Interview with Mikhail Lerma, author of Z Plan: Blood on the Sand

Check out my interview with Mikhail Lerma. The author of The Z Plan zombie series.

TDWZS (The Dead War Zombie Series): What inspired you to become an author?

Mikhail Lerma: It was kind of an accident really. Just one day, while deployed in Iraq, I just started writing. At first, just to entertain myself and my close friends. It just evolved from there. So I'd say my inspiration was a combination of boredom and the desire to entertain.

TDWZS: Why write in the zombie genre?

Mikhail Lerma: The experts say, so I hear, to write what you know. And from a young age I've always been fascinated by the concept of the dead returning to life and eating the living. A fear/interest introduced to me by my mother. Damn Romero movies. So I paired my zombie hobby with my military knowledge.

TDWZS: Lets's get to the Into Zombies series. What's the series about? How many books are there in the series?

Mikhail Lerma: It starts as a group of soldiers, deployed in Iraq, desperately trying to get home amidst a zombie apocalypse. The members of this group are whittled down by the undead to one man. His goal; to get home to his wife and daughter alone as the world crumbles around him. His story spans three books. In the first he attempts to escape the Middle East. Book two ends with him "making" it to the United States. A book three? Well, I'm still working that one out. But I can promise that just being on American soil doesn't make his travels any easier.

TDWZS: As I'm sure you know there are thousands of zombie books out there right now. What makes yours stand out?

Mikhail Lerma: Most, if not all, zombie books start with their main characters being fairly close to their home. My characters aren't even in their home countries. Another factor that makes my story standout is that a lot of military characters in stories are Special Forces, Rangers, Seals, just absolute badasses. The group of soldiers I created are just regular military personnel. They are, in my opinion, more believable this way.

TDWZS: What's the cause of the zombie apocalypse in your books?

Mikhail Lerma: I hint a some kind of virus hybrid that originates in Africa in book one. In book two I reveal its appearance was a little more widespread than just Africa. And without spoiling anything, book three dabbles in the virology and nature of my fictitious plague. But at this point it could be anything. A radioactive meteor passing too close to earth, a genetically engineered bioweapon, a parasite, or even rage infected monkeys.

TDWZS: Are your zombies the fast or slow moving type?

Mikhail Lerma: In general I'd say they're slow. Old Romero zombies were by far the scariest. A slow and silent killer that sneaks up. If they're fast it becomes more of an action novel than a horror. But I've got a couple of exceptions. Recently reanimated corpses are a little faster, but degrade quickly as decomposition sets in.

TDWZS: Are you trying to make any greater point with your books or just write a good zombie story?

Mikhail Lerma: My book is a lot more than its face value. My main character's story isn't just about his daunting task of getting home, but growing as he journeys. He's faced with a lot of real issues soldiers returning from a warzone experience. He and his friends share a deep bond. They're like brothers. So when they die he exhibits many signs of survivor's guilt and post traumatic stress. Book two is when the reader really starts to see just how badly he's been affected. And while it makes for great character development, the readers are reminded that he's mentally ill. If you remove the zombies from my book, what you have is a very real story of what our veterans experience when they come home.

TDWZS: Do you have an online presence? If so where? Blogs, web sites, Twitter, Facebook?

Mikhail Lerma: Yes I am very active online, and enjoy connecting with readers. You can find all of my social media links on my main website www.MikhailLerma.com.

Mr. Lerma will be hosting a Virtual Book Release Party on Facebook tomorrow August 31st. All are welcome, and he will be giving away a lot of prizes. Here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/events/1538605889694853

BUY THE Z PLAN SERIES

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Why would a zombie author write Giant Land Octopus?

Hey there this is George L. Cook III. I fancy myself an author (others may differ) as I have written a series of 5 zombie books titled The Dead War Zombie Series. On August 1, 2014 I released my latest book Giant Land Octopus which one can tell by its title has nothing to do with zombies. It's more in the sci-fi horror/humor genre (if there's such a thing) and the title says it all.

Some may wonder why I would write Giant Land Octopus. To be honest it's not the first book I have written outside the zombie genre. I have written urban fiction and children's books also but I'm a science fiction and horror fan at heart so I always find my way back to both genres. But to be honest constantly write about zombies eating people are coming up with creative ways to kill zombies can get depressing. I know what you are thinking, zombie apocalypses are usually depressing.

I'm also a big sci-fi fan. I grew up watching U.F.O. , Star Trek, Space 1999 and newer shows like Space: Above and Beyond or Battlestar Galatica (The newer one). I currently watch The Last Ship, The Strain, The Walking Dead or basically any show that starts with "The".

I love sci-fi movies like Star Wars, Aliens, Blade Runner, and The Matrix. I really have a fond spot for old creature feature movies. You know movies like THEM which was about big giant ants or Food of the Gods which was about giant rats. (don't ever watch the sequel. I warned you.) I also loved Kingdom of the Spiders which has a tile that should be self explanatory.

I will also admit to liking some of the stuff on the Syfy channel. You know like Sharktopus or Sharknado. Hey it's not high art (but it's better if your'e high) but it's enjoyable garbage that elicits a few laughs. That's what I was shooting for when I wrote Giant Land Octopus.

I don't really know how I came up with a giant octopus but it was down to that and a giant gerbil. I decided that no one but Tom Cruise would be excited by a giant gerbil so I went with the octopus. (I know that was uncalled for but you laughed.

Now I did't take the overly campy route although there is comedy it's not the spoof or outright parody type. I even studied up on octopuses (I learned that octopi is not actually the plural form). I found two species that fit the story and tried to keep things as realistic as you can in a story titled Giant Land Octopus. I took a few liberties as far as calling the liquid it secrets to disable it's victims ink when it's really not and I made (or believe I did) some crap about octopuses not leaving their "hunting grounds". Hey it sounds good and explains why the octopus just want go away and eat another town.

I wanted to have fun with a story and share my love of sci-fi and old creature feature movies. There are even a few reference to at least three sci-fi movies in the story. I wonder who can catch them. I think I have shared my love of these movies with a quick and witty old fashioned monster of the week story. I hope you take the time to check it out and maybe even leave a review (please!).

Well what are you waiting for? Buy the damn book already...LOL. No really buy the kindle version of the book on Amazon for 99¢ by clicking the picture below:

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