There are not a lot of authors who can write a horror story with poetic prose and still kick butt.  So who is Jonathan Maberry?  Here are a few fun facts about him:  He first started writing while working as a professor at Temple University.   “Jonathan is an 8th degree black belt in jujutsu and a 5th degree in kenjutsu. In 2004 he was inducted into the International Martial Arts Hall of Fame.  Jonathan was scouted to write for Marvel Comics after Editor-in-Chief Axel Alonso read his novel “Patient Zero'”. (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3044026/bio) His first novel, Ghost Road Blues, won the 2007 Bram Stoker Award for Best First Novel.   He is a speaker for the National Writers Union, a writing mentor for the Horror Writers Association and the Mystery Writers of America, a member of the International Thriller Writers and president of the NJ-PA Chapter of the Horror Writers Association.^[10]  Maberry is also a contributing editor for The Big Thrill,^[11] the monthly newsletter of the International Thriller Writers, and a founding partner of The Liars Club, a networking group of professionals in publishing and other aspects of entertainment.

QUESTION: Could you give us a list of your books?

JONATHAN MABERRY: I’ve been cranking out a lot of books in a bunch of different genres and categories. Some of the older nonfiction books are long out of print, notably the textbooks I wrote while teaching at Temple University and some training manuals I created for martial arts schools.  That said, here’s the more recent list:

• NOVELS:
  • THE PINE DEEP TRILOGY (Pinnacle Books)
    • Ghost Road Blues
    • Dead Man’s Song
    • Bad Moon Rising
• The Wolfman (Tor)
• THE JOE LEDGER THRILLERS (St. Martin’s Griffin)
  • Patient Zero
  • The Dragon Factory
  • The King of Plagues
  • Assassin’s Code
  • Extinction Machine
  • Code Zero (2014)
  • Predator One (2015)
• THE ROT & RUIN (Simon & Schuster)
  
  • Rot & Ruin
  • Dust & Decay
  • Flesh & Bone
  • Fire & Ash (August 2013)
• WATCH OVER ME (Simon & Schuster)
  • Watch Over Me (2014)
  • Cold Cold Heart (2015)
• THE ZOMBIE OUTBREAK (St. Martin’s Griffin)
  • Dead of Night
  • Fall of Night (2014)
  • ANTHOLOGIES EDITED
    • V-Wars  (IDW)
    • Redneck Zombies from Outer Space (fall 2013)
    • Out of Tune (JournalStone 2014)
    • Unnamed YA Horror anthology (date TBD)
    • NONFICTION
      • The Vampire Slayer’s Field Guide to the Undead (written as ‘Shane MacDougall)
      • The Martial Arts Student Logbook
      • Ultimate Jujutsu
      • Ultimate Sparring
      • Judo and You
      • Vampire Universe
      • The Cryptopedia (with David F. Kramer)
      • Zombie CSU: The Forensics of the Living Dead
      • They Bite (with David F. Kramer)
      • Wanted Undead or Alive (with Janice Gable Bashman)

QUESTION: What inspired you to create a book series about zombies?

JONATHAN MABERRY: I’ve written a couple of different zombie series, notably the DEAD OF NIGHT series for St. Martin’s Griffin and the ROT & RUIN series for Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. I’ve had a lifelong interest in zombies since sneaking into the Midway Movie Theater in Philadelphia on October 2, 1968 to see the world premier of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. I was ten at the time, and ever since then I’ve imagined how I would deal with a zombie outbreak. I wrote the Rot & Ruin series to explore life after a zombie apocalypse, and that series is written for teens. My Dead of Night books are for adults, and they explore how an outbreak happens, literally from the first bite.

QUESTION: How long from inspiration to publication, and any interesting points along the way?

JONATHAN MABERRY: Currently my books are on shelves about a year after I turn them in. Give or take. The novel I just finished, CODE ZERO, will be released in March 2014.

I was trained as a journalist, so I have pretty solid work habits when it comes to developing an idea, finding a narrative hook, doing my research, outlining the project and then digging in. Structure gives me solid footing, and that allows the craftsman side of me –the artistic side—to give the work as much meaning, and depth, and artistry as I can.

QUESTION: What challenges do you face when you write?

JONATHAN MABERRY: I have a very full schedule, so for me the biggest challenge is getting everything done on time but in its best possible form. This year I have three complete novels to write –a 140 thousand word thriller, a 90 thousand word horror novel, and a 90 thousand word teen mystery-thriller. I also have five issues of a new horror comic to write, along with six novellas of at least 20 thousand words, and a half dozen or so short stories. And I need to tour –I’m on the road nearly all the time—as well as manage my social media profiles. It’s a lot of work, so I look for ways to get it done well while still having a life and having fun.

QUESTION: What do you hope readers take away from your novels?

JONATHAN MABERRY: Even at my darkest –which can get pretty damn dark—I never go for the ugly cheap shot. I use the themes in my fiction, light and dark, to explore the human experience. People get that. Even Rot & Ruin, which on the surface looks like a “zombie novel”, but which is really about the value of human life. There’s always a deeper meaning to my writing. I wouldn’t write it if there wasn’t.

QUESTION: What are your favorite YA books of 2012 (or 2013)?

JONATHAN MABERRY: Probably my current favorite is The Archived by Victoria Schwab and Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake. Stunning novels. And The Diviners by Libba Bray.

QUESTION: When you are not writing what is your time occupied with?

JONATHAN MABERRY: When not writing, my wife and I travel. We’re into music, theater and dance and are always on the prowl for interesting new performers. And, we’re stand-up comedy addicts. Usually when we visit a new town we look for the local comedy club.

QUESTION: What can your fans look forward to next?

JONATHAN MABERRY: For my adult fans, the fifth Joe Ledger novel just debuted, EXTINCTION MACHINE, and there are several Ledger short stories due out this year, including BORROWED POWER (an eBook exclusive) and CHANGELING (published in Australia’s Midnight Echo Magazine). And there are a bunch of Pine Deep short stories coming out, including one written for the souvenir program of the Bram Stoker Awards.  Then, for my teen readers, I have FIRE & ASH due out in August, which is the fourth and final book of the Rot & Ruin series. That will be preceded by TOOTH & NAIL, an eBook novella.  In October, Simon & Schuster will release a box set of all four Rot & Ruin books. And JournalStone just released LIMBUS, INC, which has a novella featuring my werewolf private investigator, Sam Hunter.  For updates and more info, they can find me on Twitter (www.twitter.com/jonathanmaberry) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/jonathanmaberry).

Works Cited

IMDb. n.d. 29 April 2013. <http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3044026/bio&gt;.