too. Which of those came first?
The podcasting thing came first. I never saw myself as a writer or promoter. I’m a warehouseman. A grunt. Me do work. Company happy. I won a chance to appear on a podcast and I loved it. When Javan Bonds did the member celebration show, I showed up. He said it was BYOB. So I did. I wound up bouncing questions around the room and that performance caught the eye of J.S Patrick. He went to Javan. Javan came to me. Now, here we are.
How did you end up becoming all of the above?
All of the above was a given. This biz requires you to be multi. Extra skills are needed. Javan and Jeff Thomson gave me fair warning on this. They were spot on. I’m still learning.
To be a podcast host you must have the gift of the gab! Do you think of yourself as a good conversationalist, or in the zombie apocalypse would you be the one sitting round the fire, thinking deeply?
I’m talking. I have to read the room. Know who I’m dealing with. Chatting is the best way to get that information.
I’m a talker if I’m in proper company. The podcast I created for Javan has been my baby. My love. I’m not only proud of the progress the show has made, I’m even more proud of the team around me. D.J Cooper, Jenn Foulke, Angel Ramon and Dungeon Dan Uebel have carried me.
What attracts you to the zombie apocalypse genre?
The thing that drew me into the zombie apocalypse world was Mark Tufo. I found him after TWD came out. I loved it, back when it was good. Anywho. I wound up in the hospital and was bored and a friend told me about Zombie Fallout being free on Kindle. I got it. I read it. I was hooked.
Do you like to read/write in any other genre?
Sci-Fi. Yeah. Sci-Fi. You have unlimited possibilities with it. I’d have fun with that. David Lingard and A.L White relit my fire for the genre.
If the apocalypse were to happen, what do you think the most likely cause of it would be?
Virus. We have too much happening in places we don’t know about.
Here in the UK firearms are very restricted. If the SHTF, would you be able to use a gun to protect yourself? Are you a good shot?
I’m not a great shot, but within 30 feet, I’m good. Killed a couple hogs, with a crossbow, at that range.
Do you consider yourself to be a prepper?
Prepper? Nope. No real way to do anything other than have a go bag. Then run like Hell!
I loved your short story, ‘Domino.’ What was the inspiration for that?
Domino was the greatest accident of my life. It started as a homework project. Use 5 things to tell a story. I took on that challenge and between the weird stuff I had work in and my love of Cryptids, the story of a very special, hairless cat was born. I still can’t believe I wrote that.
What do you have planned for the future in terms of writing?
I’m focused on the podcast now. The writing is on the back burner. If I have something hit me, I’ll write, but for now I’m casting.
When can your fans expect a new release?
No releases expected anytime soon.
How do you like to relax when you are not working or writing?
Sittin’ on the bed, sippin’ on sumthin’, watching TV. Just chillin’.
Where can readers find you? Where and when can we catch your podcast?
You can find Domino on Amazon in Wordpeddler magazine. I’m on Facebook and am part of The Book Asylum Podcast Page. Subscribe to our YouTube channel. We upload the shows soon after the lives. We’re on every Saturday at 1PM Central .
Thank you Jack, we wish you the very best of luck with the Podcast and everything else in your future!
I am very excited to welcome Baileigh Higgins to our Guest Author page! Welcome Baileigh and thank you so much for taking the time to be interviewed.
If you are a fan of Baileigh’s work, read on to find out more about her and her work. If you are new to her, then dig in and find another great indie author to enjoy!
1. What got you started as an author?
I'm a bookworm, through and through. I started reading at a very young age and soon dreamt about writing my own books, but I always felt intimidated by the idea and merely dabbled with short stories and poetry. Then, I read my first zombie apocalypse book, and my brain went wild with all the different scenarios and possibilities. I simply had to write my own version. As the story grew, so did my determination to see it published, and the rest is history.
2. How long have you been writing?
About ten years now.
3. Of your own books, which is your personal favorite? Why? Last Another Day is my favorite. Not only was it the first book I ever wrote, but it was also an intense labor of love filled with highs and lows. I can still remember the first reviews I received, both good and bad, and the rollercoaster of emotions that the story put me on. I loved the characters, and they were as real to me as my own friends and family. Their wins and losses were my own.
