Summer of Zombie Blog Tour 2014: Jack Wallen

You're reading Books, Beer and Blogshit! It's the only blog with writers who have a face for blogging. I am your cute-as-a-button blogger, Mr. Frank.

We aren't done yet. It's time for the p.m. edition of the Summer of Zombie Blog Tour double header week. And when you talk about two heads, you talk about Jack Wallen. Jack Wallen is a guy who writes things about zombies. When he's not busy writing things about zombies he does other things mostly unrelated to zombies, like pooping for instance. 

We on The Blogshit are sure his mother will be proud.  So mama Wallen, sit back and relax as your boy tackles the Books, Beer and Blogshit Summer of Zombie Blog Tour 2014 interview spectacular.

Books, Beer and Blogshit:  Are you a survivor or one of the undead?

Jack Wallen:  Oh I am a survivor. In fact, I finally left corporate America and am now  on my own...oh wait, you didn't mean that kind of Undead. You mean zombie-undead. Still, I'm a survivor – like Eye of the Tiger survivor.

The Blogshit:  What is your latest piece of zombie fiction we should be concerning ourselves with?

Jack Wallen:  The Last Casket was my latest release. It's a fun little romp through the apocalypse that stars the pyshchobilly band Kitty in a Casket. The band was awesome to work with. The gist of the book is:

When flesh-melting rock faces off against the undead horde, who will be left standing?

All hell breaks loose, when rock and the apocalypse collide. In this first spinoff of the popular I Zombie series, psychobilly band Kitty in a Casket kick the undead horde's ass with their special flavor of rock.

Follow Kitty and her band to a dive bar in the middle of the apocalyptic landscape and raise your fist as they prove themselves worthy destroyers of zombies, cannibalism, and the Mengele Virus.

The Blogshit:  Do you feel you are a classic or progressive type of zombie fiction writer?

Jack Wallen:  Progressive – mostly because I drop a LOT of pop culture references and use humor in my books. Plus, I have (at the moment) about five different types of zombies – each of which has their own special flavor of horror to bring to the table.

The Blogshit:  What makes your zombies different from all others?

Jack Wallen:  Their impeccable sense of fashion. No, that's not it. There are two things that make my zombies different: First, as the story progresses, the zombies evolve. Second, the Zero Day Collective (the politico-corporate “big bad” in the series) use the zombie horde in an attempt to cleanse the world (to start afresh, as it were).

The Blogshit:  What makes your living different from all the others?

Jack Wallen:  I work at a standing desk...that's a good place to start. I also work at home, as a full-time writer. I'm very lucky. I'm also one of those hermits capable of socializing...so I can go out in public (when I choose to) and be friendly.

I also bathe.

And brush my teeth.

And use product in my hair.

The Blogshit:  Do you think it's important, in this climate, to run with the pack or really try to reinvent the wheel in zombie fiction?

Jack Wallen:  I refuse to run with any pack. If I cannot create a world and a mythos of my own, what's the point?

The Blogshit:  Zombie fiction seems heavily dependent upon working withing the construct of a series. Do you feel that is the way that makes it work best for you you or do you think there is still room for stand alone stories?

Jack Wallen:  I think it's part and parcel to the genre. I tried to write a one-off. That's what I Zombie I (the first book in the I Zombie series) was going to be. As soon as I completed the book, I realized I had way too much story left to tell and had created a world I certainly wanted to explore and expand.

The Blogshit:  Are you ever afraid of being pigeon-holed in this zombie fiction genre?

Jack Wallen:  I write way too much to worry about that. But I will say that my zombie fiction outsells my other fiction, lights out.

But...even if I were pigeonholed, I'm not concerned. I have a LOT of story to tell in this genre (plus another series yet to come out).

The Blogshit:  For your next zombie story, stand alone or series, do you think you will need to go sicker or smarter to keep it going?

Jack Wallen:  Both. I always attempt to one-up myself. With each novel I make sure both the main characters and the monsters evolve. It's a sort of race to the top (or the bottom – depending upon how you look at it).

The Blogshit:  On last year's tour, we asked about what to put on your zombie sandwich. This year, we want to know: What special ingredients would you use to pickle the pickles on your zombie sandwich?

Jack Wallen:  Man, that's a tough on. For me, it'd be important to hide the taste of rot. I'd probably go with a chipotle mayo.

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On The Web: http://monkeypantz.net/ (This is a particularly sexy web site)

On Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Jack-Wallen/e/B004MZWR3W/