Now, I have never really been a zombie person. Sure, I’ve read World War Z, love the George Romero films, but… eh. Then, I happened to “meet” David Dunwoody somehow on Twitter (@daviddunwoody), that great writing network in the cybersphere, where all writers seem to know each other (well, within certain circles; we belong to packs, really, like all scary animals — there’s the horror/bizarro pack [which is my favorite], the YA pack, the romance/erotica pack, the non-fiction pack, and countless others). Anyway, I learned a bit about Dave and thought EMPIRE looked kind of interesting. So, I picked it up at the local bookstore and read it, cover to cover in a day. I loved it! (I believe there’s a review near the bottom of this page.) And Dave… he is one of the nicest writers ever, and I am so thankful and proud to present to you the David Dunwoody Interview.
1.) If you were playing a video game with an 8 year-old and you were winning, would you be secretly happy or would you scream “In your face!” at the kid?
I’d probably be openly ecstatic, since I’ve never been able to beat any 8-year-old at any game. Came close once in arm wrestling.
2.) Do you have any pets?
Not personally, but family and their dogs are often around. Though I’m more of a cat person, I like visiting with the mutts. Unconditional love and devotion are bearable in small doses (much like myself).
3.) You write a lot about zombies. Have you ever taken a bite out of someone, I mean, you know, just out of curiosity?
You know what I’ve found is funny about that? A lot of people taste like pepper. Or taser.
4.) When you go to horror cons, are you ever afraid of the dudes walking around in the scary costumes? How do you cope with seeing all that scary stuff all the time? (I’d probably drink a lot.)
I’m never more at home than when I’m surrounded by various ghouls and horror hounds. Frankly, it’s the ones in street clothes you’ve gotta watch out for. Wolves in sheep’s clothing. Speaking of which…
5.) If you were at an important state dinner at some embassy in a foreign country, and you were presented with the prized sheep’s head, would you do the polite thing and eat the eyeballs?
I’d probably feign indigestion and ask for a sheepy bag. I had to dissect a cow’s eye once in fifth grade. It tasted like shit.
6.) Have you ever been stung by a jelly fish?
My brother has. It’s possible the jellyfish mistook him for me. I never thought about that before. Great. Just another reason to avoid public beaches.
7.) If you could take anyone on the “It’s A Small World” ride at Disney World, who would it be and why?
Hitler…because he deserves it.
8.) What’s your favorite TV show?
House, although right now my best friend and I are into Persons Unknown. We’re trying to outsmart the show and predict everything before it happens. Doing okay so far, although I NEVER expected Alan Ruck would take the heat for killing the Ferrari.
9.) Who are some of your writing influences?
Top two are H.P. Lovecraft and Clive Barker.
10.) Coke or Pepsi?
I tend to go back and forth between the two. Right now I’m on a Pepsi kick, but I feel another Coke binge coming on. Wait. Don’t print that. [Ha! Sorry, Dave, but that's funny -- I'm posting it!]
So, there you have it. That’s Dave, super-writer, super-nice guy. I am so looking forward to EMPIRE II!
Check out Dave’s neat-o website David Dunwoody
Also, he’s slated to be at this year’s Horror Realm in Pittsburgh (Sept. 17 – 19th) — go say hi! (I might!)