4. Which of your own characters do you like the most/least? Why?
There are so many, it's hard to pick. Morgan, Logan, Breytenbach, Ava, Dylan, Rogue, and Ridley... They are all such strong and vibrant personalities with real fears and vulnerabilities. I can relate to each of them and their struggles to make the right decisions when the wrong ones would be so much easier.
5. Do you ever base characters on people you know or have met? (You don’t have to name
names!)
Yes, I do. But sometimes a character introduces themselves and demands to be written. They're usually the best ones.
6. Why do you like to write Apocalyptic Fiction? The many different possibilities and scenarios it presents. I could write a million stories, and none would be the same.
7. You write survival horror with a twist – dinosaurs! What was your inspiration for the popular
Primeval Series/Extinction Series?
Jurassic Park and its many sequels were the inspiration behind the Primordial Book, and what a lot of fun it's been writing about such an exciting topic. Definitely a departure from my usual zombie fare.
8. In the Apocalypse Z series, a virus is the cause of the rise of the undead. What do you think is
most likely to bring about the apocalypse, should it be possible? A virus? Bacteria? Voodoo?
Something else? Probably a virus, or maybe a fungus. I don't think voodoo is likely. In the end, it will either be something we do to ourselves or Mother Nature's revenge.
9. A lot of your survival fiction is set in South Africa, where you are from. Are there particular
challenges to survival in your region that you think are less likely to occur elsewhere?
It depends on the region, but lack of potable water and high temperatures would likely play a big role in survival out here. That, coupled with the local wildlife and diseases such as Malaria, might make things a lot more challenging.
10. Are you a prepper yourself?
Not as much as I would like to be, but I try to be prepared as far as possible given space limitations and funds. We have a 5000-liter water tank for emergencies plus a generator. We also try to stock up on the necessities when possible.
11. What is this about a secret bunker?!
Do you really have one? Honestly, no, but I sure wish I did!
12. How do you like to relax when you are not working or writing?
I love hanging out with friends and family and sharing good times and conversations.
13. What do you have planned for the future in terms of writing?
I am currently finishing the Heroes of the Apocalypse series, before carrying on with Primordial World.
14. When can your fans expect a new release?
Guard the Gates, Book 7, and the conclusion to the Heroes of the Apocalypse series is set to release toward the end of January.
15. Where can readers find you? Please add any or all social media links below so they know
how to get hold of your work.
Ready for your next apocalyptic read? You can find my books on the following sites:
Or you can sign up for my newsletter at:
Guest Author – Ben Black
Bio: Hailing from the North East of England, Ben Black is a huge fan of horror, enjoys science fiction, and has a place in his heart for most genres of metal and rock music. He’s had a number of different jobs in the past, ranging from internal messenger, website designer, graphic designer and various aspects within the finance industry, but his one true passion is writing. When he isn’t writing or working, he may be found playing games (both board games and video games), or playing in his band, the Brothers of Destruction. He has enjoyed writing since being a child, and is passionate about all his projects. With a slew of ideas to work on, but not enough time to allocate to each one, he hopes he’ll be able to drop a day of work at one point so he can devote more time to his musings.
1. What came first, being an author or being a bass player/lyricist for your band, Brothers of Destruction?
Writing definitely came first. I got my first bass guitar in 1998 and started writing lyrics in somewhere around 2009 when I first started my band, but my writing started as far back as the late 1980s - That’s when I started writing unnecessarily long stories just for fun.
2. How would you describe your writing style?
Grim, Gritty and Gruesome. I won’t shy away from splashing the pages with a liberal coating of blood and viscera if the story requires it and don’t tiptoe around any subject matter. If a story needs to go to a dark place, I’m ready to roll.
Writing can be incredibly cathartic and a great way to just get everything out your system.
3. Does the genre of music you play in influence your writing in any way, or vice versa?
I try not to let myself be influenced by outside sources, at least if I can avoid it. In all honesty, I didn’t start really listening to much properly until high school, prior to that I didn’t really care much for any one particular band, song, album, etc. By the time I’d found my favourite bands (Aerosmith first, then Iron Maiden, and not just heavy metal in general) my ideas were already forming and developing their own way.
