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Sylva native Eric Brown is quoted in book on zombies
By Stephanie Salmons
Sylva native and author Eric Brown doesn’t consider himself an expert on zombies, “because zombies don’t exist.” But at 33, he does, however, consider himself an expert with regard to zombie films and literature.
So much so, and so prolific is his body of zombie-related fiction, Brown was asked to be included in the book “Zombie CSU: The Forensics of the Living Dead,” written by Jonathan Maberry
“Zombie CSU” describes how the real world would respond to an uprising of the undead.
“This book is half kind of a realistic take on what would happen if a zombie apocalypse would occur in real life and how plausible that would be,” Brown said. “The other half of the book is little sidebars of zombie culture and history.”
Along with Brown, the book features interviews with other writers, actors, film-makers and other zombie experts, including a number of notable names in the world of zombies, which is why Brown said it was a great opportunity to be included in this project.
Film-maker George Romero, who kick-started the modern zombie genre with 1968’s “Night of the Living Dead,” was also interviewed for the book.
“Romero created the genre in 1968 and if not for him, I wouldn’t have a career,” Brown said.
Other famous names interviewed for the book include James Gunn, who wrote the screenplay of 2004’s “Dawn of the Dead” remake and its director Zack Snyder. The movie was an updated version of Romero’s 1978 film of the same name.
“That’s good company to be in,” he said. “It’s validation for the last six years of my life.”
The book also features an interview with Michael Kelly, who played the character C.J. in the “Dawn of the Dead” remake.
“The very first day I got the book, I actually freaked out more about being (in the same book) with him than George Romero because I love that character,” Brown said. “(The character) is so well-written from the beginning of the screenplay to the end. He’s the only character where you see a dynamic, 180-degree change from a complete jerk to a guy who blows himself up to save everyone else.”
While he said he doesn’t claim to be into zombie history as much as Romero is, he now feels like he is part of the history of the genre.
“When you’re in a book with the guy that created the genre, that kind of validates you a little bit,” he said. “How often is it that someone from Jackson County becomes a part of national history in terms of the genre they work in?”
Brown began seriously writing at the age of 26 with the encouragement of his wife, Shanna. A graduate of Smoky Mountain High School, he attended Southwestern Community College and then Western Carolina University, where he studied English. He lived in Sylva until he was 25 and then moved to Canton.
His interest in zombies began at a young age after watching “Night of the Living Dead” while in elementary school.
“It gave me nightmares for two week,” he said. “When I watched the sequel, “Dawn of the Dead,” which is my favorite movie of all time, I knew this was my genre.”
When he began writing, he started writing science-fiction stories and had the most success with stories based on zombies.
By 2003, when Brown said there was a resurgence in the popularity of zombies in film and literature, he said he had made the decision to focus solely on that genre.
“The real reason I got included in “Zombie CUS” is that I have written a rather overwhelming body of zombie short stories for magazines and anthologies,” he said. “You can’t be published that much about any topic and not be noticed.”
Brown has two more of his own books coming out in the next year he said. “Season of Rot” will be published by Permuted Press and “The Unabridged: Best of Eric S. Brown,” an anthology of some of his short stories that will be published by Library of the Living Dead Books.
As for “Zombie CSU,” which was released last Tuesday (Aug. 26), Brown said he corresponded with the author for more than a year as they finalized his contribution to the book.
It’s a great book for those who enjoy zombie tales, horror and apocalyptic stories, he said.
“I guess that’s one of the big elements that has always made me write about it. I’m fascinated by the end of time,” he said. “Writing about zombies and the end of the world is great because it’s the perfect genre in which to truly explore the human condition. In those kinds of dire circumstance, do you do what’s right or what you have to do to stay alive?”
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