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In the final installment of my uber panel of Zombie experts, they weigh on why reviewers seem to love saying that zombies have jumped the shark.  I’m not trying to ask a leading question, but, why is that NOT true?

AARON ALPER: It takes a long time for a monster to jump the shark. The vampire took some two-hundred years before “Twilight” came out. Just because there is a lot going in the genre doesn’t mean there’s a degradation of meaning or quality. Plus, zombies are not prone to glamorization or beauty (although you will find something very close in our upcoming ZOMBIE NATION: NEW YORK CITY). This is the beginning of the Zombie Renaissance.

BRAD C. HODSON: Reading this question I literally pictured a zombie on skies flying over a shark. That would make one hell of a movie.  When I was in middle school our favorite drink was called a “suicide.” Essentially you would mix every type of soda available at the cafeteria into some bizarre concoction not really fit for human consumption. It didn’t particularly taste great, but we were obsessed with it. That’s the zombie, in my opinion. You combine a fascination with death, the mysteries of life after we pass on, a taste for gore, fear of mobs, fear of our loved ones turning against us, and a barely restrained need for violence all in one 32-ounce decomposing cup. It’s a potent combination.
Now, that’s not to say every zombie film or book is good. This may be where the “jump the shark” stuff comes into play. Like anything popular, plenty of folks have jumped on the bandwagon with no real need or desire to try anything new, or anything of quality for that matter. But this always happens when a new trend hits, especially in horror. Look at all the bad vampire films in the nineties. Or the eighties. Or the seventies. Same thing with werewolves. And serial killers. But to say that they’ve “jumped the shark” discounts the public’s obvious interest in zombies and hampers what may be the next great piece of zombie fiction or great zombie film by slamming the whole sub-genre.

CHUCK MCKENZIE:  This is the sort of statement that tends to accompany any perceived ‘cult’ phenomenon that suddenly becomes extremely commercially popular, whether it be South Park, zombies, or rapping grannies, and seems to be motivated more by a desire to put back in its box something the reviewer perceives as somewhat unpleasant or  embarrassing, rather than by the facts of the matter. Okay, rant over. Zombies aren’t even close to jumping the shark yet, because authors, illustrators, toymakers and scriptwriters haven’t yet run out of new takes on zombiedom. The last couple of years alone has given us movies as brilliant and diverse as Pontypool, Dead Snow and Zombieland, as well  as books such as S. G. Browne’s Breathers, John Ajvide Lindqvist’s Handling the Undead, and Patient Zero by whatshisname; all absolutely unique in their approach to zombies. Sure, there’s bound be a fair bit of dross along the way, but with so much *quality* product still reaching a wider-than-ever audience, it’s obvious to me that we’ve only just scratched the surface of all the zombie genre has to offer.

DAVID DUNWOODY: There may be a lot of zombie media out there, but only because it’s so relevant to our time. Romero gave us a modern monster archetype that seems to speak to us more and more with every passing news cycle. The fact that the archetype is being played around with in so many different ways is wonderful. The zombie has already taken its place beside the vampire, werewolf and other classics.

DAVID JACK BELL:  Every time something becomes popular, a bunch of people–including writers–line up to pronounce it over or overdone or dead. Instead of writing eulogies to sub-genres, why not go out and write an enduring, interesting story?
Zombies are no more dead than any other horror sub-genre. Vampires will never go away either. These are eternal, fascinating tropes. That’s why they’ve been around so long. TWILIGHT won’t kill them. Bad writing won’t kill them.

DR. PUS:  I’m afraid this is a true statement in some instances. The horrible remakes of DAY OF THE DEAD 2: CONTAGIUM and Uwe Bolls HOUSE OF THE DEAD and the last two installments of the RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD series have definitely “jumped the shark”. These are just terrible examples of zombie cinema. But all is not lost. Some of the new zombie movies to expand on the genre have been fantastic.  PONTYPOOL, A, REC2 (and it’s American remake QUARANTINED, DAWN OF THE DEAD  (remake) and 28 DAYS LATER (even though they’re infected and not zombies) have expanded the zombie mythos in a very positive way.  And above all else, I don’t listen to reviewers.

ERIC S. BROWN: Zombies certainly haven’t jumped the shark yet.  The genre is growing everyday with new and different takes on the zombie.  Zombie have become a pop-culture icon not just a cult monster anymore and I think they’ll be around for a while longer in the mainstream.

FRED VAN LENTE: Because nothing ever jumps the shark, so long as writers are out there trying to make new and interesting thing happen in the genre. People who provide commentary on art have two basic refrains, and that’s a.) They’ve discovered the newest/hottest/best thing before anybody else or b.) They’re the first to spot blight on the vine before those who lack their keen insight. This is why authors should pretty much ignore every single thing they say because they don’t really know anything about our profession or how to live it.

GARY KEMBLE: Zombies will never be out of fashion. I can remember a few years ago, about a thousand people turned up for one of the first Brisbane Zombie Walks. There was a feeling that this zombie walk thing was heading out of fashion. Last year, more than 5,000 turned up! And similar events have been increasingly popular all over Australia (and, of course, the world).