I think my music and lyrics are certainly influenced more by my writing - I have songs about werewolves, zombies, cannibalism, football riots, necrophilia… as with my writing, there’s very little that I wouldn’t be prepared to approach. Some lyrics and songs I’ve written that haven’t been used have ended up being the inspiration of some of my shorts.
4. If some weird disaster struck and you had to pick being an author or being a lyricist, which would you choose? Why?
Well, neither are high-paying positions :) I think being an author would be the way I would go if it was a real “gun-to-the-head-and-make-a-decision” moment. The desire to tell a story is what got me started on the uphill struggle of being an author,
5. Of the two forms of writing, which is more challenging in your experience?
Lyrics are probably the most difficult to produce, purely from a structure point of view. When you’re writing fiction, you only have your paragraphs, chapters, sections or what have you to worry about. When you’re writing lyrics for a song, you need to think about composition, how big each stanza should be, syllables per line and how they match up with other rhyming couplets, and then there’s the words themselves, how they’ll sound when being sung, or even if the singer can cope with them. Though a book could be read silently or aloud, a song is meant to be heard, so the clarity and presentation of this can be the harder of the two to convey.
6. How many books have you published so far? Add links so readers know where to find your work.
I’ve currently got 5 books out at the minute:
My main zombie series The Black Undeath has a few entries in its catalogue.
My first main zombie book is Pestilence Reigns. This is where everything started to really take off for me, but took me multiple redrafts and rewrites before finally releasing, but as with many people’s first books, it is different to my current writing style as I’m always evolving. Set in the UK, this location wasn’t something very prevalent in zombie fiction or movies (at the time of writing at least - First drafts of this book go as far back as 1995). This book was a huge learning curve for me, in particular making me realise that I’d unknowingly written a book the equivalent size of a telephone directory from the late 1980s. mybook.to/PestilenceReigns
The second in the series is War Ravages. It’s the same zombie rise, but with different characters in a different part of the world, and goes tells the tale of how the disease spreads and some of what goes on in the halls of power running the world: mybook.to/WarRavages
The first short based on my main zombie series, Dying Memory, was written for a zombie-themed online convention that was hosted during the pandemic; when authors couldn’t come to crowded conference halls, we took the authors to other people’s rooms. This short story touched on the beginning of the plague from the point of view of a young woman struggling to get to an evacuation point with her unwell mother in tow. mybook.to/DyingMemory
The novel Death’s Aria is a side story to my main zombie universe. This one is actually inspired by my music career - Amongst the crowd, it got me wondering what would happen if something like a zombie rise happened during a life performance and how it would be handles, while being on stage put me in the position of being up, on the stage, with a hundred people standing staring at me, and the thought occurred to me (as it does) “What if they weren’t fans - what if they were zombies?” The idea for this novel evolved from this notion - it can be found here: https://mybook.to/Deaths_Aria -
Proving it’s not all about zombies and the like, I also have a science fiction novel out called Arachnocide: Infestation. This started out merely as a side project to keep me writing while I was experience idea droughts or fatigue while writing Pestilence Reigns. It was my editor’s idea to do something with this, following the revelation of its size and scope. Described in one review as a love letter to the Aliens series, I created my own creature to terrorise a large ship travelling between worlds. mybook.to/Arachnocide
7. What are your writing plans for the future?
Just to keep on writing. I’ve currently got no shortage of ideas, but it’s the time restraints that are the real killer. For my Black Undeath series, I’m currently about halfway through the first draft of the third book in the series, and I’ve got the best part of the next 3 or 4 books after that planned out in my head. On top of that, I’ve got a number of shorts set in and around the Black undeath’s universe — some written in first drafts, some plotted out, some merely nascent ideas in one of my may notebooks dotted around the house. These shorts will be collected into one volume, maybe more, depending on the numbers I can turn out.
More Arachonocide tales are in the woks of early development, too, though I’m holding off on them until I get the second book back with comments and critiques.
I have the second book of my Arachnocide series with my editor and should (hopefully) be able to announce the release of Arachnocide: Infiltration in early 2024. It’s the sequel that no one asked for, but they’re getting it regardless.
I’ve also got some plans in place for a horror anthology (or series of anthologies, depending on how many shorts I can come up with. I’m currently sitting with about 5 stories written to some degree, ranging between 4,000 words to 15,000. One of my early draft readers, Shamus McGuirgan, was a big supporter of my work and liked my horror tales and wanted me to do more with them. Sadly he’s passed on now, but I’m pleased that he did get to read some of them (and provide me with some shining feedback) before he passed.
