Eric Woods, Author

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Questions:

1. Tell our readers a little about yourself and your writing (including publications).
   I’m an author and consumer of the zombie genre! I’ve been writing since middle school, starting with short stories and poetry, leaning more toward horror, of course, as that’s my favorite genre, a love stemming from growing up playing Resident Evil and watching an array of horror movies. I’ve been publishing zombie books on Amazon since 2021, starting with The Collapse, a zombie outbreak story, which is the first book, Book 0, in my zombie apocalypse series, Aftermath. The Collapse is the zombie virus origin story to my Aftermath series, following the Gallagher family in first person and the spread of the zombie virus in third person, including patient zero. Since 2021 and The Collapse, I’ve published seven other books, as well as a couple of short stories, all in the zombie genre, including three more books in the Aftermath series, where one is Yesterday’s Gone, which is The Collapse’s sequel. The other two, Destination: Tomorrow and Return are supplemental reading, following different characters but in the same universe as The Collapse and Yesterday’s Gone. The Aftermath series is planned to be large, with at least two more books after Yesterday’s Gone, one book between The Collapse and Yesterday’s Gone, and many companion stories. My other books apart from my Aftermath series are separate universes and will have their own series.
   
2. What writing projects are you currently working on?
   I’m currently working on Aftermath Book 2, which will be the third book in my Aftermath series, after The Collapse, book 0, and Yesterday’s Gone, book 1. As well as this, I’m chipping away at other series, like Series Undead and Symbiosis.
   
3. Are you a daytime writer, a mid-day writer, a nighttime writer, or just someone who writes when the mood hits you?
   I’m an opportunity writer. Whenever I have a free moment, I write, even if it’s just a sentence.

4. Do you have a writing “Bucket List” (goals you want to accomplish as a writer)?
   My only goal as an author is to enjoy what I’m doing and never lose that passion. Making a stamp in the zombie genre is something I aspire to do, but at the end of the day, as long as I’m proud of what I’ve created, I’m happy.

5. Who is your favorite author and why?
   Mira Grant (Seanan McGuire). I picked up Feed at Barnes & Noble a decade or so ago. I was immediately pulled in. I consumed the entire Newsflesh trilogy, as well as the companion stories like they were water. The way McGuire tells a story is inspiring, and it really lit the fire under my pants to create something of my own!

6. Who/what first inspired you to write?
   I came out of the womb loving horror, I swear. I can’t get enough of the genre – the books, the movies, the shows, the video games. Halloween is my favorite holiday – everything spooky! I grew up playing Resident Evil, which was when my love for the zombie genre came to life. Dawn of the Dead (the 2004 remake) really solidified how intense my love for the genre was and still is. I’m not sure what inspired me to write my own zombie stories. I think, one day, I realized my love for writing could co-exist with my love of the zombie genre, and I haven’t looked back.

7. What are your favorite book genres?
   Zombie, apocalypse/dystopian, and horror.
   
8. HORROR FANS (pick 1-3): What was the first horror movie you ever saw? What is your favorite horror movie? What is the worst horror movie you have ever seen?
   Red Dragon was the first horror movie I saw, I believe. I was at my aunt’s house, and it was late at it. She watched it with me and my cousin. I was around 8-years-old. My favorite horror movie is a tie between The Conjuring and Insidious.
   The worst horror movie I’ve ever seen? That might be a tough one. I’ve watched so many horror movies. The most recent movie I’ve seen that (in my opinion) didn’t live up to the hype was Willow Creek, a found footage film, where a couple ventures into the vast wilderness to capture evidence of Bigfoot. Most of the movie was build up, but it didn’t build any anticipation. Many scenes dragged, and the climax was rushed (and in poor taste, in my opinion) – too many horror movies lean on a certain trope (I won’t say because it’s a spoiler) to elicit shock and disgust, but I’m not a fan.

9. Do you have any “rules” when you write?
   The dog never dies. If you see a pet in my stories, rest assured, it will survive. My Aftermath series has a Yorkshire terrier dog named Trooper, and she’s the goodest girl, helping Sadie distract the zombies. Elementary Undead has Kiwi, a character’s service dog, who does very good work. Unraveled has Jagger, a spunky chihuahua, who’s just good company! I love my fictional pets, and my characters would fight tooth and nail for their safety.

10. Speaking of animals, do you have any pets?
    I have five cats and two dogs! The Yorkie in my Aftermath series, Trooper, is based on my personal Yorkie, Scout. Zombie apocalypse partners for life (we have matching keychains to prove it).

11. When you are in a writing funk, how do you find your way out?
    I consume something I love in the genre – a movie, show, game, or book. It helps get the juices flowing.

12. What advice would you give to someone who wants to be a writer?
    The best advice I can give is not to get hung up on the negatives, even if the criticism is coming from yourself. There’s no rushing the process. It isn’t a race. Take your time, just write, and push through the difficult moments when it seems like your fingertips refuse to type. You have a story to tell, and I bet it’ll be someone’s favorite book someday.