Interview with Stacey Jay

 Stacey Jay is the author of You Are so Undead to Me, Undead Much? and many other books. Her popularity in the writing community grows with every wonderful book she puts out. She has a fantastic way with words and is certainly one of my favorite authors. Stacey is also a very nice lady and I'm happy i got the opportunity to interview her.

Lyle

Why did you decide to write about zombies?

Stacey
I’ve always been fascinated by zombies. They’re such an intriguing mix of scary and funny as hell. A rotted corpse moaning for brains…it’s funny, right? Yet scary because you need your brain for many, many important things like staying alive. So, scary and funny—two things I really enjoy writing. Add a little romance in there—because I am a die-hard romantic and love a good happy ever after!—and I’m in writer heaven. I’ve had such fun writing the Megan Berry zombie settler series (You are So Undead to Me and Undead Much?) and am excited to continue Megan’s story. (Hopefully I’ll have news about the next book in the series soon!) My So Called Death was also a blast. That book is from the point of view of a cheerleader who becomes a zombie after a fall from a stunt pyramid and was a fun change of pace.

Lyle
Have you thought about taking your writing skill to another genre?

Stacey
I actually write adult romances and urban fantasy under another pen name. I don’t share that pen name with my Young Adult readers, however, because some of the sexual content isn’t 12 and up appropriate. I’m happy to share my adult pen name with my older readers, however, and often send that info via email to interested parties. I’m also trying to convince Pocket books to let me publish my upcoming adult urban fantasy series as Stacey Jay. It’s a first person paranormal mystery series and (I think) appropriate for older teens and beyond. I’ll let readers know what they decide as soon as I know!

Lyle
How long did it take you to write You Are So Undead to Me?

Stacey
Hmm. Well, that’s a hard question. My first draft took about 6 weeks. The edits—rounds one and two and three—took close to two months. They were grueling. You are So Undead to Me was my first book with a NY publisher and I had a lot of learning to do. Now my first drafts are tighter and edits usually not quite as intense. *Knocking on wood and eyeing my editors nervously*

Lyle
How did you come up with the concept of ‘settling’?

Stacey
I wanted Megan to do more than kick zombie ass, I wanted her to help people and be forced to use her heart as well as her supernatural strength. Settling—having zombies with unsettled business come to supernatural go-betweens for help—came to me while I was driving, as most of my ideas do, and I knew right away it was something I would love to use in a book.

Lyle
How did you manage to mimic the language of a fifteen year old girl for your character Megan?

Stacey
I didn’t really try to mimic a teenager’s language so much as think about how I spoke when I was that age—and still do speak, really. (I’ll admit it, I throw around the word “totally” totally more than a 32-year-old woman should. Totally. For real.)

Lyle
Well without trying you did a fantastic job with it.

Stacey
Thank you!

Lyle
Do you know any inside information on a possible You Are So Undead to Me movie adaptation?

Stacey
I do not. But the film rights are available. *Eyeing Hollywood producers appealingly*

Lyle
If a movie was to be made I would be all for it.

Stacey
Me too!

Lyle
Have you had a chance to listen to the audiobook?

Stacey
No! I listened to part of it, but it was kind of like hearing my voice on a tape recorder. It freaked me out to hear my words read aloud by someone else. But I thought the narrator they chose was fantastic! I hope she does an audio book for the second installment in the series.

Lyle
Will there be an audiobook for Undead Much? I agree Jessica Almasy did a wonderful job.

Stacey
I have no idea. I had no idea the first had been made into an audiobook until a reader wrote me asking about book two. Authors. We are often the last to know, lol!

Lyle
Can you give us a little peek at what you have lined up next for Megan?

Stacey
I can’t at this time, but as soon as a contract is signed I will explode with the news on my blog and website so stay tuned. Hopefully I’ll have some good news to announce before the end of the summer.

Lyle
What are your favorite zombie movies and books?

Stacey
My absolute favorite zombie movie is 28 DAYS LATER. It just hit all the zombie awesome buttons for me. I haven’t read any zombie books lately, but I’m looking forward to catching up on my brain-eater reading this summer by the pool.

Lyle
Well I know of a website with some zombie book reviews. *wink wink* How do you feel about people saying the infected in 28 Days Later are not zombies?

Stacey
Lol. I think those people are FOOLS! Made of fail!! 28 Days Later is totally a zombie movie.

Lyle
Have you prepared yourself for the approaching zombie apocalypse?

Stacey
Of course. My shovel is sharp and parked near the bed and we’ve got plenty of bottled water and bandages and whole milk. Zombies are notoriously lactose intolerant. We think chocolate milkshakes will be our first line of defense.

Lyle
Thanks so much for taking the time to talk to me Stacy. I’ve had a blast and I look forward to more of your zombie stuff!

Stacey
Thanks for having me Lyle!