Today I have a special guest: Author Michele Israel Harper from L2L2 Publishing Inc.
Before we get into the interview, though, I’d like to tell you a bit more about her and her latest novel, Zombie Takeover.
I was the bravest, fiercest warrior, single-handedly stopping the zombie apocalypse and earning the respect and admiration of those who fought with me.
Just kidding.
I pretty much peed my pants and wasted a ton of ammo. At least everyone else shot what they were aiming at.
Me? Not so much.
This is my story—me, Candace Marshall, the world’s biggest scaredy-cat, facing my biggest fear. Zombies. It was awesome. (As in, not at all.)
Candace Marshall hates zombie movies. She hates anything scary, in fact. In his usual, not-so thoughtful way, her boyfriend surprises her with advanced screening tickets to the latest zombie flick, complete with interactive features and a tour. She refuses to watch it, but it doesn’t matter.
Horror becomes reality when an experiment gone wrong transforms her peaceful town
into a mess of slathering zombies. Thrown together with the only other survivor, Gavin
Bailey, her favorite actor and secret crush, she somehow fights her way through the mess,
making plenty of blunders and surprising herself with…courage?
But, just when Candace thinks it can’t get worse than zombies, it does.
Michele Israel Harper spends her days as a stay–at-home mom and her nights typing
away furiously on her laptop. Sleep? Sometimes… A member of the Heartland Christian Writers, American Christian Fiction Writers, as well as the treasurer for the Indiana chapter of ACFW, Michele has her bachelor’s degree in History and can most often be found with her nose in a book when not chasing her two rambunctious boys or cuddling her new baby daughter. Visit her website at http://www.MicheleIsraelHarper.com to learn more about her.
I recently had a conversation with Michele that started out as a serious interview. You know, hard-hitting journalism at its best.
Okay, so I’m kidding. But I did try to be serious.
It just wasn’t happening.
This book and Michele herself are just too much fun! And if you know me at all, you know I just can’t seem to help myself when it comes to cutting up and asking off-the-wall questions.
So here it is, burning questions and sometimes hilarious answers from Michele Harper!
A: Michele, thanks so much for joining me on Guts On The Page. (Funny, since we’re talking all things zombie-licious!)
M: Thank you so much for having me today, Amy!
A: On to the questions. Zombie Takeover seems to be a bit of a variation on the types of stories you normally write. What prompted you to write a zombie story? Do you have a secret love of all things zombie that we don’t know about?
M: Zombie Takeover was actually the second book I ever wrote. (The first was a historical romance I trashed. Believe me. It needed to be. It. Was. Awful.) I hate all things scary, all things zombie, and all things gross, so it blew me away I had this burning story I had to tell—about zombies! What on earth?
A: Candace says she’s the biggest scaredy-cat in the world. So tell us, what’s your biggest fear? And, are you a fraidy cat or is there a bit of daredevil hidden in you?M: I don’t like the dark, being alone in the dark, watching scary movies, being alone after watching scary movies, Halloween, or anything else scary. Period. Candace Marshall is probably the world’s second biggest scaredy-cat, come to think of it… But tell me I can’t do something, and I’ll just about kill myself trying. I have this crazy competitive streak that just isn’t healthy for me. But I must win! 😉 So…daredevil when it comes to non-horror-ish things!
A: ZT is next on my to-be-read list. I’ve heard there are some hilarious moments. I love a good laugh. I especially love pranks. The bigger the better. I’ve been known to design a few in my time. Like… short sheeting my church camp dorm mom’s bed, eggs included! (No proof was ever found to nail the culprit, so as long as she never reads this, I’m still in the clear!) Have you ever been one to pull pranks on people, and if so, what’s the biggest prank you’ve ever gotten away with?
M: Oh, yes. Pranks all the time—but in high school. I was way more fun back then. Every once in a while I get struck with a “Let’s move all of so-and-so’s furniture out of their house and do an Ashton Kutcher-worthy prank where they think their house has been sold or robbed” idea and my husband just looks at me. “Do you know how much time that would take? Where would you put the furniture?” And I have to back down. Sigh. Can’t think of something small. Of course.
A: So, say there’s a zombie apocalypse. What five fictional characters would you want in your group and why?
