All About Jessica Brody and UNREMEMBERED

25 Mar
BY MINDI SCOTT

Unremembered - FINALAuthor Jessica Brody stopped by the blog today to answer some questions for me about herself and her new title, Unremembered. She’s also sharing the link to the first five chapters of the book, which you can check out directly after the questions. Here we go!

At age eight, what did you want to be when you grew up? And at age eighteen? And while you’re at it, what about at age twenty-eight?

Jessica Brody: At age 8, I wanted to be a writer. By age 18, I’d convinced myself that writers didn’t make any money (and didn’t get dental insurance) so I decided I wanted to be in finance. By age 28, I’d quit my high-paying job in finance and was back to pursuing my dream of becoming a writer. Some things are more important than money and dental insurance, it just took me a little while to figure that out.

Which Breakfast-Club-style label would have best fit your teenage self?

JB: The clutz! I swear it’s bad. Clumsyville, population me over here. I bump into walls, knock things over, and even fall down the occasional stairs when I’m having a particularly good day!

Without giving away too much from your newest book, which Character or scene from it are you the most pleased to have created, and why?

JB: My favorite scene takes place on page 73. It’s actually one of the scenes I read at my readings. It’s when Seraphina first discovers one of her many superhuman abilities. She has an entire conversation with a stranger in a bus station and it isn’t until minutes later that she realizes the whole conversation took place in Portuguese. That’s when Sera first gets clued in that she can speak multiple languages.

Which are your favorite movies to watch again and again?

JB: Well, since you mentioned it, The Breakfast Club is high on my list! Also, Sliding Doors, 13 Going on 30, Love Actually, and The Matrix.

And, now, the most important question of all: Beatles or Elvis? Please support your answer. ;-)

JB: Beatles! It all comes down to lyrics. You just can’t compete with Beatles lyrics.

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CLICK HERE TO READ AN EXCERPT OF UNREMEMBERED!

About the book:  

The only thing worse than forgetting her past…is remembering it.

When Freedom Airlines flight 121 went down over the Pacific Ocean, no one ever expected to find a single survivor; which is why the sixteen-year-old girl discovered floating amid the wreckage—alive—is making headlines across the globe. She has no memories of boarding the plane. She has no memories of her life before the crash. She has no memories…period.

As she struggles to piece together her forgotten past and discover who she really is, every clue raises more questions. Her only hope is a strangely alluring boy who claims to know her. Who claims they were in love. But can she really trust him? And will he be able to protect her from the people who have been making her forget?

Set in a world where science knows no boundaries and memories are manipulated UNREMEMBERED by Jessica Brody is the first novel in a compelling, romantic, and suspenseful new sci-fi trilogy for teens.

Jessica Brody - Author Photo

About the author: 

JESSICA BRODY knew from a young age that she wanted to be a writer. She started self “publishing” her own books when she was seven years old, binding the pages together with cardboard, wallpaper samples and electrical tape. She is the author of 52 Reasons to Hate My Father, My Life Undecided, The Karma Club, and now, Unremembered. Her books have been translated and published in over 15 countries. She currently splits her time between California and Colorado. www.jessicabrody.com

When Characters Become Real. I Mean, Like, Really Real

12 Mar
by Michelle Andreani

Have Mindi and I ever told you about Matty? We really, really like talking about Matty.

He’s been one of the funnest characters to write so far: silly and playful and sweet. And dreamy. There, I said it. But despite bubbling up with inner charm, Matty needed some outer-ness, and the first thing that struck me about Matty was that he’d have a killer smile. (Also a rest-of-his-body, and probably hair, but a face-brightening grin was what I automatically associated with him.) So, when I came across this gif of a smirky Max Irons . . .

. . . I instantly thought: “MATTY’S SMILE! MATTY’S SMILE IS ON YOUR FACE, MAX IRONS!”

And I was also like: “*giggles coquettishly*”

I digress. (But seriously, let’s talk about Matty being dreamy sometime, yeah?) This gif has an overall Matty-ness to it and, thankfully, Mindi seemed on-board with this vision. All was well!

Fast forward some months to this February, when I was visiting a dear friend in Washington, DC. As luck would have it, Stephenie Meyer (yes, that one!) was on a small-ish book tour promoting her new novel-turned-movie, The Host. And her DC stop just so happened to coincide with my DC vacation. Stars aligned, I tell ya!

