Ryan Thomas is the author of Hissers (which we reviewed here and works as an editor in San Diego, California. You can usually find him in the bars on the weekends playing with his band, The Buzzbombs. You can also catch him on the road with his other musical act, Cash’d Out. When he is not writing or rocking out, he is at home watching really bad B-movies or reading comic books. (And no, he’s not the guy on YouTube that lights himself on fire…)
BUYZOMBIE: Can you provide a brief summary of your novel, Hissers?
RYAN C. THOMAS: Hissers is about four teens(two girls and two boys) in a small town. They’re about to enter high school after the weekend and they’re experiencing all the angst and excitement that goes along with that. They’re beginning to talk about sex and liquor and all the weird “adult” things that high schoolers become aware of. It’s more or less of coming-of-age story condensed into a few days. Of course on the first night of the weekend some undead show up. Only these undead have some abilities beyond the norm that make them a bit harder to escape from. And naturally the treens have to fight their way to freedom…whatever freedom remains.
BUYZOMBIE: What was your motivation(s) to write in the horror/apocalyptic genre?
RYAN C. THOMAS: I’d been wanting to do a coming-of-age story for long time. I also wanted to do something a little new with the zombie genre. I love the idea of there being no rules in a zombie story. No government, no cops, no laws against kids wielding weapons. And the idea that whoever you team up with may save or kill you. It’s chaos…I love chaos.
BUYZOMBIE: Was did you find difficult to accomplish within your book? The scientific research, character arcs, regional locations, etc?
RYAN C. THOMAS: The scientific research was easy. I have a friend who’s a venomologist. All the science in the beginning of the book is real. That’s what she does for a living–uses snake venom to invent medicines to fight cancers and stuff. The harder part was getting into the mind of a 14 year old. I’m almost 40, so I had to try to find out what they cared about nowadays. It certainly isn’t The Smiths and The Cosby Show, stuff I grew up on. Listening to a friend’s children helped a little, or eavesdropping like a creepy person at the mall. And playing Halo against twelve-year-olds. Man, the mouths on those kids!
BUYZOMBIE: How was the experience of seeing your work move from an idea to a rough draft to the finished product?
RYAN C. THOMAS: It’s always a thrill. You put tons and tons of hours into something and you pray it’s well received. And that it helps pay some bills. So yeah, I was elated.
BUYZOMBIE: When you sit down and write what is your perfect writing environment, i.e., quiet, music, a specific room in the house? What helps get you in the mood? Watching classic horror films or…?
RYAN C. THOMAS: I have to write with the TV on, but it has to be a show I don’t care about. I just need the white noise for some reason. Hissers was written to stuff like Ellen, The Tyra Banks Show, Dr. Phil, etc. Just stuff I don’t care about. Reason is music influences my mood too much, which can influence a scene the wrong way, so I can’t use it. And a movie I like would just distract me. And silence puts me to sleep. Well, so does Dr. Phil, but I got through it.
BUYZOMBIE: Who are 5 people, besides friends and family that you would want to be stuck with during an apocalyptic event?
RYAN C. THOMAS: A navy SEAL with medical training, Rick Baker (for disguise purposes), Zoe Saldana (I think you know why), Emeril Lagasse, and a blue angel pilot.
BUYZOMBIE: In a hypothetical apocalypse, what would be your preference as in viral outbreak, extraterrestrial event, zombies, natural disaster, etc, and why?
RYAN C. THOMAS: Definitely ETs. I just want to see aliens, even if they vaporize me five seconds later. Maybe they could make me their slave and I could learn their language and then marry one of the females. Then I’d be the progenitor of the new hybrid race.
BUYZOMBIE: What advice can you impart to authors just starting out who want to break into the horror/apocalyptic genre?
RYAN C. THOMAS: Write what you want to read. Write for the art of it as much as the story. Be different but not alienating. And by and large sit down every day and force yourself to write; after a while it becomes habit.
BUYZOMBIE: Who do you feel is directly responsible for your entry into the horror genre and specifically the inclusion of zombies into your work?
RYAN C. THOMAS: I grew up watching tons of horror movies…so I guess I have to credit people like John Carpenter, Wes Craven, Tobe Hooper, etc. As for zombies, I don’t know. So many movies were coming out at the time I got interested in writing zombie fiction, I kind of just liked the notion of it. I thought James Gunn’s script for the Dawn of the Dead remake was so great it definitely made me want to do my own version. (BTW, I’m a huge fan of Gunn and encourage everyone to seek out his work for a look at great scripting.)
BUYZOMBIE: What and who are your favorite authors and books?
RYAN C. THOMAS: I’m all over the place as far as authors. I love Joe Lansdale, Joseph Kannon, Christoper Moore, George R.R. Martin, Garth Ennis, Gregory MacDonald, Dan Simmons, Gail Simone. Favorite Book of all time: Dune. Favorite horror novel: Dracula. Favorite pizza topping: BBQ Chicken.
BUYZOMBIE: If you had to do it all over again, the writing, the search for a publisher, etc, what would you do differently?
RYAN C. THOMAS: Honestly, I’m very happy with Permuted. I would do it all the same. Only I would dress as Luke Duke while I wrote.
BUYZOMBIE: Do you have any plans to continue the story of Amanita and Connor?
RYAN C. THOMAS: Yes, there will be a conclusion. I’m working on it now…in between orders of pizza!
You can find out more about Ryan at his Official Website!
