Interview with Bryan Cassiday

Bryan Cassiday is the author of the Chad Halverson zombie apocalypse book series, which includes Zombie Maelstrom, Zombie Necropolis, Sanctuary in Steel and Kill Ratio.

Tell us a bit about the Chad Halverson series and your latest book Kill Ratio.

The Chad Halverson zombie apocalypse series includes four books so far. In order, they are: Zombie Maelstrom, Zombie Necropolis, Sanctuary in Steel, and Kill Ratio. In Kill Ratio the end of America is near and, for that matter, the end of the world, as a plaguewith a hundred-percent kill ratio wipes out humans and turns them into the walking dead. What remains of the American government has taken refuge in the Mount Weather Emergency Operations Center in Virginia. The government is trying to drone Chad Halverson, a black ops agent in the National Clandestine Service who is stranded on the wastelands of the West Coast and besieged by zombies, because he knows too much about the government’s involvement in the funding of the creation of the plague.

Have you always been fascinated by zombies?

In a word, no. The TV show The Walking Dead piqued my interest. I’ve also seen all of George Romero’s zombie movies and plenty of Fulci’s zombie flicks. The early zombie movies like White Zombie didn’t really do much for me when I was younger. Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later helped revitalize my interest in zombies. Combining zombies with plague enhances their fear factor, because, as I see it, zombies are avatars of the plague. Regarding the zombie genre in books, it’s a relatively new genre, compared with those of regular horror, mysteries, science fiction, etc.

Where did the idea for the series come from?

It didn’t start off as a series initially. I was just planning on doing my first zombie book Zombie Maelstrom. I wasn’t thinking beyond that. Then I got interested in the notion of what would happen next? One thing led to another, and I’ve written four so far. Each book seemed to invite a sequel, though at the time I was writing them I wasn’t thinking of writing sequels.

How do you organize your writing?

I write for a couple hours after I wake up. Then I tend to marketing by means of updating my pages on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Goodreads, etc. And I try to update my blog as often as possible.

What is the hardest thing about writing?

Sitting down in front of the computer and getting started. I don’t find writing easy. It’s a lot like swallowing broken glass. I keep trying to find reasons not to start.

How do you market your books?

I market them through my pages on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. I join zombie groups on Facebook and market there. I try to get reviews posted on Amazon. It’s tough. I have an Amazon author page. Sometimes I pay for ads on the Internet, but I haven’t had much luck with them when it comes to generating sales. I have also advertised in magazines—again with little luck in terms of sales. I do book giveaways at Goodreads and at LibraryThing.

With TV series such as The Walking Dead becoming hugely popular, do you think there is a ripple effect with people being more interested in zombie books than before also?

I hope so. I don’t really know. I haven’t done a study of it. Max Brooks’s World War Z was a very successful book financially, but I haven’t heard of many other zombie books that have cracked the top ten list of the New York Times Best-seller List.

What are your thoughts on good/bad reviews?

Amazon seems to think the more reviews you can get for your book, the more sales you’re going to get. Of course, these reviews should be predominantly good. I’m not so sure reviews sell a book. What they do give is exposure when they appear on blogs or in newspapers or e-zines, for example. I’ve had my share of bad reviews and they seem to be motivated more by the reviewer’s bile than by any acumen on how to write. I don’t pay much attention to them. Everybody’s welcome to his opinion.

How do you define success as a writer?

Completing another book. Against all odds, I wrote another one!

For your own reading, do you prefer e-books or traditional paper/hard back books?

I prefer traditional paper books. I like the feel of them in my hands and the smell of the pages. I have to admit I’ve never read an e-book, but don’t tell anybody that, because the sales of my books are confined almost exclusively to e-books.

What kinds of books do you read? Any favorite authors?

I like thrillers, especially spy thrillers. I like Jack Higgins. I like Robert Ludlum for his convoluted plots. I read Brad Thor and Vince Flynn. There’s no better spy writer than John Le Carre when he’s at the top of his game, as he was in A Delicate Truth. I do read zombie books, too. I like Joe McKinney and David Moody in that genre. I also read a lot of Stephen King.

What’s next?

Believe it or not, I’m working on another sequel in the Chad Halverson zombie apocalypse series. As Yogi Berra used to say, it ain’t over till it’s over.