Oh, wait. I feel obligated to tell you here that I like the Twilight series. Sometimes I even like it a lot! I am okay with this. And while I like it for various reasons, I know that many people dislike it for various reasons, and we agree to disagree, and hooray for different opinions! (But if you are one of those people who cannot agree to disagree, I must direct you here. Thank you.)

My friend and I were all over that signing, if only because Stephenie Meyer is not the most accessible of authors these days. (And the signing was at Politics and Prose, a DC bookstore I’ve always wanted to get to.) But I’ll be honest, I was equally excited when I found out there’d be additional guests at the event – some handsome actor-types from the film.

UM SMILEY MAX IRONS TO BE EXACT.

Apologies for the bad quality. I blame the adorable smiles! (That's costar Jake Abel to his right.)

Adorable Boy Smiles screw with photo quality, I say! (That’s costar Jake Abel on the left.)

You guys. Beholding Max Irons was like seeing Matty in the flesh. (Only not, of course, because Max Irons is Max Irons and not a fictional teen boy. But still!) Seeing this person who so resembles a character in our book was a surreal moment – especially when he flashed that grin. (*giggles coquettishly*) It was as if, at least for a few minutes, Matty had come to real, flesh-and-blood life. How often do writers get to experience that? So, it was a total thrill for me – and Mindi, once I texted her the photo – considering how much time Matty spends locked up in our heads. Sometimes characters need to stretch their legs, I guess. ;)

And you’ll be happy to know that smile is just as effective in reality as it is in that gif above. Totally Matty-worthy.

(PS: If you think this makes me sound like a creep, just WAIT until my next post, wherein I ask the question: “Can you fangirl your own character?” And answer it with: “I don’t know BUT I DID.”)

Sharing the Love – GOING VINTAGE

14 Feb
BY MINDI SCOTT

photo (9)

Spoiler: I’m giving away an advance copy of Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt at the end of this post!

From around age 8 to age 18, Valentine’s Day was my favorite holiday. I loved making cupcakes with pink frosting, picking out cards and candy to give to my classmates, and getting presents from my mom.

More than all of those things, though, I loved the anticipation. Valentine’s Day felt like a day when anything could happen. Every February 14th, I hoped that whichever boy I liked that year would buy me a school-fundraiser balloon or rose to be delivered to me in class. Or that he’d ask me to be his girlfriend. Or that he’d make some grand gesture that showed me he liked me.

It never happened. Not even once. I now appreciate Valentine’s Day for the heart-shaped Junior Mints (when the stores aren’t sold out!), but it’s otherwise kind of unimportant. I have a husband who loves me every day, so I don’t want or need grand gestures in February. (Unless it involves tracking down the aforementioned Junior Mints–that’s real devotion.)

This year, on my formerly-favorite holiday, I thought it would be fun for me to kick off a series of SHARING THE LOVE posts about books! I received a few advance copies at ALA a few weeks ago, and I’d love to use them for their intended purpose of talking up upcoming books that I enjoyed.

photo (10)

Today, I have Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt! This one comes out in mid-March this year, and is the story of Mallory who, after discovering that her boyfriend is cheating on her with an online girlfriend, decides to “go vintage” and live like it’s 1962–when there was no internet. As the jacket states,  it includes “heartfelt family moments, laugh-out-loud humor, and a little bit of romance.”

What especially resonated most with me in this book is the theme of “finding your thing.” Mallory doesn’t feel like she stands out or has anything that is really hers, so she (sort of accidentally) sets out to discover those things about herself. I so relate to feeling non-unique and average, and especially would have related to it as a teen.

Here’s a short list of “Things About Me” that I came up with after reading this book:

1. Vegetarian cooking (My mother-in-law says I make the best vegetarian food of anyone she knows)

2. Mixing my lipsticks and applying with a brush for truly custom colors.

3. Absently drawing hearts all over the place.

4. Collecting every book by Victoria Holt/Phillipa Carr (but not Jean Plaidy, because I didn’t like those very much)

5. Writing books (Because it is a thing I do)

Surprisingly, I actually could go on. But I want to hear from YOU!

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For a chance to win my Going Vintage ARC, please leave a comment below (along with an email address where I can contact you) telling me one or more of the “things” that makes you you.  

Edit: We have notified a winner! Thank you to everyone who joined in the discussion here. It was very fun to read your responses.

