Interview | Pembroke Sinclair

Life After The Undead by Pembroke Sinclair

Publisher: Booktrope Publishing

Release date: October 27th, 2015

Genres: YA, Sci-fi, Dystopia
Source: ARC in exchange of an honest review

Pages: 248

Goodreads | Purchase

Seventeen-year-old Krista must quickly figure out how she’s going to survive in the zombie-destroyed world. The one advantage humans have is that the zombies hate humid environments, so they’re migrating west to escape its deteriorating effects. The survivors plan to construct a wall at North Platte to keep the undead out, and Krista has come to Nebraska to start a new life.

Zombies aren’t the only creatures she has to be cautious of—the other survivors have a dark side. Krista must fight not only to live but also to defend everything she holds dear—her country, her freedom, and ultimately, those she loves.

Join Krista in her quest to survive in this thrilling apocalyptic novel by Pembroke Sinclair.

SHORT REVIEW

I was glad I had Life After The Undead as my first zombie novel ever. It has everything I could ever ask for in a novel featuring my favorite creatures in fictional worlds. It has a badass heroine. Like, really badass. Krista isn't easily intimidated, she stands up for herself, and I found myself liking her more and more each page. She's also smart and knows how to do her thing. My favorite line from her is exactly the same thing I would think of if I were in her shoes, or well.. mine.

Guys? Who the hell cared about guys at this point in time?

I also liked how the zombies are portrayed here. When I was reading, I felt like I was the one running away and hiding from the undead. It was impossible to relax. The plot is fast-paced even though it is kinda slow at some points. I also liked how the threats aren't just the zombies roaming outside the fences, but also the people inside it. Being The Walking Dead loyal fan for years, I know for sure these kinds of things would happen in a real-life zombie apocalypse. Whether the inside threats are tyrants, cannibals, or simply crazy people. 

There was something I particularly didn't like, though. The romance was insta-love and felt unreal. There's just no sparks between them. I felt like the book would be a whole lot better without any kind of romance altogether. It suddenly escalated from a-thrilling-zombie-apocalypse-novel to a-thrilling-zombie-apocalypse-novel-with cheesy-romance-in-it.

Overall, I think Life After The Undead is worth reading if you're looking for a zombie apocalypse story with an independent badass heroine and a totally believable world-building.

Thank you Booktrope Publishing for providing me an ARC!

My rating:  ★ ★ ★ . 5

Reviewed by Inas 

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH PEMBROKE SINCLAIR

Hey! How was the review? Are you interested in reading Life After The Undead? Well, if you do, then you might be interested in joining the giveaway sometime after this month! Just wait for it! Okay, so, in this interview, she talks about how to write Krista a.k.a the badass heroine I was talking about earlier and how would she (Pembroke) survive a zompocalypse!

Okay, then! Check this out!

What inspired you to write a book in a zombie apocalypse world?

I love zombies.  I’ve loved them since the first time I saw Night of the Living Dead.  They are just so fascinating to me, so when I had a dream about them, I thought, “Hey! That’s pretty cool! I’m going to write a story.”  And Life After the Undead was created.

Tell us about the main character, Krista, in twitter style (140 characters or less)

Krista is a strong, tough, spunky, and witty teenage girl trying to survive zombies.  And she doesn’t take crap from anyone!

As we all know, there are many kinds of zombies out there in our fictional world (movies, books, etc). Can you spoil us a little bit about what kind of zombies that features in Life After The Undead? (For example, is it the zombies in World War Z, or The Walking Dead?)

The zombies in Life After the Undead are closer to The Walking Dead creatures.  They are slow and vast in number.

What was the hardest and easiest thing about writing Life After The Undead?

Well, the easiest thing was creating the zombie world.  Like I said, I love zombies, so it was fun to create that aspect of it.  The hardest was probably getting it finished.  I never intended for there to be two books, so the story was a tad longer than I expected.

What would be your first thing to do if you were in an actual zombie apocalypse?

Organize my supplies and family and get to safety.

In a zombie apocalypse, what would be your weapon of choice and why?

I would actually have a couple: a gun and a machete.  Guns run out of ammunition, and machetes require a lot of physical strength and needing to get close to the undead, but both have the ability to save my life.

Do you have a particular writing space where you like to write most, and can you show us a picture if you have one available?

Honestly, I write where I can.  Most of my books are handwritten in spiral notebooks and then transferred to the computer.  I write at wrestling practice, on my couch, wherever!  And when I type it, I move my laptop around to accommodate my needs.

What do you usually do in your free time?

That’s when I write.  I don’t get a lot of free time with a full-time job, a family, and three dogs, but when I do, that’s when I create stories.

I really, truly love Krista's character. She's mature, independent, and stays true to herself.Can you share some writing tips or pieces of advice to aspiring writers about creating great and believable characters?

Wow.  I didn’t think this question would be that hard!  Thank you for the compliment about Krista.  I really like her too.

I really don’t know what kind of writing tip to give for this.  I don’t feel like I created Krista, but that she existed in my mind and told me her story.  When I edit, I try to make her actions fit with the voice in my head and reflect the real world, even though there are zombies involved. 

I’m sure that doesn’t make a lot of sense, and I apologize.  I really don’t know how else to explain it!

There's a sequel, right? Can you tell us a little bit about Krista's next challenges and adventures? Honestly, I can't wait to read the next one!

Yes, the sequel is Death to the Undead, and it is scheduled for republication on February 16, 2016.  In this book, Krista has to figure out how she’s going to take down Florida and The Families.

Here’s the blurb (in case you’re curious):

Seventeen-year-old Krista has already proven she can survive the zombie hordes.

After moving to North Platte with her distant cousin General Liet to help build a wall that will keep the zombies in the West, it becomes apparent that the zombies aren’t the biggest threat—some survivors are far more dangerous than Krista had ever imagined.

With the help of Quinn, a survivor and fighter from the zombie-infested wildlands of the West, they free the garrison at North Platte from the power-hungry Liet.  But there is a bigger battle to fight.

The Families who rule Florida and use intimidation and the threat of the zombie horde to coerce their territory want Krista and Quinn captured, the zombies want to devour them, and other survivors want them dead. Caught between powerful forces, will they survive long enough to devise a new plan and put it into action?  Or will they self-destruct?

Find out in book two of this thrilling apocalyptic series by author Pembroke Sinclair.

This or that

Coffee or tea?

Coffee

No friends or no books?

No friends.  I can always make friends in books.

To love or to be loved?

Can’t I have both?

Thank you so much for letting me interview you, Pembroke!

Thank you so much for the interview!  I really appreciate it!

Posted by Inas