Once, I decide that a story is going to get published, it’s not about me or my writing anymore. It is about a product. Books are products, plan and simple, and as a publisher, I have to create the best product that I can. My whiny, sensitive artist side just has to suck it up.
Stravos – 17 July 2013
The Back Flap
“…Death was a dream of sleep where the eternally dying dream the sleep of death. The undeniable evidence in the stillness of her being, the stark paleness of her complexion, and the lack of blood pooling from her cuts after climbing through the window whispered dark truths in her ears. Rigor Mortis. There was nothing familiar to Jamie about her skin. Time and time again, she found herself asking what had happened, only to arrive at the hard won conclusion that she, Jamie Lund, wasn’t alive anymore. Somehow in the foolhardy night, she’d been a dumb girl. She’d gotten herself killed…”
From the mind of Stavros, the critically acclaimed author of Blood Junky, comes a new twisted tale of horror and adventure. An average girl, living in the city is murdered. Nothing new, right? It happens every day. Just another statistic. That is…until she woke up dead.
Trapped within her own decaying shell, the dead girl struggles to piece together the awful events of her untimely death and hunt down the man responsible. Armed only with a kiss from an ancient Egyptian God, a pockmarked memory, her ex-boyfriend, and a murder of crows Jamie Lund comes face to face with something more terrifying and real than mere death…she suffers the agony of being undead!
With twelve black & white illustrations and a full colored cover from tattoo artist, Charles Hearn, this sardonic tale comes alive like no other zombie story, popping from the page with stunning, unnatural brilliance. Dead Girl: A Romantic Zombie Tale of Revenge will keep the reader on the edge of their seat suspended in this unique supernatural thriller.
About the book
What is the book about?
Dead Girl follows the recently murdered, Jamie Lund, and her “reawakening” as she tries to piece the awful events together about how she died and who killed her. As she suffers the decay of death, her memory is a little pock-marked, so she elicits the aid of her ex-boyfriend, Billy Kimmel. He does his best to help Jamie, but is kind of freaked by the murder of crows following her and that fact that she’s dead…or rather, undead.
When did you start writing the book?
I took my first notes for DG, back in 2007. Started the outline and some basic chapters in 2008, but set it down to go to Florida to work on an independent film. Then, I wrote Blood Junky, Love in Vein, and the fourteen webisode scripts for Firefly’s Kiss before finally coming back to DG in 2010. Editing and art was completed in 2011 and the book had an August release, premiering at Wizard World Chicago.
How long did it take you to write it?
Once I actually begin the process, where I sit down to write a book, it normally only takes 3 to 4 months. But there is always an initial spark at some earlier point, then some note-taking, and then a quiet gestation period wherein nothing gets written and it just sort of stews in the background of my being.
Where did you get the idea from?
Comic Books. I initially imagined Jamie as a vengeful dead girl who wields a Samurai sword and takes down the mob. Luckily, that idea got revamped!
Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?
Yes, though not in the writing. Mostly in scheduling to get all the different pieces together.
What came easily?
The writing. I am fairly confident in my process and just yield to it.
Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?
Yes, they are entirely fictitious, but I’ve noticed that attributes of certain people seep into the characters, or I’ll be inspired by an experience in some way and that will bleed through. Jamie has a lot of the mannerisms of my friend Jacquie, whom I shared a house with in Albuquerque. When you live that close to people it just tends to get in there. Adversely, Blood Junky and Love in Vein, though complete works of fiction, are rather cathartic for my failed relationship with the mother of my children. Didn’t have any mannerisms per se seeping into the characters, but those two books encapsulate the complete and utter foolhardy abandonment of hopeful intentions to ruin.
We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?
Patrick Suskind’s Perfume is very inspirational, so is Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, Frank Herbert’s God Emperor of Dune, Shelly’s Frankenstein, Stoker’s Dracula, David Mack’s Kabuki, Neil Gaimen’s Sandman series, The Watchmen, V for Vendetta, and the poetic works of Rumi, Pablo Neruda, and Frederico Garcia Lorca
Do you have a target reader?
Anyone who’ll “buy” a book.
About Writing
Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?
Sure. In addition to the spark and gestation process mentioned above, I can only write in the mornings. I must wake when my body awakens me or it’s lost. I need absolute quiet and a cup of tea – iced or hot. I break around noon and then do a read-through on the pages written and some light editing, more toward making what I’ve written clearer. I do not mix my Editing Process with my Writing Process as the two are diametrically opposed. If I’ve had a good morning writing and I can get re-inspired from my read throughs, I might be able to get a few more pages. But that is rare. At the end of the day any questions I have concerning plot or characters or prose are handled and manifested in my dreams. The longest I have ever had to wait for an answer to come was 4 days.
Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?
I do create an outline, but write from start to end. I make chapter headings and take notes or will write a quick page from anywhere in the story. I usually drop those into the approximate area in the tale, so that when I get to them in the natural flow, I can re-connect to those thoughts and incorporate them.
Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?
I prefer to edit only after all the writing is done. Now, this doesn’t mean that there isn’t a few minor edits along the way, as I’ll re-write paragraphs or pages as I go. I read my work aloud, so I am always tweaking the prose for how it sounds live. But writing and editing are two very distinct processes, and each must have their compete say in order for either to be effective. In writing, it is all about the “freedom” of expression and getting it out of my head and onto the page, regardless of how neat, clean, or grammatically correct it is. Editing is the complete opposite. In editing, nothing I’ve written is sacred or safe, everything has to find its right order and be grammatically correct. I’m a Word Nazi, and will kill my prose quicker than an SS agent if that is what is required for the story to breathe. Letting the story come through, first and foremost, is the only thing that each of those processes share.
Did you hire a professional editor?
I did. Tara Lindsay Hall is my current editor. I met her through a review that she did for my first novel and we clicked. As an author, I can only see so much and I am limited by my own narrow vision. I need to see outside of the story, and nothing is better for that than a professional editor! Once, I decide that a story is going to get published, it’s not about me or my writing anymore. It is about a product. Books are products, plan and simple, and as a publisher, I have to create the best product that I can. My whiny, sensitive artist side just has to suck it up.
Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?
I listen to music when I edit. But, while editing, if I have to crunch and write a block or so, I have to turn the music off. I like to listen to: most Afro-Cuban Jazz, Drowning Pool, Dead Can Dance, Cocteau Twins, The Runaways, Iron Maiden, Iron & Wine, Soul Coughing, Mile Davis, Lovage, Coltrane, classical – a lot of the time if I am working on a period piece I’ll drown myself into that era’s music when I am not writing! : ]
About Publishing
Did you submit your work to Agents?
No. I decided that I wanted to create a publishing company and that I was the best guinea pig I knew. But, I’ve recently begun to start acquiring an agent. My novel, Love in Vein, was optioned last year for a feature film and there have been some stark progress toward it getting fully funded. Literally, got a text two nights ago that Woody Harrelson got the script this week, and that he is being sought out to play Sgt. John Wallace. Hope he likes it!!!! So, if things continue as they are it is only a matter of time before I will need one. I’ve got lots of other screenplays and books, still in the works and on the shelf.
What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?
I used to publish a national newspaper magazine, The Independent Underground. I found that I loved doing that, so I went back to school to better hone my skills. I also helped to launch Unpublished Magazine and Bio Gamer Girl. Bio Gamer Girl is still out there going strong.
Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?
I’m a graphic and photography artist, so I do most of my artwork myself. Though, for Dead Girl, I worked with illustrator Charles Hearn. Its cover was a concept I had and shared it with him over the phone. I am now in talks with 3 other artists for a redo of all the artwork on Dead Girl and an upcoming graphic novel.
Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?
I do have a marketing plan that is tailored to a no-budget scenario. It’s very grassroots and will take a bit of time. Though, as I progress with things, I’ll do wonderful book tours, like I’m doing with Bewitching. I’ve made a cool video for Dead Girl, it’s on You Tube, and plan on making a few more.
Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?
Give it time. Don’t jump in with both feet. Keep your day job.
About You
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Maryland, very near the Chesapeake Bay, and have many wonderful memories of playing on the beach and in the woods.
Where do you live now?
I am living in Atlanta, GA currently. I’m a recent transplant from New Mexico. So I am learning to deal with the humidity. ; ]
What would you like readers to know about you?
I am 6’ 4”, have a genius IQ, have a secret lair/lab, and run around the city at night in skin tights and a towel (don’t have a cape) fighting crime and helping stray kittens down from trees. Seriously, I am also a fangsmith, making high grade dental fangs and zombie teeth – www.kaoskustomfangs.com
What are you working on now?
I am editing Havoc: Infestation by Robert Kiser, working to bring Love in Vein and Firefly’s Kiss to the screen, building a new eStore, planning a new Podcast show, and spending summer time with my kids.
Thanks for having me here today!!! God Bless!!!
End of Interview:
For more, you can visit Stravos’ blog, follow him on twitter or facebook.
Get your copy of Dead Girl from Amazon US (paper or ebook) or Amazon UK (paper or ebook).
And be sure to enter the great giveaway below.