All About Melissa Walker and SMALL TOWN SINNERS

25 Jan
by Michelle AndreaniMelissa Walker phone

Melissa Walker was the first author to stop by We Have Words, and we’re so glad she’s back to celebrate the paperback release of SMALL TOWN SINNERS (out now)!

You’ll have a chance to learn more about the book (which is so lovely) later in this post, but first, we want to tell you about a contest Melissa’s running. All you have to do is snap a pic of the SMALL TOWN SINNERS paperback when you see it in the wild, and you could win a whoooooole lotta books! Read more about the contest over at Melissa’s blog.

And now, Melissa answered Mindi’s Very Important Questions:

1. At age eight, what did you want to be when you grew up? And at age eighteen? And while you’re at it, what about at age twenty-eight?

Melissa Walker: Eight: A vet. Eighteen: A writer. Twenty-Eight: Still a writer. Yay!

2. Which Breakfast-Club-style label would have best fit your teenage self? [Examples from the movie are brain, athlete, basket case, princess, and criminal, but feel free to make up your own!]

MW: I think Gossip would have fit best, which I’m not proud of. I really did sling a lot of it around, and I didn’t think about repercussions. LAME. I changed though. So that’s good.

3. Without giving away too much from your newest book, which character or scene from it are you the most pleased to have created, and why?

MW: Well, in Small Town Sinners, I’m most proud of the quieter scenes between Lacey Anne and her friends. The Hell House scenes were the ones I was excited to write–they get a little nuts–but the softer ones ended up being my favorites.

4. Which are your favorite movies to watch again and again?

MW: Anytime these movies are on, I will stick to the couch: Jaws, Point Break, Die Hard, Taken, Some Kind of Wonderful and this year I think I’d add The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

5. And, now, the most important question of all: Beatles or Elvis? Please support your answer. ;-)

MW: Beatles, only because it’s easier to listen to a huge range of their stuff than it is to do Elvis for DAYS, especially if we’re allowing solo careers to mix in. But believe me, I’ve been to Graceland and if someone wants to do Elvis for days, I’m down.

Thanks, Melissa! 

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About SMALL TOWN SINNERS:

Sinners PBDoes falling in love mean falling out of faith? 

Lacey Anne Byer is a perennial good girl and lifelong member of the House of Enlightenment, the Evangelical church in her small town. With her driver’s license in hand and the chance to try out for a lead role in Hell House, her church’s annual haunted house of sin, Lacey’s junior year is looking promising. But when a cute new stranger comes to town, something begins to stir inside her. Ty Davis doesn’t know the sweet, shy Lacey Anne Byer everyone else does. With Ty, Lacey could reinvent herself. As her feelings for Ty make Lacey test her boundaries, events surrounding Hell House make her question her religion.”

Read an excerpt.

A few reviews:

“Walker has written a credible and tender evocation of the moment when a young person’s beliefs begin to emerge and potentially diverge from the teachings of a family’s religion…” –The New York Times Book Review

“A non-judgmental, nuanced, fascinating look at the teenage religious right… Walker writes an outstanding contemporary novel with a cast of characters who, far from being portrayed as hateful zealots, are relatable for readers of all faiths.” -Romantic Times

“Both tender and provocative… Walker creates an astutely balanced portrait of a conservative congregation’s in-your-face response to perennial issues of domestic abuse, teen pregnancy, and suicide, as well as of those who struggle to fit the prescribed Christian mold.” –Publishers Weekly

All About Lucienne Diver and FANGTABULOUS

13 Jan
BY MINDI SCOTT

FangtabulousLucienne Diver’s Vamped series has received some rave reviews over the years, and I want to share with you a quick sample of those:

For Fangtabulous: “Another amusing romp in the series, this installment also sees its hardy heroine beginning to mature, adding further dimension to her character. Reminiscent of Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse and Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum, Gina never fails to deliver the goods.” —Kirkus Reviews

For the Vamped series: “Readers who appreciate Diver’s light, dry humor will welcome back feisty Gina and her hunky boyfriend, Bobby… a welcome lighthearted departure from gloomy vampire romance.” —Booklist

“Diver successfully creates a vampire teen who is active and assertive and has no time for angst. Gina has a biting, sarcastic voice that makes the Vamped books quick and entertaining reads.”—VOYA

I haven’t yet had the chance to check out this series, but the promise of dry humor and a sarcastic narrator definitely make these sound like something I’d enjoy! Happily for me, Lucienne Diver recently answered some questions about herself and her latest title, Fangatublous. There’s more information about the book and the author after the questions. :-)

At age eight, what did you want to be when you grew up? And at age eighteen? And while you’re at it, what about at age twenty-eight?