It’s true, lately there have been zombies everywhere – games, films, books. But I think that’s more that zombies are currently part of the mainstream. Once they drop out of the mainstream, they will still be popular with the people they were popular with before they were ‘cool’.

JAKE BIBLE:  Reviewers need to get a life. Zombies haven’t jumped the shark, quite the opposite. They have finally established themselves as one of the true horror tropes. Now it’s up to creative artists to do with them as they will. Will there be horrible, clichéd zombies stories/movies/novels/comics? Yeah, just like anything out there. But, they are here to stay.

JAMES ROY DALEY: Vampires jumped the shark when they stopped being monsters and became lovable, attractive teenagers. On the day zombies become loveable and attractive they’ll have jumped the shark too. But that hasn’t happened yet. Thankfully.

JAMES MELZER: A lot of these times reviewers are just going after the mainstream stuff and yes, it is true that zombies will jump the shark there, but they’re not taking into account the hundreds of indie films or books that are made and published each year that prove zombies are still alive in the hearts of genre fans. I guess if they don’t see it on the Hollywood big screen, or see it on a bestseller list, then to them zombies are truly dead, but they couldn’t be more wrong.

JAN KOZLOWSKI: I’m not sure that it isn’t true. I was speaking to an editor a few months ago about the horror genre and while she was still excited about zombies, I told her that, IMHO, while zombies hadn’t reached the saturation level of vampires yet, they were definitely on their way. That’s the reason the story I’m working on now is tangentially related to zombies, but is really about an even more terrifying evolution.

JASON NAGY:  First of all, I cannot think of one defining “jump the shark” zombie moment.  It is true that we are being bombarded with zombie media.  But that does not translate into zombies having jumped the shark.  The sad truth, and possible reason some are saying zombies have jumped the shark, is that for every one great zombie film we see there are ten horrible ones.  But the same can be said for pretty much anything: comics, superheroes, toys, music, etc.

J L BOURNE: I guess I don’t get out much.  I didn’t get the memo on this, as I’m still writing about zombies and the end of the world.  Although zombies may see a sine curve shift in popularity as do vampires, werewolves and large Cloverleaf monsters, they never quite sink out of popularity altogether.  People still love to read about survivors and the decisions they make against an army that never rests and only wants one thing.

JOE McKINNEY:  Why isn’t that true?  When was the last time you read Orwell’s 1984?  Remember Big Brother’s M.O. for controlling the populace?  They did it, and continued to do it, through language.  Change the way a culture speaks and you change the way that culture thinks.  That’s one reason why Orwell included an appendix on language at the end of the book.  Now look at how thoroughly entrenched zombies have become in our language over the last few years.  They have crossed over from mere pop culture references to accepted mainstream groupspeak.  For example, following WWII we described people in shock as having the “2000 yard stare,” after the Tom Lea painting of a Marine from the Battle of Peleliu.  But today, we’re just as likely to say “that person looks like a zombie,” or has that zombie look in his eyes.

The corporate world has now recognized zombie businesses, something the forensic mechanics of yesteryear would have lumped in with financial shell games and fishy bookkeeping.  Computer science has given us zombie terminals.  Contemporary literature has appropriated the term, as in Joyce Carol Oates’ novel Zombie and Thomas McGuane’s story “The Zombie,” just to name a few.  These works, and others, don’t mention the shambling undead hordes per se, but rely on the concept of a zombie, a person suffering from a personality lobotomy.  So, really, the term is fairly well established.  I think zombies are going to be part of the horror business for a long time to come because the concept is now so familiar.  Your question suggests that some reviewers think zombies have crested some sort of hill and that, quality-wise, it’s all downhill from here.  I don’t think that’s true.  Zombies have always enjoyed a sort of dual nature as both the harlequin and the horror.  Sometimes they get lampooned.  Sometimes they get exalted.  It goes in waves.

JOHN R. RUSSO: Well, because just as zombies can’t die unless shot in the head, I guess the fascination with zombies won’t die either, unless we shoot each and every zombie fan in the head.  Just kidding.  But seriously, this flesheating zombie thing has tapped into a raw atavistic dread that we all feel.  For over forty years now, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD has given rise to all sorts of sequels, spinoffs, rip-offs, derivatives (not the stock market kind), and merchandising and marketing items and ploys that will probably go on as long as there are books and movies.  Just when people think the phenomenon has run its course, up pops a fresh, new concept like 28 DAYS LATER or SHAUN OF THE DEAD.  My own screenplay, ESCAPE OF THE LIVING DEAD, goes right back to the roots of the whole thing, and audiences seem to be ready for that, judging by the fact that the comic book has spawned ten sequels already, two graphic novels, and an array of tie-in products like tee-shirts, coffee mugs, beer mugs, shot glasses, etc.

