The year 2013 will see ambitious plans come to fruition.
January
will see the release of Necropolis Now, which
is the first book in an action-oriented zombie series. It's my intention to
release the second book during the summer or fall. You can read all about Necropolis Now here on my blog, and you
can also check out the amazing cover by Russell Dickerson.
I will be
launching up to three new serials that will have nearly a dozen episodes each.
The first is called Japanese Werewolf
Apocalypse. I have always found Japanese culture to be extremely
fascinating, and in this series, I have the opportunity to work with elements
of Japanese aesthetics and mythological concepts; needless to say, this
requires a ton of research, which has proved to be daunting and rewarding. I
like to think this series has a bit of everything. It’s designed to appeal to
fans of Japanese media with werewolf sorcery and mythological elements, and it
will include plenty of gore for the werewolf / horror fans. The drive behind
this story is my own love for Japanese culture, in particular, Japanese spirituality
and art. This type of literature provides an opportunity to be deep and
meaningful in a more subtle fashion; I was very taken by the story of the
country's crown jewels, and you can bet one of them will play a significant
role in this series.
The next
serial will feature zombies, and I'm very confident we'll see some outer-space
action. I know it's been done before, but everything has been done before. I'm
not looking to use the universe as any kind of metaphor for the human race. I
want to develop a visceral, horrifying experience that takes place in the darkest
corners of the known (and unknown) universe. I think this is the perfect time
to blend science-fiction and horror; as our society gears up for the idea of
space tourism while Mars is being mapped out, I strongly believe
science-fiction is making a return. One of my favorite films, the first Alien movie, has heavily influenced my
imagination.
My dream project is a
story set in the Alien universe. I
actually have the story outlined, and it would be a complete return to the
horror elements from the first film. However, it's nothing more than fan
fiction, as there really isn't a place to publish it. With that said, I'm going
to write about zombies in space because I can, and because it will provide yet
another unique challenge.
I admire
science-fiction and fantasy authors because they have to create complex
government systems, races, languages, and technology that doesn't exist, although
it might have a realistic counterpart. How many of today's technological
gadgets were envisioned by pioneers in the field of science fiction? Quite a
lot, and many themes from some of the great works still resonate today. I don't
think science-fiction authors are appreciated enough because they often take on
the role of an inventor who has to describe how the technology works! Again, a
daunting task…
Last but
not least, I intend to release the sequel to Nightmare of the Dead. The next book, Season of Evil, is going to introduce zombies to an important,
historic battle in the Civil War. I think the first book explored the
characters and their motivations, and the second one was always designed to
focus on the Civil War itself. While the first book served as a
psycho-analytical exploration of murder, the motivation for the creation of the
zombies was established; so the second book will be all about this terrifying
"weapon" that will be unleashed upon the Union. I should also mention
that Neasa Bannan will be back, along with her nemesis, Dr. Saul Lynch. Neasa
will be getting some help from a certain tribe…
That's a
lot for 2013, and that doesn't include two other projects I've started. It will
be quite an exciting, and challenging, year.
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