INTERVIEW WITH CRAIG DILOUIE: MASTER OF THE POST-APOCALYPSE

Author Craig DiLouie

The first time we interviewed Craig DiLouie it was because of his masterful apocalyptic thirillers Tooth and Nail and The Infection. The recently published sequel The Killing Floor turned out to be a really exiting book and there is no doubt that he is one of the very most interesting names in the genre. So therefore it is time to have a another chat with him. So here we go:

Hi Craig! It is nice talking with you again! Since last time you have published a sequel to THE INFECTION named THE KILLING FLOOR and your readers seems to love the book. Now when the story has developed further, do you feel it is completed or are there plans on a third novel in the series?

Great to talk to you again, Jonny. THE INFECTION tells the story of five strangers who are forced to function as a tribe as they seek sanctuary during an apoclaypse in which an organism transformers much of the population into violent maniacs and some into even more horrific monsters. The novel distinguishes itself from the typical zombie story in a number of ways, most notably in its gritty realism, strong characters and detailed violent action. THE KILLING FLOOR continues this story and reads more like a thriller; while THE INFECTION is episodic, kind of like THE WALKING DEAD, THE KILLING FLOOR has a single exciting story arc with the stakes being the fate of the human race.

THE INFECTION was originally intended to be a standalone story, although I had an idea for a sequel if the publisher was interested. Permuted Press immediately signed me up to do just that, and the idea became THE KILLING FLOOR, which was published earlier this year. At this point, the series is intended to be finished. I recently finished another apocalyptic horror novel that is now with a prominent literary agent, and I’m hoping they will get it placed. But one never says, never. At some point, I would love to return to the dangerous world of THE INFECTION with a third book.

My personal favorite character is Anne Leary. And I must say that I am very curious about how much ordeals and pressure you can put your protagonists under, and still convey some hope in the story?

Anne is a great character because she is so determined. She already experienced the ultimate horror of the apocalypse on its first day with the loss of everything she loves. Every subsequent deprivation, moment of pain, trauma—nothing can really hurt her anymore. She has accepted that while the infected are in a sense the living dead, she is one of the dead living. Like some soldiers in combat, she conquered her fear by accepting she is already dead. Survival is all that matters. As a result, she can make quick decisions under stress and fights without fear, and her continuing existence is fueled by her hatred of Infection. She is the story’s Captain Ahab, if Moby Dick were a viruslike organism.

Hope is a strong theme of my stories because the survivors of the apocalypse have to have something to live for beyond merely surviving. While the survivors in my stories are brutalized, we get the sense that their sacrifices may doom them but ultimately save humanity. With Anne, for example, perhaps she is too far gone for us to have hope for her, as she rejects it for herself—although in THE KILLING FLOOR she begins to feel again for others, making the path she chose for herself even harder. For the other survivors, there is hope. They have hope themselves, but must choose whether to fight or run. If they fight, perhaps there will be no hope for them, but there will be hope for the human race to survive. If they run and hide, ignoring their responsibility to their fellow men, they will have hope but the human race may lose everything. This poses a question to the reader: What would you do? Would you hide and try to live as long as you can, or would you stand with others and make the ultimate sacrifice?

You have chosen a loser, Ray Young, and made him into somewhat of a antihero and bringer of hope. I find him both annoying and likeable at the same time. How do you consider him?

Ray Young is a small town bully and loser who steps up to help during the apocalypse. The more we learn about his past, the more we dislike hiom. He’s incredibly flawed, ruled by his appetites and self-destructive, but he is only human, and there is much to like about him, particularly as he makes stark choices during the course of the novel. Despite what he is, like most people, he wants things to be normal, and understands that everybody needs to chip in to make that happen. The more we see him in the present, the more we come to like him. When he leaves the refugee camp to help save it, he becomes infected, but his infection turns him into a biological superweapon—or perhaps the savior of the human race. Unfortunately, to save humanity, he might have to make the ultimate sacrifice, and what good is saving the world if one can’t live in it? So Ray’s choices are like those of the other survivors, but amplified, and with the ultimate stakes, and with these choices made by a human being who is incredibly selfish.

When I reviewed THE KILLING FLOOR I wrote among other things that: ”DiLouie's Armageddon is really nothing I want to experience, but I love to read about it!”. You are certainly not one of those writers who decribes the apocalypse as an exciting adventure. What is your view on those more joyful and unrealistic stories?

Zombie fiction has exploded as a genre in the past few years, with many great choices for readers. Some readers look to the apocalypse for wish fulfillment; they want to shoot their guns and not pay taxes and conquer the odds while being tested. Other eaders look at the apocalypse as a horrifying place in which they would lose everybody and everything they ever loved. I’m firmly in the latter camp as both a reader and a writer. For me, that overwhelming sense of sadness and loss, conveyed realistically and with people I care about, is what distinguishes a zombie novel as a thriller to one that is horror and perhaps something greater. I’m not going to say otherwise that one approach is right and another is wrong. The great thing again about the genre is that there are now so many choices, so people can read books that they want to read. There is something for everybody, and I’m grateful and humbled people enjoy my particular take on the end of the world.

Your book THE THIN WHITE LINE was recently listed as one of 50 Must-Read books for nurses in 2012 by LVNtoRN. That is pretty cool! How do you feel about that?

