IndieView with J. Rudolph, author of The Complex (The Reanimates book 1)

Oh man am I winging it. I thought the hard part would be to assemble something people could read. Getting the word out is where I feel so lost.

J. Rudolph – 27 December 2012

The Back Flap

Nothing stays the way we want it to. A virus that went awry and a plague of zombies made sure of that.

Cali Anglin learned the hard way. Before, her life was simple. She was a mom, a wife, and a nurse. Now she is in a fight of her life to save her family, her neighbors, and herself.

How do you survive the zombie apocalypse with your humanity intact?

About the book

What is the book about?

The Complex is a story about a group of people surviving the zombie apocalypse, but it’s also about the relationships they form with one another. In the beginning it’s all about how to create a safe zone but after they create the safe zone, then what? It’s the dynamic of how they go from being the dominant species to an endangered one and how they struggle with maintaining their humanity in the face of total destruction, wanting to believe that others would be on the same page.

When did you start writing the book?

Part of me had been writing this book for years. It’s the product of many conversations that I’ve had with my husband as we waited in line at the bank or after we watched movies about the end of the world. We would talk about how we would access places that had the goods that were needed to survive. We talked about what would be worse, the zombies or our fellow man.

How long did it take you to write it?

Once I went from concept to actually writing it, it took about 6 months of obsessive typing, deleting, and typing all over again. The story was almost all I thought about. I still have to work a full time job so at work, every time I went on break I was madly tapping more storyline into a note file on my Fire.

Where did you get the idea from?

I always wondered what life could be like for normal people in a zombie apocalypse. Not everyone is going to be immune or have that hook up with the CDC. That’s where Cali’s adventures came from, the idea that normal people are going to want to survive as well.

Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?

When I got to the end where it came clear that someone was going to have to die, I actually struggled. I tried to figure out a way to save them but it didn’t work. Yeah, I know I’m the author but the story went the way it had to.

What came easily?

Creating the safe zone was definitely the easiest part. I’ve lived in my apartment complex for 13 years and have had the what needs securing plan in my head since I moved in. I am that nerd.

Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?

While my character Cali is extroverted and knows all her neighbors, I sadly do not. I have the over active imagination about the people I see going in and out. I suppose the answer is kind of. The people in The Complex may look like my neighbors but that’s about it.

We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?

I love Mira Grant, author of the Feed trilogy. She is a remarkable woman that has written some of my favorite zombie stories. Women authors in zombie lit are a rare breed. I also have to admit to being strongly influenced by Charlaine Harris. She has proven over and over that a first person view from a strong female character is totally possible.

Do you have a target reader?

My target reader is anyone who wants to take a chance on a zombie book. It could be a first timer to the genre or a seasoned zombie fanatic.I hope for people to give it a shot with an open mind.

About Writing

Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?

For me, the process is write as much as I can when I feel that creative spark, re-read and clean up what I’ve done so far when I don’t. I take notes on specific traits to keep track of everyone, like what color their eyes are. I try to see the scene before I write but there are times that the scene stays hidden til it’s ready as I’m typing.

Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?

It’s not so much outline as it is a very basic loose storyline. To me an outline is like a road map printed out on Google. My basic storyline is like a friend saying turn right at the red building. It leaves a lot more room to make a turn at the wrong building but it’s freeing to have a side adventure you didn’t know was available.

Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?

I do both. The as you go is helpful for those little errors like the sudden eye color changes, and the when it’s done for storyline errors like forgetting that you specified something important in the beginning and never mentioned it again.

Did you hire a professional editor?

No. I ran a few groups of beta readers to clean up as much as possible.

Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?

Music definitely helps get those fingers running. I vary from blues (Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker) to 80’s alternative (Oingo Boingo, Depeche Mode) to modern almost anything (Nine Inch Nails, Dr. Dre).  Country is the only thing that I really don’t care for, but if I’m stuck on a character that does tend to like (because the people in the story don’t always agree with me on stuff) it I’ll throw on some Patsy Cline. If it has to be country then it needs to be old country.

About Publishing

Did you submit your work to Agents?

No. I had no interest in going that route. I wanted my book to be my book and I did not want a publisher telling me that because of market studies say that this should be changed. It’s my story. Add in that zombie stories are such a niche market and there were too many variables. With self-publishing there is no market says we have to dump you.

What made you decide to go Indie? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?

The very first day I saw that indie publishing had evolved to this point, and that it included paperback sales I was in love. It used to be vanity publishing was the only way to see your work in paperback but with the indie world growing like it is, there are fewer limits than ever before.

Did you get your book cover professionally done or did it you do it yourself?

I had installed an app on my fire that was for drawing out ideas. As I was drawing with this device I felt like if I was Cali, and I was one of the first people to document this journey, I would draw out my cover just like this and paste it on my notebook.

Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?

Oh man am I winging it. I thought the hard part would be to assemble something people could read. Getting the word out is where I feel so lost.

Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?

This is a harder thing to do than you think. People are going to like it or they aren’t. Some people are going to be gentle with their words while others will go for the throat. If you are fragile you are going to want to thicken up or just write for your friends. It does feel like your story is your baby so make sure you’re bringing a well behaved baby to the public.

About You

Where did you grow up?

I grew up on the bad side of an affluent town in southern California. It was one of those towns that people would go around saying, “Oh, I live in this town” as they looked down their noses at others. Really?

Where do you live now?

Now, I’m living on the good side of a poor town. I like it a lot more. Living in a less affluent town has people that are more authentic and it is so much nicer. People in my area know they are working for what they have and are proud of what they are accomplishing, not condescending.

What would you like readers to know about you?

I’m actually a really boring person on the outside. I haven’t run any marathons or climbed mountains. I helped get a gold in the academic bowl when I was younger, and was the outstanding alumnus from my high school. I got married on 12/21 16 years ago before I knew that’s when the world was supposed to end. I have the world’s best kid who is still young enough to think he has the world’s greatest mom and that is probably the best thing I’ve ever achieved. I have a wild imagination and my brain is definitely an active little place.

Oh, and I do have a machete next to my bed. Because you never know.

What are you working on now?

Book two of The Reanimates is about half done. Stay tuned!

End of Interview:

You can find out more about J. Rudolph on her website.

You can get your copy of The Complex from Amazon US (paper or ebook) or Amazon UK (paper or ebook). Coming soon to Barnes and Noble.