Eve Brenner: Zombie Girl by A. Giacomi
(The Zombie Girl Saga #1)
Published by: Permuted Press
Publication date: January 25th 2015
Genres: New Adult, Paranormal, Zombies
Eve used to be an ordinary girl, from an ordinary town, with ordinary dreams, but her dreams rapidly turn into nightmares when one grave mistake leaves her a little less than human and a lot less average.
Eve’s not quite the same girl she used to be. She desperately clings to her humanity as new desires, new abilities, and new urges take over with each passing day.
Eve Brenner: Zombie Girl is a tale that takes you on an emotional and terrifying journey as Eve struggles to cope with her new life and find a cure for her strange illness before time runs out. She desperately clings to her humanity as she tries to control the monster she knows is lurking inside her.
Turns out living was the easy part.
1.Why zombies? What inspired you to write about this topic?
They have always intrigued me, I’m not entirely sure why, but something about them is so poetic. The living dead, something once alive, starving to feel alive once more, hunting down humanity, which is something lost to them. Aside from the poetry I love zombie films, they’re either an adrenaline rush or rather hilarious, I think Eve Brenner: Zombie Girl is a bit of everything from the zombie genre, it’s quirky, it’s emotional, and it’s fast paced. The Idea for Eve came about when I was in high school, the original concept was to have her be this undead superhero, but as the years went on I made her more flawed, more relatable. When The Walking Dead came on the air I thought it was finally time to write the series. The show made zombies more of a household name, even for people who didn’t really get the appeal of zombies. I’m a big fan of the show myself and really felt inspired to write my Zombie Girl Saga after seeing how well received a zombie centered story had become. The Walking Dead focus’ on a team, whereas I focus on the individual, Eve, who is infected and dealing with a virus that is transforming her.
2. Do you have any routines for your writing? Special places you write, music you have to listen to when writing, etc.?
I always listen to music before I begin to write. I try to find songs that relate to the chapter I am about to write. Sometimes I have music playing in the background softly. I find action scenes need intensity, so the music selections are heavier, but the more emotional or reflective scenes call for something soothing and spiritual. Some of the artists that work best for me are Metric, The Killers, Florence and the Machine, Marina and the Diamonds, Sia, Tool, Alexisonfire. So as you can see I’m all over the map.
As for places I write, I tend to always write by a window. There’s something about a view that makes the writing flow. Most of my writing is at night, so when I look out my window the stars and moon stare back and I feel a strange peace, the world is so silent at that time.
Another tradition is a tad silly, but on those days writing is difficult I use lipstick as inspiration. I will put on a fantastic shade, feel brand new, and get to typing. It’s odd to put on lipstick only to stay at home, and yes I agree laughable, but sometimes a bit of silliness inspires, and it works for me.
3. How old were you when you first started writing?
I’ve been writing poetry ever since I learned what poetry was. I also remember begging my mom for a journal from Scholastics. I wanted a place for my stories, not my reality. I never wrote down anything true, and I guess that’s where I truly got started.
I write a little every day, still mostly poetry. I find poetry to be a form of therapy, and you don’t have to explain it to anyone, you don’t even have to share it with anyone. It’s done for your soul and yours alone. I do hope to show off some of my poetry someday, I have quite the collection and it might have to come out in volumes. They don’t call me the Poetic Zombie for nothing! I’d rather write poetry than sleep 😉
4. Where do you find inspiration for your stories?
All my inspiration comes from dreams. I’ve always had very vivid dreams, to the point I would really just consider them movies playing in my head while I slept. Luckily I remember them and then just jot them down the next morning. Sometimes the stories are great and other times once they translate to paper, they just seem absurd. I have a few other tales locked away until I finish writing The Zombie Girl Saga. A paranormal thriller, a YA superhero series, and a romantic thriller are on my next to write list, along with some ideas for children’s books. My ideas are everywhere, and never boring that’s for sure ha!
My mind and sense of humor are also shaped by what I love. I love my comic book characters, my Star Wars, my scary movies, my Tim Burton. The list is endless, I guess you can say I’m a product of pop culture in many ways, and when you read my writing you’ll get a hidden sense of that.
5. Can you describe your writing process for us? Do you start with an outline, then move into doing some research, or do you not use an outline at all? How do you get your thoughts from idea to paper?
I’m not sure my strategy is typical for most writers. I dream up a story line and jot it down point form first. Those point form notes lead to character development. I like to take pictures of actors that embody the characters I want to create and then I give them new names. I don’t really divulge who the actors are, but let’s just say it makes it extra fun for me. I get to play casting director in a sense. After I have a plot and characters I write the beginning and the ending. Strange I know but I like to see where things start and where things will end, the middle becomes clearer once I have these down. Sometimes I want to change the endings, but I can’t abandon the authenticity of the piece. However it plays out in my dreams is how the story remains, even if it’s not the best outcome for certain characters.
6. Who are your favorite authors?
As for authors that inspire me, I’m a huge fan of Anne Rice and Charlaine Harris. In addition to modern writers, I can’t help but read some Poe and Shakespeare every now and then. I also have a soft spot for R. L. Stine, after all he introduced me to scary stories as a kid. I would read those Fear Street and Goosebumps books with a nightlight under my bedsheets and let them scare the heck out of me!
7. If you could pick any famous author to collaborate with, who would it be and why?
Hmm that’s a hard one, there are many authors I admire, but to collaborate would mean that I’d need someone who understood my geekery and love for classic movie monsters. I can only think of one author that might be up for it, perhaps Seth Grahame-Smith, author of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies among other things. I think he would get me, and I love his genre bending style. It’s also worth mentioning that he wrote the screenplay for Tim Burton’s Dark Shadows and is set to write the screenplay for the sequel to Beetlejuice. Can you smell the fangirl coming off of me? I reek of it right now!
8. I like to add a fun question in for authors, so this is it: If you could have any single superhero power, what would it be and why?
Ooh my geeky senses are tingling. I love this question, and believe me I’ve pondered it frequently. I’m a huge Spider Man fan, but I’m not a huge fan of spiders, so spiders biting me to give me powers is a no thank you right there.
I often think telepathy would be fun, but only if you could control it, if everyone’s thoughts were flooding your head all at once, that would be more of a headache than a super power. The next best thing is telekinesis, using one’s mind to control matter, like Magneto, but a further reach. I think this ability would be the most fun, think of the endless things I could make fly! Spoons, cars, coffee directly into my face. Yes it would be awesome.
A. Giacomi is a wife, and mother to one small human child. She is a Canadian born writer, educator, and artist. She proudly waves her York University Alumni flag and continues to thirst for knowledge and devour books. She is a zombie enthusiast, lover of all things Tim Burton, Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Marvel, Star Wars and just generally just loves film, essentially she’s a fangirl.