I was extremely honored by this recognition. THE THIN WHITE LINE tells the story of what a severe influenza pandemic would look like in a modern country. The book reads like a nonfiction history telling the story of a pandemic that has already occurred, punctuated by firsthand accounts by survivors. I did a ton of research to convey as realistically as possible what a flu pandemic would actually look like, and the result is quite scholarly, resulting in its listing as one of the 50 must-read books for nurses in 2012. It’s not like my other works, however. It reads like nonfiction, which has limited its appeal. I actually self published this title, and I’m happy to offer it free for eBook readers at http://craigdilouie.com/books/the-thin-white-line/.

Your website (craigdilouie.com) has become a goldmine for those interested in apocalyptic ficion. You seem to be an avid reader of the genre, since there are a large amount of reviews of other authors books on the site?

My blog offers a post every day about something in the apocalyptic horror realm—books, movies, short films, music videos, everything—while occasionally promoting my own work with links to interviews and reviews, and news about upcoming works. The blog was a natural extension of being an avid reader/watcher of horror media. I consume horror media out of love for the genre. I consume so much of it because as a writer, I like to see what other writers are doing, and every time I read a book, I learn a little more about craft. I hope your readers will check out my site, where there is literally something for everybody. They can find out about books and movies, and watch short films right on the site.

How do you look upon the ebook phenomenon these days? I imagine that you have reached a large group of new readers around the world that way, and your publisher PERMUTED PRESS sure has promoted their authors ebooks nicely with several sales like ”Black December” and likewise?

eBook publishing has exploded in the last few years. It’s changing publishing in ways we are just beginning to understand. If you go to Amazon.com, they have a little over 8 million print titles in their inventory, and 1 million eBooks. But less than a year ago, there were 8 million print titles, and 800,000 eBooks. That’s a huge increase.

As a reader, I love my eReader because I can buy books cheaper than in print, without environmental guilt if I don’t like the book and don’t finish it. As a result, I’m more likely to buy a book than not, and take chances. I can also carry around a complete library with me when I travel. The downside is paper is tactile, and eReaders typically have very little design going for them. It’s all the same font on a gray screen, not very exciting, which is something to get used to.

As a writer, I love eBook publishing. A big percentage of my sales are eBooks, and despite the lower price to the reader I get a higher royalty as the author, which is great. eBook publishing has also opened the door to proliferation of self publishing. Some authors (John O’Brien, Stephen Knight, D.J. Molles, Mark Tufo, to name a few) have done very well for themselves in zombie fiction, and have built a strong following. The eBook is destroying the old stigma self-published books used to have. The only disturbing thing is the potential threat of pricing becoming a race to the bottom.

Besides THE INFECTION and THE KILLING FLOOR, can you name a couple of novels in the genre that you consider really necessary to read?

First, I’d hope readers would try my other zombie novel, TOOTH AND NAIL, which is about a company of infantry deployed in New York City during a zombie outbreak. It’s been described as BLACKHAWK DOWN meets 28 DAYS LATER, and delivers extreme action. Beyond that, I would suggest your readers go to www.permutedpress.com and check out their books, and also visit my blog page at http://craigdilouie.com/category/books/ to see mini reviews of horror novels. Some of my favorites can be found in my Amazon list at http://www.amazon.com/lm/R2L8ZXPACHOT5L/ref=cm_pdp_lm_title_1.

Last, can you tell us something about what you are planning or working on at the moment? (Because we sure hope that you are constantly writing!)

I just finished an apocalyptic horror novel that I believe is the strongest thing I’ve ever written. The work is currently with a prominent literary agent and I’m hoping they will place it with a major publisher. At that time, I’ll have a lot of information to share about it, as I am currently bound to secrecy during the agent’s sales process. I’m already hard at work on my next novel, which will also be apocalyptic horror. Currently, I can do one book a year, although as my income grows from fiction and I give up clients at my dayjob, I hope to increase that to two books per year.

It was great hearing from you - - good luck with your further writings and we look forward to reading more works from your word processor!

Thanks, Jonny! I enjoyed talking to you again, and appreciated the opportunity to discuss my fiction with your readers.

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Read more on craigdilouie.com

Praise for The Killing Floor:

“THE KILLING FLOOR is a high-octane, nail-biter of a zombie novel.Psychologically complex and emotionally devastating. Craig DiLouie is one of the new masters of zombie fiction.”

- Jonathan Maberry, author of DEAD OF NIGHT

“A unique and startling vision of Armageddon … DiLouie takes the nightmare of THE INFECTION and ratchets up the horror to another level. Recommended!”

- David Moody, author of AUTUMN and HATE

“Gave me nightmares … Last year I said that Craig DiLouie was one of my top picks that had set the standard for horror in 2011–he just raised the bar for 2012.”

- Zombiephiles.com

“Craig DiLouie is a writer of many talents, but his real gift is for dropping superbly drawn characters into harrowing action sequences so thrilling you can’t help but get lost in his nightmares … With THE KILLING FLOOR, he’s taken the zombie apocalypse to a terrifying new level. This is more than a great sequel. This is a lesson in how the killing gets done in zombie country.”

- Joe McKinney, author of FLESH EATERS

“Craig DiLouie’s THE KILLING FLOOR is every kind of horror rendered down in one truly amazing apocalyptic novel … It’s what all sequels want to be.”

- Peter Clines, author of EX-HEROES

“Crisp, sharp … THE KILLING FLOOR is a well-crafted follow up to THE INFECTION.”

-Patrick D’Orazio, author of the COMES THE DARK trilogy