Lucienne Diver: At eight I wanted to be a cryptozoologist and discover definitive proof of the Loch Ness Monster and other cryptids. At eighteen I wanted to be a writer and an anthropologist. I have degrees in both. At twenty-eight—you mean just yesterday?—I still want to be a writer, but I want to be better and more successful at it than I was at twenty-seven.

Which Breakfast-Club-style label would have best fit your teenage self? 

LD: I’d have fit every geeky classification you could come up with: brain, geek, dweeb…. I was in honors and AP classes; I played Dungeons & Dragons; I was never any good at sports. I sang in the chorus but developed a psychosomatic illness every time I had to sing solo in front of people, so while I did theatre I quickly gave up on going out for the musicals. Hmm, maybe that makes me a bit of the basket case as well. Oh, yeah, this question is good for my rep. ;-)

Without giving away too much from your newest book, which character or scene from it are you the most pleased to have created, and why?

LD: I won’t say who or why because I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but there are some scenes where one of the characters goes a little crazy. Those scenes were a lot of fun to write, and I’m pretty pleased with how they turned out. Why those scenes in particular? I think because I doubted my ability to do them justice, so I feel that I stretched myself as a writer and it’s one less thing to fear in the future.

Which are your favorite movies to watch again and again?

LD: I’m lucky I have time to watch things once. Very rarely do I get to watch anything again and again, but lately if I do it’s not a movie, but select episodes of Sherlock, the BBC’s wonderful Holmes & Watson series.

And, now, the most important question of all: Beatles or Elvis? Please support your answer. ;-)

LD: The Beatles! For one, I like their music better. For another, I read a People Magazine article years ago when I was stuck under the dryer at a hair salon about Elvis and his courtship and marriage with Priscilla Presley. It was enough to turn me off of him for life. (Although I have to admit that his song “In the Ghetto” makes me cry every time I hear it.)

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About the book:

Gina Covello and her band of federal fugitives are on the run after taking down a secret (and sinister) government facility. Strapped without cash or credit cards—a fate worse than death for Gina—the rebels must find a place to lay low. They roll into Salem, Massachusetts, the most haunted town in America and the only place they have friends flying under the radar. But within a day, Gina and her gang are embroiled in a murder mystery of the supernatural kind.

Someone—or something—is strangling young women, and it’s rumored to be the ghost of Sheriff Corwin, late of the Salem Witch trials. Is it the ghostly Sheriff or is someone on this side of the veil using the famous story as a cover up? Gina is determined to get to the bottom of this mystery, and she needs to do it before a paranormal reporter on the scene exposes them for what they are…fanged federal fugitives.

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About the author:

Lucienne Diver writes the humorous, suspenseful Vamped series of young adult vampire novels for Flux Books, including Vamped, Revamped, Fangtastic and the most recent, Fangtabulous. Her short stories have been included in the Strip-Mauled and Fangs for the Mammaries anthologies edited by Esther Friesner (Baen Books), and her essay on abuse is included in the anthology Dear Bully: 70 Authors Tell Their Stories (HarperTeen). She also writes the Latter-Day Olympians urban fantasy series for Samhain (Bad Blood, Crazy in the Blood and the forthcoming Rise of the Blood).

Publisher: www.fluxnow.com
Author: www.luciennediver.com
Author’s blog:
http://luciennediver.wordpress.com

Very Superstitious (aka The 1st Book I Read This Year Will Dictate Everything)

7 Jan
by Michelle Andreani

So, I used to have this ritual: my first read of  a fresh year had to be a book I loved. The first published words I read in January had to be magic. And I know that’s kind of flashing my OCD membership card, but what better way to start a new year than with some good reading mojo?

To ensure true book love on January 1st, the book I read had to be one I’d already fallen in love with. I mean, new books were too unpredictable! What if I hated this new book? Or worse. What if it was a meh-fest and I didn’t even care enough to hate it? Are you kidding me? MY YEAR WOULD BE RUINED.
looking-for-alibrandi

But this year, something happened.

My library books were reaching their due date.

I was itching for something different.

And so, my first book of 2013 was brand new.

A risk!

. . .