As far as other projects are concerned, I’ve got plenty of other ideas in various stages of development to work on; a dystopian sci-fi adventure series, another zombie tale (different settings, different rules, just as gory), a couple of different takes on the apocalyptic end of the world, and even a book I was contemplating that was based on the imaginary friend I had as a child (a giant cybernetic spider. Probably best you don’t ask, but needless to say I’ve always been imaginative).
So PLENTY to keep me occupied for now, at least.
8. How do you find time to write full-length fiction alongside writing lyrics and playing in a band?
As well as a full time job and my penchant for computer games, I guess I don’t, really, short of going on somewhere around 5 hours of sleep a night. I try to steal as much time as I can to work on things, but I guess that’s one of the reasons there can be such a big gap between releases for me. I’m probably not as regimented as others, but after work I’ll pull my laptop out and sit with it open until the end of the night and it’s time to go to bed. Some days I may only get a couple of hundred words written, which may not be much, but I always tell myself that it’s a couple of hundred words more than I had the day before.
9. Lots of zompoc authors are also preppers. Are you? Do you have a bug out bag ready to grab should the proverbial hit the fan?
Not at all. Prepping isn’t anywhere near as big as it is here in the UK as it may be the rest of the world. I have a sturdy walking stick by the front door, and I guess if it comes to it I do know a couple of people near me that go out shooting on farmlands, so I know where some guns are if needed, but other than that, it’s just time to adopt that stiff upper lip we’re famous for.
10. It says on your profile that you enjoy a glass of whisky or rum now and then. My husband is a whisky lover too, he says his favourite is Glenmorangie Signet. In the interests of curiosity, what is your favourite whisky? Favourite rum? Do you have a glass alongside you when you are writing, or do you prefer to keep a clear head?
For whiskey (or probably closer to the truth, bourbon) it’s either Jack Daniels of Jim Beam, but I wouldn’t turn down a Johnny Walker (basically something that’s got a persons name on the bottle — bit of an odd pattern, but I guess it is what it is. For rum, it either has to be Kraken or Dead Man’s Fingers. Dead Man’s Fingers have a range of different flavoured rums, each in a different colour bottle. I’m making it my aim in life to get a bottle of each flavour rum, enjoy it, and keep an empty bottle to add to my collection (kind of like a hunter taking trophies). So far, I think I’ve got about 15 of the 21-ish varieties available, so I’m well on my way).
11. Someone (I will credit them if I can find who it was) asked me this question once and I thought it was great fun, so I am going to ask it of you: if there was a Ben Black action figure, what accessories/special features would it have and what would it look like?
It would come with a bass guitar, Lap Top and royalties cheque from Amazon worth £9.47 (must’ve been a good month). It would have a selection of interchangeable Hawaiian shirts and alternative “grim reaper attire” for on stage.
12. Lastly, is there anything you can share with us about yourself that we might find surprising? Any hidden talents, bucket list dreams or past adventures? (Nothing incriminating!)
Collecting all the different bottle varieties of Dead Man’s Fingers certainly ranks up there. Honestly, there probably isn’t much to say about me, because I’m an open book and tend not to hide anything I do. Just as I have no guilty pleasures (If you like something, own it, don’t hide it), I’ll be pretty open about it. You know I write, and you know I’m in a band. I have a large collection of zombie-themed board games, which I’ve probably mentioned before in one place or another,
I suppose something I’d really like to do is get sorted with my books and get them converted to audiobooks, but the first few books are just too big to get them produced. It, just like everything else, is a work in progress.
Once my next Arachnocide book is released, I’ll have hit the milestone of over 1,000,000 published words, which is a huge achievement in my eyes, and with the body of work I still have left to work through, it’s fair to say I’ll hopefully be hitting a few more millions before all my tales are done.
Thank you so much to the multi-talented Ben Black for being Guest Author for December on spoldhamauthor.com. Best of luck with all of your future projects and here’s hoping you have a great Christmas!
Remember, you can find out more about Ben Black and a whole host of Zombie Apocalypse/Horror authors by joining Written Undead on Facebook.