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| Joseph Tatner, Author FLOYD AND MIKKI: ZOMBIE HUNTERS |
What
you need to know about Joseph Tatner’s FLOYD AND MIKKI: ZOMBIE HUNTERS,
according to reviewers, is that it is “a
hilarious foray into the world of zombies.” Tatner approaches the world of
zombies with humor, yet quickly adds that he intends the story to be “compelling”
with “colorful characters” and the book does include “truly creepy
parts and genuine horror.”
Tatner,
a child actor and the son of a well-known 1940s musician, turned from technical
writing to telling zombie stories, a favorite genre of his wife, after seeing World War Z with its "new spin." FLOYD AND MIKKI: ZOMBIE HUNTERS is the first
of a series. The second book, Floyd and Mikki: Zombie Slayers, Dawn of the Living, is due to be released soon.
Don’t
miss the excerpt at the end of his interview.
Q: Why zombies? What
drove you to choose this genre to tell your story?
Joseph Tatner:
Actually, I have never been a fan of zombie movies. I think they are the
dumbest of all monsters and I don’t like excessive blood and gore. However, my wife loves zombie and monster
stories. She and I had recently seen World War Z in the theater, and while we
were waiting to change planes in an airport, I joked that I should write a book
called, “Floyd and Wanda: Zombie Hunters.” She didn’t like the name Wanda, so I
changed it to Mikki. I liked the new spin World War Z had taken and I decided
to write something completely different with a lot of humor.
Q: Reviewers say
FLOYD AND MIKKI: ZOMBIE HUNTERS is “a zombie book with a difference.” What
makes it different?
Joseph Tatner: First,
it is very funny. Although I do include some truly creepy parts and genuine
horror, the book is easy to read and makes you laugh. But I think that what
really sets it apart are the characters. The two heroes aren’t one-dimensional
by any means, and you learn more about them as the book (and their love for one
another) progresses. The living and undead creatures and people they encounter
are also interesting and fun. At one point, Mikki adopts a zombie kitten as a
pet, despite the fact that Floyd hates cats – especially undead ones. Floyd and
Mikki get on each other’s nerves, yell at each other, joke with each other,
laugh, cry, etc. They have real questions about life and almost no answers.
They are real people caught in an unreal situation. Readers can really relate
to them.
Q: A key theme among
reviewers about FLOYD AND MIKKI is that it is “an amazingly funny book.” How
important is humor to telling your story? Or, for that matter, how important is
humor to any story?
Joseph Tatner: Humor was critically important because although
there are many die-hard zombie fans, there are also many people who don’t take the
genre seriously. I wanted to have something for everybody, and everyone loves
to laugh. I wanted this to be like the movie Galaxy Quest. It’s a spoof about Star Trek and Trekkies, but whether you love or hate Star Trek, you will probably love Galaxy Quest because it has a compelling
story with colorful characters and a lot of humor. I wanted this book to have
the same appeal.
Q: Why did you set FLOYD AND MIKKI in a post-apocalyptic America? Could your zombies have existed
in our current world, e.g., zombies who resemble everyday people shopping in
the mall or supermarket?
Joseph Tatner: Actually,
the timeline is contemporary, as if the Zombie Apocalypse could start today.
While other stories focused on how the infection began, spread, etc., I wanted
something different. Unlike the hero in most stories, neither Floyd nor Mikki
have any clue what created the zombies. They do what they can to learn about
the creatures and survive against all odds. They each had been alone for nearly
two years, and this sense of isolation was crucial to set the stage for their
first meeting. They don’t like each other, don’t trust each other, and don’t
respect each other, but for all they know, they are the last two people on
Earth. That forces them to deal with each other, and eventually to rely on each
other. The more they learn about each other, the more they come to respect and
even love one another, until they are fiercely devoted to each other.
Q: You have had a variety of careers,
including child actor, dancer, technical writer, as well as two diverse degrees
-- a BA in Communications and an MA in National Security Studies. Now you are a
writer. Of all of your careers, what is your favorite? What caused you to turn
to writing fiction?
