Bullying and yes Zombies

Bullying is a problem that has gone on for decades, maybe centuries. You think maybe the cavemen were picking on each other, too?

And... even in the fictional #zombie world, it seems, you'll have bullies. I mean, what can be worse than being a teenager-- and then turning part-zombie??

I talk more about this and provide an excerpt of my book, GIRL Z: My Life as a Teenage Zombie at the other blog today. Hope you'll stop by.

Give me Music!

 I love music and always have the radio playing just about every day. Sometimes I even put in some CD's (yes, old habits die hard) or -- I even play one of my favorite old albums.

Funny how you can forget something from a day or two ago, yet a song comes on and you can remember every word. To paraphrase a commercial, music is the fabric of our life.

And when it comes to writing, it should be a part of our characters' lives, too, right?

 Just as you have characters in a story or book see, smell and taste things, so, too, they hear sounds around them. Music can set a mood, be there for atmosphere, or accent a character's actions.

While my character Becca in GIRL Z: My Life as a Teenage Zombie is 16, which implies that she has her own generation's musical tastes, (her cousin has a Lady Gaga tune for her phone), I chose to have a Beatles' song come on the car radio as Becca's driving.

The song not only made her think of missing her mother and worrying about where she is as zombies roam the area, but it also shows that some songs and bands (the good ones at least!) not only last, but can be enjoyed by all ages. It's always nice to see younger kids express interest in "older" music, so I wanted to include that in the book.

Music is something we enjoy... so our characters should, too, right?

* For fun and a bit of nostalgia, check out some of the top songs from 1970 - there's also links for other years. Got a favorite? (I see several I liked on the list - and still do: Layla, Close to You, Let it Be.)

Spooky fun - Halloween Week!

It's Halloween Week! Time for monsters and mummies  and zombies and spooks, oh my!

We're sharing about our favorite movie monsters for MONSTER WEEK! at the GirlZombieAuthors blog....

I've long been a horror movie fan and love the old ones. Without huge budgets or giant special effects, the old movies managed to scare viewers with creepy stories featuring great actors like Lon Chaney, Jr., Boris Karloff, Vincent Price...

Probably one of the reasons why I ended up writing a Zombie book, GIRL Z: My Life as a Teenage Zombie.... my own "light" tribute to monsters...  What really is more fun than monsters, right?

So, what's your favorite?