Last Another Day is a Zombie Apocalypse adventure for all fans of Horror and Dystopia. Its blood-spattered pages are filled with gore and action, yet has a strong emotional heart that will leave you craving more. Get your copy today and join the fight for humanity’s survival.
Will humanity be able to survive the zombie apocalypse or are they doomed to the pages of history alongside the Neanderthal, thylacine and dinosaurs? Baileigh Higgins has kindly set aside a little time to place some bets with me on the odds that humans will live another day after the invasion of zombies in the society outlined in ‘Last Another Day’. Baileigh, where did your exploration of a zombie invaded world start?
It started with a character. I had this image of a woman huddled in the shower while her former husband, now a zombie, tries to break down the door.
That’s not a very pretty scenario for the woman in the shower. For her sake, I hope she can manage to disable her zombie-fied husband with the power of shower gel and soap and run to safety! Once you had this picture of this of a husband and wife in less than safe surrounds come to mind, how did the rest of the cast unfurl?
That’s a tricky one. Sometimes I draw on the people around me, especially if I feel they’re suited to the role, other times the character will come to me and ask to be written.
I always love to hear about characters asking to be written into the story. I hope that they were polite about it, which might have been difficult for some of the zombie-enhanced people. I trust you don’t have any direct experiences with zombies in your day-to-day life, but did you feel that you could still massage elements from your own life into ‘Last Another Day’?
I think it’s impossible not to. Bits of my life and thought processes litter this book as it does every other book I write.
For you, what was the most important aspect of those littering thoughts that you hope really connects with readers?
That no matter how bad things get, and how tough it might be, survival is possible. Especially if you stay true to who you are and loyal to your family and friends.
Was sharing that truth of loyalty towards yourself and others the most satisfying element in the development of this novel, or did you garner greater satisfaction in another area?
Building this wonderful set of characters, each of whom are like real people to me now. Living, breathing human beings.
What did you learn most from bringing these living, breathing human beings to life?
This book taught me so much about writing in general and reader expectations, that it will most likely stay fixed in my mind as my most important book ever. Even if what I go on to write in the future is ten times better.
Ten times better, that’s a fantastic improvement! What are you practising your writing skills on at the moment?
I’m currently finishing up this series and am in the editing stages of Live Another Day, the final book in this series.
Good luck getting series complete. As we chat today you’re currently looking at the completion of a zombie-infested trilogy. Looking back to the beginning of your writing career, what do you feel has kept you coming back to writing?
Because I need to. It relaxes me, focuses my energies, and provides an outlet for my frustrations. Plus, it makes me happy.
How does that happiness manifest itself through your writing process? Does it start with each outline of a story or knowing where the story will end?
I never know how it will end. Often when I plot it out, it changes halfway through as the story lets me know who’s the real boss.
*Laughs* Those bossy stories! What do those bossy stories dictate to you in order to make themselves come to life? Do they demand that you adhere to a strict writing schedule including sizeable word counts with only time off for good behaviour?
I write every day except Sundays, and I aim to increase my word count each time even if only by one. I work from my office, which I’m currently redecorating, and I make sure to relax in the evenings with a good book. Reading is very important to me. Once a year, I take a holiday where I’m not allowed to write or promote. No social media at all during those two weeks. It helps prevent burnout.
Do you feel that by taking those steps to continuously write, read and relax has helped you develop your author voice?
I’d like to think I continuously grow and expand as an author, not only because of the added experience but also the new things I experience in my own life. I know that my descriptions are richer, and I’m more in tune now with what my readers want. The majority anyway.
Has being in tune with your readers translated into the formation of your own author brand? And what steps have you taken, or recommend taking to solidify your author voice with an accompanying brand?
An author brand is important. But start small, by having your book covers (especially those in a series) have a similar look and feel. I did not think of this in the beginning and now regret it, as I have to recover most of my books. Pay attention to the look of your website, emails, social media etc as well. Try for a uniform look. This look might and probably will evolve over time but strive for uniformity.
What other points, outside of author brand uniformity, do you feel that authors should keep in mind while taking on the challenge of self-publishing?
It is not an easy road to take. You have to be dedicated, and willing to work endless hours, not just writing but also promoting and learning. You HAVE to be able to learn new things and keep abreast with developments. However, if you can do this, it’s incredibly rewarding and you can make a living from it. Just ask me and the countless others doing it despite the naysayers out there. My best advice would be: Find a mentor. Someone who can guide you along early on in the game until you’re ready to go it alone.
And I’m glad to see that you’ve continued to live and learn enough over the years so that you’re chatting with me today about how it has paid off for you. And in every payoff, I feel there should be fun, and the fun that I want to inject into today’s interview centres around how much quirkiness I can get out of an author via our quickfire questions. Let’s start the inquisition with, why isn’t there mouse-flavoured cat food?
Um, how would we know what mouse tastes like? I’m not volunteering for that one!
That’s a shame; there were some really awesome rewards for volunteering for that study! Moving away from the world of mice, what is your zodiac sign?
Pisces
Super fish! Keeping the super astrological fish in mind, if you could breed two animals together to defy the laws of nature what new animal would you create?
A dolphin and a horse. Waterhorse!
That’s fishy enough for me! Are you left or right-handed?
Right-handed.
And to end things off today, I’m intrigued to know who you have in mind when your right-hand takes the lead tapping away each new exciting fictional tale?
Everyone!
*Laughs* That’s quite an audience, and I hope that you aren’t distracted by writing for everyone at once! Baileigh, thanks for sharing a taste of the mind behind the zombie-infested world of ‘Last Another Day’, and I wish you the best of luck getting ‘Live Another Day’ to shelves, virtual and otherwise soon!
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Excited to read the book we discussed today? Find it here on Amazon: ‘Last Another Day ( ASIN: B01LZKV7BI )‘.
Want to find out more about Baileigh Higgins? Connect here!