Fine, it was a Melina Marchetta book. Not really a risk, admittedly, because it’s a statistical impossibility to read a bad Melina Marchetta book since “a bad Melina Marchetta book” is like, not even a thing. It was a (maybe strategized) cheat, for sure, to choose this one from the pile, but it totally counts as a new read (and you can’t take that away from me!). The book was Looking for Alibrandi. And I did love it. It made me laugh and tear up and most definitely swirled up some good reading juju for 2013.

So, yep, I broke my old ritual (have mercy). I didn’t start this year with the security of words I already know and love, but with shiny, exciting new words that I never saw coming. And that’s not a bad way to start fresh. :)

Now, tell me! What was your first read of 2013?

Here’s to 2013!

31 Dec
by Michelle Andreani

Whew, 2012! It’s been quite a year — and frankly, not one I’m sorry to see go. But that’s not 2012′s fault. You see, I put a lot of pressure on this year to be The Year. I expected big things in my writing, big changes in my professional and personal lives, and 2012 certainly has a nice symmetrical sound do it, so why wouldn’t this be The Year?! My Year.

2012 never stood a chance. Poor thing.

These past 365 days were hardly a loss. I traveled more than I ever have in a single year, and I wrote more than I did in 2011. But compared to my 2012 Expectations of Glorious Glory (I wanted to visit the UK, which I didn’t. I wanted to write an entire novel, which I didn’t.), these accomplishments sound … wimpy. And that’s stupid.

So, here’s to a frothy new year! One not weighed down in expectation and stress from the get-go, but helium-filled with possibility and promise. Goals that make us bright and better. The little accomplishments that make us proud of ourselves, and make the little failures seem not so bad. And milkshake rewards, of course!

Let’s do this, 2013. Here’s to a happy, happy one. :)

All About Laurie Faria Stolarz and DEADLY LITTLE LESSONS

21 Dec
BY MINDI SCOTT

webIMG_2794f1Author Laurie Faria Stolarz stopped by today to answer a few questions for me and to share some details about her latest novel, Deadly Little Lessons –including a chapter excerpt!

First, the questions:

At age eight, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Laurie Faria Stolarz: I wanted to be a writer.
 .
 And at age eighteen?
 LFS: A writer.
 .
And while you’re at it, what about at age twenty-eight?
LFS: A writer.  I’ve been writing since before I could put pen to paper. As a child, I would make up stories and tell them to whomever would listen.  Then, when I finally could write, I’d draft scripts and have my dolls recite the lines and act out the performances..
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Which Breakfast-Club-style label would have best fit your teenage self?

LFS: Probably Molly Ringwald, but less popular.  Wasn’t she described as super-popular in that movie?  I wasn’t a loner like Ally Sheedy. I had a solid group of friends, and could blend in with different groups.
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Without giving away too much from your newest book, which character or scene from it are you the most pleased to have created, and why?

LFS: I love the opening scene, where Camelia gets a phone call and learns a painful truth – one that changes her life forever.
.
Which are your favorite movies to watch again and again?
LFS: Never Been Kissed, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Juno, Green Card, Once, The Devil Wears Prada, Bridget Jones Diary, Thelma & Louise, Mean Girls, Moonstruck, Clueless, Under the Tuscan Sun, and anything with John Cusack.
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And, now, the most important question of all: Beatles or Elvis? Please support your answer. ;-)
 LFS: The Beatles. Growing up, my older brother would play their albums over and over, and so I’ve sort of been brainwashed.
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Front_Cover_-_Deadly_Little_Lessons

About Deadly Little Lessons:

Camelia Hammond’s trying junior year of high school is finally over…but her troubles aren’t. After she discovers a painful truth about her family, she escapes to a summer arts program in Rhode Island.

Determined to put family – and boyfriend – drama behind her, she throws herself into her artwork. At the arts school, she gets caught up in the case of Sasha Beckerman, a local girl who is missing. Even though all signs suggest that the teen ran away, Camelia senses otherwise. Eager to help the girl, she launches her own investigation. Meanwhile, Camelia realizes how much she misses Ben, despite being committed to Adam.

But time is running out for Sasha, and Camelia will have to trust her powers if she’s to save her. Will the lessons Camelia has learned in the past give her the strength to do so?

Want a sneak peek? Go here:
http://www.lauriestolarz.com/dllessons.pdf

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About the Author: 

Laurie Faria Stolarz is the author of Deadly Little Secret, Deadly Little Lies, Deadly Little Games, Deadly Little Voices, Project 17, and Bleed, as well as the bestselling Blue is for Nightmares series. Born and raised in Salem, Massachusetts, Stolarz attended Merrimack College and received an MFA in creative writing from Emerson College in Boston.