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KIM PAFFENROTH, PhD: They’ve been saying that since I published Gospel of the Living Dead. I guess maybe someday it might come true, but on the other hand, I don’t see it as necessary. Do vampires “jump the shark” when they turn into romantic, sparkly creatures? Well, sort of, but it doesn’t seem to limit their popularity, or stop someone from reinventing them next year as something else. So if zombies ever go “too far” then I’ll just expect them to be remodeled and reconfigured soon thereafter. I mean, if you think of fads that disappeared, it’s because they were just a one note kind of song, and once you “got” the joke or the appeal, it was over. Take a pet rock – once you laugh at it, the gimmick is over, and you really can’t reinvent it as a pet paperclip or a pet stick or whatever. Zombies have way more adaptability and appeal than that.

LYLE PEREZ: I love the Happy Days reference in this question. I am a blogger and I don’t see how anyone could say this. Zombies in literature have taken some twist and turns but in no way are they being played out. If anything zombies are beginning to reach a new and fresh audience. Not everyone enjoys reading about a post-apocalyptic world run by zombies. Breathers: A Zombie’s Lament by S. G. Browne is a wonderful example. It’s not your typical zombie novel so there’s a chance it will attract a different audience which in fact is good for the genre. When I first started doing reviews I hate books that weren’t the traditional mindless, shambling zombie. I have The Rising by Brian Keene to thank. If you are a true zombie fan you can never have enough.

NICOLE AMBERGUY: It is true and it isn’t. Zombies have had a loyal cult following for decades and got to live through the excitement of seeing them in the limelight. The mainstream market has jumped the shark – the publishers saw a new “in” and they’ve exploited it to the max. They tried too much, too fast to hang on to their “new” fans and in doing so have turned them off. I work in a bookstore and have seen the onslaught of zombie retellings of classic books and the publishing of several zombie survival/combat guides. The majority of these new zombie fans don’t want anything that Max Brooks didn’t write. I feel a little elitist saying that, but it’s true. I run into these people all of the  time. They read Max Brooks, liked him, and ask me for something similar. I go through and show them six or seven different books and they shrug and ask when he will have a new one. Don’t get me wrong, I do love Max Brooks’ books, but there are so many more that are comparable or better! I think zombies are moving back to their aforementioned cult status, with a fair amount of new followers. For those of us who have been around for a while, well, we get the enjoyment of having plenty of new material to read through and watch.

PAUL FREEMAN: There is a certain amount of unimaginative zombie fiction rolling off the conveyor belt, and reviewers are apt to focus on this. However, there’s also much innovative material coming off the presses – everything from epic zombie trilogies to themed zombie anthologies. The trick for the Z-lit author is to compose a new take on zombie fiction and not to get bogged down with clichés and formulaic zombie writing.

Take for example my Robin Hood book. Critics and reviewers are constantly bracketing it with works belonging to the current monster mash-up phenomenon. This is despite the fact that the folkloric hero Robin Hood is a composite character created from myth fragments spanning several centuries. Also, since there is no definitive Robin Hood book from which I could have ‘adapted’ my story, the storyline to my novella is totally original.
The bottom line is, as long as Z-lit writers remain innovative and keep their writing fresh, there will be a market for their zombie fiction.

ROBERT HOOD: Only a TV show or franchise that has an over-arching narrative line can jump the shark. Zombies (in the sense that we’re talking about them) are literary objects that can be placed in a story effectively or not-so-effectively depending on the creator. There’s no single driving genre object that can make the genre leap into franchise violation. Writers interpret zombies differently instance by instance — some might be off-beam, others won’t be. The reviewers who think that “zombies” have jumped the shark presumably think that particular manifestations of the sub-genre have leapt out of the pool, become laughable and lost their zombieness. But that in no way necessitates that all subsequent uses of the zombie are therefore invalid, any more than “Twilight” has destroyed vampires. Even if someone did a “Twilight”-like re-invention of the zombie, making it a glamorous sex-symbol that shines with the romantic luminescence of decay (someone probably has, right?), that doesn’t mean the entire sub-genre has been spoiled as a result.

S.G. BROWNE: Zombies are just testing the waters, seeing what they’re capable of doing.  Exploring all of their options.  Being rebellious.  It’s a natural evolution in their pop-culture existence.  As soon as zombies start sparkling in the sunlight, then they will have jumped the shark.

SCOTT  BAKER: Zombie stories are a small but major part of one of the most popular genres in fiction today – apocalyptic fiction.   Americans face the constant threat of terrorism, an uncertain economic future, environmental carnage, and no signs that things are going to get better any time soon.  Zombie stories capitalize on those fears and provide an escape mechanism.  We can’t kill every terrorist, the politicians from both sides of the aisle that see us as nothing more than ATMs, and corporate executives who make millions of dollars in bonuses while trashing our economy and planet.  However, if they’re zombies, we can gun them down with impunity.

STEPHANIE KINCAID: Besides the fact that most zombies lack the dexterity to jump anything, there is the truth that zombie stories, both on film and on the page, are about much more than just zombies.  Loathsomely lovable as they may be, zombies—with notable exceptions, of course—are not often gifted with sparkling personalities.  Where much of the story’s interest lies is in the reactions of the characters and of society to the threat, and people and society change radically from decade to decade.  An outbreak set in 2010 sees its zombies stumbling around in a very different environment than their hungry brethren of forty or fifty years ago.  And in ten years from now, the world will have changed still more, giving zombies a whole new setting to terrorize in previously unimagined ways.

