Growing up in Ireland, where Halloween originated, we had a lot of traditions that usually had some root in Celtic attempts to predict the future or ward off spirits. We’re a pretty superstitious lot. My family was kind of dysfunctional, so we did things sporadically. We did usually do the dress up and go trick-or-treating thing and have colcannon, which was a dish with boiled potatoes, cabbage, and raw onions. Coins wrapped in paper were hidden inside for the kids to find, which was the only way you’d get a kid to have anything to do with that culinary horror. We’d have barnbrack too, which was like a fruitcake. There were also things hidden in that and each had some different meaning. A coin was good luck, a ring meant there was romance in your future, a bit of cloth was a bad financial omen. Now that I think about it, Irish Halloween traditions kind of seem like thinly veiled attempts to kill your children by putting choking hazards in their food. Not everyone understood that A Modest Proposal was satire.
I used to do the decorating thing a lot when I was married, because my wife was really into it, and just for Halloween, because the other holidays are lame. One year I was feeling a little lazy and didn’t feel like taking them down, so I just modified them with some Christmas lights and left them up for the rest of the year.
2.) What was the book and/or movie that scared you the most? I was pretty young when I saw the original Night of the Living Dead. I was already really into horror, but hadn’t seen anything that scary and gory yet. Scared the hell out of me. It was definitely what got me hooked on zombies. 3.) What’s your favorite Halloween costume you’ve ever worn. (pictures too?) It wasn’t actually for Halloween. Recently, the very cool people at Zombie Guide Magazine asked me to come on board as a writer. My girlfriend did me up in zombie make-up and we had a little photo shoot for my profile picture there. It wasn’t my first zombie, but it was definitely the best. She did a great job. 4.) What’s your favorite Halloween treat?Beer. I’m not huge on sweets.
5.) Quick: Cider or Pumpkin Spice Latte?Cider, hands down. Not a big pumpkin fan.
6.) What inspired you to write in the horror genre?I’ve always loved horror. For me, there just isn’t anything else to write. I’m pretty snarky, and that shows in my writing, but I don’t think I would enjoy writing a book that was straight comedy or satire. There’s got to be a zombie or demon or something in there.
7.) What’s your favorite part of being an independently published author? I can’t honestly say I have one. It’s actually really hard and there’s all this time consuming stuff I have to do when I’d rather be writing. I’m hoping my second book will be picked up by a publisher and some of that burden will be taken off of me.On a positive note, I will say that I’ve met some of the most fantastic people ever through the process and have made some close friends I wouldn’t have met otherwise. 8.) In your book, Zombie/Apocalypse 2012: A Political Horror Story, you write about an election taking place before an impending zombie apocalypse. Which real life politician do you think would make the most vicious zombie and why?
Chris Christie is pretty big. He’d make a scary zombie. Obama has those long arms, which I’d hate to see stretched in my direction. I’d love to see a Dick Cheney zombie. It would be interesting to see someone turn into a zombie and become less frightening. 9.) What advice do you have to other writers and aspiring writers? Hire a publicist. Doing your own P.R. is brutal. Quit your job, too. I have one and it’s really inconvenient. 10.) What do you have on your writing and publishing horizon?
I’m almost done with my second book. It’s the story of how the U.S. faked the moon landing to avert the zombie apocalypse. It’s set in 1969 (obviously) and tells the tale of a disgraced b-movie director, a bar owner, some drunks, a dysfunctional family, some gangsters, a pimp, a few cops, and a team of Army Rangers and how their lives all come together in one of the most epic moments in human history. Hopefully, someone (not me) will publish it and I can get to work on number three. If you really need an Ian fix in the meantime, check out my articles at Zombie Guide Magazine.
Thanks, Ian! We can’t wait for your second book. You can visit the author at is website here, buy his first book Zombie/Apocalypse 2012 on Amazon here, on Smashwords here, and on find it on Goodreads here.You May Also Enjoy:
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