Joseph Tatner: I
love telling stories, as an actor or a writer. As an actor, I learned to
observe people and create a variety of characters. Obviously, this is a very
useful skill when writing characters for a book. Actually, I made my living for
years as a technical writer. It’s really nice to write something a lot more
creative.
Q: Reviewers applaud
FLOYD AND MIKKI as an “Amazing story,
great characters and a really good plot.” Did you write it to entertain
or did you intend to deliver a message? A warning?
Joseph Tatner: I definitely wrote it to entertain, but
there are a lot of deep questions raised in the book – all without answers.
Floyd and Mikki question whether there is a God, what is right and wrong when
the rules no longer apply, what obligation do they have to others in an
every-man-for-himself world? They really don’t know, but like all of us, life
is a search for meaning. Every reader will have his or her own interpretation,
and that was intentional as well. It brings the reader into the story in a
cerebral way that is highly unusual for a zombie story.
Q: Why do readers
care about the characters Floyd and Mikki? What makes them engaging?
Joseph Tatner: Floyd and Mikki are Everyman and
Everywoman. Like all of us, Floyd and Mikki just want to live every day without
drama and complication. But also, like all of us, drama and complication plague
our lives. In their case, that drama and complication is raised to the extreme,
but they are really just simple people who want to be left alone to live their
lives. They have the same thoughts, questions, feelings and needs that we all
have, so watching them struggle to survive everyday against all odds makes them
the underdogs. We all love watching underdogs triumph. By making them as real
as possible, the reader can see himself or herself in the characters, which
makes the story more engaging.
Q: Is the concept of
heroes vs villains relevant to your story? Are zombies essentially the “bad
guys?” What makes a compelling villain? Do you need villains to have heroes?
Joseph Tatner: The concept of heroes and villains is
essential to the story. The big question is, what is good or bad when a society
falls apart and there are no rules? The real “bad guys” in the book are the
living. Zombies are mindless and somewhat predictable (at least in book 1), but
human beings are not. There are criminals and gangs that raided and looted and
killed when society fell apart. They gathered all the gold and jewelry they
could rob or steal, only to have it all end up being worthless. Yet, they still
murder and destroy whatever is left in society. There are many levels of good
and evil in the people Floyd and Mikki meet, and they become heroes without
ever intending to be.
Q: What’s next?
Joseph Tatner: Floyd and Mikki 2, of course! I am
proofing the second book, Floyd &
Mikki: Zombie Slayers, Dawn of the Living now, and am about 20% finished
with Floyd & Mikki: Zombie Destroyers,
Zombie Trek. Book 4 in the trilogy (pun intended) will be, Floyd & Mikki vs the Martians, which
will spoof the entire series as Floyd and Mikki get abducted by aliens to fight
in an arena similar to the Predator movies. Mikki loves to blow things up, so
this way she gets to blow up an entire planet. A character oddly similar to
Doctor Who will show up in that novel. If I can find the right illustrator, I
may turn the first book into a graphic novel, as well. I also have a prequel
short story simply entitled, Mikki,
which I am currently shopping for publication in a horror magazine in the US or
UK. It tells the story of how Mikki transforms from runaway teenager to Zombie
Hunter as the Zombie Apocalypse begins. In addition, I have an action/adventure
novel called Caribbean Heat and a
Dungeons & Dragons style trilogy called The
Black Lore that will be published soon, but I haven’t begun the final
proofreading and I want to get at least the first three Floyd & Mikki books
done first, as everyone keeps nagging me for more. Apparently the story is pretty
addicting!
Q: Tell us about
Joseph Tatner. What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
Joseph Tatner: I
unwind playing Neverwinter and other computer games, but as corny as it may
sound, I really like spending time with my family. I have a lovely wife and
young daughter. I always make time to do something special together, whether
it’s a road trip, visiting the mall, or just staying at home watching movies.
About Joseph Tatner
A true
renaissance man, the author Joseph Tatner holds a BA in Communications and an
MA in National Security Studies. He has written numerous published Web and
print articles, books, technical documents and promotional materials.