What’s more, while zombies might seem a bit … well … dead to evolve along with the times, we know that’s not the case.  After all, before anyone ever imagined the familiar flesh-eating fiends we love to fear, Haitian lore gave the world an entirely different sort of zombie: an ordinary person killed and then revived to a semblance of life in servitude.  When you consider the fact that these original zombies were destined for work in the sugar cane fields, the debates today about whether the walking dead should or shouldn’t be able to use tools highlight just how much the perception of what makes a zombie a zombie has changed.  Zombies passé?  Never.  They’re not going anywhere.  Unless you aim for the head.

TIM LONG:  There are a lot of claims that all zombie stories are the same or are just rehashes of older stories/movies with no originality. I don’t think that is true. That’s like saying all vampire shows on television are romances that center on ancient vampires that are haunted by their past. Oh wait …

I think there is still a lot of originality in zombie. I love the funnier side like S. G. Brown’s Breathers book or Shaun of the Dead and the recent Zombies of Mass Destruction films. Both movies show traditional zombies, as in shamblers, but they are used as comedic devices. It all goes to show that creators are aware that there are a lot of zombies in media and it is forcing them to up their game.

My newest book, THE ZOMBIE WILSON DIARIES is a mixed up castaway story of a man on a deserted island with only a female zombie as his ‘Wilson’ or ‘Friday’. I like originality and I hope to keep doing new and interesting things in the genre. I. for one, look forward to the next big original idea.

TODD JEPPERSON: Reviewers seem to fit into one of three groups: First, the group that was fanatical before it was “cool” and they’re upset that zombies aren’t theirs anymore; Second, the group that really doesn’t know much about what they’re reviewing, but it’s popular, so they’ll take a stab at it; Third, the group that loves anything zombie that we can get our filthy, blood crusted mitts on.  The numbers are against those of us in group three.  Luckily, we’re pretty much blinded by our need for everything undead, and we’ll never really pay it too much attention.

TONIA BROWN: As kitschy as it sounds, the living dead will never die. Folks will always read zombie books and watch zombie movies because as much as we fear it, we also have a morbid fascination with death. We flirt with death because it fills us with a sense of empowerment over that which we can’t control. What better way to get right up in the face of death than have it get up and chase after us?

Besides, the best zombie book I have read in some time, The Zombie Wilson Diaries by Timothy Long, featured a zombie shark. Granted, the main character didn’t jump said shark, but he did fight it.

TONY FAVILLE: I do not believe that zombies have jumped the shark at all. If anything, they are becoming more and more mainstream. And maybe that in itself is what they are referring to. No longer is it the overweight acne-riddled teenager watching a ratty old VHS copy of his favorite zombie movie in his mothers basement. Today it is entire families going to see zombie films. Trust me, I wouldn’t do it myself but I have seen people taking their 5 year old to films such as Zombieland.

TONY SCHAAB: Normally when you have a genre that has reached its highest point and is currently on a downturn, there is a specific point in time or item (movie, book, etc.) one can point to as the actual apex, and I don’t think anyone can legitimately demonstrate that for zombies.  Even though the market has been saturated with a lot of “lower-quality” zombie media lately, solid, popular pieces of zombie media are still plentiful: Robert Kirkman’s “The Walking Dead” comic book is still putting out new issues every month, and has recently began production as a TV series on AMC; Max Brooks’ groundbreaking “World War Z” novel is currently in production to become a feature film; and the “Father of Zombies” himself, George Romero, is still producing new zombie movies.  I’d challenge anyone to try and say that we are not still enjoying the prime of our “Zombie Renaissance.”

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WALTER GREATSHELL: Oh, I think it’s definitely true—there’s an Italian zombie movie where a zombie actually fights a shark!  I thought it was already true when I wrote ‘Xombies’ in 2000, which was why I made such an effort to differentiate my concepts from George Romero’s.  I would have made a lot more money if I’d just stolen his ideas—who knew?

But just because zombies are overexposed doesn’t mean they can’t be treated in a fresh and worthwhile way.  A lot of things in life are boringly repetitive, such as sports or religion, but somehow zombies are played out and NASCAR can go on forever.  It’s a sick, sick world.

ZOMBIE ZAK:  Because they’re wrong!  But, they are also right (but only a little bit.)  Zombies are being used in everything and anything this season.  Mash-ups are popular again (thanks to Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, et al.)  I would say that there are a good load of tasty stories, an insidious amount of mediocre stories, and a bloody bunch of bad ones out there.  I think the “jump the shark” attitude is mostly due to the “bad” (and most likely the perception of their overwhelming quantity) – they seem to overshadow the good stories.

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Meet our Panelists for Part 3 of WHY ZOMBIES?

JOE McKINNEY is a homicide detective for the San Antonio Police Department who has been writing professionally since 2006. He is the Bram Stoker-nominated author of Dead City, Quarantined, Dodging Bullets and Dead Set. His upcoming books include Apocalypse of the Dead, The Ninth Plague, The Zombie King, Lost Girl of the Lake, and The Red Empire. As a police officer, he’s received training in disaster mitigation, forensics, and homicide investigation techniques, some of which finds its way into his stories. He lives in the Texas Hill Country north of San Antonio. Visit him at http://joemckinney.wordpress.com for news and updates.

