by Jay Wilburn
*Jay hid from the mutant creatures scouring the landscape for food as long as he dared. He found the entrance to the bunker on the third try. He descended into the darkness, tripping on the stairs several times. His own harsh breathing echoed back at him from the concrete on both sides. He felt something carved into the wall and traced it with his fingers. “Z43.” Jay shivered, but kept going. At the bottom of the stairs, he felt along the walls deeper into the underground lair. Lights blazed on in front of him, bringing blinding pain.*
Thomas M Malafarina: Who are you and what do you want here?
*The title of the post and the interview tag ruined the surprise for the audience, but Jay was still in the dark … or the blinding light now rather …*
Jay Wilburn: I’m Jay Wilburn just like my interview tag says.
Malafarina: What do you want here?
Wilburn: I’m here to interview Malafarina *dramatic pause* … and to save the world.
Malafarina: I’m Thomas M Malafarina.
*The words were spoken with power and weight because they did not know the surprise had already been ruined for the audience.*
Wilburn: Can you tell me the name of your latest release?
Malafarina: Dead Kill 3: The Ridge of War
Wilburn: Tell me about it.
Malafarina: This is the third book in the Dead Kill series and takes place 12 years after the Zombie Apocalypse, which occurred in 2043 as a result of the Z43 virus. Humanity has destroyed the majority of the zombies although some still exist in the wild outlands between fortified cities. Also occupying these lands are wild tribes of humans known as outlanders. Everyone alive before 2043 carries the Z43 virus, which activates with death. However, due to reasons yet unknown the virus has started mutating in the wild outlands. This mutation is creating many different species of creatures never before seen on the planet. They are referred to by the city dwellers as mutants and up until this point, like species of mutants never associated with other species. In fact, every encounter with mutants of different species has resulted in a fight to the death. However, a breed of super mutant has evolved with the ability to control lesser mutants allowing them to unite with one common goal in mind and that goal is to destroy humanity.
Wilburn: Tell me about Jackson Ridge.
*dramatic pause*
Malafarina: That’s not something which concerns you.
Wilburn: Tell me!
Malafarina: The protagonist of this series is named Jackson Ridge. He’s an average, boring, working investigative journalist and a reluctant hero. He has a wife and young daughter. It seems no matter how much care he takes, or how hard he tries to stay out of harm’s way he always finds himself in the thick of trouble.
Wilburn: Zombies are a bit different in comparison to other threats in the Dead Kill universe.
Malafarina: In my Dead Kill series, zombies have been beaten down, their populations practically wiped out. They’re no longer feared as a threat and thought of more as a nuisance. (Although a deadly flesh-eating nuisance)
Through the use of the Dead Kill bounty (Dead Kill refers to killing something already dead) issued by the government, zombies have been almost completely eradicated. Also safeguards have been put into place for the proper disposal of recently deceased so they don’t become zombies.
Wilburn: Is humanity making a comeback through the Dead Kill Bounty?
Malafarina: In my series, the world is struggling to return to normal after more than a decade of dealing with the zombie crisis. Humanity has come back from the brink of possible extinction and is rebuilding society. Although still a far cry from where they were in 2042, they have made great strides. There is still plenty of zombie blood and gore in these books but there are also many other deadly issues now facing survivors.
Wilburn: What did you take and what did you leave when creating this world for the zombie genre?
Malafarina: I wanted to approach the genre from a different perspective. There was a time when I swore I’d never write a zombie story, let alone a novel. I decided if I was going to write one it had to be a bit different yet still follow most of the conventions set forth by the great one, George Romero. Then I was inspired (by my many muses) to write one story, then another, then another and eventually a novel and now a third. In fact, I’m currently starting a new series set in the same time period which is a spin-off of a character from Dead Kill 2. This need to be different is an approach I also take with any zombie related stories I write. If it can’t be at least a little different, then why do it?
Wilburn: Oh, the money and fame … That’s why I write about zombies … From a time when you once swore you would never write a zombie story, how is it to have a zombie trilogy completed? How do you see the evolution of the series from this side of things?
Malafarina: Dead Kill Book 1: The Ridge Of Death was my first story in the series. It was originally meant to be a stand-alone book until about three quarters of the way through when I decided to make it the first in a series of still indeterminate length. In DK 1 we are introduced to the universe of 2053. It’s 10 years after the Z43 Virus has struck. It focuses on how humanity deals with the post-apocalyptic world. It also introduces the savage and often evil humans living in the outlands. It vaguely hints at possible mutations of the Z43 virus. In Dead Kill Book 2: The Ridge Of Change, I make the mutations a reality and show how they could eventually become a problem for humanity. In Dead Kill Book 3: The Ridge Of War, mutants do become a major problem and are the focus of the book.
Dead Kill 3 doesn’t exactly change the series but follows what I consider the logical progression. A virus caused the dead to rise. Every human alive at the time of the outbreak carries the virus which activates at the time of their death. Humans destroyed most of the zombies and learned how to properly deal with their dead so they don’t reanimate. But viruses tend to mutate. And that’s exactly what happens with the Z43 virus. Each book builds upon the previous with my characters following along the way.
Wilburn: What do you like or dislike about the zombie genre as a whole?
Malafarina: I like slow, clumsy zombies. I don’t care if Mother Nature caused the dead to rise or some sort of virus concocted in a lab or the vapor trail from some meteor. It doesn’t matter to me. I just prefer my zombies be dumb and slow.
I don’t believe slow zombies could ever take over the earth. (Or at least not the United States). In the movie Dawn of The Dead, (the first one) Romero had a scene that was meant to be satirical where a bunch of red necks were out having a good old time drinking beer and hunting zombies.
The truth is, many individual states in the United States have more guns per capita than many large foreign countries. If you were to accept the premise that the dead could rise and eat the living then you have to realize that most Americans would not sit back and become a main course.
We love to shoot stuff. And shooting moving stuff is much better than shooting stationary stuff. The idea of open season all year round with a $100 bounty per zombie head would not only result in total annihilation of the zombie population but it would likely have some people killing each other, just so they could later shoot them again and get the reward. Zombies wouldn’t have a chance, at least not in the US. We’re a bit too crazy for that.
Wilburn: Where do you see this genre going in the future and what part do you want to play in that future?
Malafarina: I have no idea where the genre as a whole might go. I do have an idea what direction I’m heading, but that’s something that will have to wait for another book some time in the future.
I want readers to experience enjoyment and entertainment. When I write it’s to entertain. During the writing process, I’m busy entertaining myself. Hopefully when the book is finished, I manage to pass on that same enjoyment to the reader.
I realize there will be naysayers and hard-core noodnicks who question the logic in some of the twists and turns my books may take. But as with all zombie fiction, if you accept the premise that something completely dead can get up and walk around eating people you pretty much have to accept everything else.
Wilburn: Thank you for your time. Everyone, check out the latest Dead Kill 3: The Ridge of War or begin now with book 1.
Malafarina: Who are you talking to?
Wilburn: The people reading this interview. Don’t you see them looking at us right now?
*After a pause, the lights shut off, leaving Jay in darkness. He felt his way back up the steps toward where he knew the mutants and outlanders would be waiting.*
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