THREE QUESTIONS: Daniel I. Russell

Unlike some of the other stories in The Zombie Feed Anthology which ramp up the action with shotguns and showdowns, Daniel I. Russell’s contribution is a quiet tour de force that is perhaps all the more horrifying because its focus is so poignantly centered in the realities of our daily lives. “Broken Bough” is not the story of a last stand against a hoard, but of a last stand within the home, in which acceptance and not time is the mortal enemy. It has a claustrophobic urgency that is so heart-breaking that it is sure to satisfy even the most jaded zombie enthusiast by making them wonder, “What would I do?” If you’ve ever considered what happens to the most vulnerable during a zombie infestation, “Broken Bough” is not to be missed.

You can pick up your copy of The Zombie Feed Anthology on Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble.com, or from The Zombie Feed directly. Get it on your Kindle or your Nook (or in any e-format from Smashwords) for just $2.99! Seventeen awesome zombie stories for $2.99? It’s like winning the lottery or something! :D

1. The Writing Question: What piece of writing advice would you give yourself if you could go back in time to when you started writing?

Use capital letters at the start of a sentence, full stops at the end and go easy on the commas. Also, that some of your work may (will) be sneered at and looked down on at times for just being a fun horror read and not a literary bouquet. Just ride it out. Don’t try and emanate your favorite writers’ styles as your own will shine through. Do more exercise. If you hit a brick wall in a scene, beer and loud music is often the key. Wear sunscreen. Don’t use words too fancy as they stand out from the text and make it less fun (see above). Yup. Lot’s of advice. I would also pass on lottery numbers and race horse winners so that I could afford to write full time.

2. The Horror Question: What horror novel or short story are you ashamed (or proud) to admit you’ve never read?

I’ve never been a massive vampire fan from the teens onwards, but I think that Dracula is considered a must for any self respecting horror writer. However, I’ve tried on several occasions and it just bores me to tears. All I can remember is recipes in the very beginning of Polish and Romanian folk dishes.I cannot get into it, and thus it has never been read.

3. The Oddball Question: Barring family photo albums, religious books, or cookbooks, etc.: If you could save only one book from your house because a blob monster was about to absorb it into its massive jelly-like girth, what book would you grab?

I have a deluxe hard copy of Strange Seed by T.M Wright and it would probably be that. Not only is the book the most valuable book I own (which doesn’t mean much due to all the second handers I buy), and not only is it also signed by the one and only Jack Ketchum who wrote the introduction, but this book is the only thing I’ve ever won. Ever. I won it from a competition put on by Shroud Magazine in 2009. At primary school, we had so many raffles and competitions and I never won a single one. This makes up for all that and I hold it very dear. Pretty lame reason, right?

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