JOHN RUSSO wants everyone to know he’s a really nice guy even though he loves to scare people. He started it by co-scripting the horror classic NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. one of the greatest fright flicks of all time. He also wrote the screenplays and/or stories for MIDNIGHT, SANTA CLAWS, THE MAJORETTES, RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD and INHUMAN. He has authored fifteen terror-suspense novels, including LIVING THINGS, THE AWAKENING, VOODOO DAWN and HELL’S CREATION. His nonfiction books, SCARE TACTICS and MAKING MOVIES, are considered bibles of independent filmmaking by film students and horror fans. With long-time friend and partner, Russ Streiner, who produced NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD and is chairman of the Pittsburgh Film Office, he directs a top-notch movie making program at DuBois Business College in DuBois, PA. His screenplay, ESCAPE OF THE LIVING DEAD, was made into a five-part comic book that made the Top Ten nationally, and is soon to be made into a movie that he will direct. He resides in a suburb of Pittsburgh and to his knowledge none of his neighbors are zombies, although “there is one guy around the corner who is rumored to have devoured the mailman a few years ago.”

Kim Paffenroth is a professor of religious studies at Iona College. He is the author of Gospel of the Living Dead: George Romero’s Visions of Hell on Earth (Baylor, 2006), which won the Bram Stoker Award. Since then he’s been writing zombie fiction, including Dying to Live (Permuted, 2007), and its sequel, Dying to Live: Life Sentence (Permuted, 2008). His most recent novel, Valley of the Dead^th century, where the medieval Italian poet Dante is in a life and death struggle with a zombie infestation. (Permuted, 2010), combines his theological and literary interests, taking us back to the 14

LYLE PEREZ is the creator of www.UndeadintheHead.com, a website dedicated to zombie books and the authors. Lyle feels it is his responsibility to review all zombie literature presented to him. Lyle was recently offered a position at BuyZombie.com as lead book reviewer. The job was eagerly accepted and he is one step closer to his goal of bringing the zombie genre to a wider audience. Humbled by the success of Undead in the Head, Lyle decided to give writing his own zombie fiction a try. His very first zombie short story, Dement, was submitted to May December Publications for their First Time Dead anthology. Dement was accepted and is set to print early 2011. A full length zombie novel is also in works from this young writer. His love for the zombie genre is expressed in every review and in every story he writes. Expect more zombie literature and reviews from Lyle. He truly has undead in the head.

NICOLE AMBURGEY is a long-time horror fan, bookseller, and most recently, the voice of Abbie Cadaver reviewing books for Creepshow Radio. George Romero opened up my world to zombies with Dawn of the Dead and I have never looked back. To this day, I scoop up any zombie novel or film and give them a shot! I’ve also taken part in many crawls and a Thrill the World event – both as a zombie and doing makeup for participants. Currently, my fiance and I are planning our very own zombie wedding! (Seriously )

PAUL A. FREEMAN is the author of several zombie short stories which are due to be published this year in various Library of the Living Dead anthologies. He currently works in the United Arab Emirates where he lives with his wife and three children. www.paulfreeman.weebly.com

Robert Hood has been writing horror/SF for several decades and has been referred to as “Aussie Horror’s Wicked Godfather” (Black Magazine). He has published several zombie-themed stories, including part 1 of “Moments of Dying” (Black Magazine), “In the Service of the Flesh” (Aurealis), “A Place For The Dead” (Bloodsongs), “Behind Dark Blue Eyes” (Exotic Gothic 3), “Heartless” (Aurealis) and “Wasting Matilda” (forthcoming in Zombie Apocalypse, edited by Stephen Jones for Mammoth Books). Zombies also feature in some of his award-winning film articles, most notably the multi-part “Nights of the Celluloid Dead: A History of Zombie Cinema [to 2000]” He maintains a rather extensive zombie cinema listing on his film blog Undead Backbrain: http://roberthood.net/blog/index.php/zombie-movie-listing/ and his interview with George Romero, “Master of the Living Dead” can be read here: http://roberthood.net/blog/index.php/2009/01/15/master-of-the-living-dead/. Website: www.roberthood.net

S. G. BROWNE is the author of Breathers, a dark comedy about life after undeath. Think Fight ClubShaun of the Dead, only with the zombies as the good guys. “A Zombie’s Lament,” his short story upon which Breathers is based, can be found in the John Skipp edited anthology Zombies: Encounters With the Hungry Dead, while “Zombie Gigolo” will appear in the upcoming anthology The Living Dead 2, edited by John Joseph Adams. www.sgbrowne.com meets

Stephanie Kincaid is a freelance editor and writer. Some of her latest zombie tales have appeared in 23 House’s Dead Set and Living Dead Press’s Book of the Dead Volume 3, as well as at Everyday Fiction (http://www.everydayfiction.com/shes-a-biter-by-stephanie-kincaid/). More of Stephanie’s zombie fare will appear in the upcoming Moron’s Guide to the Inevitable Zombocalypse; Letters From the Dead; Through the Eyes of the Undead; and Zombidays: Festivities of the Flesheaters from Library of the Living Dead Press. The most recent zombie-intensive books she has edited are the fabulous Lucky Stiff: Memoirs of an Undead Lover by Tonia Brown (a zombie story like you’ve never read before), and The Apocalypse and Satan’s Glory Hole by Timothy W. Long and Jonathan Moon. (Yes, there are zombies at the Apocalypse. You won’t want to miss it!) Stephanie’s current pet project is a collaboration with Tonia Brown on The Velveteen Zombie, a heartwarming story of a boy and his zombie, friendship and love, and what it means to be a Real Monster.

