Character Endangerment and Conspiring With Other AuthorsDD- Tell me about little kid Eric Shelman, what were you like in school? were you an English superstar? ES- "Little Kid Eric" was the youngest of four, with two older brothers and an older sister. I wrote poetry (rhyming, of course!) when I was a little kid, and once wrote one called "Bird Talk" that was so damned good, I had a teacher accuse me of copying it from somewhere. I recall that really pissed me off in a 7 or 8-year-boy way. I should have taken it as a compliment, right? Anyway, my mom was an English teacher, so English and spelling were my strong subjects. Hated math. I did win quite a few spelling bees, though. DD- Is there a next big thing for you going forward? What is it? ES- My book, "Out of the Darkness: The Story of Mary Ellen Wilson," has been optioned for film by Bully Breed Productions, and a couple of years ago they exercised the option and bought the rights for good. It's been developed and is currently being shopped with some very heavy hitters interested. We're crossing our fingers - they're holding out for a big-screen movie deal, and have already turned down an offer from HBO. My other novels - all of the Dead Hunger novels - have been optioned by Underdog Films, and the first screenplay for Dead Hunger and my book, Generation Evil, have been completed, with Shifting Fears to come. DD- You turned down HBO??? *Coughs ... Dies.* Seriously congratulations on that. My fingers are crossed for you all the way. Give us some insight into your main characters Flex, Gem, and Hemp. Is Flex modeled after you at all? ES- Flex Sheridan was fashioned after who I'd like to be during a zompocalypse. His name came from Admiral Flex Plexico, whose name is listed if you search Google for the top ten manliest names in the world. He's a man who cares about his family so much he's unwilling to concede that a member of his family is changed beyond all hope. He takes care of his six-year-old niece, Trina, like she's his own. Gem Cardoza's full name is Gemina, pronounced with a long I. Like "Je mine' uh". She is definitely fashioned after Gemma Teller from Sons of Anarchy. A passionate, hot, tough, very protective woman, only my Gem is never called Gemma. Hemphill "Hemp" Chatsworth and Charlie Sanders are both fashioned out of thin air. Hemp's a smart guy but he was kind of lonely before the apocalypse. He holds degrees in epidemiology and mechanical engineering, so is a perfect participant. Charlie's story is revealed within the text of book 3, but she's a firecracker who loves her punk and metal rock who had it tough right after the start of the outbreak. DD- If there was a movie made of Dead Hunger, who would be playing them? ES- I could go with Mark Wahlberg for Flex, Roselyn Sanchez for Gem (or Zulay Henao), everyone seems to like Benedict Cumberbatch for Hemp, though I'd prefer Charlie Hunnam, and for Charlie, Margarita Levieva would be perfect in my book. DD- .)What draws you to the Zombie/ Horror genre? ES- To be very honest, I delved into the zombie genre solely to capitalize on the demand for zombie books. I hadn't written for a dozen years before writing Dead Hunger, and the release of that book lit a fire beneath me - I've written ten full-length novels since 2011. I didn't even know The Walking Dead was on (or never watched it) before Dead Hunger, even though it had already completed its first season by then, I believe. I've since grown to really love zombie flicks. DD- Why do you write? ES- I write because I love it. I love being able to take people away from their lives for a little while and take them somewhere of my own creation, from my imagination. I introduce them to people they would love to know and hang out with, and I strive to write my characters so clearly that after you close the book you think, "I wonder what they're doing right now?" I even think about them in those terms sometimes. DD- I know you work, how do you fit it all in? is your writing schedule structured at all, or just whatever, whenever? ES- Sadly, I'm also an insurance adjuster - slip-and-falls, car crashes, hit-and-runs, dog bites, etc. etc. I do that 8-10 hours a day, then I come home and eat from 5:00 to 6:00. Then, religiously, I sit down and narrate audiobooks (for hire) and write for two hours, until 8:00. Then I start all over the next day. DD- What is the hardest and what is the easiest thing about writing for you? ES- The hardest thing is NOT writing. If no other obligations hang over me, I could sit all day and do this. I love it. It's in me. I have more books in my head right now and not enough time to get them all written. The easiest thing is actually writing the story and listening to my characters. I feel like the instrument that puts the words down on paper - kind of like a recorder or a stenographer. I just watch the characters and tell the reader what they're doing. DD- Do you ever get writers block? any tips for how to get through? ES- I believe writer's block means you're working on the wrong project, or the scene you're writing is not going as planned and you're stuck. Imagine yourself in the scene. The writer that created you and the scene put you there. You're standing there waiting for the writer to tell you what to do? HELL NO! You think, "If this were me, what would I do if in the exact same situation? Would I stand here and stare at that door? Would I find a car and go to xx place? Would I try to get to a friend's house? Where would I go? Who would I want to get to and see?" Well, answer that question and keep writing! You would not simply stand there and shrug (if you were that character.) You'd do SOMETHING. DD- How do you relax and unwind? ES- I unwind by singing Karaoke or by watching horror flicks, or reading. Love hanging out in a pool with a cold beer. Love hitting the road in an RV and camping. So many things are really, really good. Love life. DD- favorite quote? ES- "We see the world not as it is, but as we are." Anais Nin DD- I like that, and I agree. Thanks Eric, this was a great interview. ES- Thanks so much, Danyel. I've enjoyed this!
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