Remember the world? Me too. Say goodbye, sunshine. The apocalypse has struck! Tyler Piperbrook would agree. He's the author of the Contamination Series, the Outage Series and co-author of Last Survivors. Basically, he writes post-apocalyptic fiction, and as such, he's a bit of an authority on end-of-the-world scenarios. His Contamination books caught my eye - I'm very excited to download them and read them on my Kindle. You should DEFINITELY check them out. And guess what? He's even got audiobooks of the series out there, too.
As a part of the ongoing End of the World Event here at Writing Belle, I've interviewed the man himself about the apocalypse, writing snacks and zombies (of course).
Enjoy. And hey. Don't get bitten.
Such a pleasure to have you here today, Tyler! Tell us about
yourself - as a person and a writer.
A: Thanks for having me! On the writing front, I’ve been writing
most of my life, but my first published work, the CONTAMINATION series, came
out in 2012. Since then, I’ve published several more series, including THE LAST
SURVIVORS and OUTAGE. My favorite genre to write and read is
Post-Apocalyptic/Dystopian. I find it fascinating to explore various scenarios
and how characters will react to them. On a personal note, I love to read, take
hikes, and play guitar and drums (though I am a much better guitarist than I am
a drummer J). I was an English
major in College, and have worked in various corporate jobs including
insurance, inside sales, and as a process analyst for a Fortune 500 company.
A: The CONTAMINATION series is (what I hope is a unique) spin on the zombie apocalypse. In the story, I asked myself: What if the food and water supply were contaminated? Worse yet, what if this was done on purpose, as a trial run for something greater? The series revolves around a group of characters as they try to survive the chaos unfolding around them. The Boxed Set (Books 0-3) is currently free on all retailers for anyone who wants to check it out.
The Last Survivors is a trilogy of books that you wrote with Bobby Adair. How did that collaboration come about?
A: I originally met Bobby when we took part in a few Boxed Sets together. We started talking via email, and before I knew it, we were tossing ideas back and forth for a collaboration. Neither of us had collaborated on a project before (I had written for another project call THE BLACK FANG BETRAYAL, but each of the stories were written independently) so we were hesitant at first, but things have turned out great. The ideas flowed from the beginning, and somehow we’ve managed to feed off each other to create a big world. We are psyched to tell the whole story, which we are thinking might span 10 books as of this point.
What's it like to write a book with somebody else? I think it's an interesting idea, because most writers are lone-wolf types, creating alone. What are the challenges of working with someone on a fictional project - and what are the positives?
A: You know, neither of us knew what to expect at first, given it was our first collaboration. But with each book we’ve streamlined the process. In the beginning, we both created our own unique characters and switched perspectives, but midway through Book One we were already writing each other’s characters haha. We basically plan the story arc ahead of time, and then run with it. We edit each other’s work several times before submitting it to our (professional) editors, so the result is a hybrid of both of our writing styles. We call this person Bobby Piperbrook. J
In all seriousness, I think bouncing ideas off each other has created a stronger project, and we’re both super psyched to tell the rest of the story.
A: I love the Walking Dead, of course. In the book realm, I’ve always loved Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road”, and I recently re-watched The Mist, which I think is a great movie adaptation.
Advice to aspiring post-ap and survivalist writers?
A: I think there’s always room for new PA/Survivalist writers. The key is to find a (somewhat unique) perspective on the idea and run with it. Every writer’s experience and background is different, which only adds color to the book.
Favorite writing snack? ;)
A: Red Bull and Ben & Jerry’s.
Where can readers connect with you online?
A: You can find me on my Amazon Page or www.twpiperbrook.com.
Thank you so much for your time, Tyler!
A: Thanks a lot for the interview. I really appreciate it!
T.W. Piperbrook was born and raised in Connecticut. He is the author of the CONTAMINATION series, the OUTAGE series, and co-author of THE LAST SURVIVORS. He lives with his wife, his son, and the spirit of his Boston Terrier.
