*Jay Wilburn walks up a deserted road. Houses lay collapsed on both sides and grasses encroach on the broken edges of the asphalt. Military vehicles pull out in front of and behind him. Men and women with weapons drawn aim down on Jay on all sides. Jay raises his hands.*

Jay Wilburn: I’m here to speak to Shawn Chesser. He knows I’m coming. I need an interview. I just came from Armand Rosamilia’s house.

*One of the men jumps down and hands Jay a radio*

Shawn Chesser *over the radio*: You got a lot of nerve showing up here, Wilburn. Especially after Rosamilia raided our camp for every last M&M.

Jay: I had nothing to do with that. I swear.

Chesser: Whatever you need, make it quick and then head back the way you came.

Jay: For the record, tell me your name and the title of your latest book in the Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse series.

Chesser: Shawn Chesser and my latest in the series is Abyss.

Jay: Tell me about the story.

Chesser: In Abyss, probably the darkest offering in my Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse series, the reader gets to witness one of my main characters cope with a loss nobody saw coming—including this indie scribbler. Some story arcs already spanning several installments come to a conclusion in Abyss, while others sprout up from the blood drenched soil that is all too common in my STZA universe. Included in Abyss is the introduction of Camp Bastion’s Pale Riders, a cobbled together team of Tier 1 Operators who serve at the behest of President Valerie Clay.

The fast-paced story spans two days during which Cade Grayson confronts his own personal demons while facing both the scourge of undead inhabiting the valley, and the living, breathing demons passing through.

Jay: Describe the main characters and their growth in this newest book.

Chesser: Cade Grayson is a former special forces operator trying to balance being a good father to his daughter, Raven, a solid contributor to the small band of Eden Survivors he calls family, and the pull of duty to flag and country he oftentimes finds impossible to resist.

I find Cade Grayson being tested more in Abyss than any other book in my series. In a way, Abyss is a sort of bridge from one life to another for my stoic protagonist. We get to witness Cade opening up emotionally and finally allow Duncan and the others a rare glimpse at what makes him tick. Then, with that nonsense out of the way, Cade goes back into ‘all business’ mode and, as H.L. Mencken so famously put it: spits on his hands, hoists the black flag, and begins slitting throats.

*The gunmen around Jay start laughing. One of them waves a black flag*

Jay: I think it might be best if we stop here.

Chesser: Probably so. If you ever see Rosamilia again, you tell him, we haven’t forgotten what he has taken from us. Plain … Peanut … Crisp … and even Caramel!

Jay: I will, but I don’t see myself ever going back to Jacksonville.

Chesser: As long as you go somewhere besides here.

*The radio is snatched from Jay and the vehicles pull away. Growls rise in the distance. Jay turns away. As he walks along the road, he takes some M&M’s from his pocket he stole from Rosamilia’s house.*

Pick up Abyss or begin with the first book in the series.

Jay Wilburn

Jay Wilburn has a Masters Degree in Education that goes mostly unused since he quit teaching to write about zombies. Jay writes horror because he tends to find the light by facing down the darkness. His is doing well following a life saving kidney transplant. Jay is the author of Maidens of Zombie Kingdom a young adult fantasy trilogy, Lake Scatter Wood Tales adventure books for elementary and middle school readers, Vampire Christ a trilogy of political and religious satire, and The Dead Song Legend. He cowrote The Enemy Held Near, Yard Full of Bones, and The Hidden Truth with Armand Rosamilia. You can also find Jay's work in Best Horror of the Year volume 5. He is a staff writer with Dark Moon Digest, LitReactor, and the Still Water Bay series with Crystal Lake Publishing.

Jay's Patreon Page | Purchase Signed Books