Turning the tables on an interview!

It is not uncommon to receive interview requests (although not as often as you might actually think). However, I thought that it would be fun to turn the tables on the readers. (Plus it saves me a bunch of work coming up with ideas for blog posts!) Let me present my first such response; a wonderful individual named Kareen Roberts:

Grrr...

1.     Which of my books left you feeling just a bit cheated? Why?

I wouldn’t use the word cheated but I do wish that Extoterrestrials was longer. Large scary spider-like aliens who suck you dry, terrifying. More please

2.     Which of my books would you say was your favorite? Why?

I read the Dead series, except for “Spring”, all in one go so it’s hard me to separate them into individual novels. I lived the whole series over months. So it has to be Dead: The Ugly Beginning as it started the journey. I was hooked from the start. Fast pace lots of different characters and no one was guaranteed to survive.

3.     Who  are some of your favorite authors and why?

Luke Duffy his zombie apocalypse is set in Britain. Military unit trying to get home and other survivor stories. Face paced, military strategies and love stories included.

Karine Halle. Experiment in Terror Series. Paranormal Investigators with raunchy love scenes.

4.     What is the first book that just got under your skin and made you fall in love with it?

Stephen King's The Shining. I still have my fist copy from over 20 years ago.

5.     Have you ever considered starting a reading circle or book club? And would you be more likely to do so if you knew that the author would be available to your group for a Q & A session (either via Skype or Google+ hangouts) when you all finished?

Personally I wouldn’t have the time to chair a group or act as admin but I would participate if I could be lazy and just read the book and make comments.

6.     If you have read my DEAD series, then you are familiar with Garrett McCormick. I have had a lot of criticism regarding my creation and inclusion of that particular character. Do you feel I went too far?

The criticism surprises me and wonder what it says about me in return that I found this character intriguing. Serial killers and other psychopaths will be in their elements if society collapsed and no one was there to answer to. I feel you were right portraying this element. The female character he held captive was strong and had me rooting for her in every chapter

7.     If the zombie apocalypse did occur, how well do you think women and children will fare in general?

Unless they were in larger communities I don’t think they would fare very well.

8.     Do you think society has any hope if such a thing as the zombie apocalypse were to actually occur, or, as I have often suggested, do we lose too many of the “good guys” early on and end up left with those in the middle and those who have been hiding under a rock?

Correct me if I’m wrong but when Billy made this observation it really made me stop and think. Absolutely the carer’s and protectors would have rush in to save and protect and be lost quickly. The psychopaths and serial killers would be waiting in the wings. A terrifying thought. We only need to look at the atrocities on our news channels to see the abuse of women, children and vulnerable on a daily basis and many more stories go unreported.

9.            I have been accused of over-dramatizing the victimization of women and being overly misogynistic, do you agree? If so, let me have it with both barrels. And if not, what would you say in my defense?

No matter how strong your will is, brute force will conquer. Unless the women were military trained it would be impossible to over come a group of men intent on doing you harm. We may not like it but it is the reality.

10.            In a lawless society, do you become a follower? A leader? Or a crusader set on battling those who take advantage of the lack of repercussions?

I’m definitely not a crusader, that takes a special strength which I think only few possess. If I had a strong reliable leader I would follow but not blindly.

11.            If you heard a news report today saying that a possible zombie attack has been reported, how serious do you take it?

I have a few back up plans just in case, not serious enough to be on Nat Geo’s Preppers show but I know what to do.

12.            Let’s talk about That Ghoul Ava (unless you have not read the series, in which case, feel free to ignore these questions). Humor is very subjective, so what do you find funny?

Ava’s view on sex and the disasters encounters she has make me giggle. Naughty humour is always a winner.

13.            What is the last thing you read that made you actually “laugh out loud” (as opposed to LOLing, where you probably didn’t really, you just said/typed it because you were amused).

When Ava was trying to persuade her vampire to have a quickie and he was for none of it. I got a few strange looks that day as I giggled away to the audio book.

14.            What will keep you coming back for more with Ava? A love interest storyline? A long running battle with a Super-villain? Or…she just fits the bill when you want mindless pulp fiction?

Super Villains are really my thing, it won’t put me off buying more in the series but I prefer her to eat and go. A long drawn out love interest would keep me coming back to the series.

15.            How likely are you to buy books from an author you like even if the genre is slightly (or even drastically) different?

I’ve had a few hit and misses. I enjoyed Mark Tufo Zombie series, but his other work just didn’t do it for me. Whereas Karina Halle who wrote Experiement in Terror I’ve thoroughly enjoyed her other books which were a completely different genre. Short answer is yes.

16.            Did you know I wrote a “time-travel” themed book Titled Dakota as well as a sci-fi/alien themed short titled The Exoterrestrials? (You actually have to search using “Dakota by TW Brown to find it…I had no idea that was such a popular title name…sheesh!)

It took a bit of time but I found both of them and just finished them this week.

17.            How often do you write a review?

I only started writing reviews. Until recently I didn’t realize the positive effect it had on the authors ranking and recommendations.

18.            Are you more likely to write one if the book is terrible versus one that you enjoy?

I only write a review if I really, really like a book. This will sound silly but I don’t like to leave negative reviews to spare the authors feelings. I also hate the snotty folk who point out grammar and spelling mistakes. I feel it took a lot of hard work and soul baring to publish a book and if it’s not for me it may be up someone else’s street. Why spoil it for them but if a book is great then I want to encourage others to not miss out.

I recently saw a book be review at only 1 star because the reader couldn’t get her kindle to download it properly. How that was the authors fault is beyond me.

20. I hate predictability. If I am reading and a main character is in danger, I want to actually fear for his or her existence. I get a lot of grief for killing main characters. Does that annoy you or do you see it as adding more realism?

I cried when Steve died, I actually put the book down and mourned him for a bit. I kept thinking the happy ever after would happen but of course it didn’t. New character has now appeared and I feel just as invested in them, I like the biting your nails part to see who survives and who perishes. It would be too boring any other way.

21.            Now it is your chance to just say what you feel. Give me some feedback and be sure to include some critical stuff. That is how a person gets better at their craft.

If I had to make a critical comment (I hate this part…) it would have to be Ava. I do find it annoying that she is so easily distracted. A few times I have skipped past her ramblings to see how she is going to deal with the person in front of her. Most comments are humorous but just a bit too much for me.

I know Facebook isn’t you favorite medium and time is precious. Writing the books is what we really want you to be doing, but responding to fans comments would increase participation from us and also increase the amount of fans Facebook would send your posts to. Even just hitting the like button on our comments give us the buzz of knowing you took the time to read.

I also like to finish with a positive. I love Dead, a huge range of characters with no two the same and the fact that the zombies aren’t always the scariest thing out there. When I bought Spring it was like greeting old friends again.