2 Book Lovers Reviews
Mikhail Lerma - October 19th, 2015
October Month of Horror - Guest Post
One of the most frequently asked questions I get is, “Mikhail, why zombies?” And no matter how many times I get this question I enjoy answering it. My interest in zombies (really it’s fear of) began when I was a young boy. Sneaking downstairs late one night. Dad was working nights, so mom indulged herself in a living dead-a-thon. I happened to walk down in the middle of Night of the Living Dead (1990). Right at the beginning of the zombie siege of the farmhouse. I sat on the stairs, mesmerized. Horrified. I couldn’t move. Quietly, I watched till Sarah Cooper (Heather Mazur) transformed and ate her mother. That’s when I let out a whimper. My mother wasn’t happy initially, but given my interest in what was going on decided to allow me to stay up. I curled up on the couch next to her and watched as Barbra survived the beginning of the apocalypse. When the credits rolled I was filled with questions. What happened next? What are those people going to do? Did that happen everywhere?
She answered my questions with more questions. After the commercial break the next movie started. Return of the Living Dead Part 2 (1988). She was reluctant to let me stay up, but decided to feed my curiosity. After a quick disclaimer from her about it not being part of the previous story and that these zombies were different, the movie began. Constantly I asked when the zombies were coming. I learned an important lesson that night. Be careful what you wish for. Soon the undead were chasing those kids from house to house. Eating anyone they came across. Nowhere was safe and conventional weapons didn’t work. There weren’t any weapons that worked, actually. I couldn’t watch the rest of it. I was far too scared. After that night my worst nightmares were of the undead and their relentless pursuit of me. Oh the terrors a five-year-old boy can dream up.
Eventually those terrors became fascinations. As a teenager I started collecting zombie movies. I wasn’t even choosey about it. If they were undead, it was mine. I discovered then who people like George A. Romero, Tom Savini, and Lucio Fulci were. I thought I was alone in my obsession with zombies. Then the next wave of remakes and new movies came along. Resident Evil (2002), Dawn of the Dead (2004), Land of the Dead (2005). Zombies were making a comeback! It wasn’t long after that zombies were everywhere. Games, books, and magazines were teeming with them. I assimilated everything that I could get my hands on. Any and all Romero movies. Max Brooks’ World War Z and The Zombie Survival Guide books.
In 2007 I deployed to Iraq. Suddenly, I was surrounded by fellow zombie enthusiasts. We traded movies and books, swapped scenarios, shared undead dreams and nightmares. Without knowing it, we’d become quite the zombie think tank. I decided to contribute by writing a story. A new zombie story that we could all enjoy. Z Plan had come to life.
About Mikhail Lerma
Mikhail Lerma was raised in the small town of Holdrege Nebraska. In the third grade he wrote his first short story, in which the main character was a monkey. Not taking his career as a writer too seriously after that, he finished his high school years by joining the army when he was only 17.He spent 10 years in the army starting as a truck driver and eventually becoming a combat medic.
While deployed to Iraq in 2007 he spent missions in a turret as gunner. In his free time he began writing a story having nothing to do with monkeys. Only time will tell if this was a good career move. With encouragement from his friends and family he decided to start taking his writing seriously. Storytelling has become a passion of his, with a strong interest in horror and science fiction.He is currently going to school to become a paramedic, and finishing his first series for Permuted Press.
He lives in Iowa with his wife and three daughters. He does not have a pet, but if anyone would like to donate a male dog to level out the hormones in his house that would be much appreciated.
2 Book Lovers Reviews
2 Book Lovers Reviews