1 February 2019
Zombies! Militias! Cannibals! Slavers! Somebody help me, it's all been done before! Then again, what hasn't? Lately, I've been seeing a lot of unique monsters and situations coming up in movies and books. Especially in young adult and horror fiction. Writers are avoiding the use of the same old tropes, which inevitably lead to the same old conflicts and resolutions we've all seen and read a hundred times. This is great news to us, who love stories. Fresh material to stimulate and entertain us!
But what about the endless supply of vampires, werewolves, serial killers, zombies, etc, that keep being recycled over and over again? Well, that's great news too! The truth is, every good story has certain elements that make us react in certain ways. Those elements have been around since the beginning of time and they've all been used before. There's no way around it.
One summer morning in 2016, I sat at my desk with a pad of paper and a pen (yes, that's how I write) and began the first draft that would become After the Change. I didn't draw up an outline because that's not how the creative process works for me. I had no idea what the book was even about yet, just that a story had begun to stir inside of me, which wanted out.
Before I finished the first line, it became apparent that it was a post apocalyptic tale. Then, a few paragraphs in, I learned that there would be zombies. I began to panic, afraid that I would produce some piece of hack work that I would eventually feed to my trash. Though I have nothing against them, I've never been a huge fan of zombies.
But before I even finished Chapter One, I knew that the book wasn't really about the zombies. It was about the characters, Diego, Sheena, and Wes, and how they relate to each other in a world which has turned cold and cruel. It was about a love, shared between three fifteen-year-olds, brought on by the loss of everything that ever mattered to them. As the story unfolded further, I learned that it was about power and leadership, and how they affect the teenagers in different ways. Then, when I saw how long the book was going to be, I realized that it was a series. It had to be.
So what makes one story different from another? Not necessarily an original concept--though it doesn't hurt--but rather characters that we want to get to know and spend our time with. Who we love to love, or even hate. That and thought provoking situations, that make us wonder what we would do in them. That's what I've given you in After the Change. (Among other things)
I'd love to know your thoughts on it. Feel free to leave a review, or contact my publisher at mkmbridgepress@gmail.com to be notified once the next book in the series is available. Look out for my other series, which debuts this year as well, titled, Ninja Girl.