For more information, please visit her web site at www.lauriestolarz.com

Two Books, All the Joy! (A Giveaway.)

19 Dec

Love Actually, ugly sweaters, twinkling lights. The holiday season is obviously a time for Awesome Things. But we all know the awesomest thing is giving, and one of the awesomest-est things is giving books! So, in the spirit of goodwill and spreading glittery joy, Mindi and I are having a giveaway! Mindi’s offering up a copy of one of her books and well, since I don’t have a book, I’m giving away a book I wish I’d written. Fun!

It’s just our way of saying, “Thanks for stopping by, now relax with a couple books, you deserve it.” :)

So, here’s what’s up for grabs for 1 lucky winner:

*UK paperback edition of THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE by Jandy Nelson

Signed copy of LIVE THROUGH THIS by Mindi Scott

And Mindi’s throwing in some FREEFALL/LIVE THROUGH THIS bookmarks!

     

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The giveaway is US ONLY. (Sorry! Hopefully we’ll have an international giveaway next time.)

All you have to do is fill out the Google form below. The giveaway ends at midnight PST, the morning of December 24th. (Or the night of December 23rd, whichever makes more sense to you!)

Yay! Good luck! *sprinkles good luck dust*

ETA: Congrats to Elisquared on winning the giveaway! And many, many thanks to all who entered! <3

Zombies on the Brain!*

17 Dec
BY MINDI SCOTT

*See what I did there? :-D

Anyone who knows me knows that I have never liked watching horror or suspense movies. For the most part, I avoid anything that looks like it has the potential to scare me. The same goes for the books I choose to read too.

Vampire Duck

I can still clearly remember night after night as a child, lying in bed awake with my mind racing with thoughts of The Wicked Witch of the West, Maleficent in dragon form, and Those Gross-Looking Pale People Who Bite You. I also remember being age twenty-two and having to keep flashlight next to me while I slept. Just in case any dead people showed up in my apartment.

(Side note: Typing that last paragraph just reminded me of the time I watched Once Bitten with my cousin as a kid and later explained to my mom that the reason the main character had been chosen by the Countess was because he was still a virgin. My mom didn’t like hearing those words come out of my nine-year-old mouth, I tell you what.)

So when I heard well over a year ago that Courtney Summers, one my favorite authors, was getting a novel about zombies published, I didn’t know what to do. I want to read all of Courtney’s books forever and ever, but how could I read This is Not a Test?

this is not a test

In the meantime, I discovered that Emma Stone had been in a movie called Zombieland. I love Emma Stone and I want to watch her movies, but how could I watch that one?

The solution to my zombie dilemmas came from the book Zombies Vs. Unicorns. A friend gave it to me to borrow, saying that I didn’t have to read the zombie stories if I didn’t want to, but that I might just like some of them. I was wary, but I wasn’t reading anything else at the time so I decided to give it a shot. For the unicorns only! But I ended up reading all of the short stories in the book, and I realized afterward that I’d enjoyed a greater portion of the ones about zombies than of the unicorns.

Whoa, right?

After making it through those short stories, I went on to read The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan. I’d actually had the author sign the book for me at an event in 2010, but I had no intention of ever reading it. (And, by the way, I just finished her two other novels in the trilogy during the past week.)

And that was when I came to strongly suspect that I could probably experience more zombies without nightmares. I’ve since watched (and loved) Zombieland, and read (and loved) This is Not a Test, which might be my very favorite Courtney Summers novel so far.

It isn’t the zombies that interest me so much in these stories, of course. It’s the living people. It’s the desperate situations they find themselves in and the choices they make about survival and human connections. I love to ponder the potential metaphors about the zombies, and I find it all so inspiring–these stories about people who have to decide how just badly they want to keep living and how they’re going to go about it.

I don’t know if I can officially say that I’m a convert to zombie stories on the whole, or that I’ll ever have the urge to branch out to reading or watching another facets of horror.  But for now, I know that the trailer for Warm Bodies makes me smile and tear up every time I watch it. I can hardly wait for this movie. (And lucky Michelle has already seen it, by the way! She says it’s cute!!!!!!!!!)

What about you? How do you feel about zombie stories? Any recommendations?

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