Why I love zombies

 

I'm not the only one obsessed with the dead who rise

I often get asked when people look down my list of published books why I wrote a zombie novel? It doesn't seem to fit in with my profile -  I've been a vegetarian for over 30 years and a crime writer.

I've written books on compassionate living, bullying due to my bitter experience of it, caring for your dog because of my experience of having rescue dogs all my life and I'd even written comedy books. 

How does that fit in with being obsessed with humans who die then come back to life, desperate to devour human flesh? 

I'm obsessed to the point of coming up with theories of how an actual zombie apocalypse could start. When I go for walks with my rescue dog I think about where would be the best place to be holed up if the Dead started to roam the earth. How secure would that place be? How would we get food? How would we survive?

Seeing zombies through the eyes of Rick Grimes

That's the one thing the zombie genre gives you - pure escapism. 

Zombies give me something else to think about other than the problems we all face in our lives - nightmare neighbours, rude and obnoxious people who don't speak to you for 5 years and then out the blue accuse you of something nonsensical, constant worrying about money and the welfare of those we love. 

Zombies are my escape from the true horrors of the world - could anyone have imagined a pandemic like the one we are experiencing - and daily existence.

Unlike real life, living humans who don't die and come back to life, with zombies you know where you are - avoid them or if they bite you and you die and then come back as one of them. 

If only life were just as simple. 

I also love to be scared - whether it's in a movie, TV show, or in a novel but not in real life. There are enough things to scare you in real life. 

I also love exploring how the zombie apocalypse brings out the best and worst in people. I enjoy the way anyone can be redeemed. 

And that's one of the other things I enjoy most about the genre - how it explores the best and worst sides of human nature. Nothing shows someone's true colours as much as a zombie apocalypse. 

Nothing shows someone's true colours as much as a zombie apocalypse

SPOILER ALERT! - Don't read the next bit if you haven't seen the season finale of Fear The Walking Dead. 

Just ask Morgan Jones who was thrown into the path of walkers by a so-called ally Victor Strand in Fear The Walking Dead.

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If you're interested in checking out my very Scottish zombie novel, here's it is -  

One woman rages against the zombie hordes! Check it out here 

Or, if you prefer direct links here -

Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0187LFCVU

Amazon UK http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0187LFCVU

Amazon Canada http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0187LFCVU

Amazon Australia http://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0187LFCVU

Stay safe everyone.

3 Times The Walking Dead messed up a chance to make the show better

With Rick Grimes leaving The Walking Dead is huge shoes to fill 

There's no doubt that the writing and character development on the hit show hasn't been as good as previous seasons since the introduction of Negan. So much time has been devoted to one of the most annoying characters in TV history who fans either hate or love that precious few other characters haven't got a look in.

Since Daryl used a rocket launcher on Negan's men he's hardly had a thing to do which seems grossly unfair because he's one of the main reasons the show became so popular. And he's not alone in not having enough to do. 

The show could stand to lose at least half a dozen characters - or more.

But there's also been some great opportunities missed to turn the show around.

I've listed just three but there's a lot more, including not killing Glenn and Carl. 

Negan should have survived, not Negan.

1.Simon should have killed Negan not the other way round. 
The wrong bad guy died. 

Negan should have ended up dead instead of the charismatic Simon. Simon was a far better character who could be threatening with a few words and he didn't go into endless long speeches, waving a bat around and grabbing his crotch.

Would Negan have really got the better of Simon in a one on one fight? I'm not the only one who doesn't think so.

More importantly why on earth would Rick let the sneering sociopath live? This is Rick who's despatched much less worthy victims in the past.

I can see no way that Rick Grimes and the gang would allow a man who terrorized him, his son and his friends and who made a sick pregnant woman kneel as she watched her husband (one of his best friends) have his head caved in by a bat, live. 

Troy would have made a splash in The Walking Dead.

2. Troy should haven't died in Fear The Walking Dead - he should have crossed over into TWD and played the role of Alden at the Hilltop.
***SPOILER ALERT if you haven't seen season 3 of Fear***
In case you didn't watch Fear before Morgan crossed over, Troy was one of the sons of a white supremacist, survivalist rancher, who the main stars of the show ended up staying with in season 3. 

Troy was unhinged, racist, evil but smart and believed he could find a cure for the zombie virus by executing people and timing how long it took them to reanimate. All of his victims seemed to be targeted for their ethnicity. 

His days on Fear ended after Madison killed him with two whacks to the head with a hammer because he led the walker horde to the ranch and effectively got almost everyone killed. 

Troy was excellently played by Daniel Sharman in a season where Fear wasn't just better than ever, but in some people's opinions was better than The Walking Dead, Troy was one of the main reasons why.

Imagine how good it would be if Troy had survived and somehow ended up at The Hilltop and he was the one making eyes at Maggie and not Alden one of the prisoners from Negan's lot? 

Imagine the creeping horror when Maggie  realize he's a monster after folk mysteriously disappear from Hilltop and end up as newly minted walkers? 

Not for the first time, TWD missed a trick there.

Troy would have made the show better. There I've said it.

Cyndie could have been Clementine from the comics.

Clementine could be the darling of The Walking Dead

3. Bring on Clementine
When Tara met the mainly womenfolk of Oceanside who'd been devastated after Simon (without Negan's knowledge) massacred all their men and teenage boys, there was one character who stood out - Cyndi. 

Only we didn't know who she was at first so I got my hopes up and thought, brilliant, Clementine the girl warrior from the excellent Walking Dead game is going to be on the show.

I was massively disappointed when it didn't happen and it was Cyndi. 

Sure she came across as tough and is now the settlements de facto leader but she wasn't the Clementine players of that game love. And that was a pity because Clementine is as good if not better than most of the characters in The Walking Dead.

If the show's runners want to hear us cheering again they should bring Clementine to the show.