SCOTT BAKER has authored several short stories, including “Rednecks Shouldn’t Play with Dead Things,” which appeared in the autumn 2008 edition of the e-zine Necrotic Tissue; “Cruise of the Living Dead,” which appeared in Living Dead Press’ Dead Worlds: Volume 3 anthology (August 2009); “Deck the Malls with Bowels of Holly,” which appeared in Living Dead Press‘ Christmas Is Dead anthology (October 2009); and “Denizens,” which appeared in Living Dead Press’ The Book of Horror anthology (March 2010). Shadowfire Press is publishing The Vampire Hunters trilogy as a series of e-books. Scott is currently putting the final touches on the last two volumes of The Vampire Hunters trilogy and is finishing his next novel on how a small band of humans/vampires strive to survive the zombie apocalypse. Blog: http://scottmbakerauthor.blogspot.com/

TIM LONG has been writing tales and stories since he could hold a crayon and has also read enough books to choke a landfill. He has a fascination with all things zombies, a predilection for hula-girl dolls, and a deep seeded need to jot words on paper and thrust them at people. Tim is the author of the horror novel Among the Living. He has sold stories to almost a dozen horror anthologies, the most recent of which are Eric S. Brown’s War Wolves and Rhiannon Frater’s Witchology: Tales From the Cauldron. Tim swears that if he is ever stuck with a zombie, no matter how attractive, he will bash in her brains. Really!

Todd Jepperson is an industrial machinist living in Orem, Ut. He is currently pursuing a degree in English and Secondary Education at Utah Valley University. Jack of all trades and master of none, his hobbies include board sports, martial arts, gardening and music. His current work has him spending entirely too much time developing cutting edge poly-crystalline diamond products for the energy industry, and not nearly enough in graphic art, cartooning, writing, and illustrating.

Tonia Brown has been a fan of zombies for more years than she cares to admit. From her erotic novella The Blooming to a plethora of zombie short stories, she can’t seem to stop writing about the darned things. Her upcoming novel Lucky Stiff: Memoirs of an Undead Lover features a zombie with an unusual appetite for sex, while her current project The Cold Beneath marries her love of steampunk and the undead. She has also undertaken a collaborative project with fellow author Stephanie Kincaid, turning a beloved children’s classic into an undead feast, the result of which has become The Velveteen Zombie.

You can find more about Tonia at her website: http://www.thebackseatwriter.com

And also on Face Book at: http://www.facebook.com/backseatwriter

TONY FAVILLE is the first time author of Zombie novel Kings of the Dead, a project he completed last November for the National Novel Writing Month. He is currently working on his next project and has made the time to submit two different short stories to two different anthologies. Tony is a former US Navy Hospital Corpsman, former Chef, firearms enthusiast, soon to be certified NRA Instructor, huge fan of all aspects of the Zombie genre, and an Officer in his local chapter of the internationally known Zombie Squad. He is currently married and has been since 1998, and lives in the Portland area with his wife, two dogs, and a cat.

Tony Schaab is a 31-year-old writer, currently living in Indianapolis with his wife, dog, and newborn daughter. In addition to having stories published in humor, horror, and sci-fi anthologies, Tony has a special affinity for zombies: he runs a zombie-centric review blog, www. TheGOREScore.com, which is in the process of being compiled for a book release, and is currently working on his first full-length fiction novel, “Zombies Can’t Dance.” In his free time, Tony works as a DJ, is Troupe Manager of the improvisational comedy troupe “IndyProv,” and volunteers at his local Humane Society. Visit Tony and read more of his work at www.TonySchaab.com.

Walter Greatshell is the author of ‘Xombies: Apocalypse Blues’ (originally published as ‘Xombies’) and its sequel, ‘Xombies: Apocalypticon’ (Penguin). He is currently at work on the third book of his Xombies series. His short story, ‘The Mexican Bus,’ will appear in the upcoming zombie anthology, ‘The Living Dead 2.’ For more about Walter Greatshell’s books and colorful illustrations, visit his website: www.waltergreatshell.com or his blog, Xombierama.

