Pearls Cast Before a McPig: Forsaken by the Others Blog Tour -Zombie Interview with Jess Haines

Tuesday, 4 June 2013

Forsaken by the Others Blog Tour -Zombie Interview with Jess Haines

Today I have Jess Haines over for a small interview about zombies!
Read on for zombie mayhem and don't forget to enter the giveaway.

Back in 2010 I interviewed Jess about her first book Hunted by the Others and I asked her how Shia would react when faced with a zombie. Here is Jess' answer:

I imagine it would go something like this:

SHIA: Ew, what’s the smell?

ZOMBIE: …Braaaaaiiiiinnnnssss….

SHIA: Uh, ew? EW!

ZOMBIE: *shuffleshuffle*

SHIA: Oh, sick. Did a piece of you just fall off?? *sprays Lysol* Get away! Shoo! I am so serious. Don’t you touch me!

ZOMBIE: *shuffleshuffle*

SHIA: OH MY GOD, EW! GET IT OFF, GET IT OFF!! *flail!*

…yeeeeeah.

----

Skip to book 5, Forsaken by the Others and to my great joy Shia actually meets zombies!

Jess, can you tell if the above scene represents Shia's reaction to zombies in Forsaken by the Others or did Shia undergo some character growth thoughout the books that make her react differently?

As funny as it is, that's not wholly accurate. I think an excerpt from Forsaken by the Others might tell it best:

The vampires behind me started complaining—some of them blaming Brendan for the stink—but then Sara was stumbling back into me, and I didn’t have time to worry about where it was coming from.
Bloated, discolored fingers with long, jagged nails were grabbing at Sara’s shoulder and arm, dragging her out through the door. By the time I got over my shock enough to reach for her, she was gone.
“Sara!”
She screamed, and I heard wet thumps—she must have been fighting back. Thrane was trying to haul me back while I was tugging at his grip on my collar to get free and chase after her.
“Get out of the way! We need to shut the door!”
“Let go!”
He did. I charged up the stairs and out, though I skidded to a stop at the sight before me, barely registering the sound of the door slamming shut and locking behind me.
Zombies had converged on the alley, dead bodies in various states of decomposition shuffling about aimlessly, save for a few that were still crouched over a red puddle and pile of body parts stained with thick, blackish blood. Trinity. I recognized her kitten heels on the dismembered leg being munched on by one of the monsters.
Sara was struggling and gagging in the arms of a dead man who towered over her, his lips bluish-green and peeled back from yellowing teeth, sunken, milky eyes staring at nothing in particular. He didn’t react to the thumps against his forearms and shins as she beat at him, and it was no wonder why. I doubted there were any nerve endings left to feel anything in that walking corpse.
Some of the zombies turned in my direction, all gaping mouths and hollow or desiccated eyes. My back thudded against the door.
A few started shuffling towards me, their feet dragging and arms slowly raising as they approached.

What advice do you think the present Shia would give the old Shia on how to handle zombies?

I believe she would say stay away from Los Angeles, no matter how much pressure she might get from Royce (or anyone else) to leave New York. As for the zombies themselves, I am pretty sure Present Shia would tell Old Shia that she needs to pack lots of big guns, a machete, and a year's supply of hand sanitizer. Oh, and to brace herself, because the zombies--while gross--are not the biggest problem she's going to have to deal with.

Is there anything the zombies might want to add to this?

Yes, I was given a rather slime-coated and difficult to read note to pass on:

UR BRAINZ. WE R COMN 4 DEM.

Blech. Charming. *sprays Lysol everywhere*

Now that Shia has encountered zombies, do you think there's a possibility that she will encounter a werepig in a future book?

Never say never! ;)

Thanks Jess for answering these questions!

About Forsaken by the Others:
The Others–vampires, werewolves, things that go chomp in the night–don’t just live in nightmares anymore. They’ve joined with the mortal world. And for private investigator Shiarra Waynest, that means mayhem…
Have a one night stand with a vampire, and you can end up paying for it for eternity. P.I. Shiarra Waynest, an expert on the Others, knows that better than most. Yet here she is, waking up beside charismatic vamp Alec Royce with an aching head…and neck. Luckily, Shia has the perfect excuse for getting out of town–namely, a couple of irate East Coast werewolf packs who’d like to turn her into a chew toy.
On Royce’s suggestion, Shia temporarily relocates to Los Angeles. But something is rotten–literally–in the state of California, where local vampires are being attacked by zombies. Who could be powerful enough to control them–and reckless enough to target the immortal? Following the trail will lead Shia to a terrifying truth, and to an ancient enemy with a personal grudge…