At long last, here's my promised interview with Rebecca Besser. Let's jump in!
Q: Tell us about yourself--the part you tell everyone.
A: Hi, I'm Rebecca Besser, author of the zombie novella, Undead Drive-Thru. I write fiction, nonfiction and poetry for a wide range of age groups and genres. I've been published over 140 times in various publications. To learn more about me, please feel free to visit my website http://www.rebeccabesser.com, or my blog, http://blog.rebeccabesser.com. You can find me on Facebook under Rebecca Besser or Author/Editor Rebecca Besser. I'm also on Twitter under @BeccaBesser.
Q: What is your book about?
A: The anthology, "Earth's End," which is a Scifi Apocalyptic anthology, is one book I edited this past year and it'll be released from Wicked East Press in January 2012! My story, "The Olden Gears," is included in Earth's End. Here's an excerpt from my story:
"He drove faster, but everywhere he looked there was more destruction.
With numb fingers, he reached over and turned on the radio to see if there was any news about what was going on; it took him a couple of minutes before he could find a radio station that was still on the air.
'...Overnight the world has been bombarded with atttacks by the elderly. On every continent, in almost every country, they've taken lives at will, showing no mercy...'
Looking out around him, he tried to decide how he was going to make it home. Almost every street was blocked off by accidents, and everywhere he looked, someone was being slaughtered; his attention focused back on the radio as they continued.
'...Medical experts are saying the cause of the outbreak and behavior in their elderly patients is linked to the chemical compound used in the 'lubrication' of ReGen 'parts' surgically implanted; the chemical was supposed to act as synthetic blood. Once it leaks into the real blood stystem, it targets certain parts of the brain an triggers uncontrollable, aggressive behavior...'" - The Olden Gears by Rebecca Besser - Earth's End
Q: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
A: I've had a "gift" with words since I was very small and won my first wrting award when I was in the 1st grade. For my prize I got to go to the school library and meet a real author. I wrote a lot of poetry in my teens, but didn't do much with my talent for a long time. After some rough patches in my life, I turned to writing to heip me heal and have had a lot of success, so here I am!
Q: Where and how do you find the most inspiration for your writing?
A: I find inspiration all around me in various things. I also have an overactive brain and imagination, so I really never have a shortage of ideas.
Q: When and where do you usually write?
A: Since my laptop died...I write on a desktop computer located in my living room and tend to write while my fam is at work/school during the day.
Q: What is your favorite part of writing? Your least?
A: I love the unexpected journeys I take with my characters. :) I dislike the multiple rounds of editing it takes to get a piece ready for publication. I HATE waiting to hear back about submissions.
Q: Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
A: Hmm... Originality is probably the hardest thing to capture. It's said that there is nothing new, since everything has been done before. So, it's a challenge to bring something new to a reader that will make them say, "Wow! That was awesome!"
Q: Tell us about your book. Is it a standalone or is it part ofa series?
A: Earth's End is a collection of stories from various authors. Each story is unique in its approach and angle for the demise of humankind.
Earth's End Blurb:
Technology and beings from beyond have always scared and captured the interest of many. Some predict they will bring about the end of the world, after all, the apocalypse is immanent and it's anyone's guess how it will happen.
Strange beings of evolution or from someplace we don't even know exists, free to devour or conquer mankind; demons from the pits of hell, let loose to run rampant on Earth, killing at will; souls loosed by a planetary alignment, released to spread carnage on humanity; a holy war waged 'til death; alternate dimensions of the past, now part of the future; and a cyborg race of the elderly, all wait to be released from these pages.
Let your imagination run wild and don't be afraid to wonder... Is there any hope? Or will the Earth truly end?
Q: When you're writing, do your characters talk to you, develop a life of their own?
A: Yup, or I just "become" them while I'm writing and that's a LOT of fun most of the time.
Q: Where can we find your work?
A: You can find links to my books on my website http://rebeccabesser.com, or through my Amazon profile page, http://www.amazon.com/Rebecca-Besser/e/B004V311C$/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0, or at Barnes & Noble.
Q: Chocolate or vanilla?
A: Chocolate...most of the time!
Thanks for taking the time to chat with us, Rebecca, and all the best to you and Earth's End!
Thanks for having me as a guest!
