Get a behind-the-scenes all-access pass to Jade Lazlow's The Viral Series!
***Synopsis***
What if your world collapsed in seconds, thrusting you into an apocalyptic nightmare where your every move might be your last? An explosion at the army depot unleashes a deadly genetically-engineered virus that turns people into flesh-eating zombies.
High school senior,
Casey Williams shelters at her high school with friends and other survivors of
the outbreak. They're safe for now, but supplies are running short, and tempers
are running shorter. Casey anticipates the looming humanitarian crisis and
knows they must find other refuge or face chaos inside. She braves the savage
world beyond the school's security fence in an attempt to save herself and her
friends. With sheer grit, she leads a small party to find help at the
militarized safe zone. Once there, she arranges for her friends to be
transported to safety only to learn she's placed them in even greater danger.
Determined to seek justice, she fights the living and the undead in her quest
to survive in this new dystopian reality.
What is the sub-genre and trope? Did your characters lead you to this genre or was that decided before the story began?
The sub-genre is dystopian conspiracy.
The deadly virus and its aftermath are symptoms of a much deeper and more terrifying threat. I decided the genre in the beginning.
Are you more character or plot driven?
I try to write in balance, but plot most often drives my stories.
With many main and secondary characters, how do you keep them separated in your mind? Do you have a story/vision board above your workspace?
When plotting with multiple important characters, I map out a physical and psychological profile for each. I create a loose outline of their story arc and how it intertwines with others.
Sometimes this is determined before I write. In other cases, it is formed as the story unfolds.
I know from previous interviews that characters take on a life of their own. Were any of the characters in this series determined to take their own direction instead of where you initially wanted them to go?
Harley surprised me. Without asking me, she transformed from a meek, clumsy wall flower into a very different character. The audacity.
Are any of the male POVs based on anyone you know?
Not in this series. The males have a basic profile, but I let them become who they want to be as the story progresses.
Are any of the female POVs based on anyone you know?
Verna, the nurse, is loosely based on a nurse I once knew.
Was there any one character/scene that was harder to write about than the other?
Yes, there is one gut-wrenching scene I won’t describe here, but readers will know it when they read it. It was rough on me. lol
What is your favorite book in the series?
I’m not sure yet, but I think it will be the final book because of the resolutions I have planned.
I know that we aren’t supposed to have “favorites” as far as our children, but seriously, who’s your favorite character and why?
I love them all for who they are. Lol. How diplomatic is that?
Casey is a favorite for sure because of her strength and resilience.
Series question - Who is your favorite couple and why did you decide on their dynamics?
Casey and Kyle are the only “couple” in my series. Their romance is a sub-plot. I wanted their story to be as real and complex as the situations they are in. They made their own decisions about their interactions and dynamics.
How do you get inside these characters’ heads to find their perfect HEA?
For me, the best interactions happen naturally as a result of characters’ personalities and the impact of the situation on them.
In Viral Dawn, the characters understand the danger they’re in, and their focus is on surviving from one minute to the next. Their vision of an HEA is tenuous, but that makes them more focused on the here and now.
What scene in this book/series sticks out the most for you? Why?
There are multiple meaningful scenes in the series, and it’s hard to pick one. I’m hoping the best one is yet to come.
Series - Were any of the books harder to write than others?
Probably the final book has been the hardest. I started it several times during the COVID pandemic but kept pulling back.
There’s just something unnerving about writing apocalyptic fiction during a pandemic.
This question is if you write in MULTIPLE POVs not just the hero and heroine - I love the multiple POVs in a book. It’s not just the hero and heroine, but we get inside the heads of multiple characters throughout this series. I feel that it gives the story further depth. Do you think you will write another book or series following this multiple POV outline?
Viral Dawn is in a single POV. The entire story is through Casey’s eyes.
The remaining books have multiple POVs. I agree that multiple views can provide be used to heighten tension and complicate plots as well as character interactions.
How long did it take you to write this book/series?
Much longer than I planned. Initially, I wanted the story to be a short book aimed toward struggling readers.
I thought that if I put the story out there, those readers might find and enjoy it. It was an “if you build it they will come” strategy.
However, readers who were drawn to the story wanted length, more detail, science, and more. So, I rewrote the story.
Between Viral Dawn and Viral Vengeance, life got in the way, and I had a personal health issue to deal with. That caused me to fall behind.
I’m back at it now, and I’m hoping to have the book out in 2023. (Unless life gets in the way.)
How did you come up with the title for your book and (if applicable) series?
The titles Viral Dawn, Viral Storm, and Viral Vengeance seemed to fall into place. In a way, it’s like three part structure.
If you met these characters in real life would you get along?
I’d get along with most of them. I’d want to smack Casey’s mother though.
Series question – Did you know in advance that you were going to write this as a series or did one of the characters in book one demand their own story?
It was going to be a one-book story, but Casey decided otherwise. She and her friends kept digging and uncovered a whole slew of issues. They demanded we investigate further and resolve the problems.
If your book/series were made into a movie, which actors do you see as playing your characters?
Wouldn’t that be fun?! Okay, here goes:
Maddie Ziegler would be Casey. Sasha Pieterse would play Harley. Chris Hemsworth would be Kyle. I see Tequan Richmond as Jordan. Dianne Wiest is a perfect Verna. David Castro would be great for Matt.
Can you give us a hint as to what we can expect next? Whether a new book and series or a sequel to an existing series? Can you share a small tease?
Viral Dawn and Viral Storm are already out in book and audio. Viral Vengeance is next, and it will be the final book. I guarantee there are twists you won’t see coming.
The teaser is it’s all about redemption and renewal.
Check out all my interviews/reviews for Jade Lazlow!
https://readingbydeb.blogspot.com/2023/02/author-at-glance-jade-lazlow.html
She garnered inspiration from local legends told in hushed whispers, creepy comic books, and thrillers and mysteries from the town's library.
Jade typed her first novel on a broken manual typewriter that was missing a few key caps. She had to keep moving the remaining caps around to type. "A friend gave me the typewriter to help me get started, and I thought it was the most wonderful gift I'd ever received. I had to keep moving the key caps around to depress the levers to type to keep from hurting my fingers. It was a pain, but it was still faster than writing by hand. It was more than just a typewriter to me. It meant someone else thought my writing was worth reading, and that made me happy."
Urged by her perennially practical parents to “grow up” and get a “real job,” Jade worked in broadcasting as an announcer, an electronic graphics operator, a master control switcher, an audio producer, and a voiceover personality for local affiliates for local ABC and NPR affiliates, House of Commons Film Video and Multi-image Productions, and The Learning Channel (TLC). She later pursued a career in education for more than twenty-five years.
Through it all, she never lost the nagging itch to write and tell stories. Despite having a crooked path to publication, Jade was "born to be a writer," and she is delighted to finally have the time to do it. She also independently narrates and produces audiobooks. "There's nothing more exciting," she says, "than creating great stories and finding that people enjoy them." “Like most of my fellow indie writers,” she explained, “I work a day job while practicing my craft in my spare time. Writers are like struggling actors working toward fulfilling their dreams.
"I’ve been in love with mysteries and creepy stories since I was a kid watching Scooby-Doo cartoons. I grew up reading Trixie Belden, The Hardy Boys, and Nancy Drew. Horror films were my obsession. Night of the Living Dead, vampire and werewolf movies, anything creepy was my jam. It was always fun to experience a great thriller, and that’s what I hope to bring to my readers."
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