Zombie Zak is an expert in the munching of brains, cookies, and bacon. Often beset by the fine art of diatribe and/or poetic eruption. A plethora of skills both mad and happy, he can be found everywhere online that you may or may not want to be. Canadian born, he has established his base of operations in the friendly city of Toronto and is expecting to continue his depredations upon the rest of the world. Both living and not so much, by the short and deadlies: Zombie Zak – Feed him, fear him, don’t leave your cookies near him. http://www.facebook.com/ZombieZak.ZZ

AARON ALPER is a writer/photographer. Raised in Melbourne, Florida, Aaron migrated slightly to Eckerd College, where he graduated in 2004 with a degree in Creative Writing. After dabbling in music journalism solely so he could interview his hero Tori Amos (which he proudly did in 2004), Aaron returned to graduate school to study English Education at University of South Florida St. Petersburg. It was there that he met his fellow Zombie St. Pete editors, and quickly discovered that his eccentric obsession with horror could actually be used productively. Aaron is currently working on his Masters in English and hopes to one day interview Tori Amos again. In person.  Find him at www.zombienationpublishing.com and www.facebook.com/zombiestpete

CHUCK MCKENZIE is an Australian author, with several zombie-related short stories to his credit, and was the braiiiiins behind the cult ‘fictional blog’, One Day at a Time: Life, the Zombie Apocalypse, and Everything, which ran daily for six months in 2008. Chuck is also a staff reviewer for HorrorScope (http://ozhorrorscope.blogspot.com/), and additionally manages a large general bookshop in Melbourne, which – due to his predilections – has gained a reputation with local horror readers as being THE place to pick up zombie-related literature. You can catch up with Chuck via Chuck McKenzie’s All-Dancing Zombie Blog, at http://chuckmck1.livejournal.com/

DAVID DUNWOODY is the author of the zombie novel Empire, of which the 2nd edition was recently released by Gallery Books and Permuted Press. His weird zombie tales have appeared in anthologies such as Zombology, History is Dead, and all four volumes of Permuted Press’ The Undead. Dave lives in Utah.  Links: http://daviddunwoody.com/
http://www.facebook.com/ddunwoody

DAVID JACK BELL  is the author of two novels, including the zombie novel, THE CONDEMNED from Delirium Books. Of THE CONDEMNED, David Morrell, author of FIRST BLOOD, said, “Gave me the tingle I felt when I read Richard Matheson’s I AM LEGEND for the first time…” His short fiction is forthcoming from Cemetery Dance and Shock Totem, and he can be reached through his website www.davidjackbell.com. He is at work on a sequel to THE CONDEMNED called TOWN WATCH.  David Jack Bell  | http://www.davidjackbell.com

ERIC S. BROWN is the author of such titles as Season of Rot, War of the Worlds Plus Blood Guts and Zombies (soon to be re-released by Simon and Schuster), World War of the Dead, and numerous other zombie books.  He is a life long fan of the genre and horror in general.   Some of his non-zombie works include How the West Went to Hell (an epic demon plague story set in the old west) and Bigfoot War.  He lives in NC with his loving wife and son where he continues to write tales of blazing guns and rotting flesh.   Most of his titles may be found at www.amazon.com www.pillhillpress.com features a bibliography page for Eric S. Brown and he has a presence on www.facebook.com should like to stay in touch with his current projects.

FRED VAN LENTE is the New York Times bestselling author of three entries in the Marvel Zombies series, as well as Incredible Hercules (with Greg Pak) and the American Library Association award-winning Action Philosophers. His original graphic novel Cowboys & Aliens (co-written with Andrew Foley) is being adapted into motion picture form by Dreamworks and Universal, starring Daniel Craig. Van Lente’s other comics include Comic Book Comics, MODOK’s 11, Iron Man Legacy and Amazing Spider-Man. Learn more about him than you can possibly stand at his web site, http://www.fredvanlente.com

GARY KEMBLE:  I wrote my first zombie story, Back From the Grave, when I was nine or 10, before I even knew what zombies were. It had guns, a black TransAm and decapitations left, right and centre. My most recent effort is ‘Dead Air’ (first published in Robert N Stephenson’s Zombies, and reprinted in Brimstone Press’s Australian Dark Fantasy and Horror vol 3. I’ve written about the phenomenon for BLACK magazine (Brimstone Press) and ABC News Online. On top of that, I’ve written various film trivia articles for Articulate about zombie films: Dawn of the Dead (78 and 04), Day of the Dead, Shaun of the Dead, The Zombie Diaries. http://twitter.com/garykemble

JAKE BIBLE is a writer living in Asheville, NC. He his the author of The World’s First Drabble Novel, DEAD MECH, which is currently being released as a serialized audiobook at jakebible.com, podiobooks.com and in the Library Of The Living Dead podcast. DEAD MECH is a high paced, ultra-violent, scifi-horror story pitting zombie hordes against futuristic giant, robotic battle machines in an Apocalyptic wasteland populated by feudalistic city/states, cults and cannibals. It asks the question: What happens when a human mech pilot dies and becomes a zombie? Dead Mechs are born! Mr. Bible has been a zombie fan for years and his most recent zombie story, “Zombie Blues”, is available in the April 2010 issue of Necrotic Tissue. For more information about DEAD MECH and to find out what a Drabble Novel is, go to http://jakebible.com. Feel free to reach out to him on Twitter (@jakebible) or his Facebook fan page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jake-Bibles-Wasteland/).