After writing so many technical manuals over
the years, Joseph nearly turned into a zombie himself, so he has a unique
insight into the mindless void of a soulless drone. Yet like his father before
him, Jack Tatner (a famous musician in the 1940s), Joe has kept his offbeat
sense of humor. He has a unique talent for taking an otherwise normal situation
and turning it on its head, then twisting it again with delightful,
thought-provoking results. Joe is a modern day Gilbert and Sullivan, examining
humanity, society and personal relationships in a topsy-turvy apocalyptic
world.
Unlike most zombie books, which are
as dry and mindless as the creatures they feature, this first book in the
trilogy packs plenty of action and creepy horror as Floyd and Mikki rely on
each other, their wits and whatever supplies they can scrounge as they travel
through the Midwest to New California Haven, the last safe zone in America.
Lost in a shattered world populated by the undead, they don’t know what caused
the infection or how to stop it. With wry humor and snarky comments, they encounter
plenty of action, colorful characters and riveting horror as they fight to stay
alive and help others along the way. This is one zombie novel for readers with
a brain!
Excerpt
Suddenly, a light flipped on, shattering the
total darkness. Floyd had to blink a few times to adjust. Then he got the shock
of his life.
“Holy crap!
You’re a girl!” he exclaimed, noticing the obviously feminine figure for the
first time. He removed his face mask.
“No shit,
Sherlock. You figure that out all on your own, did ya?”
She wasn’t just
a girl. She was a hot girl! What the hell? She spoke with a southern drawl that
Floyd couldn’t quite place. It certainly wasn’t Texas. Tennessee? Georgia,
maybe?
She wore short,
tight jeans that she had cut off right at the top of the thigh and a T-shirt
cut off just below her ample breasts. She removed the football helmet to reveal
light blonde hair tied into unbraided pigtails. Two fountains of yellow hair
tied with rubber bands erupting from the sides of her head. She wore pink
cowboy boots—or cowgirl boots—and the stem of a Dum Dum lollipop was sticking
out of the side of her mouth.
If it weren’t
for the size of her chest and the granite gaze in her eyes, Floyd would have
thought she was about 15. Whoever she was, she sure knew her way around a
shotgun and was far more mature than her young face would indicate. In a saner
world, she would have been safe at home, playing with dolls or getting all
dolled up herself in some fancy dress for the prom, instead of sneaking out
after curfew to kill undead monsters. Buffy the Zombie Slayer.
“How old are
you?” Floyd asked.
“Old enough!”
she snapped back. “But don’t get any funny ideas or I’ll gut you like a fish
and cut you into bait!”
Ignoring the
mixed metaphor, Floyd knew by the look on her face that she wasn’t kidding. He
began to seriously wonder what he had gotten himself into.
“Hey, no
problem!” he insisted, throwing up his hands in surrender. “I’m Floyd. What’s
your name?”
“Mikki.”
“Mikki, huh?
What is that, short for Michelina or Michelle or somethi-”
Before he could
finish the sentence, Mikki was up in his face screaming at him with a large,
evil-looking combat knife that she seemed to have pulled out of nowhere pointed
at his throat.
“Don’t you call
me Michelle! Don’t you never call me Michelle! You hear me? I’ll cut of your
balls, stuff ‘em in your mouth and sew up your lips! We clear?”
“We’re clear!
We’re clear!” Floyd stammered. When Mikki retreated, Floyd carried on. “Damn,
girl! In case you haven’t noticed, we’re on the same side here.”
Mikki paused and
looked him over carefully before saying, “Maybe. We’ll see about that.”
“So what were
you doing out there anyway?
“Shopping.”
“Shopping?”
“Yeah, shopping!
You think cans of food just grow legs and walk their way down here by themselves?”
“I guess not.”
Floyd also guessed that hunting zombies every day hadn’t exactly taught her
much in the way of manners, either, but he kept that thought to himself.
Links
Purchase
sites
Author
Links
Web site (includes sample chapters)
Twitter
address @FMzombies
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