Part-time Zombie by Gerald Dean Rice 

When Alice develops a hunger for human flesh she unwittingly unleashes an ancient evil only she can stop. As Detective Lazarus races to get to the bottom of these horrid crimes he discovers a sinister connection between the killer and himself.

The Big Thrill caught up to author Gerald Dean Rice to learn more about his latest horror novel, PART-TIME ZOMBIE:

Which took shape first: plot, character, or setting?

The plot was the first piece that came together. I wanted to write a story where something was happening on every page. I wanted no or very few down moments so there would be action of some form on every page.

Was there anything new you discovered, or that surprised you, as you wrote this book?

I realized I’d written a body horror story. I didn’t consciously do it, but there it was in the Word file the next time I opened it and realized what I was looking at.

What authors or books have influenced your career as a writer, and why?

I’m a big fan of F. Paul Wilson. I used to be on his message board every day, gobbling up every new tidbit about the Repairman Jack series and buying every new installment as soon as it was issued. I learned just as much by studying his writing style as I have in obtaining my Bachelors of Arts in English.

What’s the one question you wish someone would ask you about this book, or your work in general? 

There seem to be a lot of tropes turned upside down in this story. No final girl, the strong male is the one who needs to be rescued, he trips a lot–were these things written purposefully?

Yes, they were. I wanted to honor ’80s movies–my decade for horror–while turning convention upside down.

What attracts you to this book’s genre?

I’ve always been a horror fan. I saw “Creepshow” in the theater when I was kindergarten. My mother was a huge Stephen King fan and she gave me Eyes of the Dragon as a Christmas present one year. At some point I started wanting characters to do things other than what they were doing on the pages I was reading.

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Gerald Dean Rice is hard at work on something right now. Whether it’s vampires, zombies, or something you’ve never seen before, he’s always dedicated to writing something unique. He’s the author of numerous short stories, including the Halloween eBook “The Best Night of the Year”, the YA book “Vamp-Hire,” the anthology Anything but Zombies, and the upcoming fantasy thriller The Bureau of Retired Spells and Broken Magic.

To learn more about Gerald and his work, follow him on Facebook.