INTERVIEW with CARL PLUMER

  Carl S Plumer has written an amazing story about love in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. It is called Mad About Undead You and it will be out soon on Amazon. Plumer is from New York City, now living in Ohio. By day, he is a business writer (technical, web, social media, proposals, etc.), but he has been writing, “Hmmm. A week? Seriously, though, I've been writing fiction all my life, but it's only now, thanks to the indie publishing movement, that I have entered the arena of published authors.” His chosen genre is, “Supposedly Horror. But really, I'm all over the map. MAUY, for example, is horror/romantic.”

“Mad About Undead You is really about discovering yourself and discovering love against the backdrop of the zombie apocalypse. It's about accepting yourself and the one you love for who you/they are. Despite their history. Despite what happens to them (and here I equate ‘zombiism’ with severe illness: the love should never vanish because the person you love is now sick or deformed. That ain't love.) It's also about the power of love and hope against all odds. I hope it's a cheerful, uplifting story for readers, despite the blood, gore, and insanity.”

His main character, Cathren Whitney, “is all about love, but she's been burned before. Once she decides to give it her all, it heals her. Donovan Codell is all about himself. For him, once he decides to forget himself and help and love others, he, too, grows and becomes a better man. I like these two, by the way, because even at the end of the world, they are still thinking positive! They still believe things will turn out all right. That's really the core of my philosophy, too. I think you'll see it in all my books in the future: no matter how dark things get, there's always hope.” {It is this interviewer’s observation, after reading MAUY, that Plumer possesses a great deal of his characters’ ability to march to their own unconventional beats. You will see, as you read on...}

Plumer does not want to take credit for his inspiration for his ideas. “Really, it's the Muse that decides. I honestly just sit and wait. And by ‘wait,’ I mean I just start typing. Somewhere in those first few sentences, the germ of the novel shows itself. Yeah, it's magic. I don't question it. Of course, one man's magic is another's ‘what is this shit?’ I prefer magic.”

Thank God for the Muse, then, because Plumer’s biggest challenge is, “Getting started. Sitting down and writing and wondering if there's anything there. I always worry that the last time I wrote was the end of my creativity. It never is, thankfully. At least not yet!”

Plumer was asked to choose a favorite author, and was able to narrow it down after a struggle.

“Do I have to pick just one? {No!} In that case, Italo Calvino. {Thanks!} Look him up, folks! { http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italo_Calvino } Especially "If on a Winter's Night, a Traveler". He broke convention in hundreds of magical ways.”

{The next question listed was, Are there any musicians that influence your work and why? It states on the website, this is only for musicians} “I know this is only for musicians, but it shouldn't be. I listen to Rancid and other punk to get in touch with my crazy side before I write, and then classic jazz instrumentals while writing.”

Although Mr. Plumer has proven to be a rule-breaker, something that is evident in his novel, his readers will also be interested to know that, “I've probably written over a 10 million words in my life, easily. So far, only 300,000 have been fiction. But they're the most important words to me.” He has some excellent advice for aspiring writers. “Never give up! Whether you’re 12 or 92, keep writing, keep believing. Also, never take anyone's advice. This is your show, baby!”

 Until his book, Mad About Undead You, is published, we can find out more about Carl Plumer at http://www.carlplumer.com