M: Doctor Who (but the eleventh). Because I’ve just discovered him, and I’d desperately hope he’d choose to whisk me away instead of investigating. Thor. Because lightning bolts would surely do some damage, right? Uh, Wolverine. He could hack them to pieces. I think that would stop a zombie. Gavin Bailey (if I were Candace). Because who wouldn’t want her biggest crush/movie star/guy who would do absolutely anything to save her and was pretty darn good at it? Ryn from The Faerie Guardian. Because he could write a door to a faerie path with his stylus and take me to a zombie-free part of the world. Okay, I’d take anyone who could keep me away from the creatures and make it so I wouldn’t have to look at their faces. I never, ever, ever want to see one in my entire life. Ever.
A: Do you think you’d survive long? What would you do to ensure your survival? Would you be a hunter, or try to hide out as long as possible?
M: Are you kidding me? Running, screaming, crying? No way! But I did take martial arts, I’ve always been a fighter, and I love guns and weapons…so maybe? When I paintball, I’m extremely aggressive (and have won a few battles being the only remaining member of my team) and have no problem holing up for hours as I pick off members of the enemy team. Mwahahahaha. So, yes. I’ve changed my mind. I wouldn’t go down without a fight.
A: How many books do you have planned for this series? This is assuming Candace the scaredy-cat survives the initial onslaught and we see more of her. 😉 What kind of track do you see this story taking?
M: Spoilers, sweetie. (Sorry, couldn’t resist! I am a way bigger Doctor Who fan than I thought…) It all depends on whether Candace survives. I make no promises.
A: Zombies seem to be the “it” story line right now. Any thoughts on the current zombie craze, like maybe why the theme is so popular?
M: Nope, none at all because I avoid it. All of it. Scaredy-cat, remember? Maybe because they’re so deliciously creepy and people like to be scared? I don’t get it. (Maybe one of you can help me out with this one? What do you think?)
A: And finally, aside from all the laughs, screams, jump out of your seat moments, episodes of spontaneous shouting as we cheer on the heroine, and all around zombie fun, what do you want readers to take away from this story?
M: Fun. Just good, clean, edge-of-your-seat fun.
A: Now Michele has a few more words for you, the readers, and a question!
M: Thank you for reading this article! What about you? What uber-creepy creature is your fave lore, or you just can’t seem to get enough of?
Now, the fun doesn’t stop here! No way. This is just the beginning of what promises to be a blog tour full of fun, craziness, and laughs.
First off, be sure and check out the Facebook party on July 14th. There will be prizes galore! Here’s the link so you can save it to your calendar. I highly suggest you get right on that. You won’t want to miss this!
Next, don’t forget to check out the next stops on the tour in the coming days. All the links are below. Each stop is different and will you give you something new from Michele and Zombie Takeover.
Thursday, July 7th: Amy Brock McNew (www.AmyBrockMcNew.com) Interview
Friday, July 8th: Kristen Stieffel (www.newauthors.wordpress.com) Guest Post
Saturday, July 9th: Laurie Lucking (www.landsuncharted.com) My Top 3 Spec Fic Picks
Sunday, July 10th: Robin Pack (www.snippetsoffaith.com) Book Review
Monday, July 11th: Robin Scobee (www.quillsandinkblotts.blogspot.com) Book Review
Tuesday, July 12th: Michele Israel Harper (www.MicheleIsraelHarper.com) Release Day Feature
Wednesday, July 13th: Jennette Mbewe (www.jlmbewe.com) Candid with Candace: Surviving the Zombie Takeover
Thursday, July 14th: Shayla Eaton (www.curiouserediting.com/blog) Review/Facebook Party
Friday, July 15th: Ralene Burke (www.RaleneBurke.com) Post-Launch Feature
Thank you all for joining Michele and myself today. Now go reserve your copy of Zombie Takeover for only 1.99! Seriously. Go now!
Purchase Links:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1Yo9yUf
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1U9F2NV
iBooks: http://apple.co/1S2Xr7E
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1Ugurhl
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1Yo9yUf
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1U9F2NV
iBooks: http://apple.co/1S2Xr7E
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1Ugurhl
