Today on the Blog...Zombies

Or, at least, a man who writes about them. Help me welcome the author of Dangerous Hunts: A Zombie Father’s Day Tale, Mr. Raymond Masters! (And yes, there's a giveaway at the end, too!)

LC: Hi Raymond. Thanks for being a part of the August Authorpalooza!

So, zombies...huh? Can you give us a brief synopsis of your book and what genre it falls into?

RM: Well, I have only the one prose book published currently. It is Dangerous Hunts: A Zombie Father’s Day Tale. It is, of course, a horror story. Moreover, it's a story of a stepfather and his new stepson bonding over a hunting expedition.

The blurb goes a little something like this:

The brochure reads: “Dangerous Hunts: If it moves, you can kill it.” But the Carters will soon discover that not everything that moves can be killed. At his wife’s urging, Matthew Carter takes his new stepson on a Father’s Day hunt he will not soon forget. It’s open season on the undead, and there’s no limit on the amount you can bag.

LC: Sounds like an interesting read! You must be quite creative! What, would you say, has been your greatest triumph as an author?

RM: My greatest triumph, from a purely personal perspective, was the completion of my 126K-word novel Forging Truth. Granted, it remains unpublished, but I’ll get it out there eventually. I have faith.

LC: I'm sensing world domination ;O) So, how long have you been writing? Have you always known that you wanted to write?

RM: The first thing I recall writing was a Thanksgiving poem in fourth grade. I received such feather stroking from my teachers that I haven't been able to stop since. I tried my hand at writing a few times over the years, but I really buckled down around 2007.

LC: I love hearing about encouraging teachers! They make such a difference.

What do you like to do when you're not writing?

RM: Like most writers, I love to read. I'm constantly reading online, but I also enjoy comics. I have over 6,000, and read about 40/month.

LC: Wow! That's a lot of comics! What about movies? What is your favorite movie of all time, and why?

RM: Oh, man, I know you want an answer here, but this is always so hard. I guess I would say Clay Pigeons. Yes, I realize no one has ever heard of it until I let them borrow a copy. All of the actors are fantastically believable. The story is tight and the acting is spot on.

LC: Speaking of movies, if a big-shot Hollywood producer offered to turn your latest book into a motion picture, who would you want to play the lead roles?

RM: Will Smith or John Cusack for Matthew Carter. Maybe Johnny Knoxville for Daniel. When he plays a serious role, he's surprisingly good.

LC: We've talked a bit about some of your characters. If you were stuck on a desert island with one of them, who would you want it to be, and why?

RM: You know, I would have to pick Caduceus from Forging Truth, as he has the ability to ‘port and take me along as a passenger. Bye bye Desert Island! Of course, if he weren’t around and the island was infested with Zombies (as is the island in Dangerous Hunts), I would love to Matthew Carter from Dangerous Hunts.

LC: Heehee! Awesome! Other than islands infested with zombies, where is the most exotic or strange place you've ever traveled to?

RM: Hmm. Not too, too exotic, but I really enjoyed my 9-day trip to Alaska last summer. I wish I were there right now, actually. Beautiful, laid back community.

LC: Cool. I've always wanted to go to Alaska!

Do you have any strange habits or rituals when you write?

RM: Yes. I guess it's strange. I like to read my day's progress to my wife. I would definitely recommend reading your work out loud. If it sounds like crap to your ears, it'll sound like it to your readers.

LC: How funny! I'm sure my husband gets so sick of hearing me read my chapters. Glad to hear I'm not the only one who does this. Thanks again for sharing with us today, Raymond. One last thing...SELL IT! Tell us why we should read your book. (This counts for 60% of your final grade...Nah! Just kidding!)


RM: It doesn't matter if I'm writing about rampaging zombies (Incubator Press and Dangerous Hunts), a mysterious Black Dawg (Viper Comics), or a man who can fly and wields energy blasts (Forging Truth), it all comes down to one thing: The Characters. Are they real to the reader; does their dialog and interaction gel organically, or are they forced? I could watch a 2-hour commercial on feminine hygiene, if the characters were believable and interesting. In my stories, I try to bring those extra character beats. Plot and story are wonderful – and needed – but I know what I want to see in a story, and that's great characters to both love and hate.

Okay folks, here it is! The same rules apply. Leave your comments, and on or around August 23rd, Mr. Masters will choose a random commenter to win an ecopy of his book "Dangerous Hunts: A Zombie Father’s Day Tale". A plethora of comments is encouraged, but remember...only one comment per person will be entered into the contest to win. Entries must be posted by 11:59 p.m. on August 22nd. Don't forget to leave an email address or a way to contact you should you be the winner!

Here's a little more about Raymond Masters:
     I am a budding writer, avid comic fan, husband, and a father – not in that order, of course. My inspirations in writing are drawn from what I read, watch, hear, and observe of the “real” world. I come from a loving home and married a great woman. That alone makes me wonder if I’ll ever make it as a great writer. I don’t think you can come from stable environs like that.
     What do I read? Mainly comics. I’ve read over 6,000 of them to date. Also, I enjoy Star Trek, Stephen King, novels based on comic characters, Greg Rucka’s Atticus Kodiak series, some Grisham, and Secret World Chronicles by the great Mercedes Lackey.

     Teachers. I cannot say enough about how great an influence teachers have been on me. In fourth grade, I had a teacher give me a coke as a reward from turning a simple story exorcise into an involved poem. It was a turkey poem – the animal, not the country. She shared it with another teacher who attempted to get me published in some kiddie magazine. I didn’t make it, and thus, I received my first rejection. *sigh*
     Fast forward to my junior year of high school, where I took a couple of college courses at the vocational college in town. Ronnie Thompson in Freshman Comp I wrote at the top of three or four papers that I could be a writer. That’s something I’d like to thank him for someday. Though, to be honest, I’d also like to see if he put that at the top of some of my classmates papers. Hmm, maybe he should’ve just given me a coke.
     Currently, I have several irons in the fire. I am lucky enough to be part of the GeekDad.com stable of writer. I read slush pile for Dark Quest Books and am in the process of joining their PR team. I have an 8-page zombie story, published by Incubator Press, coming out in "the future," and I have a 10-page one coming from Viper Comics. Plus, I’m always coming up with new ideas and trying to find anyone skewed enough to publish my novel(s).