JAMES ROY DALEY is the author of The Dead Parade and editor of the zombie series, Best New Zombie Tales. His zombie fiction can be found inside ‘History is Dead,’ as well as the upcoming anthologies, ‘The Zombiest,’ and ‘Through the Eyes of the Undead.

JAMES MELZER is the author of the forthcoming novel ESCAPE (March 2011 Permuted Press/Simon & Schuster), the first book in The Zombie Chronicles Trilogy. The novel can be heard for free right now on his website, where you can also find lots of other free material, as well as his interview series, UNLEASHED. http://jamesmelzer.net/

Freelance writer JAN KOZLOWSKI fell in love with the horror genre in 1975 when the single drop of ruby blood on the engraved black cover of Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot mesmerized her into purchasing it. She began writing horror for her own amusement almost immediately, but didn’t begin publishing it until she sold her first story, Psychological Bacchanal to the EWG E-zine in 1997. Her short story, Parts is Parts, won awards in both the International Writing Competition sponsored by DarkEcho’s E-zine and Quoth the Raven’s Bad Stephen King contest. Another short story, Stuff It, was sold to an independent film producer and went into production as a movie short called Sweet Goodbyes. She is also proud to have her zombie stories included in two amazing anthologies- Show Time in Remittance Girl’s A Slip of the Lip Anthology and First Love Never Dies as part of Lori Perkins’ Hungry for Your Love: An Anthology of Zombie Romance.  For more information, stories, blogs and gooey zombie goodness, check out Jan’s websites www.jankozlowski.com, www.butshekeepsanicelawn.com, follow her on Twitter @jankozlowski or friend her on Facebook jan.kozlowski

JASON NAGY:  After watching Dawn of the Dead at an early age I was smitten.  Or scarred.  I guess it depends on who you would ask.  Being only seven, that movie and the concept of zombies forever burned itself into my brain.  Dreams of zombies were common then and continued throughout my life.  My zombie contingency plan was established at a young age and I was constantly sizing up my surroundings in case of an attack.  Now, nearly 30 years later, I have combined my two favorite pastimes together: zombies and toys.  Launching the website zombiesandtoys.com in 2008, it originally began as a place where I would simply post zombie news I stumbled upon.  While that is still the root, it has become a type of network for zombie fans of all types.  In addition to news about movies, books, and games, we also feature interviews with artists, authors, toy designers and more.  We have contests every month where we give away video games, toys, books, and movies.  Our Facebook page has become a place where fans communicate and share ideas.  And, of course, we also feature The Zombie Toy Store.  There, you can find zombie toys of all types.  Plush zombies, crafts, exclusives, vinyl art zombie collectibles, vintage zombie toys, designer toys, and more can be found in The Zombie Toy Store.  No stone is left unturned in our search for new zombie toys.  Links: Facebook = http://www.facebook.com/pages/Zombies-Toys/90090645908?ref=mf
Twitter = http://twitter.com/zombiesandtoys Homepage = www.zombiesandtoys.com

J L BOURNE: Born in a small town in the rural south, J.L. Bourne balances his time as an active duty military officer with writing fiction based in a post-apocalyptic world overrun with the dead.  His cult classic first novel, Day by Day Armageddon is the Permuted Press number one best seller for 2008 and 2009.  The sequel, Day by Day Armageddon: Beyond Exile, is scheduled for release everywhere by Pocket Books on July 13, 2010. http://www.JLBourne.com

DR. PUS – DR. MICHAEL CARL WEST, better known in the world of zombies as Dr. Pus, is a Dentist residing in West Virginia. He lives on 40 acres of wooded land on top of what he affectionately calls “Pus Mountain”. He has been married to his beautiful wife Tam for 24 years. His two daughters, who luckily get their looks from their Mom, are each in College. He also lives with three dogs, seventeen cats, two pygmy goats and a pet raccoon. When not causing pain to his patients the Doc works on his publishing company  “The Library of the Living Dead Press” and his pod cast  “The Library of the Living Dead Podcast”.

Jonathan Maberry is the New York Times bestselling, and two-time Bram Stoker winning author of the Joe Ledger series of Novels, Patient Zero (St. Martins Minotaur, 2009), The Dragon Factory (St. Martins Minotaur, 2010) and King of Plagues (St. Martins Minotaur, 2011); The Wolfman (Tor Books 2010); Rot & Ruin (Simon & Shuster, October 2010) and Dust & Decay (Simon & Shuster 2011).

His nonfiction works include Zombie CSU: Forensics of the Living Dead (Citadel 2008); They Bite! Endless Cravings of Supernatural Predators (Citadel 2009); The Cryptopedia: A Dictionary of the Weird, Strange, and Downright Bizarre (Citadel 2007) and Wanted Undead or Alive: Vampire Hunters and Other Kickass Enemies of Evil (Citadel 2010).

His work for Marvel Comics includes issues of The Punisher, Marvel Zombies Return, The Black Panther and Doomwar.

His short story, Family Business, is featured in Christopher Golden’s zombie anthology, The New Dead (St. Martin’s Press 2010)

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